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August brought the return of the new and improved Chicago-centric version of Lollapalooza, which boasted a whopping 9 stages and 130 bands spread out over 3 days. Of course, there where still more festivals to come, including the high profile Touch & Go 25th Anniversary at The Hideout and the always strong Wire (magazine) Fest at The Empty Bottle in September.
Continue reading "RFC 2006: The Year in Pictures (Aug-Sept)" »
As much as I personally enjoyed the line-up at Intonation, it was impossible to ignore the vast drawing power of Pitchfork and the shear amount of bands they lined up in their first solo attempt as a festival organizer. The following week, there was the odd incident where Ryan Schreiber personally wrote to RFC to ask for permission to use some of the photos Rory took at the event. We were flattered at first, though it did seem a bit odd that that Pitchfork, with all their staff and resources, would need to commission outside coverage of their own festival. It became even more odd when the pictures ran on Pitchfork, and they didn't even bother to give RFC a credit or at least a quick thanks at the bottom of the piece. When I followed up about this and Schreiber didn't even bother to reply my message, it provided some amusing "open letter" fodder, inspired in part by the Steely Dan tiff with Luke Wilson and the producers of My Cousin Dupree that had transpired a couple of weeks earlier.
Indeed, the ticket booth was a common sight this summer in Chicago, as the festival circuit blew up to previously unheard of proportions. Kicking things off in June was the second edition of the Intonation Festival, which featured arguably the most diverse and well-rounded of any of the outdoor festivals that would follow the rest of the year.
Yes, here it is...RFC's very own gratuitous end of year feature, "2006: The Year in Pictures." We kick things off today with the best pics from last January through May.
Continue reading "RFC 2006: The Year in Pictures (Jan-May)" »
Indeed, it was a holiday Christmas miracle last night when Peter Frampton stepped in at the last minute to help the injured Stephen Colbert win his guitar challenge vs. the Decemberists. I knew there would be tons of coverage and YouTube Comedy Central Motherload links in all the usual places, but I was really amused to find that MP3 Bloggers are even getting in on the act by posting individual audio clips of each of the Guitarmageddon performances. 
Also, (and I shouldn't be surprised about this) both Peter Frampton's and Henry Kissinger's Wikipedia pages have already been updated to include their participation in this historic event.
(If you didn't catch the episode last night and/or don't feel like squinting to watch the archived video stream, tune in to Comedy Central tonight at 7:30p to watch the repeat airing...and yes, it IS as funny as all your friends have been saying it is)
Palliard is one of those bands that makes Chicago a better place to live in. Sometimes, I feel so proud that Chicago is the home to so many great local bands and Palliard is definitely worth both listening to and seeing in a live setting. This marks the fourth time I have seen them and the first that I have heard many of the songs off of their newly released album, Won’t Heal Alone.
After presenting Raekwon the Chef last month, Scion is back with another free show featuring a Wu alumnus. This time they've snagged the group's true genius, GZA. Sure, Method Man became more famous and Ghostface has been getting the most love lately, but without GZA (and his equally brilliant cousin, RZA), The Wu-Tang Clan would have never reached the legendary status they enjoy today.
As always with these free shows, you must RSVP on-line and then get there somewhat early as these things are usually heavily overbooked and entry is first come, first served (i.e. RSVP does not guarantee entry). Deadline to RSVP is tomorrow at 5p.
Doh! They've actually cut the list off this time?!...the RSVP says "this event is full." Ummm...I think the St. Louis and Minneapolis dates are still open if for some strange reason you happen to be reading this from either of those cities.
The first time I witnessed VietNam was at the Empty Bottle, a venue considerably more fitting for their style than the Double Door, in an opening slot for The Comas. Immediately following that night, I shelved my Comas record and began to keep vigil for any news about VietNam.
Continue reading "Live Review: VietNam w/ the Lemonheads @ Double Door, 12/7/06" »
Eugene Hütz may be the ultimate frontman. To simply call him edgy could be the biggest understatement of the year. He doesn’t just merely sing as part of the large ensemble cast of players that makes up Gogol Bordello. He calls out in his raspy voice to legions of fans. He towers over the reaching hands and makes contact with each person watching in awe who just wants desperately to connect with him. This is partly why I think that Gogol Bordello might have the stuff inspiring of legend…the kind of band people will reminisce about for years after they part. It will just be too difficult not to dream of the captivating intensity that made the everyday mundane world seem a little bit crueler in comparison.
Check out Rory's full set of pics here from the third installment of Bandwidth earlier this month at SubT. Keep your eyes peeled here for details on Bandwidth IV next month, curated by our friends over at Future Perfect Radio.
Also, speaking of pics, stay tuned for RFC's first ever "Year in Pictures" feature (coming soon).
Tonight at Double Door, it's a FREE double shot of local rock featuring The M's and Catfish Haven.
The Haven boys are dubbing it their "fan appreciation night," while the M's are touting it as a last chance to check them out live before they go into hiding this winter to work on their next album. The event starts at 10p, with The M's scheduled to go on at 10:15 and Catfish haven slated to hit the stage around 11:30. Once again, the 21+ event is FREE...first come, first serve at Double Door.
Last Sunday at Silvies Lounge was the Ears and Eyes festival, providing a deluge of information for both of those information accumulating orifices. The event, curated by Matthew Golombisky and Quin Kirchner, was a culmination of jazz, hip-hop, film/video, painting and print media celebrating the diversity of music in Chicago and the launch of a brand new record label.
Continue reading "Live Review: Ears and Eyes Festival @ Silvies 12/10/2006" »
Is it worth the import?? We think so. This week's Friday 8-Track consists of 8 UK artists whose LPs won't see a release here in the US until 2007, if at all. But for those of us who just can't wait, here's a little preview of some records you may want to drop a few extra quid for. Check out tracks from Lily Allen, The Veils, The Fratellis, Jarvis, and more after the jump!!
