Dedicated Ears Music Blog

Dedicated Ears Most Listened To Albums/EP's of 2011

2011-12-26T11:28:00.002-06:00

Over the course of this year I got hooked on post rock, electro pop, Baroque pop and a lot of experimental pop. I had the good fortune to be turned on to a lot of good music, including some on this list suggested by DC from The Waiting Room Radio Show podcast, which I suggest you check out. I am fortunate to be friends with a lot of great musicians and bands and am lucky to know them and see them play. I also want to say thanks to the bands on this list and all bands that have free downloads of their music. Thanks to you who read this.

1) Tune Yards - W H O K I L L (Beggars Group USA) Merrill Garbus' move to a label (Beggars USA) did not diminish her inventiveness. The centerpiece of these songs is her amazing ear for making a melody out of even disparate pieces of sound as on "Riotriot" and "Es-so". It is almost a given just two albums and one ep in that Merrill could make any type of music she desired.

2) Radiohead - King Of Limbs Radiohead releases have varied in their accessibility since OK Computer. This album has something for all Radiohead fans. More relatable songs like "Lotus Flower" and less typical songs like "Feral". Rhythm is centric to King Of Limbs and some of its brightest moments are when the rhythm is right along side the electronic burps and hiccups. At this point you are either in or not with what Radiohead has morphed their sound into. I enjoy it immensely.

3) Liam Finn - FOMO (Yep Rock Records) Liam Finn culls sound inspiration from the 50's ("Cold Feet"), and 80's("The Struggle") along with overall production that echoes the 70's. This mixture is held together with Liam's songwriting about girls won and girls lost as well as just boozy good time songs like "Real Late". This album has a general narrative and I think these songs work really well as an album. One of my top 5 played songs this year was the propulsive "Don't Even Know Your Name".

4) The Juliets - Perfect Season This Michigan baroque pop quartet is soulfully fronted by Jeremy Freer (piano, guitar vocals). For me it's hard to imagine The Juliets improving on their self titled debut, but they have managed exactly that on Perfect Season. The seamless incorporation of the violin and cello as evidenced on "Fashion" is what sets them apart from others in the baroque pop genre. Throw in the beautiful instrumental track "The Lost Memory" and a smidgen of hip hop and jazz influenced drumming on "G.W.N.L" and you have a complete album.

5) Jump Starts - Ready, Set, Go... St. Louis duo Justin Johnson (guitar, vocals), and Sarah Ross (drums, vocals) use simplicity in their duo take on 50's pop on tracks like "Long Way Home" and 80's new wave on "Lie In Your Bed". I was fortunate to have Justin send me the original demos a while back and they were good, but this mix is even better. This mix showcases Justin's songwriting and vocals as well as Sarah's loose style drumming that make these song very memorable. They use the simple harmonies well and create clean fun pop songs.

6) The End Of The Ocean - Pacific.Atlantic (Future Recordings) Columbus Ohio post rock heavyweights create a sonic landscape on Pacific.Atlantic that makes this album sound like one beautiful long song with several different movements. From the cinematic "to be buried and discovered again" to the 11 minute slow burn of "we always think there is going to be more time...", every sound on this album was planned very well. They are on a great post rock/ambient label called Future Recordings. Check them out.

7) il abanico - Crossing Colors EP L.A. via Boston post punk pop band originally from Bogota. Quite the lineage. I can hear the influence of Central/South American rhythm on "Cold Outside". Another one of my most played tracks of the year is "Keep Calling" with its ridiculously addictive vocals by Juliana Ronderos. The bass line anchors the song. About the only negative was the length. Here's hoping they put out an LP soon.

8) Wizard Oz - Flower Days Delicious lo-fi noise pop from Melbourne's Wizard Oz, about whom there isn't a whole lot of info. I do know that these off kilter songs play a little game trying to hide a catchy melody buried in amongst noise and reverb as on "Horse Tails". Even more experimental is "Wait Up" and the cheery, almost all instrumental "Raiden". This is very catchy stuff that just hides from time to time. Love the looseness of the production on this.

9) The Black Atlantic - Darkling, I Listen (Beep! Beep! Back up the Truck) They're back... with another addictive set of songs, this time an EP. From the sheer scope of the beauty on "The Aftermath (Of This Unfortunate Event)" to the soaring harmonies and interesting percussion on the title track, Geert, Kim, Matthijs , and Simon have made an indelible EP. It's official release is such that I have only had this since I pre-ordered my vinyl (you can too!) and got the digital DL a few weeks ago.

10) dusthoney - lipstick chorale (cllct.com) On her Jamendo page, dusthoney claims she has made this album by "scattered 'i don't know how to record things' piano improv". I think she's pulling our leg. On "japanese justice" she infuses middle eastern sound break beats with other electronic textures to create a addictive loop. The pretty nature of "forget the sun" gives way to a dissonant trudge of "gunflower". At times I forget I am listening to electronic music and get drawn into the atmosphere of these songs.

11) Paper Dolls - Sparks Baroque pop from St. Louis fronted by Jenn Malzone. I'm not sure they could open with a more catchy piano riff than on album opener "Middle Class Fashion" which cedes to a hell of a hook. The experimental vocals on "First Draft" add a really nice touch. This is muscular baroque pop. The time shifts help keep the sound moving and unpredictable.

12) Lupe de Lupe - Recreio EP (Fórceps Discos) Hailing from Belo Horizonte and playing a mixture of noisy shoe gaze on "Brejo das Almas" and including Brazilian music influence rock on "A Escrava Isaura", Lupe de Lupe move about these sounds creating a chameleon of an album. I love the immediacy of the simple production and no overdubbing, making for a glorious raw sound.

13) Parts and Labor - Constant Future Math rock vets offer up what appears to be their last album for a while. This album went back to their roots but with cleaner production than the early albums. There are a lot of headphones and speakers that are happy for that.

14) Shy - Shy California shoe-gaze grunge band that delivers big guitars, dreamy vocals and a 90's centered sound that will make you miss those times but be thankful for this album. Check out the guitar brakes on "Shift". So good. It's only four songs but they get to the point quickly.

15) Big Blood - Big Blood and The Wicked Hex (donttrusttheruin) Superb dark folk by Colleen Kinsella and Caleb Mulkerin. Her wail is very affecting and the way the bass loosely slinks just adds to the darker nature of these songs. "Run" is pretty entrancing. You can download 12 of their releases for free on their Free Music Archive page.

16) Syd Lane - Solstice Prolific (60 tracks since 2009) Irish songstress Syd Lane originally went by the name Loaded Whispers, and so began my affection for her music. Solstice features dreamy songs like "This Invert Reality" that speak of the summer with their brightness. The gauzy goodness of "The Moon and The Liar" is my favorite track on here, replete with angelic harmonies. These songs are a mix of alt country, 60's folk, and shoe gaze.

17) Dodos - No Color (Frenchkiss Records) Merging tribal rhythms and indie pop, the Dodo's stand out again on their second album, No Color. The David Byrne inspired "Don't Try To Hide It" is my top track on here.

18) Various Artists - Voy a Explotar Soundtrack (Club Fonograma) This soundtrack is for a Mexican film. It's got quite a back story you can check out at the link above. I had already downloaded the likes of Jovenes y Sexys and Carlos Reyes. This soundtrack is deep with great songs and is a free download on Free Music Archive.

19) Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps (Sub Pop) Greg Dulli and company never disappoint. Dulli's howl and the tight band move in and out of sounds and tempos. "Last Night In Town" is the quintessential Twilight Singers song. Feels like I am at home when listening to it. Dulli and band deliver their grinding wailing stamp on "On The Corner".

20) Northernists - Mama and the Loerie EP This EP marks the second really good ep in a row for Toronto folk band The Northernists. Their songs reside in a beautiful dream like state with harp, cello and beautiful vocals by Hannah Strauss. The title track is nothing short of amazing, so beautiful.

21) Declan de Barra - Fragments, Footprints and the Forgotten Ireland native and L.A. resident who has a resonant, low pitched voice that delivers these folk songs and reminds me in the best way of Johnny Cash and Nick Cave. The straight forward storytelling on "Sunrise" is quite convincing, especially as he raises the pitch of his voice.

Dedicated Ears 2011 Most Listened To Chicago Albums/EP

2011-12-21T19:35:00.001-06:00

Three years in with this blog, as well as birthing Dedicated Ears Legal Album/EP List (on which you can find many of the albums below), I consider myself quite lucky. Lucky to have a wife who encouraged me to start this blog in the first place as well as work with me to get me to a lot of shows. Lucky to have met such great artists and humble people as are on this list, as well as countless others. Having friends like August from Novo and Rebecca from Betta. It's pretty amazing how this big organism that is Chicago music works together for a daily purpose. Thanks to all of the musicians who have sent me music, as well as those who had their music up for free that I randomly ran into. Thanks to all the invites I got for shows, both the ones attended as well as the ones received daily that I can't attend because my job is stay at home dad to 3 monkeys under 5 years old. In the end it's all about the music and I am probably aware of maybe 10% of the music made in this city. So my hat's off to all of you who make music!

Cheers
Tony

1) Dastardly - May You Never... Fronted by Gabe Liebowitz, this band has more than a little honky-tonk kick-ass in them. Be it classic cartoon imagery in "Villain" or a humorously self-deprecating song like "Exercise In Self Loathing", Dastardly makes both the lyrics and the instrumentation a fun ride. They WILL make you change your mind about what you think is honky-tonk or country. Gabe's wavering vocals when harmonizing with Sarah Morgan is as good as it gets. You can almost see the tumble weeds blowing by you as you listen to "Traffic", a perfect closer for this album.

2) Jennifer Hall - In This Jen Hall exploded on the Chicago music scene this year. Her jazzy "Green and Blue" shows an assured voice and an innate ability to translate her emotions. The wittily written "Like I Lie You" showcases Jen's ability to really deliver some notes from her heels. That's when the true magic moments appear. She is backed by a very good band and In This establishes them as a force.

3) The Bears Of Blue River - Dames Channeling 50's Doo-wop pop with some kind of excellence are Gavin Wilkinson and The Bears Of Blue River. There is an overall laid-back vocal styling between Gavin and Margaret Alexandra Gard on songs like "Cry Baby". "Blue River" is my favorite. The band has such a full sound on this album. They play off one another really well. You can't help but smile while listening to these songs.

4) Collages - Maya Jesse Bustamante is Collages and makes electronic psych-pop music. You've got a good mix of pop-oriented songs like "Circle", and more experimental fare such as "Hemadeus". The reggae-tinged, trippy "Like A Paternal Tree" is my favorite track on this album and has a really nice break in it 2/3 of the way through the song before it builds again. There is some nice attention to composition on this album.

5) Mutts - Pray For Rain Mike Maimone's voice is front and center on this album, which explores some new ground for these gods of the bottom end. The growl of "Fool" is Mutts' classic sound and the more experimental "Save Us" is a doomed call from the apocalypse if I've ever heard one. It's nice to see Mike and this really tight band exploring new territory. "Done Again" is my favorite track, which finds the guys using a little restraint and some really nice percussion. That fade toward the end and the subsequent buildup is magical.

6) Tom Schraeder - Egoiste If there is one thing I've learned this year, it's don't call Tom a singer-songwriter. Also, he has a disdain for the band Muse. And he just happened to make an album that sounds like it may be a computer constructed album, but it wasn't done that way. "Be Well" is my favorite here and sounds as if it were remixed, only it wasn't. These songs are a departure from Tom's already cool sound. He seems very confident with the switch.

7) Save The Clocktower - Carousel From the electronic tones of "Drip" to the rock of "You've Got Me" to "Trapped Noise" (which splits the two genres), Jimmy Shenk and company have created some catchy songs. "Far Apart" is my favorite. The mixture of programmed drums and electric guitars make for a bright sound, while the melody suckers you in.

8) Paper Thick Walls - A Thousand Novels Eric Michaels and Kate Schell have created a confident bunch of pop songs that cover quite a bit of ground musically. The standout track for me is the beautiful "NyQuil", which features simultaneous dual lead vocals in a throwback to 70's FM radio staples. The introduction of the strings on this song is really nice.

9) Greg Gibbs - The Lights How could something so simple be so good? Listen to The Lights and find out. From the acoustic wonder "To Come Undone" to the bouncy, electric-charged "Wasted Plans", this album is full of songs that will be in your head for days after you listen to them. The flashes of electronica, as on "Orwellian Soccer Blues", give this album another dimension. It's amazing to think Greg does this on the side and doesn't play out (his day job is owner of Chicago Bagel Authority restaurants).

10) Vortis - Things Won't Get Better Punk done well is always fun times in my book. L. Calvano, J. DeRogatis, C. Martiniano, and T. Tavano play hard-charging punk with an industrial influence. Definitely check out the 1 min 27 sec wonder of "Hate Our Condition". This is punk as I remember it, you know, before Green Day.

11) Yay! Conifers - Mt. Pilchuck Comprised of Lüke and Miranda Rae, who met in college and now are teamed up in Portland making some sweet electro-pop. Miranda's voice works really well with Lüke's electronic arrangements. "Buy Local" has quite a few musical shifts and is my favorite on this ep.

12) Teenage Rage - the original teenage rage! The tribe that is Teenage Rage have made a raw sounding gem of an album that reminds you of the 50's for sure. From the turbulent but sweet "tragiccowboy", with Will on vocals, to the prettily sung "oh teenager" by Emme, these songs have a common tone and yet they are different. My favorite is "Windmills", with Will delivering a slice-of-life subject for this song he sings.

The Juliets - Perfect Season (album review)

2011-12-09T14:57:00.001-06:00

The Juliets are:
Jeremy Freer - Piano, Guitar, Vocals
Sarah Myers - Violin, Vocals
Kaylan Mitchell - Cello
Ashton Hopkins - Bass
Jacklyn Phillips - Drums

After the Juliets self titled debut album landed in my most listened to albums last year, I eagerly awaited the release of their follow up, Perfect Season. I had the good fortune to book them for a show at The Chopin (video below), see them play some of the songs they were working on for Perfect Season, and talk with the band. It was great to talk to Jeremy about his influences (Motown) as well as see that he had a big picture view for the band and knew how he wanted to get the band to that place. As far as their sound goes the Juliets are able to blend elements of rock, soul, indie and baroque that all add up to a sound that can only be claimed by them.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://thejuliets.bandcamp.com/album/perfect-season"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Perfect Season by The Juliets&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;Where their self-titled debut was tight and sounded as if they had made it all at once in one massive great session, Perfect Season has an array sounds on it and finds them experimenting with their instruments, as opposed to incorporating other sounds and instruments. Some nuanced turns of the strings are played incredibly capably by Sarah Myers (violin) and Kaylan Mitchell (cello), as evidenced on the song "A Perfect Season". The way they fill the background from the middle to the end of the song is not something you would describe by proclaiming "yes there are strings in there". But the effect on the listener is a rich sound that is accentuated by Jeremy Freer's swooning vocals, light falsetto, and just the right amount of guitar played by Jeremy as well.

The pop punch of "Heart In Heart" is a rollicking track that easily could have been on their first album, although slightly different with the drumming of Jacklyn Phillips, replete with loose marching snare rolls and nice jazz touches as well. Jacklyn just joined the band (didn't play on their first album), and to see her play live was happily surprising due to the way she mixed more traditional rock and hip hop drumming together. Who would have thought?

"The Lost Memory" is a bit of a change up for the band, and a welcomed one at that with waltz timed instrumentals and contributions from the whole band. Hell, if they put out a whole album of this I would really enjoy it.

"You Found Me Out" finds Jeremy's falsetto and piano interplay being accentuated by Ashton Hopkins bass line almost as a call and response. Add short burst of strings and this is a delicious pop nugget that leads you to bob you head with the rhythm.

With as well as Jeremy can write a pop hook and marry it to his piano playing, the one thing that might not scream out at you is the arrangements of these songs. It goes without saying that all the members of this band contribute and do it well. The Juliets have incorporated the strings so well that they sound seamless amongst the sounds of rock music. Add some hip hop drum flavor and Perfect Season is a singular sounding album that you won't be able to stop listening to. I know my wife and I haven't as we listen to this every few days since it came out. This album will be on my most listened to wrap up in a few weeks. The band has this album as a "name your price 0 minimum download". So help them out with some dough if you are able, but above all share their bandcamp link if you like it like I do.

Here's the video for The Juliets performing "Loon" the opening track of Perfect Season. (Dedicated Ears Showcase at Chopin Theatre Chicago on June 19 2010.

Mutts CD Release, Glittermouse EP Release, Sleepy Kitty and Hemmingbirds Thur Dec 1 Subterranean

2011-11-29T10:52:00.001-06:00

Thanks to August at Novo and to Mutts for the invite. This was a loud fun show full of energy and the house was pretty full and very energetic . Sleepy Kitty's indie blues pop sound was pretty catchy and a band you should check out.&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://sleepykitty.bandcamp.com/album/infinity-city"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Infinity City by Sleepy Kitty&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt; Glittermouse also released an ep and played a really nice se as they played a brand of prog indie music that was driven by 3 guitars. you should check out their ep series that they released this year. &amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://glittermouse.bandcamp.com/album/l-ve"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;L*VE by Glittermouse&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;Hemmingbirds never disappoints and played a few songs from the new album they are working on. They seem to get tighter and tighter. Always enjoy talking with them. &amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://store.hemmingbirds.com/album/death-wave"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Death Wave by Hemmingbirds&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;Finally Mutts closed out the show playing a bunch of songs from the new album due out very soon. The album is really good and adds some new sound elements to the Mutts musical oeuvre. I will be doing a review very soon. Always a good time talking with Mike and the band. You can buy a vinyl of his new album, info is on his FB page. There are always so many musicians at Mutts shows and it's fun to talk to all of them. Unfortunately I don't have the best memory, and beer doesn't help matters. So hi to all of them. It was a great time and I would suggest seeing all of these bands.&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://download.muttsmusic.com/album/pray-for-rain"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pray For Rain by Mutts&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

The Goldroom - "All Thumbs" video !!!

2011-11-16T22:42:00.001-06:00

Good friends in Nashville based The Goldroom have a new video for their song "All Thumbs". The song is off their new album The Surrounding Hours, you can see my review of that cool album HERE. The video was shot by Ernie Gray. It's a very solid looking video that was cut well. I enjoy it quite a bit. Linked below is the Bandcamp link you can purchase their album at. The Surrounding Hours by The GoldRoom

The GoldRoom - The Surrounding Hours (LadyLovelyLabel)

2011-09-23T18:05:00.001-05:00

Hailing from Nashville , The GoldRoom play a brand of indie rock that is reminiscent of early 90's Sacramento scene (Deftones) that featured off kilter guitar driven rock with ambient leanings. Also in the mix is the melodic sense of Dave Grohl. There are some nice dissonant touches like on "New Drifter" that give these songs some depth and leaves a rough around the edges sound that I think pays off in spades. Wish more bands would leave some of those rough touches in as I think they convey what it must be like to see the band live. "All Thumbs" is a funk fueled track that would make Living Colour proud. "My Darling" is an instrumental track that is most progressive sounding of the bunch that does a slow smolder throughout. I have had this album on repeat for a while now and it most likely will appear on my year end list. Maybe I can sponsor them on a bill when they come play here!
&amp;lt;a href="http://thegoldroom.bandcamp.com/album/the-surrounding-hours"&amp;gt;The Surrounding Hours by The GoldRoom&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
The GoldRoom are Shane Ball, Darin Ledford, Kevin Torbett and Joey Campbell. They gig out quite a bit in the Nashville area see them live!

Jennifer Hall - In This (album review, Lincoln Hall show review, Schubas album release show preview)

2011-08-26T13:53:00.000-05:00

So this post has been a while in coming. I have had medical issues that precluded me from doing any reviews the way I wanted. Now it has grown to a super post with an album review, show review of Jennifer Hall's show at Lincoln Hall a few weeks ago and a preview of her album release show on Sat. Sept.3rd at Schubas.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://jenniferhall.bandcamp.com/album/in-this"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;In This by Jennifer Hall&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Chicago's Jennifer Hall's debut album In This is a soulfully sung collection of songs that touch on everything from torch song with "Green and Blue" to straight ahead indie rock of "When We Were Good". Though the sound varies the constant of the album is Jennifer's heart felt vocals. In many ways Jennifer reminds me of Lissie with their gritty vocal delivery about every day life. Jennifer does this on "Like I Lie To You" where she laments and accosts, 'touch me like I wish you could... sing to me empty words like I lie to you let's go on pretending...go on fuck the truth.' That's about as succinct as vocals can get. I love it! My favorite track on In This is "Wash Away" which showcases Jennifer's range from whisper quiet to full out blues blast. There is an honesty in her songs and the way that she delivers them the makes her stand out from many who sing the same types of songs. No big strings flourishes or unnecessary sounds. Just a really tight band a pretty nice synergy between band and Jennifer on tracks like "Too Busy Dreaming" which also features some nice harmonies. You can pre-order by clicking on her Bandcamp link above and ordering In This there. She will also be selling vinyl of the album as well.

My wife and I caught her show a few weeks ago at Lincoln Hall and her stage banter had an ease that was a joy to watch. The night's highest point was her high notes that make you amazed such a big sound came from someone her size. Her band was tight and the overall sound was something to behold. I suggest you go see Jennifer Hall's 21 and over release show is at Schubas next Sat 9/3 and will also have Ben Joseph and The Mathematics, as well as Matthew Santos on the bill.

Lizard Kisses - Hirono (Beko DSL)

2011-07-21T16:58:00.000-05:00

&amp;lt;a href="http://lizardkisses.bandcamp.com/album/beko-83-single"&amp;gt;Beko 83 Single by Lizard Kisses&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Usually I don't review singles. I have a hard enough time keeping up with my Creative Commons obsession. The "Hirono" single by New York lo-fi pop music outfit Lizard Kisses is an exceptional case. The band is Marc Merza and Corey Siegler who make intimate pop songs. In this single's three songs are the kind of lazy gauzy pop songs that are a perfect pace for the extremely hot Summer days. This single is innovative in that can be played turned label down and the played on a record player. Have you ever heard of such a thing? I haven't. Below is the Youtube video showing how the single plays on a record player. This is on the very cool Beko DSL which releases some damn fine music and features these singles every Monday. It really nice to see them getting some exposure off the heels on Sleeping In, an album you'll want to check out, which is a name your price download on their bandcamp. If you do download for free, think about purchasing the Beko single or a handmade by Marc and Corey cover cd copy of Sleeping In. This single is innovative and features three pop songs you'll want to listen to. Thanks to Marc and Cory for a copy of the single.

Tune Yards - W H O K I L L ( 4AD )

2011-07-08T13:22:00.000-05:00

W H O K I L L finds the wildly imaginative Merrill Garbus yet again utilizing African rhythms to drive these songs that are a perfect mix of pop, jazz, blues and an outsized amount of soul. The things that were most exciting about Tune -Yards Bird-Brains are still present; the sparse production that let the soul of these songs breathe, a mixture of self recorded samples, and Merrill's voice without effects. The centerpiece of these songs is her amazing ear for making a melody out of even disparate sounds pieces of sound as on "Riotriot" and "Es-so". It is almost a given just two albums and one ep that Merrill could make any type of music she desired.

"Gangsta" starts and stops time and again and is accented by some nice jazz fills on bass and the crazy sax all make for a loud great mess.

"Powa" is 100% raw Merrill. "Your heart, inside, it rocks me like a lullaby" she oozes. (video below)

The beautiful cascade of vocals on "Bizness" (the first single and a free mp3 download) gives way to Merrill's signature insistent pleading vocal style. There are some direct jazz touches in the vocals that then usher in the nice sax runs. "I'm the victim yeah, don't take my life away, don't take my life away".

The Mowtown girl group beauty of "Doorstep" finds Merrill taking old soul to a very new and fresh place. "Well I try so hard to be a peaceful loving woman , I believe that love and understanding were the way, oh but how many gone before you listen to the cries, with my dead heart, how do I find my way through the truth and all the lies". So she writes some very deep lyrics at times.

I would dare anyone to listen to "You Yes You" (video below) and try not to dance. The loop effects on this track are especially nice.

This album has so many different sound textures and feelings because that's how Merrill writes her songs. You can feel exactly what she is feeling. It's amazing to think she could actually grow the sounds of Bird-Brains and still retain the individuality. On top of being a wildly talented songwriter and posessing an ear that many do not, she is in control of the whole process and has created a masterpiece of an album. To date this is my most listened to album for the year and it's well deserved. I can never just listen one track.

I was lucky enough to interview Merrill at the Chopin Theatre in Chicago off her tour of Bird-Brains. She was totally unassuming and accommodating. The gentle soul she sings about being in her music is the person who she is in person. Also she performed a few songs that she was working on for W H O K I L L so I will post a few of those. See her live at all costs, it will be one of the best shows you will see. She is totally invested live. Thanks again to Merrill and Carolyn at 4AD for the interview.

Jump Starts - Ready, Set, Go

2011-06-14T18:16:00.000-05:00

The ever talented singer song-writer Justin Johnson (Pretty Little Empire) is at it again with his new project, Jump Starts. He is joined by Sarah Ross (Paper Dolls) who plays drums, claps and sings. By deductive reasoning this should be a great album. Pretty Little Empire have made my most listened to albums of the last 2 years and Paper Dolls recently released an album I had on repeat, I loved it so much. Well, this album is every bit as good as I would have guessed. Ready, Set Go hearkens back to the 1950's and pays an astute homage to the likes of Buddy Holley and Eddie Cochran. Justin and Sarah add touches of Americana and even a bit of 80's pop sensibility with the way the chorus is repeated as Justin sings the lead over it to make these sparkling pop songs that feature unconventional structures at times.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;a &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;href&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;="http://&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;jumpstarts&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;bandcamp&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;.com/album/ready-set-go"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Ready, Set, Go... by Jump Starts&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

The vocal mix on "It's Not Over" is stellar and showcases Justin's ease with melody. The 50's influenced "Can You Help Me" call and response vocals with Justin's earnest pleading lends a level of urgency to the boy aching about a girl sentiment. "Come Home Come Home" would probably be the radio lead single from this collection of songs. Just the right vocal mix coupled with the little jazz shuffle of Sarah's on drums.

Sarah's loose sounding percussion is the perfect counterpoint to Justin's precise songwriting and tight melodies. I am fortunate to have heard some of these songs in their original form as i-phone demos Justin made with the phone in the bathroom sink. In this Jump Starts form these songs manage to vary by the song structure as well as an ever changing way that Justin and or Sarah sing the choruses. The production is kept sparse and puts a spotlight on the ridiculously talented melodic ears of Justin. I saw Jump Starts play in St. Louis a few months ago and they were every bit addictive live as on Ready Set Go. Justin and Sarah will have a album release show this Sat June 18th at Jefferson Warehouse (St. Louis) with a really cool band Blood Pony (their last show as a band).

Paper Thick Walls - A Thousand Novels

2011-04-15T15:40:00.000-05:00

Paper Thick Walls are Eric Michaels - vocals, guitar, motif / Kate Schell - vocals, piano, trumpet / Roger Sherman- upright bass, Andrew Sabo- drums / Jacques René - fiddle, mandolin, guitar

Chicago's Paper Thick Walls play an indie brand of folk that is colored with the indie pop goings on in Canada as well as the more traditional folk elements of acoustic guitar, and the always cool upright bass. Eric and Kate sing songs about life that are sometimes point and counterpoint and at other times an agreement between the two on their debut album, A Thousand Novels.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://novo.bandcamp.com/album/paper-thick-walls"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Paper Thick Walls by NoVo Arts, Inc&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

The somber beauty of the strings on the track "NyQuil" coupled with Eric and Kate's emotive vocals make this my favorite track on this very strong album. The nice little melody underneath is in no hurry, and adds to laid back feel of this song.

"Desolate Place" feature quite a few bells to the great effect of making the song sound distant. This goes nicely with the lyrics. The music box player at the end of the song is a nice touch and a great way to wind down such a moody song.

The he said she said nature of songwriting doesn't always come off as good as it does on A Thousand Novels. Eric and Kate make for very compelling vocalists and have assemble a very strong band to back those beautiful songs. Go see them play these songs live on May 6th at Hideout for their record release show .

Thanks to August and the fine people's as Novo Enetertainment for the heads up on this album.

Yellow Ostrich at Andrew Rafacz Gallery April 5 2011

2011-04-11T11:09:00.001-05:00

(Yellow Ostrich's set up)

The Andrew Rafacz Gallery turned out to be a cool place to see a show. I got to check the art on display before watching Yellow Ostrich play. The sound was good and there was a good turnout of fans to see them play. Their sound live was much more raw and immediate than on their albums. Alex and the guys agreed an interview with me which is posted below. They were very accessible to everyone who attended, even though this was the tail end of their tour. The rhythm section Jon on bass and Michael on drums sparkled with their jazz influenced playing on the "WHALE" which is on their newest album The Mistress and first appeared on their Wild Comfort release. They utilized some loops for those awesome harmonies as well as live vocals that reminded me of seeing Merrill from Tune Yards do the same thing. The guys played new songs "Doubter" and "Marathon Runner. I am looking forward to see how those are recorded! Also of note were the sublime 3 part harmonies on "Mary". I highly suggest you get the myriad of releases by Yellow Ostrich, which can be found on their Bandcamp as well as ordering their vinyl as well. Thanks again to Alex, Jon, and Michael for the interview and invite. Also, to Tom Williams their manager.

Yellow Ostrich at Andrew Rafacz Gallery (835 W Washington Blvd) tonight April 5 at 8pm

2011-04-05T09:50:00.000-05:00

Yellow Ostrich play Chicago tonight at Andrew Rafacz Gallery (835 W Washington Blvd) show starts at 8 PM! I first heard a few songs from the bands Morgan Freeman EP on the ever present The Waiting Room Radio Show, thanks C. I have been hooked ever since. The group started as a solo project for band The Chairs' member Alex Schaaf who the moved Yellow Ostrich from his home in Wisconsin to N.Y. Also in the group now are Michael Tapper and Jon Natchez. Their style is a swirl of lo-fi indie goodness that is marked by interesting percussion and must hear vocal compositions. Their latest full length, The Mistress is exclusively available at emusic. The rest of the bands catalog of music can be fond at their bandcamp page as a name your price zero minimum download. I am really excited to see this show and hopefully do an interview with the guys. Come on by the gallery tonight!

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://yellowostrich.bandcamp.com/album/fade-cave-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Fade Cave EP by Yellow Ostrich&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;lt;a href="http://yellowostrich.bandcamp.com/album/the-morgan-freeman-ep"&amp;gt;The Morgan Freeman EP by Yellow Ostrich&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
The next stop on their tour is tomorrow :
04-06-11 @ Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH

The Ragtones, Hemmingbirds, Mendelssohn, Shy Technology at Lincoln Hall March 16 2011

2011-03-22T14:25:00.000-05:00

Thanks again to Betta Promotions and Yoo Soo from the Hemmingbirds for the invite to the show. This show is the tightest I've heard the Hemmingbirds. They have both quiet and loud portions that bookend one another, so this is sometimes a problem at some venues to get the right balance. Lincoln Hall got the sound right. A real treat were the quality of the harmonies and they showed them off a bit on their brief cover of The Beach Boys, "Wouldn't It Be Nice". Also they played two new original songs, one of which had a bit of a blues feel to it, and the other was mostly acoustic. I look forward to hearing more new songs. The crowd was just as impressed as I was and cheered loudly for the band.

Also of note to me was Medelssohn, whose free download album is below, I didn't get a chance to post it before . They had a full compliment that featured uke, mandolin, banjo and trumpet among the many instruments that were played. To be hones, their live show sound stood out to me more than the album. There's is something about seeing certain instruments live that really sound different then when they are in a mix on an album. They had a bit of a jam band feel at times and had a communal feel to their overall sound. So download the album then see them live around Chicago.

It was nice seeing and talking to Mike Maimone who will be playing an acoustic piano set at Reggie's soon. I will have a post on my fb page for that.

Save The Clocktower - Carousel

2011-03-18T16:09:00.007-05:00

Carousel is a seamless mix of electronic and traditional instruments that is complimented nicely by the post rock styled vocals. Chicago based Save The Clocktower is Greg Newton on drums/ vocals, Sean Paras on guitar/ vocals, and Jimmy Shenk on keyboards. The sound is rooted in electronic and uses traditional instruments as accents.

"Drip" is a nice groove oriented track that pulls more heavily from the electronic elements and is more of a dance track.

The pop wave sounds of "Taped Noise" feature some nice choices on the vocal mix that mimics the shimmery sound of the song.

"Take Me There" is my favorite track on Carousel and hearkens to 80's new wave mashed up with modern electronica which is all anchored by a strong melody.

If you enjoy new wave and post punk like I do, then you enjoy this album. There are some nice touches with where the vocals are put in the mix that make the melodies that much stronger.

You can buy Carousel here : http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/save-the-clocktower/id420631125. Keep an eye out for Save the Clocktower playing out in Chicago.

Ami Saraiya, Julie Meckler, Jared Bartman Thur March 10 Schubas

2011-03-15T18:05:00.000-05:00

With a crowd full of rowdy fans who showed up to support these acts, Julie Meckler and band took the stage. Her music drew from island rhythms, folk, and 90's indie guitar. This transplant from France, now based in Chicago, sang a song in French that sounded beautiful. I have a soft spot for French pop music. Some highlights were the raucous crowd, multitasking band members and some nice sounding mallets on drums, always a favorite of mine. There was some nice atmospheric guitar on some of the songs including the David Bowie cover, though I forget which song it was. The bass player said he told a "conceptual joke", which I thought was funny.

Next up was Peoria's Jared Bartman (who played accordion), had a full band that featured Gabe from the band dastardly, on drums. Gabe skills impressed. Jared sang in his unique style and had the crowd eating out of his hands. The last song he did, his voice only, was really effective. I'm pretty excited Jared plays Chicago as often as he does. Keep an eye out because Jared has a new 7" coming out soon.

Lastly Ami Saraiya and her other 6 members of her band The Outcome, took the stage. I hadn't seen the full line-up which gave such a full sound. The power of Ami and Courtney and Shirley was something to behold. Ami played accordion and was joined by upright bass, violin. It always cool to see Ami play a stripped down set, and then play a full blown sound experience like this show! Congrats to Ami and The Outcome, as this was their EP release show.

It was well attended and the crowd was lively, as well they should be because all three acts were really good. I saw my friend Aaron Hui as well as some of the good folks from Dastardly and so many other musicians who filled the crowd. Again a big thanks to Ami for inviting me out.

The Ragtones , Hemmingbirds, Mendelssohn, Shy Technology Lincoln Hall Wed March 16

2011-03-13T22:00:00.000-05:00

This is a Betta Promotions show (their shows always seem great don't they?) featuring some really cool bands. I am a huge Hemmingbirds fan. Their album Death Wave was my 2nd most listened to album of last year. Yoo Soo and Tim from Hemmingbirds were gracious enough to sit for an interview with me braving my 3 yr old and 2 year old. Watch below. I have only seen Hemmingbirds play so this will be a great chance to see The Ragtones, Mendelssohn, and Shy Technology. Check their music out and the see them do it live this Wednesday at Lincoln Hall! Only $8 for 4 bands. It's an 18 and over show. Come on out and support some great bands. Follow the bandcamp player for Death Wave below to a name your price, $0 minimum (FREE if you so chose).

Dastardly, The Dirty Feathers, The Bears Of Blue River, and Milano at Reggies this Saturday

2011-03-02T14:58:00.000-06:00

In my flu fueled craziness I thought this show was last weekend and I would miss it. Turns out it's this Sat. March 5 which starts at 7:00 PM at Reggie's Rock Club (2109 S State). It doesn't get any better than this line up. The entrance is FREE and the fine cowgals and cowpokes in Dastardly are asking for donations to help cover the cost of the impending trip to SXSW, a wee little festival in the fine city of Austin. Gabe and the band play all sorts of free show, as well as have handed out cd's for free in the past, so here is your chance to say thanks you. Not to mention the kick ass show that will both Dastardly and Bears put on, how can you miss this one? I will be there to chronicle the debauchery. I have heard some good things as well about Dirty Feathers and Milano. Below are some videos of what the show could be, but better because there will be liquor and Gabe telling stories.

Also look for Dastardly to play WGN 9 mid day news cast this FRIDAY. I know I will!

Paper Dolls - Sparks (2011)

2011-03-01T23:20:00.001-06:00

Paper Dolls are:
Jenn Malzone - songwriter, keyboards
Cathie Degler - cello
Brad Vaughn - bass
Sarah Ross - drums

Sarah and Cathie saw the original line-up of the band disband just as they were finishing their first album. So they reformed in this configuration and got to work. The result of that labor is Sparks, which is a mix of the original line-up's darker material (gothic) and the pop sensibility of the current band. The mixture of chamber and goth makes theirs a sound I haven't heard in a band from St. Louis before, and their interesting arrangements make them stand out.

"Middle Class Fashion" has a simple and undeniable little piano riff that runs throughout the song, while Cathie's cello and Brad's bass spar back and forth at the bottom end. The clipped nature of Jenn's vocals play along with the piano. Some small bursts of layered vocals are thrown in here and there, and the way that all of these elements figure into the arrangement is a nice change from the norm.

"First Draft" features more jazz influences as well as flourishes of weepy cello that make for an opulent vibe. I really like the staccato nature of Jenn's vocals and the piano that plays off that. That may be the bands signature sound, and what an enjoyable one to hear.

The unconventional song structures help Paper Dolls carve a unique sound. There is quite a bit of growth as a band from their first band line-up and this current line-up. Sparks is the type of release that will have a significant influence on budding songstresses in an already burgeoning St. Louis music scene.

Download Sparks for $5 at their thesixtyone page. They have cd's available at their upcoming shows March 11 at Wash U, and March 26 at Lemmons w/ Blood Pony. I will be doing a review of the Blood Pony album as well, so that would be a great show to see.

Zach Pietrini and The Broken Bones - The Bright and Shining Lights of Anywhere Else (2009)

2011-02-28T13:54:00.001-06:00

Dedicated Ears was fortunate enough to be part of a Betta Promotion Chicago show with Zach and his band a few weeks back. I highly suggest seeing them live whenever you get the chance. Zach gave me his album from 2009 and I really enjoy listening to it. So here is a bit of a belated review of said album.

The lineup of the band is :

Zach Pietrini
Phil Vickers
Eric Mumbower
Nate Gass
Matt Levon

There is a revival feeling that runs through the songs on this album and their production. The sound meanders through but is not beholden to folk, alt country, indie rock, blues, and bluegrass. Zach Pietrini and The Broken Bones spin many fine stories on The Bright and Shining Lights Of Anywhere Else which is a bargain $5 on their site. It's always interesting to hear a country stomp on a song like "Chicago", a tale of the big city told through the eyes of someone from the country. The shift in timing with the chorus is a nice touch.

"Never Wrote" is a torch song and fine change of pace that features some heartfelt singing by Zach. I love the languid pace of the guitar here, it emphasizes the subject matter of the song. "Still I don't see no sunshine, just the majestic and desolate view... it pulls my will in two, it pulls my will in two, and while you gaze up at my face, I wonder why you do."

The first person narratives and subtle, clever word play are bountiful on this album. The country meets city storyline is always enjoyable to me. The musicians on this album are really good, as good as when I saw them play live. Head to their site and buy this album. They are also recording new material and playing in the Chicago area, so keep an eye out on their Facebook page. Thanks again to Zach and the Band for the album and the great show.

Julie Meckler, Rachele Eve, Jon Drake Chaperone Grape Juice Records

2011-02-18T11:43:00.000-06:00

Thanks to August and Kevin from Novo for the invite for this show at Subterranean. Also a big thanks to Grape Juice Records who sponsored the show and has lots of really cool local acts on their label.

Chaperone started the show running with their high energy show. They had a new drummer playing, Thom had left the band two weeks prior. They didn't seem to miss a beat though. Their set featured 3 of the four members singing lead, a broken bass string and Misfits "S.O.B"cover. They never disappoint live and are more than happy to talk before/after their set.

Jon Drake and The Shakes had eight members and somehow they all squeezed onto the stage. Their band featured a trumpet and trombone. This is the 2nd time I have seen the full compliment of the shakes and they sound orchestra sized at time. Their ep is a free download on their bandcamp page.

Rachel Eve featured some really nice cello and emotive songs.

Julie Meckler played last and was a crowd favorite I highly suggest checking her live show.

Dedicated Ears Songwriter Showcase #6 Cafe Ballou 1.22.11

2011-01-28T00:13:00.000-06:00

The latest installment of Dedicated Ears Songwriter Showcase at Cafe Ballou was a rousing success. Gabe (Dastardly) played the "Jew Song" and I was lucky to record it. The video is below. He has an ease with an audience that is commendable. He also played drums on Jared Bartman's set. I really like Jared's phrasing and tone of his voice. He played accordion and guitar. He also played accordion on Gabe's set. The two of them are headed out on tour, check their fb page for more info.

Brendan Losch play some new and some old songs. It's always a treat to see him play. Ami Suraiya was accompanied by a few of her band members from The Outcome. I knew I would enjoy the set when the drummer had brushes and mallets and played some cool jazz rhythms. Ami played accordion... are you noticing a theme here? I thought their overall sound was great and you should go see them play soon. Will from Teenage Rage played a cool set as well.

It was a blast to hang with some of the bands afterwards. Thanks again to Khosro and the staff at Cafe Ballou, which is a great place to eat as well as load up on coffee stuffs in a relaxed vibe. They are always welcoming and I am fortunate to be involved with these shows. Also, thanks to all of the people who come out to the shows. It means a lot to the performers.

Mutts, Brontosaurus, Pretty Little Empire, and Zach Pietrini and The Broke Bones Jan 18 Double Door FREE

2011-01-15T11:24:00.000-06:00

This show marks the first time Dedicated Ears will be a sole presenter for another Betta Promotions FREE Show . This Tuesday, Jan 18th, doors at 7:30, 21+ to enter, featuring : Mutts, Brontosaurus, Pretty Little Empire, and Zach Pietrini and The Broken Bones. I would like to thank Rebecca and her whole crew, and look forward to working with them. Betta have been putting on free shows all month long!

Headlining the bill are Mutts, Mike Maimone's tight band with the grumbling bottom end. The band has branched out on their recent, awesome, FREE download-able The Tells Of Parallel which is more experimental. I have been to quite a few of their shows and their live set is always evolving.

The two headed monster duo of Brontosaurus are a treat live. They play a progressive indie brand of rock that is a sight to behold live. They shuffle around instruments to come up with a big sound for having just two members.

If you follow this blog at all you know of my love of Pretty Little Empire and their new album Reasons and Rooms, which topped my most listened to list for 2010. They are continually growing as a band and really solidified their sound with the addition of their new/awesome drummer Evan O'neal. They have multiple capable members who sing lead. They only make it to Chicago a few times a year, so see them now.

Also on the bill is Zach Pietrini and The Broken Bones who I have not seen yet, but I look forward to seeing them on Tuesday. So please come out and support these great bands and get in for FREE.

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

2011-01-11T11:28:00.001-06:00

When people marry their celebrity to their music as Kanye does, then it is impossible to allow feelings about his celebrity not to creep into discussions about his music. Kanye wants you to do that. He then sets out on this album to show you how he sees himself. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is about Kanye's own (more) love than hate relationship with his own celebrity. At times he laments this relationship, and at others he vehemently encourages his celebrity to run wild. In the middle somewhere is where the truth lies. It is interesting to see this struggle play out. And oh by the way, the beats are moving further away from rap and closer to some indie electronic hybrid, which is fascinating.

The stacked horns on "All Of The Lights" are regal and blend nicely with the deep bass hits and is hit out of the park Rihanna's vocals. This is another anthem sounding track for a cautionary tale about "street life". "Restraining order, can't see my daughter, her mother, brother, grandmother hate me in that order", Kanye laments. On this track are cool parts by Kid Kudi and Fergy as well. Kanye does well encompassing artists that I would never want to buy a solo album from into these out-sized songs and they work beautifully.

"Runaway" is the 9 minute centerpiece of this album with it's horror movie soundtrack single note on the piano for a good 40 seconds that bleeds into a sinister synth growl backing Kanye's wistful rapping of personal deficiencies. "I don't know what it is with females, but I'm not too good at that shit, see I could have me a good girl and still be addicted to 'hood rats, and I just blame everything on you, at least you know that's what I'm good at... let's have a toast for the douche bags, let's have a toast for the assholes, let's have a toast for the scum bags, every one of them that I know, let's have a toast for the jerk offs that'll never take work off, baby I got a plan, run away as fast as you can." All the while the strings build in the background until the bridge at the 5 minute mark, that slows to a tired lurch echoing the narrator being worn out with dealing with himself. The experimental run toward the end is a brave choice that turns this into true "experimental rap" and lends a cinematic force to the song.

From the opening chats and claps with an African bent, "Power" is a screamer of an anthem using the sample of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson. Ah, progressive music is influencing all corners of the music world, isn't it? Kanye uses it to great effect. The siren in the background enhances Kanye's desperate style of rap. "I got treasures in my mind but couldn't open my own vault." That one line says almost everything about Kanye and his talent and how he encounters disconnects of his own.

This album is a step above the great collective work of his last album, 808's and Heartbreaks which is one hell of a feat. His albums have each bested the predecessor. The big difference on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is that Kanye has moved away from songs about the club, turned up the interrogation light on himself, and given us the results in rap form here. It's a brave choice to put himself out there in this way. Kanye has shown he can take the criticism and turn it into great songs. This album is on my most listened to list for the year and will be atop many other lists as well. I think Kanye has even more in him. I was kind of hoping that, given the plight of lower income workers in this economy, that Kanye would make a social commentary album that was more clever than some of his previous blunt statements on the state of common folks. I hope that album is on the way, because it will take Kanye from having the best album of any given year, to one of the best albums of a generation.

Dedicated Ears 2010 Most Listened To List

2010-12-31T03:11:00.001-06:00

This year I am sticking with just 2010 release for my most listened to list. For me, listens is the best way to figure out what the best albums of the year are. It was a really good year for hip hop and rap and that is reflected below. If I were to include some other albums I have listened to as much as these, but don't fit the 2010 release date those would be The Black Atlantic, Manipulator Alligator and Turtle Ambulance.

1) Pretty Little Empire - Reason and Rooms Second year in a row that this St. Louis four piece is my most listened to album. All they did since last year was add an amazing drummer, delve into indie guitar circa 1990 and crank up the harmonies. Superb song-writing again and 3 of the four members sing lead vocals admirably. That doesn't happen every day does it?

2) Hemmingbirds - Death Wave Yoo Soo Kim of the Chicago indie band Hemmingbirds plays everything on this album save for a few drum tracks. Great pop songwriting. The music draws from everything from Pink Floyd to Decemberists. Non- conventional pop song structures give this album its own sound that keeps you invested in these songs.

3) Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Roc A Fella) Amazing that Kanye is continually topping his last album and this album is no different. Less of the club centered songs and more story telling going on here. This gets better with every listen.

4) Carlos Mendez - Depie
Folk from Panama that uses Latin rhythms and indie pop as well to make for a relaxed vibe. This album was stuck on repeat for me throughout this past summer. If you didn't think you liked music in languages other than English this may convince you otherwise.

5) The Juliets - The Juliets (Flat Response Sound) Chamber pop from Detroit that is heavy on the strings. With influences of Brit pop and indie rock this album also has a bounce on the bottom end that is an interesting mix within the realm of chamber pop. Well thought out lyrics and great production

6) Bullets In Madison - We Became Your Family When You Died
Chicago bands best to date. Equal parts ambient and shoe gaze with a touch of post-rock. These songs help to make a cohesive album that is flush with emotive arrangements that demand to be heard over and over again.

7) Grinderman - Grinderman 2 (Anti/Epitath) Thanks God for Nick Cave's relentless drive as Grinderman is what he does in his "off" time. This time around it's less punch you in the face and more drag you on the floor. I am very careful not to say this is a more mellow album than their first but it does rely on a groove more and has less of the loud punches. He has separated himself from many of his peers with the improvement in quality as well as keeping the sound very relevant.

8) Horse Feathers - Thistled Spring (Kill Rock Stars) What a beautifully sorrow sound this album has. The strings are are used to make washes of emotion that are so addictive to listen to. The vocals and lyrics come from an honest place and make for such a full sound with the strings.

9) Angelique Kidjo - Oyo (Razor & Tie) Benin artist Kidjo commands presence not only with her big voice but with her ability to seamlessly wander between American soul and traditional African music. Even an appearance by Bono on a track could take away from this album's goodness.

10) Pelican - What We All Come To Need (Southern Lord) Chicago instrumental metal stalwarts make grown up metal that both headbangers and casual listeners can listen to and enjoy. The build up on some of these songs is pretty heady stuff.

11) Cassis Orange - Kashisu Orenji (Grip Tapes) Autumn Ahinger is Cassis Orange who is based in Chapel Hill. This EP of electronic pop gems reminded me a bit of Tune - Yards the first time I heard it. The vocals are spot on and the keyboards are great.

12) Crash Collect (formerly Elle Lefant) - Pulse Short and sweet EP by Poughkeepsie based duo that is a powerful brand of electronic soul. Out-sized vocals and playful electronic pop make for quite a pairing.

13) Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid (Bad Boy) I got this album a bit late in the year. I suspect that if I listened to it for another month that it would jump into my top 5. This is genre bending at it's best. Janelle manages to wear many musical hats and wear them all very well.

14) We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls (Fat Cat Records)

Sublime Scottish indie rock that is so damn catchy.

15) Joe Harbison - Traditions (CLLCT.com) Joe is from Kentucky and is quite a prolific musician. He has unique vocals that I enjoy. He is another one man band and plays everything you hear as well as writes composes these songs.

16) Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer (Radiculture/Elektra) Another album I got later in the year that could have climbed much higher. Awesome horns, the "F# You " song that is a viral video hit and a really good Band Of Horses cover ("No One's Gonna Love You) . Cee Lo gets it right and doesn't take himself too seriously and that is a page other hip hop acts would be well served to embrace.

17) Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part Two : Return Of The Ankh (Mowtown) I like her as a neo soul artists originally and now enjoy her even more as an experimental soul songstress. Though not as experimental as Vol. 1 this album is really good.

18) Magic Man - Real Life Color (Arcade Sound LTD.) Lo fi electronic pop from Boston. So, so addictive these songs are.

19) The Roots - How I Got Over (Def Jam) You can almost get complacent in thinking every new album by the Roots is going to be a great album. It does seem to work out that way doesn't it? So this is another album long and beats and thoughtful raps by guys who know who they are, Philly's finest.

20) Yawn - Yawn EP Chicago psyche-pop loaded with hook and a wide array of sounds. Do you like your tribal beats with your psyche rock? Then you will love this.

21) Yellow Ostrich - The Morgan Freeman EP Oddly enough, The Morgan Freeman EP was written all about... Morgan Freeman, well his Wiki page anyways. With such irrevrant beginnings is it any wonder that this is actually very good? Quite an ear the band has for melodies.Thanks to The Waiting Room Radio Shows web-cast for the tip!

Tom Schraeder - Once Lace Now Cotton (2010 Township Records)

2010-12-27T12:28:00.002-06:00

Once Lace Now Cotton find Tom adding a more textured sound than his 2008 album Lying Through Dinner, which was really good but more of a straight ahead folk sound. Once Lace Now Cotton invites visions of the ol' wagon trail, like on the whistle in and wandering guitar on the album opener "to you my friend...' that also finds Tom's vocals heartfelt and aching. This will be the one track you will whistle and hum over and over again.

"Should Have Stuck With Cotton" features loose percussion and some effective harmonies. I like how this song swells toward the end and incorporates an accordion as well as female vocals.

"Carry On" is a bit of a departure from the rest of the album with it's alt-country sound, a full band and more straight ahead song construction. The song also finds Tom letting his vocals out and I imagine it will be the highlight of this album played live. His vocals have a chameleon quality where he seems every bit at home singing this as well as his lo-fi sounding songs.

Tom's vocals have a bit of a magical quality that can be incredibly emotive without the big bombastic displays. They are restrained and nuanced to give his storytelling lyrics a proper voice. These songs have an old soul feel. There are some songs with lo-fi production like "Don't Take My Woman" here as well as others that are cleanly produced but still feel lo-fi. I think this lo- fi effect goes great with Tom's storytelling and vocal style. The overall tone of this album has an updated vintage feel to it. Please check this album out because it deserves to be heard.

Along those lines, Tom will be playing at Schubas tomorrow night, Tues Dec 28th. I plan on being there and look forward to seeing these songs live. Until then here is a bit of promotion for that show by Tom.

Tom Schraeder & His Ego - 'Egoiste Ball' from BAILOUT Pictures on Vimeo.

Betta's Beats and Blogs - Wow (Subterranean Dec 18)

2010-12-23T00:13:00.000-06:00

Rebecca's vision of this show came off to a T. Thanks again to Rebecca and all of the folks at Betta as well as the other bloggers for making this show memorable. It was a full house and Rabble Rabble, Radar Eyes, Hollows and White Mystery all killed it. White Mystery's set was one big happy wave of guitar and drums. Wow! It was great to meet some of these bloggers that had been just names before. The house was full of band members too. I met quite a few enthusiastic musicians like the guys in Pinto and The Bean. It was great catching up with Rebecca and also Yoo Soo from Hemmingbirds. I love seeing shows at Sub T. Great sound, balcony and reasonably priced beer makes for great shows there.

Keep an eye out for Dedicated Ears Presenting a show on Jan 18th for Betta Promotions at Double Door with Mutts, Brontosaurus and Zach Pietrini and The Broken Bones. Its a FREE show and you will not want to miss this line-up. Betta has quite a few great shows in Jan so keep an eye out.

Betta Beats and Bloggers Show Sat Dec 18th Subterranean

2010-12-14T12:53:00.000-06:00

Rebecca over at Betta Promotions keeps coming up with great ideas for promoting shows. This time around she has invited Dedicated Ears and 16 other blogs that are based here in Chicago to be a part of her Beats and Bloggers Show this Sat at Subterranean. Rebecca has done interviews with the bloggers and is using them to promote this show see it below. Thanks to Rebecca and Betta for the invite. I will be at the show it will be a great time. Come hang with people who love music and see a great show.

Check out the band links below for the awesome bands that will play this show.

White Mystery

Hollows

Rabble Rabble

Radar Eyes

Betta Promotions and Loud Loop Press present...
Beats & Blogs; A Musical Hotspot

Saturday December 18th, 2010
Subterranean 2011 North Avenue
...http://www.subt.net/
17+ | doors @ 10pm | $10 flat HERE

FEATURED BLOGS!!

LOUD LOOP PRESS - http://loudlooppress.com/
LOST IN CONCERT - http://www.lostinconcert.com/
REVIEWSIC - http://www.reviewsic.com/
CHIRP RADIO - www.chirpradio.org
FEARLESS RADIO - http://www.fearlessradio.com/
THE DELI CHICAGO - http://chicago.thedelimagazine.com/
COACH HOUSE SOUNDS - http://www.coachhousesounds.com/
GIANT SYSTEM - http://www.giantsystem.tv/
HEAVE MEDIA - http://www.heavemedia.com/
DEDICATED EARS - http://minesindoubly-dedicatedears.blogspot.com/
WINDY CITY ROCK - http://www.windycityrock.net/
COUNT ME OUT - http://countmeoutblog2.blogspot.com/
THE DEAD HUB - http://www.thedeadhub.com/
SECRET NOTE - http://www.secretnoteshows.com/
YOU ME AND EVERYBODY - http://www.youmethemeverybody.com/
BABY, YOU GOT A STEW GOIN'! - http://www.babystew.com/
CHICAGOVSUNITED - http://chicagoverseunited.com/
VIA CHICAGO from CHICAGONOW - www.chicagonow.com/blogs/via-chicago

Dastardly Shines at Schubas

2010-12-13T21:43:00.002-06:00

(thanks to Matt Ginger for the cool photos)

Jared Bartman opened and used his unique delivery of his storytelling in song form. It was interesting contrast to seeing him do a singer songwriter set alone. The songs as played on this night were true to his album, Jersey Shore. It's always a pleasure to see and talk with Jared.

Chaperone was on next, as I promised in my preview post of the show, they kicked ass 2 minutes at a time. I was talking with them before the show and they were discussing a play list that some of the band members thought may be too long and they finally decided that they would just figure it out. They have a relaxed vibe live while ripping through their songs at a break neck pace. That comes from them playing off one another very well and the overall sound has a thunderous balance of bottom end of tom drums, played by Thom coincidentally. The group jam with Dastardly's band almost broke the fire code limit on stage, but was a really sweet moment on the ears. Thanks to Chaperone for the press pass BTW! They may play like rock starts n=but don't act like it. Very good folks they are.

Glittermouse was next and gave a high energy performance that was eaten up by the crowd.

It was time for the headliner (for the first time) Dastardly took the stage and played with the frenetic energy that is the hallmark of Dastardly's shows. The band is really settling in to playing these songs May You Never....their awesome new album which is available at their live shows.

A list of things that happened during their set :

1) Cover of the Jeff Buckley song "Lover You Should Have Come Over"which showcased Gabe's vocals and the band's ability to do justice to a great musician.

2) Gabe threw a tambourine to the crowd. Aggressive Western music indeed.

3) There always seems to be vocal drunk folks who follow the band around, but they handle it with aplomb. It helps that Gabe and company seemed very well plied themselves. That always adds to the interesting factor but I have yet to see it detract from the sound. Just as it should be.

4) Toward the end of their set there seemed to be 30 people on stage. Maybe that's how they get those big sounds.

In short follow their exploits on Facebook and you can alert others on the East coast about the bands impending invasion/tour.

It was a bunch of fun hanging out with my friend Paul and his friends as well as Rebecca from Betta Promotions and August from Novo. This was a happening place to be as I saw so many familiar faces and got to talk to almost all of them.

Next up for me Betta Promotions forward thinking show Beats and Bloggers Show on Dec 18th at

Dastardly Record Release Show for This Thur at Schubas

2010-12-07T11:03:00.000-06:00

Dastardly will be leaving Chicago soon to tour the states, so catch them now! They won't play here again until March! This will be their first headlining show and they are also releasing their record May You Never... They put on an excellent show and Gabe will tell you the "sweatshirt " story if you ask him nice, just be sure to specify if you want the adult version of the story or not. I am lucky enough to have booked Jared Bartman for a songwriter showcase and his nuanced vocal delivery that gives heft to the "old Soul" feel to his music. Chaperone will kick your ass 2 minutes at a time. They are a must see live. I have seen Glittermouse play and their show is a high energy one. So you cannot lose with this line-up. After seeing these bands play live I suggest you get tix before hand.

Heavemedia.com Welcomes
Dastardly
Glittermouse
Chaperone
Jared Bartman

Schubas, Thur Dec.9 at 8pm 18+ advance tix for $6 HERE

Dastardly - May You Never... (Release Show Schubas Dec 9!)

2010-11-28T20:55:00.000-06:00

Dastardly are:
Gabe Liebowitz - vocals, acoustic guitar
Sarah Morgan - vocals, accordion, percussion
August Sheehy - bass, vocals
Patrick Lyons - electric guitar, pedal steel, mandolin, vocals
John Humbracht - banjo, harmonica, electric guitar
Andy Taylor - drums

May You Never... solidifies Dastardly high up on the band list of the thriving roots movement in Chicago. The band manages to incorporate Gabe's point the finger at himself first approach to writing which comes off as alternating between earnest and funny. The band has a varied sound that incorporates banjo by John Humbracht, mandolin, slap steel and accordion.

"Villain" features rolling snares by Andy Tayloy, banjo and simple guitar picking to accentuate the cartoon visioned lyrics of the the villain near the railroad tracks. Sarah's voice complements Gabe's tone nicely. Also the mandolin is a nice little touch on this track too. Towards the end their is a noise filled outro, just before the outro normally starts. I liked that noisy bit a lot, let's you know this album isn't going to settle in and be a typical folk/American album.

On "Exercise In Self Loathing" there is a really cool bass line from August and the rhythm veers toward country land but is saved by Patrick's guitar and Gabe's. "I've been wakin' up lazy and bored, I show up with a smile but she just says he looks insecure". This track has some cool vocal harmonies. Also towards the end there's a nice bridge with some cool effects.

"Crystallized" has a boot stompin' pace and some great vocals by Sarah. The descending mandolin line by Patrick here plays against the rest of the song nicely. I love that the bridges on these songs, as in this song, are a bit unconventional and give the songs a bit of a different face than you would be accustomed to with roots music.

"Middleground" is my favorite on this album. It features poignantly self effacing lyrics on top of a really good songs. "This guy I know has gained esteem, this prestigious music scene, all the newspapers and websites write him up, and he just put out a song that about how much I suck", Gabe says. Now I have done a write up on the guy Gabe's talking about (a slight hint). Gabe tends to take the high road here though instead of making this a "Tu Pac" vs "Biggie" situation in the world of indie music! A commendable approach by Gabe.

"Morning Blue" is the power ballad, of sorts, on this album. Not only some lovely vocals by Sarah but also some nice pedal steel by Patrick. The composition of this song is really nice. It would have been easy to overdue some of the effects on this songs but everything is in just the right amounts. This includes the singing saw by Sarah Holtschlag that is in just the right amounts on this track. Another reprise, this time in the traditional spot.

May You Never... lives and breathes in it's unconventional touches, from Gabe's songwriting material to the lap steel, to the tempo changes towards the end of the song. At the heart of all these songs are really good musicians making an unforgettable album. The unconventional approach will appeal to a lot of people who wouldn't normally enjoy Americana" or folk. If you are one of these people, check this album out. If you are one of the other people... still check this album out!

Thanks to August at Novo who is doing promotion for Dastardly!

They have an album release show on Dec 9th at Schubas with Chaperone and Jared Bartman, one hell of a line-up. I will be there. After that show, look on their myspace for album release info.

Dedicated Ears Songwriter Showcase #4 at Cafe Ballou Chicago

2010-11-26T21:41:00.000-06:00

It was time for another songwriter showcase at the always accommodating Cafe Ballou. Quite a turnout we had, more than 50 folks came out to see the acts and have some food and coffee drinks. It was great again to talk to so many musicians in the crowd. We had a special helper / dancer as well as some great sets starting with Brendan Losch who I saw play ukulele for the first time. He plays this Sun at Empty Bottle, check him out (bring canned goods for charity!)

Next up was Magic Ian who reminded me of a mix of Nick Cave with the storytelling of Utah Phillips. "Junkyards Of Wyoming" was a punk timed ditty that was a crowd leaser. Magic Ian also offered this precursor, "I am going to try to break the blues with my next song "Causeway Blues" which technically too fast to be blues, which is the joke in of itself isn't it? Loved his story telling abilities as well as playing and singing.

Teenage Rage switched it up again, playing slow to mid tempo songs as well as the beautiful violin parts by Miranda Rae who has played a few Dedicated Ears shows. The always personable Teenage Rage informed the crowd " I am going to play two songs... well half songs, they aren't finished yet, together they make one song right".

Gabe from Dastardly was next up. Always the
crowd pleasing performer/emcee/drunk wrangler
did not disappoint with any of his jobs. He
played "The Dramatic Cowboy Song" which
everyone watching and listening loved.

Robert Reid was up next and played some really
nice guitar as well as playing a waltz timed song.
Yay for that!

Rachael Eve played next with Miranda Rae on violin again. Rachael's set was very cool and took the drunks in the crowd in stride.

Gavin from The Bears Of Blue River played a solo set. I really like the way he writes and sings.

Last was the dancing and singing talents of
Matthew Merryweather.

Leafbird played a dreamy set of folk with some
cool harmonics on the guitar.
The set felt intimate.

Anthony 'T-Bird ' Magera was up next playing some blues flavored singer songwriter songs that
were long on emotion, which is why I like to
watch him play.

Thanks to all of the great musicians who played again and to the size-able crowd. Again, thanks to Kosro and the cool people at Cafe Ballou for staying late. Look for info on the next show on the Dastardly or Brendan Losch home pages on Facebook.

A Fervor at The Metro! (Fri Nov 12)

2010-11-16T00:29:00.000-06:00

I love it when I go to the classic venues , like Metro, and an all Chicago band bill elicits a wild crowd reaction for all of the acts. This was the case this past Fri at Metro. Out of the gate first was Dastardly, who I had never seen the band perform with the full compliment of members. As usual Gabe was incredibly personable as well as funny. The band was louder and the sound more varied than I had seen before. It was great to see hear the accordion in the mix with the electric guitar. Very cool big sound. They played an amped set that was set the bar very high for the evening.

Next up was Chaperone. The bottom end rumble came from both drummer Thom's tom-toms as well as a bonus tom out on the floor. The band was loud and thoroughly invested in the set. The crowd reacted nuttily and sang the lyrics to their short and not so sweet songs.

Jon Drake and the Shakes probably had some people from the crowd playing in their set at one time. They has a full big sound. After seeing a few Drakes at the songwriter show a few weeks back it was nice to see/hear the full compliment of the Drakes. Also, it was great to see and hear Jon as he had a n accident a few days ago and had just gotten out of the hospital before this show. I am very happy to report he is doing ok!

Headliner Aktar Aktar manged to actually increase the intensity of the crowd. Their brand of indie/prog rock with bouncing hooks was eaten up by their hardcore fans who screamed throughout.

Thanks to Rebecca and Betta Promotions for the invite. As is par for the course for her shows it featured really good bands and an excited full crowd. Can't wait for the Dec 19th blogger show with her at Subterranean!

I am fortunate to not only see these great band but to hang with them as well. It was cool catching up with Thom and Chaperone as well as Gabe and the whole band and my friend. Those people do all exist. I thought they may have been a figment of Gabe's imagination. Great sound at Metro, which I have come to expect. Then there's the beer prices. I kidded the bartender by asking if he had any specials and wave his hands at the taps and said "every day deals" to which I said "that's a subjective term to use". Yet the sound there is really worth it. Next time I'll stay in Gingerman before the show a little longer. Love that juke-box in there. And yummy beer on tap.

Aktar Aktar, Jon Drake and The Shakes, Chaperone, and Dastardly at Metro Fri. Nov.12 Metro

2010-11-09T17:42:00.000-06:00

AKTAR AKTAR - http://www.myspace.com/aktaraktar
JON DRAKE AND THE SHAKES - http://www.myspace.com/jondrake
CHAPERONE - http://www.myspace.com/chaperonemusic
DASTARDLY - http://www.myspace.com/dastardlytheband

I have been fortunate enough to have seen/and or booked both Dastardly and Jon Drake (with a few of his shakes at the time) in the past few months. So they are very good live and worth the trip to this show all by themselves. I have been meaning to see Aktar Aktar ( FREE download below) and am really glad I will get to see them now. I have a review of the short n' sweet Cripple King ep by Chaperone ( FREE download below). It will be cool to see their sub 3 minute folk rock songs take flight live. I am pretty sure that debauchery of some sort will be on display at the Metro next Friday and possibly by multiple bands on this bill. You should come on out and see it for yourself. Thanks to Rebecca at Betta Promotions who is putting this shindig on.

Show Tix Details:
$11 day of show / 18+ / Doors: 8PM / Show: 9PM
($8 day of show with a flyer or metro text)

SPECIAL ONLINE TICKET SALE!
2 for the price of 1!!! @ only $6!
password: betta

Free music for professional licensing

Chaperone - Cripple King ep. (bandcamp name your price $0 minimum)

2010-11-09T17:31:00.000-06:00

Madame et monsieur 's de Chaperone :
Shaun Paul
Miles Doornbos
Thom Des Enfants
Shaylah Kloska
Mark Sheridan
Mary Spadaro

In full disclosure the label below this post says the band is "fun to drink with" which I have. It was good to meet most of the band and get a feel for them. It beats doing a review of people I haven't met or seen(which is a necessity in these digital days). I had already been listening to Cripple King EP before I met the band and Gabe from Dastardly. It is always a blast to talk to people who are as hopelessly smitten by music as I am. Now the serious part, the review...

The most immediate thing that struck me about this album is the "live" sound production here. The vocals are without embellishment and that makes this a more organic release. This album does it's business in less than 14 minutes. There is something to be said for not over doing bridges and choruses and just tell the stories succinctly like Chaperon does on Cripple King. This album has the feel of the country in it, not necessarily Country music but the laid back earthen vibe that come from people who do not dwell in cities.

"Fed On Coal" is an upbeat piece of pop goodness that utilizes a simple driving drum beat that is punctuated by the dual lead vocals that give this a more immediate feel. This song is instantly recognizable.

The mono production on "Thomas" is right at home with the music that is an update of fifties pop music featuring the jangly guitar riff and the shouted chorus .

"Witches and Sailors" instantly reminds me of a looser and edgier Grant Lee Buffalo. Really nice harmonies on this track.

The closer "Waltzing Topside" has a, take me down to the river to be baptised, feel to it. A perfect way to end this EP.

Thanks to the band, they have made this a name your price download. So if you have some dough to throw their way for the EP then please do. They deserve. If you don't, and still download the album for free, please share it with everyone you can in places like fb etc. They will also be playing a show this Fri Nov 12th at Metro. I will be there please come on out, you may get a chance to share a drink with the band too.

Jared Bartman - Jersey Shore

2010-10-29T10:19:00.011-05:00

Jared Bartman uses a nuanced vocal style on Jersey Shore that evokes the likes of Ed Harcourt. After listening to this quite a few times it is clear that Jared is an old soul, which is a great thing. These songs are a complete piece of work that are cognoscente of one another and treat each other kindly.

His subject matter for songs comes from a variety of places. "I Shall Not Care", the opening track, is adapted from a Sarah Teasdale poem of the same name. The track has a slinky vibe to it.

"A Conjugal Scene" is waltz-timed gypsy flavored trip. Megaphone Voice, Accordion, Smith-Corona Typewriter, Ukulele, Contra Alto Clarinet, Clarinet, Tablas, Frame Drum, Shakers, Cajon, and Glockenspiel build quite an organic sound that you don't hear every day.

The old soul that crafted these songs has put a lot of attention to small details and sound. Slight embellishments make a big impact when there isn't a wall of noise in front of you. There is a cinematic quality to these songs in the way they tell stories. The instrumentation is mixed just right with Jared's strong song writing and his ability to see the bigger picture for the overall sound of this cool album. I really enjoyed hearing multiple songs in Waltz and Polka time signatures.

I had the good fortune to help book Jared for a Dedicated Ears Song-Writer Showcase at Cafe Ballou a few weeks back and was as impressed with his performance there as I am with this album. See him live! Jared also has a cool ep out, I Refute Technology.

Dedicated Ears Songwriter Showcase #3 Coverage : Cafe Ballou 10.22.10

2010-10-25T13:56:00.011-05:00

Another successful showcase at the friendly host spot, Cafe Ballou. We had so many acts that I had to try to spread the video memory around some. I was all out of film by the time Gia Margaret took the stage unfortunately. Rest assured her set was really good. Though we had 10 acts we still got the show done in less than three hours. You can check the performances out below. Thanks to everyone who played! It was a blast talking to them as well. Come see the next showcase on Nov 19th at Cafe Ballou. Come for the food, stay for the music!

Thanks again to Khosro and his staff at Cafe Ballou (939 N Western Ave Chicago) who are always great. Try a sandwich or salad and some coffee drinks as well. It has a very homey quality. Warm and embracing. Go see for yourself.

The Waiting Room Radio Show and Dedicated Records (sadly not my label)

2010-10-22T14:08:00.008-05:00

In a bit surreptitiousness I came across the Dedicated Records Net Label with the help of The Waiting Room Radio Show, a very cool podcast. I don't get to listen to that many pod-casts because of my 2 music blogs (read as addiction) and booking shows here in Chicago. But, I checked out The Waiting Room and really loved it. The music is off the radar stuff that still has pop songs at the center that is embellished with the likes of indie pop, rock, alt rock. It's based in Cardiff UK and the local music scene is the jumping off point of music they play. They do manage to play some tunes from almost all over. I am very excited that they will also be playing the new Pretty Little Empire album Reasons and Rooms. So now you know they have good taste and you can check them out.

Dedicated Records has a Bandcamp page where you download about 20 or so albums. Music styles are indie pop, folk, rock and instrumental with a tad of electronic thrown in. This is a very cool net-label with FREE downloads. So check the link out and peruse their offerings. Below are a few of the ones I downloaded. I love the Bandcamp players, a music bloggers best friend. Here's hoping all bands end up on Bandcamp.

Dedicated Ears Singer Song-Writer Showcase at Cafe Ballou

2010-10-18T22:53:00.007-05:00

Oct 22
This is ALL AGES
NO COVER
BYOB ( there is a store 1 block W. of the show on Western)
Great food and coffee drinks are available!
Cafe Ballou 929 N. Western

This installment of Dedicated Ears Presents A Singer Song-Writer Showcase is at the home like confines of Cafe Ballou again. Thanks again to them for being such great hosts. Bring an appetite to the show and they can help you out. The line-up this time is Dastardly (Gabe), Teenage Rage, Brendan Losch, Bill Tucker and His Friends, Kmang Kmang, Arthi Meera and Glittermouse (who have a free ep download at their site). These shows are a great place to see and hear every nuance of the performers. Everyone is respectful of the artists, as it should be for a singer song-writer showcase. And, you still have plenty of time to go out after-wards as this will be done around 10pm. Thanks again to Brian Fitzgerald (brifitz3@gmail.com) for this classic poster. Thanks to Gabe, Brendan and Teenage Rage who all do these shows as cool performers but also with picking out bands and securing this location.

Musikanto - Ghost Pain

2010-10-16T08:32:00.005-05:00

I had the good fortune of booking Mike (Musikanto) for one of my singer songwriter shows at The Chopin. He played with and upright bass player and had Sarah Holtschlag sing with him on a few songs. The highlight for me was the "To See You One More Time", which comes from his album Ghost Pains. It's a bouncing lover's lament about realizing he will not see this woman any more. 'Starting not to need you anymore. I got to bed and tell myself goodnight, but when the leaves fall from the sky and the water swells up my eyes i'll be right home to see you one more time'. Another album cut to check out is "Atomic Walls" has some really nice finger picking on the guitar and Mike's phrasing is slightly different when he sings slower songs on this album. The slight vibrato of his vocals that gets lost on the more straight ahead alt country boot stompers. "Flowers and Singing Bees" incorporates some horns and departs from some of the other production on the album to a good effect. I guess I got spoiled seeing Mike in the stripped down version where his voice was front and center. Listen to this album a few times and some of the melodies are sure to stick. I am looking forward to what Mike does on the next album.

Greg Dulli, Violins, Cellos, John Curley, (Double Door 10.14.10)

2010-10-15T01:52:00.011-05:00

My wife and I have seen Greg in recent years playing on 2 tours with Twilight Singers as well as with Mark Lanegan in the goth trudge of Gutter Twins. So there were a few strange things to note about this show. Greg took the stage in the 11 o'clock hour, not past the witching hour which he has the other times. In this stripped down version of the songs there was less of an emphasis on the gloom of some of the songs and more an attempt to showcase the lyrics. Greg played acoustic guitar and had cello, violin and bass to accompany him. Definitely a shift from his previous performances. For me, this worked, but I wonder what this sound would be if he would not have had the acoustic guitar and stuck with the strings. I think they canceled each other out a bit. The cello and violin are inherently more emotive instruments alone than the acoustic guitar. But I applaud the attempt to keep it fresh. I think the main idea was to showcase Greg's impressive song-writing, which sometimes is lost because his vocal delivery is so instant and overpowering. Greg played a good mix of songs from his solo effort Amber Headlights, as well as Twilight Singers' songs. Halfway through I would say this quieter sound had worked well... until he introduced the guest bassist, John Curley. Yes that John, the same that played in Afghan Whigs with Greg. Now the crowd was really amped and started chanting John's name. One would expect Dulli fans to know full well who John Curley is and realize why this had turned into a memorable show at this point. They easily slipped into several Whigs songs and some other songs as well, including my favorite song of the evening "Bonnie Brae". They also played a cover of Bjork's "Hyperballad".

Toward the end someone fainted up front. Go figure, the temperature in there was bearable and they have the fancy big fan above the audience at Double Door now. I remember feeling faint at a metal concert there in the summer once. Greg asked if they were okay and then said he needed "a clean-up in aisle 4".

The band left the stage and the crowd kept the constant cheer that started when Greg introduced John. After a handful of minutes spent cheering loudly they came back out and played a few more songs for which John joined the band again.

This show proved Greg understands he can't always be the dark anguished figure in the corner. Don't get me wrong, I like that Greg, but I also love some of the more nuanced music he has put out as well. I will always remember this show for John and I think Greg was well served to add John half-way through. He knew the way the crowd would react and this boost ran high till the end of the encore. It's obvious there is a lot of magic with the paring of John and Greg and it leads Whigs fans to logically question whether we will see a fully re-formed Afghan Whigs band in the near future. Up to a few years ago, I would have said an emphatic 'no' with not only the words that Greg said about a reunion but also with the way he said them. He was sure that there would be nothing to be added by them reforming. This always surprised me a bit because the quality of Greg's musical ventures, as well as Staggering Statistics and Moon Maan - the other Whigs spin-off bands were also very good. These guys never seemed from my outside position to be really angry with one another. They seemed to be one of the few bands that truthfully said musical differences made them stop making music. We all know usually there are bigger broken relationship issues that contribute to the music stopping. Maybe the band gets together again and gives the old motor a try to see how she runs. I certainly hope so.

Vortis, Royal Pines, Burlesque...Oh My!

2010-10-10T01:21:00.012-05:00

I finally got to see Vortis live at The Viaduct Theater. It's good thing I didn't blink because I may have missed them. Classical succinct punk that takes no prisoners every 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Jim said afterwords that, "We don't believe in stage banter". The three piece was tight and needed no set list. Just a sound cue from Jim's drums after the last song ended. They definitely indicated some industrial (Big Black) influences when they broke the punk down and did their version of slowing down. It's always cool to see a punk show where the band cares that the crowd gets the whole picture, like Vortis did. I have been to punk shows where it is so sloppy and unrecognizable, and the band hangs their hat on that. So Vortis rarely slowed but was completely understandable. They were accompanied on stage by Viva La Muerte and the ladies of Hot and Heavy which was a sexy/titillating (not slutty) take on go go dancing/burlesque. The mix of the dancers and punk band brought back good memories of seeing Los Straightjackets and their go go dancers. The headliner was the Royal Pines, who played an up tempo Americana version of of punk that was sprinkled with slide guitar. It was very interesting.

It was a bunch of fun to expound on the evil wiles of Clear Channel with Jim after the show. We talked about the most sweetheart deal of sweetheart deals that Lollapalooza received from the city of Chicago. I have been following him chronicle this story on his blog. This story never ends, much like the rest of the malfeasance that Chicago's city and Cook County are stricken with. Go see Vortis play, but don't be 5 minutes late, you may miss 3 songs. Also, follow Jim's blog and get his stories in your in-box like I do. They never disappoint.

Pretty Little Empire - Reasons and Rooms (Release Show Nov. 27)

2010-10-06T21:52:00.018-05:00

Pretty Little Empire :

Justin Johnson - Vocals, guitar
William Godfred - Guitar, vocals
Wade Durbin - Bass vocals
Evan O'neal - drums, vocals

Pretty Little Empire's second LP Reasons and Rooms manages to broaden their musical horizon from folk to include early 90's indie punch guitar and post punk. The songwriting is as good as ever and this album finds the band experimenting a little more with new musical textures that still adhere to the tenants of this band's sound. The addition of Evan on drums has made the sound more complex and seems to give Wade some more places to take his bass lines. Justin, Will and Evan all sing commendable lead parts on songs making the overall sound varied. It's fun to try to tag each ones vocals. Also listen for some of the mixes that have dual lead vocals with one persons voice slightly out front, which requires vocal abilities that all of the members posses.

"Now Is The Time" begins with a nice acoustic riff and features great harmonies. This foreshadows the guitar to come. I love how they switch up the pairings of band members on the harmonies. Great opener that doesn't give away the surprise to come.

"Dakotas" is a b-side from the first PLE album Sweet Sweet Hands. It's really cool to see the difference in the song. It's a much fuller song on this record that utilizes Evan's driving drum part and Will's big guitar to make it a quicker louder song. Yet it keeps the shouted chorus and bouncing rhythm that made this song so damn catchy when I heard it as a b-side.

"Island (nc)" feature Evan on lead vocals and some beautiful harmonies that make it a really good song, but I am not sure that the song fits with the rest of the feel of the album. I think the feel of this is more of a southern rock feel.

Strains of the old PLE meet with the new PLE on "Let's Say 'I do'". Love the bounce of this song. Some Sugar style guitars and Justin Johnson's interesting cadence make for a song that will run in your head again and again. The trumpet, played by Jim Manley, gives this song a nice dynamic.

Justin sent me the first version of "Perfect Hearts" that he recorded on his i-phone. Evan's keys and glockenspiel make this a really full sounding version. The break toward the end is really nice and builds to the nice blissful level of a dreamy pop sound that is augmented by Cathie Degler's cello.

"Wasted Days" showcases Evan on drums. I am a sucker for the drums here. Near marching snare roll at the beginning gives way to Evan's controlled jazz bursts. Will's post punk guitars and Wade's thumping bass line make this the highlight of their live set. I wish they had added a little of the hoarse emotive vocals that I have seen them use when playing this song live. It's such a big sound and everyone is in the pocket. So good!

On "Cinnamon Toast" Will sings lead. Even though Justin and Will vocal range is similar, the inflection and cadence are indeed different. This is a post rock song of the first order. Jangly guitars with simple repeating rhythms make for a larger than life sound. Amazing to think this is the same band that put out Sweet Sweet Hands. Again the driving bottom here with Evan playing on and off the cymbals adds another dimension.

Because I was such a big fan of the first album, I was pretty sure I would love this one, and I do. But the few surprises on this album like "Morning's Been Hard" are songs that are surprising and it's exciting to hear the new direction. On this track Evan sings lead and plays keys. The single guitar notes along with the keys make a complete thought expressed which obviously needs input from everyone in the band to achieve the greatness that this song does. Sublime and dense with simple instrumentation this song has everything in the perfect amounts.

"Reasons Are Wrong" is a nod for sure to PLE's roots. It's another song I heard Justin play as an i-phone demo. Such a bright wash of sound was added to this album version. "Don't take anything from a hand that reaches out for you, don't you understand anything anymore" Justin and Evan sing. The trumpets and piano are nice touches.

The closer is "You Can't Have It All" which features screaming guitars and Justin's pleading vocals. "I don't think it's right , when we fight all the time, and you don't want to say where we are". Such simple words that can have multiple implications. This is another song I wished that the vocals on the chorus were allowed to over modulate a bit. It would add to the insistence of Justin's delivery. Maybe I am spoiled with seeing this live and am just trying to hear the live version. So then I can only give this song a 4.75 out of 5.

So this is a powerful follow up album for these really nice guys from St Louis. I listen to so many albums and like so many albums that sometimes they bleed into one another, but this album truly stands on it's own. They have infused their folk/Americana/Western sound with early 90's guitar which is a win and win. They have managed to incorporate the different sounds seamlessly and make their own sound. You can hear hints of yet another shift in their sound that may lean toward the experimental and not rely on classic instrumentation alone. I consider myself fortunate to be friends with these guys and be able to hear all of their various music projects while they are being made. I am thankful to them for that and look forward to the next album!

Their album release show will be at Firebird Theater in St Louis on Nove. 27.The album will be for sale after that date. Keep an eye on their fb page for mare info. Or check out my info, I will have it just before the show.

Thanks to my editor in chief and just chief in general, Kathy.

Mutts and Hemmingbirds at Beat Kitchen Fri. Sept 24

2010-10-06T13:50:00.004-05:00

The Hemmingbirds are fronted by Yoo Soo who wrote and recorded all of the songs on the Hemmingbirds incredible debut Death Wave (my REVIEW). The band sounded great and the guitar really popped live. I spoke with Yoo Soo afterward and he said they have only played out a handful of times. It sure didn't seem like they had played only 4 or 5 times together. See them live, it's a great experience. The album link below is a name your own price download. So if you do download it for FREE , please post the link wherever you can. Help spread the word about the inexhaustible great indie music here in Chicago.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://store.hemmingbirds.com/album/death-wave"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Death Wave by Hemmingbirds&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Thanks for the invite from Mike Maimone who fronts the indescribable Mutts low end force. Plenty of swing an a bit of soul and tons of conviction mark Mutts shows.Every Mutts show I have seen has a different twist. In this show the guys welcomed Yoo Soo from the Hemmingbirs to play violin amidst the growl and prowl of Mutts bottom end rumble. It was interesting dichotomy to have the higher end of the violin in that setting. Of course the violin was played marvelously by Yoo Soo. The Mutts were supporting the release of their great ep The Tells of Parallels (My review HERE). Mike and the guys did a cover of "Little Wing" (Hendrix) to a crowd that was very amped. Great to talk to Mike and the guys afterward. Please download the album below for FREE if you haven't already.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://download.muttsmusic.com/album/the-tells-of-parallels"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Tells of Parallels by Mutts&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Not The Best (Spacehog at Cubby Bear)

2010-10-04T01:29:00.003-05:00

The good the bad the ugly. First off the good, local all girl rockers The Maybenauts glammed it up with a really good tight set. This is the first time I saw them and they did not disappoint. Thanks to Novo for the kind invite.

The bad, Spacehog. I have their first two albums so I am familiar with them. I thought that this was wildly uninspiring. It could have been worse I suppose they did manage to keep time and play efficiently.

The ugly, the venue. I haven't seen a show there in over 10 years and I certainly haven't missed much. I suppose the same people would fill this "sports bar" whether they played the senseless drivel they were playing before the show or having bands play live . This was sponsored by Q101, which means they are still on the radio dial? I haven't listened to that station in some 4 or 5 years. Thank god for Internet radio and multi-room sound systems. Also the only beer they served during the show was Bud, even though they still sold hard liquor. And to top it off a thoroughly senseless bathroom "attendant" that loudly espoused hygiene tips to everyone who did not tip him.

Hemmingbirds - Death Wave

2010-09-30T15:09:00.006-05:00

Death Wave is comprised of fully realized indie pop songs that have subtle influences of jazz influenced rock (math,progressive) that seamlessly meet with indie pop sounds akin to Decemberists and Arcade Fire. This album has really good production and never loses it's focus, quite an achievement over the span of 10 songs. Chicago based Hemmingbirds should be proud of this album that places them firmly on the list of great Chicago indie bands. The band originally began as a solo project by Yoo Soo in the fall of 2009. Over the period of seven months, Yoo Soo performed, recorded, produced, mixed, and self-released “Death Wave” with the aid of Zach Benkowski on drums. He has since then recruited Tim Cap, Laurence Almalvez, and Brian Choi to create the 5-piece band it currently presents itself to be.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://store.hemmingbirds.com/album/death-wave"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Death Wave by Hemmingbirds&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

"Mellow Gold " haze has an instantly recognizable melody and a killer hook that is reminiscent of the best Weezer hooks. Tight production and from the toms at the beginning to a build to the cymbals at the end the percussion works really well.

Love the break in "Old Fire". The strings are nice on this track as they compliment the Yoo Soo's vocals as they soar high in higher. The time switches on this song keep it interesting.

'The rhythms and the standards of modern living, they weld our feet, to a growth of scenery', Yoo Soo explains in "In the Event of Failure" which starts off with just an acoustic guitar and voice. This is nice and helps to underscore the tale how we live. 'To future selves that sulk in failure the pain is a temporary tie'. Another nice momentum build toward the end of the song.

The prog. rock punch on "Perpetuator" switches up the sound a bit that it outfitted with a marching snare drum beat. After listening to the first 5 songs the loudness of this track comes as a pleasant surprise.

Yet another surprise on first listen was the psyched out Floyd like "Slippery Slope" with even bigger guitar. This really feels like a true updating of that song, which you don't hear often. Reminiscent of Omar Rodriguez Lopes (Mars Volta).

On the last track, "Death Wave/Color Swirls" there is some beautiful guitar work in this waltz timed ballad.

It's pretty obvious that Yoo Soo can pick up any style of rock/pop he wishes and put his own unique stamp on it. That's a good thing for us music fans. Though people get so caught up with trying to root out influences. if the music is really good then the influences will hit you afterward. This is the case for me with this splendid album. It's amazing to think Yoo Soo recorded it all himself, save for some drums. If this sounds really good to you then you can see him in person THIS FRI AT BEAT KITCHEN!!!! He is playing with Mutts, who I have reviewed this week as well. Archie Powell and The Exports as Well as Glittermouse on this bill. I will be there.

Mutts - The Tells Of Parallels

2010-09-22T09:44:00.008-05:00

You can get the new Mutts (Mike Maimone) release along with their other ep's on their SITE. The crew is back again with their new ep The Tells Of Parallels. The download will be ready after their show at Beat Kitchen Oct. 1 with a really cool local band , The Hemmingbirds, who I will write about soon. This is going to be a great show. I will be there. How can you beat dirty rock at the Kitchen?

The Tells Of Parallels finds Mike and the Mutts achieving a low end blues-rock hybrid that is a genre bender of heavy tunes. Pounding bottom line and one hell of an aggressive organ and piano make for some of the heaviest piano based tunes you will come across. Throw in a touch of funk and the fact that Mutts seem to be getting more and more experimental with every release, and Voila! That's why I love it! Check it out and check them out on Oct. 1 at Beat Kitchen.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://download.muttsmusic.com/album/the-tells-of-parallels"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Tells of Parallels by Mutts&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

This download will be a FREE download following its release on Fri. Oct. 1

Dedicated Ears Presents Singer Song-Writers 2 at Cafe Ballou

2010-09-21T14:43:00.012-05:00

The Dedicated Ears Showcase at Cafe Ballou went very well. It's interesting to see Gabe (Dastardly), the Teenage Rage Collective and Brendan Losch play on a consistent basis. It's cool to see them try new stuff and take chances. This past show had some unique moments. Though acoustic, I think Gabe was almost as loud as if he had an electric guitar and amp. Juxtapose that with the quiet reserve of Nathan Xander and the cool unique vocals of Jared Bartman and you have the makings of a hell of a night, and it was.

Gabe and Brendan have set up a series with the nice people at Cafe Ballou and we will be doing a monthly show for the forseeable future. Thanks to Khosro, who I had the pleasure of meeting and who is letting us put the shows on at his spot. It's a cool cafe that has a colorful look and laid back attitude. Before next month's show I will have the nights food and drink specials in my post about the show. So you can have a great wholesome meal.

Bears Of Blue River - The Killer Bee Scare

2010-09-08T12:43:00.011-05:00

I received a copy of this from Gavin, lead singer of Bears, who played a Dedicated Ears showcase (video here) at The Chopin Theatre. Gavin mostly played solo for this show and I got a chance to talk to him through sound check and after the show. He asked me to do an honest review and that's what he will get.

I really enjoyed this ep's melodies, which have a bit of an Americana twist to them. The Bears are originally from Indiana, after all. Gavin told me the band moved here for the cleanliness and the safety of this city. Or was it for the vibrant music scene?

This ep 's sweet lilting melodies and dancing bass lines are infectious indeed. The harmonies are not over done and accent the framework of the songs. The strong lead vocals of Gavin and Margaret have a nice interplay and compliment each other well. I suppose you would call "Betty Homemaker" the radio hit. A call and response song that tells the story of a couple in a clever way. It's an instantly recognizable melody. Also there is a cool video for it below.

All of the songs are strong and I think that the Bears have a bit of a different take on the standard indie pop formula. Listen closely with head phones and you will hear how the melodies and harmonies disappear into one another. You can get a FREE download of this ep and some other songs on their facebook page. Keep an eye out for a full length album from Bears very soon. I am sure I will tell you about it as well.

The Bears played a show with another great local band, Teenage Rage, this past Thursday at Empty Bottle on Western. Also on the bill was New York's Thieving Irons, which sounds pretty cool too.

Betty Homemaker from Alexis Rose on Vimeo.

Dedicated Ears Presents A Singer- Songwriter Showcase Aug 24 at Chopin Theatre

2010-09-01T01:05:00.003-05:00

The first Dedicated Ears Singer Songwriter Showcase went really well. My friend Gabe of the band Dastardly came up with the idea and found these great musicians to play the Chopin. So a big thanks to Gabe. The musicians in the showcase were all great and you can see for yourself below. The rest of the video's I recorded will be up within the week. I wish I could have recorded all of the songs but I got a few at least from each performer. A big thanks to Brendan Losch who pulled double duty by performing and doing sound as the sound person who was supposed to come was a no show. Some of the more memorable moments was Sarah Holtschlag playing a saw and Musikanto doing an impromptu song at the piano in the front entrance hallway. There was a lot of artists sitting in with other artists in the true spirit of singer songwriter, like when Brendan was joined by Gia Margaret and Angelina Lucero. Adem Chapman actually played the Dedicated Ears showcase with the band Teenage Rage a few weeks back. It was great to see him perform by himself. Dan Price and McKenzie Toma also performed really cool sets as well. Thanks again to Brian Fitzgerald for designing another unique poster. Thanks to the musicians and songwriters who performed. Thanks to The Chopin Theatre, Lela and Zygmunt again for being gracious hosts.

Suns, Robbers, Gaberdine, Brontosaurus at Double Door 8/20

2010-08-25T13:47:00.008-05:00

Brontosaurus opened the show and was a cool act to catch live. A 2 piece band that sound bigger at times. They play a progressive form of indie rock and adeptly played off one another much like jazz players do. This was their first show so keep an eye out for them.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://suns.bandcamp.com/album/the-howl-and-the-many"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Everything Changes by Suns&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

The Suns get better and more confident with their big sound with every show. The parts where the whole band is jamming out and both drummers are playing off one another is a near nirvana musical experience. They played a good deal of their two ep releases : The Howl and The Many and Close Calls In The U.S. Space Program. They settled into a groove that is accentuated by the mandolin and bow on a guitar that add little detours from the main road of their indie pop. They enjoyed their set a lot and the crowd was equally into the show as well. They are a must see live!

Thanks to Rebecca and Betta Promotions as well as Suns for the invite..

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://suns.bandcamp.com/album/close-calls-in-the-u-s-space-program"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Little Horn by Suns&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Grip Tapes: Straight Outta NC

2010-08-18T23:54:00.007-05:00

Grip Tapes is another label (based in North Carolina) that makes me look forward to listening to new music online every day. Their roster is Cassis Orange, The Alcazar Hotel, Veelee, Doctor, Gross Ghost, and Old Bricks. You can get FREE legal downloads of these and also choose to support them as well if you choose. As with many net-labels, the founders of this label tired of the way the music business ran, so they made their own label and rules. Cheers, I say.

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://cassisorange.bandcamp.com/album/cassis-orange-ep"&amp;amp;gt;Listen Heartbeat by Cassis Orange&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Through my daily Bandcamp exploration/addiction I came across Cassis Orange who are named after a Japanese alcoholic drink.They are indie pop group from North Carolina comprised of Autumn Ehinger and her friends. Autumn lived in Japan for a while, which explains the band name, before returning to the states to live in N.C. She has put together an impressive first go on this ep. which is ebullient at times and yearning at others. "Listen Heartbeat" is the type of hook that you will not forget for quite some time. I love the drum breaks on this track. When things slow down a bit on "Oh So What" the songwriting comes to the front. "If you don't love me now , I'm never gonna love you back", Autumn says or maybe hopes rather. And so it is with matters of the heart. I have read recently that we are losing classic albums because people aren't holing up with uber producers for 12 months to produce so called masterpieces (which are mostly soulless anyway). The thinking is that self produced albums can't be classics. Thank god the musicians like Autumn have taken the music business back and it flourishes with albums like this one! Great hooks are great hooks whether backed by heavy hitter studio players or by a drum machine like on this album.

Polymers and more...

2010-08-18T21:46:00.007-05:00

Through the amazing wonder of Bandcamp, I became aware of an album called Lens by UK musician Sam Dudley. A couple of mails back and forth and I found out that he made Lens as part of his work load en route to his degree in Music Commercial Composition & Technology degree. Lens is about a robot and you should check out the link because Sam has a full story treatment and sketches, as well as the download link for Lens which is on Birmingham, UK indie label Baby Jump Records. Lens is reminiscent of Thom Yorke's solo work, but is not derivative of Thom's sound. Lens stands out on its own and as you listen with headphones you can imagine the video that you would make of this robot. Whenever music elicits imagery in you, it has done its job.

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://sdudleymusic.bandcamp.com/album/l-e-n-s"&amp;amp;gt;Eyes Open by Sam Dudley&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

A few days after downloading Lens I came across another cool theme album on Bandcamp called The Elemental Suite by another talented UK musician named Jake Stacey. After telling Sam that I had just downloaded Jake's album, Sam told me the two of them were classmates at school, friends, and in a band named Polymers together. Behold the random nature of on-line music!

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://jakestacey.bandcamp.com/album/the-elemental-suite"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Icarus Account by Jake Stacey&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Polymers are :

Sam Dudley: lead Vocals/ Synth/ Guitar/ Awesomeness man
Chris Goodall: Lead Guitar/ Backing vocals
Jake Stacey: Rhythm Guitar/ Keys/ Backing Vocals
Pat: Bass / Babe Magnet
Mike John: Drums / Teaboy

I've had the UK music crew's music for a little while now and have listened to all of them quite a bit. Polymers has roots in the more aggressive prog. rock of Rush as well as the more recent prog. rock of Coheed and Cambria. I really enjoy "Ropes" which has a fiery solo just under the mix that runs for most of the song. Also, the break and the runs at the end are really cool.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://polymersuk.bandcamp.com/album/polymers"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Escape The Cage by Polymers&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Showing a slightly different sound on the beginning of "Firehead", the band uses a subdued start and builds nicely. Really enjoyed the drumming on this one.

Overall Polymers is a good first album that has a few really good songs on it. It will be interesting to see the direction they go from here. Somehow prog rock became a dirty word to some. Maybe we have Yes and Rush far enough in the rear view to let the up and coming prog rockers like Polymers make a new brand of prog. I love the jazz timing and flourishes on a song like "Hearts Blazing". In that respect, Polymers are well on the road to not just doing tricks with the timing but trying to write rounded songs.

It's really interesting to have both Sam's and Jake's solo work as well as Polymers. It really shows how their sounds/interests converge and diverge. Thanks to Sam for all the help!

Dedicated Ears Presents A Singer- Songwriter Showcase Aug 24 at Chopin Theatre

2010-08-17T16:18:00.004-05:00

Dedicated Ears Presents : A Singer - Songwriter Showcase will be at the Chopin Theatre Chicago (1543 W Division) on Aug 24th. The drive behind this particular show is Gabe from Dastardly. He thought it would be a good idea and so did I. Gabe was slated to play this but his band was offered a great opening spot on this day, so he could not make it. Thanks to Gabe who did a majority of the leg work. It doesn't hurt that he has good taste in musicians who will be featured : Brendan Losch, McKenzie Toma, Musikanto, Sarah Holtschlag, Adem Chapman, Papaer Plant, Gia Margaret and also Dan Price. Check these artists on their pages, this is going to be a great night of music. The owners of the Chopin play host again and I thank them. I will have some more music that is featured on my blog that In will be playing. Come by the show and say hi. The show is a suggested $5 donation and is a 21+ show and doors open at 7pm and the first act goes on at 8pm. Thanks again to Brian Fitzgerald (brifitz3@gmail.com) for designing another amazing poster.

Princess Dinosaur - A Golfish and His Friends

2010-08-13T17:23:00.009-05:00

Princess Dinosaur is Nic Newsham (Gatsby's American Dream) and Nick Vombrack (Dr. Manhatten). They created their debut album, A Goldfish and His Friends, while carrying on a long distance musical relationship between their homes in Illinois and Washington. The album was recorded in parts in both states.

A Goldfish and His Friends is a throwback to the 90's era of jangly guitar pop. It leans heavily on the hooks that made that pop music so irresistible. Princess Dinosaur remind me a lot of an updated version of Bluebottle Kiss where storytelling and melodies are most important. The lyrics are about relationships and how appearances aren't always what they seem.

The upbeat pace of "Yeah Sure" features guitars that are at home on a bright sunny day. The chorus is a sing along and the crescendo in the bridge works really well.

Things slow down a bit on"Steamy Dreams" and the echo effect and fading of howling from channel to channel drive home the point of a dream. "I know who you are, I know who you think you are.. I hate who you think you are", simple lyrics that say a lot.

"Electricity" has psych pop elements and some experimental instrumentation that are really interesting. It's a nice counter to the straight ahead pop.

Newsham and Vombrack have created a really nice debut album in A Goldfish and His Friends. The melodies are catchy and there are a few different sounds on this album.

Thanks to Rebecca at Betta Promotions for the heads up on this album.

Pretty Little Empire and Mimicking Birds Old Rock House St. Louis 8.8.10

2010-08-11T21:58:00.011-05:00

I enjoy each visit to St. Louis each time I visit. On this visit I got to see good friends Pretty Little Empire play with Mimicking Birds (a day after their Lolla set) at The Old Rock House. The venue is a fully refurbished and still has some of the older touches left in tact. The sound was really good and a video camera in the balcony let you see the acts at the front bar television.

Pretty Little Empire's set sounded great and they were as tight as I have seen them as a unit. Members are Justin Johnson, Evan O'Neal, Will Godfred, and Wade Durbin. Their trademark high energy show brought a sizable crowd out who danced to their music. Luckily they played quite a few of their songs from their soon to be released 2nd album whose sound branches out more into indie rock while still having an Americana and Western overtones. They are a rare band in that Justin, Will and Evan all sing lead on songs to great effect. The different lead vocals work well with respect to the overall sound. PLE are already planning the recording of their 3rd album. In addition to this Justin plays in The Jump Starts a side project with Sarah Ross (from St. Louis band Paper Dolls). I always get to meet the families of the guys in the bands and that is a treat, as the people in St. Louis are always so nice.

After PLE's set the Mimicking Birds who are Nate Lacy, Aaron Hanson, Ian Luxton kept people enthralled with there trance like form of indie folk. Some things that were striking were Nate Lacey's easy vocals and interesting song subjects which you can find on their self titled debut album on Glacial Place Records. It was Nate's Birthday that night so the band led the crowd in a rendition of Happy Birthday. Nate's guitar work coupled with Aaron and Ian's backing made this set up a fuller sound than the original recordings that Nate put on line about a year ago. Those recording were loose but I think maybe more in line with how Nate envisioned these songs. There is no denying the effect of the songs when played live with the backing band.

I was fortunate to hang out at Will's place after the show with all the members of both PLE and Mimicking Birds and it is always refreshing when wildly talented people are accessible as well. I got the feeling the guys from Mimicking Birds are looking forward to recording another album and that maybe they look for the recording process to be a bit more in line with what they have thought their songs should be. I have had the fortune of hanging with the PLE guys a few times and always enjoy to hear what they are up to and what their current thought of PLE are.

T- Bird Magera at Tonic Room

2010-08-04T15:25:00.004-05:00

I talked a bit with Tony (T-Bird) Magera at my first show at the Chopin. After emails back and forth he invited me to his set at the Tonic Room this past Thursday. I have head his music described as blues, but I would say it straddles the line between Americana and Blues with a good helping of folk story telling. Tony connects with the lyrics and sings an emotive brand of singer songwriter songs. He recently got married (Congrats!) and his wife was at the show as well who I had the pleasure of meeting. The song that jumped out at me was "Sally" which he wrote for his daughter to be. His wife is due soon, and congrats to both of them! Tony's eyes lit up when he played "Sally". It great to musicians connects with their lyrics! See Tony live.

Keep an eye out for an impending release by T-Bird soon. If everything goes well I hope to have him play a Dedicated Ears showcase soon. Also thanks to August Forte for the invite for this show. Contact August if you are in need of a promotions representative.

Folk gone crazy, Dedicated Ears Show #3

2010-07-22T21:42:00.002-05:00

The latest Dedicated Ears Presents at the Chopin Theatre featured an array of folk styles. The heat and the festival down the road made getting people out a bit difficult but the turnout was respectable. The crowd was ready for the bands and was very vocal. Gabe from Dastardly is responsible for getting The Bears Of Blue River and Teenage Rage to play as well as being a man about the crowd. I enjoyed all 4 sets. The Bears Of Blue River played a more traditional brand of folk with Gavin telling some stories in between. Teenage Rage played a wide open anything goes set that utilized piano, guitar, bass, drums, saxophone , male and female vocals while stretching the bonderies of folk music. Dastardly offered up a loose and energetic set that was punctuated by Gabe's showmanship. The Black Atlantic were sublime and beautiful while Geert used some jokes as well to propel their great set along. I have a video from each band on this page, the rest can be found on Chopin Thetre's youtube account. Again there were many remarks about the awesome venue and genial owners of the Chopin Theatre. Those sentiments are heard at each show I have done.

Special thanks again to Brian Fitzgerald for the great poster again! Also, to Aaron Hui who has been at all three shows and takes pictures as well as helps with the lighting. Thanks again to Lela and Zygmunt.

Next up I am finalizing a show with Judson Claiborne. I am also in talks with Louis from Sky White Tiger about bringing their concert and visual spectacle they did at Adler Planetrium to the Chopin in Nov. Also, I am starting up a monthly singer-songwriter night and will have a date for the first one in Aug. very soon.

Sky White Tiger at Adler Planetarium

2010-07-20T16:01:00.013-05:00

(photos by Brad Meese)

After listening to the Sky White Tiger album and also seeing their in store performance at Reckless Records, I was looking forward to seeing the band play in the planetarium setting. This show succeeded in many ways. The bands music fits the venue both lyrically and musically. The spaced out effects and mostly languid pace matched the sights that were seen at the Adler.

The band themselves were dressed all in white which served 2 functions, first it allowed the to have some cool light bursts displayed on the like a screen so that their bodies looked like they were made up of stars when the lights were lowered and the were hit with light projections. Secondly the white get-up mimicked the white of astronaut suits and at times in harsh shadows they looked like they were walking on the moon.

The music developed an overall vibe that built to louder noise only a handful of times. It was an interesting contrast for me to have seen the band perform these at the in store and then at the Adler later. The setting of the planetarium really added to the vibe the band was going for. That can't be said for all shows.

The venue itself with the huge telescope in my fore ground is a wholly unique setting for a band to play in and this band did very well with that. The constellations were bright above and at times the constellations were lit up by lines so you could see the see each constellations drawing over the pinpoints of light for stars. The most effective points in the show was when the light was pulled all the way back, just short of pitch black and a low amount of light lit the band members.

I was able to talk to Louis from the band for a bit afterward and he told me that he wrote the songs envisioning a unique set up for playing them live. This really showed in the relationship of the music and the setting of the show. Louis was also in Polyphonic Spree as well. Here has a penchant for forming unique surrounding for his musical projects. If you haven't picked up The Sky White Tiger ep ,get it. I have it on a good source that the band is looking to bring this show to the city again, soon.

Thanks to August and Novo Entertainment who promoted the show and extended me an invite. The Novo shows are always a great time.

After Pitchfork Party at The Chopin (4 Bands for $6!!!)

2010-07-13T20:55:00.004-05:00

(Thanks= Brian Fitzgerald for another distinguished looking poster design(brifitz3@gmail.com)

The next Dedicated Eras show at the Chopin Theatre is this coming Sunday July 18th. The lineup for the show is : The Bears Of Blue River, Teenage Rage, Dastardly, and The Black Atlantic from the Netherlands. These are all folk and singer songwriter acts that will make for a great bill. This will be the last time you will be able to see the Black Atlantic for a couple of years, so if you haven't seen them, make it to this show. . You can download the beautiful Black Atlantic album, Reverence For Fallen Trees is a FREE legal download. check out the other bands at their links too!

If you are thinking "I am going to Pitchfork on this day", then you are in luck. Our show will have doors at 9:30pm and first act at 10:30pm, right after Pitchfork lets out. It's $6 for four bands! Just head up Ashland. Chill out in the laid back vibe of the downstairs cabaret and have some cold beer. The show is a 21+ to enter and there is a CASH BAR. Also, I will be playing music that has been featured on this blog. Come on by and enjoy a complete concert experience. Lela and Zygmunt , the owners of the Chopin are really nice and very approachable. Our idea is to have an environment where people can talk in between music acts.

Suns Mania! Double ep releases reviewed.

2010-07-06T00:07:00.008-05:00

In full disclosure I am a big fan of the band Suns. I saw them at Lincoln Hall (my video below) through a gracious invite of Rebecca at Betta Promotions. I was amazed by their full sound created by a clarinet, mandolin, and also double drummer set up utilized by the band as well as soaring guitars. So I was attentively awaiting the release of their album or ep and was happy to hear that they released 2 ep's at one time.

The Howl and the Many and Close Calls in the U.S. Space Program can be download the for FREE HERE (Donations Accepted Too). After listening to them for the past 2 weeks I can tell you they are really good. They encompass indie pop, indie rock, chamber pop with hints of Americana. Each of these has it's own distinct feel. Both are propelled by the double drummer setup of Clinton Weber and Chris Pagnani who use mallets through a good chunk of the songs on toms. This makes for a low rumbling that matches the symphonic sound of these two ep's. Mikey Russell 's vocals put a bit of an Americana spin on these out-sized pop gems. The guitars of Nick Enderle and Mikey Russell make a wash of sound that is punctuated by Kody Nixon's smooth bass lines. Then there's Matt Lemke who is a jack of all trades playing rhodes, magnus, harmonium, synth, guitar.

The Howl and The Many is a bit more of a straight ahead indie album. From the rumble of "Everything Changes", the opener, to the closer "Four Winds" (video above) this ep is addictive. My favorite is the drowsy goodness of"Gladys". That ambling hook has been in my head for two weeks! Chants and howls and symphonic passes are abound. These four songs work really well together.

Close Calls In The U.S. Space Program is a bit more experimental than The Howl and the Many. The songs on Close Calls are moody and feature the signature symphonic sound that Suns will always be known for. "Little Horn" is my fave track on this ep, the low rumble of the toms and chants in the chorus are offset by many song breaks which make this song feel like 3 or 4 songs. There is attention paid by Suns to every sound on here. With headphones you hear every feint sound and gentle fade. They know what they want, and they achieve it on both of these ep releases.

So please download the ep's and donate if you can. At least help spread the word. People need to hear this band. Also, if you like live music you have to see them. They may be playing a gig at the Chopin soon. Stay tuned.

Dedicated Ears Deux : Anjru Kieterang, Welcome To Ashley, and The Juliets

2010-06-24T00:18:00.004-05:00

The second installment of Dedicated Ears presents at the Chopin Theatre featured some hiccups, but isn't that what happens at concerts? All three acts brought something different and were all at ease on the stage. There were some sound issues, and the fix to those is already in. I am still learning the ropes as far as the equipment that each band will require. It is fun though, and I love to learn new things. All the while I got to listen to great music and play music featured on this blog. Once again I was able to speak to music fans like Aaaron Hui, who has been to both shows. My friend featured prominently again. Brian Fitzgerald with another great poster. August and Kevin helped promote. I was also able to use the venues camera to capture music from all three acts which will be below here. Thanks again go out to Lela and Zygmunt and the grand old lady, The Chopin, which keeps getting rave reviews as a unique place to see and perform a concert. Thanks again to all three bands and to the crowd of vocal concertgoers who made the night a blast. Thanks to Aly who covered the show for her great blog Streets Of Wicker.

Next up The Black Atlantic from the Netherlands perform The Chopin on July 18th. This is the last leg of their US tour and it may be a few years before you get a chance to see this breathtaking band.

Sons- Bandcamp (FREE)

2010-06-23T11:12:00.003-05:00

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://theson.bandcamp.com/album/radar"&amp;amp;gt;Dogs, Boys &amp;amp;amp;amp; Men by The Son(s)&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Check out this FREE download from Sons. I did a review of their Soundcloud demos a while back. Now they are close to finishing their album. There are some beautiful harmonies on here. From Britian the Sons are a must for fans of folk and singer-songwriter music.

Dastardly -"Villain" - Video

2010-06-17T14:28:00.001-05:00

Chicago band Dastardly, who have folk and bluegrass leanings have released a new video. Thanks to Gabe from the band who sent me this new video. The band has a new album coming out soon as well. Look for a show announcement in the future for Dastardly to perform at The Chopin Theatre in August.

Jonny Rumble - JR (FREE Download)

2010-06-15T10:09:00.009-05:00

Chicago band Jonny Rumble's new album JR is available now as a FREE download on the Rock Proper , Chicago based net-label. JR is a mix of blues based rock and indie rock that pulls from The Police, The Beatles and The Talking Heads. I highly suggest you download it and check out the other albums that Rock Proper has to offer. (I have Notes & Scratches,Jitney, and Jay Bennett)

Right out of the box, track #1 "Cox Road" has a nice swing to it and features a infectious hook.

"Victim of The Times" is the track I keep listening too. The effects on the vocals and the jazz influence make this an interesting song to listen to again and again.

Some of the non standard features, like the trippy parts of "Stumped" and the folk fueled "Toe The Line" give this album depth.

Jonny Rumble swimmingly succeed on the non standard rock fair on this album in the songs "Stumped" ," Toe The Line", "Victim of The Times". In these songs there is a wider range of influence than on the more straight ahead rock tracks. The production is good and the harmonies, when they are utilized work really well like on "Toe The Line".

I have seen Jonny Rumble play live and they are a self assured bunch that work well off one another. They have totally committed to their sound and their is a big payoff of this when you see them live. They have quite a few dates coming this summer. Check them out.

Thanks to August from Novo and also Casey from Rock Proper. Of course to the band as well. I have met them a couple of times at their shows and they are a blast to hang out with.

Dedicated Ears Presents: Anjru Kieterang,Welcome To Ashley,The Juliets

2010-06-14T01:23:00.004-05:00

There is another Dedicated Ears Presents show in the downstairs lounge of the beautiful Chopin Theatre (1543 W Division).

-SAT. JUNE 19 (9:30 PM DOORS / 10PM First ACT)
-$6 COVER
-21 + TO ENTER
-CASH BAR

Now that I have had one show under my belt, the details leading up to this show have gone swimmingly. I am in an unique position to have my blog sponsor the shows at The Chopin. I don't know of any other blogs that sponsor shows. For this I am proud, and grateful to everyone who helps these shows come about. From the owners of the Chopin Theatre to the great bands that perform to my sounding board (Wife Kathy). Thanks to August Forte and Kevin Cornell from Novo Entertainment. Also another special thanks to designer Brian Fitzgerald for creating another great image for the show poster above. Contact him at brifitz3@gmail.com. if you'd like to know more about his work.

The bands for this weeks show have a varied sound. Anjru is a singer-songwriter who doesn't fit into any one category. His music has a dream like quality as well as some psychedelic influences as well. I have listened to his album Strange Dreams quite a bit. It's a free legal download HERE. Thanks to Brendan Losch for telling me about Anjru.

Welcome To Ashley were brought to my attention by August from Novo, who kindly invited me out to see Welcome To Ashley last Dec. The band was tight and energetic. They are indie rock with a touch of Americana. Lead singer Coley's emotive delivery is commanding. This band lives to play live, and it shows in their performance . I took video of a song.

The Juliets are a band I found on bandcamp. They remind me a lot of early 80's indie pop from abroad (think Crowded House). They differ in their full sound with their strings section. I was originally entranced by the swell of music but quickly fell in love with the lyrics.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;a &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;href&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;="http://thejuliets.bandcamp.com/album/the-juliets"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Sweetheart by The &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Juliets&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;lt&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

You can name your price for the Juliet download and the Welcome To Ashley album is a free download. Just click on them. Please come on out to the show. I will have another play-list of music to play at the show that has been featured on this blog as well as the blogs facebook page. A completely unique music experience could be all yours if you join us on Saturday. Thanks.

Blissfield Adrian - Metropolitan

2010-06-09T17:18:00.005-05:00

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://theblissfieldadrian.bandcamp.com/album/metropolitain-deluxe-edition"&amp;amp;gt;Intro/Answers From the Left Hemisphere...Questions From the Right by The Blissfield Adrian&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Pop. Experimental. Good! This hit me right away. They join Chicago's rather large canon of musicians making interesting pop music. (Yawn, Maps&Atlases, Cast Spells, Netherfriends). This is a name your price download.

Blackbird Blackbird - Let's Move On Together

2010-06-05T10:25:00.005-05:00

Check out this ep of chilled out rainy day electronic goodness from Bye Bye Blackbird on the Arcade Sound Ltd. Netlabel.

<a href="http://byebyeblackbird.bandcamp.com/album/lets-move-on-together-ep">Let's Move On Together Blackbird Blackbird</a>

Sam Dudley - Lens

2010-06-04T00:45:00.003-05:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://sdudleymusic.bandcamp.com/album/l-e-n-s"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Eyes Open by Sam Dudley&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Definitely inspired by Thom Yorke, which is a good thing on this album. The back story on this you can read at Sam's bandcamp page. I love that you still come across theme albums on places like bandcamp.

What does the death of Lala mean?

2010-05-28T00:17:00.001-05:00

On the surface, Apple buying the online Lala music service didn't turn many heads a few months ago. I was a big fan of Lala, which allowed users upload their complete music collection and to have a copy of that collection on Lala's slightly ahead of it's time cloud computing technology. Lala also had a sizable collection of music for sale for around $7.50 for DRM free mp3 albums. Where they differed from every other service was allowing you to purchase web songs of your favorite artists for .10 each. The web songs then could be played on your Lala account at any time. They couldn't be copied or transported to personal music players. Lala also encouraged fans of music to interact with one another and suggest artists to one another. So Lala had almost all of the components that I could wish for in a music service.

Then Apple purchased Lala and some changes happened. I could no longer upload all of my creative commons and indie artists to my Lala account, it would just upload songs from like named artists or song names and not the artists that I had tried to upload. Lala would only upload artists that were available for sale on Lala. This seems innocuous but I think there is something bigger going on here. Apple bought Lala to use the cloud computing technology and took out a direct competitor at the same time. But what will Apple do with this cloud computing technology? My guess is they will incorporate it into i-tunes. At first glance this is a good thing, cloud technology means you won't have the bigger mp3 files on your computer. It's going to change again our idea of ownership of something just as the original arrival of mp3's did. It took a little time to get used to mp3's replacing physical products like cd's. Now with cloud computing there will be an exhaustive collection of music that you will get a ghost copy that will access the cloud when you go to play the music on i-tunes.

Where this differs is that I think Apple is going to make it so that you won't be able to upload music that isn't on i-tunes for sale on to your i-tunes account. This would cause about 400 of my albums not to be able to be played by i-tunes. Right now you can upload music onto i-tunes that isn't available there. I have been thinking for a couple of years that Apple must be working overtime to make all artists sign up for i-tunes in order for their fans to play their music on their i-tunes accounts. Many artists give their music away free under the Creative Commons agreement. So will these artists then have to charge something for their music to be able to pay for their music to be listed on i-tunes and for their music to play on i-tunes. Apple was more than happy for us to make i-tunes the standard before they made us pay for it.

I hope I am wrong, but it appears the writing is certainly on the wall in this case. So then the market reaction to this would be another company like Lala starting a similar music site online. Maybe there's a site already readying itself for the net music business that will be a game changer. We will see.

Poison Arrows, Bailiff, Big Science at Subterranean on Sat. May 27

2010-05-26T22:05:00.007-05:00

I saw Big Science at Lincoln Hall earlier this year and really looked forward to seeing them again last Saturday night. Of course they did not disappoint. I was able to talk to some of the guys before the show again and it was good to catch up and hear what they are up to. They just released an ep that I reviewed called Skyscraper Sound on AEMMP Records. The guys are also working on a full length album, so stay tuned. At the Subterranean show they played the songs from Skyscraper Sound and it's so much more of a guitar punch to see them live. That's a great thing. I also really enjoyed Poison Arrows. Their bass player played quite a few notes and reminded me of a lot of that great mid 1970's progressive rock where bass players played like guitar players. Think Yes and Rush. Bailiff were also on the bill. The sound at Subterranean was really good. It's been a while since I've been there. The room was really dark though and my camera and video-camera don't like it that dark, so I don't have any coverage here.

I was fortunate to also catch up with Mike Maimone, who has an album release show for We Float coming up at The Mutiny on Western. I will be there and I will also post that concert info here soon.

Special thanks to Rebecca at Betta Promotions who promotes some great bands. (Big Science, Suns, Mike Maimone, Netherfriends, and A Lull among them.) Like them on their facebook page linked above. Also special thanks to Big Science for having me and being so approachable.

Big Science - Skyscraper Sound

2010-05-17T22:01:00.012-05:00

Big Science are :

Jason Hendrix
Jason Richards
Jason Clark
Jeremy Pena

Flags

Fitting for Big Science to call their new ep. Skyscraper Sound ( AEMMP ) as this band is known for their soaring sound. This album has some rougher edges than their first release The Coast of Nowhere (my review here). They still have great production and harmonies, it just has a rougher/less poppy sound to it that adds a new depth to this ep. Big Science builds more huge sounds on this ep. "Flags" is representative of the bands style. It's got the 90's guitar and a killer rhythm section that are capped off by vocals that keep on rising. I Love the space in between the sounds on "Flags". It makes the loudest punch of sound really stand out. I was fortunate enough to see them play some of the songs off this release at a show at Lincoln Hall. (My videos of that show here).

The ep release show for Skyscraper Sound is this Sat. May 22 at Subterranean bar in Chicago. I'll be there. Come on out, they are a blast live.

Thanks to Rebecca at Betta Promotions. Also to the guys in the band who are so accommodating.

Port St. Willow - Even // Wasteland

2010-05-17T11:52:00.003-05:00

Here is some nice dreamy lo-fi pop music replete with Nick Principe's falsetto voice. Nick is Port St Willow and based in Portland Oregon. I look forward to hearing more from him. These melodies will grab you quickly. And some of you thought you didn't like lo-fi.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://portstwillow.bandcamp.com/album/even-wasteland"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pulse by Port St. Willow&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Carlos Mendez - En Casa

2010-05-11T22:03:00.002-05:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://carlosmendez1.bandcamp.com/album/e-p-en-casa"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Volvamos a hablar del Dolor by Carlos Méndez&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Carlos Mendez plays Panamanian folk rock. If you like Seu Jorge like I do then this will be right up your alley. This is a free bancamp download. Also he has an album from Jan 2010 that you can download 10 of 11 songs free. Check it out.

Dedicated Ears Presents ... A Success

2010-05-11T15:12:00.021-05:00

Dedicated Ears Presents a Night Of Music at The Chopin Theatre was a success this past Saturday night. I want to say thanks to everyone who came out to the show. I met and talked to most of the people in the crowd and it was a blast. Thanks goes out to Lela an Zygmunt the owners of the Chopin Theatre who were gracious hosts. Thanks to August Forte, who went above and beyond promoting this event. Thanks to David Saffran, Brendan Losch, and Pretty Little Empire for performances that the audience really enjoyed. Thanks also to Brian Fitzgerald, who designed the cool poster ad, Michael Griggs for running the sound and Paul Leddy for helping with shooting the video for the show.

David Safran started the evening out with a singer songwriter set that had both a troubadour look and feel as well as some world beat rhythms mixed in. His band was tight and offered a slightly different spin on what you come to expect with a singer songwriter's performance.

Brendan Losch is an assured singer-songwriter who came across as earnest in his performance. After listening to his songs for a few weeks, I really enjoyed hearing them live. I would suggest checking out his albums on his site. He also is in the ambient-indie-gaze band Bullets In Madison, which I hope to get to play The Chopin. He also has a blog, Count Me Out, you should check out for news on a lot of indie music.

Pretty Little Empire is a band you may be familiar with if you read my posts. Their beautiful album Sweet Sweet Hands was on my end of year list last year. I still listen to it on a weekly basis. I went to film school with Justin Johnson, who plays guitar and sings lead and harmonies. I saw the band in St. Louis right after the release of their album and was blown away. They have gotten even better since then and showed it in their set. Their harmonies are stronger and they have added a 90's indie style punch of jangly guitar to their sound. Once the band was mainly acoustic and now they do well straddling the line between alt-folk and indie rock. I'll keep you posted about their upcoming album.

Many people commented on how cool they thought the theatre was and what a great place it is to see a concert. I agree fully. It's got a really nice vibe. I hope to book many more shows there and am working on June's show right now.

Mike Maimone and The Mutts - We Float (ep)

2010-05-04T22:06:00.004-05:00

Mike Maimone is back with his new ep. which is FREE on his bandcamp page. Like all the rest of his stuff this is unconventional and I love it. This music growls. He has a record release show for this ep is Friday May 28th at The Mutiny (2428 N. Western). NO COVER!!! I plan on going and you should too. Mike is giving the download away for FREE and there is FREE entry to this show on Friday. I will also have an events link on the side of this blog for the show as well.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://mutts.bandcamp.com/album/we-float-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Beggar by Mutts&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Luminal - Canzoni Di Tattica E Disciplina

2010-04-29T16:19:00.000-05:00

Luminal - La lunga corsa

Luminal is an indie rock band from Italy that I came across on Soundcloud. They have both male and female lead vocals that both work well. They have hard rock and progressive elements at times as well as having a punk attitude.

The standout track for me is "La Lunga Corsa" . This song slithers along and reminds me of Faith No More at times. This is a really strong album that grows on you with repeated listens.

Check out Luminal's website to purchase albums from their discography.

Dedicated Ears Presents: David Safran, Brendan Losch, and Pretty Little Empire Live May 8 at The Chopin Theatre Chicago

2010-04-20T16:16:00.012-05:00

I don't usually incorporate much of my personal life in this blog as this is a music blog and not a blog about me. Yes, there is a but coming. But, I thought a little back story on how I went from no blog 1 yr ago to blog and booking shows might help set the story for Dedicated Ears' first show at The Chopin Theatre.

I went to see and interview Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs last October at The Chopin. I got to talk to Lela, who is half owner of The Chopin. I had started looking into venues for bands I was friends with and mentioned this to Lela. Earlier this year I met with Lela and the other owner, her husband Zygmunt. I dropped off music of the bands that were looking for gigs. Lela and Zygmunt have been putting on shows at The Chopin for 18 years and are still very excited about trying new things. So they asked if I would be interested in booking acts on a regular basis at The Chopin. I happily agreed even though I haven't booked shows anywhere before. I owned my own sub sandwich start-up and I did everything by myself, top to bottom. That was a big learning curve and I have found that those skills of organization, people skills and problem solving that go along with owning my own business will serve me well while booking shows at The Chopin.

I have had an invaluable amount of help from August Forte who works at Novo Entertainment. I went to high school with August and recently reconnected via facebook. He has helped me meet many cool people in the music scene in Chicago. He is also a good friend and will be promoting many of the shows I book for the Chopin. He has helped make my Dedicated Ears' first show at The Chopin Theatre a reality, so I thank him for it. The show is May 8th with doors at 9:30 pm and the first band at 10pm. This is a 21+ show with a $6 cover. The three great acts to perform are David Safran, Brendan Losch, and Pretty Little Empire. Thanks to these bands for playing this show. Also thanks to another blogger Tarty Tart, who is probably at a show as we speak! She gave me the heads up on Brendan's music. Please come see them play live and hang out in the very cool cabaret space at The Chopin Theatre.

A good friend of mine Brian Fitzgerald designed the great poster for the show that you see on this page. You can reach Brian at brianfitzgerald3@yahoo.com if you would like to inquire about his design work.

A special thanks to my wife. She's always supportive and helps me make my crazy ideas become realities. She originally pushed me to start this blog one year ago. Like I like to say, "This is all her fault", in a good way!