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Local CD Reviews
Ahab Rex‘s The Queen Of Softcore EP contains four remixes of the title track. The problem is the song isn’t all that interesting in the first place. Press sap the song of energy by implanting a played-out techno beat while Rex themselves sabotage their own tune by using even more generic funk riffs. The Countdown […]
Around Hear Page 2
The first compilation from startup label Four Play Music features half-a-dozen musicians following in the Chicago house music tradition. Artists like Home & Garden, Lake Street Project, and label head Andrew Emil all supply a few tracks here, but with similar beats and minimal vocals, no one really stands out. However, the album does flow […]
Around Hear Page 3
Though beginning strong with blues-tinged guitars and fantastic harmonica on tracks like “What’ch You Gonna Do” and “Feel The Same,” Mitch & The Polecats‘ uncompromisingly masculine Southern-style country rock on Swamp Womp begins to feel tired about halfway through. While not doing anything wrong per se (although the vocals do begin to grate after awhile), […]
Hello, My Name Is Ian
Hello, My Name Is Ian Q&A with Ian Anderson IE: How is touring with the orchestra project different than touring with Jethro Tull? Ian Anderson: Well, it’s a little bit scaled down. We don’t use as many people in the crew; we have less in the way of equipment, but we do have more *people […]
DVD Zone: October 2006
SEVEN SAMURAI The Criterion Collection Countless films over the years have been dubbed “masterpieces.” From Fritz Lang to John Ford, Peckinpah to Scorsese, all have created what many consider quintessential pieces of filmmaking. Few films, however, actually change the very nature of cinema itself.
File: October 2006
HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR Eddie Van Halen knows two things very well: smokin’ guitar licks and smokin’ cigarettes. Apparently adult entertainment and curing cancer can be added to the list. The six-string maestro called Howard Stern‘s Sirius Satellite show on September 8th, Launch Radio Networks reports, to promote a porn movie (more on that in […]
Local CD Reviews
“Chicago ain’t been this great since Jordan,” declares Terror Squad president Fat Joe about Logan Square rep Ace Mac on All Aces Mixtape Vol. 1. So Joey Crack’s co-sign is a little inflated, but Mac does kick some pretty entertaining “gangsta shit.” Atop a barrage of mostly borrowed, bass-heavy beats from Rick Ross, Twista, and […]
Around Hear Page 2
The three-song sampler for Secrets To Be Told, Rob Nicholas And A Moment’s Notice‘s debut CD, is tolerable but by no means terrific. “Lost Yourself” and “You Say” are run-of-the-mill alt-rock odes, with “Crave” adding a dash of jazz guitar to an otherwise mediocre melody. Hopefully the full-length disc features more originality, as quite honestly […]
Around Hear Page 3
Seven-One E/Z bring some unique elements to the razor-edged hip-hop songs and freestyles on their self-titled demo by mixing in synthesizers and using deep vocals as percussion. The gritty, first-person accounts of pimps and gangstas make this an R-rated effort, while others will be more offended by a steady flow of the “N” word and […]
Under The Sea
ANDY MASON GUITARS The Mermaid Only a guy who built a triple-neck guitar for Led Zeppelin could devise something like The Mermaid.
Rock Star Parking
Local musicians who haven’t checked out the independently produced local TV show “Upscale TV” should do so – and soon.
On The Move
Count Chris Shepard, studio manager at Chicago Recording Company, as one of those who considered Lollapalooza 2006 a smashing success.
Three Little Pigs
Blind Pig Records‘ 30th anniversary collection, Pearls From Swine, is a two-CD-plus-DVD package celebrating the Chicago blues and blues rock label’s upcoming pearl anniversary in 2007. From its humble beginnings in 1977 in the basement of the Blind Pig, an Ann Arbor, Michigan blues club, the label has grown into one of the world’s foremost […]
Silk Hurley Honored
On Thursday, August 10th, the lush River North club Cabaret provided the meeting grounds for a truly curious mix of music industry folks. Everyone from hip-hop DJs (in town for The Global Mixx Retreat) to well-dressed label reps (invited by The Chicago Chapter of the Recording Academy) were on hand for this occasion dubbed “In […]
Hello, My Name Is Roger
Hello, My Name Is Roger IE: Do you appreciate how The Byrds are remembered, or is there an angle people never really grasped? Roger McGuinn: Well, on the whole I’d say The Byrds are underappreciated when you think of The Beatles, The Stones, and The Beach Boys. But they’re sort of a musician’s band.
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