Recent Articles
Volkswagon’s Herbie
Herbie Hancock Possibilities (Hear) On this star-studded effort (Sting, John Mayer, Christina Aguilera, Damien Rice), erstwhile jazzman Herbie Hancock tries to stretch his marketing bounds and relevance.
Oxbow The Letter
Oxbow Love That’s Last: A Wholly Hypnographic & Disturbing Work (Hydra Head) In their prime, Oxbow were something of a disturbing San Francisco band that may have had something to do with The Jesus Lizard, or maybe the other way around.
Fahey Or Not Fahey?
John Fahey & Friends Tribute (Slackertone) In the five years since John Fahey died, posthumous reissues and albums have more or less consistently cast him as an avant-folk guitarist of impeccable skill. Here, his peers expand the palette considerably.
Hello, Parsons
Richard Parsons Until The Sun Dies (Not Likely Sober) Confessional singer-songwriters have a bad rap, so much so at IE we generally regard submissions such as this for the scrap heap, left to die with everyone else who “taught” themselves guitar and put G-C-D chord patterns together.
Back To The Future
Various Artists Future Retro (Rhino) Danced, thought I’d never stop. This spunky Rhino compilation throws mostly British ’80s cuts at some of the world’s top remixers.
SXSW Report
South By Southwest Austin, Texas March 16 – March 19 2006 And now for the exciting conclusion! While Trevor’s hindquarters were battling Bill Miller’s barbeque, I set out on a non-drinking, bar-hopping mission to uncover the fun behind South By Southwest that had mildly eluded us our 36 hours in the bush. Besides, I wasn’t […]
They Have The Blues
Soledad Brothers Empty Bottle, Chicago Thursday, March 16, 2006 Soledad Brothers, like a lot of Detroit blues-dipped rock bands, received a significant profile boost when The White Stripes became megastars in the early ’00s. The minimalist approach to rock music was chic, and bands across the country tried to sculpt a garage rock sound like […]
Coming To A TV Near You
The Spinto Band Metro, Chicago Saturday, March 18, 2006 Schubas, Chicago Sunday, March 19, 2006 Bad news for Nick Krill, Thomas Hughes, Jon Eaton, Jeff Hobson, Sam Hughes, Joe Hobson, and Albert Birney, also known as The Spinto Band, effective this fall the WB will be no more.
Todd Martin Preview
Todd Martin Uncommon Ground, Chicago Tuesday, March 21, 2006 Drawing obvious influence from this generation’s lite rockers (Howie Day, Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Counting Crows), Todd Martin doesn’t aim to high on Time For Good. But he is most certainly aiming and the genre has shown itself capable of supporting this amiable, if anonymous songwriting.
Ed “Dr. Eddie” McLellan 1950-2006
Ed McLellan, longtime Chicago-area guitarist, instrument repairman, teacher, and music store owner, passed away at home on March 6th. Known to many as “Dr. Eddie” for his skill at instrument repair, McLellan had been an active participant in the Chicago music scene since the late 1960s.
Sultry Fundraiser
A scholarship fundraiser will be held on Sunday, March 19th, 2006 at the Oasis Edutainment Theatre, 12952 S. Western Ave. in Blue Island to benefit Chicagoland students attending one of the nation’s oldest and most successful Historically Black Universities: Morgan State University. The Chicago Chapter of the University’s Alumni Association is offering a musically reenacted […]
Herbie Hancock CD Review
Herbie Hancock The Essential Herbie Hancock (Columbia/Legacy) Chicagoans who only know their prodigal son for “Rockit” have a chance to learn more about one of jazz’s consistently vital contributors.
A Bit Of Ultra Violence
Vitalic OK Cowboy (Pias) A Clockwork Orange is the bully of movies. You can’t just walk away from it; it follows you. Judging by OK Cowboy, it’s still harassing Vitalic honcho Pascal Arbez.
Los Lobos CD Review
Los Lobos Wolf Tracks: The Best Of Los Lobos (Rhino) You have to wonder, if Los Lobos could do it all again, would they still have signed up for the La Bamba soundtrack?
Studio Supreme
Various Artists The Best Of Studio One, Full Up: More Hits From Studio One, Downbeat The Ruler: Killer Instrumentals (Heartbeat/1st Studio) String of topnotch compilations from reggae’s ground zero.
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