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.
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 has popped up in alternating seasons. And he’s the first to admit it — staring in the mirror at the John-Brown-furry Waylon, “That beard was kinda scary,” he shivers. “And I’ve known Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top since I was about 14, and I had a dream that I was standing in this infinite space and Billy was walking in circles around me, pulling on his own beard and going ‘Cool, man!’”
Appearing: March 7th at Vic Theatre in Chicago.
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 no trouble selling out this particular gig within seconds. Though a full-fledged arena outing is coming this summer, the scaled-back production and much smaller confines ensured a more personal feel, and, with a captive audience, also the chance to plug It Is Time For A Love Revolution (out February 5th on Virgin).
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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
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, to mirror the emotions of Seattle Grace’s hospital staff.
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. Though his voice is childishly high, lyrical fixtures include Captain America, and depression surges too often to be considered random, his music has never been easily dismissed.
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
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
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 for Marilyn Manson in 2008? Didn’t think so.) And then there are those artists who, out of nowhere, court an alarming level of trouble, and you never see it coming.
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 its sound was monaural, with two channels of limited audio effects. The system’s strength was bundled in the form of Combat, a hyper-violent A/V overhaul of the age-old cops-and-robbers game.
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
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 hosting shows.
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 play music until I was 20. They say whenever there was a radio on when I was little I would go sit by it.
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.
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 paid for their work? Rest easy, troubled soul. I’m here to help.
