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.
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!
I remember the first time I heard The Menzingers pretty vividly. It was back in August ’08 on the first day of a tour with Michigan’s Fuckin’ Gnarly that I was doing, and we had a show with a ton of bands at a some tiny house in State College, PA. About 24 hours before the show, I had just had staples removed from stomach from an emergency appendectomy that I had about a week and half before that, and against my better judgment I decided to travel across the eastern seaboard with 5 guys in a cramped van. About 2 hours into some rather mediocre bands playing through a horrible PA, I sat on a moldy couch watching said bands and started to regret my decision to embark on the journey, but then the Menzingers took the stage floor and all regret vanished. Somehow, the foursome was able to sound flawless through the cheap sound system, and after they torn through a cover of The Clash’s “Straight to Hell†I was instantly enthralled with them. It is not often that bands really wow me just off their live performances, but they were just that good.
Walking into Schuba’s for the sold-out Janelle Monáe show last Monday I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I had heard her music and I liked it, but I wasn’t sure what her performance style would encompass. She is pop music with a bit of hip hop thrown in, but she is a bit bluesy at moments, and she flirts with rock and she understands R&B and soul, limiting Janelle Monáe to one genre is damn near impossible.
Photo Credit Not Found
I walked in on time to catch the last half a dozen songs by The 54, who reminded me slightly of Incubus. They got the crowd riled up and by the time they were finished everyone was anxious for more, as though they wanted a seamless continuation into Janelle Monáe’s set. However, that was far from what happened. Set to take the stage at 9:15, Monáe didn’t go on until almost 9:45. Running a half hour behind production due to a flawed projection system.
Finally the lights dimmed and a track began playing with a man introducing the performance we were about to witness, four black cloaked figures headed toward the stage; it was all very dramatic. The crowd whistled in anticipation, and then Janelle Monáe dropped her hood and the music began blaring as she rapped into the microphone. Movement began at once and the crowd was again in a roar. On stage Monáe was wide eyed with her big brown eyes, and her style of dancing was slightly rigid, yet still flawlessly fluid, like a soulful robot or perhaps like an android, which is suitable due to the title of her debut album The ArchAndroid.
While the music was completely enjoyable and dance worthy, I couldn’t help but wonder, why Schubas? Her performance style was too big and grandiose, it seemed to be designed for a 1,200+ person venue say The Metro rather than a small place with the capacity of about 200 like Schubas. Despite starting half an hour late for the projector, the images weren’t really worth the stall, and I felt completely confident that she could have improvised and not used them to start on time. That’s not to downplay her musical ability, she was talented, diverse and capable of melding several genres into her own unique style, the performance was… just too much for one show.
Sunday was Rock for Autism‘s benefit concert at Beat Kitchen featuring So Many Ways, Michael Vecchio, Last Fast Action, and Hotspur. I discovered Hotspur when they toured with Cavashawn in the Fall, stopping at Beat Kitchen to blow my mind. I immediately fell in love with the two songs I was able to catch after showing up late, and bought the CD to hold me over until I could experience a full set. Well, that opportunity didn’t come around until now but it was well worth the wait.
As keyboardist Dave Trichter started playing a suspenseful introduction singer Joe Mach slowly approached the stage, hopping on just in time for the band to explode into “$$$” (my favorite song on their 13-trackalbum). The early show (doors at 3pm??) pulled in only 30-40 heads but Hotspur worked with the small audience to make the room feel even smaller… and jam packed. The band transitioned into song after song seamlessly and without pause. When they finally did take a break the crowd burst into cheers, urging on the next song.
Off stage the boys are making waves as well. They recently won MTVU’s “The Freshman” contest with their song “Chandelier”, traveled to SXSW, and are currently on a Midwest/New England tour. I cannot recommend Hotspur highly enough to the devout pop-rocker like myself. Super catchy hooks and choruses and beats with high impact make this a difficult act to forget,and one you should check out before they start selling out clubs across the U.S., which I predict for them very soon.
If there is one thing I hate about going to a lot of shows, it is having to sit through the same shitty local opening band that somehow manages to get on every show I go to. I mean it can get to the point where I know words to songs by these terrible musicians solely because I’ve seen them so many times. However, every now and then a really good band is that local opener, and lately for me that band has been Elgin, IL’s The Brokedowns.
“Sean Spencer” by The Brokedowns
This foursome has been playing shows in and around the Chicagoland area on a seemingly daily pace recently, while putting out releases just as quickly as they’ve released split EPs with The Copyrights, The Arrivals, and Turkish Techno within the last year. In addition, their 2007 full-length New Brains For Everyone was re-released on vinyl just last week via Traffic Street Records. These guys are the definition of workhorses. 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!
–     Visual Artists     –    Writers    –     Musicians    –     Composers     –    Designers     –
Need legal advice? Check out this webinar. Yeah, I said Webinar. It’s short for “web-based seminar.â€Â I didn’t know such thing existed until I found this thing. Basically, it’s an online seminar, but not to be confused with a webcast. Webcasts are one way – the people talk at you and you watch. But webinars are interactive. You have the ability to give, receive and discuss information in a webinar.
The ARTS & BUSINESS COUNCIL of Great Boston is putting this webinar shenanigans together. Unfortunately, there is a fee of $20, but hey, cheat the system. Just have five friends come over, and then you only pay $4 each. Not bad, eh? Read more…
On the eve of Cursive’s 1-year anniversary for their latest release, Mama, I’m Swollen, Cursive swung through Chicago to play one of my favorite venues in the city, the Metro. Playing two sold-out shows with Alkaline Trio and the Dear and Departed, this is the first time we have seen Cursive in the windy city in over 6 months, and the first time we have seen them not in the headlining position of a tour. Before the show on Sunday I had a chance to catch up with bassist Matt Maginn, a man who majored in environmental science but was quickly whisked away into the life of a touring musician.
FYW: Two years ago I caught your performance at Subterranean where you guys previewed your newest album to the crowd before it was even entirely recorded. Is this something you try to do with every release?
MM: Anytime we can we try and do that- we did it with Mama quite a bit. We did it with Ugly Organ, but with Happy Hollow not as much. Ideally yes, but with every record we don’t have to. Mama was the most thorough we’ve ever [road-tested the album]. We were playing songs live that we’d never even recorded. That’s good and bad, because then there’s a few fans out there that heard it, or have a YouTube clip of it and they’re like “you guys are jerks, why didn’t you put that song on the record?â€
March 15th 2010: Musicians at Work Forum: When to Get a Manager
I’ve got a an event coming up here for you guys and gals to check out.
I couldn’t make it out to the last AT WORK: Touring Tips forum through the Cultural Center, but I heard it was pretty good from my colleagues who made it there. So I’m going to tell you about the next one coming up since this stuff is legit.
This FREE event is great for musicians and bands in limbo. But it’s not only for those guys and gals; if you’re a music business major or getting some sort of an arts management degree, you should go, too. It’ll help you see what it is that artists and musicians are looking for, and help you get the upper hand when looking to manage them.
This forum is a panel discussion [only an hour and a half – you can handle it]. Read more…
