Monthly
DVD Zone: May 2009
Jeff Beck: Performing This Week . . . Live At Ronnie Scott’s Eagle There may be no more daunting task in the music world than trying to figure out the enigma that is Jeff Beck. To quote Marlon Brando, he could have been a contender. As innovative as Hendrix, more rockin’ than Clapton, and just […]
Around Hear: May 2009
Around Hear “This fucker sounds just like Tom Waits. Do we need another Tom Waits?” Matt Arbogast, a.k.a. The Gunshy, asks on I Gave Too Much Time To The Wine‘s title track. It’s a fair self-critique, but, as he also points out, “Dylan was Woody” and “there’s a hundred Pogues.” Too Much Time comprises new […]
Around Hear May 2009 (2)
continued Dave Ero is an imaginative musician who employs vaudeville, Latin, blues, pop, and folk to back the offbeat songs on Nuns With Guns. But much of his work is undone by forced rhymes, awkward phrasing, and the misguided belief that cheesy vocals are always hysterical. It would be interesting to hear Ero when he […]
And Now A Word From Our Photographer. . .
Mega Photo Page Update! Get thee to www.illinoisentertainerphoto.com NOW for pic overload, going back to mid-March with Tossers, Flogging Molly, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Bloc Party, Aterciopelados, Morrissey, and The Ting Tings!
Cover Story: Chris Isaak
Chris Isaak Luck Of The Draw Talk about Renaissance men. Stockton-born strummer Chris Isaak has worn so many hats throughout his 25-year career, you’ll need a scorecard to keep track of them all. To date, he has punched the clock as a film actor (Little Buddha, Silence Of The Lambs, and Gregor Jordan’s upcoming adaptation […]
The Last Vegas interview
The Last Vegas Takin’ A Ride On The Wild Side The wind is playing havoc on Nate Arling’s mobile phone. Any Chicagoan knows what it’s like talking to, or talking with, someone on a cell while they’re outside on a blustery day — like a hair dryer blowing directly into the receiver. Arling isn’t in […]
Lisa Hannigan interview
Lisa Hannigan Who’s Bad It takes a brave woman to admit harboring a crush on Michael Jackson, but Lisa Hannigan makes no bones about being a young Irish girl falling in love with the King Of Pop — despite his ever-changing physical features.
Guitar Month 2009
Guitar Month Special: Ax Men Every guitarist has a dream. Sometimes, that dream is a custom-made instrument, an instrument of a certain quality or with a set of features that can’t be found on an off-the-rack guitar. Other times, the dream is to find the perfect repair person, one who instinctively understands what a client […]
Hello, My Name Is Ramblin’ Jack
Hello, My Name Is Jack Q&A With Ramblin’ Jack Elliott IE: How’s your family? Ramblin’ Jack Elliott: Well, I’ve got a lot of families scattered all over the world. I have a daughter who lives in Los Angeles and she’s a filmmaker.
File: April 2009
File 2009 Not Quite Better Than The Real Thing Under a shroud of secrecy not seen since the Bush Administration . . . O.K., that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but on Tuesday, March 11th, U2 — arguably the biggest band on the planet — were ushered onto the famed Metro’s stage. Unfortunately, […]
DVD Zone: April 2009
Quantum Of Solace 20th Century Fox After years of stale plot lines and tired formulas (no offense, Pierce Brosnan), not to mention getting its British butt kicked by the superior Bourne series, the James Bond franchise got a much needed re-boot in Casino Royale. Starring Daniel Craig as a much more no-nonsense Bond, the series […]
Something Old, Something New
Listening to Chicago Blues: A Living History (Raisin), a two-CD set that covers 1940 to the present and features an all-star band of blues traditionalists including Billy Boy Arnold, John Primer, Billy Branch, and Lurrie Bell, led me to think about Jimi Hendrix. A space-age bluesman, Hendrix took the genre in a new direction. He […]
Local Studio Happenings
As of March 1st, BOTA STUDIO will no longer be operating at RECORDING ARTIST WORKSHOP in Lake In The Hills. Owner Don Byczynski will open a 2,000 square-foot complex in Grayslake on April 15th. The new BOTA includes a 21x15x12 A Room, 18x15x12 live room, and 13×11 B Room, both connected to five isolation booths. […]
Clearing The Static
You have to feel for The Haunted. The band had a kick-ass North American tour set to kick off this month before, well, shit happened . . . big time. That kick-ass package became significantly less so March 2nd when both Kylesa and Intronaut announced their intentions to join Mastodon‘s spring tour (April 30th at […]
Is Journalism Dead?
In 1991, I met writers Michael Miner and John Conroy after they gave a presentation on independent journalism at an adult-education seminar. In those pre-Internet days, The Reader was the thick, independent weekly everyone picked up on Thursday afternoon, so they could plan their weekend. Miner wrote its popular “Hot Type” media column, and Conroy […]
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