Archive for January, 2008
The Teenagers live!
The Teenagers
Dark Wave Disco At Sonoteque, Chicago
Saturday, January 26, 2008
There’s a good chance a group whose most notorious song is a document of the narrator sleeping with his step-cousin shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Perhaps that should’ve been the first indication of what was to come.
Cover Story: Steve Earle
Steve Earle
Goes Through The Wire
Any viewer tuning into the last season of David Simon’s brilliant HBO series, “The Wire,” probably did a double-take as the credits rolled. That bearded ex-junkie informant Waylon was actually played by folk-rocking firebrand Steve Earle? Yes, it’s true, says the singer of his weaselly alter ego, a recurring character who [...]
Lenny Kravitz live!
Lenny Kravitz
Riviera Theatre, Chicago
Saturday, January 26, 2008
These days Lenny Kravitz is more likely to play an arena than an intimate setting, making a pre-release warm up tour at the Riviera Theatre a somewhat unusual occurrence. The retro rocker likened it to being “just like the old days,” but with longevity under his belt, he had [...]
Love In October preview
Love In October
Reggie’s Rock, Chicago
Saturday, February 2, 2008
How do you know when a rock group take themselves way too seriously? How about when they proclaim it bothers them to be called a band because it “limits [them] to a scope of music” and “[we] want . . . to be known as creators, not musicians”?
Wild Sweet Orange preview
Wild Sweet Orange
Schubas, Chicago
Monday, February 4, 2008
Birmingham, Alabama-based Wild Sweet Orange offer the self-reflection and sensitive yearning we’ve come to expect from alumnus of that great jukebox known as “Grey’s Anatomy.” It’s easy to reason why the folks behind the ABC hit show chose “Land Of No Return,” from the band’s Whale (Nervous Blood) EP, [...]
Daniel Johnston preview
Daniel Johnston
Metro, Chicago
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
As the ’70s became the ’80s, Daniel Johnston became a fixture of the Austin, Texas music scene, peddling homemade cassettes of his songs to passersby. Even a cursory listen to this material (available today on Songs Of Pain 1980-83: The Early Recordings Volume 1) reveals something amiss — he’s bipolar. [...]
Mini Britney!
On The Down Low
Normally we would be ashamed of ourselves for using a title like “On The Down Low” for a news piece about a 4-foot-2-inch woman. But since Terra Jolé, or “Mini Britney Spears,” doesn’t mind the attention given to her height, we don’t mind pointing it out.
Bell X1 interview
Bell X1
Delayed Flight
Situated knee-deep among T-shirts and other band paraphernalia (monogrammed teapots anyone?), Bell X1’s Paul Noonan dreams of the great American landscape while tirelessly sorting through pre-holiday merchandise orders. Such is the life of a Dublin-based DIY musical outfit.
Appearing: March 19th at Schubas in Chicago.
Chris Walla interview
Chris Walla
Homeland Insecurities
It comes as no surprise that certain artists set themselves up as lightning rods for controversy. Britney Spears’ ongoing crusade to become the new Courtney Love stands as the most obvious example right now. Still, others go out of their way to create and sustain mischief, which is actually even sadder. (Anyone care [...]
The Atari Underground
Atari Returns!
Dance Dance Reinvention
Before video game consoles could play Blu-ray movies, display Web sites, boot Linux, or offer unlimited headset smack talk, they were good for one thing and one thing only: video gaming. When the 1.19 MHz Atari 2600 console was first released in 1977, it had two main settings: “b&w” and “color”; and [...]
The Goldstars feature
The Goldstars
Lord Of The Ringers
In some alternate universe, The Goldstars are a god-sized juggernaut. Frontman Sal — just “Sal” — is a true star, a wizard conjuring garage rock hurricanes to cleanse and purify the sodden masses.
Prime interview
Prime
Backbone Of The Middle Ground
Dre Vasquez, the MC better known as Prime, is arguably one of the most recognized independent hip-hop artists in Chicago. For a decade, this North Side resident’s craft and liveliness have earned him a spot on a live HBO MC battle, a track with Slug from Atmosphere (“Lambslaughter”), and countless gigs [...]
Hello, My Name Is Shannon
Hello, My Name Is Shannon
Q&A With Shannon Wright
IE: You’ve just welcomed a new baby. Were you musical as a kid?
Shannon Wright: My grandma bought me a guitar when I was 9, but I hated it because it made my fingers hurt. My parents liked music a lot, but neither of them played anything. I didn’t [...]
File: February 2008
EMI’s E-M Ergency
In what could be mistaken for a climate-change exercise, lifeboats are circling the offices of EMI Recordings, home to Capitol, Virgin, and Astralwerks Records among others. Nearly 2,000 jobs have been cut — take that, downloaders! — and the fallout isn’t limited to staff.
DVD Zone: February 2008
Strike? What Strike?
What seems to be troublin’ ya, bunkie? Are you bummed because you haven’t seen a new episode of your favorite show in months? Do you feel you’ll projectile vomit if you stumble across another inane “reality” show? Have you gotten a little sick of all those high-falootin’ writers thinking they should get [...]
