12 posts tagged “illinois”
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Tour Dates
06/09/09
Pat’s in the Flats Cleveland, Ohio
Discography
06/10/09 Smiling Moose Pittsburgh, PA 06/11/09 Local Beat New Cumberland, PA 06/12/09 Doc Watsons Philadelphia, PA 06/13/09 The Annex New York, NY 06/19/09 NXNE @ Holy Joe’s Toronto, ON 06/19/09 Moonshine - INTERVENTION Series Chicago, IL
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Seeing them at both The Minnesota History Museum and at the 400 Bar, is like night and day. While their daytime show was a bit toned-down (hey it's tough to rock out when there's marbled statues and parents and children all around), their 'adult' show was all-out rock-out-loud. They certainly seem more comfortable and in their element in the dimly lit venue.
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Love in October Setlist ♥ Minnesota History Museum, St Paul (05/09/09) |
Prior to the start of their daytime show, Erik came on stage to talk about why Sweden exported so many (good) music. They are the third behind the US and England, as far as music production goes. This is a feat, considering the size of Sweden is only the size of California. He goes on to talk about how this was possible due to the Swedish government decided to put .7% into the arts in the seventies. Of course, being a long-time Swedishpop fan, I knew all these facts, however, I don't think the general public knew about the Swedish arts & music program.
After ten minutes, the rest of the band joined Erik on stage and they did the indie rock thing. And yes, I was head-bopping and foot-tapping. Quite embarrassing when drummer Ivan Sosa said, "I want you to enjoy the show - like THAT GUY!" and pointed to me.
INTERMISSION
Warp speed to 10:30 pm (yes I did go out to dinner and saw the new Star Trek movie), and I've ditched the 400 Bar to see Kate & Lara as they leave their show at the Cedar Culture Center (this is only practically only a few doors down the road). I wasn't really expecting to see them actually, I had noticed a bunch of people leaving the Cedar so I went over there to see if the show was over (it was). I got first hand report/review from them about the show and we talked a bit about Chalakah and 'you got moted'. Kate has a band called Crush on Kristi, and they're playing June 12th, I think. Oh also, apparently 'beard rocker' bartender from the 400 bar was seen at the Cedar.
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Love in October Setlist ♥ 400 Bar, Minneapolis (05/09/09) |
Love in October took off their kids gloves, you would almost think they were two different band, based on the morning and night shows. Like I have previously mentioned, they look and felt much more comfortable. Even their playing and movement style was as different as their set list for tonight. Most of the set includes new (untitled) songs.
The highlight of the show was when they asked the original Minneapolis drummer, Travis (?), to come on stage to drum for one of their older songs. He definitely still remember the beats and did a pretty outstanding job.
They seem really excited about a brand new self-titled EP coming out on May 26th, I am assuming available on CD and definitely it's going to be on vinyl. The cover artwork features a 9 year old Erik, the shirt was recolored to red stripes instead of blue. More details about buying their records and seeing them live are all on the official website.
05/10/2009 12:38:28 ♥ vu (
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♥ loveinoctober.com ♥ myspace.com/loveinoctober
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10/22/08 The Basement - ALL AGES FREE - CD Release Chicago, Illinois
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10/23/08 SubT w/ Star People, Lowdown Brass Band CD Release Chicago, Illinois 10/25/08 Industry Iowa City, Iowa 10/29/08 DarkRoom/Analog Playground CD /VideoRelease Chicago, Illinois 10/31/08 The Loading Dock Traverse City, Michigan 11/01/08 The Loading Dock Traverse City, Michigan 11/15/08 Reggies w/ Starpeople Chicago, Illinois |
Treologic originally started as a jazz organ trio (organ, guitar, drums) out of the DePaul University School of Music, according to the band's press kit. The group experimented with various instruments, sounds, and musicians before finally settling with 5 members. Treologic, as listed on their site, is comprised of:
Billa Camp (MC)
Lance Loiselle (organ, keyboards, vocals)
Justin Boyd (drums, beats)
DJ Savage (turntables, samples, beat drops)
Eric Koppa (tenor saxophone)
Jordan Lopez (lead voice, flugelhorn, percussion, trumpet, keyboards, flute)
Anthony Massaro (guitar, vocals)
(Hang on-- 5 members? Well, contact information omits DJ Savage and Anthony Massaro as band members. A bit confusing.) As a side note, Eric Koppa has his own website, and works in a variety of projects in addition to Treologic.
Some of the band members biographies are serious (mostly the instrumentalists), and some are amusing. Lance Loiselle lists his hopes and dreams as “to be happy with good people and good karma.” DJ Savage is described as finding his “calling” after starving days of saved lunch money in 1983 at the age of 7 to buy Run DMC's self-titled album, and there is mention of being voted “most likely to wind up in jail” in high school. It's probably a good sign that some the band doesn't take itself too terribly seriously; as they've also been described as avoiding the negative messages and materialism of hip-hop, then they might be said to be lacking pretentiousness as well.
As a result of such an
eclectic mix of instruments and styles by musicians with varying
backgrounds, the sound is a stark contrast from mainstream hip-hop.
The CD Baby site sums this up well as follows: “Using hip hop
as the main vehicle, Treologic uses more than one genre or style to
flavor the musical palate. The logic is to embrace the rich roots of
Chicago hip-hop, gospel, and jazz and bridge the old school with the
new.” At least one person
commenting compared their sound to The Roots (not surprising, since
Roots member Black Thought is listed as an influence, specifically by
Billa Camp). A Tribe Called Quest is also mentioned as an influence
on their sound, and certainly the smoother backings of jazz in some
of their recordings would draw such a comparison Their
latest album, Colabo, is set for release October 21st.
At first listening,
Colabo had a decidedly edgier
feel to me than their last album, Thank You Lenny,
and has a more contemporary (e.g., gangsta) rap tone to many of the
lyrics. I found it less to my liking overall, especially with the
f-bombs and use of the “N” word that seems to be part of
the “keepin' it real” image that pervades popular
mainstream hip-hop today. Fortunately, when I got the CD, a press
release flyer was included that made this review a little easier--
not only were the explicit tracks marked, but some recommended tracks
were highlighted as well.
Of the “recommended” tracks, “Notes to My Child” seemed to stand out the most. The beats sound like a swinging '70s style funk, with Massaro playing guitar licks reminiscent of Carlos Santana's “crying guitar” style. The other track I really liked was “Relax Your Mind”, which had a breezy piano backing with a classical-tinged jazz style.
It would seem the band is eager to break out into bigger and more lucrative venues. By simply sending your contact information to their “Street Team” project, and they'll send you promotional materials, including a free “Treologic” T-shirt. Reminds me a bit of Marvin “Young MC” Young's old “Delicious Vinyl” record label. Even though the label went bust, the logo was slick and I'm still kicking myself for not getting a T-shirt back in high school. Unfortunately, I'm a much larger guy these days, and the Street Team's sizes on tees capping out at XL just isn't big enough. Maybe I'll ask them if they quietly made some in larger sizes, or are willing to.
The band has been with Cigol Records (apparently an independent label) since their start. They are currently touring (see dates above) and proudly declare that they have averaged 70-80 shows in the last 5 years.
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brandicarlile.com ♥ brandicarlile.co.uk ♥ myspace.com Speaking of ridiculously hot, the first time I saw a picture of Brandi Carlile, I knew I was in love. She had shorter hair back then and had a boyish charm to her looks, reminiscent of Louise Wener (here's an example). She recently released her iTunes-only EP called Live from Boston, and it was a real pleasure to listen to. Of the four songs, I thought "The Story" was easily, easily the best. Her emotionally charged lyrics is best experienced live. By the way, a close second was her Johnny Cash cover "Folsom Prison Blues". You can purchase the EP via iTunes only, the most popular digital music store, so chances are, you probably already have an account. Incidentally, the reason why the 4-track is listed at $4.99, it is because it comes bundled with a video for "Josephine". As a bonus, enjoy her cover version of Radiohead's "Creep", recorded at The All About The Music Festival 2006. If you like what you heard, you can buy a superior recording from the same Live in Boston set via iTunes. |
www.thesafes.com ♥ myspace.com Released last week (Sep 23th), the Safes' Sight of All Light EP are a great mix of rock n roller. Rolling Stones calls it "Atomic Pop", while Paste Magazine compares them to The Kinks and The Who... so apparently the popular press loves these guys. The five-track fourth Safes release does start off strong and rocking, especially with the first track, "Sight of All Light". It looks like, starting in October, they are heading out for a national tour, be sure to check them out. Tour Dates
10/09 Champaign, IL @ The Courtyard
10/10 Carbondale, IL @ PKs 10/11 Saint Louis, MO @ Lemmons 10/12 Kansas City, MO @ Fred P. Otts 10/13 Wichita, KS @ The Anchor 10/15 Austin, TX @ Club 1808 10/16 Denton, TX @ J&J's 10/17 Albuquerque, NM @ Atomic Cantina 10/18 Phoenix, AZ @ Rubyroom 10/19 San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick 10/20 Los Angeles, CA @ The Cat Club 10/21 Oakland, CA @ The Stork Club 10/22 San Francisco, CA @ The Hemlock Tavern 10/23 Salt Lake City, UT @ Burt's Tiki Lounge 10/24 Denver, CO @ Bender's 10/25 Omaha, NE @ Universe 11/01 Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Artworks 11/02 Long Branch, NJ @ The Brighton Bar 11/03 Arlington, VA @ Galaxy Hut 11/04 Richmond, VA @ Rumors Boutique 11/05 Baltimore, MD @ Joe Squared 11/06 New York, NY @ Pianos 11/07 Boston, MA @ O'Briens 11/08 Philadelphia, PA @ Mojo 13 11/09 Danbury, CT @ Larry's 11/10 Sheffield, MA @ Off The Beat N' Track 11/11 New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine 11/12 State College, PA @ Bar Bleu 11/26 Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen |
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markwilliamsmusic.com ♥ myspace.com Mark Williams didn't give me much to work with. The EP is a five-track CD-R with no album artwork. No offense to anyone, but I have different priorities when it comes to music reviews and CD-R, demos, & MP3s are at the bottom of my list. I will mention that there was something in the package that did make me take a notice: there was a Lipton Herbal Peach Tea. I'm not saying to bribe me, but it was one of those WTF moment. So, his EP is called Shallow Eyes. I could not find any album artwork online, so I'm using a picture of his band. The whole EP has a Motion City Soundtrack feel to it, but slower. I would even bet Shallow Eyes would sound better live than what's on recording. I see a lot of potential in Williams, he's only 16, right now, it should be interesting to watch him as he grows up, and perhaps take up a different musical direction. The band's already found early success by being included on last Summer's Warped Tour. They are playing an upcoming show in Stroudsburg:
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brynchristopher.com ♥ myspace.com People tells me that they discover new music "Grey's Anatomy". I mean, who looks for new music on television shows? Well apparently it does work, and Interscope Records invested in having Bryn Christopher's "The Quest" to appear on an upcoming season of Grey's - so watch for it if you're already a fan of the show. "The Quest" is a lead-in single (released September 16th) to his January 13th, 2009 album called My World, and if the song is any indication I would have to guess that the album is pop/soul. If you like that genre, you definitely need to give "The Quest" a listen. The story I got out of the Quest was that he wrote the song on his mobile phone, and is about his brother's experience as a solider in Basra. He just finished up a few dates in the US, and is now heading through the UK supporting The Script: Tour Dates
22 Nov 2008 Barrowlands - Glasgow
23 Nov 2008 Academy - Leeds 24 Nov 2008 Academy - Newcastle 26 Nov 2008 Academy 1 - Manchester 27 Nov 2008 UEA - Norwich 28 Nov 2008 Academy - Bristol 30 Nov 2008 Academy - Birmingham 1 Dec 2008 Academy - Oxford 2 Dec 2008 Shepherd’s Bush Empire - London 3 Dec 2008 Shepherd’s Bush Empire - London * Supporting The Script |
Links:
weheartmusic.com news.weheartmusic.com
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09/17/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL
09/18/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL 09/19/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL 09/20/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL 09/21/08 Pygmalion Music Festival Champaign, IL 10/04/08 Chattanooga Convention Center Chattanooga, TN |
Animate Objects are a hip-hop crew from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2005, they've won numerous regional awards for "Best Hip Hop" band, and having listened to their debut album, Riding In Fast Cars With Your Momma (released March 31th, 2007), I can see why.
At first, I thought this was a typical MCs/DJs crew, but Animate Objects consists of a true live band of keys, bass, drums, and guitars. And not to put a too fine a point on it, the band members looks like of Asian/Indian descent, much like the hip-hop Asian Dub Foundation (which incidentally have a new album out).
As the album name, Riding In Fast Cars With Your Momma, suggests these are songs that you can play to your parents and not feel absolutely embarrass about its subjects. Now, this is not to say that it's watered down rap/hip-hop, but more so that its subject matter is not about banging hundreds of chicks or bragging about killing somebody or glamorizing about gang lifestyle. All this is explained in the first song, "The Weight", a jazzy background music with a spoken dialogue.
I felt the the album seems to have a theme of a location and places. As if each songs were stops along a journey through urban America. For instance, "El Dorado" sounds a city you'd like to visit, but not stay ("let's leave it all behind"). This song was recently awarded Best Rap/Hip-Hop song on the 7th Annual Independent Music Award Winner. You can hear the song proudly displayed on their myspace.
The other song that stood out for me was their not-so-hidden bonus track, "The Battle Of Now". This is a powerful song about rape (at least that's what I'm interpreting it). The woman vocals are provided by Margaret Vagle, who I only wish sang on more Animate Objects songs.
My song of choice is "Beautiful", a song featuring guest falsetto of Charles Hammond Jr. This is unlike most hip-hop songs, as the usage of the violins would reveal.
What I really like about this album is that the music is all originally composed for each song. I couldn't detect any sampling (and if some were used, it's not so obvious).
According to their official website, you can own the 12 track album for a mere $5. This is a really cheap price for a full length, so I suggest you take advantage of it before someone change their mind. Look for them at the five-day Pygmalion Music Festival.
I actually have loads of music-related news for the last week of April, before venturing into May. All stories are from press.weheartmusic.com, click on the headline to read the full story.
Patti Smith and Kevin Shields Present: The Coral Sea
I'm very excited to mention that Patti Smith (pattismith.net) is teaming up with Kevin Shields (myspace.com/kkevinsshields), from My Bloody Valentine, to release a 2-disc set of their live performance of The Coral Sea on July 11th.
The recording are from sold-out performances and from my understanding, it includes guitars by Shields with Smith on spoken words, reading poetry.
It should be interesting to hear more of this, and I'll keep you updated as soon as I hear more.
The Time Of The Assassins Announce USA 'Awake In Slumberland' Tour
I have been playing Assassin's Creed on the PS3, so I thought it would be nice to mention Melbourne Australia's The Time Of The Assassins (thetimeoftheassassins.com)
who announced their US tour dates a few weeks ago. I don't actually any
of their music (too lazy/I have too much music to work to request
more), but they seem punk to me.
Judging from their tour dates, they are doing extreme west and east coast.
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Apr 30 - Que Sera - Long Beach, CA
May 01 - The Knitting Factory - Hollywood, CA
May 05 - Dipiazza - Long Beach, CA
May 15 - The Roxy Theatre - West Hollywood, CA
May 18 - Angels Road House - Yucaipa / Apple Valley, CA
May 25 - Luna Lounge - Brooklyn, NY
May 26 - Trash Bar - Brooklyn, NY
May 28 - Asbury Lanes - Asbury Park, NJ
May 29 - Rock Star Bar - Brooklyn, NY
May 30 - Lit Lounge - New York, NY
Joan Jett Refueled and Ready For Spring/Summer Tour
It's true, whenever you say Joan Jett (joanjett.com), you have to include "Rock Legend".
She announced a Greatest Hits CD/DVD combo coming out in September. That's a long way from now, so you might as well get your fix on her Summer tour dates. As a special bonus, some of these dates are going to be with Cyndi Lauper. Those girls, they just wanna have fun.
May 21 - Santa Fe, NM - Camel Rock Casino
June 7 - Fairfax, VA - Celebrate Fairfax
June 21 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion (True Colors Tour)
June 22 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center (True Colors Tour)
June 25 - Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theatre (True Colors Tour)
June 27 - Alpine, CA - Viejas Casino (True Colors Tour)
June 28 - El Paso, TX - El Paso Downtown Street Festival
June 29 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park Amphitheatre
July 2 - San Rafael, CA - Marin County Fair
July 3 - Miami, FL - Miccosukee Resort
July 9 - Calgary, Alberta - Fort Calgary
July 12 - Beloit, WI - Beloit Riverfest
July 19 - Fond Du Lac, WI - Fond Du Lac County Fair
July 24 - London, Ontario - Rock The Park
July 25 - Oswego, NY - Harborfest
July 26 - Buffalo, NY - Gateway Park
Aug 16 - Louisville, KY - Kentucky State Fair
Aug 22 - Niagara Falls, NY - Seneca Niagara Casino
Aug 23 - Syracuse, NY - New York State Fair
Aug 28 - Milwaukee, WI - Miller Park
Aug 30 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest Harley Davidson 105th Anniversary
Sept 6 - Grand Junction, CO - Festival Grounds
Sep 22 - Bakersfield, CA Kern - County Fair
Walter Meego To Tour With Presets In Support Of New Album
Just quickly, I wanted to mention that Walter Meego (waltermeego.com) is going on tour in May, to promote their Voyager album out on May 27th.
I thought these guys are very good electronic/dance, you can read more about them on W♥M
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May 20, 2008 El Ray Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
May 21, 2008 Mezzanine, San Francisco, CA
May 22, 2008 Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR
May 24, 2008 Plaza Club, Vancouver, BC
May 26, 2008 Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
May 27, 2008 Larimer Lounge, Denver, CO
May 29, 2008 Triple Rock Club, Minneapolis, MN
May 30, 2008 The Abbey Pub, Chicago, IL
May 31, 2008 Anti, Toronto, ON
June 1, 2008 Cabaret Music Hall, Montreal, QC
June 2, 2008 Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
June 4, 2008 Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
June 5, 2008 Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
June 6, 2008 Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA
That's it for this week. Keep your eyes out for an exciting announcement on W♥M in May!
04/30/2008 08:19:56
vu
my♥posts
www.weheartmusic.com
This week's review theme are debut albums! Be sure to click "read more" to check out more of the band, including additional videos, pictures, and tour information.
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Walter Meego Justin Sconza and Colin Yarck together are Walter Meego, a band based out of Chicago, Illinois. With already FOUR EPs (Walter Meego, Hollywood, Romantic, and Usually), their debut album, Voyager is set for release on May 27, 2008. I got an advance copy a few months ago, so please note that the final mix may in fact be different than the ones I have. Please also note that I did not receive an approved album artwork, so the mock-up artwork I've included here is not the final album artwork. I'm glad to see that Meego are not just about dance beats, but sings on many of their songs. The lyrics aren't "dum dum" either, they actually fit and sounds really great in accordance to the music. [ read more ] |
Josh Fix Free at Last is debut album by Josh Fix, a musician from San Francisco, California. I wanted to mention his current location, because apparently Fix was born in South Africa (!). According to his biography, he was first noticed by the SF Chronicle (front cover story) in 2005, when he was asked to open up for the legendary The Who. Although Fix's sound isn't so much rock, I'm almost certain his piano-driven songs would be well-received by The Who's audience. The track that really stood out will probably be "Rock And Roll Slut" with its very personal lyrics: [ read more ] |
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The Details I'm actually familiar with The Details before through some downloads of a 2007's Parliament of Trees sampler on Virb. The label's that's putting this out is based out of Winnipeg, Canada, and they have already released The Paperbacks's An Illusion Against Death and The Details' Draw a Distance. Draw a Border. Draw a Distance comes with a nice 16 lyric booklet inside a digipak packaging and I really generally like the minimalistic design and artwork by Lisa Friesen. There's a few good tracks off the new album, ranging from all out alternative rock to sensitive rock. [ read more ] |
Running Still Running Still are from Brooklyn, New York, and they have a self-titled debut album that was released sometime earlier this year. Their myspace lists that they're influenced by Pink Floyd, Coldplay, Radiohead, etc., and listening to their album, I can hear some of their influences in their song. Their songs seems to be about life and personal experiences, such as in "Fly" with the line "life is just like playing cards/sometime you lose". In "Ordinary", singer Asi Meskin, shows his doubt, stating what sounds like "I don't belong with, I'm ordinary." [ read more ] |
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Pleasureboaters From what I've read about Pleasureboaters, is that it seems that they've been together since 2005 and have steadily built up their fans through the Seattle, Washington, area. They finally have released a debut album called ¡Gross! on February 12, 2008. Not really sure how I would describe their music, it sounds to me that they're almost noise artists doing thrash metal... which needs to experience live to fully appreciate what they're trying to do. I may have to include a live video of them for example. [ read more ] |
Josiah Wordsworth I wanted to mention Josiah Wordsworth's debut album, Wordsworth!, was released March 18th. I found out that his name is actually Jordan Slominski and he's based in St Paul, Minnesota. I'll have to point out that I don't actually have his album or debut EP called Blue State, which was released in 2007, but based on the few songs I listened to, it sounds like a lot of jazz piano with a rock n roll sensibility. The two songs I've heard on Wordsworth! are instrumentals, so I am assuming the rest of the album have no lyrics. It's still enjoyable. [ read more ] |
03/23/2008 14:35:16 vu my♥posts www.weheartmusic.com
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This is the weekly news round up for the week of 3/16. I usually try and get these out on Sunday, but obviously that doesn't always happen. Also, sometime the weekly news isn't all that interesting (at least to me), so it's hard to to compile at least three items to talk about.
Thankfully, we got some great items to talk about. As usual, all these stories can be accessed via press.weheartmusic.com. If you have news announcements (and especially if we've already mention your band), please send them to info@weheartmusic.com.
80s prog rockers YES have returned with a 26 date tour. Below is an excerpt from the press release, for further information (including all the dates) head over to YES Returns For 40th Anniversary North American Tour:
With a remarkable 40 year career that has time and again redefined the boundaries of rock, musical pioneers YES have announced 2008 tour dates to take place this summer. Marking the first national tour for the band in over five years, the 26 date jaunt will bring the iconic band’s virtuosic musicianship and exhilarating live shows to amphitheatres and arenas across North America. The tour will kick off July 12th in Quebec City and wrap-up on August 22nd in Los Angeles.
I wanted to add that YES, The Police, Mister Mister, The Eagles, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins/Genesis, and U2, were basically what I grew up on :)
I just can't believe the band's been together for 40 years!
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Tour Dates
03/21 Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
03/22 Jacksonville, FL @ TSI 03/24 Atlanta, GA @ Earl 03/25 Washington, DC @ DC 9 03/26 Philadelphia, PA @ Northstar Bar 03/27 Toronto, ON @ TBD 03/28 Montreal, PQ @ Zoobizare 03/29 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 03/30 New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom 04/02 Leeds, UK @ Josephs Well 04/03 Manchester, UK @ Roadhouse 04/04 Birmingham, UK @ Rainbow 04/05 Liverpool, UK @ Evol 04/07 Brighton, UK @ Hector's House 04/08 London, UK @ Buffalo Bar 04/26 Wellington, UK @ New Zealand Bush Buds Festival |
I wanted to mention that New Zealand's Die! Die! Die! are currently on tour. We have the album for review, it's just I've been very busy (currently reviewing debut albums over at ♫ew music), so I wanted to at least mention their tour dates before their last date in America (3/20).
These rock n roller lads are said to have the spirit of Black Flag and the Pixies on their stage pressence, so be sure to check them. I'm going to request to have Ryan review them on one of the UK date, so cross your fingers.
Of the song titles that I scanned, I thought "Sideways, Here We Come" might be a nod to The Smiths' Strangeways, Here We Come (which in turn was a nod to Billy Liar's "Borstal, here we come" quote).
Listening to the song, I didn't detect any Morrisseyness :( - but that may not be a bad thing.
See Die! Die! Die! is on tour for more details.
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Lair of the Minotaur adds even more detail of destruction!
Live4Metal said:
Storming out of the gates with a dirty combination of thrash laden doom similar to that of High On Fire, and old school death metal reminiscent of Bolt Thrower, but with considerably less polish, War Metal Battle Master is a ferocious album from start to finish.
They're starting out on tour in the midwest, then to the East Coast with The Ocean, Kylesa, and Withered (in May), and by June, they'll be making their way to California with The Ocean and Intronaut:
06/12/2008 Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ
06/13/2008 Audie’s Olympic - Fresno, CA
06/14/2008 Annie’s Social Club - San Francisco, CA
06/15/2008 Jumping Turtle - San Marcos, CA
06/16/2008 Downtown Brew - San Luis Obispo, CA
06/17/2008 Knitting Factory - Hollywood, CA
For the full tour dates, check out LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR.... coming to your town to burn it to the ground - and also be sure to read Soup's Lair of the Minotaur's Review.
03/21/2008 00:03:34
vu
my♥posts
weheartmusic.com
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03/18/08 Kuma’s Corner Chicago, IL
03/28/08 The Ritz Warren, Michigan[1] 03/29/08 Ravari Room Columbus, OH[1] 03/30/08 Peabody’s Pirate Cleveland, OH[1] 03/31/08 Melody Inn Indianapolis, IN[1] 04/01/08 The Note Chicago, Illinois[1] 04/03/08 Mojo’s Columbia, Missouri[1] 04/04/08 Cactus Club Milwaukee, WI[1] 04/05/08 Triple Rock Minneapolis, MN[1] 04/06/08 Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, IA[1] [1] w/ Today Is The Day, Mouth of the Architect and Complete Failure |
So here's one for the headbangers among us. Chicago's Lair of the Minotaur are dropping their new album, War Metal Battle Master on March 25th. Described as “a concept album about solving conflicts with a big fucking axe,” each of its eight tracks have been carefully engineered to split your skull with brutal thrash!
“Horde of Undead Vengeance” starts off the album in fine form. Fast, thrashy, with some definite death metal influence on the guitars, held together with surprisingly technical drumming, sludgy bass, and a good range of high and low vocals.
The obvious first single (for which the video is being premiered at a listening party in Chicago on March 8th) comes next. “War Metal Battle Master” starts off fast and never lets up. The guitar riffs are reminiscent of a slightly rawer Mastodon, and the vocals go back and forth between lows and highs in a sort of call and response with themselves. Even at three and a half minutes, this track feels incredibly epic.
“When the Ice Giants Slayed All” recalls Master of Puppets era Metallica. Slightly (but only slightly) slower than the first two tracks, but just as heavy, with plenty of sludge to give weight to the track's three minutes.
The vocals really shine on “Slaughter the Bestial Legion” with more call and response between the lows and the highs. This is also the longest track on the album so far at a little over five minutes. The little bit of extra time goes a long way toward giving the track that epic feel that this band creates so well. The head-crushing breakdown at the end is pretty wicked.
This is followed up by a shorter track, “Black Viper Barbarian Clan,” highlighted, appropriately, by serpentine guitar lines and spastic drumming that almost sounds punk rock in places. Throw in a few time changes, and some of the best vocals on the record, and more of that sludgy-ass bass, and you've got one a stand-out track.
Next is “Assassins of the Cursed Mist,” which is just slightly longer than “Slaughter the Bestial Legion.” Most of the track kinda sticks to mid-tempo, catchy riffing, and more sludge, occasionally breaking down to a bass and guitar drone to catch its breath. The last minute makes this song for me, with the guitar highlighting a slight tunefulness in the vocals.
Next is the album's centerpiece. “Doomtrooper” is an almost ten minute, sludgy, doom epic, starting out with an atmospheric keyboard (at least, I think it's a keyboard) before the band comes in, slower and sludgier than anywhere else on the album. The pinch harmonics on the guitar, while pretty common on every other track here, really get the spotlight here, as does the lower end of the vocals, and the actual skill of the drummer, and that awesome punchy bass sound. Six minutes in, it breaks down to just a guitar, joined by another guitar, followed by the rest of the band, and a more aggressive couple verses. Then they bring it back around, break it down, and end the song with the same sludge that started it. This is definitely my favorite track on here.
It leads directly into “Hades Unleashed,” which opens with a guitar line reminiscent of Iron Maiden, and then it's out the gates with a Slayer-like aggression on the vocals and guitars, interspersed with sludgy riffing and lyrics about the apocalypse! A fitting end. Almost every song on this album is a miniature epic on its own, and even at a svelte forty minutes, the sheer sludge gives it the weight of an album twice as long.
This album comes out on Southern Lord on March 25th, three days before the band heads out on a US tour with Today is the Day, Mouth of the Architect, and Complete Failure, followed by a European tour. There's a listening party at Kuma's Corner in Chicago on March 8th, at 10 PM.
They'll be premiering the uncensored video for the first single there, and the limited edition version of the CD will be available for purchase. The CD will feature illustrations by Jeremy Mohler and a 20 page booklet with illustrations for each song (and hopefully lyrics, because they sound pretty cool, despite the fact that I don't have them in front of me as I'm writing this). This is a damn solid metal release, and I'd definitely say it's worth picking up, especially if thrashy death and doom influenced metal sounds like something you'd like.
02/27/2008 08:57:18
soup
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Oh Astro are a married couple, Jane Dowe & Hank Hofler, from Illinois. Their sound consists of sampling and mixing, sort of like an experimental mashup.
Reading their biography, it said that Dowe actually released a CD prior to Oh Astro (Institutional Collaborative as Terre Thaemlitz/Jane Dowe in 1998).
It would seem that Dowe & Hofler first collaborated on their debut album, Hello World. From what I've read, their live shows seems to have a lot of programming, videos, and improvisation. Kind of what you would find in performance art musicians.
Well they're back now with a new album called Champions of Wonder which was released November 6, 2007 on Illegal Art.
Although most of their songs consists of nothing but samples, there are songs that their daughters sings on (Lucy on "Lucy Sees the Moon" and Ella on "Robot Love I Love You").
The first two songs is available for download on their website. The second song, "Hello Fuji Boy" I think may be lifted from Lionel Richie's "Hello" but it sounds so warped that you're not quite sure.
I did look it up on their myspace blog and it does list these samples as part of the song: Hot Chip "Boy From School," Fujiya & Miyagi "Ankle Injuries," and Lionel Richie "Hello".
It also looks like they're going to be playing around in the Illinois area, so if you reside there, check them out:
Tour Date
01/22/08 Laura A. Sprague Gallery Joliet, IL
01/25/08 K2005 Joliet, IL
02/09/08 the kitchen Normal, IL
01/07/2008 08:46:42
vu
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Tour
12/05/07 Scottish Chamber - Dumfries, Scotland 12/06/07 Scottish Chamber - Edinburgh, Scotland 12/07/07 Scottish Chamber - Glasgow, Scotland 12/08/07 Scottish Chamber - Aberdeen, Scotland 02/02/08 Ithaca College - Ithaca, NY 02/03/08 Ithaca College - Ithaca, NY 02/23/08 Music Institute of Chicago - Illinois 03/03/08 Jupiter Symphony - New York, NY 03/07/08 Dayton Philharmonic - Dayton, Ohio 03/08/08 Dayton Philharmonic - Dayton, Ohio 03/18/08 University of Chicago - Illinois 03/20/08 Jacksonville Symphony - Florida 03/21/08 Jacksonville Symphony - Florida 03/22/08 Jacksonville Symphony - Florida 03/29/08 Columbus Symphony Columbus, Georgia 04/14/08 Jupiter Symphony - New York, NY 04/17/08 Northwest Indiana Symphony - Merrillville, IN 04/17/08 Lane Tech Orchestra - Chicago, IL 04/25/08 New Philharmonic - Glen Ellyn, IL 04/26/08 New Philharmonic - Glen Ellyn, IL 04/15/08 Puerto Rico Symphony San Juan Discography
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You know, there's definitely going to be another Bands From Chicago, Illinois entry later. In the meantime, here's another Chicagoan: Rachel Barton Pine. I've previously mentioned her here before, but this entry is just for her 2006 album American Virtuosa: Tribute to Maud Powell.
You know, I'm the type of person that actually enjoy reading liner notes from albums (this is why I am still not going to totally convert to a digital medium just yet). This album comes with a whopping 23+ page booklet.
Most
of the text are a well-researched mini-biography of Maud Powell,
written by founder and president of The Maud Powell Society for Music
and Education, Karen A Shaffer.
Not only do you get a CD full of Classical period pieces (all the songs were written between Powell's time period of 1800s and 1900s), but you also get to learn a lot about this American violinist. You can only imagine her struggles back then, especially because of her gender.
Powell actually never wrote any original compositions, which may explain why she's not more well-known in this century. What this album achieve is celebrating her life and bringing attention of her to a modern household.
Many of these songs on the album was arranged or transcribed by Powell. There were a few that Powell probably haven't played, but were recorded in dedication to her.
All of the songs are very good, there's a lot of variety in the choices of songs.
For instance, "Molly on the Shore" is an Irish-style song (originally written by Percy Aldridge Grainger). There's a lot of sharp and quick strokes in this song that would most likely keeps your toes tapping.
Another dance-designed song is the quick "Minute Waltz" by Frédéric Chopin, which the violin seems to weave in and out in different directions. It's also probably the shortest waltz you've ever heard, but it does last more than a minute (it's two minutes long).
The most American song on this album is "Caprice on Dixie" by Herman Bellstredt Jr., which contain his interpretation of the popular song, "Dixie". In this version, there seems to be almost some hand-plucked sounds from the violin (?), so it sounds like you can play this with a fiddle.
Here's a listing of all the songs appearing on this album:
| Beach: Romance, Op. 23 | Grainger: Molly on the Shore | Dvorak: Songs My Mother Sang |
| Sibelius: Musette from King Christian II | Bauer: Up the Ocklawaha, Op. 6 | Chopin: “Minute” Waltz, Op. 64, No. 1 |
| Venth: Aria | Palmgren: May Night | Coleridge-Taylor: Deep River, Op. 59, No. 10 |
| Dvorak: Humoreske, Op. 101, No. 7 | Danks: Silver Threads Among the Gold | Bellstedt, Jr.: Caprice on Dixie |
| Huss: Romance | Gilbert: Marionettes (Scherzo) | Burleigh: Four Rocky Mountain Sketches,Op.11 |
| Massenet: Twilight (Créspuscule) from Poèmes | Liebling: Fantasia on Sousa Themes | Johnson: Nobody Knows the Trouble I See |
NOTES
For more information about Maud Powell, check out: maudpowell.org. If you like what you've read and heard, you can buy the album (with the gigantic lyric book) at Cedille Records (it's currently on sale for $12.80).
You can also hear more American Virtuosa songs in the background of my video Cooking with Vu, Episode 2 - however Stage6 wasn't working the last time I checked.
12/01/2007 21:47:50
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