Radio Free Chicago

Get on the List: Ghost w/ Baby Dee @ Empty Bottle 5/5

Hey, kids! It's time for what's quickly turning into a bi-weekly tradition here at RFC: the illustrious ticket giveaway.

Ghost-- the infamous sextet out of Tokyo that can do things with a Theremin which are probably illegal in Kansas-- are performing next Tuesday (5/5) at the Empty Bottle with performance artist icon Baby Dee. The Japanese experimenters have been migrating the Tokyo landscape since 1984, and their most recent offering, In Stormy Nights, proves they've come a long way since their early days of bunking in disused subway stations. Doors open at 9:00, show at 9:30, and in case you snooze out on our giveaway, tickets are $12 at the door.

As always, we have a pair of freebies that are up for grabs for anyone quick with an e-mail client. Shoot an e-mail to radiofreechicago(at)gmail.com with "Ghost Tix" in the subject line, winner will be drawn in 2-3 days, they'll get a confirmation e-mail with further details... Ya'll know the drill. Best of luck!

Ghost - Caledonia

Hot Jams Tonight at the Burlington

RFC is back to party at The Burlington once again tonight. I'll be kicking things off at 10pm with a set of vintage vinyl grooves and Samantha will be closing out the night with the hot dance jams. Come for the great music, dancing and stimulating conversation; stay for the beers, shots, & cocktails "poured with a lead hand."

Gems from the Pitch Pile-- Auld Lang Syne

We're taking it down a notch from last week's wall of hellfire and brimstone, because some weeks that's just not what you need. Some weeks you need street lights on dark nights and rain on the windows; a stiff drink and a couple crescendos are the only things to get you back on your feet. And because this week is that kind of a week, imagine how my eyes flashed to the heavens in a silent thank you for Auld Lang Syne's debut CD. I'd heard rumors of them ("like a leaf on the wind") before now, largely due to my auditory fixation with the Avett Brothers (who they tour with come June).

ALS - "My First Soul"

New Summer Jam From Coltrane Motion

Well, technically I guess it's an anti-summer jam...local electro-noise act Coltrane Motion has a new 7" single out called "The Year Without A Summer" available here via their website. The band will also be passing out free copies of it this Saturday before their gig opening up for Office at Double Door. Get there early, Coltrane Motion will be starting at 6pm sharp at this rare early evening show that's doubling as benefit for The Inspiration Corporation.

Coltrane Motion - The Year Without A Summer

Superdrag @ Metro 4/25/09

Superdrag has been on hiatus since shortly after their last release, 2002's Last Call For Vitriol. The original members of the band (that is Superdrag circa 1992) reunited for their latest release Industry Giants, which was produced by singer and guitarist John Davis and recorded by the band themselves.The first and last time I saw the band was in 2003 when they opened for Mod-God Paul Weller. I was rather impressed with their performance, so I was definitely excited to see them again six years later, headlining their own show. 

Saturday night these Knoxville rock vets played  to a  sparse and unresponsive crowd at Metro. Having been amongst the ranks of the undead for the better portion of the day it would seem I would blend easily with the lackluster audience, but instead I was one of a hand full of people who physically responded to the band at all.

Spaceshipp @ Southbank Centre (London) 4/20/09

"Ether is Southbank Centre’s festival of innovation in sound and art with an emphasis on digital culture, cutting-edge collaborations and cross-arts experimentation."

Having listened to Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized records frequently for the better part of a decade and a half, I would say makes me a bit of a fan. The fact that I named one of my old radio programmes after their song "The Sound of Confusion", I suppose, makes me a total Spacemen nerd. As my tastes shifted between rock and electronic music over the years, their music not only stayed with me, but it was arguably the gateway drug that led me to explore the outer limits of the sonic galaxy in the first place. Although I've had the pleasure of seeing Spiritualized on several occasions, I had never attended one of Jason Pierce's more abstract excursions away from the band. Naturally, I was quite thrilled at the prospect of hearing Spaceshipp, his collaboration with jazz pianist Matthew Shipp, as part of Southbank Centre's Ether 09 festival.

RFC Interview: Mira Mira

This Saturday at Elastic Arts, local chamber pop band Mira Mira returns to the stage to celebrate the release of their long-awaited sophomore effort, Music For Scientists. In keeping with the scientific symmetry, the album release event coincides with National DNA Day and, as an opening act, noted University of Chicago physicist Sidney Nagel will be performing physics demonstrations. (Hey, who doesn't love a good physics demonstration on a Saturday night?)

RFC recently caught up with Mira Mira leader Charlie Williams to discuss more about his band's latest effort and his newfound obsession with all things science.

Mira Mira - "11ses/The Meadow"

Free Guitar Tune-Ups at Old Town

Hey, you know that old Strat that's been sitting in the back of your closet collecting dust all winter? Well, no more excuses about the strings being dead and the bridge being out of whack, as next Saturday (5/2) The Old Town School of Folk Music is offering free guitar "bench checks" from 11am to 5pm. An official rep from Fender will be on hand to get your action and intonation all up to snuff, as well as hooking you up with a shiny set of new strings.

What's the catch? All you have to do is bring in $5-$10 worth of canned food to help support the Greater Food Depository. Support a good cause and get your axe in tune...it's a win/win!

Gems from the Pitch Pile-- Superdrag

Some days really are just yelling days. And while most folks associate that wailing crash-pop feeling to the 1990s-- as if that decade was the first to invent the "is-it-really-only-3:30" urge to claw your way out of a cubicle, a basic instict that grows at the spine and will one day end with a fax machine to the window-- this is something I'm not sure is the case. That humans can take 3:30 frustration (and it doesn't require an office, just 3:30 frustration at life, at the day) and turn it into music rooted in urgent hooks and a smashing flood of guitar fuzz, drum kicks, and knowing vocals, is just one tidbit of many that daily restores my faith in the species. Superdrag restores my faith in the species.

Plaid w/ Supanggah @ Southbank Centre (London) 4/18/09

"Ether is Southbank Centre’s festival of innovation in sound and art with an emphasis on digital culture, cutting-edge collaborations and cross-arts experimentation."

In addition to being responsible for a large percentage of the more exciting music events in any given London week, Southbank Centre also has a rich Artists In Residence program. Throughout the year, these artists perform on their own and also frequently collaborate with other acts visiting the Centre. While any opportunity to see a classic staple from the Warp Records line-up shouldn't be missed, this is doubly true when they're paired with one of these featured artists. Saturday night's Ether line-up saw the laptop wizardy of Plaid meet the polyrhythmic sounds of Indonesian composer and Southbank Centre artist-in-residence, Rahayu Supanggah, in an hour than underscored just how vital the gamelan sound is to contemporary electronic music.

New Single From Skybox

This much needed dose of summer sunshine just arrived in our inbox this morning, a new single from local cult pop favorites Skybox. Their new full-length album, Morning After Cuts, drops later this year.

Skybox - "In A Dream"

RFC TV: Great Lake Swimmers Live in Calgary

Check out Great Lake Swimmers in the flesh tomorrow night at Schubas.

Happy (Early) Record Store Day!

Sit down, my wee ones. Mama's got a story.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a mythical shop(pe?) of magic and wonder. Crossing the gaping threshold of a glass door slathered in posters, your entrance would be heralded with the majestic tinkle of an automated buzz and the stoic nod or simple look from some guy in a black hoodie, slapping the bar code on a back of a double-fold for a band so obscure you immediately, desperately commit it to memory. CDs line the walls, LPs form makeshift aisles... And, inexplicably, they seem to be in a solid form.

You search frantic for the download button. Sweat dots your brow. The download button... does not come.

Welcome, my friend, to the record store.

Dr. Dog @ Double Door 4/10/09

 

Containing almost none of the subtle charm that makes their album Fate such a pleasant listen, Dr. Dog's live show is of an entirely different breed.  A separate entity that is not in the least inferior to the album, just different.

Download: Dr. Dog - "The Old Days"     

New Music, Free Booze...tonight!