Weekly
Elliott Brood preview
Schubas, Chicago Tuesday, October 20, 2009 Mountain Meadows, the second full-length album from Canadian trio Elliott Brood, was inspired by a 19th-century massacre that took place in Utah. Using this bloody and haunting event as their launching point, the band take their “death-country” to a sophisticated level.
Sleeping At Last reviewed
Storyboards (Asteroid-B) Sleeping At Last will be one of Chicago’s great what-ifs. Handpicked to open one of the first few Zwan gigs and given time to craft a sweeping, Radiohead-style debut, their success only seemed a matter of when.
Kylie Minogue live!
UIC Pavilion, Chicago Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Whoever originally booked Kylie Minogue at the Congress Theatre either had no appreciation for her ability to sell out a week’s worth of arenas in the one city overseas or the fact that she’s an underground club hero in America. Granted, the less-educated side of her U.S. audience […]
Yo La Tengo live!
Vic, Chicago Tuesday, October 6, 2009 As the Hoboken-based indie-rock veterans Yo La Tengo cruised through “Sugarcube” Tuesday night, it was hard not to think of the song’s video and think that this band still haven’t learned to rock properly.
Riot Fest preview
Riot Fest weekend shifts into seventh gear tonight as NOFX headline Congress Theatre and Dead Milkmen bring out the Punk Rock Girls at Metro. Beat Kitchen, Subterranean, and Cobra Lounge will also don Riot gear.
Japandroids preview
Schubas, Chicago October 9 + 10, 2009 Nearly 20 years ago, Mac McCaughan adenoidally howled “Slack Motherfucker” above a din that was only just being recognized as indie rock. He, on Superchunk’s essential single, was chiding a lazy, fellow Kinko’s employee. Japandroids, using two mouths to pierce essentially the same din, are now singing about […]
Lou Barlow preview
Vic, Chicago Thursday, October 15, 2009 Lou Barlow’s inability to get a song in edgewise for J. Mascis Band, a.k.a. Dinosaur Jr., led to both his ouster and some fantastic sides for his burgeoning Sebadoh project. After some songs spent blasting Mascis, becoming Folk Implosion, ditching Sebadoh, going “solo” . . . he’s back in […]
The Wiitala Brothers preview
The Wiitala Brothers Schubas, Chicago Tuesday, October 6, 2009 Before we dig into influences and who brings what to the table, let’s get one thing out of the way: Chicago’s Wiitala Brothers have not hitched their wagon to moniker-punctuation ’09, a.k.a. the double “i” bands like Miike Snow and Sliimy. Maybe they’re Finnish (slick-skating defenseman […]
5th Annual Pygmalion Music Fest live!
Various clubs, Champaign-Urbana September 16-19, 2009 Begun in 2005, Pygmalion takes advantage of assets that often remain unrelated: the University Of Illinois’ 40,000 students; two cities — Champaign & Urbana — located within a three-hour radius of Indianapolis, Chicago, and St. Louis; a thriving local music scene; two prominent record labels, Polyvinyl and Parasol; […]
Poco preview
Cubby Bear, Chicago Friday, September 25, 2009 Despite being a hitching post for a number of big-time ’60s and ’70s rockers and an important torchbearer during country rock’s lean years, few people really know Poco, much less know to seek specific info about the version popping up at Cubby Bear on Friday: Who’s in it?
Oh My God preview
Double Door, Chicago Saturday, September 26, 2009 All summer, in anticipation of Oh My God’s The Night Undoes The Work Of The Day (Split Red), I’ve been writing in “File” about the Chicago band’s massive, organ-ish keyboard attack. Well, the album arrived. No organs.
Soulsavers preview
Double Door, Chicago Sunday, September 27, 2009 Despite the weight of his contributions, Soulsavers is not Mark Lanegan. It’s nothing to do with Greg Dulli either, though the English group’s noir-rock feel is a sister sound and thus why Lanegan seems so integral to their music.
Ellnora Guitar Festival review!
Krannert Center For The Performing Arts, Urbana September 10-12, 2009 For its third biennial guitar festival, Krannert Center For the Performing Arts on the University Of Illinois campus has changed the name. The Festival formerly known as “Wall to Wall” is now called “Ellnora: The Guitar Festival.” With that name change came a subtle focus […]
U2 live!
Soldier Field, Chicago Saturday, September 12, 2009 For the longest time, the mega arena rock show was a tired cliche. The symbol of bloated excess reserved for a rock hierarchy that had not only lost touch with the fans, but seemed to see touring as a cash grab. However, with 1991’s Zoo TV tour, U2 […]
Pet Shop Boys live!
Chicago Theatre, Chicago Monday, September 14, 2009 Pet Shop Boys have endured for so long that they’ve seen the electronica era in its original incarnation, persevered through its unfashionable years, and are right back in style now that the scene’s found a steady resurgence. Just ask The Killers, Scissor Sisters, or Fischerspooner who’s inspired the […]
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