Archive for February, 2007

Scissor Sisters 2

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“It was basically we were making music so we could go out to a club and get onstage,” she says, marking her procession from time hosting cabarets. “We were performing onstage when we only had four songs in the can. It was something that originally was a vehicle for [...]

A Matter Of Respect

“When you get off the plane in Detroit, you hear Motown; when you get off the plane in Memphis, you hear Elvis. When you get off the plane here, there’s one horrible painting of Muddy, [Howlin'] Wolf, and [Little] Walter sitting in a corner. I’ve mentioned that to the mayor . . . what are [...]

Studio Happenings

At CLEAN CUT RECORDING STUDIO in Palatine, Chicago rock band Chevelle recorded and mixed bonus tracks with engineer Jeff Moll and assistant Tony Doppke.

News Of Every Kind

GOOD NEWS: When Chicago radio personalities get fired they wind up in one of four places: Michigan (Kevin Matthews), TV (Mancow), the ether (Garry Meier), or the Internet. The last is where you can find former WXRT-FM (93.1) jock Bobby Skafish.

Koroboro Rock

Legacy and familial inheritance has always played a significant role in African society. Whether dictating marriage, social position, or profession, the rules and expectations of family lineage have changed very slowly. And being the son of an internationally famous father does not help matters. This is the situation Vieux Farka Touré, son of late Malian [...]

Local CD Reviews

Alabaster takes a dim view of relationships on its four-song EP, Hold Me Close – Hold Me Damaged. The violent imagery smacks of heavy metal, but the band’s midtempo arrangements might not have enough power to hold the average headbanger’s attention. Shane Killian is a gifted vocalist, particularly when she drifts through the theatrical “Surface [...]

Around Hear Page 2

Curiously named eight-piece band Oucho Sparks deliver nearly an hour of quirky indie rock on Foreign Cars And Robots. With an ever-shifting assortment of guitar riffs (from distorted to calm) and instrumentation (vintage keys, trumpet, etc.), each song offers its share of surprises. And alternating vocalists Tim Sandusky and Laura Grey rarely cease to stun [...]

Around Hear Page 3

Lucy Smith’s Movin On is something of a mixed bag. The flat and emotionless vocals of the opener (a cover of The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”) is bound to discourage listeners from moving forward, but the jazzier “Kiela,” the longing-fueled “All I Meant,” and her sassy rendition of “Go Down Moses” simply [...]

Fall Out Boy live!

Fall Out Boy
Metro, Chicago
Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Here’s the secret about Fall Out Boy: They’re better than you want them to be. Sure, it’s easy to hate on them because of the increased pop profile the band now attracts, or de facto bandleader Pete Wentz’s PerezHilton.Com-worthy publicity antics. But you know what they say – the [...]

Winger, Enuff Z’Nuff live

Winger, Enuff Z’nuff
House Of Blues, Chicago
Sunday, February 18, 2007
“We didn’t expect this many people,” said Kip Winger to a full House Of Blues. For his notorious, now-reformed hair metal band, the reunion concert succeeded in part due to coincidence: Across the Loop, the annual Chicago Auto Show was just letting out. So despite the brutal [...]

The Ettes preview

The Ettes
Ronny’s, Chicago
Friday, Feburary 23, 2007

Most musicians, we hope, think their band is good. Confidence, after all, is probably what allows some people to take the chance and get onstage while the rest of us play in the privacy of our own homes, never heard by any ears but our own.

Orangeburg Massacre preview

The Orangeburg Massacre
American Legion Hall, Highland Hall
Tuesday, February 27, 2007

We can’t understand a darned thing these kids are sayin’!

Slings & Arrows preview

Slings & Arrows
Schubas, Chicago
Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Chicago’s Slings & Arrows have a knack for choosing poor monikers — they used to be Public Four — but more than make up for it with a shadowy dream pop/slow-motion pyrotechnic mindscrambler.

The Showdown reviewed

The Showdown
Temptation Come My Way
(Mono Vs. Stereo)

Tennessee boys The Showdown are out to oust sensitive rock and bring back the bad boys. Let’s hope they can find some bad boys, ‘cuz it sure ain’t them.

Paolo Nutini reviewed

Paolo Nutini
These Streets
(Atlantic)

A fourth-generation Scot with a Portugeuse/Italian name, singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini’s music couldn’t possibly sound less international.