Results tagged “music”

It's weird to think I've only really been aware of Lady GaGa since inauguration week when I heard "Just Dance" in a D.C. bar and marveled at how the room exploded. While I'm slightly bummed the Fame Monster EP shows the freaky vocal mannerisms and awesome lyrics of "Bad Romance" to be an interesting musical hiccup instead of the harbinger of a bold new direction -- sonically the EP hews incredibly closely to the more straightforward pop of her debut than the interesting tics and treats I was hoping for -- I still think she's just fucking fascinating in that art damaged NYC underground disco freakpunkrighton kind of way.

The past month has seen a flurry of electronic musicians roll through Chicago, captivating the aural sensibilities of concert-goers around the city. We've seen Boys Noize ravage Congress's spacious dance floor, Basement Jaxx spin their deep cuts along with MSTRKRFT and Modeselektor, Bassnectar with Nosaj Thing at the House of Blues, Simian Mobile Disco for a third time this year, and Canadian DJ duo Jokers of the Scene incite pillow fights at SoundBar. This weekend does not let up. While the big shows are undoubtedly Deadmau5 at Congress and Peaches at Metro, those into the techno side of things should think long and hard about checking out Audion at Smart Bar this Friday.

                   

Once again ace photographer Laura Gray ventured out and into the fray on our behalf to capture these stunning shots off the raucous Art Brut and Surfer Blood show at Lincoln Hall last week.

Special to Chicagoist from Sarah Cobarrubias

Paper Magazine has announced its nominations for its Fifth Annual Nightlife Awards, and Chicago's own Rehab is in the running for America's Best Party. Considering Rehab is on a Monday night, moved from one space to another, and has still managed to consistently book solid, fun, unpretentious line-ups that appeal to fans across all music genres, we stand behind their nomination. Show some local support and vote for them if you feel so inclined.

We really dug the free single, "In A Dream," Skybox released earlier this year. Really dug it. Back then we noted that we had been skeptical of the band in the past for some of its quirkier musical inclinations, but we recently heard their forthcoming album from start to finish and are pleased to announce that "In A Dream" was the definite mark of a new phase of clarity in the band's career. Nothing else on Morning After Cuts, which will be out in January 2010, is quite as poppy as "In A Dream" but the album as a whole is filled with remarkable songs that show a band maturing and finding its own voice.

The fact that we're even listening to The Sun's new album is a bit of a miracle, since the last time we heard from them was through a cryptic post declaring "New Record Shelved, Band Disbanded: The new record will not be coming out anytime soon." So while it appears as if the band itself isn't currently functioning, they have managed to finally release that album, Don't Let Your Baby Have All The Fun, as a free digital release on the Chicago based Rock Proper label.

Say what you will about the decline of the neighborhood record store, Ukrainian Village's Permanent Records has led by example and prospered in the face of economic and industry adversity. Unknown to many, the little outpost that could also houses its own label, offering up some truly eclectic selections. We're lucky enough to be able to hop on over to P-Rex whenever we want, but those outside Chicago will be pleased to learn that the shop has launched an online store where you can purchase new and used selections in a variety of different formats.

Ezra Furman and the Harpoons are coming home for Thanksgiving week and giving Chicago two shows to be thankful for. They’re booked to play a solo show at the Lincoln Park Whole Foods November 25 and another with The Sleeptalkers at Double Door November 27.

While we're sure there will plenty of eyes directed at another female singer's long-delayed album dropping today, we feel that it'd be a pity if that caused Annie's excellent sophomore effort to get overlooked. Anne Strand, better known as simply Annie, was all set to release Don't Stop a year ago before abruptly cutting ties from her record label and pulling the album from the release schedule. Word filtered through that she was reworking tracks and recording new material. We'd heard the unreleased version of Don't Stop and while it wasn't perfect we weren't sure if this album revamp was really necessary.

Summer memories grow ever hazier and the lunchtime concert series at Pritzker seems like a distant dream, but just because the temperatures are dropping that doesn't mean the end of music in Millennium Park. The Harris Theater Eat to the Beat series has been giving patrons a low dough chance to enjoy some premium musical and dance offerings ever couple of weeks, and tomorrow's installment, Beat in the Box, features DanceWorks Chicago performing to music provided by human beatbox Yuri Lane.

We've got a pair of tickets to go see Deadmau5 with Ghostland Observatory and Burns at the Congress Theatre this Friday, November 20. The contest closes at 5 p.m. CST on November 18 so enter for your chance to win after the jump!

We were not sure why Them Crooked Vultures wasn't calling themselves Queens Of the Stone Age, since singer Josh Homme leads that group, Dave Grohl has spent a fair amount of time drumming for them in the past, and the addition of a new bassist -- in this case Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones -- is really nothing all that unusual. After listening to their self-titled debut though, we can see why a name change was in order. Them Crooked Vultures shares many similarities with Queens Of the Stone Age, but the former is a group effort while the latter is driven by a single man ... and it shows.

Contempo kicks off its season this Saturday night with the new-music collective's resident ensembles eighth blackbird and the Pacifica Quartet performing music inspired by visual arts.

                   

Sound Bar* is usually populated by douchebags and the ladies who love them, but the hipsters took over Tuesday night at a private party thrown by our friends at UR Chicago and Hornitos. The tequila was free and free flowing, and the beats were provided by such talent as Acid Girls, Million $ Mano, and Moneypenny. True, the pillow-fighting and go-go dancing girls were a bit over the top, but overall we had a really good time dancing with friends and, um, drinking all that free booze. Local photographer Clayton Hauck was on hand to capture the madness with his unique eye.

If you usually associate southside Irish stalwarts The Tossers with their alcohol-fueled St. Patrick's day sets at Metro, you get a 3-month-early preview of those gigs when they take the stage near midnight on New Years Eve at Reggies Rock Club. The Tossers have been keeping something of a low profile through the second half of this year, and the NYE gig will be their first show in 4 months, which is an eternity for a band that's almost always on the road. Opening for the Tossers will be avant-garde doom metal group Yakuza, the surf-punk Teen Idols, and Scott Lucas and the Married Men, a group which features Aaron Duggins and Becca Manthe of the Tossers in his lineup as well. [Ed. note: Lucas is gonna be busy that night, since he's playing a headlining set at Double Door later that evening!]

Fans of sonic experimentation will want to clear their schedules November 19 for the return of the Chicago/NYC-based International Contemporary Ensemble to the MCA for a rare performance of Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho's work. Brad Lubman will conduct and Saariaho herself will supervise the group's rehearsals and make a guest appearance at the concert to field audience questions.

Special to Chicagoist from Sarah Cobarrubias

Police have found Kill Hanna's touring van and trailer today. We're awaiting word from their publicist if any of the band's missing gear was recovered. [via GB]

Our first clue that Kid Sister -- Melisa Young-- was on the road to fame is when she apologized to a friend of ours while telling him she wouldn't be able to babysit his kids any longer due to her hectic travel schedule. This also offers some insight into what it is that sets her apart from so many other hip-hop-popsters; even while shooting videos with Kanye West she was picking up work on the side babysitting for friends. It's that combination of a solid work ethic and her lack of pretension that makes her debut, Ultraviolet, such a satisfying listen.

         

Special to Chicagoist from Marah Eakin

Nestled in the Archer Heights neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago existed a musical mecca where legends gathered and the aspiring came to be enlightened. Hot Jams Records, also known as Pink Machine Studio, was an outpost whose patrons revealed as much about the history of Chicago House as the stacks of records they purchased. From the late '90s through as recently as 2007, Hot Jams filled a role far more significant that sales. For area youth like the Ghetto Division collective, the walls of Hot Jams were a safe haven of late nights, forged friendships and daily inspiration. A few years and countless memories later, Ghetto Division carry the torch of Hot Jams, a group of DJs and producers who challenge the norms of Chicago nightlife and champion the cause of original music making.

We've been longtime fans of French renegade concert purveyors La Blogotheque who host intimate performances of indie artists in unexpected locales worldwide, videotape them, and publish them on their blog. There's been a host of sites that have followed similar suit, each with their own slightly different take on the concept. Thanks to Matt Baron and the Lakeview coach house he calls home and stage, Chicago now has its very own intimate series. Titled Coach House Sounds, Baron's site features half hour sessions with musicians from all over and unlike similar series' singular focus on indie rock, CHS will encompass a wide range of music including jazz, ambient and classical genres.

It was rumored on Twitter last week, wondered aloud by Jim DeRogatis earlier today, and just now it's been confirmed by Time Out Chicago: Sonotheque has been sold and is closing at the end of this week.

Most folks are familiar with The Meat Puppets' hit "Backwater," but those in the know are more familiar with the band's more out-there sonic explorations across sun-bleached desserts and murky swamp haze.

It is with heavy hearts that music fans mourn the tragic weekend loss of drummer and all around loved guy, Jerry Fuchs. Fuchs lent his percussive talents to a long list of bands over his career including Maserati, Turing Machine, !!! and The Juan Maclean.

I'm stepping away from the Chicagoist "we" for a moment, because there's no way I can possibly be objective about True Stories. It's my favorite movie.

The Hood Internet -- the DJ duo of STV SLV and ABX -- has come a long way since they first started to drop their inde / hip-hop mash-ups, and even further since they played their first live show at an event put together by a certain local website. (O.K., we admit it, we're a little proud of the fact that we were on-board with the boys back before they started their jet-set lifestyle and became a household name in the music blogosphere. Sue us.)

The whirlwind that is The Grates hails from Australia and threatens to take down everything in its path. Singer Patience Hodgson dominates the proceedings with voice that flips from sweet trill to all encompassing roar into playground chant without missing a beat. Through it all she rides a pleasant melodicism that contrasts brightly with the churning three-chord punk guitars carrying most of the songs forward.

Who says music can't prosper in this economy? Local nerd power-pop-rockers I Fight Dragons just raised a cool $10,000 for their band in under 48 hours. They offered fans a chance to buy a lifetime subscription to the band's music -- including anything and everything they ever release -- for $100, and limited the number of available subscriptions to 100.