Features
Cover Story: Dispatch
Stop Making Sense Even serious music fans pass through life without ever hearing certain pivotal artists. Usually it’s a lack of awareness; often it’s willful, but always unfortunate. Appearing: Tuesday, June 7th at Pritzker Pavilion (50 S. Michigan Ave.) and Wednesday the 8th at UIC Pavilion (1130 W. Halsted) in Chicago.
Interview: Sam Roberts Band
Here Comes A Regular Sam Roberts always wanted to be Norm Peterson. Not in the portly beer-chugging, barfly kind of way that George Wendt so eloquently portrayed on “Cheers,” but the Canadian singer/songwriter long fancied walking into an establishment to the sounds of a familiar greeting and being seated to find a plate of “the […]
Interview: Interpol
Welcome To The Enormodome Scoring an opening-act slot on the highest-grossing tour of all time might seem like the perfect opportunity for mainstream domination, but in the case of Interpol riding shotgun on U2’s 360 juggernaut, it’s just another natural step in the group’s ascendance from indie obscurity.
Interview: Matt & Kim
The Crush Of Love Constantly in the company of his girlfriend/bandmate, one might think Matt Johnson would relish the chance to tell his story: She abuses me. I can’t take it anymore. Appearing: Saturday, June 25th and Sunday the 26th at Vic Theatre in Chicago.
Cover Story: Urge Overkill
submURGEd Irony died for a short time after the September 11th attacks, but instead of retro-blossoming into widespread sincerity, we now live in an age of open mockery free from metaphorical disguise. Lady Gaga, Kanye West, and Charlie Sheen walk the media landscape rebelling not without a cause, but against the old order: lampooning the […]
Interview: Adele
Target On Her Back As of this writing, 21 — the sophomore set from bluesy British belter Adele — has just gone platinum, and is currently sitting pretty at the pinnacle of Billboard’s album chart.
Interview: The Airborne Toxic Event
Once In A Lifetime Mikel Jollett is a little stunned, frankly. He and Airborne Toxic Event have just exited the stage of King’s College in London, where they were playing an intense set devoted to the songs they will release commercially in less than a week. What better time to discuss it all with a […]
Interview: Cake
On With The Showroom Sometimes taking time off between albums is the perfect recipe for a creative rebirth and commercial resurgence. Such was the case for Cake, who may have scored a string of eclectic singles from 1994 to 2004 (“Rock ‘N’ Roll Lifestyle,” “The Distance,” “Never There,” “Short Skirt/Long Jacket,” “No Phone”),
Cover Story: Beady Eye
In many ways, it smacked of the old boy-who-cried-‘Wolf!’ yarn. Mouthy Mancunian siblings Noel and Liam Gallagher — the guitarist and vocalist of legendary Britpop combo Oasis, respectively — had gotten into so many knock-down, drag-out scraps, and walked out on each other mid-tour so many times that it was starting to feel routine.
Interview: Ezra Furman & The Harpoons
Vulgar Display Of Power Pop music needs a magic story to stir our imaginations again. Enough talent shows, “leaked” tracks, and teen boys prancing in front of a Web cam. What would it take to find a local band on the cusp with a bit of fantasy behind them? From whom can the sweat-pantsed masses […]
Interview: Raphael Saadiq
Soul Power Raphael Saadiq’s recent single, “Radio” — the last song he wrote for his new album Stone Rollin’ (Columbia) — speaks volumes on his unusual place in the music industry.
Interview: Mogwai
How Not To Die For naysayers, it might be difficult to believe that Mogwai still exists. Launched by guitarist Stuart Braithwaite, bassist Dominic Aitchison, and drummer Martin Bulloch in 1995, with the intent of making “serious guitar music,” Mogwai etched the outlines that would become the blueprint for countless imitators.
Cover Story: Rise Against
Target Market To just about any music fan, Rise Against would be hard to ignore. Arlington Heights-raised Tim McIlrath sings as if his skin is on fire, while his bandmates push relentlessly behind him and pause only to rally behind a new anthemic phrase.
Interview: Cut Copy
Get Them To The Park It’s tough to find transcendent live performances. Great shows abound, no doubt, but contrivance and choreography rob fans of that unique experience. You can throw festivals out almost altogether, no matter how many times Wayne Coyne hops in his bubble
Interview: Iron & Wine
The Dis-Quiet Man Two days on, news of Arcade Fire’s shock win at the Grammys hadn’t reached Sam Beam in Amsterdam. “Wow,” he says, clearly surprised. “That’s great.” Will this be a game-changer for him? Is now the time for indie rockers to sell out en masse?
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