Radio Free Chicago

New Releases Tuesday (3/22)

Local and related:

Mahjongg - RaYDONcoNG 2005 (Cold Crush)
Out Hud - Let Us Never Speak of It Again (Kranky)
Alasdair Roberts - No Earthly Man (Drag City)
Cocorosie - La Maison de Mon Reve (Touch & Go)
Pacifics - Sunday's Chicken (All Natural)

Other Notables:

Prefuse 73 - Surrounded by Silence (Warp)
M.I.A. - Arular (XL)
Fog - 10th Avenue Freakout (Lex)
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (Vice)
Decemberitsts - Picaresque (Kill Rock Stars)
Louis XIV - s/t (Atlantic)
Perceptionsists - Black Dialogue (Def Jux)
Queens of the Stone Age - Lullabies to Paralyze (Interscope)
Solvent - Think Like Us (Ghostly International)

Reissues/Collections/Greatest Hits:

Brian Eno - Apollo: Atmosphere for Soundtracks (Astralwerks)
Human League - The Very Best Of...(Caroline)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - B-sides and Rarities (Mute)
Yo La Tengo - Prisoners of Love:
A Smattering of Scintillating Senescent Songs 1985-2003 (Matador)

Fog rolls into the Bottle tonight

Whenever you see a listing for a "free" show, usually the first thing that comes to mind is, "oh, these bands must suck." And, unfortunately, unless there is some major sponsor bankrolling the event, this is usually the case. However, leave to the Empty Bottle to break this misconception.

While the Bottle's "free Monday" series is generally pretty solid, tonight's show is especially noteworthy. Headlining the night is multi-instrumentalist Andrew Broder, better known as Fog, who is celebrating the release of his new LP on Lex Recordings, 10th Avenue Freakout. Broder, who has also released albums for Ninja Tune, specializes in instrumental hip-hop, but according to the blurb on the Empty Bottle calendar, his sound has also "evolved into an abstracted perversion of a variety of genre elements, a freewheeling grab of all things interesting." If his last full-length, Ether Teeth, is any indication, this should be a great show and you'll be hearing much more about this young Minnesotan in the near future.

But wait...that's not all! For the low-low price of $0, the Bottle is also throwing in a performance by fellow Minneapolis-based electronic artist, Cepia. Huntley Miller, the man behind Cepia (and the laptop) "fuses all the most affecting elements of pop, rock, and jazz composition –- polyrhythms, countermelodies, calculated structures, and melodic hooks into a cohesive electronic whole," according to his label, Ghostly International.

Overall, this is a great show that I would recommend anyday...but the fact that it's free makes it a no-brainer. Go check it out, enjoy a couple of dollar beers and you'll have yourself a great night of music and booze for less than 5 bucks.

The Empty Bottle is located at 1035 N. Western, show starts at 9:30p...as always, must be 21+

The Swans: Currently looking for

The Swans: Currently looking for Busy Bee

What happened to the Pioneers of Hip-Hop??

Last time I looked, tonight's (3/18) show at Metro was called the "Pioneers of Hip-Hop" tour, featuring a great line-up of old skool icons. Here was the originally advertised bill:

KRS-One
Kool Moe Dee
Melle Me
Busy Bee
Kool Herc
Grandmaster Caz
Temple of Hip-Hop Museum
Mass Hysteria
Longshot
DJ Cooperpot
Sape La Rock
Rude One

However, last night in the RFC mailbox, the weekly Metro news e-mail arrived and it listed a line-up and show name that was completely different!?!

Reverse and EV Productions present Return of the Boom Bap with:

KRS One
Brand Nubian
Masta Ace with Wordsmith
Mass Hysteria
Longshot
Diverse
and DJ's Copperpot, Sapien and Rude One,
hosted by Profound.

What happened to Melle Mel, Busy Bee, Kool Herc and the whole "Pioneers of Hip-Hop" theme? What the hell is The Boom Bap? Unfortunately, despite the siginificantly smaller bill, tickets are still a whopping 25 bucks at the door. Ouch! Nothing against the legendary KRS-One, but that's damn steep for a show at Metro...especially for a bill that's been chopped in half.

We'll keep you posted if word comes in about why the "Pioneers" show got canceled. In the meantime, I'd recommend checking out the Fela Kuti DVD release party tonight at Sonotheque instead.

Poor Man's Guide to SXSW

Chances are, if you're reading this, you didn't make it down to Austin this year for the annual 5-day orgy of live music that is the South By Southwest music conference. However, that doesn't mean you have to miss out on all the fun. Rather than dropping mad chedda' on airfare, admission and booze, you can have your own SXSW experience right here in Chicago for little more than $10.

Step 1: Add Texas Flavor

The first step to your local SXSW experience is to re-create the atmosphere of the event. The massive crowd of music industry execs, fans, SXSW volunteers, band members and roadies is going to pretty hard to re-create...and there doesn't appear to be a Texas-sized heat wave coming to the city anytime soon to mimic the moderate Austin climate. However, you can add a little Austin flavor to your local festivities.

SXSW is a great excuse to go on a 5-day drinking bender and Austin has almost as many bars as Chicago...so let's start with the booze first. Go to Binny's and pick up a case or two of Lone Star, the official beer of Texas...and a local favorite in Austin and at SXSW. Downing a few of those, and you'll be feeling the Texas spirit in no time! (Actually, if you are ever in Austin, I'd recommend local favorites Shiner Bock and Fat Tire, but unfortunately you won't find those in Chicago)

As much as Austin loves to drink, Austin also loves to eat...a lot. And, like everywhere else in Texas, the plate of the day is always BBQ. So go to your local grocery store and get yourself a heapin' helpin of beef or pork. Then marinade it, cook it and smother it in Stubb's BBQ sauce (available at Jewell). Stubb's is a landmark restaurant in Austin that is famous not only for their amazing sauce, but also for their big outdoor music venue adjacent to the restaurant. Stubb's is a must stop for food on any Austin trip, and not a bad place to see a show, either!

Step 2: Add Austin Style

Now that you've got the flava, you're going to need to sport the SXSW look as well. Essential to the look is the gratuitous cowboy hat. Yes, nothing says "I'm in a band playing SXSW" more than the ironically-worn cowboy hat. And, it goes great with just about any motif ...rocker, hipster, rapper, emo, punk, etc... so it's an easy and cheap way to look your Austin best. For added affect, grab some dirty jeans and a smelly t-shirt from the hamper and don't bathe for the rest of the weekend...this will give you both the look and smell of a SXSW patron who has just spent the last 5 days traveling in a van to play a gig.

Step 3: Crank up the Music

Ah yes, I almost forgot...the whole point of this excursion to Austin is check out copious amounts of music. Thanks to the widespread availability of broadband connections, you can now experience a lot of this music madness from the comforts of your own home or office. First, you can check out live coverage of the event via two of the best internet radio stations in the country, WOXY.com and KCRW.com.

Today (3/17) on WOXY, (aka 97X...BAM!...The Future of Rock and Roll) you can hear an entire day of performances. Here's the scheduled line-up:

THE CRIBS (1-1:20pm)
NICOLAI DUNGER (1:35-1:55pm)
GIANT DRAG (2:10-2:35pm)
FEIST (2:50-3:15pm)
EARLIMART (3:30-3:55pm)
THE NATIONAL (4:10-4:35pm)
THE FRAMES (4:50-5:15pm)

On KCRW, "Morning Becomes Eclectic" host Nic Harcourt will be broadcasting his show live from the studios of KUT-FM in Austin on Thursday and Friday (11a-2p Chicago time). During Friday's show, "pop-based and soul-inspired" band World Leader Pretend is scheduled to perform, but the show also promises "more guests to be announced."

While they're not providing live coverage, another great internet radio station is providing a re-cap of SXSW festivities on Saturday. Tune-in to Seattle's KEXP.org on Saturday (3/12) for the Audioasis program (8-11p Chicago time), where John Richards and Co. will be highlighting this year's SXSW performers from the Pacific Northwest.

Finally, if all those streaming broadcasts aren't enough, you can check out the event's very own web stream at www.SXSW.com. Click on the "SXSW Player" to hear a continual stream of artists featured at the event. The site also features hoards of MP3 downloads, band bios, pictures and more. With about 1200 acts scheduled every year, scrolling through everything on the site should keep you busy for a while.

....Yeah, I know, listening on-line on your little PC speakers isn't even close to experiencing a live show in a great venue; and I have to admit, the Lone Star and Stubb's always taste better when you're in Austin. But, unless you want to shell out a few hundred bucks for a last minute flight, this is as close as you're going to get experiencing SXSW 2005. Besides, how can you resist an excuse to consume tons of BBQ and beer in front of your PC while wearing a cowboy hat?? Sounds like a good weekend to me!

New Releases Tuesday (3/15)

Daft Punk - Human After All (Virgin) What, they're not really robots?? I suppose now you're going to tell me that the Gorillaz aren't really cartoon characters...

The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Origins, Vol. 1 (Universal)
More retro-rock from the land of Ikea.

Daedelus - Exquisite Corpse (Mush)
Eccentric IDM with a hip-hop twist...features MF Doom, Prefuse 73, Mike Ladd and TTC.

Al Green - Everything's O.K. (Blue Note)
Take me to river, the Reverend is back again!

RFC Interview: Magas

Chicago via Ann Arbor noise/experimental/electro musician James Marlon Magas, these days known simply as Magas, returns to the live stage this week with a headlining gig Wednesday night (3/16) at the Bottom Lounge. It's been a while since we've heard from Magas, so RFC recently caught up with him to get the latest info. Radio Free Chicago: The word on the street is that you're working on a new album...What can you tell us?

Magas: Yeah, the new album is coming along nicely. It's been slow-going, because I've been changing my sound a bit, making it a little heavier. I've acquired some new gear to help me accomplish this goal, and it's taken a while for the machines and I to get to know each other...to become one. Now that we have fused as a heavy rocking unit, the songs are coming along, slowly but surely. People can expect some heavy ARP action and showers of hi-hats. I'm not sure what label it will be on, as Ersatz Audio is on hiatus right now, but I don't really care to put the cart before the horse--first I'll write the songs, and then we'll see about all that. I'm trying to satisfy myself, first and foremost.

RFC: This is your first live Chicago performance since last June...are you ready to rock?

M: Does the pope shit in the woods?!? Of course I'm ready to rock!

RFC: What can we expect from the opening acts for the show?

M: Smash TV, from Berlin, play weird techno/electro type stuff. Their sound is very emblematic of the Bpitch Control sound. One of the guys did a lot of production for Ellen Allien's 'Berlinette' album. This is their first time in Chicago. Far Rad, from Chicago, lay down some poppy synth jams--they have a fondness for analogue gear, and an emphasis on live action--there's always somebody singing or playing. Kero, from Detroit, plays nice Motor City techno, very sleek and minimal. He played here back in 2001, with T. Raumschmiere, and has done stuff on Shitkatapult and Bpitch Control.

RFC: You're scheduled to play some shows in Europe in May...How did you hook that up? Do you have a large following over there?

M: Yes, I'll be returning to Europe in May, and I'm very excited about it. I first played at this big festival in Spain, called Festival In Benicassim, in 2003, and then I did a three-week tour last year. The tour is self-booked by me and a DJ from Brussels, Belgium, named Stel-R, who will be touring with me. The last time, I did it all by myself, which was a great experience, but I'm looking forward to having a travelling partner this time around.

Reception is pretty good, for the most part. It's weird, last time I was there, I played in a train station in Brussels, for 850 wild-ass Belgians, and then the next night, I played at a squat in the Hague, for 50 people. Both gigs were a blast! Each night, I never really knew what to expect, but it was a lot of fun. I don't really know how large my following is there, or here, really. It can vary wildly from city to city, and country to country.

RFC: I really miss your old record store (Weekend Records)...

M: Thanks, so do we! It was never through lack of enjoyment or enthusiasm that we stopped doing it, we were simply undercapitalized. We learned that it takes more than a couple thousand dollars to start a record store, but I guess we made it work pretty well with such limited means. If I had the proper financing, I'd do it again, in a heartbeat.

RFC: ...where should everyone go now to get hot electronic German and Detroit 12"s?

M: Well, Gramaphone has been a Chicago dance music institution for over 35 years, so they've got lots of classic stuff. And then there's Wax Addict over on Ashland, apparently they've been getting some good stuff in. Reckless is good for older stuff, obscure classics and so forth, and you won't pay e-bay prices for it. Mail order is always a good option, as well. There's so many places...Forced Exposure, Bent Crayon, Hardwax, Clone, and you can listen to stuff on Nuloop, to see if it's any good or not.

RFC: Speaking of which, you're keeping the spirit of the store alive by promoting shows under the Weekend name...Any "Weekend Presents" shows on tap? (or any personal recommendations for shows coming up?)

M: We don't really have anything going right now, promotion-wise. We have to really love something in order to go through all the work of promoting a show, because it really takes a lot of time and energy. As far as shows coming up, I'm very excited to see The Tyrades, who I've just discovered, and they've become one of my favorite bands in Chicago. I'm also very excited to see the Boredoms. I'm sure there's lots of other stuff, but I'm too lazy to investigate all the posters, weeklies and so forth. I don't really go out very much, these days.

RFC: Anything else cooking up at the Magas laboratories?

M: Yeah, I did a remix for Montreal's Les Georges Leningrad, which will be coming out Troubleman Unlimited, any day now. I also did a remix for this guy RA-X, in the Netherlands, for his label Angelmaker. I was also asked to make a track for To Live and Shave In L.A., for their new album, so that'll be interesting to see what they add, or don't add to it.

RFC: Any last words of wisdom for the RFC readers?

M: If they've found their way to your website, then they're probably doing okay without my help. No need to preach to the choir!

Daft Punk is playing at

Daft Punk is playing at their house

LCD Soundsystem Listening Party (3/12)

This Saturday, Your Formula Life presents an LCD Soundsystem listening party at Tini Martini. Usually these events fall before the album is out, but hey, better late than never! As an added bonus, there will also be "free goodie giveaways" courtesy of DFA Records. The record release party takes place from 9-10p, followed by sets from local DJs Billy Dalessandro (ForceInc/Kompute) , Dave Siska (WNUR) and element.8 (Nefarius) from Detroit.

Your Formula Life is a joint bi-monthly event from local electronic music promoters Meiotic and Koncept. No cover to get in, but the event is "stricly 21+" Tiny Martini is located at 2169 N. Milwaukee.

Also check out Dave Siska on "Clinically Inclined," heard every Friday night from 9:30p-12:30a on WNUR-FM 89.3

RFC Interview: Resplendent

Last month, former Number One Cup and Fire Show member Michael Lenzi performed his first and last solo show ever as Resplendent. RFC recently caught up with Lenzi to talk about the end of Resplendent and his swan song, Am I Free?/I Am Free.

Radio Free Chicago: So you recently played your one and only solo show as Resplendent...how did it go?

Michael Lenzi: The show was really good from a performance perspective. Although I just started to get comfortable and it was over. I have to admit that knowing it was the first and only show for that group made me not enjoy it as much. It felt done already. That is unfortunate. I thought the group itself sounded full and correct.

RFC: What made you decide to hang up making music as Resplendent? (and why did you only play live once?)

ML: I have struggled with my feelings about being any entity other than myself for quite a while. Resplendent as a thing is connected to the Fire Show and that is connected to Number One Cup. At this point it is all played out for me. I am tired of the name, the game that goes along with it and the message of the music. I have never wanted to make music that seemed like it was whiney. I have had the uncomfortable realization that many people feel that way about it. Or they feel that I am just trying to be arty or abstract for the whim of it. I have read that my lyrics are stream of consciousness or some shit. That is bullshit from my perspective. I didn't set to limit myself to a method when I wrote lyrics. The only method I have is to say what I feel and think. Sometimes that meant not being obvious because where my thoughts are going is not obvious to me when I am in the moment--in that space and time. It comes clear later. Maybe others write lyrics to fill in the song. I don't. I write words and really pour over them for a good while before I commit them to the song. Then I even go back 3 or 4 times and gut them and start over. So it is just an insult to hear that people think I am just saying whatever. I also know that if you don't go into the listening process ready to accord respect to the artist, it usually is a self-fulfilling thing. You end up not really respecting it very much. So in that light I guess that is where people are coming from when they say that. So, to answer your question, I am ready to move on. Move on from all my frustrations about perception.

RFC: Stepping back a bit, let's talk about the new album...it's a bit more straight-forward (standard verse/chorus/verse guitar, drums+vocals) than the past three EPs you released. What inspired the shift in musical direction?

ML: What inspired it was people and time. I was set to do another sample sequence collage style set of songs then I started working with my friend Derek See who plays guitar. His input moved me it in that direction. To address something that you mentioned that is inaccurate, all my songs are verse chorus verse. I don't know any other way really. So having guitar in there just led you to that realization. I don't make music to confuse people with complexity. I make the music that I can. The sample based stuff is me playing my Akai MPC samplers and writing songs that way. I am a shitty guitar player so the samples become my guitar and band in a surrogate way. I am very comfortable with that. The byproduct of that is that I seem like I am being avant or something because the backdrops or music accompanying the lyrics is a little more alien. It sounds normal enough to me. But I guess I enter into the realm of electronic music and then I am judged against Squarepusher or some shit. I have no more in common with Squarepusher than I do with Hoobastank.

RFC: I really like how you've released it as a double CD of "Side A" and "Side B." Is this merely an aesthetic attempt to recreate the feeling of an old LP record, or is each side a unique set of songs with a connecting theme?

ML: The record is two parts: Am I free? & I Am Free. The first set of songs deals with the first sentiment and the second set with the second sentiment. I wanted to divide the listening experience because I hear it that way. You can't divide a CD into sides as you know. So I enforced that way of initially presenting the music. When it gets dumped on a computer then so be it. It is altogether then. I wish records were shorter now. I lose interest when a record is over 40 minutes. I rarely listen to music for background purposes. I listen to hear songs and stories and beautiful sounds. I don't think it should be a labor to get through a set of songs. So I went further with it and basically said listen to it 20 minutes at a clip.

RFC: Speaking of which...Overall, your releases have always had great minimalist packaging. Much like you're music, the accompaning artwork has always been refreshingly start and minimalist...do you work on the art and packaging yourself or is it done by someone else?

ML: I do it all myself. For me it was a mix of economics and aesthetic. It costs money to make something that looks good. I didn't want to print and pay for a bunch of CDs then be stuck with them when they didn't sell. I also did not want the releases to be about much more than the music. I realize now that I have a foolish approach. When you don't know something, all you have is the visuals to judge it on. The packaging made it very hard to sell in stores and the minimalism made it all but invisible. So I shot myself in the foot twice. Then people probably looked at it and thought that I was too cheap to pay for a nice package. I think it backfired for me. I was really trying to do something totally simple and honest. I don't think it worked out for me on that level. As a music maker I am very happy with the releases and feel that I did what I felt regardless of the consequences. That is very important to me.

RFC: Is the new record available in stores in the area? How about your back catalog?

ML: Everything is available on my website or on the Perishable Records website. Anyone can email me for purchasing details: resplendent(at)comcast.com. I also sell all the Fire Show releases and the Number One Cup stuff too.

RFC: So now that Resplendent has been put to rest...what's your next project going to be?

ML: The next project will just be Michael Lenzi. I figure I won't be changing that name for a while. Maybe I'll return to Resplendent at a later date. Who knows. I change my mind all the time. The new songs I am writing are all about my life in Chicago which is pretty broad I know. The music will be very very minimal. The vocals will fill a lot of the space.

RFC: Anything else you'd like to add?

ML: I don't really know. There is so much else to add always. Go see Dalek when they come around again. Buy the new Trail of Dead record. Buy the early Talking Heads records. Sit down and listen to Notorious B.I.G.'s record "Ready to Die" from start to finish one night. Love yourself a little less and love others more.