Weekly
Setting Sail In A Sea Of Smooth
Yacht Rock Columbia Yacht Club (Monroe Harbor), Chicago Saturday, September 6, 2008 From 1976 to 1984, the radio waves were dominated by really smooth music, also known as yacht rock. These yacht rockers docked a remarkable fleet of number-one hits, and every song has a story behind it.
Richie Havens preview
Richie Havens Beverly Center, Chicago Saturday, September 6, 2008 If there is a God and he’s male, he probably speaks English like James Earl Jones. And when he sings? The heavens thunder like Richie Havens.
James Jackson Toth preview
James Jackson Toth Schubas, Chicago Wednesday, September 10, 2008 James Jackson Toth has one of those voices that places him smack in the middle of a classic rock radio station’s playlist regardless of the year. Like The Black Crowes, it doesn’t matter that the singer-songwriter’s first solo record, Waiting In Vain (Ryko), hit store shelves […]
The Fratellis & Airborne Toxic Event preview
The Fratellis, Airborne Toxic Event House Of Blues, Chicago Wednesday, September 10, 2008 If they rely too much on the calculated cool of their two albums, The Fratellis stand to be overrun by openers Airborne Toxic Event.
Slipknot reviewed
Slipknot All Hope Is Gone (Roadrunner) Certain pockets of heavy metal fandom insist Slipknot are nothing more than goons in expensive Halloween masks whose over-the-top image, not the music, sells their records. If costumes sell CDs, though, why don’t Gwar go platinum? Why aren’t Mushroomhead playing arenas? Looking forward to the new Lordi record? Still […]
Young@Heart Chorus reviewed
Young@Heart Chorus Mostly Live (Rhino) Though technically not the Young@Heart soundtrack, without the visuals, this companion to the retirement-age music documentary still gets by, occasionally offering some contender-esque interpretations of modern rock and R&B.
Eddie Vedder solo!
Eddie Vedder Auditorium Theatre, Chicago Thursday, August 21, 2008 It could just as easily have taken place next to a campfire, the mood was so relaxed. But there was no denying the anything-but-subdued ovation that greeted Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder was coming from an enraptured, ticket-buying audience who snatched up some 5,000 tickets in record […]
Kill Hannah live!
Kill Hannah Metro, Chicago Saturday, August 23, 2008 For whatever can be said about Kill Hannah, the group’s enthusiasm and affection for their hometown is undeniable. After years of Next Big Thing proclamations — from Billy Corgan to local radio to this magazine — their long-awaited superstar status would never arrive. Yet the outfit seem […]
Big Tune Battle recap
Red Bull “Big Tune” Beat Battle Metro, Chicago Thursday, August 21, 2008 Countless cities have held one-night beat battles, but it’s Red Bull’s Big Tune traveling competition that has aspiring hip-hop producers from across the country loading their work onto CD-Rs for a shot at national exposure.
The Faint & Jaguar Love live!
The Faint, Jaguar Love Vic Theatre, Chicago Friday, August 22, 2008 In May 2007, when last The Faint touched down in Chicago, it was a hot, sweaty affair, a hyper-charged electric tension palpable within the confines of the Metro’s second floor. In town behind Wet From Birth (Saddle Creek), the group rose above the wave […]
Nico Muhly preview
Nico Muhly Lakeshore Theater, Chicago Thursday, August 28, 2008 I once interviewed a rock guitarist who claimed he could find musical inspiration in any mundane, common, everyday sound. Nico Muhly agrees.
Jazz Festival preview
Sonny Rollins | Ornette Coleman Jazz Festival, Chicago Thursday, August 28 | Sunday, August 31, 2008 The battle of the saxes highlights the Chicago Jazz Festival this year, featuring a pair of giants in Sonny Rollins and Ornette Coleman.
Delta Spirit preview
Delta Spirit Schubas, Chicago Sunday, August 31, 2008 By selecting the word “spirit” for their band name, San Diego’s Delta Spirit provide a too-easy-to-bypass avenue from which dissect their sound. Their debut, Ode To Sunshine (Rounder), has a helluva lot of familiar aurae around it.
Death Vessel reviewed
Death Vessel Nothing Is Precious Enough For Us (Sub Pop) Death Vessel’s Joel Thibodeau is a) an insect, b) female, or c) a bluegrass artist. At varying points one and none are true. Appearing: Saturday, August 30th at Schubas in Chicago.
Chris Isaak live!
Chris Isaak Morton Arboretum, Lisle Saturday, August 16, 2008 Few artists are capable of tapping into a winning formula that doesn’t significantly evolve as the years progress, but colors just enough outside the lines to attract repeat customers. Enter veteran singer/songwriter Chris Isaak, the debonair crooner who’s made a killing channeling the outfits of Elvis […]
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