Weekly
Sleigh Bells preview!
Even by contemporary standards, when hyperbolic Internet hype and a splashy single can spell instant success, Sleigh Bells’ meteoric rise has been impressive.
Talk About The Blues Explosion
At long last, Majordomo/Shout Factory finishes trotting out the ’90s Jon Spencer Blues Explosion catalog, unveiling Orange and Acme with the loving care of actual, venerated blues recordings.
Throwback weekend!
Retro is in again! This weekend, we move back and forward, unconfined by time and space. Everything’s relative, anyway, so we feel no shame in not sticking to whatever it is we started this post talking about.
Deerhunter preview!
Deerhunter has a gift for turning clever sleights of hand into uniquely satisfying, often awe-inspiring, moments of feverish pop magic, and its discography is quickly gaining iconic status.
Win Chromeo tickets!
Win a chance for you and a guest to see Chromeo on the 30th at Congress Theatre!
Bell X1 live!
Schubas, Chicago Thursday, October 14, 2010 Bell X1’s lanky frontman lost his dance moves — and with good reason. During a sold-out, whirlwind stop at Schubas, Paul Noonan plopped himself on a stool beside bassist Dominic Phillips and multi-instrumentalist Dave Geraghty and poured over the band’s catalog, stripped-down and acoustic.
Taken For Granite
. . . that’s what I thought the saying was when I was a kid. Didn’t know if the granite referred to someone being a rock or having a head full of them. Anyway, it’s typically what happens to singer/songwriters like Kim Richey.
Mary J. Blige live!
Chicago Theatre, Chicago Sunday, October 17, 2010 Even though this year’s Lilith Fair suffered terrible ticket sales, one of the few successes was the attention-commanding appearance by Mary J. Blige. Aside from expanding her audience to convert the Sarah McLachlan-loving masses, “the queen of hip-hop soul” proved she’s finally hitting her stride as a live […]
St. Ides
This weekend begins with the Ides Of October, very different (if unofficial) from the Ides Of March in not only is there not a classic song (“Vehicle”) or Shakespearian drama (“Julius Caesar”), but October is three months from the end of the year where March is the same distance from the beginning.
High On Fire at Riot Fest!
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: High On Fire was great the other night. That could be the lead sentence to any High On Fire live review. Ever read a piece that says the band was just O.K. at such-and-such venue in such-and-such city? Or “High On Fire sounded good, but lacked stage presence”?
Oh, Dear
Rock fans groan each time one of their “own” defects to the electronic side of the die (Radiohead, Linkin Park), then put up a Red Rover front when the other side sends one back.
The Walkmen step into town
Having still not “gotten” the rabid praise and following The Walkmen’s 2008 release You & Me garnered, one listener feels it only fair to try again with the band’s latest and already similarly accoladed Lisbon
Guided By Voices preview
As reunion tours go, the “classic” line-up of Guided By Voices is probably pretty low on the Richter scale, but judging by the number of sold out dates for this indie stalwart, it seems that the band is more popular now than even at its height of popularity in the mid-‘90s.
Boys With The Filthy Laugh
In antiquity, Helen had the face that launched a thousand ships. In 1996, Belle & Sebastian were the band that wet a thousand beds.
Lend a hand to Heartland
Heartland Cafe, the nearly 50-year-old Rogers Park institution, is on the brink of financial collapse. Click here to learn how you can help.
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