Monday Afternoon Quick Fix runs every Monday afternoon to showcase the best of Chicago music news, views and stories from around the interwebs and blogosphere that we might have missed.
• Gapers Block featured jazz percussionist Michael Zerang of the Michael Zerang Organic Unit.
• Time Out Chicago talked with Kelly Hogan about contributing to Mavis Staples’ upcoming, Jeff Tweedy produced, album, You Are Not Alone.
• Spinner gave the rundown on Jeff Tweedy Day in St. Louis on August 29.
• Spin listed sets from The Strokes, Lady Gaga and Soundgarden at Lollapalooza in their top 15 shows of the summer.
• Pavement’s Gold Soundz received the top spot on Pitchfork’s list of the best 100 songs of the 1990’s.
Over the course of the legendary Syl Johnson’s over 50 year career, the Chicago soul singer has amassed a voluminous catalog of some of the soulfulest tunes around.
That catalog is getting the Numero Group treatment in the form of the box set, Syl Johnson: Complete Mythology, a four CD, six LP collection that spans the entirety of Johnson’s storied career.
To celebrate this release Johnson will take the stage at the Old Town School of Folk Music on November 27 and for the first time ever he’ll be performing songs from throughout his 50 year career, many of which have never been played outside the walls of the studio.
To describe Syl’s somewhat overlooked place in the music history it’s best to let him state it in his own words.
“I made my opportunities, but I never got the breaks I should have gotten,” he said. “I was a jack-of-all-trades. More soul than Marvin, more funk than James. If I’d gone pop, you’d be talkin’ about me, not them. I rate right at the top, though I’ve been underrated all my life.”
Think you’ve never heard a Syl Johnson original number? Well you’ve probably heard a tune featuring a Johnson sample. His “Different Strokes” is one of the most sampled songs on record used by the likes of Kid Rock, Michael Jackson, N.W.A. and Public Enemy among countless others.
Tickets for the show in which Johnson will be backed by a 14-piece band go on-sale today at 11:00 a.m. ($28 General Public, $26 Old Town School Members, $24 Seniors & Children).
Here’s what the team at Numero Group has compiled for the box set, slated to hit the street on November 7:
Re-mastered versions of no less than twenty eight singles from the Twinight, Federal, Cha-Cha, Tmp-Ting, Special Agent, and Zachron labels, facsimiles of the Dresses Too Short and Is It Because I'm Black albums, ten previously unreleased tracks and detailed track by track notes from acclaimed music historian Bill Dahl. The fifty-two page booklet contains a thirty-five thousand word essay, scores of previously unpublished photos, a sampling index, and complete discography--all presented in a lavish hardbound box.
Monday Afternoon Quick Fix runs every Monday afternoon to showcase the best of Chicago music news, views and stories from around the interwebs and blogosphere that we might have missed.
• The Huffington Post got a chance to pick Common’s brain regarding both his music and budding acting career.
• Gapers Block went to the Neon Marshmallow Festival and reported in on each day of the festival – Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4.
• Billboard got the scoop from the members of Cheap Trick about possible new material from the band.
• Windy City Rock chatted with the members of Big Science to get some background and to take a look at what lies ahead.
• Time Out Chicago has an excellent gallery of images from the David Gray and Ray LaMontagne show at Pritzker Pavilion.
Kanye West continues to selectively release new material, this time making the song "Monster" available for download on his blog.
Part of West's promised "Good Fridays" plan to release a new song he's worked on each Friday until Christmas, "Monster" features Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.
Vernon previously discussed with Pitchfork recording the song with West in Hawaii. The track is part of the five song album West and Jay-Z are set to release titled Watch the Throne. Listen below:
Kanye West feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj - MonsterBy Andrew Kahn\comments
Umphrey’s McGee wants a new logo for 2011 and a contest has been created to help aid their search.
The band has teamed with Creative Allies to host each would-be designers’ entry.
All submissions are due by midnight on Sept. 17 with the winner receiving a $200 licensing fee, two VIP passes to a show on Umphrey’s fall 2010 tour and any items sold by the band printed with the winning image.
Here’s what they are looking for:
Though many logos, images and fonts have represented Umphrey’s McGee over the years, the band has long looked for a singular image that will represent them effectively, and stand the test of time. The winning design will showcase the Umphrey's McGee name, and/or "UM," the common abbreviated rendition, in a bold, rock n' roll, recognizable fashion, in a format suitable for branding merchandising, tour marketing materials, and various uses the band may see as fit.
Umphrey’s McGee headlines the North Coast Music Festival Labor Day Weekend Sept. 3-5 in Union Park. The Omega Moos, featuring UM guitarist Brendan Bayliss and bassist Ryan Stasik, along with drummer Darren Shearer and keyboardist Jamie Shields of The New Deal, play a festival after show at Metro on Saturday, Sept. 4. Bayliss, along with UM keyboardist Joel Cummins are slated for an after show at Bottom Lounge on Sunday, Sept. 5. By Andrew Kahn\1 comment
Monday Afternoon Quick Fix runs every Monday afternoon to showcase the best of Chicago music news, views and stories from around the interwebs and blogosphere that we might have missed.
• Windy City Rock recapped the Tokyo Police Club show at Metro last week and threw in some photos for good measure.
• Spinner had the low down on the new songs Interpol played at their recent performance at the Vic Theatre.
• AV Club breaks down how the Kanye/Raekwon/Bieber collaboration went from joking tweet to reality.
• Gapers Block posted a concise and insightful review of the My Morning Jacket Charter One Pavilion show.
• Time Out Chicago examined the upcoming planned return of the pioneering indie website Epitonic.
Monday Afternoon Quick Fix runs every Monday afternoon to showcase the best of Chicago music news, views and stories from around the interwebs and blogosphere that we might have missed.
• Spin got a chance to pick the ever evolving brain of Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan.
• Check out Aharona Ament’s take on the new Dreamend album So I Ate Myself, Bite by Bite over on Gapers Block.
• Time Out Chicago examined the current status of the Chicago Jazz scene.
• Pitchfork talked to Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon about his collaboration with Kanye West on the rapper’s upcoming album.
• Wilco will be joining our neighbors to the north in Wisconsin for Farm Aid on Oct. 2 at Miller Park in Milwaukee.
