Radio Free Chicago

News and Notes: Arcade Fire Have No Soul, Jim Ward, RIP Lance Hahn

///According to Sasha Frere-Jones, of the New Yorker, The Arcade Fire have no soul while lamenting the lack of Black musical heritage in recent crops of rock 'n' roll bands. [Thanks, Buzzgrinder]

///Jim Ward (Sparta, ex-At the Drive-In) has recorded a nice and quiet acoustic EP entitled, well, Quiet. It will hit the shelves of stores that decide to carry it on November 6th. [Thanks, Aversion]

///Lance Hahn, of the band J Church (pictured), died yesterday from complications stemming out of kidney disease.

BANDWIDTH invades the Hideout - November 5th!

Bandwidth strikes again! This time we are invading the HIDEOUT to bring the FUN back to Monday night! Forget football, come join us for a carnival of sound when we welcome fresh from a string of shows at CMJ and all the way from Australia before that, THE PANDA BAND with special guests (who have released an album early this year that will be on many top 20 best of 2007 lists) from Madison, WI PALE YOUNG GENTLEMEN!! Tickets are only $7 and will be available in advance on Ticketweb.com.

SO, MARK YOUR CALENDARIOS FOR: NOVEMBER 5TH, 2007!

RADIOFREECHICAGO.ORG PRESENTS:
THE PANDA BAND with PALE YOUNG GENTLEMEN!
Hideout Chicago - 1354 W. Wabansia Chicago, IL
Doors  at 9:00 PM * 21 & Over  * Tickets Only $7

PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE at TICKETWEB

More About the Bands after the Jump!!

Damo Suzuki's Network w/Ben Vida & Rob AA Lowe @ Empty Bottle 10/14/2007

“I know that many have been taught to think that moderation, in a case like this, is a sort of treason”

Edmund Burke (British Statesman and Philosopher, 1729-1797) (thanks google/thinkexist.com)

Yes amp’s going up to 11 and blaring your favorite song so that the neighbor’s can hear it is really cool. When you were 15 it was the world, but after a week if you had any real interest in music you were trying to think of what to do next. Something to push it forward, taking this raw energy and coupling it with some emotion. I am a huge fan (as are many reading this I am sure) of Can’s output with Damo Suzuki and was thrilled to see he was brining his touring “network” back to Chicago’s Empty Bottle. Then, having Rob AA Lowe and Ben Vida open up and eventually join him on stage was icing on the cake. Unfortunately the cake was just inedibly sweet.

News and Notes: Johnny Marr, Chicago Blogs, Eskimo Joe, Radiohead

///Johnny Marr has been named Visiting Professor at the University of Salford. He will be delivering workshops and some masterclasses to students attempting to earn their BA in Popular Music and Recording.  He'll be in Chicago on December 2nd with Modest Mouse at the Congress Theatre. [Thanks, Pfork]

///It looks like a real possibility that Radiohead will embark on an international tour in May 2008 that will last (with breaks) until the end of the year.

///The Gapers Block Transmission covers some Chicago music blogs. No, they don't cover us, but it's still a good resource for some blog reading fun. [Thanks, TLTP]

///Eskimo Joe's new album, Black Fingernails, Red Wine, got the review treatment over at PopMatters. They play the bottle Saturday night.

Spoon w/The Ponys @ The Riv 10/12/07

It's only been two months since Britt Daniel and company graced Chicago with their impeccable music. Their Lolla performance was definitely a highlight, albeit brief. Constantly referred to as a tight band, it's easy to see why Spoon are so fucking great live.

Download: Spoon - "Anything You Want"

News and Notes: NPR & Sigur Ros, Dylan, Enon, Elliott Smith's Estate

///NPR and Luke Burbank interviews Sigur Ros with deafening results. The deafening part comes in with the long pauses of silence following questions. Burbank and NPR both do analysis of this terrible interview. See what they and possibly you are doing wrong.

///PopMatters.com tackles the new Dylan best of and the new Enon with reviews and a numbering system.

///Elliott Smith's ex-girlfriend was denied money from his estate. She claimed that she had been working as a manager and agent for Smith and therefore was entitled to the money. [Thanks, Pfork]

Final Fantasy w/ Basia Bulat @ Schubas 10/12/07

It was with joy and a bit of relief that I saw Owen Pallett who is Toronto, Canada’s Final Fantasy.  About two years ago, a Canadian friend told me about the wonder of Owen and I had to special order Has a Good Home from a Canadian distributor as I was unable to find it anywhere in the states. I was, of course, amazed by the very essence of it. Owen’s violin playing combined with his insightful and sensitive lyrics transformed me into a true Final Fantasy believer that only deepened farther with the release of last year’s unfortunately named but just as glorious He Poos Clouds.

Download: Final Fantasy - "The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead"

Get on the List: Eskimo Joe and Stars of Track & Field @ Empty Bottle 10/20

Aussie indie rock sensations Eskimo Joe are joining forces with good ol' American boys Stars of Track & Field at the Empty Bottle this Saturday and RFC wants to put you on the list. Just drop us a line at radiofreechicago(at)gmail.com with "Eskimo" in the subject line by tomorrow morning (10/18) for your chance to get on the list +1. Winner will be drawn at random, good luck!

Download: Eskimo Joe - "New York"

News and Notes: Joe Strummer Bio, Radiohead Sales, The Lips Zaireeka

///Chris Salewicz has written a new Joe Strummer bio entitled Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer dedicating 600 pages to the musicians life. PopMatters has posted a review on it.

///According to ShoutMouth Radiohead has sold approximately 1.2 million downloads at an average of approximately $8 an album. Do some math and before taxes and bandwidth fews they are bringing home quite the pay check. [Thanks, Buzzgrinder]

///Guest comments are dead at Chicagoist, but we'll still take your brainless swarming masses of guest comments.

///The Flaming Lips are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the release of Zaireeka with several instores where the discs will be played as they were originally intended. The album is also being re-released with an added 5th Disc (and suddenly the name of this blog makes perfect sense). [Thanks, Pfork]

Live Pics: Reefer Duberland (aka Interpol+Liars+Deerhunter) @ Empty Bottle 10/11/07

Patrick Wolf @ The Metro 10/9/07

The best way I can think to describe Patrick Wolf is this: if you took a reincarnated Freddie Mercury and raised him in a Cabaret theater listening only to Madonna, Bowie, and Andrew Bird, you might get something like Patrick, a British musician from London whose theatrics are as much a part of the show as the actual music behind it. Though it was perhaps considered at times even over the top, I’m a big fan of the melodrama.

Download: Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position

DVD of the Week: The Johnny Cash TV Show

I have to admit, when I first saw this listed on Netflix, I was more entertained by the notion of seeing Johnny Cash interact within the awkward confines of a 60s TV variety show than I was with seeing his musical performances. So, when the disc arrived and it turned out it consisted of just music clips and not entire episodes of the program, I was a little disappointed. Fortunately, my disappointment didn’t last too long as the music clips did turn out to be pretty damn entertaining.

News and Notes: Pixies, New Radiohead, Bob Dylan

///Looking forward to a new Pixies album? Well, stop. Bassist Kim Deal (pictured) won't commit to recording any new material , so all those rumors of a reunion album are now only that, rumors. [Thanks, Aversion]

///PopMatters has conducted the first "real" review I've come across for Radiohead's In Rainbows. The album gets a 9/10 and a "while that self-consciousness may have added charm or energy to other albums, that isn’t something a band can sustain over a career as long as Radiohead’s, and they’ve pushed past that into a place where their music can be truly subtle." Oops and as I was typing out the rest of this post I came across Pitchfork's review and their unique rating style for this release.

///Hype Machine appears to be ready to launch an entirely new interface, BUT they're looking to get a little attention first.

///And to help with those Monday Mo(u)rning blaaaas, head over to the New York Magazine and check out the "Top Ten Most Incomprehensible Bob Dylan Interviews of All Time." [Thanks, Ghost Media]

Elvis Perkins @ Lakeshore Theater 10/7/07

I have a confession to make and it is one that is going to blow any music credibility I ever had right away. Here it is: I am not a fan of Elvises. Elvis Presley, for example...I could write a dissertation about why I dislike his music. And Elvis Costello, interesting as he, as well as his songs, may seem from an objective point of view, never really did anything for me, either. But that takes us to a new Elvis for my generation named Elvis Perkins and this time, everything feels just right.

Download: Elvis Perkins - "Emile's Vietnam In The Sky"

News and Notes: Psychic TV, Amy Winehouse, Reefer Duberland, RIAA

///Psychic TV have canceled their North American tour in support of their 1st studio album in 12 years. But that isn't the real news. The tour faced cancelation after the unexpected death of band member Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge. She had been struggling with stomach cancer, but a possibly related, undiagnosed heart condition took her from this life. The band will announce any kind of future plans after an appropriate period of mourning.

///Amy Winehouse will be attempting to perform at the mtvU Woodie awards. I say attempting, because she has canceled more than she has played lately. But everyone seems pretty confident about this date. The show tapes November 8th and airs a week later. Spank Rock and Chicago burbanites The Academy Is... are also scheduled to perform.

///We covered Reefer Duberland too, but just so that we cover all of our bases you can check out Pitchfork's pictures and play by play of the night as well.

///Punknews.org is reporting on the RIAA's continued listing of labels who are not affiliated with the RIAA and who in some cases have philosophical disagreements with the trade giant. Trustkill, Fat Wreck Chords, Relapse, and Epitaph have had continued problems with this.