Radio Free Chicago

Flashback Friday: Come to Heaven with Chapterhouse

Formed in Reading, UK in 1987, shoegaze phenemona, Chapterhouse had listeners skydiving in a sea of sonic ecstasy on its debut album, Whirpool. The album released in 1991 had shimmering moments of space rock perfection. However, the record failed to garner support like fellow shoegazers Lush, My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. The band reportedly signed a six record deal with Dedicated but managed only to produce two albums in its short career; once again outshined by the grunge movement that saw Pearl Jam and Nirvana take the States by storm. The out of print Whirlpool was reissued in 2006 and still remains a great gem in the shoegaze scene. "Pearl" reached #7 on the U.S. Modern Rock charts and includes all the breathy vocals, chill drum beats and glimmering guitars. The  album's opener "Breather" is a bouncy burst of liquid light, such a heavenly high while "If You Want Me" is a dead ringer for Spiritualized's early works and all its come-hither electric ephiphany.

Pearl

Breather

If You Want Me

Mesmerise (The Mesmerising Vocal)

 

Hot Shit? You Bet.

Have you heard the Chicago band the Runnies yet?  This three-piece might be the accelerant you need to get over the winter doldrums. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in the mood for a lot of slower folk lately, and I think it’s been making me lazy. My need for amped up dance-rock and mean synth-pop is starting to take over.  And this shit kills.   

The Runnies combines the tenets of low fi and garage rock with a protopunk vibe and the sentiments of the blues. “Easy” gets you groovin’ even before the drums fully kick in.  Mary’s jazz-rasp gets you in the mood to shuffle your feet and before you know it, your whole body is doing the Molly Ringwald dance; I heard it’s called “the Clone.”  

Get on it. Come see the Runnies play the Hideout tomorrow, Friday the 26^th at 9 p.m. It’s the Laureates record release show, also playing are Tiger Bones and Only Children DJs. 

 

Easy

Sweetness

Wasted

El Perro del Mar @ Lincoln Hall 2/22/10

I don't think it's any secret that I personally lost interest in reviewing live shows a long time ago, so I'm not really sure why I accepted a last minute invitation from a publicist to cover Monday night's El Perro del Mar show at Lincoln Hall. A couple of songs from the latest El Perro album really struck me, so I guess my musical curiosities got the best of me despite the fact that I really had no interest to formally "cover" the show. However, I'm glad that I did because the show was actually inspiring enough to put me back into my blogging chair and make me want to share my excitement for this live experience.

Sarah Assbring, the woman behind the El Perro moniker, is a refreshingly engaging live presence who appeared to pour her entire heart and soul into every last song. I was completely mesmerized by her haunting vocals and David Byrne-meets-Michael Stipe dance moves behind the mic stand. She was at one with each of her songs and it was impossible not to get sucked in and feel the intense emotions conveyed in her music right along with her.

Well, maybe I shouldn't say impossible...

RFC TV: Skybox - "In A Dream"

Robots! Monsters! Seven Foot Drag Queens!

Happy Birthday, George! Happy Birth Day, Blog!

I had written a better first line to this blog the other night, in my head, after an evening of karaoke for my friend’s birthday at Lincoln Karaoke and a number of drinks. I never got to do my choice track, “Stan,” and I totally missed my second choice, “Celebrity Skin,” during my three minute break to get a drink, while the bartender defended his honor mixing a margarita. Alas, I can't complain. It was a hell of a time. I got to hear my friends knockout all the words to “My Humps,” and believe it or not, someone did a pretty amazing rendition of “Wuthering Heights.”  If you’ve never been to this place, you should really check it out, it’s like being in someone’s basement with nice furniture and a Korean karaoke machine while their dad makes you drinks. I'm sure it didn't hurt my friend required us to wear sweatpants. Next time, I’m telling you, next time, I have to do "Stan."

All that said, music in this city has been pretty intense lately. CHIRP launched a radio station, you can check out their set lists to see if any of the DJs rock your world.  My Gold Mask released an EP, I have a feeling will create waves. And as I mentioned in a previous post, I just released an album with my band Earth Program. You can check that out here, or read why we were named one of the ten bands to watch in 2010 by Loud Loop Press. Seriously, come to a show! We’re pretty fun live. I'll let you know when a good one is coming up.

Not to mention something a little silly happened lately that caused me to start a new project, or I guess, reinvent an old idea.  My good friend, Kristin Ronne, who I recently posted about, decided to opt out of a show at the Store in Lincoln Park and asked me if I wanted to play instead. Being that I posted on RFC about her show at the Store on the 27^th, I should probably let you know now, that she isn’t going to be playing at all, despite what’s listed on the Store’s Web site, it will be me, with a brand new project, People, or We the People, we can’t decide yet.  Maybe we’ll take a vote. It is George Washington’s birthday, after all.

Flashback Friday: Are You a Luna(tic)?

I remember seeing quirky indie popsters, Luna, perform their last show to a sold-out Chicago crowd back in February 2005. Formed from the ashes of the dreamy rockers Galaxie 500, and nearly 13 years in, the band never sounded better with its quick-wit suttle guitar jams, led by frontman Dean Wareham and his soon-to-be wife Britta Phillips (aka cartoon rock star, Jem). Great thing about Luna is Wareham's ability to express and twist a simple situation into a comedic manner, while still building upon layer of guitar into a smooth crescendo. Their second album, Bewitched, was by no means a sophmore slump; songs like "California (All the Way) and "Tiger Lily" showcase Wareham's softer shade of bluesy rock with its icy, cool flair for funnies. Either way, any album, Luna delivers with its honest homage to indie intellect and righteousness to rock, and of course, differently and sarcasticly at best.

California (All The Way)

Tiger Lily

This Time Around

Friendly Advice

News from the Gorilla Press

Chicago-based indie, experimental post-rock band, the Gorilla Press have released a brand new video for their alluring groove,“Anger in the Drains” from their  self-titled debut. 

The video was directed by Ichiro Hino, who also directed the group’s last video, "Abuse Your Sight." If you haven't seen that yet, here it is, for your viewing pleasure:

New Local Band Video Series

Coltrane Motion- The Year Without a Summer from Milk Products on Vimeo.

Old RFC favorites Coltrane Motion are kicking off a new live music web series called "Small Chicago" produced by Milk Products Media. Check out more at www.milkproductsmedia.com/smallchicago.

Ladies and Gentlemen, We're Floating with The Spacemen 3

Formed in Rugby, UK in 1982, psychedelic trippy trio, The Spacemen 3,  were one of the most influential bands of the pre-shoegaze movement. While not revolutionary in sound, the band took the best bits of every musical genre and swirled it into a wall of distortion that including 60's acid house, blues and garage rock. The space rock outfit that fueled its career on bombastic drums, heavy guitar feedback, droning vocals, flashy strobe lights and big superstar egos, consisted of Jason "J. Spaceman" Pierce, Peter "Sonic Boom" Kember and Pete "Bassman" Bain. The band's philosophy was simply, "Minimal is Maximal," often using the metaphor "taking drugs to make music to take drugs to." This motto sounds like a confusing concept to the common man, but somehow feeds the beast of a rock star. After nearly a decade and five albums in, Pierce and Ember called it quits after clashing wits. Pierce went on to form the successful shoegaze band, Spirtualized; while Ember founded the spacey groups, Spectrum and E.A.R. 

 Walkin' With Jesus (Sound Of Confusion)

Transparent Radiation (Flashback)

Take Me To The Other Side

 

New Wesley Willis "Rock You Mentary" out now on DVD

This just popped up in my Netflix queue...a great new doc or just a rehash of the "Daddy of Rock n' Roll" video that came out a few years back?

Flashback Friday: Getting Enough of Eighties Fast Fashion?

Synth-pop pioneers, Depeche Mode formed in Essex, England in 1980 and refined the British romantic movement with its squeaky clean production and poignant lyrics. Building on early electro-pop artists such as Kraftwerk, Gary Numan and The Human League, the band released its first album, Speak & Spell in 1981. Nearly 30 years later, the record remains a stellar debut and possibly one of the band's best with its bouncy beats, drip-drop keyboards, and pretty boy vocals. The band's two early classics, "New Life" and "Dreaming of Me," had peppy beats, shimmering synths and pure vocal harmonies. The clubby 80's dance anthem "Just Can't Get Enough" was an instant smash. However, my favorite track during this period, is "Shout," a B-Side to "New Life."

Shout

New Life

Dreaming Of Me

Just can't Get Enough

 

The Heartland’s Own Kristin Ronne to Perform Several Shows in February

If you consider yourself a Chicago native, or someone seriously interested in this city’s music scene, then you’ve heard of Kristin Ronne. A storyteller by nature and a folk guitarist who never reveals her sleight of hand, Ronne’s utter, unbelievable talent never fails to captivate a room full of listeners. 

By way of a recording, or in an intimate restaurant or bar, Ronne’s majestic vocals will soothe you into a lucid dream state, letting you journey to the center of her soul, while you wander down the paths of translucent poetry she exhales into cloudless affection.

If you’ve never seen this earthen beauty perform live, you have two chances in February: the 3^rd at the Heartland Café in Rogers Park, and on the 27^th at the Store in Lincoln Park.  Mark your calendars now!

Regret

No Way Home