© 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
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, Â 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: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:Â 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”
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:Â 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”
For those music fans who still enjoy a tangible product, your holiday is almost here! The 3rd annual RECORD STORE DAY will be here this Saturday, April 17th! Hopefully you’ve been saving up your cash, or have a credit card with a big limit because Saturday will be an expensive day.
The idea originally came about back in 2007 when creators “Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally.” As a former record store employee I understand the value that mom & pop record stores have in both the local community, as well as the bigger picture in the recording industry. Big box stores like Walmart and Target may use CDs as their “loss-leaders” (a product they actually LOSE money on to bring people in the store), but those stores also can’t offer the knowledge and atmosphere that your favorite hole-in-the-wall record store can offer.
Check out the local listings for your community if you are outside the Chicagoland area. If you live in Chicago, block off your entire day because there are give-a-ways, live performances, and discounts from early in the morning to late into the night. Not to mention special releases just for Record Store Day!
We’ve got your day mapped out under the cut Chicago!
Read more…
Ashley: The dynamic duo Tegan and Sara recently reached a rare landmark few have seen with the release of their sixth studio album, Sainthood, at the end of 2009. I was first introduced to Canada’s Tegan and Sara back in 2007 with their release The Con. The title track lured me into purchasing the album, but I always felt like the majority of Tegan and Sara’s songs left me hanging. Lasting barely longer than two minutes, and ending on a note that felt awkward and unfinished, I always kept waiting for the long pause between songs to pick up right where the last song left off.
© Pamela Littky
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I went to my first concert when I was 7-years old. Since that concert, I have easily logged over 1,000 live music concerts (not to mention sporting events) over my 21 years of life, and one thing has always been the same… I have never worn ear plugs. Am I proud of this? No. I AM extremely lucky to have the hearing range I do today, but now I am more aware of how important it is to take care of myself. If I were to ever loose my hearing I would be a miserable person.
What do Neil Young, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Thom Yorke and even Bono have in common? They all suffer from Tinnitus, “a perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound.” Tinnitus is not a disease, it’s a symptom that in all of these men was caused from their repeated exposure to loud music, a noise-induced hearing loss. For example, amplified rock music is played at 110-130 decibels, at this range your hearing can be damaged as quickly as 3 minutes into the set.(2)
What can we do? We can learn from our elders, especially those of us who plan on making a career out of the music industry. Read more…
Singer/songwriter Claire Stahlecker has been given a gift, between her ageless songwriting and a voice that will stop anyone in his or her shoes, Chicago-native Stahlecker is planning on a godzilla-like take over Nashville this summer. Her latest EP release titled “A little Piece of Heaven” under her belt, Claire Stahlecker is definitely one to keep an eye on -enjoy this week’s feature of Artist of the Week.
FYW: How have your experiences at Columbia helped you grow as a musician and performer? Have you found other students to collaborate with?
CS: My experiences at Columbia have helped me grow as a musician in many ways. I knew diddly-squat about theory and harmony before attending Columbia, and now I can actually play and communicate with fellow musicians. I’ve also had the pleasure of working with tremendously talented vocal and instrumental coaches who knew how to push me to my full potential. I’ve collaborated with many students in the music department and formed my own band.
Read more…
We are putting a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (well maybe not so much blood), into this project. Check back for video updates, concert updates, and love. We need you now, help us spread the word!
FamiliarizeYourself.com has big things ahead.
Over the past six months we have introduced you to many of Chicago and Columbia’s finest rock bands. After scouring the campus one more time, we found a whole other genre at Columbia featuring Chicago’s finest performers. The hip-hop scene in Chicago has always been huge, and for a young producer who moved to the city from St. Louis, it opened a new door to endless opportunities. In our latest installment of artist of the week, meet Orie.
You’ve been producing for about 8 years now, how did you first get into producing? What did your first songs sound like?
I actually started with rapping back in middle school. My mom used to always tell me that I should get into producing, cause that’s where the real money was at. I ignored her for a couple years, and after seeing my friends producing some of the tracks I originally wrote in my middle school rap/r&b group “Rising Image,” I became fascinated and started from there. My songs were always very lyrically driven, often called “conscious” rap, but from the perspective and vocabulary of a 13-year old.
Was the transition from the St. Louis music scene to the Chicago scene difficult? What are the major differences between artists you’ve met here and artists you worked with in St. Louis?
Very different. I love my city, but I’ve gained access to so much new music being in Chicago. I’ve never been exposed to House music before I came to Columbia for school. If you’re not making a dance/club record back home, it’s hard to get any attention from the radio. Chicago is similar in a lot of ways, but there are so many other outlets and ways to get exposure, such as clubs, events, and major Chicago blogs.
Read more…
