Stage Buzz
The Poison Arrows preview
The Poison Arrows Subterranean, Chicago Friday, September 12, 2008 The Poison Arrows include former members of both Don Caballero and Atombombpocketknife among its ranks. So does it sound like either? The easiest answer is . . . sorta.
The Broken West preview
The Broken West Schubas, Chicago Monday, September 15, 2008 For their second Merge Records release, Los Angeles’ The Broken West retain their label’s distinctly indistinct crown.
Paul Weller preview
Paul Weller House Of Blues, Chicago Tuesday, September 16, 2008 God knows if Paul Weller understood his Britishness would inhibit his career so. With his ninth solo album, 22 Dreams (Yep Roc), he rubs it in like he doesn’t give a damn.
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.
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.
Koufax preview
Koufax Bottom Lounge, Chicago Saturday, August 23, 2008 Koufax’s fourth album, Strugglers (Doghouse), belongs to Kansas City jazz-meister Mark Southerland. Head Koufax honcho Robert Suchan at turns delivers sweaty Jack White-isms and even shares a range with What Made Milwaukee Famous’ Michael Kingcaid, but when the 10-track disc ends, it’s Southerland’s horns that will continue […]
Indigenous preview
Indigenous Martyrs’, Chicago Saturday, August 23, 2008 Indigenous frontman/guitarist Mato Nanji’s past, upbringing, and musical journey are not only interesting stories, but unusual. Too bad the same can’t be said for his band’s music.
Racebannon preview
Racebannon Beat Kitchen, Chicago Friday, August 15, 2008 The rise of MP3s has precipitated the demise of album artwork. Rebelling against thumbnail incarceration, Kanye West’s Graduation used anime to hint at its electro contents, and Miley Cyrus’ Breakout distilled the oppression felt by teenage multi-millionaires. But rarely do you see anything as iconic as, say, […]
Hawthorne Heights preview
Hawthorne Heights Alpine Valley, East Troy, WI Saturday, August 16, 2008 Tragedy, strife, legal woes, and bitter divorces – all can lead to stellar artistic output. Just ask Bob Dylan. The brilliant Blood On The Tracks stemmed from Dylan’s wife Sara handing him divorce papers after little more than a decade of marriage. Sure, it’s […]
Faun Fables, Festival preview
Faun Fables | Festival Schubas | Empty Bottle, Chicago Friday, August 15 | Monday, August 18, 2008 Two psych folk groups, both female-fronted and predominantly female-filled, and each with some level of connection to Drag City (Faun Fables is on the label; Drag distributes Festival’s music) play Chicago within three days of each other. We’re […]
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