IE: So after a long absence, you’re back in a big way, with a three-part conceptual piece Out Of Our Minds, an album, comic book, and 28-minute film directed by Tony Stone. But where in the hell have you been for the past six years?
Melissa Auf Der Maur: Actually, I’ve been real busy, I promise you. And first of all, I wanna explain that it’s been five years, not six, ’cause I was on tour for the entire year of 2004. So what happened in half a decade? I began to write what I thought would be a rock record that I knew would have a more visual/conceptual element to it, because I’d decided that I wanted to bring together some of my visual-art roots of the past and mix ‘em in with my music. Because I had sorta been hijacked by music for a decade, while I turned my back on my photography and all these other artsy things. But did I know the 21st-century beast was gonna become this? No. Not until halfway through the making of the record, when Capitol Records, my label at the time, began to melt. Budgets were being frozen, and I couldn’t go back into the studio until they told me I could. So I started to get very nervous about the music industry. And by the time that everyone I worked with at Capitol was fired in one fell swoop, I had already gotten my survival kit out. Legal affairs held up my half-finished record for almost a year, which was hellish. But I wanted to continue to create, so in that limbo, I met the filmmaker Tony Stone. And I’d had the idea for this film, so we just decided to go full-bore with it. So we embarked on this epic journey, even though it’s only a half-hour film — there really are car crashes in it, and lots of special effects like bleeding trees. So we were solar-powered, off the grid, living like pagans on and off for six months over the course of a year to make that epic movie. Then I wanted to continue expounding on it, so we started doing the comic book. And I also wanted to get back in touch with my roots as a Canadian independent artist, and that took a huge amount of brainwork, a learning curve for a girl who lived in the fantasy-Viking-creative side, who had to suddenly learn how to use a computer and make marketing pitches — because I’d decided that I wanted to be able to have my own artist-run production company. So it’s one thing to make a multi-media concept record, another thing entirely to become your own business. So that’s been the crazy last year and a half of my life. But now I’ve got my own MAdM Productions, and I’m the creator of music and film and whatever the hell I wanna make in the future!

Melissa Auf Der Maur’s Out Of Our Minds is available March 30th. Q&A by Tom Lanham.

Though beloved, The Dismemberment Plan’s breakup several years ago was greeted with joy by headline writers who had a field day with “self-fulfilling prophecy” jibes. With Wilmette’s Fall Out Boy on the brink, it’s open season again. (Given bassist Pete Wentz’s online logorrhea, credit the folks who waded through his rants to uncover this news.)

After the better part of a decade atop the emo heap, there’s trouble in paradise. No there isn’t. Yes there is. “I don’t know the future of Fall Out Boy,” Wentz Twittered. Then he told Rolling Stone, “It’s kind of like in the Midwest, when you start having snow days. The snow will melt one day. It will melt sooner rather than later.” Then, “We were just burned out, and we need a break.” Singer Patrick Stump is working on a solo album and sees things differently, telling Spin, “I’m not in Fall Out Boy right now. But one way or another, the band will always be around. Steven Tyler isn’t in Aerosmith anymore, but his gravestone will probably say something about Aerosmith.” Down, down, sugar they’re going down

Take Your Hat Off And Stay A While

Eleven days after the 1970 Kent State shootings, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young wrote, recorded, and released “Ohio.” Forty years later, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton shut the media and public out of a bipartisan budget meeting. Coincidence? It’s with the speed of the former and the privacy of the latter that Chicago’s “Closed Sessions” have begun. (Maybe.)

A collaboration between Omar Solis, DJ RTC EIC, and Soundscape Studios’ Michael Kolar, the idea is to grab hip-hop artists passing through town on tour (and some local folks) to select a beat in front of a video team and then go to work. The whole sequence is filmed, edited, then disseminated online via Rubyhornet.com, and the audio tracks come packaged as multimedia EPs. Participating artists so far have included Bun B, Rhymefest, Kidz In The Hall, and Big Pooh; the first nine-song issue comes out this month as a free download.

Capitol Crimes

They’ve had it better than most bands, but you couldn’t blame the members of OK Go for wearing a permanent expression of “You gotta be kidding me.” Under Capitol Records’ thumb after the middling success of their label debut, the Chicagoans made gold from lemons by producing their own music videos (“A Million Ways,” “Here It Goes Again”) and spilling them all over the Internet. Their career was salvaged with little help from their backers, and the band are hailed as pioneers in viral promotion.

And then major-label reality reared its ugly head again. In 2006, Google and the big labels agreed that videos can only be legally posted to YouTube and Myspace and not embedded wherever fans can post them — thus deliberately restricting promotion. (It’s the Stone Age with these people.) Minorly sympathetic but greatly undeterred, the band will give their new videos’ embed codes to any fan who asks, hedging, “Our label is unlikely to start suing us for putting our videos up,” as Damien Kulash told Rolling Stone. That’d be as dumb as suing their customers. Oops.

– Steve Forstneger

Holly Jollie Admitance

Consider a crisis averted. As classic bands dilute lineups but continue to tour, admission to the history books becomes a sticky issue. The Hollies‘ induction into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame could have sparked a peculiar situation as to which members would be on hand to accept the honor. So far, though, there’s no bad blood between the former and current Hollies as to who’ll be attending the event. It looks like Graham Nash and vocalist Allan Clarke, who founded the band but have been gone for years, will be there, along with Terry Sylvester, who replaced Nash in 1969 and left in 1981. No definite word on whether they’ll be performing. The current Hollies still tour throughout Europe with drummer Bobby Elliott and guitarist Tony Hicks as the only remaining original members. They’re performing at the London Palladium the night of the Hall Of Fame ceremony.

“The venues have been booked for the last year or so and are well sold, so unfortunately it’s not possible to reschedule the dates,” Elliott explains via e-mail. “Tony and I are happy for Graham to collect the awards on our behalf. We consider it a great honor to be part of the RRHOF and would like to thank all the folks who voted for us.”

– Terrence Flamm

Hailing from Chicago, blues trio The Black Oil Brothers‘ sound is 100-percent pure Mississippi. The band’s debut, Long Way From The Delta, actually sounds like it was recorded right in the heart of it, with soul-stirring blues from start to finish. Don’t let their youth fool you: these guys are well-versed in their blues history, and have captured the sound perfectly from the harmonica solos and smooth harmonies, to the dueling acoustics and mandolins, right down to the old-school story-telling lyrics. (www.theblackoilbrothers.com)
– Carter Moss

The three-song Blue Balls is a hard-rocking new effort from the trio About Nothin’, with a title track that’s a ribald tale of a pirate who goes by that name. The grunge-flavored “Way Back” hits a bit closer to home, as a White Sox hat-wearing South Sider contends with hookers and panhandlers on his way to the liquor store. “One First Class Big Hurry” evokes Henry Rollins with its muscular arrangement. (www.myspace.com/aboutnothinpage)
– Terrence Flamm

Should they ever get hold of a copy, Hollywood music supervisors would have a field day with Where We Begin, the latest CD from Absentstar. Cuts like “Ready When You Are” and “At The Seams” are perfect for adding audio oomph to those emotional relationship moments TV and movie directors love to fashion. Listening to all 10 indie-pop tunes in a single sitting can get a mite maudlin, yet taken in two- or three-track doses the melodies are brilliantly sentimental. (www.absentstar.com)
– Jeff Berkwits

Cold Water Mystic is a first-rate party band, with the 14 tracks on Cooler By The Lake backing up this claim. It’s easy to forget that the reggae-infused rock isn’t coming from Long Beach or the Caribbean, but from landlocked Brookfield. The band nails the Sublime-light vibe throughout, even getting funky, a la Red Hot Chili Peppers, on “Tip Your Cup” and “Funk Yeah.” (www.myspace.com/coldwatermystic)
– Jason Scales

Transporting the club into your living room, DJ Leebo’s Adventures In Structures Chaoz — The House Soundtraxs Volume 2 is an electrifying slice of pulsating house and techno, overflowing with throbbing rhythms and tingling electronic accents. Huge, heart-heaving house beats, faux hand claps, and tumbling, squishy electric squiggles pound with insistent clarity in “The Donjon,” and Leebo guides a celestial tour in “Hartimes” as glitchy blips and beeps, backed with rolling, cut-up beats launch us into the stratosphere. (www.myspace.com/djleebohouse)
– Patrick Conlan

Singer/songwriter Sue Fink presents 12 polished songs on her third full-length, Thoughts At An Intersection. A variety of pleasant, easy-listening pop styles (from jazzy to country) are explored — all meant to highlight her gentle and at times vulnerable vocals. A host of talented musicians, providing everything from cello to piano, assist her in realizing her wistful, humorous, and serious observations about life. (www.suefink.com)
– Jason Scales

For simple, straight-forward pop, look no further than Gidgets Ga Ga. Opening strong with “Beki,” the broodier, more introspective “The Sorry Song,” and the bouncy handclapper “The Bomb,” The Big Bong Fiasco does, however, suffer from an overall homogeny after awhile, especially on a disc that’s 18 tracks long. That said, TBBF is as enjoyable of a pop record as you’re likely to hear. (www.myspace.com/gidgetsgaga)
– Dean Ramos

Conservationist/biologist Aldo Leopold is the muse behind the 18-song Great Possessions, a virtuosic folk-rock manifesto for tree huggers from The Giving Tree Band. A host of acoustic instruments — including banjo, fiddle, glockenspiel, and harmonium — creates a warm, organic aesthetic. Fun facts: the album was created with “100-percent solar energy” at the Leopold Legacy Center in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and 10 trees were planted for every 1,000 units sold to offset the pollution caused by shipping. Thankfully, the songwriting and musicianship is as solid as the environmentalism. (www.thegivingtreeband.com)
– Jason Scales

An undeniably catchy mix of metal and pop punk, Gypsyfly can without a doubt “rawk!” with the best of them, which is readily apparent on “You’re Gonna Get It” and the closing number, “The Day Night Ended.” However, this hybrid of genres doesn’t work for every track on Silver Or Lead. Ballads like “Don’t Worry” as well as the guitar-driven “Play With Fire” are just a couple of examples where the contrasts in musical ideologies are hardly a perfect match. (www.gypsyfly.net)
– Dean Ramos

Diane Marie Kloba pursues a more avant-garde sound on her latest solo effort, For You, Stranger, than she did as a member of The Silent Workers. At times, her spoken, childlike vocals and spacy arrangements get too cutesy as on the title track, but the sparse “For Inventors” has an intimate charm. “Skurf,” a spooky, guitar-driven instrumental adds a bit of fun, and “Keepable (Drum Experiment)” is an engaging indie-rock tune. (www.dianemariekloba.com)
– Terrence Flamm

Oddball rockers Let’s Get Out Of This Terrible Sandwich Shop are officially going out of business! Blame the economy or the band’s highly inaccessible sound, but after five years of playing pubs (and sandwich shops?) in the city, they are calling it quits, and releasing Everything Must Go! as a farewell gift — a collection of demos, live versions, and other random stuff. At least they are going out like they started: leaving fans slightly entertained and thoroughly confused. (www.letsgetoutofthisterriblesandwichshop.com)
– Carter Moss

Despite haunting tracks like “Hudson River Teenage Blues,” the “Don’t Go Back To Rockville” feel of the title cut, and the jazzy “Golden Record,” there’s ultimately something rather cold and un-emotive about this Lost Cartographers record. There’s a noticeable lack of passion that even makes the otherwise sweet and heartfelt “Love In the Morning” a rather uneventful listen. Still, the instrumentation and the variety of influences they’ve chosen to incorporate suggest promise. (www.myspace.com/thelostcartographers)
– Dean Ramos

With Good Advice, The Negligents nail that minimally rugged garage-rock sound to a T. This trio, led by vocalist/bassist Ken Negligent, hold an unmistakable youthful intensity but at the same time don’t come off as immature. Just check the standout single “Matter No More,” where Negligents kick things off by saying, “They say the salad days are coming back/I think I’m old enough to know better than that.” Consider this grown-up garage material. (www.negligents.com)
– Max Herman

Although catchy and sweet on such tracks as opener “Without Without” and bouncy and endearing on “Linda,” Roxy Swain’s New Love Designers unfortunately can come off a bit bland and generic as well, especially on “Duo Jet” and “Spread Eagle” when guitarist Tom Valenzano takes over vocal duties. On the other hand, though, much of New Love Designers seems tailored for adult alternative radio, an arena where the band would undoubtedly find the most success. (www.spadekitty.com)
– Dean Ramos

Soft Speaker’s seven-track Conditions is a solid collection of rock songs that convey an organic warmth. Finely orchestrated acoustic instruments provide this sound, with an occasional switch in vocalists to match the mood. “Barbershop Quintet” uses breathy vocals over a more melancholy tone, with “Mercury Park” — the opening track — increasing the tempo and energy in vocals and instrumentation. Closer “The Great Brick Mosque And I” breaks from the aforementioned aesthetic, instead relying on synth tracks and machine-like percussion. (www.softspeaker.com)
– Jason Scales

Not to be confused with the band of the same name from Tallahassee, Chicago’s Soft Targets is trekking forward with its third album, Don’t Put Out. Here, these songs are distinguished by oft-serious subject matter delivered with light-headed personality (“When The Apocalypse Comes”). Paired with its upbeat, lo-fi guitar-driven output and you get a non-depressing look at modern times. (www.soft-targets.com)
– Max Herman

Performing as Super 8 Bit Brothers, Tub Ring’s Rob Kleiner and Kevin Gibson proudly let their geek flag fly on Brawl, their full-length debut. Whether reminiscing about a classic Atari console via “2600 Refugee” or declaring “Goodbye Cruel World (Of Warcraft),” the pair melds decent melodies and smart lyrics with vintage, video-game-inspired electronic sounds. Not all of the disc’s 15 songs are entirely engaging, but enough make the grade to ensure a buoyant bit-pop journey. (www.myspace.com/super8bitbrothers)
– Jeff Berkwits

It’s not every day that a highly-lauded jazz pianist decides to take a detour to go start a rock band, but that’s exactly the story behind recent NIU grad Samuel Wyatt. The piano-based pop-rock on his debut, Welcome To America (recorded under the moniker Wyatt), certainly highlights his skills on the ivory, and the intelligent lyrics prove his potential as a bonafide songwriter. Wyatt’s debut is both fun and thoughtful, and might just be the perfect slap in the face to anyone who questioned his career choice. (www.myspace.com/wyattchicago)
– Carter Moss

Every critic should be so lucky to review an EP as absolutely pleasure-inducing as The Yearbooks‘ Have A Great Summer. While taking cues from such 2000s stalwarts as Death Cab For Cutie and The Strokes, the quintet aren’t content with merely aping those who came before. Instead, it seems as if they’re carving their own niche by crafting some of the finest indie pop/rock Chicago has probably heard in quite some time. (www.myspace.com/theyearbooks)
– Dean Ramos

photo by Cara Jepsen

Two of the nation’s coolest indie-rock outlets originate right here in Chicago. Both “JBTV” and CHIRP radio are staffed by volunteers who are more passionate about music than money. And both have launched 24-hour Internet stations.

The 25-year-old, all-volunteer “JBTV” will expand into a 24-hour, multi-genre online TV channel this month (at www.jbtvonline.com). And January saw the launch of the community-based Chicago Independent Radio Project, a state-of-the-art online radio station (Chirpradio.org) that one day plans to go terrestrial.

Program director Shawn Campbell, formerly of Loyola’s WLUW-FM (88.7) decided to form CHIRP in July 2007, “When it became apparent that there wasn’t going to be a station in Chicago that was 100-percent welcoming to community volunteers,” she says. She invited a dozen like-minded people to meet a local pub, and that became the CHIRP’s board of directors.

“For two-and-a-half years we didn’t have a station, just an idea,” says Campbell. “We were dependent on people coming to events and raising donations for something that didn’t exist yet. It told us that it was something the larger community felt strongly about and cared about.”

The station netcasts above a factory in Chicago’s North Center neighborhood. “We literally built our facility from the ground-up,” Campbell explains. “When we came in there was a raw factory floor. Our team of engineers built walls, hung drywall, painted, and laid carpet. Volunteers put their hearts into the project.”

Now, CHIRP has 150 volunteers, including some 60 DJs who must play at least five new tracks and two local songs per hour.

Local music is a crucial part of the station’s identity, and bands are invited to send tracks to music director Billy Kalb. “We think that a really crucial part of what local radio does — and we consider ourselves a local station even though we’re on the Web — is to showcase local bands,” says Campbell.

There are also plans for live performances at the station and at local recording studios — as well as news shows. But all of that costs money. And, because the station is Web-only, license fees are paid per song, per listener. So the more popular it gets, the more the costs will rise.

“We’ve been really fortunate with fundraising,” says Campbell, referring to the station’s record fairs, benefit shows, and grant awards. But their biggest source of income is individual donations.

Campbell is “cautiously optimistic” that CHIRP will eventually launch a Low Power FM (LPFM) version of the station; the House Of Representatives passed a LPFM bill that would reduce the number of clicks required between stations, and give the FCC jurisdiction over further changes. The bill has bipartisan support and could pass the Senate later this year. Still, it would be at least two years before a LPFM station could obtain an FCC waiver and launch a station on Chicago’s congested airwaves.

“People ask, ‘Why bother? Nobody listens to radio anymore,’” says Campbell. “There couldn’t be a stronger message that people are looking for something more. It’s been so gratifying to see the comments coming from the public about how excited they are about the station.

“People have so quickly incorporated it into their daily lives. That’s what we wanted.”

Love is also in the air at “JBTV,” which is celebrating its 25th year as an indie-music showcase (more at JBTVonline.com). “Everyone here loves what they’re doing,” says owner and host Jerry Bryant. “We have a 99-percent volunteer staff. Everyone here has such a passion for the music.”

Bryant now oversees an 18-person team that will launch the 24-hour online network. The station will feature interviews, live performances, videos, and vintage gems from the “JBTV” archives as well as shows from other music genres. The main host will be former Q101 DJ Ryan Manno; Jenna Martinelli covering the local scene; MC/poet Jeff Baraka on the urban beat; and a punk show hosted by Lawrence Arms frontman Brendan Kelly and Red Scare Records owner Toby Jeg.

“We want to bring music programming back to TV, because there’s a serious lack of it now,” says new general manager Christian Piccolini, adding that the webcast will feature six hours of new programming each day.

“There are a lot of people on TV who do shows reading from a script that a writer produces,” he continues. “Everyone here will have a lot to do with their own segments,” and the genre hosts will have free reign to choose the music they play. They’ll also make use of Bryant’s state-of-the-art performance studio.

Bryant will continue do his regular show, which airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m., Thursdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at midnight on Chicago Cable Channel 25, and Wednesdays at midnight on WYJS-Channel 62.

“This year is the start of a new decade, which is a perfect time to do this,” says Bryant. “There’s a whole new way of thinking, with the handheld devices, portable phones, iPods — there are tons of new opportunities for new media.

“Terrestrial broadcasting is great, but you’re really limited by your signal,” he continues. “With the Internet and wireless technology that’s out there, you can be anywhere and it sounds tremendous. When you’re on the Internet, you’re broadcasting to the ends of the earth.”

– Cara Jepsen

All the talk nowadays is about the big boys. Slayer, Megadeth, Testament, and Exodus are all touring together in some way, shape, or form, and rumors of a Big Four package (Dave Mustaine told Decibel magazine that Megadeth received an offer) continue to swirl. It’s easy, then, to get swept up in the hype and lose track of a band like, say, Kreator. But answer this: Who, of all the bands named and implied above, released a better record in the last three years than Kreator’s 2009 hunk of kick ass, Hordes Of Chaos (SPV)?

Certainly not Megadeth or Metallica. Exodus’ modern-day output is respectable, but nothing more, and Anthrax’s inability to put out a studio album in seven years disqualifies it from consideration. Maybe Slayer should keep Testament around once Tom Araya’s back heals, replace Megadeth with Kreator, and rip the States a new one.

Until then, Kreator has a nice little thing of its own going. The Hordes Of Chaos Part II Tour (Kreator, Voivod, Nachtmystium, Evile, and Lazarus A.D.) fucks up the Bottom Lounge Friday, March 12th. Fresh off announcing his band’s deal with Nuclear Blast, Kreator vocalist/guitarist/founder Mille Petrozza answered e-mail questions from “Caught In A Mosh” using the fewest words possible.

Mosh: The Hordes Of Chaos Part II Tour is very diverse. How much input did the band have in choosing its tourmates?

Mille Petrozza: We have input, but we also trust our management and booking agent. We all make suggestions and see who’s available.

M: Many of metal’s older generation confess lacking knowledge about younger counterparts, but judging from this tour, it isn’t the case with Kreator.

MP: The younger bands keep the scene alive! It is important to keep track on what’s happening in the underground, in my opinion.

M: Are you personally psyched about any of the bands onboard?

MP: I’m looking forward to all of the bands on the bill, but of course we have the closest relationship with Voivod, who [in 1987] were the first band that ever invited us to tour the U.S.

M: Being sons of our city, Nachtmystium is an intriguing choice for us Chicagoans. What does that group bring to the table?

MP: They seem to be a very good band with a vision. I like their music, and I’m looking forward to meeting the guys.

M: The band based part of this tour’s setlist on fan voting. Can you share any of the results? Anything particularly surprise you?

MP: We’ve had thousands of votes, and the surprising thing is that our taste is not that far off from what our fans like. There will be some songs in the set that we haven’t played in a long time.

M: Being an “elder statesman” of thrash, what are your thoughts on a possible Big Four tour?

MP: I don’t like all of the Big Four bands, so to me, big two would be enough.

M: So record sales, popularity, and critical acclaim aside, what four thrash bands should rightfully occupy a spot in the Big Four, in Mille Petrozza’s mind?

MP: Sorry man, I do not think in these categories. Any band that compares their music or their career to other bands lose a part of their integrity.

M: This being Kreator’s 25th Anniversary, and you being the founder, did you really think it would last this fucking long?

MP: Honestly, no. I live in the here and now and always have. So when I started I maybe thought about the next coming week. I never think as far ahead as 25 years. To me, time is an illusion anyway.

R.I.P. METAL HAVEN: An “Armageddon Sale” isn’t a good promotion for any record store, even one that specializes in grim, foreboding heavy metal. But the end hath arrived for Metal Haven. Save new releases, everything at 2003 W. Montrose is on sale. Discounts will increase randomly throughout March and April, and owner Mark Weglarz shuts ‘er down for good by May 1st.

“I let the [customers] dictate the closing of the store,” Weglarz explains. “As long as enough people came in to pay the bills then I would stay open. When I couldn’t pay the bills anymore, then I would close.”

Explanation? Weglarz can’t afford electricity if we can’t afford the new Destroyer 666. The Skulleted One first noticed declining numbers in 2004 and admits worrying the store wouldn’t even last the length of the three-year lease he signed when Metal Haven moved from Lakeview to its current North Center home in 2007.

Surprisingly, Weglarz isn’t bitter. Though maybe he thinks it, he never once mentions MP3s, downloading, pirating, or the motherfucking iPod. And in truth, downloading and pirating didn’t kill Metal Haven. Did they have an effect? Sure, the guy sitting at home stealing Peaceville’s entire catalog helped pound a nail into the store’s coffin, but most folks shopping at Metal Haven aren’t the kind to buy Autopsy’s Severed Survival anniversary reissue through iTunes. They wouldn’t even know how . . . and that’s meant as a compliment.

“The store is not directed at the casual fan,” Weglarz says proudly. “It’s for the die-hard fan, and what comes with die-hard fans is a loyal customer base.”

“It doesn’t take much to combine $3 cans of shitty beer with your collection of Southern Lord releases and put on a ‘Metal Night’ at some lame bar,” says Chris Black, Superchrist frontman and a former Metal Haven employee. “To open and operate a niche music retail store takes incredible persistence and dedication, not just to the music itself but to the fans. The fact that the store endured as long as it did is in turn a credit to the fans who supported it.”

For more than a decade, Metal Haven was a place honest-to-goodness heavy- metal fans could fraternize. A place where they, not we, are different. A place where you didn’t get the grow-the-fuck-up look from the Pitchfork-worshipping clerk for asking where Entombed is. A place that always had a stocked Manowar section. A place that dedicated shelf space exclusively to “brutal shit,” yet sold Celine Dion cassettes. A place you showed off like you owned the joint to out-of-town friends.

Here’s to a decade of being the most goddamned spoiled heavy-metal fans in this whole country.

Favorite Metal Haven Moments

Larry Herweg, Pelican: My favorite memory of Mark and his awesome shop is when I came in to buy records, as I often did for a time when I lived really close to the shop. He was pretty astute to what I liked — “Hey man, I got the new Decapitated, new Morbid Angel, Vader.” Then one day I asked him for Blind Guardian and Hammerfall CDs. He was stunned I was going the power-metal route! We laughed about it for a bit.

Chris Black: I have to say that April 13th, 2001 might have been the most important day in Metal Haven history. It was a fairly ordinary Friday afternoon until the Cianide guys came in on a mission. Other than acquiring some Autopsy reissues, their objective was to convince us that it was not only acceptable, but sometimes necessary, to have a few beers during business hours. If you’ve seen Cianide live, you know how persuasive they can be. We soon were seeing things their way, and the events of that April 13th marked the beginning of the fraternity atmosphere that characterizes the store to this day.

Kevin Connerty, Vicious Attack: Without question it would have to be the 6-6-2006 sale. I remember me and a friend showin’ up there, and as we were lookin’ for parking we saw this line out the door and down Belmont. Mark was dressed in a devil costume, and I tell you the sight of all those people brought me back to the days of the Rolling Stones [Records] meet-and-greets. We never did make it in to buy anything, but we waited in line for around three hours anyway, just for the hell of it.

Paul Kuhr, Novembers Doom: My favorite memory is simply coming across a CD at random that I had searched for for many years. Metal Haven was the source of underground metal. Period.

– Trevor Fisher

Although she didn’t hear secular music until she was a teen, Valencia Bey always knew she wanted to be a blues/rock diva. She grew up in Chicago but her musical chops were formed in the Mississippi Delta, where she’d spend summers with her grandparents. There, she absorbed the intricacies of gospel music that would transform into blues once it left the church.

Appearing: Friday, April 16th at New Checkerboard Lounge in Chicago.

On her second CD, Coffee And Conversation (Brown Girl), the blues and several of its babies pump through the 12 tracks. From the driving blues of opener “Hello Sunshine,” to the jazz undertones of “Already Home,” and the rockin’ blues of “Steps To The Sun,” Coffee And Conversation showcases blues in its many forms. “My grandmother and mother referred to blues as ‘that raunchy music,’ but I realized that the structure of blues ands gospel were the same, just different lyrics.”

Still, her parents didn’t allow much secular music in the house. Bey heard mostly gospel mainstays like the Thompson Community Singers and Andrae Crouch and very little B.B. King and Z.Z. Hill. “We listened to a lot of gospel music. I heard it in church, on the radio, and at home. My uncle and his family had a musical gospel group in Mississippi and I’d travel with them to shows. I was surrounded by music and musicians and it all seeped in.”

By the time her older brother introduced the spectrum of popular music when she was 14, Bey had selected Tina Tuner, Patti LaBelle, and Nona Hendrix as singing influences and Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers, and Curtis Mayfield as songwriting mentors. “I liked reading liner notes and lyrics,” she says. “I had been writing songs since I was 8 and I learned to rewrite and rewrite. I listened to all of these artists to figure out how they did it.”

Her biggest problem wasn’t figuring out how to write songs. Bey comes from a family of educators and her mother insisted that she couldn’t make a living playing music. Instead, Bey was expected to get her education degree. She refused and moved out to attend Jackson State University, majoring in music. While in college deep in the Bible Belt, Bey considered being a gospel artist and wrote spirituals and a gospel opera. She won a Christian songwriting contest in 2002 and was recruited by a gospel label rep soon after. But the agent left the label after a few months and nobody else at the company stepped in to sign her.

Not getting signed by a gospel label proved to be a good thing for Bey because she had secretly longed to play the guitar and sing rock, blues, and soul. “I always wanted to play but I didn’t see a lot of black women with a guitar growing up. It was always the men,” she says. “I will never forget my uncle sitting down to play the guitar after a long day on the farm. He got so much joy from it.”

Eight years ago, shortly after her uncle passed away, she was drawn to an instrument retailer, bought a guitar, and promptly signed up for lessons. “Once I started playing guitar, I really left gospel music alone. Mainstream gospel and Christian music are too limited for me. I want to sing other types of music.”

And sing she does. Graced with a husky, sinuous voice that recalls Oleta Adams, Odetta, and a little Joan Armatrading, Bey tackles bluesy laments, rock anthems, and soul ballads with relish. On “Young And Beautiful,” a rock ode to female self-awareness, she belts out the chorus with all the power of Tina Turner; on “I’m Falling (Again)” she glides over the blues tune with a fire that recalls Koko Taylor herself.

“As a child and a teen, when I imagined myself singing on stage, I imagined singing with Patti LaBelle and Tina Turner, Nona Hendrix and Grace Jones. They were my wild idols. I guess that was the rock chick in me, screaming to get out.” On stage, Bey combines the style of many of her idols, channeling blues divas and rock chicks with cascading guitar riffs and vocals that flow from sultry to pounding.

The deep emotions that inspire Bey’s music also drive her to offer options for music fans. “I don’t feel like someone who appreciates real music has a lot of options,” she says. “Who’s talking about the issues I’m going through about marriage, divorce? I feel like there’s a void in songwriting from a female point of view.” Bey focuses on providing that point of view for her audience as well as songs that flow from her heart. “I think artistry and simplicity is sometimes lost in popular music. You don’t have to have a lot of noise and bells and whistles to touch people.”

NEW RELEASE: Nick Moss releases his eighth CD, Privileged (Blue Bella), on March 16th. The album showcases a solid collection of blues grooves, with Moss’ original “Georgia Redsnake” a catchy standout. The release party is set for the 20th at Buddy Guy’s Legends.

– Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

The hip thing to do these days is to take all your anger and frustration about the stagnate economy, aim it at big business, and let the bile fly. All the cool kids are doing it, and rightfully so. Insurance companies make record profits only to jack up premiums to ungodly heights, and Wall Street gets billions tossed at them only to participate in a circle-jerk of executive bonus payouts.

So it’s no wonder the leviathans of business would be natural targets for the film world, which is where Steven Soderbergh comes in. Dipping in to his Oceans trilogy bag, he plucks Matt Damon to star as Mark Whitacre, a top level researcher at Illinois-based ADM, in the true story of the FBI’s investigation of price fixing at the agri-giant.

Whitacre, recruited by the feds to be their inside-man and lead snitch, happily cooperates with the government case. Eventually three top execs were found guilty, and the company paid out millions in fines and a class action lawsuit.

Yet Whitacre was not the selfless crusader he wanted the FBI to think he was, and the thought process behind his actions prove truly head-scratching.

First off, he had somehow convinced himself that his actions would elevate him to the chairman position of ADM, although the people who controlled decisions like that were the same people he was ratting out, and the company itself just might be brought down with them.

Then there’s the little matter of his embezzlement and check fraud schemes began before, and during, the FBI’s investigation which netted him around $9 million bucks. In the end, Whitacre was discovered, tried, and sentenced to more years in prison the the ADM execs he helped put away.

Damon again reminds us of his range, and he generally doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Although he’s become a go-to action guy, here he’s more William H. Macy in Fargo than Bourne.

A strong supporting cast doesn’t hurt either, with Scott Bakula and Joel McHale as the feds in charge, and Tony Hale (“Arrested Development”) as Whitacre’s put-upon lawyer.

The film itself is wonderful, but the Blu-Ray set is a huge disappointment. With all of the room for extras at their fingertips, the disc only comes with commentary by Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns, a digital copy, and some additional scenes. Yet the subject matter cries out for more info. No, we don’t need a “making-of” feature, but we sure would like to know more about the real Whitacre, ADM’s schemes, and a host of other things that would give some insight into the world of corporate corruption.

In this economy, us mere mortals need that sort of thing.

Law Abiding Citizen
Anchor Bay

Almost as much as corporate malfeasance, the film-going public loves a good revenge flick. Too bad there hasn’t been one since Charles Bronson roamed the earth. Even if it’s the dreadful Taken, or about half of the Mel Gibson catalog, we just can’t seem to get enough of the righteous comeuppance.

Onto the stack of titles gets thrown Law Abiding Citizen, which finds Gerard Butler as Clyde, the perfect family man with the perfect family. At least we guess they’re the perfect family, we only see them for the first five minutes before they’re brutally dispatched. Best not to waste too much time gettin’ to the killin’ part. An assistant D.A. (Jamie Foxx) cuts a deal, and the head bad-guy gets a cushy prison sentence.

Flash forward 10 years, and its no more mister nice guy for Clyde. He sets the retribution radar to fix on everyone involved in the case. Oh, and as is often the case in brutal home invasions, the one left behind just happens to be a former government agent whose sole job for Uncle Sam was to figure out how to kill as many terrorist/dictators/despots as possible without leaving any trace.

So Clyde offs as many innocent people as possible, all the while spouting about “justice” at least 10 times in every conversation. Apparently, no one involved in the film has any sense of irony.

The Blu-Ray’s two discs contain both the theatrical release and a slightly gooier unrated cut, as well as a host of special features. However, after the bad taste left by the film itself, you probably won’t care.

– Timothy Hiatt

Old-timers will remember Tascam invented the home-recording studio with the original cassette Portastudio 4-track recorders back in the 1970s. Their new DP-008 takes the ease-of-use of those classic songwriting cassette recorders and aims to add the same portability and ease of use for new musicians. Unlike the lo-fi qualities of cassette machines of yesteryear, these feature digital sound quality, effects, and mixdown to bring home recording into the 21st century. Chosen as “Best In Show” at the NAMM University Roundtable 2010, both the music press and independent retailers praised the 8-track digital portastudio at the recent California trade show. “It’s a very portable, very small 8-track recorder that can be used for recording fast ideas or with a band,” said George Hines of George’s Music. “It has a built-in stereo so you can just bring it to rehearsals. And it fits in a guitar case. It’s that small. It breaks the price-point barrier [$449] for anything like it. Instead of needing a computer, here you still have something that’s very convenient and versatile.”

The DP-008 8-track Digital Portastudio records up to two tracks at a time from built-in mics or a pair of XLR inputs with phantom power for condenser. Songs are recorded on portable SD memory cartridges you can buy at Walgreens, Best Buy, or any electronic or music store. Built-in effects include reverb send and two-band EQ for each track, and a dedicated mixdown track is also available. Obviously, you can’t record your next album on a DP-008. But this is a great place to start making demos on an affordable recorder, without having to lug around your laptop. More information is available at www.tascam.com.

Vox
2010 Guitar Series Line-up

Vox is using its name in amplication to announce a major expansion of its roster of electric guitars. Debuting a selection of new solid-body and semi-hollowbody guitars with the SSC-33 Standard, solid-body, single cutaway SDC-55 Deluxe, solid-body, double cutaway HDC-77, as well as original Vox Virage guitar. Each guitar features the same inverse heel joint as the original Virages, deeply cut for free access to the upper frets, as well as Vox’s MaxConnect aluminum bridge. While the Virage relies on the proprietary Three-90 pickups, the new models are equipped with Vox CoAxe pickups. The pickups feature two modes (for entry-level models), and three selectable modes for clean, crunch, and lead tones (for upper-level models). Each guitar offers passive, analog volume, tone, and pickup-mode switching controls. All new models will be available April 2010 with pricing to be announced. Virage models are currently available at your local retailer. Visit www.vox.com for all the details.

Saint Blues
Woogie Board

Welcome race fans! The Woogie Board, the first production electric washboard, arrives in partnership with Cody Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars. It was his father’s love of roots, blues, and folk that introduced Dickinson to the washboard, electrifying it and marrying it to traditional guitar effects. “The electric washboard, which is utterly Cody’s instrument, is a thing unto itself” Dickinson’s father – legendary 1960s record producer/father – Jim says. Saint Blues and Dickinson have taken this home-grown, roots instrument and made it a true gig-worthy axe. It is handmade in Memphis from solid mahogany and finished with a hand-rubbed tung oil. The Woogie Board features enclosed dual-Piezo pickups, with a three-way switch for pickup selection, volume control knob, and a high-quality output jack all housed in a telecontrol plate built into the leg. “The electric washboard is taking things to a whole new level. It’s never been done before, it’s completely unique, and there is tradition, so it kind of has all the makings of a juggernaut,” said Dickinson somewhat in jest. The Woogie Board is available to purchase through the Saint Blues site or at local retailers to be announced. Visit www.saintblues.com to get your fix.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when old age becomes a source of amusement, but the thrash-metal community caught quite a jolt when the frontman of its charter member, Slayer, had to cancel a megatour because of back problems. (If only it had been a hip.) If it had been one of Dave Mustaine’s lackeys they’d have simply moved on; if the lineup were different and Ozzy Osbourne fell off his Bowflex we’d all laugh. But Tom Araya – thee Tom Araya?

It’s for the best. Let’s not kid. Araya’s 48. The original Clash Of The Titans Tour – a sequel to which his injury has foiled – ran in 1990. Twenty years later that lineup was gonna do what? Play hits sets in hour-long compartments? Satan would be so . . . embarrassed. So February 5th, when this jaunt was set to hit UIC Pavilion, you’ll be where? At the doctor, hopefully. Getting that trick knee scoped. It has since been rescheduled for August 20th.

Like Dylan In The Movies

You go through life and you end up with rhymes. For us, there was an 8th grader called Sim (rhymed with Tim; short for Simon), dorks you pounded on who played virtual games called Sims, then there’s a Central-Illinois-based metal fest called CIM, and now we have the Chicago International Movies & Music festival: CIMM. And it’s kickin’ our ass.

Though only in its second incarnation (March 4th to 7th), CIMM has synergy in its blood. On opening night, the film Universalove is co-directed by something called Naked Lunch while a documentary, William S. Burroughs: A Man Within, plays across town. Ah, dovetailing. This year’s fest (catch more info at cimmfest.org) also features a film about and supported live by Robyn Hitchcock, something about Kiss’ Paul Stanley, and more by Jon Langford (a pic about Mekons), DJ Spooky, and ex-Hüsker Dü man Grant Hart.

Music With Teeth

My dentist, with dollar signs in her eyes, swears to me I grew up where there was no flouride. That’s why I’ll be strapping a beat-up guitar on my back and heading to the Chicago Federation Of Musicians (656 W. Randolph) on March 4th for a free consultation! Actually, you need to contact Music Cares in advance for an appointment, so you can get in line for a free exam with basic cleaning, polishing, and two x-rays provided by Mobile Dentists. We ask all boxcar banjoists to assess the threat to their career before applying.

House Of Wax

At this point, Wax Trax Records has been closed for nearly as long as it was open in Chicago (‘78 to ‘95), but its incalcuable impact was in its galvanizing properties for Chicago punks and others as well as becoming the international nexus for industrial rock. In early January, co-founder Dannie Flesher followed Jim Nash into the next life, dying at home in Hope, Arkansas aged 58.

Flesher and Nash originally opened the store in Denver, but moved to 2449 N. Lincoln three years later – eventually spawning a record label that would issue KFMDM, Underworld, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, and countless Al Jourgensen side-projects. The imprint was eventually sold to TVT in ‘92 following money problems, and Flesher dropped out of music when Nash succumbed to AIDS complications in ‘95, but the business aspect of it always seemed superfluous to the store. It was the institution, the engine that got nearly everything going with Flesher quietly pulling strings.

– Steve Forstneger

IE: “That Metal Show” – how did you get dragged into it?
Don Jamieson: They didn’t have to drag me! I’ve been trying to get on TV for 13 years. Basically, Jim [Florentine], Eddie [Trunk], and I are best buddies.

Appearing: Friday, February 10th to 12th at Zanie’s (1548 N. Wells) in Chicago.

IE: So you’re actually friends?
DJ: I know people watch the show and see me and Jim busting Eddie’s balls really hard, but that’s how we act when the cameras aren’t rolling. It’s been funny because Eddie’s fans from the radio show will write him e-mails, “Why do you hang out with those assholes? They don’t give you any respect.” And then people who know Jim and I from comedy say, “That guy’s such a stick in the mud. Why do you have him on the show?”‘ Some people don’t get it.

IE: Are there artists you’re hoping to get on there?
DJ: Ozzy would be a major coup for us. He became a reality TV star and unfortunately a lot of people see him like that, but he’s still the singer from Black Sabbath and has more one-liners than Rodney Dangerfield did. We might have to put up subtitles: “Google what he just said!” Eddie Van Halen we’d love to have.

IE: What is your official stance on the Iron Maiden-singer debate?
DJ: It’s no secret I’m a huge [Paul] Di’Anno fan and think the first two Maiden albums are their best albums. But, at the same time they would never have gotten as big as they did without Bruce Dickinson. But if you want my opinion, I love the Di’Anno stuff. I think he’s the better singer; I like the band’s direction better. But he was also a maniac.

IE: You’re doing a comedy tour?
DJ: The routing is unbelievable. I’m touring as many cold-weather cities as I can this winter. Most comics go to Florida, Texas, and Southern California; I go right through Baltimore, Chicago, Pittsburgh, places like that in the snow. Because traveling’s not difficult enough.

IE: What’s your stage act? High concept?
DJ: [Laughs]. No, it’s not high concept. It’s not “Blue Collar Comedy,” but it’s for blue-collar people. I’m not afraid to talk about anything. And then end with the filthy stuff and we all go home happy.

Don Jamieson co-hosts “That Metal Show” Saturday nights on VH1 Classic.

“Break Little Branches,” one of the five tracks on Arboreal by the Chicago/Austin, Texas-based band Box Of Baby Birds, sounds like one of the more introspective and meandering songs by Red Red Meat. The folk-rock offerings, penned by Gary Calhoun James, are delicate compositions that rely on hushed vocals augmented by guitar, keys, and violin. Fleeting moments on “Coins, Letters, Numbers” burst with bass and drums, while other tracks exploring the band’s subtle, understated style. (www.myspace.com/boxofbabybirds)
– Jason Scales

Cavalry is out to prove that straight-up, glam-free rock ‘n’ roll is still alive and kickin’, and on its debut EP, the band makes a pretty strong case. Each of Snake Skins’ seven tracks hits with no-nonsense rock that has the attitude of Rise Against meshed with the accessible melodies of Nickelback (but far less-polished, in the good way). Frontman Collin Patrick delivers his vocals with conviction and authenticity, yet avoids going the screamo route, a welcome change. (www.myspace.com/cavalry)
– Carter Moss

Befitting its collection of talented multi-instrumentalists and collaborative writing process, Crooks And Children’s music is finely detailed, with lush textures layered in sweeping arrangements of dramatic scope. On its demo for its latest release, Night Is A Good Child, withering vocals take on an otherworldly feel as the passionate emoting resonates against a backdrop of patient drumming, echoing piano tones, and gently strummed guitar in the languorous “Black Cat,” while a detached theatrical air and jaunty thump fuels “Shoefly.” (www.crooksandchildren.com)
– Patrick Conlan

Not to be confused with the psychedelic prog band from the ’70s, Czar is a mutant fusion of brooding, heads-down post-rock, freewheeling, angular noise, and some surprising melodic passages. Vocals are kept to a minimum as its menacing rock morphs from a disjointed and spastic cacophony to a tightly coiled groove with the drop of a jagged chord. You can hear traces of Pelican in the murky, blast-furnace metal of “Depthless Paradise Of Terror” and the epic, billowing ebb and flow of “Above. Below.” (www.myspace.com/czarchicago)
– Patrick Conlan

Dressed For Radio delivers a quartet of three-minute pop tunes with a clean, jaunty, vocal-charged ’80s-esque new wave sound akin to say Elvis Costello or Joe Jackson. While things get a little more interesting when the band tweaks the tempo and strips the lyrics to the basics on “Roll,” one senses slight stumbles in the band’s execution of the changes. (www.myspace.com/dressedforradio)
– David C. Eldredge

Enforcer’s Classic Chicago Metal is an odds-and-ends compilation of studio tracks and live rehearsal recordings, dating back to hair-metal’s heyday in the mid ’80s. Clearly influenced by the NWOBHM — especially the roaring stomper “Born To Avenge” and the ripping crunch of the galloping “High Treason” — this metal is a throwback to chunky distortion and gleaming solos. Typical for the genre, lyrics focus on the occult, vengeance, and an impending “final conflict,” delivered with fiery passion and expressive falsetto howls. Kudos to Enforcer for keeping the faith all of these years. (www.myspace.com/enforcermusic)
– Patrick Conlan

According to chief writer/multi-instrumentalist Travis Lee Wiggins, the 10 songs collected on ever-evolving musical project Essex Chanel’s Love Is Proximity represents its most accessible album yet, one that “could be played in a Starbucks and sold at the front counter.” Indeed, outside of the Dixie honky-tonk paced opener, Wiggins’ soft vocals against subdued strings and muted horns predominate the remaining songs about, unsurprisingly, love — which, while pleasant enough background music at its best, leaves one fairly indistinguishable from another in a single listening. There are some 30 songs to this cycle of love online, complete with “how to” videos so you can create your own Starbucks at home. (www.essexchanel.com)
– David C. Eldredge

Face Time Police coined the term “pop macchiato” to describe its highly polished music on The Definition Of Deviation. The third disc from Brian and James Serra, it offers a radio-friendly mix of hard rock and rap on “Seashells,” while the aggressive synth beats of “Minute Made” sound destined for the dancefloor. Noted engineer Roger Lian of Masterdisk mastered this otherwise DIY effort, giving it an even more professional allure. (www.facetimepolice.com)
– Terrence Flamm

Wrapped in a handwritten, yellow-lined paper note explaining “He’s a 17 yr. old from Bartlett getting started & would happy to get a review in Around Hear,” the two-song CD from guitarist/songwriter John Ford displays chops, talents, and abilities numerous submissions from others twice his age can only dream of having. Ford’s solid vocals bring an early Ryan Adams to mind; likewise the pop craftsmanship/chord changes of his songs conjure Steve Forbert. Stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks impressive debut! More, please! (zepmanjmf [at] comcast.net)
– David C. Eldredge

Ambient jazz in the Israeli tradition is an acquired taste to say the least, but when it comes to Marbin’s self-titled release, there’s no denying the duo’s musical capabilities. Dani Rabin’s guitar and Danny Markovich’s smooth saxophones complement one another no matter the listener’s cultural background, though the pair’s ultra-chill instrumentals could insight drowsiness outside of a meditative atmosphere. (www.myspace.com/marbinmusic)
– Andy Argyrakis

Men Who Listen serve up an extremely well-produced 12-song debut that runs the gamut of rock styles: from the fun, fast, tongue-in-cheeky “I Hate Tom Cruise” and the honky-tonkin’ “My Baby’s The Bartenda,” to the Led Zep-esque chorded “(Dead & Buried) In Your Love” and prog-esque ballad closer “Forever.” Proof of the production savvy is found where the band wisely double-tracks the plain-spoken vocals and its crisp sound throughout, making for a solid intro. (www.myspace.com/menwholisten)
– David C. Eldredge

Denis Pesh grew up in Russia, but after arriving in America in 1993 and immediately falling in love with both music and English, he began writing music. Fast-forward to 2009 and his debut LP Promise, whose main problem is that each track begins with so much promise (simple melodies plunked out on piano or acoustic guitar), but by the time the the harmonies devolve into an odd ’70s folk b-side kickin. Pesh is obviously influenced by Dylan, but something is definitely lost in the translation. (www.denispesh.com)
– Carter Moss

Featuring members of Freshwater Collins and Decibully, Will Phalen & The Stereo Addicts are a local supergroup of sorts. But the folk-doused acoustic rockers demonstrate complete cohesion rather than a haphazardly assembled one-off throughout Middle West, which ranges between the rootsy flavors of Son Volt, Robbie Fulks, or Neil Young during a stripped-down Farm Aid Set. (www.myspace.com/willphalenandthestereoaddicts)
– Andy Argyrakis

Three-piece power poppers The Rikters provides an instant throwback to the glory days of Elvis Costello & The Attractions or Smoking Popes, while also channeling the witty appeal of Ben Folds throughout its self-titled, full-length debut. The group’s heavy on hooks and charging guitar action throughout “Give Me Tonight” and “All My Life,” while providing some laid-back garage rock on “Take Time,” suggesting there’s no reason why the band can’t follow in the Popes’ steps. (www.myspace.com/therikters)
– Andy Argyrakis

Everything moves at a leisurely pace on singer/guitarist Rob Scallon’s 16-song The Ride Home. He showcases his intricate strumming on instrumentals like “Regret” and “Everyway Is North,” but his talky vocal style weighs several of the other tracks down. “Run On Sentences” and the title track have enough pep to interest indie-rock fans, but some listeners might find themselves nodding off before The Ride Home is over. (www.myspace.com/ robscallon)
– Terrence Flamm

Though his wife’s untimely death led Eric Behrenfeld to curtail his career as a longtime blues sideman, it also led to the launch of Tiki Cowboys, an innovative solo project that blends, as the name implies, country and Polynesian influences. A Taste Of Tiki is the title of his first ukulele-powered EP, which showcases four delectable ditties including the infectious “Tiki Lady” and the bittersweet “My Little Song.” It’s a fleeting yet altogether pleasurable polyphonic pupu platter. (www.tikicowboys.com)
– Jeff Berkwits

Chicago-based Stanley Ross (moniker for Nicholas Meiers & his band) did all you can ask for on a sophomore release: start with what worked on the debut, and evolve. Intact on Here With Me is the signature Stanley Ross alt-rock sound, sure to please college students everywhere. And this time around, the band learns to really let loose once in awhile (“Lasso” and “Untitled #94″) and channel its inner Queens Of The Stone Age. (www.stanleyross.com)
– Carter Moss

Unplugged guitars and folk vocals put Them Damn Kids somewhere among a modern-day James Taylor, Jim Croce, or Cat Stevens. However, Arm Yourself With Perspicacity lacks the songwriting chops and practically perfect melodies that made any of those tunesmiths famous, suggesting the otherwise acoustically inviting environment needs a provocative facelift. (www.myspace.com/themdamnkids)
– Andy Argyrakis

There’s an intentional retro vibe to the self-titled, three-song EP from The Ton, a duo with one foot firmly planted in ’90s industrial and the other in ’80s new wave. “Wires” is ruggedly rhythmic, with “Lies” providing a somewhat more refined but equally forceful aura. Only “Games” is seriously flawed, suffering from a mediocre vocal performance. Overall it’s a decent though not terribly memorable sampler. (www.myspace.com/wearetheton)
– Jeff Berkwits

Sigh

It’s become an unspoken rule that we, music writers and critics, must crown such an album within the first 59 days of the new year. You can squeeze one in before the new year? Fantastic! I’m fairly sure scribes who cover any of the arts are guilty as well, but as guilty? In music, the chance to say “It’s 2010’s first great record” is the young, exposed gazelle separated from its herd, and writers are the slobbering, starving wild dogs in hiding . . . waiting. Ready.

Maybe we’re still high on the egotistical buzz of our we’re-published-so-you-should-give-a-shit “official” Best Of ‘09 lists (perfect opportunity to mention mine is in last month’s issue), or maybe ratings, lists, and disposition are so embedded in our brains that the need to dub something fucking fantastic — or fucking horrible — so quickly is just part of the career, like financial embarrassment and opportunities to discuss a famous musician’s line of BBQ/hot sauce with him.

But, as many times as you’ve fallen for this trick only to end up wasting valuable money and time on a shitty record, you still play fetch every time we fling it, don’t you? So do I, grasshoppers. So do I. Hence my interest in the new Sigh album, Scenes From Hell (The End). When I saw big, bold-face type on a certain heavy-metal site that proclaimed this to be this year’s first Chosen One (with 15 days left in 2009!), I had to hear. Great? Nah. Bizarre? Definitely. It could be — despite eight studio records in 20 years — I’ve never truly sat down and listened to the Japanese group and, therefore, wasn’t mentally prepared for the band’s violent jumble of black metal, classical, jazz, and sociopathic hatred. Some elements of Scenes From Hell, like the spaghetti-western horns of “The Summer Funeral,” are absolutely beautiful. But where there’s a beauty, Disney taught us, there’s a beast, and Sigh’s beast ain’t trying to win a beautiful, young woman’s heart. No, the beast that dwells in tracks such as “Vanitas” and “Prelude To An Oracle” will rip her body apart limb by limb, feast upon her flesh, and perform some sort of Satanic werewolf ritual with her still-beating heart. It all makes sense given vocalist/saxophonist Dr. Mikannibal’s claims of drinking cow’s blood before stripping nude for her studio takes. (Sources close to “Mosh” say Yakuza’s Bruce Lamont does the same.)

I can’t tell you what I think the Best Of 2010 . . . So Far is because I’ve yet to hear anything that convinces me it exists (plus, I fully expect High On Fire’s Snakes For The Divine — February 23rd! — to easily slay any foe with the possible exception of Nachtmystium’s Black Meddle Pt. 2), but I can tell ya what I’ve been jamming a lot just ’cause I think it’s cool: Barn Burner’s Bangers (February 16th). I was surprised — also a little pissed, because such geographical circumstances reduce opportunities for us Americans to see Barn Burner live (my hunch is they kill) — to discover the band is Canadian. They sound so damn U.-fucking-S.A. Specifically Southern U.S.A. Isn’t there enough sludgy, fuzzy Southern metal, you ask? Yes and no. There’s plenty of it, but not much done well. Bangers is. “Brohemoth,” “Holy Smokes,” “Half Past Haggard,” and everything else on the group’s 11-song Metal Blade debut are stone-cold Sabbathy grooves (guitarists Kevin Keegan and Marc Doucette riff first and ask questions later) funneled through stacks of sweaty distortion, and saturated in bong water. It ain’t Corrosion Of Conformity, but it’s the closest we’ll get while the real C.O.C. continue to deny us a follow up to 2005’s outstanding In The Arms Of God.

LUCKY YOU: I was really late turning in “Mosh” this time. Otherwise, when Chicago Metal Factory honcho and occasional IE contributor (not to mention Macabre and Saint Vitus manager) Rodney Pawlak e-mailed me January 13th (sorry Steve) and asked if I could mention the new, awesome, CMF Web site, I wouldn’t have been able to so soon. Shit’s getting interactive at Thecmf.com! Promoters, bands, clubs, etc. can now create an account and edit/submit listings as needed, plus fans get the most extensive Chicagoland heavy-music calendar around and, if they dare see the face of evil, a forum.

DVDZ NUTS IN YO MOUTH: Here’s the great thing about music DVDs: They can make you give a shit about bands you otherwise wouldn’t. How many metalheads couldn’t give a squirt less about Lamb Of God but have, in fact, found themselves mesmerized by Walk With Me In Hell? When done right, a DVD can make you a fan, even if only for a few hours. Exodus‘ Shovel Headed Tour Machine: Live At Wacken And Other Assorted Atrocities (Nuclear Blast) is that DVD, more for the Other Assorted Atrocities than the Live At Wacken, though. Technically, Atrocities covers the band’s last five years on the road, but it reminisces enough to tell the Bay Area group’s hard-knock, rather-unlucky, sometimes-drug-addled tale. Interesting how the Paul Baloff (first Exodus singer; only recorded one record) years are so often discussed yet the Zetro (second singer; frontman during Exodus’ best years) era is all but ignored. Also interesting is the significant time dedicated to the band’s 2008 show at the now-closed Pearl Room in Mokena, during which they quit performing when frontman Rob Dukes witnessed security kick out and allegedly rough up stage-diving fans . . . Every single bone in my body wants to tell you Suicidal Tendencies‘ Live At The Olympic Auditorium (Suicidal) is great, but I can’t. It hurts. I love me some ST, but this DVD doesn’t love me back, mainly because there is nothing here but 15 songs and a few minutes of Mike Muir interview footage. It’s so bare that Credits (those that roll at the end of the movie) is a selection in the main menu. And don’t get fooled by the Interviews feature; it’s the exact Muir interview from the main presentation. The band’s career — essentially beginning as skate punks and evolving into thrash titans, plus all the lineup changes, not to mention being banned from playing in Los Angeles — is a pretty deep mine to extract from. No paydirt, though. A bit insulting for fans, given how long Live At The Olympic Auditorium has been on the shelf. The footage was shot in 2005, and during the show Muir tells the audience the DVD will be out in 2006 . . . yet the copyright in the credits is 2007. Live At The Olympic was released in January. 2010. Math ain’t never been my A subject, but it appears this thing is 5-years-old, and that’s plenty of time to tack on a few legitimate extras. Makes you question the fate of the the new Suicidal record, which Muir, in 2008, told “Mosh” would be out by early ‘09.

MOSH-WORTHY: Fear Factory Mechanize (Candlelight); Ruins Front The Final Foes (Debemur Morti); Barren Earth Curse Of The Red River (Peaceville); Hiems Worship Or Die (Moribund); Thorlock Crumbling Fortress EP (Godcantsave.us).

MOSH-WORTHY . . . LIVE: Mat Arluck Memorial show/Beat Kitchen/ February 4th; D.R.I., The Muzzler, and Chicago Thrash Ensemble/Reggie’s/6th; Beatallica and Cealed Kasket/Abbey Pub/12th; Raise The Red Lantern /Bottom Lounge/19th; Paul Di’Anno/ Icarus Witch/Bible Of The Devil/ Reggie’s/25th.

– Trevor Fisher

There was a time when Grammy-winning, blues harp master Sugar Blue believed there were only certain types of music appropriate for a blues musician to play. He came up listening to and being molded by icons like Memphis Slim, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, and Junior Wells. By the time he was in his late 20s, he had played with all these legends. The only kind of music he ever heard them play was straight-up blues. So that’s all Blue really played. That is, until the release of his latest CD, Threshold (Beeble), which aptly represents his pushing through a musical break point.

“There was a time when I said, ‘I can’t play this kind of music, I’m a blues man!’” he says. “I sort of pigeonholed myself. I grew up in the old school. I was always a rock fan and a Motown fan. I’d listen to Smokey Robinson and say, ‘I can’t do that kind of stuff.’ I was scared to venture out. The paintbrush hit me all over but when it came time to get to the canvas, it was only one hue, and that’s blue.” Even though he’s appeared on classic Rolling Stones’ albums Emotional Rescue and Tattoo You and played with jazz veteran Stan Getz, it never occurred to him to blend other genres into his blues. After decades of pumping out classic blues, Blue finally realized something. “Blues is the root and all the rest are the fruit, as Willie Dixon said so well. This is the time I decided to deal with the fruits,” he declares. “I’ve come to a place where I’ll dare to do anything.”

That includes tackling love songs and elements of funk, rock, and jazz. Threshold is Blue’s fifth release and stands as his most adventurous. The 11-track album features nine songs co-written by Blue and delivers a melodic demonstration of the various paths of the blues tradition. Backed by a tight band including noted guitarist Rico McFarland, Blue delivers a harp tour de force.

Opening with an uptempo tune with pop accents, “Living Your Love” sets the tone for the CD’s adventurous focus. There’s hot New Orleans funk on “Noel News,” smooth jazz guitar licks on the James Cotton tribute “Cotton Tree,” and a simmering ballad on “Tonight.” But the highlight is the biting ant-war commentary “Stop The War.” Opening with birds chirping and bombs exploding amid blistering guitar rhythms, the tune skillfully blends news commentary, Blue’s sharp harp notes, and blistering, gospel-tinged backup vocals urging, “Stop the war/kill no more.”

The anger floats through the lyrics and it’s clear Blue wrote the song from personal experience. “I lost a lot of friends in the Viet Nam War,” he says. “In this current war, I was playing at Rosa’s and this young soldier, all of 18-years old, came in. He had just graduated and was pumped up about going to war. I could see beyond the bravado and I saw the fear in his eyes. His girlfriend came up to me and said, ‘They’re going to kill him, they’re going to send home pieces of him,’ and she started to cry. That really affected me. I thought, ‘We have to work out a way to to solve our problems and not butcher each other.’”

Threshold showcases Blue’s experimentation with progressive blues and its variations, but it also serves up hard driving, straight-ahead blues. “Ramblin,” an old-fashioned instrumental, sizzles with an innovative harmonica duel between Blue and himself. The reverent Junior Wells cover “Messin’ With The Kid,” rollicks with the required amount of bravado.

Growing up with a mother who sang and danced at the legendary Apollo Theater and being surrounded by luminaries like Billie Holiday and Muddy Waters, Blue absorbed the necessary elements of becoming an accomplished musician at a young age. He devoted years to studying and playing with harp masters Big Walter Horton, Cotton, Carey Bell, and Wells. He is now generally considered one of the most accomplished blues harpists in the world, boasting fluidity, clarity of tone, and speed unlike any other. When asked about the difference between the old-school bluesman he worked with and new-millennium performers, he insists there’s not much difference.

“The new millennium bluesman is very much like the old bluesman,” he says. “Basically, you’re talking about what you feel and what’s going on around you. A bluesman is a descendent of the African griot. He has to take what’s important and what’s affecting us today and connect it to the future. Willie Dixon said that the most important part of a bluesman is the man. You can’t understand the blues until you’re a man. To be a blues man is to be a philosopher. You can’t understand life until you’ve lived life. There’s more to this music than the notes. It encompasses our humanity. That’s why the blues has been able to produce so many disparate forms, from Charlie Parker to The Wailers. There’s really nothing you can do that’s new. You can only try to make your own kind of strew. The ingredients are the same, it just depends on the cook.”

– Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

Late last year I got fed up with mechanics and bought my first-ever new car. It came with satellite radio, and in no time I was hooked — even though it didn’t get Howard Stern.

I loved Rosie O’Donnell’s radio show and Little Steven’s “Underground Garage” and the Hindi music station, which plays ghazals, bhajans, and qawwali.

I fell in love before I knew what I was getting into.

The nation’s two satellite radio companies, Sirius and XM, merged in July 2008 — dumping many favorite channels and shows in the process.

The company, now called Sirius XM, sells prepaid subscription cards, so I asked for one for Christmas.

My brother got me a $55 Sirius card at Best Buy, and I called right away to activate it.

After a long time on hold, I was asked what kind of car I drive. I said Hyundai and the line went dead.

I called back and finally a different person picked up. They informed me that they could not activate my account because my car has an XM receiver, and suggested I call XM. “But aren’t you the same company?” I asked. Apparently not.

After eons on hold, someone at XM picked up and told me the card would not work with my radio. Even though the two companies had merged, their billing cycles were still separate. “After a year and a half?” I asked, incredulous. The person on the other line told me that my only recourse was to go to the retailer and make an exchange. (Sirius XM’s press agent did not respond to requests for a comment for this story.)

Not only was Best Buy out of XM cards, but they wouldn’t take back the Sirius card — even with a receipt. “It says on the back of the receipt that we don’t accept return on prepaid cards,” the supervisor told me. I tried to argue: “But both Sirius and XM told me to exchange it here,” and “No one warned us ahead of time that it couldn’t be returned.” She wouldn’t budge.

I finally ended up re-gifting the card to a friend, who has Sirius in her car.

There is a contraption that gets both services: The Sirius XM MiRGE, a dual-band interoperable receiver that costs $249.99 and allows you to get the Sirius XM all-in-one package for $19.99 per month. Existing subscribers to either XM or Sirius need to activate new accounts for the MiRGE, which is then billed separately.

It’s all so convoluted that late last year a Florida subscriber filed a lawsuit against Sirius XM Radio Inc., alleging last year’s merger created a monopoly that raised prices “above competitive levels.”

The lawsuit, which is seeking class-action status, alleges Sirius XM has raised prices without improving consumer program choices, despite committing to the Federal Communications Commission that it would not raise prices of its basic package for three years after the merger was approved.

Nonetheless it has raised fees that are not part of the order, including fees for multi-radio subscribers. Such fees have increased by 40 percent since the two companies merged.

That lawsuit is not to be confused with the 2008 suit filed by 500 Sirius shareholders in 2008, alleging that Sirius XM Satellite Radio sabotaged stock values and violated the Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act by eroding the value of the company in order to take it private at a discount.

None of which will matter in a few years, when autos are installed with streaming Internet radio, and satellite radio goes the way of the eight-track tape.

ODDS ‘N’ SODS: At press time, Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP) was poised to launch its new online radio station at Chirpradio.org. Two-and-a-half years in the making, the focus will be on “radio that is diverse, exciting, live, and locally based.” The group is also working to change the law so it can launch a low-power FM version. Visit the Web site for the latest . . . Remember WMET anyone? WBMX? WVVX? Radio’s golden age (i.e., prior to the Telecom Act Of 1996) comes alive at the new Chicagoland Radio And Media Web site, where the many features include Memory Lane, which features images of favorite old logos, music surveys, photos of personalities, bumper stickers, and “Where are they now?” and “In Memorium” pages. The site-in-progress also features media news, live feeds for media blogs, columns, ratings links, and more. See for yourself at www.chicagolandradioandmedia.com . . . The roundups of the biggest media stories of the decade seem to have missed the most recent and humiliating debacle of the past 10 years: how the local media completely and utterly misread the city’s bid for the 2016 Olympic games. Or maybe they didn’t misread it, but rather called it as da Mare saw it. Same result — although somehow the rest of the world knew Chicago didn’t stand a chance.

OOPS: Last month we referred to Chicago Reader muckraker and editor Mick Dumke as Mike. Sorry, Mike, er, Mick!

– Cara Jepsen

Hey, look! The column’s called something different now. Why? Well, we decided it was time to begin a serious relationship with the 21st century, thanks for asking.

Seems the kids are all up in the air about this whole Blu-Ray thing, and who are we to ignore the will of the people? So reviews of Blu-Ray discs and their myriad additional features, as well as standard DVD write-ups, will be on the menu.

Plus, we’ll keep an open mind about other forms of digital delivery aside from the current norms. After all, you never know when the next big thing will come along and make you buy Blade Runner all over again. Truth be told, we still have our fingers crossed for direct input into the cerebral cortex, but that could just be us.

Whip It
Fox Home Entertainment

Hollywood has never been shy about pumping out films where a spunky underdog, unsatisfied with their homelife and surroundings, strike-out to make it in the sports world. You may have even seen one or two of them, and if so, you’ve seen Whip It.

Yet just because a film’s been made a hundred times before doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile. Any film with a good story, good acting, and good direction will always be worthy.

In her first lead role since Juno, Ellen Page plays Bliss, a Texas beauty-pageant regular who ditches it all when she becomes enamored with the local roller-derby team. Of course her mother, a former pageant queen herself, doesn’t approve, but in films like this “no” is not an option.

Whip It provides strong performances by everyone involved, especially Kristen Wiig (“Saturday Night Live”) as the roller girl who takes Bliss under her wing while trying to balance her derby world and single-mother duties, and Alia Shawkat (“Arrested Development”) as Bliss’ best friend.

Drew Barrymore scores in her directoral debut by avoiding the trap many actors-turned-directors fall into. Instead of trying to show off with flashy camera moves and “Hey look, I’m directing!” shots, Barrymore relies on the talents she has on hand to do the heavy lifting for her.

The Blu-Ray set includes an alternate opening scene, eight deleted scenes, as well as a draft from writer Shauna Cross and a digital copy not included on the standard DVD release.

Film: *** Features: ***

The Invention Of Lying
Warner Bros.

Ricky Gervais is brilliant. Let’s get that out of the way. As the creator of “The Office” and HBO’s “Extras,” there aren’t many working today with a keener comic mind.

Perhaps it’s because of his proven track record that The Invention Of Lying is such a disappointment.

Set in a world where people have never developed the ability to lie, Gervais finds himself as the only one who can. Of course, he uses this ability to score women, money, and fame.

The problem with Lying, however, is it’s a one-joke idea that’s dragged out over a two-hour film. It’s a good joke, but not enough to sustain a feature. In fact, all the good ideas get beaten around for too long. The thread in which Gervais creates religion through his lies works the first time, but the film takes it and runs with it, making it the main theme. By the time you get pounded over the head with the sight gag of Gervais as Christ, even militant atheists will roll their eyes and say, “O.K., I get it already!”

The cast is serviceable, but no one really seems to be working above the material. Rob Lowe, as Gervais’ scheming co-worker, scores a couple of laughs, but Jennifer Garner as the love interest just makes you wish she’d go away.

Co-directed by Gervais and Matthew Robinson, the Blu-Ray set contains extra scenes, a gag reel, podcasts from Gervais and Robinson, as well as a surprisingly funny little film about the first lie created by cavemen, also starring Gervais and Lowe.

Film: *1/2 Features: **1/2

– Timothy Hiatt

It’s really profitable, so Gibson continues to add to its limited-edition guitar roster with the acoustic Keb’ Mo’ Blues Master model, honoring the multiple Grammy winner. Taking its cues from vintage Gibsons from the 1920s and ’30s, the guitar is a flat-top acoustic made in the tradition of the sought-after, small-bodied Gibson blues boxes from the pre-war era, yet it adds the modern touch of a built-in L.R. Baggs Element pick up with soundhole-mounted volume control. Gibson’s L Series acoustic guitars were there at the very birth of blues played by Robert Johnson, among other bluesmen of that era. The Keb’ Mo’ model offers the vintage tone you’d expect in a high-end, handcrafted acoustic guitar. Throwback specs include a 12th-fret neck/body joint that positions the bridge right in the body’s sweet spot for optimal resonance. Finishes include Antique Natural or Vintage Sunburst with double antiquing. The guitar has a cream top, back, and fingerboard binding, herringbone trim, mother-of-pearl inlays, and double-ring soundhole. Gibson includes a hardshell case, a signed interior label by Keb’ Mo’ himself, an owner’s manual, and Gibson Acoustic’s Gold Warranty. This Blues Master model is available in a low-scale production of only 300. Officially, the tag is $3,868. However, we’ve seen street prices in the mere $3,000 range.

Warwick
Adam Clayton Reverso Bass

Most guitar manufacturers go looking for rock stars to endorse and put their names on guitars and basses. The fact that Adam Clayton of U2 sought out Warwick two years ago to put his name on its bass says alot about the 30-year-old manufacturer. Brimming with pride, a recent press release boasted “an intensive collaboration with the Warwick team under the guidance of Marcus Spangler created an unmatched bass that shines with its own voice and design.” Like the owners of Jurrasic Park, Warwick and Clayton spared no expense building his new bass. It not only stands out because of its exotic design, which includes a 5A quilted maple top for the body and headstock, a Khaya mahogany body, 3A flamed maple neck and a tiger-stripe ebony fingerboard. An active MEC P split-coil pickup and a new passive MEC pick-up co-developed with Clayton will allow a separate reduction of high and low frequencies, and produce a tone he prefers to mix the older and newer sounds of U2 on stage. The Clayton Reverso Bass also includes red LEDs on the fingerboard’s edge providing the best orientation on dark stages. Warwick states it’s an “all-around professional bass for one of the most demanding bassists in the world.” A price was not available at press time, but you can expect it will be priced on the high-end. See Warwick.com for details.

Shure Fights For Wireless Bandwith.

It’s interesting to watch the heavyweights of the musical manufacturing business battle against the 800-pound gorillas of the communication business and the Federal Communications Commission. Shure microphones’ Sandy LaMantia is fighting against Verizon and AT&T for white space (VHF Channels 2-13) that was recently abandoned by analog TV stations during the digital TV switchover. Shure is teaming up with Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL) on a proposal to protect 13 different classes of microphone users from interference that could result from the operation of new wireless phones and other devices that the FCC has approved for frequencies currently occupied by wireless microphone users.

At presstime, the FCC has already told wireless mic manufacturers to abandon the 700 Mhz wireless spectrum, but the battle will continue for other frequencies in coming months.

– David Gedge

And here’s my Top 10 Singles of 2009:
1. Metric “Help I’m Alive” (Last Gang)
2. Alice In Chains “Your Decision” (Virgin)
3. Crystal Method featuring Matisyahu “Drown In The Now” (Tiny E)
4. Mike Doughty “Lord Lord Help Me Just To Rock Rock On” (ATO)
5. Green Day “East Jesus Nowhere” (Reprise)
6. Flyleaf “Chasm” (A&M/Octone)
7. Cage The Elephant “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” (Jive)
8. Peter Bjorn & John “Nothing To Worry About” (Almost Gold)
9. The Dead Weather “I Cut Like A Buffalo” (Third Man)
10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Heads Will Roll” (Interscope)

1) Yeah Yeah Yeahs It’s Blitz! (Interscope)
Karen O and company deliver their most accessible punk-tipped offering to date, complete with a new found dance-floor sensibility. But even with the widening of their sonic palette, the group retain their gustsy charisma and raucous overtones.

2) Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D. (Interscope)
Quite possibly the best pop album of the decade, this multi-cultural foursome hits a career high with plenty of infectious dance ditties. Adding in flourishes of hip-hop, rap, and soul makes puts the Peas dead center on the pulse of current club culture.

3) Morrissey Years Of Refusal (Lost Highway/Attack)
He may have been more famous as the lead singer of The Smiths, but this disc is by far his best offering since the band broke up. Searing guitars, melancholy lyrics, and unmistakable vocal delivery put Moz in a monumental category of his own.

4) U2 No Line On the Horizon (Interscope)
Consider this collection to be the post-millennial sequel to 1991’s groundbreaking Achtung Baby. Meant to be heard from start to finish, the disc may be short on singles, but holds up unflinchingly when consumed in full.

5) Fischerspooner Entertainment (FS Studios/ World’s Fair)
The second coming of electronica belongs to this theatrical troupe, who follow in the footsteps of Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, and Pet Shop Boys. Much of this album’s delight stems from the unabashed ear-candy appeal, loaded with sugary synths and decadent themes.

6) Franz Ferdinand Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (Domino)
This third project may have slipped through the cracks considering its early winter release, but it’s nonetheless an impressively varied album for the Scot-rockers. Rather than repacking the same old garage-rock affair, the lads kick up the dance grooves and jam in the bluesy, psychedelic style.

7) The Flaming Lips Embryonic (Warner Bros.)
If aliens really exist, they very well could be the members of The Flaming Lips, who continue to focus on otherworldly excess. It’s a formula that’s been tried before, but Wayne Coyne and his cohorts continue to up the experimental ante.

Depeche Mode Sounds Of The Universe (Mute/Capitol/Virgin)
The trio may comprise old timers, but this disc hearkens back to its Violator prime. Along the way, it also shows younger audiences how The Killers, The Bravery, and all the like-minded wannabes forged their sound.

9) Glasvegas Glasvegas (Columbia)
These Glasgow newcomers accumulated endless buzz, but this self-titled debut more than earned the hype. Consider the anthemic foursome to take a current crack at U2, Oasis, and its stadium-shaking peers.

10) Cracker Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey (429)
One of the most respected alternative rock acts dusts this comeback collection of sorts with some insurgent country that’s among its finest to date. Witty songwriting, sharp riffs, and vibrant chemistry are just a few of its endearing traits.

Mike Stephen and Andy Hermann launched “Outside The Loop” radio on September 28th, 2006 as a way to “create an independent program that featured stories and discussions about local issues that weren’t always getting media attention,” says Stephen. At the time, they were producers at WGN, and launched the weekly audio magazine as a podcast. It started airing on Loyola’s WLUW-FM (88.7) in March 2007, where it’s heard Thursday mornings from 10 to 11 a.m. (and online at outsidetheloopradio.com).

Hermann co-hosted and produced “OTL” until last March; he currently serves as producer for the “Nick Digilio Show.” Stephen, now an audio producer for a local multimedia production company, says, “I’m trying to produce a platform for local issues to be discussed and to even have some fun in the process. I’m a huge fan of NPR, but occasionally I’m irked by how scripted the programming is. There is lots of good content but sometimes it sounds like their hosts/anchors are falling asleep while reading the news! On ‘OTL’ I like to think that I make more of a personal human connection with the listeners.

“I’m a Chicagoan who’s talking about Chicago issues that are important to our community and I’m having fun along the way.”

A recent third-anniversary show taped at a Lakeview bar featured Chicago Reader writer and editor Mike Dumke, Time Out Chicago “The Get” writer Jessica Herman, performance artist and “Feast Of Fools” podcast host Fausto Fernós, and local food blogger Andrea Newberry as well as a long chat with the Parking Ticket Geek (expiredmeter.com), about how to get out of parking tickets.

Although Stephen has some help from an intern, he puts five or six hours into the show each week, booking guests, recording and editing interviews, and updating the Web site. He doesn’t get paid to do the show, which averages about 1,000 downloads per month.

“I keep doing the show because I love doing radio, working with sound, and telling the stories of Chicago on a weekly basis. I feel that ‘OTL’ is a way for people to learn about their community of Chicago and to get informed. I believe that community media outlets are vital to our city and I’m happy to foster local discussions.”

To that end, he invites listeners to post comments at outsidtheloopradio.com or e-mail him, mike@outsidetheloopradio.com.

ODDS N SODS: Emmis Communications’ WLUP-FM (97.9) released Jonathon Brandmeier with three months left in his contract, and replaced him with Canada-born rock jock John “The Byrd” Kempf — which seems to be part of a plan to go more rock, less talk. Johnny B joins a who’s-who of off-the-air local talent, including Steve Dahl, Kathy And Judy, Eddie And JoBo, and Dan Jiggetts and Mike North. The latter will start a new gig February 1st on CBS 2 as part of its new “Monsters And Money In The Morning” weekday mornings from 7 to 9; the money part will be covered by author/Sun-Times money expert Terry Savage and former CNBC business reporter Mike Hegedus. But as media columnist Robert Feder said in his Vocalo.org blog, “What’s missing in the mix is a substantial news presence” . . . Speaking of blogs, Tribuneco’s Chicagonow.com, “created by Chicagoans for Chicagoans,” boasted 148 blogs as of press time, including contributions by Bruce Wolf, Steve Dale (on pets, of course), and Amy Guth. There are also three music blogs — by songwriter and jingle-singer Nikki Lynette, Brian Mazzaferri of the Nintendo pop band I Fight Dragons, and a 22-year-old architecture student and local hip-hop enthusiast from Buffalo Grove who calls himself Sgt Tibbs. Chicagonow recently launched a radio show that airs Saturdays from 9 to 1 on Tribune-owned WGN-AM (720) . . . The magazine Bitch: Feminist Response To Pop Culture needs money again. The 14-year-old publication’s mission “is to provide a feminist critique and analysis of pop culture, to encourage discussion about how the media influences us, and to promote the connection between cultural critique and social-justice activism,” although it’s a lot more hip and fun than that sounds. There’s also a podcast and some really great blogs; more info at bitchmedia.org . . . Former Sun-Times city-hall reporter and local comedian Ray Hanania recently announced he is running for Mayor of Palestine on the “quid pro quo” peace party ticket, saying he opposes violence of any kind. The syndicated columnist, who is a Christian Palestinian-American, supports a two-state solution and said, ” I think what Palestine and Israel need is a candidate who is unequivocal on a vision for peace.” More at www.themediaoasis.com . . . Kudos to Representatives Danny Davis, Luis Guiterrez, and Jan Schakowsky (IL-9) for co-sponsoring the Community Access Preservation (CAP) Act (H.R. 3745), which would “prohibit discriminatory treatment of PEG channels and removes unfair restrictions from funding.” PEG channels are public, educational, and governmental stations that serve and provide important information to local communities. Eroded regulations and lax enforcement of existing PEG protections have led to some cable companies reducing quality and functionality of existing PEGs and/or reducing public cable drops to schools, libraries and other public centers — even though the Illinois’ Cable And Video Competition law of 2007 states that companies with state video franchises must deliver PEG channels with equivalent signal quality and functionality to that of commercial channels. For the latest, visit keepusconnected.org.

– Cara Jepsen

Below are Top Five Heavy Albums Of ‘09 lists compiled from all walks of the Chicago heavy-music scene. It’s self-explanatory, so why waste intro space?

I’d rather commit the words to the memory of Sweet Cobra guitarist Mat Arluck, who succumbed to cancer November 26th at 39-years old. Sweet Cobra is a favorite of mine, but I don’t mourn his death for that reason. No, his death hurts so fucking much because he was a great dude — plain and simple. I first met Arluck in June ‘08 during an IE-assembled roundtable discussion, but got to know him much better in the months leading to his passing. During that time we somehow became heavy-metal e-pals of sorts. (I have threads 35-replies long filled with geeky shit about Mastodon, Slayer, Flotsam And Jetsam, Amon Amarth . . . even Defiance!) I always found it odd — touching, really — when, if we’d been out of touch a few days, he’d apologize. Dude was going through radiation treatment, yet was remorseful for not maintaining correspondence.

Like so many, I’ll miss Mat. Obviously I’ll miss his musical contributions, but I’ll really miss that daily e-mail. I’ll miss talking King Diamond (whom he saw live something like 10 times!) with him. I’ll miss his sense of humor, and I’ll even miss being called douchelord (the man’s arsenal of derogatory names was staggering). My sincerest condolences go out to Mat’s friends, family, and bandmates.

Trevor Fisher, Illinois Entertainer
1. Mastodon Crack The Skye (Reprise)
2. Harbinger Doom On You (Planet Metal)
3. Slayer World Painted Blood (American)
4. Novembers Doom Into Night’s Requiem Infernal (The End)
5. Funeral Mist Maranatha (Ajna Offensive)
So close: Kylesa Static Tensions (Prosthetic) and Czar Czar EP (Cracknation)
So disappointing: Megadeth Endgame (Roadrunner) and Lamb Of God Wrath (Sony)

Mark Weglarz, Metal Haven
1. Blood Tsunami Grand Feast For Vultures (Candlelight)
2. Obscura Cosmogenesis (Relapse)
3. Funeral Mist Maranatha (Ajna Offensive)
4. Arghoslent Hornets Of The Pogrom (Drakkar)
5. Target Mission Executed (Stormspell)

Jim Bresnahan, Kommandant
1. Portal Swarth (Profound Lore)
2. Blut Aus Nord Memoria Vetusta II — Dialogue With The Stars (Candlelight)
3. Arditi Omne Ensis Impera (Equilibrium)
4. Xasthur All Reflections Drained (Hydra Head)
5. Mayhem Life Eternal EP (Saturnas/ Seasons Of Mist)

Mark Miller and Justin Essenpreis, Reviewsresist.com
1. Baroness Blue Record (Relapse)
2. Skeletonwitch Breathing The Fire (Pros-thetic)
3. Scale The Summit Carving Desert Can-yons (Prosthetic)
4. Mastodon Crack The Skye (Reprise)
5. Slayer World Painted Blood (American)

Tom Knizner, Cardiac Arrest/Severed
1. Post Mortem Message From The Dead (Taboo Productions)
2. Asphyx Death . . . The Brutal Way (Century Media/Ibex Moon)
3. Gravehill Rites Of The Pentagram (Enucleation)
4. HOD Serpent (Ibex Moon)
5. Autopsy Severed Survival 20th Anniv-ersary Reissue (Peaceville)

Steve Rathbone, Lair Of The Minotaur
1. Satyricon The Age Of Nero (E1)
2. Goatwhore Carving Out The Eyes Of God (Metal Blade)
3. Beherit Engram (Fontana)
4. Obituary Darkest Day (Candlelight)
5. Destroyer 666 Defiance (Seasons Of Mist)

Bruce Lamont, Yakuza
1. Keelhaul Triumphant Return To Obscurity (Hydra Head)
2. Helen Money In Tune (Radium)
3. Nachtmystium Doomsday Derelicts EP (Battle Kommand)
4. Minsk With Echoes In Movement Of Stone (Relapse)
5. Mastodon Crack The Skye (Reprise)

Steve Forstneger, Illinois Entertainer
1. Baroness Blue Record (Relapse)
2. Novembers Doom Into Night’s Requiem Infernal (The End)
3. Grief Of War Worship (Prosthetic)
4. Mastodon Crack The Skye (Reprise)
5. Sunn Monoliths & Dimensions (Southern Lord)

Scott Davidson, Rebel Radio/Earthen Grave
1. Slayer World Painted Blood (Reprise)
2. Hatebreed Hatebreed (E1)
3. Lamb Of God Wrath (Sony)
4. Mastodon Crack The Skye (Reprise)
5. Megadeth Endgame (Roadrunner)

Renato, D.I.Y. & Conquer Promotions
1. The Gates Of Slumber Hymns Of Blood And Thunder (Rise Above/Metal Blade)
2. Asphyx Death . . . The Brutal Way (Ibex Moon/Century Media)
3. Archgoat Light Devouring Darkness (Blasphemous Underground)
4. Church Of Misery Houses Of The Unholy (Metal Blade)
5. Karl Sanders Saurian Exorcisms (The End)

Rodney Pawlak, Chicago Metal Factory
1. Municipal Waste Massive Aggressive (Earache)
2. Between The Buried And Me The Great Misdirect (Victory)
3. At War Infidel (Heavy Artillery)
4. Sleepy Sun Embrace (ATP)
5. Devin Townsend Ki (Inside Out)

Jason Novak, Czar
1. Mastodon Crack The Skye (Reprise)
2. Baroness Blue Record (Relapse)
3. Tombs Winterhours (Relapse)
4. Nile Those Whom The Gods Detest (Nuclear Blast)
5. Isis Wavering Radiant (Ipecac)

The blues flows through Fernando Jones‘ veins just as thickly as blood and, given the innate rhythms that stream from his Telecaster, perhaps more smoothly. Growing up on the South Side with Mississippi-born parents and a blues-playing brother, he was driven to pick up his sibling’s guitar and pluck a few blues chords at 4-years old. “I wanted to be like my brother,” says Jones. “Playing the blues looked cool. It sounded cool. It was fascinating to me to hear the sound come out of the amplifiers.”

Jones managed to carry that fascination throughout his life, becoming a blues musician, historian, educator, and author. His seminal Chicago blues text, I Was There When The Blues Was Red Hot, which examines the sociological importance of the blues, will be reissued with audio to mark the 20th anniversary of its publication next month. This month, Jones releases his fourth CD, American Blues Man (Mysoundworx), tours Memphis for club dates, and continues his load of seven lecture and blues-ensemble classes at Columbia College Chicago. Part troubadour, part renaissance man, Jones has erected a sturdy pathway to the blues for all who are interested in following.

“I’m one of the few people who have been in the blues all their lives just for the love of it,” says Jones. “I’m on a global mission to promote the blues. We have to make sure people know the history and respect it and value it.” Jones believes that blues awareness should start in childhood, so he created Blues Kids Of America in 1990. The program introduces blues history and instrumentation to elementary and high school students while also establishing literacy skills. He garnered a 2008 “Keeping The Blues Alive” award in the education category from the Blues Foundation for his efforts. “When I was a kid, I realized there weren’t any kids my age playing the blues,” recalls Jones. “I know how it feels to be young and not have anybody to play [music] with.”

That’s certainly not an issue now: Jones plays regular local and international gigs with his trio, playing guitar, bass, and harp as well as singing and composing. He pumps out traditional Chicago blues with a rockin’ edge and original songs. With Junior Wells as his godfather, Sugar Blue as his harp teacher, and the last to be mentored by Willie Dixon, Jones has little choice but to produce solid Chicago blues. The tunes on his latest album reflect his rarified blues foundation. “American Blues Man is almost a concept record,” he says. “I talk about what the blues is and my dad talks about his Mississippi blues experience. There’s some acoustic blues, contemporary blues, and rockin’ blues.”

Although he plays contemporary blues, Jones isn’t crazy about the lack of community he sees in many contemporary blues musicians. “Most of the musicians are so selfish, self-centered, and ego-maniacal, they want the music all to themselves and they feel the world owes them something,” he says. “The people from Muddy Waters’ generation, you still see all the people that they helped and the people who are still working because of the association. That mentorship and passing the torch along isn’t happening anymore.”

For his part, Jones makes sure his students benefit from his knowledge and understand the importance of giving back. “I’m training my students to keep it going, to love the craft, and love each other. They also have to help somebody,” he says. “My students are starting to make a name for themselves. Nate Graham is 19 and plays at all the local blues clubs. Paige Fernandez has a deal with Fender guitar and will play on “The Today Show” in a couple of months. They are seeing some success but they know that they have to reach back and show someone else the way.”

After expending so much energy spreading the blues gospel, Jones has formulated an interesting perspective on how the genre can remain relevant. “The playing field can be leveled if blues folk start to think like rappers,” he says. “The key is to be autonomous, producing our own music, distributing our own music. We have to take ownership in our craft and ourselves. It’s a business. No club has ever sat a musician down and said, ‘I got rich from you, here’s a few thousand.’ There is no allegiance; it’s a business and they want to sell product.”

Other Blues News: On January 16th, Blues University hosts the 20th annual Chicago Winter Blues Tour, featuring eight blues clubs including Rosa’s Lounge, Lee’s Unleaded Blues, and Checkerboard Lounge and 10 live bands for $45. Go to www.chicagobluestour.com for tickets . . . The International Blues Challenge kicks off in Memphis January 20th to 23rd for the world’s largest gathering of blues acts. Go to www.blues.org for info.

– Rosalind Cummings-Yeates

We Chicagoans always get so stoked whenever Hollywood comes a-callin’ to shoot one of those fancy moving pictures in our hoods. Forget for a moment that in the early days Chicago was the center of the film-production universe before the industry packed up their toys and moved out west. We still harbor the feeling that anything that can be shot in Hollywood can be shot here just as well, especially when the events of the film in question took place on our turf.

So it’s a no-brainer that local boy made good Michael Mann would bring cast and crew to town for Public Enemies, which takes a look at the life and crimes of public enemy number one, John Dillinger. Making his way through the depression-era Midwest, Dillinger became sort of a folk hero for taking down what most people saw as the true villain of the times: banks.

As played by Johnny Depp, Dillinger comes across more Robin Hood than robber, and as such, there’s only rare glimpses of the violence of which he was capable. Of course, where there’re bad guys, there’re crusading G-men. Here, we have Christian Bale’s Melvin Purvis — hand-picked by FBI director J. Edgar Hoover to track Dillinger and bring him to justice. Bale’s Purvis will remind more than a few people of Kevin Costner’s Eliot Ness in The Untouchables, as he resorts more and more to methods that run afoul of his ethics in his quest to bring down Dillinger.

While Public Enemies is a noble effort, we don’t really get any more insight into Dillinger and his motivations than we already know, and Mann shoots his ultimate demise outside the Biograph Theater in such a slow and languorous way that the much anticipated event falls flat. Depp is fine as usual, but his work here won’t make anyone forget his more memorable efforts. Billy Crudup’s Hoover is nothing more than stereotype, and it’s sometimes painful to watch French actress Marion Cotillard as Dillinger’s girlfriend gamely trying (and mostly failing) to chew on an American accent.

Not a bad film, but everyone involved has done better. The two-disc set contains more than it’s fair share of Dillinger historical pieces and commentary from Mann.

Film: **1/2 Features: ***

Inglourious Basterds
Universal

For years, Quentin Tarantino has been trying, albeit sporadically, to live up to the standard set by his masterpiece, Pulp Fiction. Sure, he’s one of the best at combining over-the-top action and violence with sharp, literate dialogue, but more often than not he hasn’t been able to achieve the perfect balance. He’ll either weigh heavily on the violence (Kill Bill Vol. 1), or sink the thing with unbearable chattiness (Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol. 2.)

Luckily, he’s found the perfect blend again with Inglourious Basterds. Set in Nazi occupied France, Basterds finds Brad Pitt as the leader of a ruthless squad of Nazi hunters plotting to kill Hitler as he watches his latest propaganda film.

Yet anyone going into it expecting two hours of Brad Pitt dreaminess will be sorely disappointed. Instead, Basterds ranks as one of Tarantino’s finest ensemble pieces, with strong performances by Diane Kruger as a German film star turned double agent and Mélanie Laurent as the Jewish theater owner with a score to settle.

Despite the fine work all around, the film belongs to Christoph Waltz. With his performance as the S.S. bag man and “Jew hunter,” Waltz creates one of the best screen villains of the last decade, and it would truly be a crime if he doesn’t snag every award available in the coming months.

The two-disc set contains a surprisingly large amount of features, considering Tarantino’s previous releases have been fairly sparse.

Film: ***1/2 Features:***

Also Available . . . It’s great to see Chicago’s late, great Wesley Willis getting so much attention. First, the city renames its most iconic landmark after him, and now MVD Visual releases Wesley Willis’s Joy Rides, which looks at the life and times of the schizophrenic artist/musician. It’s a good insight into his last days, but if you’ve seen MVD’s previous Willis release, The Daddy Of Rock And Roll, there’s really nothing added here. Still, for the uninitiated, it’s a fine look at what a troubled individual overcame in the name of art.

ALBUMS

1. Maxwell Blacksummers’night (Columbia)

2. Foreign Born Person To Person (Jagjaguwar)

3. Richard Hawley True Love’s Gutter (Mute)

4. The XX XX (XL/Young Turks)

5. Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Glassnote)

6. The Veils Sun Gangs (Rough Trade)

7. Cheap Trick The Latest (Cheap Trick)

8. Califone All My Friends Are Funeral Singers (Dead Oceans)

9. Wild Beasts Two Dancers (Domino)

10. Andrew Bird Noble Beast (Fat Possum)

– Steve Forstneger

Cheap Trick The Latest (Cheap Trick)

Dennis Diken With Bell Sound Late Music (Cryptovision)

Elizabeth & The Catapult Taller Children (Verve Forecast)

Kingsize The Good Fight/The Bad Night (Kingsize)

Ida Maria Fortress Round My Heart (Mercury)

Metric Fantasies (Last Gang)

Graham Nash Reflections (Rhino)

R.E.M. Live At The Olympia (Warner Bros.)

Tinted Windows Tinted Windows (S-Curve)

U2 No Line On The Horizon (Island)

– Terrence Flamm

SONGS

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Zero” (Interscope)

2. Ian McLagan “A Little Black Number” (00:02:59)

3. Franz Ferdinand “Lucid Dreams” (Domino)

4. Metric “Help, I’m Alive” (Last Gang)

5. Fool’s Gold “Nadine” (Iamsound)

6. Thao With The Get Down Stay Down “Body” (Kill Rock Stars)

7. Editors “Brick And Mortar” (Fader)

8. Balthrop, Alabama “Old Cowboy Queer” (End Up)

9. The Dirty Projectors “Stillness Is The Move” (Domino)

10. Kleerup “Thank You For Nothing” (Astralwerks)

– Steve Forstneger

1. Grant Hart “California Zephyr” (Con d’Or)

2. Jill Sobule “Where Is Bobbie Gentry?” (Pinko)

3. Gentleman Reg “We’re In A Thunderstorm” (Arts & Crafts)

4. Tegan And Sara “On Directing” (Sire)

5. Gossip “Love Long Distance” (Columbia)

6. Brandi Carlile “Looking Out” (Columbia)

7. Erin McKeown “(Put The Fun Back In) The Funeral” (Righteous Babe)

8. Gretchen Phillips “Red State/Blue State” (Sea Sick Sailor)

9. Athena Reich “Love Is Love” (Mighty Thighs)

10. Cazwell “I Seen Beyoncé At Burger King” (Peace Biscuit)

- Gregg Shapiro

CONCERTS

1. Skeletonwitch, Empty Bottle, June 4th

2. Heaven & Hell, Charter One Pavilion, August 19th

3. Mastodon and Kylesa, Metro, April 30th

4. Deceased and Superchrist, Red Line Tap, August 29th

5. Siderunners, Beat Kitchen, February 7th

– Trevor Fisher

1) Leonard Cohen, Chicago Theatre, May 5th

2) The Swell Season, Auditorium Theatre, December 3rd

3) Lisa Hannigan, Martyrs’, February 28th

4) Dead Man’s Bones, Schubas, October 21st

5) Bob Dylan, Aragon Ballroom, October 31st

6) Bell X1, Double Door, September 25th

7) Keith Urban, Allstate Arena, May 15th

The Submarines, Schubas, February 17th

9) U2, Soldier Field, September 12th

10) Hothouse Flowers, Abbey Pub, September 3rd

– Janine Schaults

1. Kraftwerk Trans Europe Express (Astralwerks)

2. Madness One Step Beyond (Union Square)

3. The Stone Roses The Stone Roses (Sony)

4. It’s Immaterial Song (Virgin)

5. Beastie Boys Paul’s Boutique (Capitol)

6. Radiohead OK Computer (Capitol)

7. AC/DC Back In Black (Sony)

8. Alton Ellis Mr. Soul Of Jamaica (Treasure Isle)

9. R.E.M. Reckoning (Universal)

10. Issac Hayes Hot Buttered Soul (Stax)

LOCAL BANDS
Athens

Wiitala Brothers

– Around Hear Staff

There’s a lot to like in the mostly straightforward, rockin’ R&B-esque boogie a la Aerosmith/Bad Company on Blue Moon Revue’s self-titled, eight-song CD. But when opener “Hot Flavor” launches into a totally unexpected banjo solo you really take notice and understand why BMR has become the local, opening-band-of-choice for much bigger visiting acts. (www.myspace.com/bluemoonrevue)
– David C. Eldredge

Listening to Blane Fonda’s debut EP, Master Of Stars And Broken Arms, is like being at a party where you’re scared of the host. Vocalist Mark Weasel yelps on some tracks and croons on others while his bandmates play adventurous dance rock. “Fess Up, Fess Down” is a melodic techno song but on “In Search Of The Giant Squid,” Blane Fonda mixes disco, rap, and Frank Zappa in a blender without a lid. It’s a mess, but fun. (www.blanefonda.com)
– Terrence Flamm

On A Higher Vibration, Chicago-based producer/singer Chenault melds feel-good vocals with future-leaning house music. For the majority of these eight tracks, he shoots for an escapist vibe with thumping, jazz-tinged numbers like “Feel The Music.” Helping listeners let go might be his goal, but Chenault doesn’t hide his socially minded side, which is particularly prevalent on the anti-racist declaration “War.” (www.myspace.com/chenault1965)
– Max Herman

Surprise, surprise: Another power-pop band has released a record in Chicago, though in the case of Go Time’s Speak, it’s also doused with some alt-country underpinnings. The resulting 14 tracks are loaded with crunchy guitars and hummable melodies; too bad sparse, low-quality production and a singer who struggles to stay on key plague the otherwise well-intentioned effort. (www.myspace.com/gotimeband1)
– Andy Argyrakis

The 12-track Walking With Angels represents an impressive exhibition in easy-listening Americana by singer/songwriter Ernie Hendrickson, originally from Rockford. With the help of numerous guest musicians, Hendrickson’s compositions ooze warmth, optimism, and good-natured Midwestern values, thanks to his vocals that at times eerily resemble Tom Petty’s, especially on opening track “Hold On To Hope” and the crisply paced “Let Me See You Smile.” (www.erniehendrickson.com)
– Jason Scales

Hard rock with a message is what Left Setter delivers on Irene. Keeping this LP confined to nine, highly focused tracks, the Chicago-based quartet doesn’t leave room for filler. Left Setter’s hooks and subject matter are not always groundbreaking (see “Good Mourning America”), but the group’s socially alert stance is genuine. Coupled with a rolling range of rock vibes — including ’70s-leaning laidback grooves (“Thief Without A Conscience”) and pure metal (“Bobby DeNiro”) — this album is complete enough to never lag. (www.leftsetter.com)
– Max Herman

Despite carrying an all-too-common band name, Lucas thankfully doesn’t offer pedestrian material on its debut, Jet Set Ready Go. Singer and lead instrumentalist “L” largely shapes the direction of these love-themed indie-rock tunes with airy vocals marked by a certain nostalgic type of joy; the mellow keys and fuzzy guitars help paint the daydream-esque, lo-fi sonics that are so prevalent. (www.myspace.com/thatbandlucas)
– Max Herman

Solo pianist Jeff Manuel’s ambitious Winterspring comes with a booklet of poems you’re instructed to read while listening to the melodic instrumentals. The poetry, written by Carrie Brecke and Manuel, reflects on how the seasons affect relationships, and the 12 original compositions range from the classically inclined title track to spirited jazz on “Right At The Moon.” The CD doesn’t come with a glass of wine, but you could supply your own to augment this engaging experiment. (www.jeffmanuelpianist.com)
– Terrence Flamm

James McCandless peddles his Western-themed stories on the 12-track Calamity James in the tradition of Johnny Cash — but decidedly more Western folk. Although a little verbose at times, highlights include the first-person perspective on “Black Bart,” the well-placed crack of the whip at the end of “Lash LaRue,” and the two melancholy horse stories in “Wild Horses” and “My Beautiful Red Roan.” A number of Irish-tinged instrumentals are mixed in with the acoustically rendered yarns. (www.waterbug.com)
– Jason Scales

The Mike Michalak Band displays crafty songwriting wit with its mild-mannered, adult-oriented rock on Big Plan. Composed with energetic arrangements and performed with slick, tight musicianship, Big Plan has deft lyrical dexterity and plenty of memorable hooks. The goofy and self-deprecating “Turtleneck” and happy-go-lucky “Wall” feature the kind of jaunty melodies and progressive jams that Blues Traveler and Widespread Panic perfected, and the piano-driven punch of “The Wave” packs a sweet wallop. (www.myspace.com/mikemichalakband)

– Patrick Conlan

Mr. Russia relies on its double bass, synth, and no-guitar gimmick fairly well on the six-song Training For The Gameshow Host. Fairly mindless and repetitive lyrics (“Come on, come on, come on, don’t stop” and “Paint it like a picture/pictures never fade”) are driven home in arena-rock fashion, with the sleazy “Fireball” — a Marilyn Manson-inspired striptease. The cover of Radiohead’s “The National Anthem,” featuring a sick bass line, is alone worth this free, EP download. (www.mrrussia.net)
– Jason Scales

974 plays straight-up hard rock reminiscent of Heart on its debut CD, Dreamcatcher, with vocalist Jennifer Jane and guitarist Rob Olson leading the way. Most of the songs deal with the perils of romantic entanglements, and 974 is particularly impressive when it combines firepower with a strong melody on tracks like “Strange” and “Devil.” (www.myspace/974cambridge)
– Terrence Flamm

Owen (a.k.a. Mike Kinsella) has always made deeply personal albums. Less overtly sentimental than previous efforts, New Leaves (Polyvinyl) is an intimate collection of gentle pop songs imbued with a new sense of maturity. Though derived from Kinsella’s freshly honed experiences as husband and father, thankfully his subtle ear for sweet, melancholy pop magic is still clearly evident in “A Trenchant Critique” and “Too Scared To Move.” (www.polyvinylrecords.com)
– Patrick Conlan

With only two cuts on its sampler CD, ’tis hard to pass firm judgment on The Part Five, outside of noting the first cut’s earnest, frenetic guitar overlay of a Booker T. & The MGs-ish beat, the frumious chordings washing over the rolling drums of the slightly more plaintive second cut, and finally wondering if they really say “liverwurst” in the first. (www.thepartv.com)
– David C. Eldredge

With So Be It, prolific rhymer Qwel reunites with a fellow Chicago underground hip-hop fixture: sample-digging producer Maker. The 14 tracks don’t sound that different from either’s past work yet Qwel’s weighty lyricism has become more lucid while Maker’s diverse, dusty loops and mid-to-down-tempo drum programming hits a little harder. Despite the developments, these songs about faulty friends, government propaganda, and youth are still best suited for the careful and not the causal listener. (www.myspace.com/qwelg4)
– Max Herman

Scythian’s Live Vol. 1 offers 15 crowd-pleasing live performances from around the country, including a March gig at House Of Blues. The quartet is most notable for its harmony vocals and the “dueling fiddles” of Alexander Fedoryka and Josef Crosby. They meet the challenge of covering Charlie Daniels Band’s “Devil Went Down To Georgia,” but the real fun comes on Scythian’s barn-burning renditions of traditional ethnic pieces like “Kesh Jigs” and “Chava Nagila.” (www.scythianmusic.com)
– Terrence Flamm

610 is the brainchild of 630-based singer/songwriter Anthony (the only name given) and on its latest release, Changing Vibrations, the group lays down strummy guitar pop of varying flavors. Through it all, the band sounds great, but Anthony’s vocals are pitchy and dissonant and they kind of spoil the party. It sounds, at times, like he is going for a Dylan-type sound without quite getting there, as the songs here are not quite up to such a level. (www.610themusic.com)
– Mike O’Cull

Inspired by an intriguing concept, Matt Ulery has composed a soundtrack intended as film music — only as of now, there’s no film. Themes And Scenes‘ arrangements hint at intimate character studies, as delicate, feathery strings and gently throbbing bass burnish “The Farm,” as well as a widescreen, epic ambience with shimmery brass and sweeping strings unfolding in bold, dramatic gestures in “October.” (www.mattulery.com)
– Patrick Conlan

Via Tania’s Moon Sweet Moon is a gorgeous collection of hushed, intimate lullabies of dreamy, soft-focus pop that evokes watery dreamscapes and shimmering mist. The trembling heartache in the simple repetition of the opening line of “How Come” is worth a thousand anguished emo screams, and Tania’s plush, fuzz-on-the-needle vocals jolt the soul and rattle dusty memories in “Lost In It” and the hypnotic album closer, “Home.” (www.myspace.com/viatania)
– Patrick Conlan

As its title suggests, Boxcar Man — the latest from The Wandering Endorphin (aka guitarist/mouth harpist Jim Green) — is a railroad-themed, mostly acoustic, eight-song cycle guitar-playing showcase. While the train emulations may at times veer dangerously toward the sonic cliché, Green’s unique finger-pick guitar style — a la Fahey/Kottke, but much more percussive — impresses throughout. (www.wanderingendorphin.com)
– David C. Eldredge