Archive for November, 2009
Pixies live!
Aragon Ballroom, Chicago
Friday, November 20, 2009
To paraphrase Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain: Without Doolittle there would be no Nevermind. Arguably, the former document provided the blueprint that would take Alternative Nation to the top of Mt. Mainstream. Virtually ignored upon its release (except by critics and those in the know), it is now considered a touchstone recording [...]
Ian McLagan live!
Martyrs’, Chicago
Friday, November 20, 2009
The universe is back to smiling on former Small Faces and Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan. After a rough couple of years when he lost both best friend Ronnie Lane and his own wife, the impish veteran completed a brief but emotionally complex set for a modest crowd.
The XX preview
Bottom Lounge, Chicago
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
One of the most auspicious album-debuts for 2009 is such a shy record it’s a wonder anyone heard it at all.
Bebel Gilberto preview
Park West, Chicago
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
It fits that Brazil is a Portuguese-speaking country on a Spanish-inflected continent, because its music — even when written in protest — seems to dismiss traditional, Latin fire as a waste of energy.
Daptone Gold reviewed
Various Artists
Daptone Gold
(Daptone)
Lee Fields, Naomi Shelton, Charles Bradley: these are names that all fans of classic soul music should know, but likely don’t. Along with Sharon Jones, these are vocalists who have been baring their life on the mic for years yet weren’t given the proper platform until connecting with Brooklyn-based funk, gospel, and soul [...]
Rob Zombie preview
Aragon, Chicago
Sunday, November 22, 2009
What are you supposed to expect from Rob Zombie’s forthcoming Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls And The Systematic Dehumanization Of Cool (Roadrunner/Loud & Proud)? The whole world only has access to two of the 11 tracks, so you’ll just have to join him at the Aragon to find out.
Wolfmother live!
Riviera, Chicago
Friday, November 13, 2009
The ’70s-rock revival was in full force Friday night at the Riv as Australian rockers Wolfmother hit the stage in support of their latest release, Cosmic Egg (Interscope). Frontman Andrew Stockdale (who’s 6′2″, or 6′5″ with the afro) led the charge, and though he’s now backed by a new band (his [...]
DJ Rupture + Matt Shadetek preview
Empty Bottle, Chicago
Friday, November 20, 2009
Jace Clayton perhaps overshot when he took the name DJ Rupture. Far from some icy, glitch-happy beat assassin, he’s a synergist. “He’s worked with The Ex and Guy Picciotto,” you sneer, “formed a bond with Kid606.” True, and all he has done since is bring those things together.
Blind Pilot preview
Lincoln Hall, Chicago
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
There is protocol for missing the boat on a band, not just among the music press but people in general. The first is to fake ignorance and act like you’ve been there from the beginning and using the flimsiest evidence — like a calendar listing — as proof.
Fuck Buttons review
Tarot Sport
(ATP)
The title of Fuck Buttons’ debut, Street Horrrsing, really opened my eyes. Suddenly I was envisioning a pirate barebacking a pony down Columbus Drive. And the band’s name? No more was it a salacious euphemism for a woman’s sweet spot, but a repudiation: “I love zippers and can never get enough of snaps, but [...]
DVD Zone: November 2009
Drag Me To Hell
Universal
Watching director Sam Raimi return to the horror genre he redefined is like rediscovering water in August. With seemingly nine out of 10 horror flicks these days reduced to mere torture porn, Raimi’s deft touch serves notice to everyone working in the field just how it’s supposed to be done.
AFI live!
Riviera, Chicago
Saturday, November 7, 2009
In September 2007, AFI’s Davey Havok and Jade Puget brought their electro-synth side outfit, Blaqk Audio, to the Double Door for an intimate and electrified show. The performance was a far cry from the far-reaching cries of AFI’s often overdramatic and tortured anthems, borrowing more from the dance-pop side of Depeche Mode [...]
Don Henley live!
Rosemont Theatre, Rosemont
Monday, November 9, 2009
Between the Eagles’ double album Long Road Out Of Eden, two years on the road supporting it, and a solo retrospective with tour in tow, Don Henley’s been especially active as of late. Currently on the road behind his first career-spanning set, The Very Best Of Don Henley, this outing [...]
Snoop Dogg, Redman & Method Man live!
Congress, Chicago
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Upon leaving Snoop Dogg’s Wonderland High School Tour show at the Congress, a middle-aged, hippie-looking man approached me a block from the venue and asked me if I was at the concert – the one with “the music from California.” Admittedly, the long-haired guy wasn’t familiar with Snoop’s recent material, but [...]
Heavy Trash preview
Schubas, Chicago
Sunday, November 15, 2009
It would be shocking if Heavy Trash’s Jon Spencer and Matt Verta-Ray were up on daylight savings time. Neither of them seems to know what year it is.
