Recent Articles
Around Hear: April 2011
Local Band Reviews Fans of jazz/rock fusion will find a lot to like in Zachary Biggus‘ eight-song Jusqu’â Présent, wherein, aided by able bass and drums sidemen, he displays not inconsiderable prowess on guitar.
Caught In A Mosh: April 2011
Total Relapse I have a love-hate relationship with Relapse Records. On one hand, the label never, ever, ever sends me music. Never. Ever. And I’ve asked. Many times.
Digital Divide: April 2011
Just as spring hits the Midwest, perhaps the most talked about film of 2010 hits the Blu-ray shelves: Darren Aronofsky‘s Black Swan (Fox Searchlight).
Gear: April 2011
Since its birth in the mid-’70s, the guitar synthesizer has taken the long road to respectability. Brave, early adapters were troubled by technical glitches and Moog-like novelty tones, more aligned to experimental music than mainstream sounds.
Media: April 2011
Jay’s Chicago In an era of tight budgets and strict bottom lines, locally produced TV shows are a rarity. Good ones are even harder to find.
Studiophile: April 2011
Pinetop’s Final Sessions Pinetop Perkins‘ final recording sessions for his Grammy-winning album, Joined At The Hip, took place in Chicago at JoyRide Studio by Blaise Barton and mixed at Tone Zone Recording by Michael Freeman. Last fall, Freeman commented on those recording sessions in an interview with Grammy365.com. “I worked on a new record for […]
Sweet Home: April 2011
The Iron Man Cometh Blues guitarist Michael Burks earned his “Iron Man” moniker honestly, through non-stop touring and exhaustive shows featuring fiercely intense guitar licks. But there’s a deeper meaning to his nickname. After putting his guitar down for 11 years to support his family, he picked it up again and faced down a dwindling […]
Trash rock all-stars
For a second our stomach dropped: are Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears and Those Darlins in town the same night at separate clubs?
Pedal-hopping like a Dinosaur . . .
It only took 20 years, but the Dinosaur Jr. frontman finally followed Lou Barlow to Sub Pop for some sad-sack acoustipop.
The boys are back in town
It’s been a tough year for Thin Lizzy, having lost guitarist Gary Moore and hitting the 25th anniversary of frontman Phil Lynott’s death. Two albums have been reissued by UME, however, and a packed lineup hits Chicago.
Thursday: Everest or Zomes?
Instead of falling into the trap of the wretched sophomore slump, Los Angeles-based quintet Everest surpasses its debut (2008’s Ghost Notes) completely.
Drury Lane’s “Aida” A State Of Emotional “De-Nile”
Long before Egypt was experiencing Facebook revolutions, it was the mysterious and conquering land of pharaohs, sphinx, and pyramids. And the setting for one of Giuseppe Verdi’s most famous and popular operas, 1871’s “Aida,” which includes many famous arias, including the heavenly “Celeste Aida.”
The Genius Switch
Though the blame often lies squarely on our foreheads, it’s easy to shift it to downloads and the transformation of MTV into a teen-lifestyles network regarding our disconnect with bands.
Before winter sets back in . . .
Not to be so vulgar as to talk weather, but March is supposed to get warmer as it progresses. Not that it isn’t a cruel reminder to all the knobs who return from Austin each spring, but we’d like to put our snow boots away.
Live: Huey Lewis
The Venue at Horseshoe Casino, Hammond, IN Friday, March 18, 2011 For the first time in nine years, Huey Lewis & The News released a new studio CD, so it’s no wonder why they decided to play the majority of it before dusting off their ’80s oldies. Though that decision might look self-indulgent on the […]
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