Monthly
DVD Zone: January 2010
Public Enemies Universal We Chicagoans always get so stoked whenever Hollywood comes a-callin’ to shoot one of those fancy moving pictures in our hoods. Forget for a moment that in the early days Chicago was the center of the film-production universe before the industry packed up their toys and moved out west. We still harbor […]
Cover Story: If We Could Turn Back Time
What does it mean to “make it”? Reality TV and the Internet have mangled the notion of fame, with everyone allowed at least 15 megabytes of it. In music it’s as difficult, maybe even much harder to define. How do you quantify success? Some artists call it Top 10 singles and headlining tours. In the […]
10 For ’10
Yourself And The Air IE takes a look at 10 local artists who’ll look to have their biggest year ever.
OK Go interview
Testify Internet neutrality. It’s a thorny, hotly contested issue that’s divided into roughly two opposing camps: those who believe that broadband speed shouldn’t be altered depending on its content or sender/recipient, and those who insist that it should. Naturally, the average recording artist — who views it as a freedom of speech issue — is […]
The Fold interview
Future Ready Mention Chicago group The Fold in certain circles, and the band might be known for its ties to hometown ’90s punk group Showoff (Fold frontman Dan Castady was the drummer), or recognized for its underground efforts on indie label Tooth And Nail from earlier this decade. Yet it’s The Fold’s latest move no […]
The Best Of 2009
Last year was technically the end of a decade, the one beginning 2000. But the decades began with the year 1, so we won’t indulge our 10-year wrapups until January 2011. It gives us time to fully exploit our favorites from 2009, meaning albums, songs, concerts, reissues, and local bands. Stay tuned for more updates […]
Around Hear: January 2010
Local Band Reviews January 2010 There’s a lot to like in the mostly straightforward, rockin’ R&B-esque boogie a la Aerosmith/Bad Company on Blue Moon Revue‘s self-titled, eight-song CD. But when opener “Hot Flavor” launches into a totally unexpected banjo solo you really take notice and understand why BMR has become the local, opening-band-of-choice for much […]
Cover story: Ray Davies
And Then The Chorus Hits He might have been a fit for Monty Python. When we met him in the ’60s, Kinks frontman Ray Davies was one of many shaggy-haired Brits ripping back the fabric of traditional mores. “You Really Got Me” and “All Day And All Of The Night” remain two of the most […]
Arctic Monkeys interview
The Reality Of The Situation Nick O’Malley says “I suppose” a lot. It’s so integral to his speech you wonder if it’s the Sheffield equivalent of the Chicagoese “I says” or the valley girl “like.” It has the effect of perpetual contemplation and complete detachment from his current emotional condition, as if you could insult […]
Kid Sister interview
Coming Unstuck “If you put out good music, it doesn’t matter when you put it out. It’s gonna get buzz, it’s gonna get what it needs to get. It doesn’t matter. You don’t have to ride on the tails of some whatever — if you make sure that what you do is consistently excellent, you […]
The Swell Season interview
Ode To Joy “I find myself getting bored with the angst,” Glen Hansard admits. The words might come as a surprise to those intimately familiar with the Irishman’s back catalog. Sure, The Frames excelled in lifting its audience’s souls to the rafters of the world in the course of its 19-year history, the same way […]
Brandi Carlile interview
Tiger Beat Pasting up a photo of a heartthrob on a bedroom wall is almost a rite of passage for any teenage girl. Depending on the decade, the frozen, smiling mugs of David Cassidy, Kirk Cameron, Lance Bass, and the Jonas Brothers stare back at the mooning eyes of a smitten fan as she drifts […]
Hello, My Name Is Oderus
Q&A with Oderus Urungus of Gwar IE: Hello? Oderus Urungus: Hi. Sorry for being late. I’m just offering pleasantries. You humans are all about appearances. I don’t know much about you — I’m assuming you’re like all the others and giving you the benefit of the doubt. I’m keeping this nice and civil. I’ve been […]
File: December 2009
A Nation In Crisis This is a tough position in which to be. It’s natural for any Northerner to sit back and laugh at Southerners as they grapple with the definition of what is country music and what isn’t.
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