Illinois Entertainer

Ozzy Osbourne
Clean, Sober, & Still Alive

Nowadays, when you think Ozzy Osbourne, you think Ozzy, Inc. — the tours (Ozzfest), the television shows (”The Osbournes,” “Battle For Ozzfest”), the wife (Sharon briefly hosted her own daytime talk program), and the offspring (daughter Kelly has released two albums while being a tabloid mainstay). Little attention is paid anymore to the man (who helped invent a genre) and his music. With Black Rain, his first new album in six years, Osbourne hopes to change that and remind people exactly what made him famous in the first place.

Appearing: August 10th at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park.

• Read more: Cover Story: Ozzy Osbourne

The Faint
Metro, Chicago
Tuesday, May 22, 2007

There are a few sure-fire signs summer has begun to hit Chicago. Parking dries up around Wrigley Field, Clark Street gets torn up from the Loop to Lincoln Park, and going to see a show at most indoor venues becomes an endurance test, thanks to the ever-present humidity.

• Read more: The Faint live!

The Rosebuds, The Clientele
Subterranean, Chicago
Friday, June 1, 2007
Saturday, June 2, 2007

If Merge Records were a television station, Spoon and The Arcade Fire would be its primetime programming, while The Rosebuds (Friday) and The Clientele (Saturday) would take care of the late-night dance party.

• Read more: The Rosebuds/Clientele preview

Wheat
Empty Bottle, Chicago
Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Despite a plethora of avenues to utilize when releasing new music, bands still envision getting signed to a major label as the epitome of tangible success. But what happens when the major label dream comes to fruition, yet peters out in a pale glow of disappointment? The tale is common enough. And, sometimes, the musicians in question return from the boxing match better off.

• Read more: Wheat preview

Adrienne Young
Room To Grow
(Addie Belle)

Socialist acoustic punk bands, ever lacking in foresight, completely missed out on a definitive genre tag. Instead comes eco-friendly Adrienne Young who, by packaging seeds with albums and donating proceeds to soil-nourishing causes, deserves the title of the first agri rocker.

• Read more: Adrienne Young reviewed

Astrid Swan
Poverina
(Minty Fresh)

By puppeteering her voice in such a way, Astrid Swan is sure to draw deadringer comparisons to Kate Bush and Tori Amos. But when she’s on her game the Finn portrays perhaps a more stable, but equally delectable artist.

• Read more: Astrid Swan reviewed

Bang Gang
Something Wrong
(Ryko/From Nowhere)

Finally released in America, this Icelandic “band” sits on the coastline and tries to pick up distant European and New World pop stations.

• Read more: Bang Gang reviewed

Hello, My Name Is Albert
Q&A With Albert Hammond Jr.

Albert Hammond Jr.: When I first realized I had a record to put out, I wasn’t gonna do any press. I was just gonna put it out in the U.K. Then it became, “Come over and do any show” and “Come over and do four shows,” then we got offered the English tour and then the Bloc Party dates. And then, I don’t know, we do our own tour, then we almost did a tour with the Kings [Of Leon]. Things just started going well and kept growing.

• Read more: Hello, My Name Is Albert

Paul Wall
Ice Cold

Iconic rapper Paul Wall hasn’t had much time to catch his breath these past 12 months. When IE speaks with The People’s Champ (born Paul Slayton) via telephone, he’s cruising around his native Houston with his one-year-old son, William. While he can, he’s trying to squeeze in a little quality time before he heads out on tour with Fall Out Boy to promote his new album, Get Money Stay True (Atlantic). “Every second counts,” says Paul about seeing his son and wife, Crystal.

Appearing: 6/10-11 at Charter One Pavilion (on Northerly Island) in Chicago.

• Read more: Paul Wall interview

Simply Red
Orchestral Movements On A Lark: A Q&A With Mick Hucknall

There are a few things that distinguish Simply Red frontman Mick Hucknall. For one, there’s his curly shock of red hair, from which the band derive their name. His soulful wail, which one might not expect to come from someone who looks like him, is another. And, 20 some years after their breakthrough hit, “Holding Back The Years,” Simply Red are still at it, with Stay (simplyred.com) being their latest release. Hucknall spoke with us about the band, the new disc, and the changes in his life.

• Read more: Simply Red interview

IE Feel We Owe The Tossers An Apology

Being the classy gentlemen (and lady) they are, though, The Tossers don’t hold a grudge. Sitting in the third-floor green room of Cobra Lounge, tin whistle player Aaron Duggins, older brother/vocalist/mandolin player Tony Duggins, and drummer Bones admit they’re still geeked about a surprising cover appearance earlier this year.

Travis
Spotless Mind

It was something new, all right. Bravely, boldly, with no sound-system assistance, Healy began to strum and sing “Flowers In The Window,” one of the optimistic Travis chestnuts featured on the recent Singles showcase. And there was silence in the hall — dead, hear-a-pin-drop silence. Fans watched reverently, almost awestruck as their hero commanded that huge, echoey hall on willpower and talent alone. And then went wild with applause when he succeeded. It was truly a remarkable moment, a brief glimpse of a star stripping away all his techno-trappngs and simply communicating with his listenership. But Healy wasn’t finished with his experiments.

Appearing: July 21 at Vic Theatre in Chicago.

• Read more: Travis interview

The Narrator
Bob Dylan Gospel Hour

The first thing one learns when doing research on local rock outfit The Narrator is not to believe everything you read, especially when it comes from the band themselves. According to the short bio on the back of the promo disc for their latest release, All That To The Wall, they not only have a feature-length film set for release, but also thriving stage careers as well. In addition, the closing paragraph of their press release may lead readers to believe the band might be on the verge of imploding, having inadvertently made a record “about the end of their band.”

Appearing: June 30th at Double Door in Chicago.

• Read more: The Narrator interview

Clubs Gone Dry

One of the downplayed outgrowths of music’s digital age has been its role in altering the concert landscape, especially in Chicago. It’s not something extended from MP3 files or iPods specifically, but more the mindset that comes with them. The touch-of-a-button conveniences we all enjoy have led to a revival of the music festival, combining the old radio fest, annual stationary European-style camp-outs, and the ’90s spasm of H.O.R.D.E., Lillith Fair, and the original Lollapalooza. Get everyone in the same place, slap a pricetag on it, and you don’t have to worry about live music for the rest of the summer.

• Read more: File: June 2007

Not Just The Best Of The Larry Sanders Show
Sony Pictures

Nineteen ninety-two saw a seismic shift in the landscape of late-night television, touched off by the retirement of Johnny Carson. In a futile effort to fill the void, every network tried to throw someone up in the 11:30 time slot. The results, for the most part, were disastrous. If the late-night territory wasn’t rife with opportunities for parody, nothing was.

• Read more: DVD Zone: June 2007