3/20/07 Empty Bottle in Chicago Last Tuesday at the Bottle was a real treat because there were not just one or two but three great bands to see, who oddly enough were all composed of exactly three people. Portland Oregon’s Menomena played a fantastic set with a good collection of songs that varied between more [...]
Schubas in Chicago 3/15/7 I’m a huge fan of both Luna and Galaxie 500 and it’s clear to me that after this length of time Dean Wareham has not only built up a fantastic back catalog of albums and songs but still has the magic to create more. Singing alongside his enchanting wife Britta Phillips [...]
Dirty Projectors are the work of Brooklyn’s Dave Longstreth and, considering the fact that the lineup changes somewhat regularly, seeing them on different tours might provide for not only different sets but completely different dynamics and elements in the songs. This was the second time I have seen them, the first being at the Logan [...]
2/14/7 Schubas in Chicago St.Vincent is the work of Annie Clark who, waifish as she is, posesses a definite stage presence and appeal. As a member of The Polyphonic Spree and as someone who has played with such greats as Glenn Branca, she also has quite the resume already, especially for someone as young as [...]
2/10/7 Kitty Moon in Chicago This was a really rare performance for Jonathan Scott of the Doleful Lions and quite an intimate one. If you are familiar with the work of the Doleful Lions, then you are aware of the beautiful harmonizing of Scott and Aynsley Pirtle on Out Like a Lamb or the fantastic [...]
Not knowing the full extensive history and background, Cinchel wrote up this show instead which is also posted on Radio Free Chicago. I can personally say I enjoyed his set more than I had when I saw him play at Three Million Tongues Festival because there was, in addition, to the rhythm a better flow [...]
2/3/7 Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago I’ve been a fan of The Essex Green for about 8 years now, ever since I heard a local dj playing songs from 1999’sEverything is Green on the college radio station in Buffalo, NY. I took a trip to NYC and scoured the shelves for the album, coming across [...]
Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago 2/3/07 Admittedly, I was immediately drawn to Camera Obscura because of their band name. This Scottish six piece, prominently fronted by the understated Tracy-Anne makes for sometimes subtle melodies. You have to be a patient listener. In a way, it is like the comfort food of music. They aren’t necessarily [...]
1/28/07 Empty Bottle in Chicago Ah, the wonderful world of Joe O’Connell aka Elephant Micah. I’d seen him before play the Hideout with Beth Remis on violin but this time he brought with him some extra musicians. The clarinet, drums, and bass made the songs feel less like a product of isolation and more the [...]
Fixx Coffee in Chicago January 20th, 2007 There’s something wholly romantic about the very notion of being the type of person that could pick up and leave the country you were living in not once but twice. Combine this with the folk singer discovering new cities while jotting down poetry in his journal, which may [...]