Columns
Around Hear Page 2
Singer/multi-instrumentalist Dominic Harris sounds like he’s aiming for a streetwise Lou Reed on his new CD, Ride, but it often sounds forced. A more natural delivery and sharper lyrics would have made the full-length disc more accessible. There are good things going on here, like the soulful, catchy strings Harris arranged for the pretty love […]
Around Hear Page 3
With his How It Be mixtape, Broadview’s Quesne (pronounced Cain) drops hip-hop inspired by both the crunk of Atlanta and the chopped-and-screwed styling of Houston. Because he mostly borrows beats (from Mike Jones, Ludacris, etc.) and emulates the vibe of those tracks, it’s tough to tell what this west suburban rhymer represents. Although sonically, he […]
Reptoids’ Sweet Sides
Doro Pesch, the iconic German power metal songstress, will hate Reptoids, or at least her publicity team will hate Reptoids. I had Doro penciled in for this column as far back as December (she is playing the Pearl Room in March) but in mid-January I received Reptoids’ three-song Slayed EP, threw it on, listened to […]
In The Pocket
Digidesign Mbox 2 Micro In their aim to imbed a ProTools software chip in the back of every musician’s neck, Digidesign‘s USB flash drive-sized Mbox 2 Micro shows they’re serious about making music tools in increasingly smaller recording packages until they’re the size of dust mites.
TV, The HDTV Switchover, & You
They can’t give us universal health care. They can’t fix the subprime mortgage problem. They can’t even find Osama bin Laden. But at least they can subsidize our TV viewing. The government is spending some $1.5 billion on its digital converter switchover program, which will ensure people with analog TVs can continue to watch over-the-air […]
Clean ‘N’ Sober
Death is described as the great rock career move, but surviving serious drug addiction might be a better choice. Especially when, decades later and clean ‘n’ sober, you get to regale the public with tales of your sordid past in best-selling books. Among a raft of such having-one’s-cake-and-eating-it-too tomes by rockers touting their tales of […]
Beat Of His Own Drum
Ten years on the road with blues great Lonnie Brooks helped drummer Patrick Doody hone his chops as a professional musician before dabbling in recording. It was actually Brooks who spurred Doody to broaden his career aspirations when he toyed with the idea of retiring back in 2000 and told his fun-loving drummer to start […]
Deep Down In Alabama
Honeydripper is the latest film by independent filmmaker John Sayles (The Brother From Another Planet, Return Of The Secaucus Seven, Sunshine State). Sayles has created a musical fable – a compelling mixture of blues, myth, and history woven beautifully by a novel-like script, surrealistic camera angles, and a stellar ensemble cast.
Hello, My Name Is Shannon
Hello, My Name Is Shannon Q&A With Shannon Wright IE: You’ve just welcomed a new baby. Were you musical as a kid? Shannon Wright: My grandma bought me a guitar when I was 9, but I hated it because it made my fingers hurt. My parents liked music a lot, but neither of them played […]
File: February 2008
EMI’s E-M Ergency In what could be mistaken for a climate-change exercise, lifeboats are circling the offices of EMI Recordings, home to Capitol, Virgin, and Astralwerks Records among others. Nearly 2,000 jobs have been cut — take that, downloaders! — and the fallout isn’t limited to staff.
DVD Zone: February 2008
Strike? What Strike? What seems to be troublin’ ya, bunkie? Are you bummed because you haven’t seen a new episode of your favorite show in months? Do you feel you’ll projectile vomit if you stumble across another inane “reality” show? Have you gotten a little sick of all those high-falootin’ writers thinking they should 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
Sue Fink is a singer-songwriter with a quirky take on folk’s storytelling tradition. At times she sounds as if she is writing children’s music with her sing-songy melodies and PG subject matter about dogs, fish, and cell phones. Musically, her second album, Damsel In Distress, never charts new territory, but lyrically, she’s quite creative. (www.suefink.com) […]
Around Hear Page 3
Ten years of combining polka with rock ‘n’ roll (and lots of beer) deserves a celebration. To mark their decade anniversary, The Polkaholics released 10 Years To The Floor, a live album that shows off this band’s dedication to all things polka. Even with so-so production, this album captures this Chicago trio’s live energy. Still, […]
Judd’s Dread
My first face-to-face encounter with Blake Judd didn’t leave me with a very good impression of the Nachtmystium frontman. In the summer of 2003 I had just moved to Chicago and was living half a block from Metal Haven’s old Lakeview location. Homesick, overwhelmed, clueless, and friendless, I dropped by the store a few times […]
Recent Comments