Weekly
Rich Schroder reviewed
Rich Schroder Your Kind Words (Anova) Something about Rich Schroder’s Your Kind Words needs fixing. More color maybe? Lyrically he’s, if not an ace, then above average (such exalted praise, sorry). But he’s playing the wrong style of music. Except for the goofy “(Sorry That I’m Not) The Home Depot Type,” where he details domestic […]
Glenn Jones reviewed
Glenn Jones Against Which The Sea Continually Beats (Strange Attractors) A recurring theme throughout Glenn Jones’ life is acoustic-guitar architect John Fahey, who reigns supreme on Against Which The Sea Continually Beats.
Buckcherry Live!
Buckcherry, The Exies Austin’s Saloon, Libertyville Tuesday, January 23, 2007 You could almost see the members of Buckcherry holding their breath when they released their third LP, 15, a year ago. It was clearly a labor of love — after much soul-searching they decided not to make their breakup permanent, but instead try a little […]
Swizzle Tree Preview
Swizzle Tree Double Door, Chicago Friday, February 2, 2007 Chicago-based quintet Swizzle Tree roll into the Double Door on Friday in support of Here We Are (Areena) and stuffed to the gills with three-minute radio sparklers.
Hayward Williams Preview
Hayward Williams Uncommon Ground, Chicago Every Wednesday In February, 2007 We don’t know how old singer-songwriter Hayward Williams is, but he can’t possibly be as old as the voice on his debut CD leads you to think.
David Vandervelde Preview
David Vandervelde Schubas, Chicago Saturday, February 3, 2007 David Vandervelde sounds old, which wouldn’t seem like such a big deal except this young lad from Holland, Mich. was actually born around the time David Lee Roth was “jumping” around in spandex. And it’s not that he sounds over the hill vocally as much as the […]
She’s Spanish, I’m American Reviewed
She’s Spanish, I’m American She’s Spanish, I’m American (Bedroom Classics) Stupid moniker in tow, Josh Rouse’s side project drags bilingual girlfriend Paz Suay into a lite rock splash befitting its lighthearted title.
The Early Years Reviewed
The Early Years The Early Years (Beggars Banquet) With a built-in title for a debut album, the name of this London-based trio could reference a number of things: 1) a preemptive apology for soft spots in their songs, 2) a reference to what the band members were listening to at formative ages, or 3) a […]
The Photo Atlas Reviewed
The Photo Atlas No, Not Me, Never (Stolen Transmission/Morning After) There’s a lot of apologizing going on around The Photo Atlas’ debut. First, you didn’t know about it ’til now because it was cultivated in a cultural vacuum called Denver. Secondly, yeah, it’s dance punk, but you can actually dance to it.
2 Bit Pie Reviewed
2 Bit Pie 2 Pie Island (One Little Indian) Masterminded by Fluke’s Mike Bryant and Jon Fugler and producer Andy Gray, 2 Bit Pie give the No Limit crew a run for their guest-spot money on this techno debut.
Hella Weird
Hella There’s No 666 In Outer Space (Ipecac) Time is not a factor for Sacramento duo-now-quintet Hella. There’s No 666 In Outer Space has an hour to state its case, but still machine-guns as many notes, time signatures, and beats as humanly possible.
O.A.R. & Gomez live
O.A.R./Gomez U.I.C. Pavilion, Chicago Friday, January 19, 2007 Calling O.A.R. a Dave Matthews Band rip-off is both unfair and misleading, though it’s a frequent comparison from critics and casual fans alike. Sure, the guys have opened for Dave and company on numerous occasions, built their fan base with a similar grassroots approach, tour incessantly, and […]
The Chamber Strings live
The Chamber Strings Double Door, Chicago Saturday, January 20, 2007 Those wondering if The Chamber Strings have lost a step since their last gig are missing the point. Seeing how founder Kevin Junior was literally scrounging for heroin from a cardboard box in an L.A. slum quite recently, Saturday’s reunion wasn’t about gelling or marketing […]
Cougar preview
Cougar Empty Bottle, Chicago Thursday, January 25, 2007 Tricky band, this post rock combo Cougar. Law, due for release on February 20th, has already been released before — twice. Easy, Cougar.
Vega4 preview
Vega4 Metro, Chicago Thursday, January 25, 2007 London-based Vega4 are sort of an international conglomerate (Irish, Canadian, and New Zealand-ish? -er? -ese? -ous?) and a right cocky bunch. In their bio, frontman Johnny McDaid says things like “It’s so hard to describe our sound.” Quick — somebody hand this guy a Snow Patrol record.
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