Archive for April, 2006
UB40 Live!
UB40 House Of Blues, Chicago Friday, April 7, 2006 It would be easy to dismiss UB40 as an adult-lite version of true roots reggae, and their Friday performance at HOB wouldn’t have won over skeptics, as they performed nearly all their tried-and-true hits. Modern roots reggae in the U.S.A. still lives in the shadow of […]
Mat Kearney Live!
Mat Kearney Park West, Chicago Wednesday, April 5, 2006 Mat Kearney made a second appearance in Chicago within a few days, playing the House Of Blues on April 2nd, with a detour to Kentucky for a performance, and then back to the Park West. Although the singer-songwriter has never called Chicago home, he provided more […]
Edith Frost Preview
Edith Frost Old Town School Of Folk Music, Chicago Saturday, April 15, 2006 Edith Frost’s disappearance from recording studios after 2001’s Wonder, Wonder (Drag City) was much like Built To Spill’s: unexpected. Frost, who had quietly built a substantial three-album catalog for the label, always swam with some big, creative fishies — Will Oldham, Royal […]
Crüefest Chicago Preview
Crüefest Chicago Saturday, April 15, 2006 Pop’s, Roselle On your Easter weekend, why not spend your Holy Saturday, the day between fasting and worshiping, rocking? Maybe it would be worshiping? Worshiping at the altar of Mötley Crüe.
Spank Rock Preview
Spank Rock Logan Sq. Auditorium, Chicago Tuesday, April 18, 2006 They obviously know who Afrika Bambaataa was, but Spank Rock and “Planet Rock” are light years apart.
Candi Staton CD Review
Candi Staton His Hands (Astralwerks) Beyond cottage industry at this point, the return-to-recording phenomenon brings us back to soul veteran Candi Staton.
Dead To Fall CD Review
Dead To Fall The Phoenix Throne (Victory) Metalcore is dying. Or should we say it’s dead? Frankly, we’re surprised it lasted this long, and on their third Victory release, Chicagoans Dead To Fall try to avoid being part of the funeral.
The Five Mod Four CD Review
The Five Mod Four Whiskers (Contraphonic) Milwaukee’s resident wiseacres have some hometown Violent Femmes, but Whiskers picks up more on lo-fi, via Jason Loewenstein and The dB’s.
The Essex Green CD Review
The Essex Green Cannibal Sea (Merge) On Essex Green’s second album for Merge, third overall, they finally break rank with Elephant 6 psychedelia and foray into the testosterony Spector-pop world Belle & Sebastian currently inhabit.
Azita CD Review
Azita Detail From The Mountain Side (Drag City) This ultra-quick EP is a companion to Chicago playwright Brian Torrey Scott’s musical of the same name.
Geoff Farina CD Review
Geoff Farina Already Told You (Southern) No longer practicing Karate, Geoff Farina takes time away from his bazillion other obligations for this lonesome EP.
Back In Black
Gus Black Autumn Days (Cheap Lullaby) On his second solo album, melancholy Brit Gus Black makes a Beck album.
If Hope Dies CD Review
If Hope Dies Life In Ruin (Metalblade/Ironclad) Combining metal and hardcore? Shit. Why didn’t someone else think of this?
Magneta Lane CD Review
Magneta Lane Dancing With Daggers (Paper Bag) “The female Strokes.” Gawd, that sounds awful, doesn’t it? With truth dripping from the likes of Sleater-Kinney, who needs a salty box of caged rage?
State Radio CD Review
State Radio Us Against The Crown (Nettwerk) State Radio’s Chad Stokes grew up in a seemingly carefree manner. Coddled by musical parents in Massachusetts, he was allowed to travel to and live in Zimbabwe after high school and then went to college in Vermont. So, of course, he makes protest music now.
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