Chicago Reader: Music

A New Record Shop Opens in Logan Square

mail@chicagoreader.com (Peter Margasak) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:50:00 -0600

Google Maps

Jim Zespy, who bought the Chicago office of Southern Records and launched Chicago Independent Distribution late last fall, has followed through on his desire to take advantage of the company’s zoning and storefront location to open a record shop. Logan Hardware (2410 W. Fullerton) made a soft launch today, offering a limited selection of new and used vinyl and CDs and used DVDs.

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Requiem for a Room

mail@chicagoreader.com (Miles Raymer) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0600

What to expect from the Sonotheque space in its new life as a Beauty Bar by Miles Raymer The nightclub industry is a breeding ground for gossip, and rumors that Sonotheque was closing—its last day was Saturday the 14th—had been floating around for some time before Time Out Chicago Web editor John Dugan confirmed the news in a November 10 blog post. He also reported that the dance-music venue at 1444 W. Chicago was being sold. My Twitter feed was immediately swamped with reaction, and oddly most of the tweets I saw focused on the bare fact of…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Secret History of Chicago Music

mail@chicagoreader.com (Plastic Crimewave) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0600

Guitar god Harvey "The Snake" Mandel by Plastic Crimewave]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The List: November 19-25, 2009

mail@chicagoreader.com (Peter Margasak) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0600

Critics' Choices and other notable concerts: Aventura, DJ/Rupture & Matt Shadetek, Fuck Buttons, Saviours, Baroness, and more by Peter Margasak Thursday19 Tobias Delius International Contemporary Ensemble Paul Lewis Friday20 Aventura DJ/Rupture & Matt Shadetek Paul Lewis Saturday21 A.A. Bondy Tobias Delius John Fogerty Fuck Buttons Half Rats Paul Lewis Saviours Sunday22 Tobias Delius Jump Smokers Paul Lewis Pine Leaf Boys Septeto Nacional Monday23 Tobias Delius Wednesday18 Baroness thursday19 TOBIAS DELIUS Update: Delius has been denied entry to the U.S. due to visa problems and will not appear. It's been eight years since Berlin-based tenor saxophonist Tobias Delius has released a…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The New Keepin' It Real

mail@chicagoreader.com (Jessica Hopper) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0600

Kid Sister punctures the materialist fantasies of pop radio. by Jessica Hopper KID SISTER ULTRAVIOLET (DOWNTOWN) American radio pop right now is arguably at its most materialistic—an ugly nadir reflecting the end-times capitalism of our recent past. Because the major-label machine has to chug away for a year or more to shuttle a carefully crafted hit from its inception to your hard drive, pop songs created during the post-Obama paradigm shift—or during the real slog of the recession—mostly haven't even hit the airwaves yet. We're still getting the fantasy as we knew…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Local Release Roundup

mail@chicagoreader.com (Miles Raymer) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0600

A hip-hop response to Derrion Albert's death, a mix tape from "the future of rap," power pop from a garage great, and more by Miles Raymer [image-4]RADIUS Etc . . . (Gritty Goat) J Dilla has only gotten more popular since his 2006 death, at age 32, from a rare blood disease. Dilla records are still coming out (including this year's Jay Stay Paid), raps set to Dilla instrumental tracks are de rigueur on hip-hop mix tapes, and young producers (among them underground phenoms Flying Lotus and Jay Electronica) are basing their styles on his brand of stratchy, fractured beats in such numbers that j dilla…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The List: November 12-18, 2009

mail@chicagoreader.com (Peter Margasak) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0600

Critics' Choices and other notable concerts: Devo, Girls, Don Byron, Shrinebuilder, the Reigning Sound, Brother Ali, and more by Peter Margasak Thursday12 The 1900s, Brighton MA Devo Girls Peter Bjorn and John, El Perro Del Mar Friday13 Devo Girls Saturday14 Don Byron Earthen Grave Kingdom Shrinebuilder Sunday15 Reigning Sound Monday16 Devendra Banhart Berlin Philharmonic Wednesday18 Brother Ali thursday12 THE 1900S, BRIGHTON MA In late September the Scotland Yard Gospel Choir flipped their van on I-65 in Indiana en route to a festival gig in Cincinnati. All six members of the local pop collective were hospitalized, some for weeks (bassist Mark Yoshizumi…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Couple That Plays Together

mail@chicagoreader.com (Miles Raymer) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0600

Bang! Bang!�s former frontpeople take a leap into uncharted waters as My Gold Mask. by Miles Raymer Asked how he and his wife and musical partner, Gretta Rochelle, met, My Gold Mask guitarist Jack Armondo admits, "We were both kinda drunk." It was at someone's Fourth of July party in 2002, and after discovering that they were compatible musically as well as romantically, they got serious on both fronts. Their first project became the popular local "sex rock" band Bang! Bang!, with Rochelle (aka "Gretta Fine") on bass, Armondo (aka "Jack Flash") on guitar, both on vocals,…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Umbrella Music Festival

mail@chicagoreader.com (Peter Margasak) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0600

The annual festival of innovative jazz and improvised music, which runs Thursday through Sunday, combines the best talent from the rich local scene with more than a dozen world-class international players. by Peter Margasak Now in its fourth year, this annual festival of jazz and improvised music is better and more ambitious than ever. Programmed and presented by the Umbrella Music collective, which includes several leading lights of the local scene, it runs through Sunday at multiple venues. The festival kicks off Thursday with "European Jazz Meets Chicago," a free fest-within-a-fest at the Cultural Center (78 E. Washington) that starts at 6 PM and features six acts in two halls. Umbrella's partnership with Swiss,…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The List, November 5-11, 2009

mail@chicagoreader.com (Peter Margasak) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0600

Critics' Choices and other notable concerts: Vic Chesnutt, the Black Heart Procession, the Eccentric Soul Revue, Akira Sakata, Surfer Blood, and more by Peter Margasak Thursday5 Vic Chesnutt Stefon Harris & Blackout Lions Rampant Liudas Mockunas, Martin Brandlmayr Friday6 Stefon Harris & Blackout Saturday7 Black Heart Procession Eccentric Soul Revue Stefon Harris & Blackout Akira Sakata Sunday8 Stefon Harris & Blackout Mount Eerie Melissa St. Pierre J. Tillman Topology, Akira Sakata & Chikamorachi Monday9 Joe McPhee & Fred Lonberg-Holm Melissa St. Pierre Tuesday10 Haptic with Lisa Slodki Surfer Blood thursday5 VIC CHESNUTT If there's a more harrowing rock song than "Coward," the tune that opens…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Outer Ear Festival of Sound

mail@chicagoreader.com (Kevin Warwick) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0600

Presented by Experimental Sound Studio, the festival features sound installations, performances, and workshops through December 13. by Kevin Warwick Experimental Sound Studio presents the Outer Ear Festival of Sound, an annual celebration of "sonic arts" that this year runs through December 13, featuring sound installations, performances, workshops, and more. The festival kicks off with the sound installation 25 Acres of Coins, presented in conjunction with the Poetry Center of Chicago and the School of the Art Institute's sound department; an opening reception runs from 4:30 till 6 PM on Thursday, November 5, at Sullivan Galleries (36 S. State), and the…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Quantity Is the Quality

mail@chicagoreader.com (Miles Raymer) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 -0600

He�s not the best MC and he�s not the worst, but Gucci Mane is crazy enough to put out four albums� worth of free material in seven days and that�s good enough for me. by Miles Raymer Having access to so much free music that you can't find enough time to listen to even a small fraction of it is the very definition of a first-world problem. On the surface it seems about as serious as "My high-def TV only does 720p," but it's a problem that's actually having a serious impact on music. Fighting it is already out of the question. Trying to convince someone with a downloading addiction to restrict his consumption for any sort…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Ponys Ride Again

mail@chicagoreader.com (Brian Costello) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0500

Why did one of Chicago's best-loved garage bands disappear at their peak? And after two years, what�s bringing them back? by Brian Costello On December 7, 2007, the Ponys played at the Primavera Club festival in Barcelona, in front of a crowd that guitarist and front man Jered Gummere and his wife, bassist Melissa Elias, figure was about 500 strong. They'd had the kind of year that most bands can only dream about. They'd taken four American tours with A-list indie bands like Spoon, Deerhunter, and the Black Lips, plus another full tour in Europe and a short jaunt to London. Their third…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Secret History of Chicago Music: CJ

mail@chicagoreader.com (Plastic Crimewave) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0500

"This is a very special SOCHM, one I very much hope the artist will live to see." by Plastic Crimewave]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The List: October 29-November 4, 2009

mail@chicagoreader.com (Peter Margasak) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0500

Critics' Choices and other notable concerts: Ghostface Killah, Dan Deacon, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, and more by Peter Margasak Thursday29 Peeping Tom Wye Oak Friday30 Dan Deacon Vijay Iyer Kad Bi Bio Bijelo Dugme Peeping Tom Poster Children Thao with the Get Down Stay Down Saturday31 Arriver Warsaw Village Band Sunday1 Debashish Bhattacharya Pacifica Quartet Tuesday3 Marble Sheep Wednesday4 Ghostface Killah Yasmin Levy thursday29 PEEPING TOM On its superb debut album, File Under: Bebop (Umlaut), this clever French-Swedish trio transforms classic tunes by the likes of Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, and Bud Powell into delivery systems for loosey-goosey free…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Girl Group Tunes With Knife-Flashing 'Tude

mail@chicagoreader.com (Miles Raymer) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:00:00 -0500

On their debut LP, Hollows strike an appealing balance between light and dark. by Miles Raymer "We're terrible interviews," says Hollows bassist Emma Hospelhorn as I turn on my digital recorder. I ask her to elaborate, and she tells me about an in-studio performance the band gave at WHPK last winter. "We ended up committing a bunch of weird copyright crimes," she says, but once I've heard the story I'm not sure the band did anything but dance right up to the edge of the station's rules prohibiting advertising. During their interview they rattled off a…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Steve Martin: Play "Ramblin' Man"!

mail@chicagoreader.com (Sam McPheeters) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0500

Once you've made the banjo a part of the world's greatest comedy act, it's tough to sell yourself as just another musician. by Sam McPheeters What happened to Steve Martin? When, exactly, did he cease being the man from masterful comedy LPs like Let's Get Small and commence being the man who merely occupies space in unbearable family comedies? His is the same strange path trod by Albert Brooks. Both made their mark in the late 70s and early 80s. Both aged prematurely but made it look good. And both declined creatively in what seemed like direct proportion to their soaring box-office success (though Brooks…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The List, October 22-28, 2009

mail@chicagoreader.com (Peter Margasak) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0500

Critics' Choices and other notable concerts: Lake, David Bazan, Broadcast, Kelly Clarkson, Mum, Sin Fang Bous, and more by Peter Margasak Thursday22 Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Get Up Kids Lake Friday23 Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Royal Bangs Saturday24 David Bazan Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Shorty Mack Sunday25 Great Architect Shorty Mack Six Finger Satellite Monday26 Broadcast Tuesday27 Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Kelly Clarkson Neon Indian Wednesday28 Los Cojolites Mum, Sin Fang Bous thursday22 CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS Last season's sensational performances of Verdi's Requiem under the baton of Chicago Symphony Orchestra music-director designate Riccardo Muti—"the highlight…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Dance Macabre

mail@chicagoreader.com (Miles Raymer) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0500

The electronic duo Gatekeeper looks to the classic slasher soundtrack for inspiration. by Miles Raymer Gatekeeper's new Optimus Maximus sounds like murder. That's not to say it's bad, or even that it's the kind of aggressive, testosterone-heavy music that seems to actually want to kill you. But all the flavors of synthesizer on the EP—minor-key arpeggios of emulated strings, analog sine-wave groans, washes of white noise—evoke the heyday of the slasher flick in the late 70s and early 80s, when masked maniacs roamed shadowy streets, Ouija boards not only worked but inevitably summoned nameless evils,…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The Secret History of Chicago Music

mail@chicagoreader.com (Plastic Crimewave) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0500

An impressive trio inspired by electric Miles Davis by Plastic Crimewave]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The List, October 15-21, 2009

mail@chicagoreader.com (Peter Margasak) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0500

Critics' Choices and other notable concerts: Lou Barlow, Jemina Pearl, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dethklok, Converge, Wilco, and more by Peter Margasak Thursday15 Lou Barlow Jemina Pearl Kurt Rosenwinkel Tune-Yards Friday16 Rhett Miller Meshell Ndgeocello Kurt Rosenwinkel Saturday17 Dethklok, Converge Faust Kurt Rosenwinkel Shaky Hands Sunday18 Kurt Rosenwinkel Brad Shepik Wilco Monday19 Satyricon Wilco Tuesday20 Faust Wednesday21 Sonic Chicken 4 thursday15 [image-4] LOU BARLOW Morrissey may be popularly perceived as the King of Sadness Feelings, but his arch melodrama has always struck me as too closely related to handful-of-Tylenol "suicide attempt" drama queen-ism, which is just another way for somebody to say…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Decibelle

mail@chicagoreader.com (Kevin Warwick) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0500

Spread over four days, the festival's seventh installment features Emilie Simon, Meshell Ndegeocello, JD Samson, and Psalm One. by Kevin Warwick The seventh annual Decibelle Music and Culture Festival (formerly Estrojam) has scaled back a bit from the past few years, but its music lineup is still an impressive four days of indie rock, dance, electronica, funk, and hip-hop, Thursday through Sunday at several venues. The fest's mission is to "create spaces where women can cultivate their talents in all creative areas," and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Women & Children First bookstore and the Chicago Michfest Fan Fund,…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The List, October 8-14, 2009

mail@chicagoreader.com (Peter Margasak) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0500

Critics' Choices and other notable concerts: Maxwell, Miguel Zenon, Gojira, the Murder City Devils, Califone, Kurt Vile, and more by Peter Margasak Thursday8 Maxwell Miguel Zenon Friday9 David Bowlin Coathangers Gojira Murder City Devils Yuganaut Miguel Zenon Saturday10 Califone Christina Courtin Telefon Tel Aviv Anna Ternheim Miguel Zenon Sunday11 Califone Fresh & Onlys Sian Alice Group Miguel Zenon Monday12 Orquestra de Sao Paulo with Evelyn Glennie Tuesday13 Kurt Vile thursday8 MAXWELL Put on Maxwell's long-awaited BLACKsummers'night (Columbia) and the first thing you'll feel is relief: authentic, masterful R & B is at hand, not synthetic trifling bullshit. Then after the relief comes fear: this…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Riot Fest

mail@chicagoreader.com (Kevin Warwick) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0500

The fifth and most ambitious installment of the local punk blowout runs October 7-11, featuring Screeching Weasel, the Murder City Devils, Cock Sparrer, Dead Milkmen, NOFX, 7 Seconds, Alkaline Trio, 88 Fingers Louie, and others by Kevin Warwick The fifth annual Riot Fest is the most ambitious yet, with six venues hosting 16 shows—punk, ska, pop-punk, hardcore, and plain old rock 'n' roll—between Wednesday, October 7, and Sunday, October 11. The festival typically includes a handful of reunited bands, as well as a few classic acts that don't play out too often (usually due to a case of old bones); this year those categories include the Butthole Surfers, Cock Sparrer, the Dead Milkmen, 88 Fingers Louie, Youth Brigade,…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Political Party Rap

mail@chicagoreader.com (Miles Raymer) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0500

It's got a juke beat and you can dance to it—but don't mistake Bin Laden Blowin' Up for mindless club music. by Miles Raymer In his 1994 single "Juicy," the Notorious B.I.G. turned the 1993 World Trade Center bombings into a punch line ("Time to get paid / Blow up like the World Trade"), and after 9/11 you could feel a lot of MCs fighting the temptation to do something similar. Maybe because that tragedy was so much larger, most had the good taste to steer clear. Even eight years later, the extended 9/11 metaphor Jay-Z attempts on The Blueprint 3—proposing an analogy between the crack…]]> [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]