Columns
File: March 2007
All For Nothing Believe us, this “File” box would have been a lot more fun had the Bears offense not looked like the junior varsity B team in the Super Bowl. But damnit, we planned to mention the Bears anthems (good and bad) the team’s first trip to the big game in 21 years inspired, […]
DVD Zone: March 2007
Dissenting Opinions The U.S. Vs. John Lennon Lionsgate Shut Up And Sing The Weinstein Company Public backlash was nothing new to John Lennon. After all, it was his ill-fated 1966 comment about The Beatles being bigger than Jesus that set off a firestorm of protest among Southern conservatives.
A Matter Of Respect
“When you get off the plane in Detroit, you hear Motown; when you get off the plane in Memphis, you hear Elvis. When you get off the plane here, there’s one horrible painting of Muddy, [Howlin’] Wolf, and [Little] Walter sitting in a corner. I’ve mentioned that to the mayor . . . what are […]
Studio Happenings
At CLEAN CUT RECORDING STUDIO in Palatine, Chicago rock band Chevelle recorded and mixed bonus tracks with engineer Jeff Moll and assistant Tony Doppke.
News Of Every Kind
GOOD NEWS: When Chicago radio personalities get fired they wind up in one of four places: Michigan (Kevin Matthews), TV (Mancow), the ether (Garry Meier), or the Internet. The last is where you can find former WXRT-FM (93.1) jock Bobby Skafish.
Koroboro Rock
Legacy and familial inheritance has always played a significant role in African society. Whether dictating marriage, social position, or profession, the rules and expectations of family lineage have changed very slowly. And being the son of an internationally famous father does not help matters. This is the situation Vieux Farka Touré, son of late Malian […]
Local CD Reviews
Alabaster takes a dim view of relationships on its four-song EP, Hold Me Close – Hold Me Damaged. The violent imagery smacks of heavy metal, but the band’s midtempo arrangements might not have enough power to hold the average headbanger’s attention. Shane Killian is a gifted vocalist, particularly when she drifts through the theatrical “Surface […]
Around Hear Page 2
Curiously named eight-piece band Oucho Sparks deliver nearly an hour of quirky indie rock on Foreign Cars And Robots. With an ever-shifting assortment of guitar riffs (from distorted to calm) and instrumentation (vintage keys, trumpet, etc.), each song offers its share of surprises. And alternating vocalists Tim Sandusky and Laura Grey rarely cease to stun […]
Around Hear Page 3
Lucy Smith‘s Movin On is something of a mixed bag. The flat and emotionless vocals of the opener (a cover of The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”) is bound to discourage listeners from moving forward, but the jazzier “Kiela,” the longing-fueled “All I Meant,” and her sassy rendition of “Go Down Moses” simply […]
Hello, My Name Is Mo
Hello, My Name Is Mo IE: So, you’re in town taping for “Wait . . . Wait . . .Don’t Tell Me!”? Mo Rocca: We tape today; it airs over the weekend. I come about once a month. It seems unfair you’re in Chicago because Chicago has so much . . . Chicago, itself is […]
File: February 2007
A GOOD ROGERING “Mess with the bull, you get the horns” can apparently be translated as “Deal with The Gambler, you get the shaft.” Residents of Sandy Springs, Georgia, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, are unhappy with Kenny Rogers, and it’s not because of some neon chicken. One year after purchasing a seven-acre lot for […]
Mo Rocca 2
[ back ] IE: Is there anyone who’s smart in a really weird way, they happen to know a lot about one thing? MR: Well, me. I know everything about Presdential animals. I wrote a book on them [All The Presidents Pets: The Story Of One Reporter Who Refused To Roll Over]. IE: Guess what! […]
DVD Zone: February 2007
Broken Bridges Paramount A few things are well known about Toby Keith. He wears his redneck street cred like a badge, has a fetish for the troops, and above all . . . he’s a Ford® truck man. All of these traits are in full bloom in the extended Ford® infomercial, Broken Bridges.
James Brown, Soul Brother #1, R.I.P.
Sometime after midnight on December 29th, singer/guitarist and bandleader Phil Guy joined the Matthew Skoller Band onstage at his brother’s club (Buddy Guy’s Legends) and ripped into a spirited version of James Brown‘s “I Can’t Stand It” that brought the cheering crowd to its feet in tribute for a beloved artist who changed the face […]
Mixing It Up
Few people would describe the Linder Avenue Recording Web site as “striking.” The design is skeletal, white text on a black background, and the information minimal, a list of services, an e-mail address but little else.
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