Archive for August, 2012
Cover Story: Riot Fest
It will be hard for Riot Fest to sneak up on people this year – though unlike for Cinderella teams in sports, that’s a good thing. Due to its previous construction as a multi-venue, à la carte/elective smorgasbord, Riot Fest gained higher esteem among punk aficionados and outsiders than average Chicagoans. No more. By taking […]
Interview: Shoes
There was a sense of déjà vu as the three members of Shoes gathered in vocalist-guitarist Gary Klebe‘s home recording studio in Kenosha, Wis. to discuss Ignition, their first release in 18 years. And it wasn’t simply because this writer was the same one who interviewed the band about its Stolen Wishes album 20-plus years […]
Interview: James Iha
Ask ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha why it’s taken him 14 ponderous years – an eternity in showbiz – to release Look To The Sky, the follow-up to his 1998 debut Let It Come Down, and you’ll get a long pause in response. Then a wry chuckle. And then an innocent, “Umm . . . […]
Hello, My Name Is Elliot
IE: How difficult is it to collaborate with your sister [Natalie Bergman] in Wild Belle? Isn’t the point of growing up to escape your relatives? Elliot Bergman: There’s benefits and drawbacks because we’re very close. We’re pulling from all the same reference points. We grew up knowing all the same songs. She grew up stealing […]
50 years of the Rolling Stones in pictures
Veteran music journalist Hanspeter Kuenzler can pinpoint the exact date The Rolling Stones came rushing into his life with the bravado and swagger that still defines the iconic rock band.
Sweet Home: September 2012
There’s no question that the blues serves as the foundation for traditional American music genres, but it’s easy to forget that it doesn’t necessarily have to take a musical form. The blues can flow through words, movements, and sensibilities. It can inform literature, dance, visual art, and theater. The eta Creative Arts Foundation illustrates this […]
Media: September 2012
Chicago is one of the most talented cities in the country as comedians, actors, artists, bands, indie filmmakers, etc,” says Craig Erpelding, creator and writer and co-producer of the new, independently-produced local sitcom, “Two Flat.” “I felt it was a tragedy that sitcoms that are supposed to take place in Chicago are really produced in […]
Digital Divide: September 2012
The Hunger Games Lionsgate Full disclosure: The latest and hottest young adult works of fiction have never quite been able to make an appearance on my reading list. Not because I’m a literary snob mind you (O.K., I’m a bit of a snob, sue me), but I stopped being the target audience more years ago […]
Caught In A Mosh: September 2012
We’ve been on that path for many years,” says a voice seven hours in the future. In Sweden, it is already dark. Ola Lindgren, vocalist/guitarist of Grave, assumes nothing while fielding foreign questions in preparation of Grave’s North American tour with Morbid Angel and Dark Funeral. He is referring to the no-frills gravel road his […]
Studiophile: September 2012
Chicago-based Empires recently finished recording their second full-length album, Garage Hymns at HEDGEHOG STUDIOS in Chicago. The band’s self-produced debut album, Howl, garnered a considerable amount of attention when it was released in 2008, and now (with its new release) the band feels that they have found the sound they’ve been searching for all along. […]
Gear: September 2012
Quilter Labs MicroPro 200 Guitar Amplifier From the founder of QSC power amps, comes a super powerful and modern analog guitar amplifier that produces “the warm, rich tone of a vintage tube amp without the hassle of tubes,” according to the company. The MicroPro 200‘s small size and light weight makes it easy to transport, but […]
Around Hear: September 2012
The funk-infused rock on 3 In Counting‘s full-length debut, At The Edge will likely appeal to people into the Dave Matthews Band. Singer/guitarist Mike Hayes, who writes all the group’s material, often uses a rapid-fire delivery for his evocative vocals, while Eric Csukor’s fluid keyboards work is consistently impressive. “Handshake,” is a slap at superficial […]
File: September 2012
MY FAIR FESTIVAL There’s more than corn in . . . oh wait, that’s the slogan for Indiana Beach. You’ll find plenty of maize in Champaign-Urbana, but these cities – overrun with scholars donning the ol’ orange and blue – close out the outdoor music festival season with Pygmalion. Now in its eighth year, the […]
To Chicago, with love
Your feet might not leave Chicago, but these shows will take your ears to West Africa before popping in south of the border.
My Morning Jacket & Band Of Horses live shots!
My Morning Jacket spent a lovely summer evening serenading the throngs at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park on Aug. 22. Band Of Horses warmed up the crowd. All photos by Ed Spinelli.
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