Around Hear
Around Hear: October 2012
Counterfeit I takes pride in being unconventional on A Glimpse, An Eclipse, right down to using titles like “. . .” and “(r)this.” The band opts for a harder guitar sound than on its first two releases, creating a sonic landscape marked with battlefields, industrial beats, shouted vocals, and abrupt tempo changes. The fast-paced “Smile” […]
Around Hear: September 2012
The funk-infused rock on 3 In Counting‘s full-length debut, At The Edge will likely appeal to people into the Dave Matthews Band. Singer/guitarist Mike Hayes, who writes all the group’s material, often uses a rapid-fire delivery for his evocative vocals, while Eric Csukor’s fluid keyboards work is consistently impressive. “Handshake,” is a slap at superficial […]
Around Hear: August 2012
The journey from carpenter to musician only took Joe Pug four years, and it’s already proven to be the right career change. On his sophomore effort, Pug, surrounded by several great musicians, proves he can hang with the singer/songwriter stylings of Dylan and the folk sounds of Wilco.
Around Hear: July 2012
On Andrew D. Huber‘s third solo release, Days Amidst The Dust, his acoustic folk rock with a Celtic twist is highly infectious. The 13 tracks are well-crafted, emotional, and memorable. His thought-engaging lyrics and heartfelt melodies
Around Hear: June 2012
With an acoustic guitar and a sweet, Midwestern croon, singer/songwriter Heather Styka sings her heart out on Lifeboats For Atlantis. Styka’s sincerity and a knack for vivid storytelling permeate the 14 tracks. Traces of Janis Joplin, Karen
Around Hear: May 2012
With equal influence from The Allman Brothers and Jeff Beck as Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers offer a plethora of dueling guitars throughout Under The Influence.
Around Hear: April 2012
NTD Records’ HiFi Superstar continue to refine their power-pop hooks on their third long-player, One Hit Wonder. Maturing as songwriters and as tight as a band that performs nearly 150 shows a year
Around Hear: March 2012
Local Band Reviews Rich Ryan (a.k.a. Richie Rich) brought in some heavy hitters to record his debut album From The Streets with his Chi-Town Blues Band. Featuring Grammy-winning guitarist Billy Flynn, Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith, and pianist Barrelhouse Chuck and the Tommy Dorsey horn section,
Around Hear: February 2012
Veilside‘s sophomore effort, This Time . . ., mixes Godsmack riffs with Sevendust grooves. It’s six-songs of modern rock with huge power chords, multi-layered vocal harmonies, and well-thought out guitar leads.
Around Hear: January 2012
Richard Anthony is much more gifted as a songwriter than he is as a singer throughout Connected Part One, an odd but occasionally endearing synth-pop project where 100-percent of the proceeds go to foster-children’s charities.
Around Hear: December 2011
Downers Grove-based Rollo Time, brainchild of singer/songwriter Jon Raleigh, carry on a tradition of smart Chicago power-pop blueprinted by bands like Material Issue and Green. Rollo Time occasionally tosses in more interesting elements of harder-rocking, obscure Brit-pop bands like The Boo Radleys and Thurman on Victims Of The Crown,
Around Hear: November 2011
Local Band Reviews You don’t find many musicians revving-up their professional musical careers after 50, but Bill McAlister is that anomaly. With a voice that’s a dead ringer for Waylon Jennings, McAlister strips his country music down to its simple beauty plus a few outlaw-era blemishes along with his band I-57 South on Illinois Opry.
Around Hear: October 2011
Local Band Reviews After kicking off his career as a straight-forward singer/songwriter, Kyle Andrews turns toward the dancefloor (channeled from his bedroom studio) throughout Robot Learn Love. Mirroring the likes of Cut Copy or a subdued Shiny Toy Guns, expect plenty of groove-saturated indie rock over lyrics of romantic longing and arrangements that switch from […]
Around Hear: September 2011
Local Band Reviews Music-wise, Clara May‘s debut CD, Hush, is a bit all over the place – which is perhaps a reflection of its chief singer/songwriters being first and foremost a filmmaker/corporate executive/grad student and religious/equal-rights activist/author, respectively.
Around Hear: August 2011
Local Band Reviews Lyrical, if edgy note-phrasing binds the originals and covers on blues-rocker Joe Becker‘s Hot As Love. The instrumental, stripped-band recording vacilates from open-nerve rawness (“Nightshift”) to a demo quality that could stand some polish (“Who Do You Think You Are?”), which poses a lot of questions about the intention of this release. […]
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