ilentertainer's Latest Posts
Earlimart live!
Earlimart Schubas, Chicago Thursday, August 30, 2007 Earlimart, like the South Central California town for which they’re named, have a propensity to be overlooked. They admit to not touring as much as they should, and their brand of college rock — Yo La Tengo without the manic guitar leads — is about as remarkable as […]
Akron/Family preview
Akron/Family Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago Friday, September 7, 2007 With four days until the release of their fourth album, this nigh-comically unhinged quartet will come to Chicago and nearly come together.
Signing Choir preview
Signing Choir Schubas, Chicago Saturday, September 8, 2007 The old joke often holds true for actors: they really just want to direct. So, one wonders if the same adage hovers over musicians. Does the bass player in a band really just want to take on the role of lead singer?
Animal Collective preview
Animal Collective Vic Theatre, Chicago Monday, September 10, 2007 Of all the bands whose sound wicks comparison to Talking Heads, only Animal Collective seem to have the spirit down (wildly ambitious and shaking nervously). But for the upcoming Strawberry Jam (Fat Cat), another distinct influence emerges: The Beach Boys.
Biffy Clyro preview
Biffy Clyro Park West, Chicago Tuesday, September 11, 2007 This isn’t your little brother’s Roadrunner Records anymore, and the release of Biffy Clyro’s newest album further proves it.
Scenes From A Movie preview
Scenes From A Movie Beat Kitchen, Chicago Tuesday, September 11, 2007 Hate Fall Out Boy? Man, might as well know from the get go, Scenes From A Movie is going to make your blood boil.
Scorpions reviewed
Scorpions Humanity Hour 1 (New Door/UMe) Sensing they perhaps missed a chance when they failed to retire after “Winds Of Change,” Germany’s undying Scorpions try yet again to go out on a high note with Humanity Hour 1.
DevilDriver reviewed
DevilDriver The Last Kind Words (Roadrunner) Dez Fafara finally hits his stride, three records into his second career.
Angel & The Love Mongers reviewed
Angel & The Love Mongers The Humanist Queen (Rock Snob) The last time a Tennessee-based band devoted an album to British influences, they were called Big Star and went down in history as the missing link. Don’t expect as much from Angel & The Love Mongers.
Cover Story: Common
Common Forever And Ever It’s hard not to treat an interview/lunch with South Side-born rapper Common like a solemn occasion. He prays before he eats (mahi mahi with a side of fries). He’s impeccably dressed — pink dress shirt, grey vest, striped tie, self-promoted Sofi newsboy cap — and his speaking voice is considerably lower […]
The Magic Numbers interview
The Magic Numbers Shyness Follows Prone to fits of giggling, Michele Stodart is just returning from her brother Romeo’s flat where the two 20-somethings engaged in a bit of a spat. While the occasional temper flare-up between siblings doesn’t surprise anyone who has one, the Stodarts’ unique position puts them in continuous close range and […]
Peter Himmelman interview
Peter Himmelman PIGEONHOLED! Peter Himmelman used to be famous for three reasons: 1) being a critically acclaimed rock ‘n’ roll singer-songwriter signed to major labels (Island in the 1980s, Epic in the ’90s), 2) being an observant Jew who became the first performer of note since the Scottish Olympian Eric Liddell to jeopardize his career […]
Hello, My Name Is Tom
Hello, My Name Is Tom Q&A With Tom Smith of Editors IE: The lyrical phrases that keep popping up on your new An End Has A Start are bones, flesh, and death. Tom Smith: Heh-heh. Yeah. A lot of the songs do have me mulling over or thinking about things coming to an end. But […]
Michael McDermott interview
Michael McDermott Born Again, And Again, And Again It’s a flashback to the summer of 1991 — meeting in an Irish pub where everyone seems to know Michael McDermott, listening to stories behind the songs on his latest record. But there is something distinctly different about McDermott since we sat down for a cover-story interview […]
Colette Interview
Colette When Push Came To Shove As a DJ, Colette performs more than a hundred shows a year from the diverse worlds of Coachella, The Grammys, and an ongoing residency at Chicago’s very own Smart Bar, while simultaneously setting trends for females behind the turntables. As a recording artist, the switch hitter from Chi-town (who […]
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