Archive for the ‘Chicago News’ Category
A few rock-related links to pass on in case you’re interested…
New Radiohead Tune Leaked – “These Are My Twisted Words?“
Jonny from Dead Air Space: So here’s a new song, called ‘These Are My Twisted Words’.
We’ve been recording for a while, and this was one of the first we finished. We’re pretty proud of it.
There’s other stuff in various states of completion, but this is one we’ve been practicing, and which we’ll probably play at this summer’s concerts. Hope you like it.
It seems they actually leaked it. Perhaps a piece of the “great idea” Thom mentioned in a recent interview. Never a dull moment with those guys.
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New Jim O’Rourke Album – “The Visitor”
Stream a preview of a track at the new Drag City website. More details to follow, I’m sure.
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From boingboing.com – New Jersey police detained 68-year old American music star Bob Dylan recently, after a young officer failed to recognize him. A disheveled Dylan was wearing a hoodie, wandering around in the rain looking at a house for sale. The 24-year-old female officer was responding to a phone call from the occupants of a home that had a “For Sale” sign on it. The residents were called in with a report of an “eccentric-looking old man” in their yard .
For those of us here in Chicago and for those planning to attend this years Chicago Jazz Fest, The Jazz Institute of Chicago has teamed up with the Chicago Jazz Festival to bring what looks to be a stellar workshop to our fine city. Faculty will include Roscoe Mitchell, William Parker, Nicole Mitchell, Michael Zerang, Ellen Waterman, Renee Baker and David Boykin. Going to be a great workshop no doubt.
Here’s a link to the CCMW website where you can get more info and fill out the application.
When: September 2nd – 3rd
Cost: $150 – General Public, $100 – Students
I don’t know if there are any readers out there as big into this band as I am — I’m a Chicago-born dude who used to ride the train down to the city to see them play every chance I got. Something about this album really gets me, though. Enough where I have to write a second post here. I can’t say I’ve ever been disappointed with a Wilco album, but I seem to be more excited than usual about (The Album).
Wilco (The Song) takes me back to those rockers on Being There and Summerteeth. It sounds like summer by the Lake Michigan to me. Deeper Down and the album closer Everlasting have some great playing from Glenn Kotche specifically. His phrases really help the tunes breath. And of course, Nels is on fire, though no real rippers as on Side With The Seeds from Sky Blue Sky except a short blistering accession at the end of One Wing. That leads into Bull Black Nova which has a Krautrock vibe while still being tuneful rather than just drone-y. The band opted for a noised-out closing section which is always appreciated. The tunes here don’t really call for the guitar-god thing anyway.
Really, every tune is strong. The vocals are top-notch, too. Tweedy’s voice keeps getting better and better. Check out the duet with Feist, You and I (not a Silver Apples cover).
They are altogether a different band than the one I used to see in the 90’s. And I loved it then. And love it now.
To me, there is no reason to not buy this record.
We were just alerted of a new Tortoise track — track 1 from their upcoming 6th album Beacons Of Ancestorship — over at Stereogum.
From the press release regarding this track:
Playfully references the world of ecstatic rave and dance culture with a curiously ambivalent, multi-part suite overlaid with robotic, machinesounding melodies that stop and start in several different time signatures before the song’s ultimate resolution
Click here to stream “High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In”.
My friend and fellow musician Joe Darnaby has helped put together a lot of the logistics for this show including piecing together the propellers for this one-time performance tonight at the Harris Theater in Chicago. From what I’ve been told, this is going to be an incredible performance.
:: More Info Here ::
Dada Machinations :: Fulcrum Point
Risk = Reward? The ultimate Dada musical score for 16 player pianos, percussion electric bells, siren, and 3 airplane propellers, Ballet mécanique is a riotous fusion of industrial sounds and Jazz with dense timbral clusters. Zuidam and Veldhuis’s tour-de-force chamber works are virtuoso vehicles full of improvisation and vigor, while the Fluxus works are sure to astonish you. Worth the Risk!
The audience is invited to a free post-concert reception to meet with the artists and enjoy refreshments and complimentary wine from Vin DiVino.
Corey Rusk — Chicago-based Touch & Go’s founder — issued a statement that was brought to my attention through Greg Kot’s blog at the Trib.
“It is with great sadness that we are reporting some major changes here at Touch and Go Records. Many of you may not be aware, but for nearly 2 decades, Touch and Go has provided manufacturing and distribution services for a select yet diverse group of other important independent record labels. Titles from these other labels populate the shelves of our warehouse alongside the titles on our own two labels, Touch and Go Records, and Quarterstick Records.
“Unfortunately, as much as we love all of these labels, the current state of the economy has reached the point where we can no longer afford to continue this lesser known, yet important part of Touch and Go’s operations. Over the years, these labels have become part of our family, and it pains us to see them go. We wish them all the very best and we will be doing everything we can to help make the transition as easy as possible.
“Touch and Go will be returning to its roots and focusing solely on being an independent record label. We’ll be busy for a few months working closely with the departing labels and scaling our company to an appropriate smaller size after their departure. It is the end of a grand chapter in Touch and Go’s history, but we also know that good things can come from new beginnings.”
UPDATE – 02/19:
According to Billboard, T&G will not only be cutting distribution, but also “will stop releasing new albums and operate going forward as a catalog label.” Spring releases will still hit the street as scheduled.
Brings a tear to my Chi-eye…
Corey Rusk — Chicago-based Touch & Go’s founder — issued a statement that was brought to my attention through Greg Kot’s blog at the Trib.
“It is with great sadness that we are reporting some major changes here at Touch and Go Records. Many of you may not be aware, but for nearly 2 decades, Touch and Go has provided manufacturing and distribution services for a select yet diverse group of other important independent record labels. Titles from these other labels populate the shelves of our warehouse alongside the titles on our own two labels, Touch and Go Records, and Quarterstick Records.
“Unfortunately, as much as we love all of these labels, the current state of the economy has reached the point where we can no longer afford to continue this lesser known, yet important part of Touch and Go’s operations. Over the years, these labels have become part of our family, and it pains us to see them go. We wish them all the very best and we will be doing everything we can to help make the transition as easy as possible.
“Touch and Go will be returning to its roots and focusing solely on being an independent record label. We’ll be busy for a few months working closely with the departing labels and scaling our company to an appropriate smaller size after their departure. It is the end of a grand chapter in Touch and Go’s history, but we also know that good things can come from new beginnings.”
UPDATE – 02/19:
According to Billboard, T&G will not only be cutting distribution, but also “will stop releasing new albums and operate going forward as a catalog label.” Spring releases will still hit the street as scheduled.
Brings a tear to my Chi-eye…
Hey All,
Not to dwell too much on this Chicago Promoter Ordinance, but I guess that last Wednesday was just a postponement of yet another meeting on this topic. The Chicago Music Commission has set up an Opinion Survey that people can fill out regarding this ordinance. They will “deliver all comments received by 5:00PM on Friday, May 23rd to Mayor Daley and the City Council.”
You can find the all the information you need via the CMC to make up your own mind about this ordinance. PLEASE make your voices heard!
More info:
The CMC is currently seeking to work with the City Council to come up with a revised ordinance that takes your concerns into account. The bill that did not get reported our of the City Council’s Licensing and Consumer Protection Committee this past Wednesday is still alive and the City Council still controls when and if that bill will be revived. Therefore, CMC is committed to staying vigilant to make sure your voice is heard, and to work to come up with a solution that allows for Chicago music to continue to thrive safely and responsibly.
Please stay tuned to this site for updates and more information.
Thank you for your commitment to Chicago music!
Tomorrow, Chicago’s City Council will be voting on a new ordinance that will make SERIOUS problems for local bands, venues, and pretty much anyone in the arts. Why they are doing this, I can’t tell. But I do know that this will be a real problem and will stifle the creative community in our fair city.
Check out http://savechicagoculture.org/ for more details on how you can help this ordinance from happening. Or just contact your alderman.
The “Event Promoters” ordinance requires any event promoter to have a license from the city of Chicago and liability insurance of $300,000, but that’s just the start:
The definition of “event promoter” is so loosely defined it could apply to a band that books its own shows or a theater company that’s in town for a one-week run.
“Event Promoter” must be licensed and will pay $500 – $2000 depending on expected audience size.
To get the license, applicant must be over 21, get fingerprinted, submit to a background check, and jump over several other hurdles.
This ordinance seems targeted towards smaller venues, since those with 500+ permanent seats are exempt.
Police must be notified at least 7 days in advance of event.
