Columns
DVD Zone: April 2009
Quantum Of Solace 20th Century Fox After years of stale plot lines and tired formulas (no offense, Pierce Brosnan), not to mention getting its British butt kicked by the superior Bourne series, the James Bond franchise got a much needed re-boot in Casino Royale. Starring Daniel Craig as a much more no-nonsense Bond, the series […]
Something Old, Something New
Listening to Chicago Blues: A Living History (Raisin), a two-CD set that covers 1940 to the present and features an all-star band of blues traditionalists including Billy Boy Arnold, John Primer, Billy Branch, and Lurrie Bell, led me to think about Jimi Hendrix. A space-age bluesman, Hendrix took the genre in a new direction. He […]
Local Studio Happenings
As of March 1st, BOTA STUDIO will no longer be operating at RECORDING ARTIST WORKSHOP in Lake In The Hills. Owner Don Byczynski will open a 2,000 square-foot complex in Grayslake on April 15th. The new BOTA includes a 21x15x12 A Room, 18x15x12 live room, and 13×11 B Room, both connected to five isolation booths. […]
Clearing The Static
You have to feel for The Haunted. The band had a kick-ass North American tour set to kick off this month before, well, shit happened . . . big time. That kick-ass package became significantly less so March 2nd when both Kylesa and Intronaut announced their intentions to join Mastodon‘s spring tour (April 30th at […]
Is Journalism Dead?
In 1991, I met writers Michael Miner and John Conroy after they gave a presentation on independent journalism at an adult-education seminar. In those pre-Internet days, The Reader was the thick, independent weekly everyone picked up on Thursday afternoon, so they could plan their weekend. Miner wrote its popular “Hot Type” media column, and Conroy […]
The Right 1?
Martin 1 Series Due to a slowing economy, C.F. Martin & Co. is bringing back its acclaimed 1 Series of acoustic guitars.
Local Record Reviews
Conveniens is a drum-and-keyboard duo that worked in the 1980s and is currently reissuing its catalog. Clear was its third and final album and is filled with Conveniens’ trademark new age/space/jazz vibe. Funny thing is, the stranger the group gets, the more interesting it is. This is not pop music by any means, but is […]
Around Hear Pg. 2
Frontman Dewey Dunlap has that perfect, smoky, lazy voice for The Dunlaps‘ dusty alt-country, and he lays down some nifty licks on songs like “Get Quicker,” but is there room in Chicago for more insurgent country? Of course. On its debut, Here Come The Dunlaps . . . , the group gets bogged down in […]
Van Morrison Revisits Astral Weeks
VAN MORRISON Astral Weeks Live At The Hollywood Bowl (Listen To The Lion) Say the name Van Morrison, and the casual fan will think “Brown-Eyed Girl,” “Moon- dance,” maybe “Domino.” But the Morrison maniacs, the real Van fans, with exuberance, will think Astral Weeks. Not only is this eight-song, mind-expanding, meandering meditation Morrison’s masterwork, it’s […]
Hello, My Name Is Les
Hello, My Name Is Les Q&A With Les Claypool photo by Jake Blakesberg IE: Of Fungi And Foe is based on two projects you’ve worked on, a video game called Mushroom Men and the Pig Hunt film, right? Les Claypool: I was commissioned to do the score for both those pieces, so what Idid was, […]
File: March 2009
TO NYC AND BACK Last August, Chicago high-school student and beatmaker C-Sick wasn’t even sure he would be allowed into the Metro to compete in Red Bull’s renowned Big Tune beat battle. Despite his age, the then 17-year-old wound up taking home the Chicago title, thanks to his punchy, desktop-born hip-hop. Then, four months later […]
DVD Zone: March 2009
SELLING OUT TO THE FAME GAME How To Lose Friends And Alienate People 20th Century Fox In the early ’90s, British writer Toby Young founded and co-edited the London- based magazine Modern Review, a publication dedicating itself to snarky articles slamming anything and everything that wasn’t them. Young revealed himself to be most obnoxious, earning […]
Hail To The Hammer
Few bands can claim their home country’s best-selling album. Even fewer are heavy metal bands. A “Viking metal” metal band? No way.
Local CD Reviews
Chicago-based Absolutely Perfect describes its music as “nothing you have ever heard before, yet strangely familiar.” While this sounds like typical self-promotion, these guys have actually nailed it. The band’s second release, the Live To Be . . . , has it serving up six bowls of thick, chunky basslines with sides of punk rhythms […]
Around Hear Pg. 2
Beyond boasting solid musicianship, Sam Reicher and Antony Ablan of Chicago-based quartet Blackdog can sing like seasoned vets, as heard on the band’s self-titled debut. Both have robust, gruff voices, which work with whatever sound the band is after, whether slow-churning blues (“Crawlin’ Kingsnake”) or classic rock (“Hey Mama”). Innovation may not be its strong […]
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