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.
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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.
What is love?Never Shout Never‘s Christofer Drew wants to know. According to the Corinthians passage quoted on his MySpace profile love is patient, kind, and trustworthy. In his own words love is “the weapon for this wounded generation.” As depicted in the music video for his single (appropriately entitled “What is Love?”) it might be your after-work drink, an unrequited romance, or maybe we just don’t know at all.
Photo Credit Not Found. Please contact gali@familiarizeyourself.com.
While he figures it out, Christofer Drew is working with a sound that is sort of like skateboarding around on a sunny day off with no destination in mind; a classically emo voice coupled with an acoustic guitar and some additional miscellaneous instruments (shaker, snapping fingers, assorted percussion). The bio of the brainchild behind NSN simply states, “My name is Christofer Drew. I am nineteen. I make music for expression; not for a paycheck.“
Seems the dollar hungry music industry might have a thing or two to learn about inner peace from this guy.
I had the opportunity to speak with the enlightened musician about his love for 60s pop, the AP Tour (which Never Shout Never is currently headlining), and his outlook on life. Read on. Read more…
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.
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.
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…
I introduced you to Gold Motel a little while ago, and on Saturday (3/20) songbird Greta Morgan and her new full band graced the stage of Subterranean, much to our benefit.
I arrived just in time to catch The Orwells, which as far as I can tell, I’m going to be glad I caught early in their career. The Orwells fuse a mellow, psychadelic vibe with just enough pop to remind you of The Killers and just enough rock to qualify them as a rock band. The band members are too young to vote but know their rock history well enough to cover The Stooges and count the Rolling Stones as a major influence. It’s clear from their live performance that as their collective musicianship develops their career could very well take off.
After The Orwells’ four-song set, Gold Motel took the stage. It’s always refreshing to hear a voice like Greta Morgan‘s, whose vocals are warm and inviting. “Even though it’s cold outside,” she warned the audience, “We’ll keep it warm in here.” On their second song, “Stealing the Moonlight,” guitarist Dan Duszynski joined Greta on vocals, perfectly complementing her natural, earthy sound. Gold Motel’s welcoming vibe makes it seem as though we’re all part of a group sing-along, even when no one can be heard singing along. Next they slid into “The Cruel One”, which opens with a skip-down-the-street-in-the-sunshine keyboard arrangement and eventually reaches a drum beat that might actually put that skip in your step.
I could continue to list the songs of their set telling you why each is special but I will sum it up by saying that while ultimately Gold Motel is a folk-pop band, Greta’s vocal arrangements and skill betray the underlying sugary tone. All of Gold Motel’s songs could be the soundtrack to your next beach vacation and at the same time they are deeply personal. Greta makes you feel like she’s divulging her innermost feelings and as she lets you in you can’t help but smile widely and dance your feet off.
I spoke to Ms. Morgan after the show about the process behind the band’s multidimensional sound, the merits of our fine city, and Gold Motel’s secret weapon against the music industry. Read on. Read more…
Spring is almost here, Chicago! This past week has been generous to us and as I sit on the windowsill, warm breeze rolling in, I’m ushering in the season with City and Colour: my Winter-to-Spring transition soundtrack.
City and Colour is the solo project of Alexisonfire‘s Dallas Green. It started as a simple collection of his own songs, which he recorded with nothing but his voice and an acoustic guitar. The recordings soon appeared on the Internet and started making the rounds among Green’s fans. Despite being a complete departure from his prior work (Alexisonfire is a post-hardcore band; City and Colour delivers acoustic folk reminiscent of Bon Iver), the tracks were met with praise. In 2005, Green released his first solo full-length, Sometimes, under the name City and Colour. The release was followed by a cross-country Canadian tour, a sold-out UK tour opening for Barfly, and several awards including Alternative Album of the Year at the Junos.
City and Colour’s second studio full-length, Bring Me Your Love, was released in March 2007. Recorded entirely on vintage equipment in a church-turned-studio, the tracks “[complement] the warmth and honesty of Green’s compositions… Instruments and vocals were carefully recorded live off the floor, giving the songs depth and intimacy… The album feels like a throwback to the days when an album’s thrills and beauty were found not just in exceptional songs and musicianship, but also in its blemishes and simplicity.”i Indeed, listening to Bring Me Your Love gives you the feeling Green is in the room with you, playing his acoustic guitar casually and singing off the cuff.
City and Colour provide the perfect soundtrack to complement a morning walk along the lakefront, a budding Spring romance, or even just a nap.
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…
