Recent Articles
Elliott Brood preview
Schubas, Chicago Tuesday, October 20, 2009 Mountain Meadows, the second full-length album from Canadian trio Elliott Brood, was inspired by a 19th-century massacre that took place in Utah. Using this bloody and haunting event as their launching point, the band take their “death-country” to a sophisticated level.
Sleeping At Last reviewed
Storyboards (Asteroid-B) Sleeping At Last will be one of Chicago’s great what-ifs. Handpicked to open one of the first few Zwan gigs and given time to craft a sweeping, Radiohead-style debut, their success only seemed a matter of when.
Kylie Minogue live!
UIC Pavilion, Chicago Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Whoever originally booked Kylie Minogue at the Congress Theatre either had no appreciation for her ability to sell out a week’s worth of arenas in the one city overseas or the fact that she’s an underground club hero in America. Granted, the less-educated side of her U.S. audience […]
Yo La Tengo live!
Vic, Chicago Tuesday, October 6, 2009 As the Hoboken-based indie-rock veterans Yo La Tengo cruised through “Sugarcube” Tuesday night, it was hard not to think of the song’s video and think that this band still haven’t learned to rock properly.
Riot Fest preview
Riot Fest weekend shifts into seventh gear tonight as NOFX headline Congress Theatre and Dead Milkmen bring out the Punk Rock Girls at Metro. Beat Kitchen, Subterranean, and Cobra Lounge will also don Riot gear.
Japandroids preview
Schubas, Chicago October 9 + 10, 2009 Nearly 20 years ago, Mac McCaughan adenoidally howled “Slack Motherfucker” above a din that was only just being recognized as indie rock. He, on Superchunk’s essential single, was chiding a lazy, fellow Kinko’s employee. Japandroids, using two mouths to pierce essentially the same din, are now singing about […]
Lou Barlow preview
Vic, Chicago Thursday, October 15, 2009 Lou Barlow’s inability to get a song in edgewise for J. Mascis Band, a.k.a. Dinosaur Jr., led to both his ouster and some fantastic sides for his burgeoning Sebadoh project. After some songs spent blasting Mascis, becoming Folk Implosion, ditching Sebadoh, going “solo” . . . he’s back in […]
Cover Story: Riot Fest 2009
Rocket To L.A. Music festivals tend to have an air of inclusion, a come-one come-all embrace that promises big-name acts and a sprinkling of enticing openers. Riot Fest, since its 2004 Chicago debut, has been different. This isn’t to say it’s exclusionary or private, but it’s punk rock by and for punk rockers. Headliners such […]
Christopher O’Riley interview
Fusion In D-Minor There’s bit of the angel and the devil to acclaimed, Chicago native Christopher O’Riley. On one hand, there’s the Van Cliburn-prize finalist, classical pianist recorder/performer, and 10-year host of NPR’s highly rated show, “From The Top”; O’Riley’s the championed poster child (if not savior) of classical music in the modern era. On […]
Karl Denson interview
The Old Switcheroo Don’t judge a man by his ringtone. While Karl Denson may pull down the funkiest riffs on the sax and flute (take that, Ian Anderson) this side of a Tarantino flick, his main connection to the outside world alerts him of incoming calls with the fervor of a Kenny G track. Appearing: […]
Say Anything interview
Alive With The Glory Of Love For awhile there, it seemed like Max Bemis might just end up as pop punk’s permanent and resident trainwreck. Diagnosed with bi-polar disorder following the release of his band Say Anything’s 2004 breakthrough release . . . Is A Real Boy (J), Bemis’ story became one of drugs and […]
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 […]
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