Radio Free Chicago

Name My New Radio Show

Musically, I've always had a bit of a penchant for the downtempo and morose. In college, I had a radio show called "Pump Up the Valium" where I played a healthy dose of bands like Portishead, Low and Air. A few years later, I resurrected the show late nights on WLUW and dove even further into the realm of dark and obscure electronic music. That show was called "Halcyon Nights" (inspired by the Orbital song, "Halcyon On and On") and my plan was always to relaunch it here on Radio Free Chicago. Inspiration to finally record some new material struck this past weekend while seeking refuge from all the snow and ice, but when I was done I realized I didn't really want to use the Halcyon name anymore.

Download: Brad K. - "Untitled Downtempo Show, Episode 1"

Holy Fuck @ Empty Bottle 2/24/07

Despite their ominous name, Holy Fuck makes very butt shaking-friendly music. Kudos to the post-rock fans of Do Make Say Think that came out early through the snow storm and weren’t afraid to let their hipster guard down and dance; proving all those people wrong who say post-rock hipsters and people who go to the Empty Bottle feel movement and music are somehow at odds with each other.

New Releases Tuesday - 2/27

A little calm before the storm this week as we await some hugely anticipated records from the likes of !!!, Arcade Fire, Air, RJD2 and The Stooges next Tuesday. However, all is not lost, as this slow release day gives me even more of an excuse to hype up the latest relase from personal favorites of mine, Dean & Britta. Former Galaxie 500 and Luna frontman Dean Wareham just keeps on brilliantly reinventing himself, and his former Luna co-hort turned wife Britta Phillips has become the perfect Bardot-like muse to Dean's mellow Gainsbourg-like baroque pop stylings.

Download: Dean and Britta - "Words You Used To Say"

Malajube w/ Aleks and the Drummer @ Beat Kitchen, 2/23/07

Even though I only got their new album the day of the show, I was intrigued to see the much buzzed-about French Canadian indie-rockers Malajube as they passed through Chicago last Friday. I feel like it's rare to have a foreign band make an album entirely in their first language and have it take so quickly in the US (the only other one that comes to mind right now is Dungen).

Sparklehorse @ Double Door 2/22/07

It’s been a long time since the world has glimpsed Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse on stage. After six years, he has put finally put out another album, Dreamt For Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain, swelling with an amazing supporting cast ranging from Tom Waits to Danger Mouse. Not only are the high quality songs on this newest release in the same vain as in the greatly loved 2001 release It’s a Wonderful Life, but they also hold up just as well and demonstrate how a man can put out consistently great material…even if it takes him a little longer than us music fans would like.

Radio Anarchy in L.A.

I've had a bit of love/hate relationship the last couple of years with the venerable indie-rock station out of Los Angeles known as "Indie 103-1." Even though they use the "indie" moniker which would normally deter me, the station actually reminds me more of the heyday of "alternative" rock radio and the "modern rock" sounds of WOXY/97x before they left the FM airwaves and went after the Pitchfork crowd as woxy.com. When I first started listening I dug their overall playlist, but the rampant number of commercials that aired kept me from listening on a regular basis. Somehow, I was able to get over all the ads and started to listen a lot, but then last year they abruptly sacked my favorite DJ so I boycotted the station. Unfortunately, I was never able to find anything else that clicked quite as well and eventually I gave in and started listening again. Past grievances aside, I've now become totally hooked on former Sex Pistol Steve Jones' brilliant free-form show, "Jonesy's Jukebox," and I have to give a shout-out to his great new Monday feature, Jonsey's Jukebox Jury.

RFC Interview: Signal Hill

Over at the offices of Radio Free Silver Lake, we've been cranking up the tasty shoegazing sounds of a local Los Angeles band known as Signal Hill. We haven't covered the band and their haunty/pretty music quite nearly enough, so thought we'd ask them a volley of questions about what they do (so well) and why.

Download: Signall Hill- "Celadon"

Announcing: BANDWIDTH V @ SubT TONIGHT

When: TONIGHT
Where: Subterranean | 2011 W. North Ave.

The Lineup:
RIVULETS | MySpace
THE BITTER TEARS | MySpace
QUASAR WUT WUT | MySpace
LET'S GET OUT OF THIS TERRIBLE SANDWICH SHOP | MySpace

plus, don't forget about our MIXTAPE EXCHANGE

DOORS @ 8:30PM | SHOW @ 9PM
18 +
Tickets are only $7.

Even more info at: www.myspace.com/rfcbandwidth

Bandwidth Preview: Let's Get Out Of This Terrible Sandwich Shop

Finally, in our series of Bandwidth previews, we have an interview with Thea Lux of Let's Get Out of This Terrible Sandwich Shop, a band whose name is definitely a mouthful has seen the best and worst band name lists. But, it is their quirky sense of humor and musical sensibilities that have garnered them much praise on the local scene, including a recent critic's choice nod in the Chicago Reader as well as a guarantee from Alan of The Bitter Tears, that they will "take over Chicago." There is no band in Chicago that can compose witty and entertaining songs about bike lanes, hatchets, and sandwiches quite like Let's Get Out Of This Terrible Sandwich Shop.

Bandwidth Preview: Quasar Wut Wut

We had the opportunity to sit down with Bandwidth featured artist Quasar Wut Wut for an interview, in their studio as they prepare to finish up a soundtrack to The General and begin recording the follow up to their 2004 release Taro Sound. This RFC exclusive podcast kicks off with a new, unreleased track "Ms. Brown." 

Download the Podcast Interview Here or listen via the streaming audio player below:

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Like pictures with your sound? You can also check out photos from the podcast here.

Chicago Reader Blog Shocker: Reckless Clerks Have A 'Tude

So I happened to click on over to Peter Margasak's Blog on The Reader's homepage last Friday and realized that I had totally dropped the ball on some significant local music news from last week. Seemingly laughing in the face of all of the traditional brick-and-mortar record stores that have been dropping like flies in the past few years, Reckless Records has announced that they will actually be expanding their local chain by opening up a new store downtown at 26 E. Madison(!?!). However, even more unexpected than a traditional record store opening in 2007, may be the fact that a longtime Reader music critic is perpetuating one of the most cliched aspects of the traditional indie record shop; the cranky store clerk.

Most People Are DJs

We know you've been kicking around a few Mix CDs for some time now. They're just sitting on your desk or saved in your iTunes rotation, what better way to get those into someone else's hands than bringing one or two to Bandwidth this Thursday and participate in the RFC MIX CD SWAP! Don't have one? Make one on the fly and bring it along. The possibilities are endless, anything goes. Make your favorite "Chill Out Music Mix", "Music for Aliens Mix", "Honky Tonk Blues Mix", the perfect mix CD, etc... you get the idea. Just be sure to include a track listing, so whoever gets your work of art know what they're listening to. Cover Art is Optional. There will also be mixes created by previous Bandwidth acts including Unicycle Loves You, DJ LA*Jesus, Pornado!, Inspector Owl, as well as the RFC staffers up for trade. Share your love of music!

Bandwidth takes place Feb. 22nd at Subterranean.
Doors open @  8:30 | Show at 9:00PM
Tickets only $7 | 18 and over welcome!

Bandwidth Preview: The Bitter Tears

One of Chicago's most eccentric and exciting live acts, The Bitter Tears romp through time and musical genres with a heightened sense of dramatic form and biting wit. Their live performances are certainly ones not to be missed!

In support of their appearance at Thursday's Bandwidth, The Bitter Tears will be performing live at 2:00PM  today (2/20) on the Mac & Slater show on Fearless Radio.

Click Here to Read Kirstie's recent interview with The Bitter Tears

...more about Mac & Slater and preview tracks after the jump

New Releases Tuesday - 2/20

New releases from a couple of long-time Thrill Jockey staples hit store shelves today...futuristic robo-rockers Trans Am are back at it with their 8th(!) full-length record, Sex Change, and Chicago's #1 glam rocker, Bobby Conn, is back with his latest opus titled King for a Day. Also, as we previewed last week, another local label favorite, The High Llamas (Drag City), drop their latest release today titled Can Cladders.   

Download: Trans Am - "North East Rising Sun" 

Watch: Bobby Conn - "King for a Day"

Full list after the jump...

Midlake @ Schubas 2/14/07

You know the kind of songs you know so well you can almost feel them leaving impressions upon your bones with every note sung?  Such is the case with many Midlake songs. The Trials of Van Occupanther was not just one of my top albums of 2006 but one I experienced with completeness. I fell into the album like a well, absorbing myself in its songs throughout the summer, plunging deep to emerge much later soaked with rich lyricism and guitar chords as well as vocal harmonies. Hearing these songs live brought a bit of bliss because of their heavy familiarity.