Recent Articles
Thirsty Whale Reunion
In The Belly Of The Thirsty Whale It was more than 20 years ago that I last set foot inside the Thirsty Whale. The band was Holland, on the eve of their Atlantic Records release, Little Monsters. Former B’zz singer Tommy Holland had assembled a new outfit, and I was excited to see what they […]
Web Exclusive: More Whale Memories
The Thirsty Whale Reunion All The Whale Memories Unfit To Print Joe Cantafio: “We were so young. I was the old guy at 19, but my brother and two of the other guys were 16 in the band, performing at the Whale and nobody knew it, nobody knew they were that young. And that was […]
Hello, My Name Is Nils
Q&A With Nils Lofgren IE: What are you doing in your spare time? Nils Lofgren: Just relax for awhile until I get back to my next action, probably a solo album for next year, get some more beginner lessons [online] for my guitar school. I just found out I like to teach and so many […]
File: October 2009
The Long Voyage Home With cranky, indie curmudgeons berating us, we at IE developed a complex about some of the music we praised in the ’80s, but no more! Maybe it’s an empowerment from this month’s Thirsty Whale reunion or finally locating the courage to call Steve Albini a Mr. Meany Pants, we’re back to […]
The Wiitala Brothers preview
The Wiitala Brothers Schubas, Chicago Tuesday, October 6, 2009 Before we dig into influences and who brings what to the table, let’s get one thing out of the way: Chicago’s Wiitala Brothers have not hitched their wagon to moniker-punctuation ’09, a.k.a. the double “i” bands like Miike Snow and Sliimy. Maybe they’re Finnish (slick-skating defenseman […]
Gear: October 2009
Gibson Zoot Suit LG Guitar Let’s face it, Gibson Guitars’ Zoot Suit SG maybe the ugliest guitar we’ve seen in the last several years. But sometimes ugly is cool. Cherry Poppin’ Daddies‘ leader Steve Perry has teamed up with the legendary manufacturer to take blame for this beauty. The Zoot Suit SG is a “guitar […]
Studiophile: October 2009
Neil Larsen The name Neil Larsen might not immediately jump off the page to average music fans, but to those in the know, he’s a legendary keyboardist with credits on some 150 prominent albums. And he just so happens to be on one of this decade’s most anticipated tours, linking up with the legendary Leonard […]
Spins: Richard Thompson
Richard Thompson Walking On A Wire (1968-2009) (Shout Factory) Somewhere early on in his career Richard Thompson got tagged as one of the great guitarists, but I’ve never thought it was true. He is an exceptional guitarist no doubt, but he is absolutely a great songwriter. And it’s great songs that last. There are 71 […]
Spins: Radiohead
Radiohead Kid A/Amnesiac/Hail To The Thief (Capitol) Where were you on October 3rd, 2000? Did you raise a glass to pop music as it tied a kerchief to a stick and set off down the tracks? Look around you now: Nothing has been the same since.
Around Hear: October 2009
Local Band Reviews Add American Draft to Chicago’s instrumental rock pedigree. The band’s second full-length release, the eight-track Hawk On Coachhouse, is like a less frenetic Mastodon minus the vocals. The title track showcases its multi-layered guitar attack, with variations on a soaring/airy riff. Harder-rocking tracks like “Diet Of Worms” and “Tree Of Woe” are […]
Media: October 2009
Pod-A-Palooza Steve Dahl unveiled his new weekday webcast September 8th (www.dahl.com), just after deadline time. The CBS Radio-sponsored show allows Dahl a chance to talk to his fans – something he hasn’t been able to do since CBS took him off WJMK-FM (104.3) late last year, and he won’t be able to return to the […]
Sweet Home: October 2009
Delmark Delivers Blues History Chicago remains a blues mecca, even in the face of distracting new-millennium antics of Chi-town musicians like Kanye West and R. Kelly. Despite this and a lengthy gospel, R&B, and jazz legacy, Chicago’s blues heritage towers over them all. It Ain’t Over (Delmark) showcases exactly why this is, a DVD packed […]
Caught In A Mosh: October 2009
The Seven Wonders Planet Metal can do no wrong. Fifteen months after launching, founder Chris Black (Superchrist, Pharaoh) has yet to put his label’s logo on a bad or even so-so album. Everything is gold. O.K., I haven’t heard PM001, Sentenced‘s “The Glow Of 1000 Suns/ Amok Run” 7-inch, but PM002 through PM007 are scalding. […]
DVD Zone: October 2009
Listen. I’m gonna drop a little knowledge on you. It may seem a bit controversial, perhaps even scandalous, but you need to hear it: Summer is overrated.
5th Annual Pygmalion Music Fest live!
Various clubs, Champaign-Urbana September 16-19, 2009 Begun in 2005, Pygmalion takes advantage of assets that often remain unrelated: the University Of Illinois’ 40,000 students; two cities — Champaign & Urbana — located within a three-hour radius of Indianapolis, Chicago, and St. Louis; a thriving local music scene; two prominent record labels, Polyvinyl and Parasol; […]
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