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Around Hear Page 2
The three-man band Doses offers a trio of unnamed bass-guitar-drum tracks on a no-frills demo focusing on solid rock instrumentation. Recorded in November 2006, the tracks are non-linear alternative rock jams that stress grooving rhythms and frequent time changes instead of noodling guitar leads. The resulting indistinguishable compositions prove to be either a marketing ploy […]
Around Hear Page 3
With a keen ear for pleasant acoustic pop, Mighty Joe delivers a bountiful suite of winsome tunes on Balance. Violin, harmonica, and congos add subtle accents to Joe’s precise, crisp strumming and provide tonal complexity and dimension to otherwise straightforward arrangements. The melodies are uniformly sweet, even if the stories are occasionally drab and the […]
Hello, My Name Is Eddie
Hello, My Name Is Eddie IE: Hey Eddie, how ya doin’? Eddie Money: Doing good. Illinois is one of my better states, man. A lot of people love the Money Man in Illinois. Make sure and use a good picture.
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! […]
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