Radio Free Chicago

RFC Podcast: Late '70s Smooth Rock Tribute

I've always had a love/hate relationship with classic rock. Growing up, it was pretty much all that I listened to because...well, it was pretty much the only thing I knew. I grew up in the boonies and didn't have MTV, so it was either listen to the rock station, the country station or the top 40 station. Eventually I did discover my older sister's discarded Depeche Mode and R.E.M. cassettes and started to pick up on other 120 Minutes staples like The Cure, Dinosaur Jr., Ween, etc., but it wasn't until college that I completely stopped listening to our local AOR-powerhouse known lovingly as "Rock 106."

Devastations @ Empty Bottle - 11/6/06

Considering I have a tendency towards the melodramatic, it’s really no great shock that I like a band whose name is Devastations.  Devastations includes three Australians, now living in Berlin, whose recently released album Coal is both dark and seductive in a way that does resemble fellow Australian Nick Cave at times. And boy when that Conrad Standish sings, he could probably charm nuns.

Hi-Fi goes Bye-Bye

While waking up today and doing my usual rounds (trib/reader/slashdot), I came across this story on Peter Margasak's Post No Bills blog. What a rough month for record stores. While I wasn't too sad or surprised by the recent Tower closing, this one hits a little harder.

Live Review: Thurston Moore/Avreeyal Ra/Jim Baker and My Barbarian @ Hideout 11/10/06

I need to thank Dan over at Future Perfect Radio for enlightening me to the existence of this show in a discussion a few weeks ago at the Bottle after the Viva Voce show. I am not sure how Thurston Moore playing Sun Ra songs with Avreeyal Ra and Jim Baker at the Hideout flew under my radar. Luckily, I was able to get ticket before the show sold out.

Bandwidth Tonight!

this just in...

Thanks to our friends at iGo Car Sharing, we will also be giving away a gift certificate to one lucky Bandwidth attendee for a one year iGo membership (a $75 value), or $75 in driving credits if you're already a member.

Be sure to check out www.igocars.org for more information and check out their Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/igocarsharing
Be smart! Use iGO Car Sharing and hit up Bandwidth on Friday Night!
A few runner-ups will also receive some free mystery swag...

You can still purchase advance tickets on Ticketweb! This is one way to guarantee entry!

CLICK HERE TO BUY BANDWIDTH TICKETS!

Don't miss out on amazing performances from The Slats, Tom Cruise Control, Unicycle Loves You, and Aras & The Volodkas!!

November 17th TONIGHT@ Subterranean.
2011 W. North Ave
Doors @ 9:30pm
Tickets are only $7.

Also, indulge in the SubT's extensive drink deals, like $2 PBRs & Schlitz! and $3 Goose Islands!!!

We're giving away FREE buttons... cause everyone loves pinbacks...thanks to our friend Nicole at Hand Squeezed Buttons!

But don't take our word for it (we're a bit biased), read what everyone else has been saying about tonight's show after the jump.

Bandwidth Preview: Unicycle Loves You

Closing out our series of Bandwidth previews, we have local band Unicycle Loves You, who recently got a little love from Flavorpill.net. This 5-piece pumps out some serious 60's melodious pop with a slap and a kiss. They have the swagger and the songs to make a solid niche for themselves in the Chicago music scene. We briefly chatted with guitarists Jim and Jon of Unicycle Loves You about the band and tonight's Bandwidth set at SubT.

Rock Your Vote Once More

I was just half-heartedly glancing through the recently released nominess for this year's Plug Independent Music Awards today, but started to take a bit more interest as I started to come across more and more Chicago entries. Check out all the local artists, labels and media outlets vying for worldwide Internet love after the jump, click on the above hyperlink to cast your votes.

Robyn Hitchcock @ Metro 11/8/06

I’ve been a Robyn Hitchcock fan for about ten years now. In high school, I wrote a paper analyzing the song She Doesn’t Exist Anymore and spent hours wondering just what the lyrics to One Long Pair of Eyes really meant.  In college, I listened to Man With a Woman’s Shadow on repeat for hours.   

Hot Chip @ Metro - 11/10/06

While it may not have been my ideal setting for a concert, I would have to conclude that Hot Chip lived up to their much heralded band of the moment status at last Friday's sold-out performance at Metro.

For the Glorious Benefit of Tim Kinsella Movie Film

Bandwidth Preview: The Slats

Hailing from parts of Iowa and Minnesota, The Slats are a 3-piece who explore themes of heroes and supervillians, mythology, and politics through experimental rock that borrows from almost every genre of music, creating a satisfyingly schizophrenic sound that one must experience to appreciate. We had the opportunity to discuss music and politics with dueling guitarists Brian Cox and Jon Hansen of The Slats before they unleash their boisterous barrage of twin guitar at the SubT this Friday, when they headline Bandwidth.

Parenthetical Girls with Light Pollution at the Beat Kitchen 11/7/06

Zac Pennington sings like a sparrow. His sweet and sometimes shrill octave climbing vibrato combined with his visceral imagery is enough to make a person come out of a coma. Live, he was almost a conductor at times of his current bandmates, who collectively they call themselves Parenthetical Girls.

Bandwidth Preview: Tom Cruise Control

Are you ready for some tongue in cheek, care free diy pop? Tom Cruise Control has got you covered. This current 3 piece from Minneapolis, MN are gearing up for a road trip to Chicago to play one night only at the Subterranean as part of BANDWIDTH. We took the opportunity to ask Matt of TCC a few questions before they descend onto Chicago.

Bandwidth Advance Ticket Sales and Info!

Bandwidth is fast approaching! Now, you can purchase advance tickets on Ticketweb! This is one way to guarantee entry!

CLICK HERE TO BUY BANDWIDTH TICKETS!

Don't miss out on amazing performances from The Slats, Tom Cruise Control, Unicycle Loves You, and Aras & The Volodkas!!

November 17th @ Subterranean. Doors @ 9:30pm

Also, indulge in the SubT's extensive drink deals, like $2 PBRs & Schlitz! and $3 Goose Islands!!!

We're giving away FREE buttons... cause everyone loves pinbacks...thanks to our friend Nicole at Hand Squeezed Buttons!

The Myspace Contest for a guestlist spot ends tomorrow, so your time is running out, if you wanna Get on The List!

New Releases Tuesday - 11/14

Unfortunately it's import-only at this point (with no US date in sight), but I'm still excited about the solo debut of Jarvis Cocker...er, I mean simply "Jarvis." More gushing accolades about the former Pulp frontman after the jump. Also, let the holiday greatest hits/best of/box set bonanza begin!