Stage Buzz
69 Eyes preview
The 69 Eyes Pop’s, Sauget Wednesday, March 15, 2006 A lot of “evil” metal doesn’t cut it because it won’t take historical realities into consideration. Imagine, if you will, bluesman Robert Johnson waiting nervously at the crossroads in the ’20s, only for a shrieking Lucifer (a la King Diamond) or an incoherent, grumbling menace (Cannibal […]
Part Chimp preview
Part Chimp, The Plastic Constellations Beat Kitchen, Chicago Sunday, March 12, 2006 Bands don’t come with highlighting markers, which is why we have a cottage industry of soundalikes and acolytes. Neither Part Chimp nor The Plastic Constellations are doing anything new, yet they’re both extremely powerful performers and worthy of the ancestry they know so […]
Subways Preview
The Subways Empty Bottle, Chicago Tuesday, March 14, 2006 The garage rock revolution came and went; nice to meet ya. So why are some bands still hanging around? Well, the U.K. press won’t do ya no harm.
Together Again
Fig Dish Schubas, Chicago Saturday, March 4, 2006 When we last heard from Fig Dish, they were two different bands called Caviar and Ness. Food association notwithstanding, the band were a late addition to the Chicago major-label surge in the mid 1990s, pimping their dense power pop at a time when (Everclear, Spacehog) it seemed […]
NOFX, The Lawrence Arms, The Loved Ones Preview
NOFX, The Lawrence Arms, The Loved Ones House Of Blues, Chicago Sunday, March 5, 2006 Math class time: take two bands, one described by their official Web site as possibly one of the last punk rock bands “keeping it real,” another described by numerous MySpacers with one four letter expletive in gerund form followed by […]
Impossible . . . At First
The Impossible Shapes, Dogme 95 Subterranean, Chicago Monday, March 6, 2006 I admit I wasn’t immediately sold on The Impossible Shapes‘ TUM. The record, which will be released on CD the day after the band’s Chicago gig and was released last year on vinyl through St. Ives, felt uneven upon the first few listens. While […]
BARR Preview
BARR Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago Saturday, February 25, 2006 “How do you start something? You start it.” These are the first words out of Brendan Fowler‘s (aka BARR) mouth on Beyond Reinforced Jewel Case, giving the immediate hint that this record might be out there — a ways.
Bob Mould preview
Bob Mould Old Town School Of Folk Music, Chicago Friday, February 17, 2006 Saturday, February 18, 2006 Though it hasn’t quite been 20 years since Bob Mould departed Hüsker Dü and made his solo debut, he has certainly been away from his past long enough to be mentioned without the modifier. Why do we do […]
Hayley Westenra preview
Hayley Westenra Chicago Theatre, Chicago Friday, February 17, 2006 The verbal portion of most standardized tests have an analogy section: Dog is to puppy as (fill in the blank) is to swan. Hayley Westenra‘s analogy reads: Hayley Westenra is to pop music as the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling is to modern art.
Cinderella Story
Naked Beggars Good Times Pub, Elmhurst Saturday, February 18, 2006 We’ve always had a soft spot for Cinderella. Sure, they had the big hair, tight clothes, and slutty swagger of the rest of the ’80s hair metal bands, but like Great White or Tesla, Cinderella are (still rockin’, baby!) a bit bluesier, a bit rougher, […]
The Starship Has Landed
The Jefferson Family Galactic Reunion House Of Blues, Chicago Tuesday, February 21, 2006 Late last year, Sony’s reissue arm, Legacy, began redistributing the Paul Kanter material that would become Jefferson Starship, which followed in the wake of Jefferson Airplane. That it would ultimately run into the ground as just plain Starship probably ruined the plans […]
Fast Times At Oswego East High
Black Wire Oswego East High School, Oswego Friday, February 10, 2006 No, we’re not in the business of promoting turnabout dances. But among the less obvious places for a British band to make its Chicagoland debut is Oswego East.
Standard Issue
The New Standards Schubas, Chicago Friday, February 10, 2006 John Munson (Semisonic) headed lounge group The New Standards arrives in town having rewritten a lot of songs you know. You will love this, or you will leave Schubas cursing the sky.
Sevendust/Wicked Wisdom Preview
Sevendust, Wicked Wisdom Friday, February 10, 2006 Pearl Room, Mokena You have to give Jada Pinkett Smith points for bravery.
Mute Math Preview
Mute Math Schubas, Chicago Saturday, February 11, 2006 Bolder than bold, Myspace conquerers Mute Math embark on a national club-headlining tour without an album. Fall 2006 probably never felt so far away for the band, but then this a band built for distance: The members are individually based in New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Springfield […]
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