All Entries in the "Stage Buzz" Category
Scout Niblett preview
Schubas, Chicago
Friday, March 19, 2010
That Scout Niblett can make a recording so similar to PJ Harvey’s first two albums and have it be one of her most accessible really says something. Good thing they aren’t too similar, though.
The Appleseed Cast preview
Bottom Lounge, Chicago
Friday, March 19, 2010
While sure to upset a lot of bands (if not only because it calls them “emo”), “emo’s just a phase” is both true for a lot of youngsters as well as being to blame for some missed career transformations.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club preview
Metro, Chicago
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Disregarding their vampiric, L.A.’s Jesus & Mary Chain looks, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have worn a surprising number of hats in their underrated career.
The Black Dahlia Murder preview
Reggie’s Rock House, Chicago
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Although The Black Dahlia Murder has generally been described as a blend of melodic death meal with a heavy European black metal influence, the emphasis has been on traditional blast beats and rapid-fire riffs.
House Of Pain preview
Congress Theater, Chicago
Friday, March 12, 2010
This will make you feel old: It’s been 18 years since House Of Pain’s “Jump Around” was a hit single. Eighteen years. Seriously! (It’s been 13 since Notorious B.I.G. was killed!) So who cares about a HOP reunion now? This guy.
Ben Sollee & Daniel Lee Martin preview
Space, Evanston
Friday, March 12, 2010
Solo singer/songwriter Kentuckians get semi-Appalachian on songs bemoaning the mining destruction of the homestate’s environment.
Heligoats preview
Schubas, Chicago
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Chris Otepka began Heligoats during his tenure in Troubled Hubble, an Elburn-based band whose reams of critical praise didn’t amount to much commercial success.
Dr. Wax Farewell Concert
McCormick Auditorium, Chicago
Sunday, February 28, 2010
To many artists and music fans, Dr. Wax was a Chicago institution. While the local record-store chain lost two locations up North in recent years — one in Edgewater and the other in Evanston — the impact wasn’t felt quite like the announcement of the closing of its last branch [...]
Rocky Votolato preview
Schubas, Chicago
Friday, February 26, 2010
Why is this man smiling? No clue. Singer/songwriter Rocky Votolato — if his work is any gauge — has lost just about every love-based battle he’s fought, something that hasn’t changed for True Devotion (Barsuk), out this week.
Carolina Chocolate Drops preview
FitzGerald’s, Berwyn
Saturday, February 27, 2010
It’s invoked to be provocative, but with an album as good as Genuine Negro Jig (Nonesuch) you almost wonder if Carolina Chocolate Drops have done their music a disservice by drawing attention away from it.
Tinariwen preview
Old Town School Of Folk Music, Chicago
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Tinariwen are exactly the sort of guitar band who you feel could break Joe America’s skittishness toward “world” music, yet stand in their own way. The title of their fourth album translates to “companions,” which suggests an unfortunate, one-world Benetton pretense. If people only stayed to [...]
Wild Beasts preview
Schubas, Chicago
Friday, February 19, 2010
Looking back, Wild Beasts could have gotten away with about anything on their debut, Limbo, Panto (Domino). One unhinged instrument sounds even less controlled when the rest of the orchestra moves in time, so why not air them all out?
El Perro Del Mar preview
Lincoln Hall, Chicago
Monday, February 22, 2010
No one cares about it, but my love/hate affair with El Perro Del Mar’s music has been documented on this site. Icy, repellant, a feast for Kate Bush fans — she’s upsetting but compellingly sure of her direction.
Vitalic preview
Empty Bottle, Chicago
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
It’s hard to imagine Blade Runner zealots — what with the bleak fate of the world and all — being big dance-music fans, but if they were, Vitalic would rate pretty highly.
Pictures Of Then reviewed
The Wicked Sea
(self-released)
Minneapolis-based Pictures Of Then have gambled by making their name a reference to the past, though it doesn’t turn out to be so much of a risk.
Appearing: Tuesday, February 23rd at Elbo Room in Chicago.
