Archive for February, 2008
Cover Story: The Pogues
The Pogues
Back In The Graces Of God
The Season Of Green is indeed in full swing, and it just so happens to coincide perfectly with The Pogues’ latest trip through America. Though there’s likely to be no shortage of St. Patrick’s Day revelry at any of this month’s engagements, the seminal Celtic-flavored rockers are also banking [...]
Stephen Malkmus interview
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
Sunshine Mountain
Stephen Malkmus’ tone could easily be misinterpreted. His droll, frequently monotone delivery suggests weariness, a thinly concealed resentment for having to endure round after round of all the same questions — most of which inevitably contextually chain him to the band he led during the ’90s: Pavement.
Appearing: March 21st at [...]
The Cool Kids interview
The Cool Kids
‘88 And Beyond
Within a year of introducing themselves on Myspace, The Cool Kids have become the most talked-about Chicago hip-hop group without a presence on retail shelves. Only in January did this duo, which comprises Chuck Inglish and Mikey Rocks, officially put a single up for sale on the Internet. That song, the [...]
Head Of Femur interview
Head Of Femur
Traveling Light
Not long ago, Taco Bell introduced a promotion whereby an indie band’s touring budget could be massaged with the infusion of free grub. If only they’d discovered Chicago-based Head Of Femur before cannibalism set in.
Appearing: April 11th at Schubas in Chicago.
What Made Milwaukee Famous interview
What Made Milwaukee Famous
And What’s Making Them Stronger
The funny thing about Myspace is getting to know someone is as easy as scanning their page, sometimes easier than actually talking to them, or in this case conducting a phone interview. Pertinent info is just a mouse click away. Surveying What Made Milwaukee Famous founder and frontman [...]
Hello, My Name Is Dick
Hello My Name Is Dick
IE: Seeing Electric Six at Double Door was how I spent my very first New Years Eve in Chicago. That’s not a question, obviously, just a fun fact.
Dick Valentine: The thing I remember about that show is that we thought it might be our last show ever, since we had recently [...]
File: March 2008
Queen Nothing
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion . . . unless it isn’t Aretha Franklin’s opinion, too. So let it be known from here forth that no female singer may ever be lovingly referred to as “the queen” by a star-struck admirer. That’s what Beyoncé did during an intro to Tina Turner’s Grammy performance [...]
DVD Zone: March 2008
DVD Zone
Sony’s Revenge
Do you like having the newest gadgets? Does the thought of running out and buying the latest technology, no matter the cost, make you a little moist? If so, you might have been one of the few who plunked down some hard-earned coin on a spiffy new HD-DVD player. Guess what? You’re screwed.
Local CD Reviews
“Around Hear” is a monthly feature where a stable of IE writers review albums sent to us by local musicians. If you are interested in having your CD (must have a minimum of three songs) reviewed and are Illinois-based, mail it and any other media materials to 657 A W. Lake St., Chicago IL, 60661. [...]
Around Hear Page 2
Singer/multi-instrumentalist Dominic Harris sounds like he’s aiming for a streetwise Lou Reed on his new CD, Ride, but it often sounds forced. A more natural delivery and sharper lyrics would have made the full-length disc more accessible. There are good things going on here, like the soulful, catchy strings Harris arranged for the pretty love [...]
Around Hear Page 3
With his How It Be mixtape, Broadview’s Quesne (pronounced Cain) drops hip-hop inspired by both the crunk of Atlanta and the chopped-and-screwed styling of Houston. Because he mostly borrows beats (from Mike Jones, Ludacris, etc.) and emulates the vibe of those tracks, it’s tough to tell what this west suburban rhymer represents. Although sonically, he [...]
Reptoids’ Sweet Sides
Doro Pesch, the iconic German power metal songstress, will hate Reptoids, or at least her publicity team will hate Reptoids.
I had Doro penciled in for this column as far back as December (she is playing the Pearl Room in March) but in mid-January I received Reptoids’ three-song Slayed EP, threw it on, listened to the [...]
In The Pocket
Digidesign
Mbox 2 Micro
In their aim to imbed a ProTools software chip in the back of every musician’s neck, Digidesign’s USB flash drive-sized Mbox 2 Micro shows they’re serious about making music tools in increasingly smaller recording packages until they’re the size of dust mites.
TV, The HDTV Switchover, & You
They can’t give us universal health care. They can’t fix the subprime mortgage problem. They can’t even find Osama bin Laden.
But at least they can subsidize our TV viewing.
The government is spending some $1.5 billion on its digital converter switchover program, which will ensure people with analog TVs can continue to watch over-the-air programming when [...]
Clean ‘N’ Sober
Death is described as the great rock career move, but surviving serious drug addiction might be a better choice. Especially when, decades later and clean ‘n’ sober, you get to regale the public with tales of your sordid past in best-selling books. Among a raft of such having-one’s-cake-and-eating-it-too tomes by rockers touting their tales of [...]
