Familiarize Yourself

Aushua is a folk rock band with a refreshing edge.  Their music provides ears with a transcendental ambiance-ness [made that word up] that makes a perfect soundtrack for morning drives or rides.

I found this blurb on Reverb Nation that I think pretty much sums them up:

“There’s this one band called Aushua that I’m really stoked about. Someday soon their tickets will be worth a million dollars and 200,000 people will pay to see them live because they are incredible. In fact, aliens from other planets will probably pick up signals of their music and stop by earth for a night just to hear them. I just seriously want to sit inside their music and live there. Or go swimming in it until I get all pruny. Or I want to die from a spontaneous combustion caused by the sounds. If you don’t listen to them, you will probably die.”

-anonymous 18 year old girl named Danielle

It seems like bands have gotten lazy now a days with cleverness or originality when creating their band name.  After studying band names for a while, I noticed there is a math to it:

The + [Insert random noun here, preferably the closest object near you] + “S”= Band Name

So for me, my band would be called “The Staplers,” or “The Pencil Sharpeners.”  They are probably bands already, sadly enough.

I give Aushua props for their originality concerning their name.  When asked about it in an interview with Beat Crave, they responded with:

“I like the idea of being given a new name; a new identity that, due to changes you’ve made, seems to be more fitting than your given name. We feel our name will allow us a little bit of freedom to continually push and prod at what we are. The name has an adaptable feel, you know? It’s liquid, it’s clay, but I think it’s pretty bold as well.”

That’s some deep shit right there.

They are working on a full debut album right now, and will be here in Chitown October 2nd @Shubas.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CQlPkK1A4A]

See you there,

devanmarie

“Our mission is simple,” begins Share Your Soles’s mission statement, “To provide gently worn shoes to those in greatest need around the world.”

Share Your Soles, which is based in Chicago, has provided shoes in such regions as Africa, the Caribbean, South America, the Middle East, and the States, to name a few. The non-profit organization was started after founder Mona Purdy traveled to Central America ten years ago and learned how many children were subject to foot amputations due to the infections they incurred by paiting tar on their bare feet as a makeshift shoe. Mona decided to collect shoes to bring back to an orphanage in Honduras. When word spread about her project, Mona’s good deed became a full-fledged organization, with shoes pouring in from all over.

Today, shoe drives are organized by groups around the country and drop-off centers can be found in over 120 locations. Over 222,500 shoes have been collected and distributed. Donated shoes are sanitized with hot water and bleach, polished, and sorted. And yes, damaged shoes (such as those with holes) are discarded. Shoes are only “given in a way that respects and honors the dignity of those who receive them”.

But I’m not writing about Share Your Soles simply because they do a great thing for people all around the world. I’m writing about them because one of my favorite local Chicago bands is playing at their fundraiser on September 5.

Check out State and Madison with The Frantic, The Get Go, The Scissors, and Dead Town Revival at Metro on Friday, Sept. 5. To get tickets at $8 a pop visit metrochicago.com

The Metro Chicago

The Metro is mixed in with the bros and bars of Wrigleyville, but as they mark their 27th anniversary Chicago can come together to share memories of the bands that graced its stage since the Metro’s opening. But what most people are not aware of is the work that goes into operating a venue the size of the Metro, and the team of dedicated individuals behind the scenes making it all happen. I was lucky enough this past spring to sit down with the owner, Joe Shanahan, and pick his brain on starting a career in the music industry, and why Chicago was his choice to run one of the longest running music venues our city has ever seen.

(FYW) After living in New York City for a bit, what brought you back to Chicago?

(JS) I realized that there was nothing quite like what was going on in New York [in Chicago]. It wasn’t that there weren’t great artists here or great bands here, but there wasn’t sort of a focal point for live music, and I think that’s what I sort of sought out to solve. The idea was when I came back I noticed there were a lot of painters and a lot of photographers and they weren’t quite meshing with the musicians the way I had seen in New York. So in a way what I tried to do was find bands that would play either in a club, where I would rent a club, or in a loft, where I would have a friend that had a loft, and we would throw a party. Sometimes they were rent parties, sometimes they were for just having fun and getting drunk and goofing around on the weekend, but the other part of it was that we used to have DJs, the idea of the rock DJ or even then the disco DJ was in place. We would have a DJ spin fun music, sometimes have food and drinks, and then have a band play and our friends would hang their art on the walls.

Well I don’t think that’s any different than today, I mean that’s what happens in Wicker Park every Friday and Saturday night, but that is something that, I mean I didn’t discover it or invent it, but it was certainly something that drove me or convinced me, coarsed me, back into Chicago because of the deep relationships that I had through some of the schools that I went to – Columbia College being one of them, friends at the School of the Art Institute – back then it was a tight knit group of people.

(FYW) Before the success of your loft parties, did you have a background in the music business when you decided to host them?

(JS) (Laughter) There’s no such thing as the music business. I think that’s a big, kind of interesting aspect of what was going on back then. Read more…

If you love Sigur Rós or Amiina or just generally gorgeous ambient orchestra-esque music then perhaps you might want to check out Parachutes, another Iceland based belle of a band.

This delicate sounding eight piece creates the perfect kind of music to sit around drinking a glass of white wine while reading a classic novel to. The sounds are soothing enough to put you into a peaceful sleep with easy light dreams.

They’re very similar to Sigur Rós‘ album  Takk…, (tour mates in September 2008).  Parachutes choose to sing in English rather than their native Icelandic tongue, which might make them a little more accessible to some Americans who love with this genre of music.

However, regardless of whether or or not you find the English language more appealing to you than Icelandic , the instrumental alone is enough to keep the listener enthralled!

For as long as I can remember the Chicago music scene has been the birthplace for some noteworthy musical acts such as Naked Raygun, Alkaline Trio, Rise Against, Lupe Fisaco, and yes, Kanye West to name a few. Now it’s time for the next generation of Chicago bands to take the torch from the rockers and hip-hoppers that have been representing our fine city for so long.

Empires

This Wednesday Schubas is the place to be- three leading local Chicago bands, Empires, Big Science, & Pet Lions will be gracing their stage on August 26th.

Big Science

Although I may find myself a bit biased since Empires played at Columbia College this past Spring, and both Big Science & Pet Lions are very good friends of AEMMP Records, all three of these bands have solid records and EP’s that provide the credentials they need to take the role of the next noteworthy Chicago bands.

Pet Lions

Empire’s latest release, Howl, is available for free download here.

Big Science’s EP Coast of Nowhere is avaliable for a free download here.

And Pet Lions wants to share their new EP, Soft Right, with you if you sign-up for their mailing list found here.

So now you have no excuse to miss this show, download all three albums for FREE, learn the words to your favorite songs, and sing and dance the night away with me on Wednesday at Schubas!

-AB

I am by no means suggesting a Pokémon to you! No, what I am suggesting, strongly recommending, requiring and demanding you check out is my all time favorite band, Mew. I have never been as captivated by a band as I have been by them, and after six years they still hold my attention (and usually my attention span is that of a kitten, just one place to the next).

Their up to new tricks, but the new title is just as good as those that came before, their fourth release and the followup to their international debut, No More Stories Are Told Today I’m Sorry They Washed Away. No More Stories The World Is Grey I’m Tired Let’s Wash Away, is airy and dramatic. It’s intense and caring. The sounds soar and the music washes over you. It’s perfect for fall, and thankfully it’s due out just in time for the changing of the seasons. August 25, 2009.

The premiere of the full-length on their Myspace a few days ago, shows that this is a band to pay attention; their music commands your attention. If they somehow escaped you with their first US release, And The Glass Handed Kites, in summer 2005, then now is the time to sit down, shut up and push play on your device of choice for music.

I cannot write this review and not pay compliments to the albums that preceded their two full-blown Sony US releases. Frengers, possibly their strongest album was released only in the UK by Sony, and the first inkling that they were going places and they weren’t giving up. A Triumph For Man and Half The World Is Watching Me premiered many of the polished tracks from Frengers and even in those rough demos, it’s clear to hear that they’re not to be ignored. All three were then released (their first two reissued) in the US after And The Glass Handed Kites success.

Enjoy.

photo credit Trish Leeper

Our musical tastes change drastically as we get older. Some of my favorite bands in high school I’m afraid to admit out loud now. Yes, I still rock out to Disturb’s cover of “Shout 2000,” and I may own every New Found Glory CD since their debut, but I try not to be ashamed of the music that brought me so much happiness as I grew out of my awkward teenage years (and when I say awkward I mean it, recently saw pictures of the my horrendous style from highschool).

One of my all-time favorite bands I still enjoy today sadly broke up in 2005 – Tsunami Bomb. But once again when a group of musicians really enjoy what they are doing, it isn’t long before the next band emerges. That band is called The Action Design and features Tsunami Bomb’s vocalist Emily Whitehurst (formally Agent M) and bassist Matt Mckenzie who link up with drummer Jake Krohn and guitarist Jaycen Mckissick to complete their newest musical project.

The pop/punk sound from Tsunami Bomb sneaks in some of the Action Design’s tracks, but Whitehurst and Mckenzie succeed in creating a different sound. Whitehurst harmonizes with herself more on their latest release, Never Say, and stand-out tracks like “Landmines” and “Ten Feet of Snow” help me connect with my inner 15-year-old as the opening guitar riffs leave me hooked and I find myself singing along to Whitehurst’s lyrics as they tell a story.

Although the Action Design will not be gracing Chicago with their presence Read more…

I first saw Cavashawn opening for The Academy Is… at a benefit show this past Spring. The show took place in an indoor basketball court converted to act as a music venue. Roughly 100 audience members assembled in the 500+ capacity room. Needless to say, the room looked rather bleak. The energy, however, was anything but. Cavashawn, who followed a set by Love Me Electric (or was it the other way around?), had me moving instantly as they lit up the room, or at least the 15 feet in front of the stage, with an incredible “dance with me” energy.

I decided to test them out in a more appropriate-sized and well-attended setting a few weeks later when they headlined at Beat Kitchen. Cavashawn had every girl on the floor singing along to songs like “Madison” (my personal favorite) and “Just Because”. I’ve seen them a few times since then and have yet to be disappointed. Oh, and they like to throw a cover of Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me” into most sets, Read more…

Sometimes you may discover a band you really like after they have already broken up. This has happened to me many times, and I’ve come to terms with the fact that it is impossible to be on top of every new release the moment it comes out.

Although I am happy to say this band is still together, their video and their most recent release, Sad Robots came out a little over a year ago. Stars is comprised of three members from popular indie-rock band Broken Social Scene, Torquil Campbell, Amy Millan, and Evan Cranley  who found musical companionship with Pat McGee and Chris Seligman.

Over their past four full-length albums and four EP’s releases, Stars has found an immaculate line-up as additions were added as Stars discovered their signature, artistic indie sound which includes male and females vocals from Campbell & Millan. Campbell & Millan’s chemistry on and off the stage helps create the intense, poetic lyrics Stars have become known for that easily commend their instrumental harmonies.

Check out their latest music video for “Bitches in Tokyo” Read more…

I just touched down in Syracuse, New York (my parents are late to pick me up for our week long vacation in the boondocks of NY and thankfully there’s coffee and wi-fi). However, this is an excellent opportunity to write about one of my upstate New York favorites.

I was first introduced to Ra Ra Riot when some friends and talented musicians, Mason Proper, played a few shows with them some years back on an east coast tour. Though I’ve known about them for a while, it wasn’t until this spring that I really started listening to them and I’m glad I finally got into them.

The music is intense and beautiful. Their live performances caught them almost immediate attention (after their 2006 formation they played SXSW in 2007 and again in 2008, several prominent NYC venues and local festivals, and this year the headlining stage midday at Lollapalooza) from the music world for being absolutely captivating and entertaining. I have yet to see them live, but judging from the few live performance videos I’ve seen, I’d have to agree.

Many indie rock bands are branching out into strings or ambient electronic noises to make their sound their own, Read more…