Radio Free Chicago

Jobim Tribute Next Thursday

With the temperature literally 30 degrees colder today than it was yesterday and a looming threat of a foot of snow tomorrow, the thought of Brazilian beers, cocktails and music sounds pretty damn good right now. Unfortunately the event is next Thursday and not tonight, but regardless, this sounds like a great event not to be missed. More details after the jump.

Andrew Bird at Logan Square Auditorium 11/25/6

This was my eighth time seeing Andrew Bird, whose music I have been following well before his 2003 Weather Systems release. My fondness for him has grown over the years and I can definitely sense a growth in his own music, especially between Weather Systems and The Mysterious Production of Eggs. 2007 will see a new Andrew Bird album, of which he played songs from.

Bandwidth Strikes Again

 

Guess I spoke too soon...

Bandwidth refused to take next month off and it strikes again next Friday! More details to come...

RFC Interview: The Octopus Project

Austin’s The Octopus Project make electronic music for people who don’t like electronic music… mad, wonderful, almost orchestral at times, their songs have to be heard to be believed. In fact, you ought to catch the video for their track "Music is Happiness" right now so you can get on with said believing.

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New Releases Tuesday - 11/28

The busy fall new releases season has finally come to a close and this post-holiday weekend Tuesday is especially slow. However, we do have one last essential 2006 release finally hitting store shelves this week courtesy of Virgina hip-hop duo Clipse.

Kyle Andrews @ Uncommon Ground 11/24/06

There’s something about the DIY all-American dreamer that I find endearing. Kyle Andrews is losing his mind in Cleveland (and Philadelphia and Tennessee apparently as he seems to fair on the nomadic side) and if he keeps putting out albums like Amos in Ohio,  he might someday be hailed at the level of a Jason Falkner, whose lo-fi singer/songwriter pop sensibilities have captivated me often.

RFC Interview: The Deadly Syndrome

"They basically just destroy it live..."

RFC Chief West Coast Correspondent Joe Fielder checks in with the scoop on one of the hottest bands in L.A.'s underground music scene right now, The Deadly Syndrome.

Frida Hyvönen with Bishop Allen at the Beat Kitchen 11/19/06

Beautiful, heavenly and sleek, Frida Hyvönen stepped up onto the stage in a form fitting full-length black dress and a glass of white wine. Hailing from Sweden, Frida is young and vibrant but definitely reminds me of Joni Mitchell at times. When I first bought this album, on sale at the merchandise table for The Concretes, I didn’t really know what to expect. The cover literally made me think the songs would be more experimental and have somewhat of a Laurie Anderson feel to them. This just wasn’t the case. I’d recommend purchasing her album, which has now been released on Secretly Canadian. 

Thaxsquatch Spotted!

Well, this was about as predictable as Jay-Z not sticking to his retirement plans...yes, if you haven't heard by now, venerable local poet/rockstar Thax Douglas is back; barely three months after his much-hyped Chicago farewell tour. However, as an added twist, he now has a band!?! Check out the downloads after the jump.

Happy Thanksgiving!

mmm...finger licking good!

RFC Loves You

Thanks to everyone who came out and everyone who played last Friday at the second installment of Bandwidth. Check out Rory's pictures from the night here, stay tuned for the return of Bandwidth in January.

Three Million Tongues Festival @ The Empty Bottle 11/17/06

Headlining Friday night’s Three Million Tongues Festival, a diverse night of music presented by the Empty Bottle and Steve Krakow (of Galactic Zoo Dossier/Plastic Crimewave fame), was Scottish folk singer Bert Jansch. Jansch has a history both as a solo artist and as a prominent part of British band Pentangle, which had it’s heyday in the late 60s and early 70s. Owning both Pentangle albums and those from his solo career, I had a real respect and love for both his folk singing and guitar plucking and when this show was announced, I nearly fell off my chair (which, incidentally doesn’t happen as often as you might think).

Live Review: The Drones @ Empty Bottle 11/6/06

The Drones performance had all the makings of a great live show. It was animated, it was sincere, and it was intense. The live show had a sort of “reckless beating” feel to it.

New Releases Tuesday - 11/21

Not surprisingly, the holiday greatest hits/best of/box set bonanza continues: Oasis, U2, Tom Waits...hell, even T. Raumschmiere is in on the act this week!

2 In-Stores, No Waiting

As Jason pointed out yesterday, luckily we still have Reckless kickin' it in the indie store scene. Besides their fine selection of records and CDs, they also continue to bring in some great in-store performances. Tonight they've got a double bill featuring turtablist legend Kid Koala at the Milwaukee store at 5:30 and veteran noise monger Ben Miller at the Broadway location at 7pm.

Check out the full blurb direct from the RFC wires after the jump...