Columns
Whole Lotta Blues Goin’ On
This year’s Chicago Blues Festival (June 8th to 11th) should be subtitled “Blues From All Over.” In its 23rd year, this is the most diverse lineup yet, showcasing talent from across the map, with special attention paid to Mississippi and New Orleans. Looks like the City Of Chicago is doing its part to support Hurricane […]
A Trick Up His Sleeve
A few years ago Andy Gerber got an email he will never forget. That email was an inquiry from Cheap Trick manager Dave Frey asking Gerber, who owns Million Yen Studios, if he would like to work with Rick Nielsen on demos for a new Cheap Trick record.
No Longer Runnin’ With The Devil
It was not a huge surprise to hear CBS Radio recently fired diminutive former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth after just four months of trying and failing miserably to do Howard Stern‘s job in New York City and six other markets.
Local CD Reviews
A slick, full-color press kit accompanying a three-song sampler by a band with a nondescript name can mean only one thing: Chicago’s Ash Avenue wants to be the next Matchbox Twenty, The Wallflowers, Gin Blossoms, etc. With a paint-by-numbers adult-alternative sound, this five-piece is certainly on its way to completing a tired, but always-selling package. […]
Around Hear page 2
Click here to return to “Around Hear” page 1. Mira Mira ringleader Charlie Williams is a “post classical” pianist who mixes dreamy, chilling, and sometimes downright icy reflections on *Midnight For You*. “Breathe” is the most beautiful, and the title track could be likened to something by Sigur Ré¯s (only sung in English) while “Everything […]
Fall Out Boy Q&A
Hello, My Name Is Patrick Q&A with Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump IE: We last talked to you guys before From Under The Cork Tree came out, and we heard Fall Out Boy have done pretty well. When do the solo albums come out? Patrick Stump: I know you’re joking, but I’ve gotten that question […]
May File!
Festival Of Sights “I was eight-years-old and a camper at summer camp. The counselor was listening to Shout At The Devil, and that’s where it started,” Mike Mourning says, describing his introduction to Mötley Crüe. The 29-year-old Kenosha, WI resident, whose back is one big Crüe tattoo, was just one of the diehards who made […]
DVD Zone: May
Capote Sony Pictures Classic How’s this for a trade-off: You write a book that makes you the most talked about writer of your time, but the process of writing it affects your life so much that you never complete another one. Such is Truman Capote’s lot.
Feeling The Blues
“He’s so good, man.” – Muddy Waters talking about Otis Rush in Robert Palmer’s Deep Blues.
Studio Happenings
At UP ON THE ROOF RECORDING in Lombard, owner/engineer Mark Blas recorded and mixed tracks for reggaeton artist/producer Wil Diaz . . . Blas also tracked the second album for blues locals Mitch & The Polecats.
Jazz Heaven
Jazz singing is like pornography, in that you know it when you hear it,” quips local singer Kurt Elling during a conversation with Al Jarreau and Ramsey Lewis on an episode of the new weekly TV series, “Legends Of Jazz.”
Local CD Reviews
The dark melody on Angel Eyes‘ Something To Do With Death is carried by smooth electric guitars and wavy samples, then sporadically shifts into pounding drums and metal sequences coupled with screaming vocals. Despite the songs being too long (four tracks/50 minutes total), the sporadic changes in tempo and moving from instrumental gloom-heavy rock to […]
Around Hear page 2
Click here to return to page 1. The Osaka Orangeade Concern play melodic and dynamic indie rock that recalls The Wedding Present, Silkworm, and Fugazi. They are raw enough to be real but skilled enough to be mostly listenable, which is not always the case with this stuff. Check out “What Would Wilco Do?” and […]
Recent Comments