Columns
DVD Zone: November 2008 – Indy Rocks!
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull Paramount When you’re dealing with one of the most successful franchises in film history, it’s awfully hard to resist the lure of “just one more.” Producer George Lucas, director Steven Spielberg, and Indy himself Harrison Ford all gave in to temptation and dug out the whip […]
Local Studio Happenings
Pete Berwick started his new, 18-song album at SKYE BLUE STUDIOS in Villa Park. Berwick is recording his third album with his most recent band, The Renegades (guitarist Rick Devries, bassist Nick Verbik, and drummer Rob Surey), and co-producer Jason Botka. It should be out in early ’09.
Reviewapalooza
Many CDs have been unreviewed during the past few months as I have focused more on the news side of the business. In a slight change of format, I will devote this entire column to playing catch up with pithy reviews of CDs from legends and newcomers alike, covering the gamut of traditional blues to […]
Public Acess Under Siege
AT&T hypes its new U-verse digital TV system as “advanced TV that brings consumers a revolutionary new ent-ertainment experience that’s cooler than cable.” U-verse boasts something like 900 channels (including more than 41 in high definition) and a DVR that can record four shows at once. But activists say it doesn’t give consumers easy access […]
Toasty!
HOTTIE AMPLIFIERS 2009 Hottie Custom Made from the body of a vintage General Electric toaster (you heard right), Hottie Amplifiers has introduced an updated version of its original Hottie Amp with the 2009 Hottie Custom.
Home Of The Free?
Bible Of The Devil’s new album (out this month) is called Freedom Metal. Initially this isn’t that eyebrow raising, certainly not controversial, but the Chicago band, which tours Europe yearly, is prepared for a backlash nonetheless. Fuck. Remember “freedom fries”?
Local CD Reviews
“Around Hear” is a monthly feature where a stable of IE writers review albums sent to us by local musicians. If you are interested in having your CD (must have a minimum of three songs) reviewed and are Illinois-based, mail it and any other media materials to 657 A W. Lake St., Chicago IL, 60661. […]
Hello, My Name Is George
Hello, My Name Is George Q&A With Catfish Haven’s George Hunter IE: For the first album and EP, I gather most of those songs had been brewing. Was Devastator a more direct, sitdown writing session? George Hunter: With all the touring we had time. We started listening to all this blues-oriented stuff, getting into Band […]
File: October 2008
The Human Fund As summer closed out in Chicago, Fall Out Boy came home to Soldier Field to participate in the local version of Nike’s nationwide Human Race event. Prior to a performance on the north end of the field, the group attended an overly brief press conference in a room underneath the stadium. The […]
DVD Zone: October 2008
Iron Man Marvel As a kid spending a healthy portion of my misspent youth with a face full of comic books, I never pledged allegiance to either of the big two, Marvel or DC. Though others will argue to the death one is clearly better than the other (and God help you if you get […]
Local CD Reviews
“Around Hear” is a monthly feature where a stable of IE writers review albums sent to us by local musicians. If you are interested in having your CD (must have a minimum of three songs) reviewed and are Illinois-based, mail it and any other media materials to 657 A W. Lake St., Chicago IL, 60661. […]
Around Hear Page 2
Victory Records, a label known for its jagged hardcore, seems an unlikely home for 1997. Their brand of uprising, punchy pop songs is decidedly less confrontational, while still retaining a subtle bite. New singer Alida Marroni’s sensational presence elevates On The Run as her vocals drive the lead track, “One Track Mind, Four Track Heart,” […]
The Toxic Avenger
This interview with Toxic Holocaust‘s Joel Grind took place September 3rd, the day after his newest full-length, An Overdose Of Death . . . was released. I say “his” instead of “the band’s” because Grind is the band – a one-man thrash act who, since 1999, has written, played, and recorded all Toxic material in […]
Sex, Lies, And Cassette Tapes
TASCAM CC-222SLmkII Last month we took a look at the the latest crop of turntables to hit the market for vinyl junkies, but we’re also happy to report longtime professional-audio manufacturer Tascam is keeping the cassette alive in its pro-audio and Portastudio lines. Tascam’s updated CD-and-cassette recorder, the CC-222SLmkII, includes a pitch control for both […]
He Gone
Chicago Tribune. Recent redesigns have reduced story length and page count plus relegated much of the national and world news into bite-sized briefs.
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