Stage Buzz
Sian Alice Group preview
Sian Alice Group Empty Bottle, Chicago Sunday, September 21, 2008 American alt-rocker Ryan Adams refuses (or is merely just unable) to self-edit. Just because you wrote 15 songs for a particular album, doesn’t mean the general public needs to hear the lot of them. Save the filler for the box set, please.
Dressy Bessy preview
Dressy Bessy Bottom Lounge, Chicago Monday, September 22, 2008 Being “associated” with the Elephant 6 collective doesn’t carry the same weight it used to. Shit, IE were at a coffee shop in Denver waiting in line for a scone when who turns away from the cash register with a caramel, cream-blended frappuccino? Elephant 6 cofounder […]
Ra Ra Riot, Walter Meego preview
Ra Ra Riot, Walter Meego Subterranean, Chicago Thursday, September 11, 2008 For up-and-comers, releasing a kudos-laden EP prior to the debut of a full-length effort amasses a staggering amount of expectation on behalf of the critics who created the hype and the fans that got caught up in it. Sometimes the end result is deemed […]
The Dandy Warhols preview
The Dandy Warhols Vic Theatre, Chicago Friday, September 12, 2008 It’s a truism that when a band think it perfectly normal to lyrically celebrate their drug of choice, self-indulgence is right around the corner.
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 […]
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