Author Archive for ilentertainer
Interview: Eric Church
Even if he was preemptively playing along with what he assumes to be a skeptical urban magazine, Eric Church raises some salient points about country music. His career, after all, could be one of its songs.
Hello, My Name Is Alex
Q&A with Alex Ebert (a.k.a. Edward Sharpe)
IE: So there’s actually a film, Big Easy Express, of the Railroad Revival Tour you took last year by vintage train cars, with Mumford & Sons and Old Crow Medicine Show?
Alex Ebert: Yes. And it was shot really beautifully. But in some ways,
Around Hear: May 2012
With equal influence from The Allman Brothers and Jeff Beck as Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers offer a plethora of dueling guitars throughout Under The Influence.
Caught In A Mosh: May 2012
Staring at the cover of Iron Maiden’s En Vivo! (UME) DVD — Bruce Dickinson exulting in front of what looks like Chile’s entire population — you get a vivid sense of metal’s enduring popularity, something dissected heavily in the book Metal Rules The Globe I reviewed in March.
Digital Divide: May 2012
There’s something about hearing dir-ector Steven Soderbergh making a straightforward action film that immediately sent up a few red flags. First and foremost is the fact that Soderbergh has never made a straightforward film in his life.
File: May 2012
Red or white, Todd Rundgren? And which would you choose to sip while listening to the soothing singer/songwriter? Have an answer ready when hitting up the Chicago outpost of City Winery. New York’s staple will open its second location come August in the West Loop
Gear: May 2012
It’s been a few years since “Gear” reported on the new crop of commercial vans that could haul your gear and your bandmates. Since that time, Nissan and Chrysler got in the game. Here’s our wrap-up of this year’s models:
Nissan NV SERIES
Thumbing its nose at the iconic Ford E-Series and the Chevy Express, Nissan joined [...]
Media: May 2012
From bizarro Eddie and JoBo wreaking havoc at the auto show to John Tesh backing up a yellow-haired “Christoper Walken” crooning holiday tunes to a wacky “Jerry Lewis” performing with the Million Dollar Quartet, the “WGN Morning News” dances the line between news and entertainment.
Studiophile: May 2012
Heavy South Siders Delightful Downfall — featuring Mike Kehoe, Joey Hammond, Nick Barelli, Alex Vincent, and Steve Eldridge — finished drum tracking at Chicago Recording Company in Chicago for Wild And Reckless
Sweet Home: May 2012
Much has been discussed about the direction that blues will take as the genre enters the crossroads of redefining itself while the last of the Delta bluesmen pass away. The past few decades have introduced more rock into the traditional blues sound, but soul has always been a more devoted offspring.
Turn Of The Century
Personally, we think the “turn of the century” was accomplished by Dale Earnhart back in ‘88, but not many others think of the phrase that way. Tim Eriksen, The Crickle, JD McPherson, and Joel Henderson all transport us to times passed this weekend.
Waco waco waco!
Fozzy Bear’s favorite band, the Waco Brothers, have produced their long-awaited collaboration with Paul Burch this week and, as luck would have it, have a party for it this weekend. Also hovering: Diana Ross and Electric Guest.
Vic theater
The cover portrait on Lambchop’s Mr. M (Merge) is not Vic Chesnutt (Chesnutt, for one, did not own such a hat), and he is not mentioned at anytime during the album. But the songwriter’s death is its centerpiece, and it captures with grace Chesnutt’s difficult but rewarding (for us, at least) existence.
Kaiser Chiefs live!
Shortly after the Kaiser Chiefs opened their concert at House of Blues last Thursday, vocalist Ricky Wilson offered a cheeky introduction for the first single from the band’s latest release by declaring, “It’s new, it’s brilliant, and it’s called ‘On The Run.’”
Shure National Open Mic
On any given weeknight, Chicago music venues host dozens of open mic nights, letting novice musicians and open mic “jobbers” hone their chops in front of friends and a few foes.
Niles-based Shure, Inc. — best known for word-class microphones and earphones — is ramping up the open-mic night this coming week (the 23rd and 24th) [...]
