Recent Articles
It’s NAMM, man
NAMM show postgame Despite the dodgy economy, there was no lack of enthusiasm or new musical instruments and sound/recording gear at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California last month. Here are a few of our favorites.
Local CD reviews
It’s tough to be negative about Brown Like Fiasco, a band so friggin’ happy on tracks like “Lovely Day” and “Somewhere” from Superstar. But the group’s Mr. Rogers outlook on life sucks all the power out of its power pop. Nothin’ wrong with feel-good jams, but these guys could write a cheery song huddled in […]
Metallica live!
Metallica Allstate Arena, Rosemont Tuesday, January 27, 2009 Click here to view more Metallica pics! Hours before Metallica completed their two-night Allstate Arena stand, IE contributor Mike Meyer said, “You’re not going to see Metallica – you’re going to see Disney.” He wasn’t being disrespectful, rather trying to underscore the change in a band who […]
Funeral For A Friend preview
Funeral For A Friend Metro, Chicago Friday, January 30, 2009 Welsh screamo act Funeral For A Friend never broke through in the States the way they have in the U.K. Which is a shame, as the group craft smarter, catchier, and overall better songs than most their harder metalcore peers on this side of the […]
Mumiy Troll preview
Mumiy Troll Empty Bottle, Chicago Friday, January 30, 2009 At first glance, “Mumiy Troll” looks like a trainwreck of an attempt by a foreign band to craft an intimidating English name. But a) the name is actual Russian and b) beginning from behind the Iron Curtain, it’s possible the group never harbored hopes of reaching […]
Yo Majesty preview
Yo Majesty Empty Bottle, Chicago Sunday, February 1, 2009 Yo Majesty’s backstory is so intriguing in itself it hardly seems necessary to even listen to Futuristically Speaking . . . Never Be Afraid. Though, if you don’t, you’re missing out on music as intriguing as the musicians behind it.
Combichrist preview
Combichrist House Of Blues, Chicago Wednesday, February 4, 2009 I could easily break off a bunch Wikipedia knowledge or poach the last-updated-in-Spring-’07 biography on the band’s official Web site and make it sound like I have some sort of working knowledge of Combichrist. Truth is, though, I’d never heard of them before Today We Are […]
Franz Ferdinand reviewed
Franz Ferdinand Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (Domino) It took nearly four years for Franz Ferdinand to decide more bass, less guitar.
The Killers live!
The Killers UIC Pavilion, Chicago Tuesday, January 20, 2009 Is Brandon Flowers a fan of “Lost”? Judging by the set design at The Killers’ sold-out Tuesday night performance at UIC Pavilion, somebody in the Las Vegas-based band’s camp certainly harbors affection for John Locke. Flanked by plastic palm trees wrapped in white twinkle lights, Flowers […]
Lambchop preview
Lambchop Old Town School Of Folk Music, Chicago Saturday, January 24, 2009 It’s in keeping with Lambchop’s hard-to-define style that the band is both a perfect and poor fit for the Old Town School. Kurt Wagner’s whimsical lyrical prose belongs in a storyteller atmosphere, but the score behind it on the band’s latest album, OH […]
Satyricon preview
Satyricon House Of Blues, Chicago Sunday, January 25, 2009 For a black metal band, sparking controversy in the scene by “selling out” or not being “kvult enough” is like starting a fire by throwing a lit match on a bale of hay: It ain’t hard to do. Norway’s Satyricon has taken its share of criticism […]
Cut Off Your Hands reviewed
Cut Off Your Hands You And I (Frenchkiss) Maybe Cut Off Your Hands are shy. Their debut EP, supposedly a mixture of demos, hid behind herky-jerky, heard-this-before post punk that created concern about the speed with which New Zealand processed trends. Though it’s unfair to heap history on a young band’s shoulders, the tracks showed […]
Labelle live!
Labelle Chicago Theatre, Chicago Saturday, January 10, 2009 With 32 years between studio albums and just as long since last embarking on a full-fledged tour, vocal trio Labelle sure had to make up for lots of lost time. Of course, now that Patti LaBelle (the “B” intentionally capitalized), Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash are in […]
Tomorrow Never Knows preview
Tomorrow Never Knows Festival Schubas, Chicago January 14 – 18, 2009 I miss my friend Josh. Not so much his company, but his friends. Greeting each new year — following all the holiday parties — with a “January Sucks” party, they’d rent a bar, arrange one of those all-you-can-drink wristbands, and get everyone knackered. Schubas’ […]
Franz Nicolay preview
Franz Nicolay Empty Bottle, Chicago Saturday, January 17, 2009 The House Cafe, DeKalb Sunday, January 18, 2009 Craig Finn may be The Hold Steady’s undisputed attention-grabber thanks to his ability to transform everyday, mundane events into bar-rockin’ anthems and a unique, free-form spoken-word delivery, but HS keyboardist Franz Nicolay’s solo record makes a solid case […]
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