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Multicultural Muses
Music should have no boundaries, but record labels think otherwise. The record industry constantly devises ever narrowing categories, from new soul to ska pop to indie rock. And what about the sounds that don’t fit, that defy labeling?
Local CD Reviews
Combining elements of Vaudeville, country, and classic rock in a time when every other new band on the planet either cites the Rolling Stones or Joy Division as influences, Bakelite 78 is distinctive to say the least. Armed with the unique and stylized vocals of guitarist Robert Rial and a one-of-a-kind brass section, track for […]
Around Hear 2
Page [1] With its debut EP, May You Only See Sky, (Lone) Cub & Wolf wants you to forget about recent mainstream metal and screamo and come back to the darker side. This band excels at blending most of the metal sub-genres with a little post hardcore, no doubt a holdover from some of the […]
Cover Story: Slayer
The Unholy Bible Slayer guitarist Kerry King knows Chicago very well. Of course he knows many places extremely well because Slayer have now been touring the world for more than 20 years. But for Chicago, and more specifically the Aragon Ballroom, he reserves a special place in his heart. As nearly any band that have […]
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick The Rockford Files You know the old saying, ‘If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere’?” asks Cheap Trick’s lead guitarist and main songwriter Rick Nielsen. “I say, ‘If you can make it in Rockford, you can make it anywhere.’” Appearing 9/3 at Ravinia in Highland Park.
Office
Office Party It continues to surprise people that NBC’s “The Office” is a near-identical cop of a British sitcom bearing the same name. Chicago’s Office were likewise born of an idea hatched in London, though their origins and subsequent migration are hardly the stuff of cultural assimilation. Appearing: 6/16 at Empty Bottle (1035 N. Western) […]
Slayer 2
Page [ 1 ] [ 3 ] That is why Slayer demand the respect of every honest metal fan: their refusal to be anything but Slayer. Even when they slowed the tempo for South Of Heaven, Slayer never sacrificed heaviness. And when their counterparts in the “Big Four” (Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax) scored radio and […]
Slayer 3
Page [ 1 ] [ 2 ] And it’s the way Slayer will be heard later this summer, finally. It has been five years since the group’s last record, God Hates Us All, a long time for a band who generally release something every two or three years. Before this the longest they had ever […]
Jackie Allen
Jackie Allen Tangled Up In Blue Media outlets galore utilized Pink’s “Stupid Girls” video to ultimately say what many Americans were already thinking: It’s not cute to play dumb. In a society driven by celebrity, young girls will do and say almost anything if the flavor of the week approves. Fortunately for these young ladies […]
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol Vision Quest Only 29, Belfast-bred bohemian Gary Lightbody appears to have it all. Fresh from opening the recent U2 tour and a slot on last summer’s prestigious Live 8 concert, the singer and his popular drone rock outfit Snow Patrol hit San Francisco last month to suitably manic fanfare. Screaming young female fans […]
Abstract Giants/Cary Kanno
Abstract Giants Keeping It Live With the thought of making a profit buried deep in the back of his mind, Cary “CKP” Kanno of The Chicago Drop record label/collective doesn’t make the best businessman. As unconcerned as he is about striking it big, though, Kanno is after grander things — particularly exposure. Over the past […]
Kalas
Kalas No Way Around When you ask Matt Pike how he got involved with Kalas, you’ll get a pretty nonchalant, “No big deal”-type answer.
Hello, My Name Is Mike
Mike Simons of David Singer’s Sweet Science is an organizer of this summer’s Intonation Festival on June 24th & 25th in Chicago’s Union Park (1501 W. Randolph). The lineup features The Streets, Bloc Party, Rhymefest, Lupe Fiasco, High On Fire, Robert Pollard, Annie, and more. For lineup and ticket info, visit www.intonationmusicfest.com.
June File: Tom Petty, Reunions, Black Widows Bite
And Don’t Come Around Here No More Kudos to Tom Petty for trying to stick it to greedy-ass scalpers. When fans complained tickets for the Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers/Pearl Jam June 26th/27th shows in St. Paul, Minnesota — intended for fan club members — showed up later with big price tags on secondary market […]
DVD Zone: June
CHUCK BERRY: HAIL! HAIL! ROCK ‘N’ ROLL Image Entertainment Chuck Berry is acknowledged without hesitation as one of the creators of rock ‘n’ roll. With that lofty status comes the respect and admiration of peers and those that followed. What he never had was the fame. While The Beatles and The Rolling Stones launched themselves […]
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