Archive for May, 2007

Cover Story: Ozzy Osbourne

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 [...]

The Faint live!

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.

The Rosebuds/Clientele preview

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.

Wheat 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 [...]

Adrienne Young reviewed

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.

Astrid Swan 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.

Bang Gang 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.

Hello, My Name Is Albert

Hello, My Name Is Albert
Q&A With Albert Hammond Jr.
IE: When you decided to put Yours To Keep out, did you think you would tour?
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 [...]

Paul Wall interview

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 [...]

Simply Red 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 [...]

Tossers 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 [...]

Travis interview

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 [...]

The Narrator 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 [...]

File: June 2007

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 [...]

DVD Zone: 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, [...]