Recent Articles
Mr. Lif interview
Neighborhood Watch When speaking with seasoned indie MC Mr. Lif , it’s surprising to hear that he hasn’t been keeping up with the news. After all, this Boston-bred artist, born Jeffrey Haynes, has been best recognized for the vigilance and yen for social justice within his well-crafted raps. What he has done best with songs […]
The Veils interview
The End Is The Beginning At home in London, Finn Andrews sounds anything but comfortable. The Veils’ driving force says he’s perched on a stool, but in truth it sounds as if he’s upstairs in a closet with the lights off, clutching his cell phone so closely his voice sounds muffled. Appearing: Thursday, July 23rd […]
Jon Troast interview
Household Name Having the stamina to perform a hundred shows in a hundred days is a tricky task in and of itself, but finding a competent booking agent to line up that many back-to-back gigs for an indie artist is even more of a long shot. Lake Geneva-based singer/songwriter Jon Troast has plenty of energy […]
Yeah Yeah Yeahs live
Aragon, Chicago Tuesday, May 26, 2009 A common concern with success is whether someone gets too big too quickly. In Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ case, they went from a venue the size of the Riviera (where this show was originally booked) to the Aragon in a matter of weeks. No wonder frontwoman Karen O. didn’t know […]
Testament live
House Of Blues, Chicago Friday, May 15, 2009 Contrary to what you’ve heard, a classic, Bay-Area thrash-metal band released one of the finest albums of its career in 2008, marked by a return to form, crisp production, and an ability to capture what made the band great in the first place.
Fall Out Boy do ‘Soundstage’
Soundstage, Chicago Tuesday, May 12, 2009 When Death Cab For Cutie hit PBS’ “Soundstage” program last month, it proved a sensible pairing. Coming out of their time as acclaimed indie darlings, the group has grown into a band that seems practically designed for a sensible setting like “Soundstage,” all traces of college rock replaced by […]
St. Vincent preview
Metro, Chicago Sunday, June 7, 2009 The first time IE came across St. Vincent (Annie Clark), she was by herself opening for John Vanderslice. Armed with a guitar and laptop, she came across as if she could have been the twee-est possible member of the old Grand Royal Records, Luscious Jackson’s introverted-bordering-on-autistic stepsister.
Apostle Of Hustle preview
Empty Bottle, Chicago Sunday, June 7, 2009 Broken Social Scene’s Andrew Whiteman’s surname creates no expectations and thereby gives him total freedom to work in ethnic textures. Despite the damage he could do, however, the Whiteman wisely sticks to what he knows on the new Eats Darkness (Arts & Crafts). Though highly skilled, his tastes […]
Dexateens reviewed
Singlewide (Skybucket) Southern music frequently treats poverty with a kind of patriotism, framing hardship as a speedbump on the way to better things or a loving sacrifice for children, etc. When it’s not, it’s a stock reason for getting drunk. Spurred on by their fans in Drive-By Truckers, Dexateens mix in some Stonesy rock to […]
Scott Herren’s springtime avalanche
Savath Y Savalas | Diamond Watch Wrists La Llama | Ice Capped At Both Ends (Stones Throw | Warp) Guillermo Scott Herren (not the activist poet Gil Scott-Heron) has never been shy to record as much as he wants, using as many aliases as he needs. But 2009 has been unprecedented. On April 14th, he […]
Hello, My Name Is Dan
Q&A With Tortoise’s Dan Bitney IE: Beacons Of Ancestorship is a mouthful of a title. What were the runners up? Dan Bitney: That’s always the biggest struggle for us — naming stuff is the last thing we do. Appearing: Friday, July 17th at Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago.
File: June 2009
VIA CHICAGO This space was originally a set of light jibes regarding the legal dispute brought against Wilco‘s Jeff Tweedy by former bandmate and writing partner Jay Bennett. Bennett, who was fired in 2001 after seven years in Wilco, claimed Tweedy owed him songwriting royalties as well as compensation for his appearance in the documentary […]
DVD Zone: June 2009
Revolutionary Road 20th Century Fox After taking a trip to the Middle East with Jarhead, director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road To Perdition) returns to the fertile ground of middle-American dysfunction with Revolutionary Road. Teaming up again are Titanic co-stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as April and Frank Wheeler, but there are no “king […]
Caught In A Mosh: June 2009
THE DEVIL IN DETAIL “I’ll be shocked if The Devil You Know isn’t absolutely awesome.” I typed those words in my April column. It was less than a month until said Heaven & Hell album’s April 28th release and I, like many metalheads, was very excited.
Media: June 2009
FREE RADIO STILL RELEVANT – ESPECIALLY FOR MUSICIANS A few years ago, Massachusetts-based musician Candace Clement was in a band called Better Friends Than Lovers when she started taking a hard look at how the music industry works. “A pattern quickly emerged — one where very few companies seemed to control all content,” says Clement, […]
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