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The Best Of 2009
Last year was technically the end of a decade, the one beginning 2000. But the decades began with the year 1, so we won’t indulge our 10-year wrapups until January 2011. It gives us time to fully exploit our favorites from 2009, meaning albums, songs, concerts, reissues, and local bands. Stay tuned for more updates […]
Hello, My Name Is Oderus
Q&A with Oderus Urungus of Gwar IE: Hello? Oderus Urungus: Hi. Sorry for being late. I’m just offering pleasantries. You humans are all about appearances. I don’t know much about you — I’m assuming you’re like all the others and giving you the benefit of the doubt. I’m keeping this nice and civil. I’ve been […]
File: December 2009
A Nation In Crisis This is a tough position in which to be. It’s natural for any Northerner to sit back and laugh at Southerners as they grapple with the definition of what is country music and what isn’t.
Hello, My Name Is David
Q&A with the Pixies’ David Lovering IE: How do you feel about doing an old album in its entirety? Some bands are weirded out by it. David Lovering: It’s kind of cool because Doolittle, for me the drummer, it’s the easiest record we did. So I was happy [we chose it]. We’re all loving doing […]
Hello, My Name Is Bernard
Q&A with Bernard Sumner IE: Do you look at Bad Lieutenant as a continuation of your legacy or an entirely new act altogether? Bernard Sumner: I look at it as a new band, though there are some faces people already know. [Drummer] Steven [Morris] was in New Order [and Joy Division], [guitarist/keyboardist] Phil [Cunningham] played […]
File: November 2009
ONE FOR THE BOOKS “My Bucket Song” by Psalm One from Psalm One on Vimeo. As we mentioned last month, the Chicago Public Library capped a “we’re not just books” promotion with a music contest, challenging Chicagoans to write songs about the city.
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 […]
Hello, My Name Is Jimi
Hello My Name Is Jimi Q&A with Survivor’s Jimi Jamison IE: What did the city of Chicago mean to you during the Survivor days and how about now? Jimi Jamison: Chicago is such a blessing and I didn’t realize what a great city it is until I joined Survivor. People in Chicago are the most […]
File: September 2009
Les Was More We’ve strained, but we can’t think of an adequate parallel to Les Paul‘s notoriety vs. his actual impact. (Somehow Ben Franklin and bifocals just don’t capture it.) Despite the guitar body that made his name an emblem, Paul’s greatest contribution to music wasn’t his attachment to Gibson Guitars’ iconic slab of wood. […]
File: August 2009
THE WOODSTOCK EXPERIENCE Amid the spate of 40th-anniversary Woodstock product (see “Spins”), Sony’s Legacy arm believes five two-disc sets by acts who performed that long-ago weekend at Yasgur’s farm stand out. Listing at $19.98 apiece, each one comes with an original, and in most cases classic, 1969 studio album (no big deal, as those albums […]
Hello, My Name Is Dan
Hello, My Name Is Dan Q&A With 88 Fingers Louie’s Dan Precision IE: How long has this August show for 88 Fingers Louie been on the books? Dan Precision: Let me tell you this: We started practicing for it back in November. We hadn’t set a date because I’m a stickler with things and was […]
File: July 2009
God Bless The Queen The blues world has lost its Queen. Koko Taylor, whose raw-edged, impassioned vocals won the hearts of fans worldwide for five decades, passed away at 80 on June 3rd of complications from gastrointestinal surgery.
Hello, My Name Is Lita
Q&A With Lita Ford IE: I’ve noticed a lot of Runaways imports in the record stores. That seems to be really hot right now. What is your involvement, if any, in the upcoming Runaways biopic? Lita Ford: We’ve had a bit of a falling out, and I just don’t care to be a part of […]
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.
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