Illinois Entertainer

Ministry
Jour Gonna Miss Me

On a sultry August 18th, 1995, Chicagoans and pilgrims stuffed the Riviera Theatre for a last chance to catch the Ramones live. Opening act Gren, a grunge-era also-ran, had the word “ignored” redefined for them while all anyone wanted to hear was that iconic “One! Two! Three! Four!” 30 more times. As victory lap/farewell tours went, the Ramones were able to close on a giddy high. Finality never felt so good – so they did it again.

Appearing: May 8th through 11th at House Of Blues in Chicago.

• Read more: Cover Story: Ministry’s Farewell

At this point in the game, predicting the continual advent of the next generation of Chicago hip-hop talent is hardly a new or groundbreaking call. Nearly every music magazine in the country has written about at least some, if not the majority of the talent that has emerged the last few years. In fact, many of said features lump the talent together, with single articles being utilized to focus on a diverse array of artists.

• Read more: Flosstradamus live!

Atmosphere
Metro, Chicago
Wednesday, April 23, 2008

It doesn’t seem much of a stretch to see life imitating art in the case of Minneapolis hip-hop outfit Atmosphere. After all, the group’s just-released record is titled When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, which might explain the impressive level of output released by co-conspirators Slug and Ant within the last year — a year that has seen four fairly consistant EPs (some moreso than others), one mix tape/album (the free downloadable Strictly Leakage), and an impressive proper new record added on to the Atmosphere discography. All of which provided plenty of different arenas for Atmosphere frontman Slug during his group’s recent stop at the Metro, the second of two.

• Read more: Atmosphere live!

Earth
The Note, Chicago
Friday, April 25, 2008

“Dude, I’m bored,” announced a friend of a friend in a Venom-themed Boris T-shirt. “Are you guys going to leave soon?” It was a damned good question. After six songs of blandly introverted, lightly amplified twang, many at the quaint Wicker Park bar were starting to come to grips with what has become a rather dull and clinical instrumental jazz band. Chatter — a death knell to any live band — had arrived like a swarm of determined little midges, and there was nothing on tap that could take back the night. Yeah, we were going to leave soon.

• Read more: Earth live!

International Pop Overthrow
Various clubs, Chicago
April 15th - 27th, 2008

Back in 1998, when David Bash organized the first International Pop Overthrow in Los Angeles, he probably couldn’t have imagined how much his low-budget, annual celebration of power pop would flourish. By 2001, International Pop Overthrow, named after a Material Issue song and album title, had branched out to Chicago and, two years after that, made its first visit to Liverpool. This year, Bash added Kalamazoo, Detroit, and Milwaukee to the mix, bringing the total to 13 cities. All the while it continues to fly under the radar of the mainstream media.

• Read more: International Pop Overthrow Wrap-Up

Neva Dinova
Schubas, Chicago
Thursday, May 1, 2008

Saddle Creek Records has always seemed a youthful label, largely because of Conor Oberst but also from recent signings like Tokyo Police Club. Neva Dinova, new to the imprint as well, have been around the block often enough to sketch its topography from memory.

• Read more: Neva Dinova preview

The Myriad
Park West, Chicago
Friday, May 2, 2008

Despite the band’s name, The Myriad fail to encapsulate a wide variety of styles and influences on With Arrows, With Poise (Koch). The Seattle-based quartet must have latched on to English atmospheric rockers Muse a few years ago and just never let go, which isn’t altogether a bad thing, but causes the album’s 12 tracks to bleed into each other without much fanfare.

• Read more: The Myriad preview

Tokyo Police Club
Metro, Chicago
Monday, May 5, 2008

We music critics aren’t so good at math. If we were, we wouldn’t be music critics; we’d be providing some sort of real service to the world. Probably making real money too. But even us right brainers know 28 minutes divided by 11 songs equals not very much at all.

• Read more: Tokyo Police Club preview

Cedarwell
Subterranean, Chicago
Wednesday, May 7, 2008

If you believe everything Wikipedia says (and we do), NCAA basketball coach Rick Majerus, comedian Jackie Mason, and death metal band Morbid Angel are all from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. And those are the highlights! Sheboygan native Erik G. Neave should be optimistic his name might someday be included on such an illustrious list. It can’t take much to bump professional baseball prospect and Sheboygan North graduate Brandon Magee, can it?

• Read more: Cedarwell preview

Mariah Carey
E=MC2
(Island)

Before Amy Winehouse was arrested, Britney Spears shaved, and Ashlee Simpson taped “SNL,” Mariah Carey fell apart on MTV and began one of the most spectacular celebrity flameouts the world had seen.

• Read more: Mariah Carey reviewed

Century
Black Ocean
(Prosthetic)

Carson Slovak’s tightly wound Century manage to create space for themselves on their third album, though, in accordance with some prevailing scientific theories, that space is finite.

• Read more: Century reviewed

Jason Miles & DJ Logic
Global Noize
(Shanachie)

Fusion/bop veteran Jason Miles and the man largely credited with funneling jazz into early hip-hop, DJ Logic, are joined by Meshell Ndegeocello, John Popper, Vernon Reid, Bernie Worrell, and more in a largely frustrating, bland world blend.

• Read more: Jason Miles & DJ Logic reviewed

Counting Crows
Two Days A Week

“As far as I can tell — and I can’t guarantee this — I am real. It has often seemed to me like this was all a part of my imagination. Which is largely the problem. The fact that my life has seemed like a figment of my imagination to me is largely the problem in my life.”

Appearing: August 22nd at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park.

• Read more: Counting Crows interview

Panic At The Disco
No Exclamation Reqired

For the particularly ghoulish among you, the British video is still floating around on You Tube, as creepy as it was when it was first filmed in the summer of ‘06. It’s a particularly chilling clip from that year’s Reading Festival, showing ebony-garbed, eyelinered Panic At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie strutting onstage, launching into a droning emocore song alongside guitarist Ryan Ross, and . . . promptly getting beaned with a full beer bottle thrown from a decidedly anti-emo segment of the audience. We’re talking unconscious. Out. Cold. It wasn’t quite the warm U.K. welcome the then-teenage members were expecting. And it could’ve easily killed poor Urie, who was hastily dragged offstage to recover.

Appearing: May 23rd & 24th at Congress Theatre in Chicago.

• Read more: Panic At The Disco interview

Dimmu Borgir
Lords Of Commercial Chaos

For their first band photos in 1993, Dimmu Borgir wore foot-long spikes on their arms and posed with medieval swords and homemade clubs at night in the woods near Oslo, Norway. In the tradition of one-time Mayhem vocalist Dead, who committed suicide two years earlier, they smeared their faces with shock-white greasepaint, bubonic-black eyeliner, and inky, exaggerated frowns.

Appearing: Sunday, May 4th at House Of Blues in Chicago.

• Read more: Dimmu Borgir interview