ilentertainer's Latest Posts
Nico Muhly preview
Nico Muhly Lakeshore Theater, Chicago Thursday, August 28, 2008 I once interviewed a rock guitarist who claimed he could find musical inspiration in any mundane, common, everyday sound. Nico Muhly agrees.
Jazz Festival preview
Sonny Rollins | Ornette Coleman Jazz Festival, Chicago Thursday, August 28 | Sunday, August 31, 2008 The battle of the saxes highlights the Chicago Jazz Festival this year, featuring a pair of giants in Sonny Rollins and Ornette Coleman.
Delta Spirit preview
Delta Spirit Schubas, Chicago Sunday, August 31, 2008 By selecting the word “spirit” for their band name, San Diego’s Delta Spirit provide a too-easy-to-bypass avenue from which dissect their sound. Their debut, Ode To Sunshine (Rounder), has a helluva lot of familiar aurae around it.
Death Vessel reviewed
Death Vessel Nothing Is Precious Enough For Us (Sub Pop) Death Vessel’s Joel Thibodeau is a) an insect, b) female, or c) a bluegrass artist. At varying points one and none are true. Appearing: Saturday, August 30th at Schubas in Chicago.
Chris Isaak live!
Chris Isaak Morton Arboretum, Lisle Saturday, August 16, 2008 Few artists are capable of tapping into a winning formula that doesn’t significantly evolve as the years progress, but colors just enough outside the lines to attract repeat customers. Enter veteran singer/songwriter Chris Isaak, the debonair crooner who’s made a killing channeling the outfits of Elvis […]
Koufax preview
Koufax Bottom Lounge, Chicago Saturday, August 23, 2008 Koufax’s fourth album, Strugglers (Doghouse), belongs to Kansas City jazz-meister Mark Southerland. Head Koufax honcho Robert Suchan at turns delivers sweaty Jack White-isms and even shares a range with What Made Milwaukee Famous’ Michael Kingcaid, but when the 10-track disc ends, it’s Southerland’s horns that will continue […]
Indigenous preview
Indigenous Martyrs’, Chicago Saturday, August 23, 2008 Indigenous frontman/guitarist Mato Nanji’s past, upbringing, and musical journey are not only interesting stories, but unusual. Too bad the same can’t be said for his band’s music.
Rebuilt Sir Miles Davis Academy Bows On South Side
A handful of the late Miles Davis’ family members and musicians will be on hand to open the Sir Miles Davis Academy magnate school on Tuesday, August 26th.
Bigelf reviewed
Bigelf Cheat The Gallows (Custard) Bigelf’s cup runneth over with bombast. Their overzealous ode to big-top rock might not be very original, but it’ll overpower you in the end.
Pas/Cal reviewed
Pas/Cal I Was Raised On Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura (Le Grand Magistery) After years of teasing indie pop enthusiasts with lip-smacking EPs, Pas/Cal manage a full-length that survives as a 12-track spread.
Shannon McArdle reviewed
Shannon McArdle Summer Of The Whore (Bar None) Former Mendoza Line frontwoman Shannon McArdle lies back on the couch and drops truckloads of divorce-flavored pathology.
Extreme reunited
Extreme House Of Blues, Chicago Saturday, August 13, 2008 Despite a 13-year absence, not much has changed for Extreme. The adjective that is their name has been repurposed for nu metal-listenin’, Red Bull-drinkin’, X Games mayhem and, obviously, mainstream tastes have run their cycles. But Saturday, for the most part, the Boston band’s Frankenstein funk […]
She & Him live
She & Him Park West, Chicago Tuesday, August 5, 2008 While most actress-stabs at musical careers usually fall flat (Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lindsay Lohan, and most recently Scarlett Johansson), Zooey Deschanel (The Happening, Elf, and Almost Famous) manages to pull off the impossible by not only receiving heaping praise, but also garnering a following that […]
Racebannon preview
Racebannon Beat Kitchen, Chicago Friday, August 15, 2008 The rise of MP3s has precipitated the demise of album artwork. Rebelling against thumbnail incarceration, Kanye West’s Graduation used anime to hint at its electro contents, and Miley Cyrus’ Breakout distilled the oppression felt by teenage multi-millionaires. But rarely do you see anything as iconic as, say, […]
Hawthorne Heights preview
Hawthorne Heights Alpine Valley, East Troy, WI Saturday, August 16, 2008 Tragedy, strife, legal woes, and bitter divorces – all can lead to stellar artistic output. Just ask Bob Dylan. The brilliant Blood On The Tracks stemmed from Dylan’s wife Sara handing him divorce papers after little more than a decade of marriage. Sure, it’s […]
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