Familiarize Yourself

© Ian Rook 2009

The temperature has risen, clothes are coming off, and restaurant windows are opening up to signify the return of summer in Chicago. On a hot, steamy, and sweaty night last Sunday I found myself standing in line with 100 other punk rockers from around town, most of them in their mid-40s, waiting to see the band that changed their life in high school. Instantly noticing that I was the youngest in attendance at the Double Door, I wondered if the fellow punk-rockers next to me were curious on how I found myself outside this venue tonight. But on this sultry summer evening, once the first note rang out over the loud speakers in that sweaty club all inquires were forgotten.

The questionable opening act before the Buzzcocks took the stage in front of a packed, sold out crowd. The Dollyrots, left little to be desired from a female-fronted trio on Joan Jett’s record label Blackheart. The singer’s blonde curls and high-pitched voice squealed through the voices in a crowd less than interested in what this twenty-something had to offer.

Finally, after waiting two hours since the show was listed incorrectly online, the Buzzcocks took the stage. Hailing from Manchester, UK, the foursome known as the Buzzcocks hardly look like the troublesome, angry punk-rockers from their heyday of 1976. Lead singer Pete Shelley mumbled and stumbled through the lyrics and even missed a sentence or two throughout the night. His right hand man, Steve Diggle, kept the crowd engaged with continuous fist pumps and cheers, but the overall performance was sloppy and off-par with their classic sound. Maybe I am just 30 years too late to catch my first Buzzcocks performance, but the highlight came after the first half of their set (an impressive 15 songs) to catch “Ever Fallen In Love With Someone You Shouldn’t've” one of the Buzzcock’s most noteworthy songs written long ago by this aging foursome.

The Buzzcocks rounded off the hit with another 14 songs, an impressive feet for any band, young or old, to pull off a 30-song set in less than 2 hours. The consecutive power chords, simple melodies, and fierce energy created by the Buzzcocks will always have a soft spot in my heart, even on their next tour where hip replacements may keep them from putting on the show of a lifetime.

This is my open letter to all our readers and supporters. Thanks for sticking around with us over this multiple-week breaks. Some of us have graduated from college, I started a new full-time job, and summer has snuck into our lives like a silent killer. Our attention has been pulled away from expressing our love for great, new music but don’t worry, we’ll be back.

We just updated all our servers and we are looking forward to a complete redesign coming in June. We will update regularly and be back with a force to be reckoned with!

In the mean time, my new job requires me to sit in rush hour traffic for up to three hours a day. I will try to post a weekly playlist of my rush hour music for your enjoyment. Also, if you have new music you want me to check out over my loud speakers please feel free to e-mail it over (ashley@familiarizeyourself.com or ashbrw@gmail.com if the server is still down).

Keep an eye out for the magic on it’s way.

Best,

AB

This weekend was Canasta‘s record release show at Schuba’s. I attended the earlier of two sets they performed that night, both of which included a free CD with the ticket price. The album, The Fakeout, The Tease and the Breather, is their second full-length following 2005′s We Were Set Up.

After sampling songs on Canasta’s MySpace I was excited for the show but I wasn’t expecting just how great it turned out to be. Canasta performed songs in a variety of styles, ranging from Billy Joel-esque rock (think “It’s Still Rock ‘n’ Roll to Me”) to Ryan Adams-esque country-tinged melodics (think “La Cienega Smiled”) to Spoon-esque pop. The band’s eclectic sound can be attributed in part to their numerous and varying instruments which include piano, keyboard, horns, trombone, and violin in addition to guitar, bass, and drums.

Every member of the band with the exception of their drummer contributed vocals, giving their performance a robust, rich sound (if you’ve seen Ha Ha Tonka live you know what I mean). In particular, Elizabeth Lindau’s hypnotic vocals lent a mystical vibe to their moodier songs while her violin provided melancholy, country-inspired elements. Meanwhile, Matt Priest’s leading vocals were smooth and flawless as he navigated his way through the songs.

What impressed me most was the content of their music, which is not composed of cheap rhymes and simple chord progressions, but seems to be crafted thoughtfully in a way that is best suited to tell the story of each song. It is for this reason that I can really see this band getting huge, not in a band-of-the-moment kind of way but in a national-cult-following kind of way, because they don’t rely on trends and gimmicks to beef up their show or music; they possess real musical talents.

At Schuba’s it was apparent that this band is not just about the performance. That is not to say that they lack stage presence, but that they were there to share music with their fans, not to present a show. This approach was recognized by the nearly-full room of fans who cheered excitedly at the start of each song recognized, both old and new. Priest reciprocated the enthusiasm, jokingly admitting, “All night long I’ve been very appreciative of everything all the time. It’s not very rock ‘n’ roll.”

The band closed their set with a jazzed-up version of Blackstreet‘s 1996 hit “No Diggity” including a three-piece live horn section, over which Priest rapped expertly with an exaggerated southern twang and the attitude to back it up.

All in all it was a fantastic performance and I am eager to listen to The Fakeout, The Tease and The Breather, which you can stream in its entirety on their website’s audio page.

Also, be sure to check out their FREE live performance at Reckless Records on May 16.

Reckless Records | 3126 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60657 | 5pm | Free in-store performance

Very rarely am I solicited by bands that are actually spot-on in terms of my taste in music. Those of you who follow my posts regularly should know by now that while I enjoy indie rock, 60s-vibe pop-rock, and pop-punk my true musical passions are pop, electropop, and emotronic. Give me a dance beat, melodic synth, and autotuned vocal melodies that get stuck in my head for a week; I can’t get enough.

It’s songs like Derek and the Darling‘s “Hustler with a Rescue Plan” that cause me to dance on the train. I try to keep it quiet so as not to disturb the people around but that’s me you’ve been giving weird looks on the red line every morning as I jam out to Ke$ha and 3oh!3 on my iPod. This song has a good catchy chorus, fun synth pieces, and deep poppy male vocals.

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Unfortunately none of the other five songs featured on Derek and the Darling’s MySpace make my list. “Suddenly” is a relaxing lighthearted electronic track a la Owl City, but not as good as Owl City (or the Postal Service for that matter but I’m hesitant to even bring the talent that is Ben Gibbard into this article).

Next is “Lucky Lola,” a darker rock song backed by a “I Love Rock N Roll”-esque stomp stomp clap instrumental. Again, let’s not even compare this band to Joan Jett except to say that this song made me want to turn it off and put on some Jett.

I could swear that “You” came straight out of the 90s. Like a weak Alanis Morisette or Meredith Brooks rip off.

Last is “Alabaster Sky,” a soft song that sounds like it belongs in a musical. Enough said.

So there you have it. One fantastic song and four that I’d rather not listen to. Nothing original in this band’s music but man do I love “Hustler With A Rescue Plan”. And I must say it’s nice once in a while to appreciate one song alone and not have to love or hate a band based on their whole catalog. (Kinda like the ONE Nickelback song I like. Yikes!)

Chicago locals The Moves have a show coming up this weekend that may strike your fancy. The band takes heavy influence from 80s New Wave and blends in a touch of 90s garage rock. But don’t be fooled into thinking they’re not striking a chord in my pop-lovin’ heart; pop-y melodies bring their sound to the present.

Working one’s way up the local band totem pole is rough, and it’s something with which The Moves’ singer Dave Spaulding is familiar. In an interview this February with Chicago Sun-Times writer Kyle Koster, Spaulding said, “There are times — and not to sound overly dramatic — that it seems like everyone is against you. Your favorite club doesn’t want to book you, you’re writing letters to your favorite bands and they’re not writing back and you don’t have any money … it seems like the biggest uphill battle in the world. [You have to] take situations like that… and make the best of them, turn them into positives.”

That optimistic attitude is paying off, as the band has been noticed by such Chicago radio stations as Fearless, Q101 and XRT, all of which have given The Moves some spins. Additionally, the band had the opportunity to perform at a two-day gay rights rally – the GLSEN Night of Noise – to 400+ people each night. They’ve made the rounds through Chicago’s local venues such as Beat Kitchen, The Abbey, Metro, and Bottom Lounge.

You can download their new wave-y, The Killers-inspired “Song of Passing” for FREE by clicking HERE (download will start automatically).

Their song “Revolution Bound”, while not their strongest song, holds a message I wholeheartedly get down with. Written around the time of the Prop 8 debate, Spaulding decided to express his feelings about gay rights. “I couldn’t think of another song that explicitly calls for equal rights for gays and the whole gay marriage issue”. Check out “Song of Passing”, “Revolution Bound”, and other punk-pop-rock tomorrow night at Metro.

Metro, 3730 N. Clark | All Ages | Doors: 6pm | $9

Today is day eight of the Everyone Everywhere MP3 Blog Tour, which means that the 8th song, “Fld Ovr,” from their upcoming, self-titled release is now available for download via Familiarize Yourself! The more I listen to this album,  the more I love it, and if you are at all interested in anything reminiscent of ’90s emo or indie rock/punk…i’m sure you’ll love it too. So, without further ado, here is “Fld Ovr” by Philadelphia, PA’s Everyone Everywhere:

“Fld Ovr” by Everyone Everywhere

Make sure you check out all the other “tour dates” and pick up all the tracks from this awesome album!

Side A:
Monday, April 19th: The Ripple Effect “ Tiny Planet”
Tuesday, April 20th: Can You See The Sunset From The Southside “ Raw Bar OBX 2002″
Wednesday, April 21st: Built On A Weak Spot “œFrom The Beginning To The Tail”
Thursday, April 22nd: Dryvetyme Onlyne “(That’s me!) “ Tiny Town”
Friday, April 23rd: Battle Of The Midwestern Housewives “Tiny Boat”

Side B:
Monday, April 26th:Deckfight “Music Work Paper Work”
Tuesday, April 27th: The Album Project” “Blown Up Grown Up”
Wednesday, April 28th: Familiarize Yourself “Fld Ovr”
Thursday, April 29th: Reviewsic “I Feel Fine”
Friday, April 30th: Clicky Clicky Music “Obama House, Fukui Prefecture”

The members of local Chicago band Model Stranger are getting ready for a very big day in their careers. This Saturday they will be playing a hometown record release show at the Cubby Bear. The release, “Dreams and Bones,” has been in the works since December and its production consumed the lives of the three musicians. In a making the record video drummer Vincent Joseph says, “Everything just happened so fast that it still, to me, feels like December. I just lost the past few months of my life but what we have to show for it is definitely worth it.”

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The band describe their sound as “an eclectic synthesis of psychedelic grunge and classic rock”. Their album was recorded live using analog equipment and vintage instruments.  It’s being released in limited edition vinyl, in addition to unlimited modern technology. The exclusive 7″ pressing will include a B-side track available only on the record.

Model Stranger is coming off of an 18-day tour during which they are scheduled to play 18 shows in 8 states. Despite their packed schedule I was able to get their attention long enough to answer some of my questions. Read more…

Next week, Familiarize Yourself will be doing something we’ve never done before. We’re give away an exclusive track from Everyone Everywhere‘s upcoming self-titled LP. If you’re a fan of ’90s emo stuff like The Promise Ring and Braid or comtemporary stuff like Algernon Cadwallader, you’ll LOVE this band and record. We were enlisted by the fine gentlemen who run Tiny Engines to be a part of a tour of independent blogs in an attempt to provide people with a song-by-song introduction to Everyone Everywhere. Ten different blogs will each post a different song from the record, including the opportunity to download that song. This way, by the time of the album’s physical release date, people will have heard each track and will be so impressed by the music than they’ll scurry over to the band and/or label website and order the album. So, make sure to comeback here on Wednesday April 28th and download the 10th track off the album, “Fld Ovr.” We really stoked about being able to give stuff away on here, so please help us, Everyone Everywhere, and all the other blogs by checking out sites and downloading all the tracks.

Make sure you check out all the other “tour dates” and pick up all the tracks from this awesome album!

Side A:
Monday, April 19th: The Ripple Effect “ Tiny Planet”
Tuesday, April 20th:Â Can You See The Sunset From The Southside “ Raw Bar OBX 2002″
Wednesday, April 21st:Â Built On A Weak Spot “œFrom The Beginning To The Tail”
Thursday, April 22nd:Â Dryvetyme Onlyne “(That’s me!) “ Tiny Town”
Friday, April 23rd: Battle Of The Midwestern Housewives “Tiny Boat”

Side B:
Monday, April 26th:Deckfight “Music Work Paper Work”
Tuesday, April 27th: The Album Project” “Blown Up Grown Up”
Wednesday, April 28th: Familiarize Yourself “Fld Ovr”
Thursday, April 29th: Reviewsic “I Feel Fine”
Friday, April 30th: Clicky Clicky Music “Obama House, Fukui Prefecture”

Be Creative. Be Imaginitive. Be Yourself. Just Be.

^{Photo: © Gali Firstenberg}

When I was 17 – a Junior in high school – I met someone who is now one of the greatest influences in my life. I was attending a charity event benefiting an NFP called UnityShows, and I had a life changing discussion with the org’s president, Dann Saxton. It turned out that aside from being a philanthropist and my future mentor, Dann was (and is ) also a great musician. Since then, I have been waiting for Kill the Complex – the band for which Saxton is the lyricist and singer – to release a full-length album. Read more…