Monthly
DVD Zone: September 2007
The Elvis Re-Releases Warner Home Video You could say that Warner Home Video is commemorating the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death by re-releasing a healthy portion of Elvis’ Hollywood work. There’s a six-film box set, two “Deluxe” editions, and one giant oversight. However, “commemorate” is the wrong word. Let’s just call it what it […]
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
Perhaps releasing a two-CD set in eco-friendly packaging was meant to preserve resources, but by offering 33 lackluster tunes on Unified Folk Theory The Giving Tree Band simply wear out their welcome. Songs like “Sunshine Baby” and “Where Am I?” capture the spirit of Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, but altogether ignore those artists’ insight […]
Around Hear Page 3
Sally‘s patiently spawned album Long Live The New Flesh (Paribus) is crammed with angular, clanging guitars and artfully damaged melodies. “Horrific Nightwear” is a joyously jagged wreck of crashing guitars and careening drums. Braided, blistering feedback splits “Ultimate Exposure” wide open. It takes tremendous skill to make such disjointed, spastic cacophony sound this beautiful and […]
Scandinavian Sleaze
This month I’ll give you a rundown on some new records and try to whittle down the ever-increasing stack on my desk. But first, the debut of the new “Caught In A Mosh” feature, My F’n Playlist. It’s pretty simple. A person of my choosing is given the hypothetical scenario one of his favorite band’s […]
Alive & Amplified
Crate V-Series Tube Amplifiers Crate have come a long way from their humble beginnings in the late ’70s, and their acclaimed and newly freshened V-Series tube amplifier series is a prime example of their progress.
Bong Hits 4 Freedom
At first glance it’s a story of a high-school kid versus his principal in a quirky schoolyard First Amendment stand. A student fought for his right to hold up a sign that read “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” during what may or may not have been a school fieldtrip.
Studio Happenings
At BLUE ROOM STUDIO in Chicago, producer/engineer Edgars Legzdins finished his band Plane‘s new record, I See Love In The Future; the release date is set for October 9th . . . Legzdins also recorded a song with the Musical Outfits for their new album and worked with Pretty Good Dance Moves, techno/experimental/pop tunes that […]
Day In The Life Of Chicago Blues
In July, while Eric Clapton’s Crossroads guitar extravaganza kicked off at Toyota Park, the annual Taste Of Lincoln Avenue was revving up its 24th year with performances by a wide-ranging group of artists. Of particular interest to “Sweet Home” was the stage at Lincoln and Altgeld sponsored by the club B.L.U.E.S.
Cover Story: The Shins
The Shins When You Wince Upon A Star When Shins frontman James Mercer tells you he has taken up gardening, you wait for a chuckle that never comes while repressing a laugh of your own. It’s not that Mercer doesn’t have the right to garden, could be poorly equipped, or might be making a euphemism […]
Beatallica (They’re So Heavy)
Not many people have realized the headbanging possibilities in The Beatles catalog, but a few clever fellas from Milwaukee did.
Against Me! interview
Against Me! The Thankless Existence Every time Against Me! frontman Tom Gabel releases an album, he’s in the unique position of having to rebuild his fanbase. Every time. Appearing: August 3rd at Lollapalooza in Chicago.
The Polyphonic Spree interview
The Polyphonic Spree Trouble In Paradise Darting out of a youth orchestra performance at the Louisiana Children’s Museum on a Tuesday afternoon to speak with IE, Julie Doyle gives off the air of any other mom taking her kids (four to be exact, ranging from 6-months to 8-years-old) on a summer vacation outing. Except, of […]
Rufus Wainwright interview
Rufus Wainwright Out And Kraut The sleeve photographs certainly tell the Teutonic tale. The kitschy gnome-peopled toy Futterhaus that beckons “Willkomen.” The closeup details of the Pergamon Altar from the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. And lastly, candid snapshots of the artist himself — cabaret-cool crooner Rufus Wainwright — decked out in traditional “RW”-embroidered lederhosen and […]
Airiel interview
Airiel The 10-Year Itch “I think it’s a great home for bands, because, it’s a very livable city, like you can actually work a job and be in a band and not go broke, y’know? You’re not paying a million dollars a month for rent like you would in New York; we don’t have to […]
Recent Comments