Monthly
The Atari Underground
Atari Returns! Dance Dance Reinvention Before video game consoles could play Blu-ray movies, display Web sites, boot Linux, or offer unlimited headset smack talk, they were good for one thing and one thing only: video gaming. When the 1.19 MHz Atari 2600 console was first released in 1977, it had two main settings: “b&w” and […]
The Goldstars feature
The Goldstars Lord Of The Ringers In some alternate universe, The Goldstars are a god-sized juggernaut. Frontman Sal — just “Sal” — is a true star, a wizard conjuring garage rock hurricanes to cleanse and purify the sodden masses.
Prime interview
Prime Backbone Of The Middle Ground Dre Vasquez, the MC better known as Prime, is arguably one of the most recognized independent hip-hop artists in Chicago. For a decade, this North Side resident’s craft and liveliness have earned him a spot on a live HBO MC battle, a track with Slug from Atmosphere (“Lambslaughter”), and […]
Hello, My Name Is Shannon
Hello, My Name Is Shannon Q&A With Shannon Wright IE: You’ve just welcomed a new baby. Were you musical as a kid? Shannon Wright: My grandma bought me a guitar when I was 9, but I hated it because it made my fingers hurt. My parents liked music a lot, but neither of them played […]
File: February 2008
EMI’s E-M Ergency In what could be mistaken for a climate-change exercise, lifeboats are circling the offices of EMI Recordings, home to Capitol, Virgin, and Astralwerks Records among others. Nearly 2,000 jobs have been cut — take that, downloaders! — and the fallout isn’t limited to staff.
DVD Zone: February 2008
Strike? What Strike? What seems to be troublin’ ya, bunkie? Are you bummed because you haven’t seen a new episode of your favorite show in months? Do you feel you’ll projectile vomit if you stumble across another inane “reality” show? Have you gotten a little sick of all those high-falootin’ writers thinking they should get […]
Local CD Reviews
“Around Hear” is a monthly feature where a stable of IE writers review albums sent to us by local musicians. If you are interested in having your CD (must have a minimum of three songs) reviewed and are Illinois-based, mail it and any other media materials to 657 A W. Lake St., Chicago IL, 60661. […]
Around Hear Page 2
Sue Fink is a singer-songwriter with a quirky take on folk’s storytelling tradition. At times she sounds as if she is writing children’s music with her sing-songy melodies and PG subject matter about dogs, fish, and cell phones. Musically, her second album, Damsel In Distress, never charts new territory, but lyrically, she’s quite creative. (www.suefink.com) […]
Around Hear Page 3
Ten years of combining polka with rock ‘n’ roll (and lots of beer) deserves a celebration. To mark their decade anniversary, The Polkaholics released 10 Years To The Floor, a live album that shows off this band’s dedication to all things polka. Even with so-so production, this album captures this Chicago trio’s live energy. Still, […]
Judd’s Dread
My first face-to-face encounter with Blake Judd didn’t leave me with a very good impression of the Nachtmystium frontman. In the summer of 2003 I had just moved to Chicago and was living half a block from Metal Haven’s old Lakeview location. Homesick, overwhelmed, clueless, and friendless, I dropped by the store a few times […]
Air Tight
APPLE MacBook Air Mac fanatics have been anticipating a sub notebook that would match the specs of mini-notebook laptops from PC makers Sony, Fujitsu, and Toshiba. They were rewarded last month when Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the MacBook Air, a 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen laptop that weighs three pounds and is about 3/4-inches thick.
Why Free TV Sucks
NBC will make network history on February 18th when it premieres the Internet TV series, “Quarterlife.” But not because the half-hour show follows the lives of six good-looking white Los Angeles 20-somethings as they express their angst and try to find their place in the world.
Studio Happenings
At ELABS MULTIMEDIA in Madison, Wisconsin, Nonpoint mixed a live acoustic radio performance, recorded by Elab’s remote truck. Randy Hawk and Jack LeTourneau produced . . . New York pop rock group Locksley mixed an upcoming Japanese release for Fab Tone Records that was engineered by Sam Bair . . . Arrival Records artist Bascom […]
Blues Lite
In the liner notes to the Little Arthur Duncan: Live At Rosa’s Blues Lounge DVD/CD set (Delmark), writer, producer, radio personality, and all-around blues maven Scott Dirks, referring to the band on the stand, says “This is exactly the kind of music that made Chicago famous a half century ago.” I beg to differ. Although […]
Cover Story: Lurrie Bell
Lurrie Bell The Power Of Love Chicago bluesman Lurrie Bell, 50, is currently riding the crest of a transglobal wave to promote his critically acclaimed new CD, Let’s Talk About Love (Aria BG). Love is Bell’s musical tribute to his guiding lights: Susan Greenberg, his life partner and the mother of their daughter Aria, and […]
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