Chicago indie poppers
Scattered Trees visited local PBS program "Live at the Alley" to play "Four Days Straight" and "A Conversation" from its album
Sympathy. Lead singer Nate Eiesland also spoke with show host Marc Nelson; discussing how Scattered Trees started, what it is like for Eiesland to work with his wife and fellow bandmate Alissa, and how songwriting helped him deal with his father's death. The video clip is just over 15 minutes, so it's a bit of a commitment, but it's worth it. Catch Scattered Trees next at
Lincoln Hall on Friday, Nov. 25 with experimental rockers A Lull.
By Audrey Leon \ comments
[caption id="attachment_23839" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="detholz! | photo by neil burger"]
[/caption]Three reasons to get warm with a fine show at the Empty Bottle tonight...
1. Chicago new-wave bandits
Detholz! defy genres. It’s true, the band throws in a bit of dance rock, punk, pop, jazz and just about everything in between to pump up the theatrics. Frontman Jim Cooper does his part by delivering colorful sermons dealing with Christianity and lack of faith. The band is celebrating its 15th anniversary tonight at the Bottle and it is looking to be their last show for a while, so don’t miss it. Detholz! newest album
Death to the Traitor is available for stream or download via
Bandcamp.
LISTEN: “Catherine Zeta-Jones.”
2. Fans of music that isn’t so cut-and-dry will love this showcase. Taking the middle slot is eclectic singer-songwriter
Ami Saraiya. We profiled Saraiya in our
Take Five series earlier this year because her compositions span the musical spectrum from chamber pop with a bit of Eastern mysticism to blues rock and big band. Saraiya is poised to release an album of brand-new material in 2012 that will no doubt match her jazzy and soulful vocals.
LISTEN: “Purging Purging”
3. Last but not least,
Lord of the Yum Yum will get things off to a magical and humorous start with his combination beat-box and scat singing prowess. Lord of the Yum Yum puts his own spin on well-known songs as well as original compositions - all done with samples, effects pedals and his own brain.
WATCH: Lord of the Yum Yum on Chic-A-Go-Go
9:30 p.m. Thursday, 11/17. Empty Bottle. 21+ $8. By Audrey Leon \ comments
[caption id="attachment_23823" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="I Lost Control"]
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Three everybody’s-working-for-the-weekend reasons to bear down at the Double Door tonight...
1. If there’s one thing I love, it’s a free show. Chicago’s own
I Lost Control will serenade beer-and-or-whiskey clutching audiences with its Brit pop-meets-Ian Curtis and Talking Heads sound. Vocalist Steven Anderson draws you in with a couple of deep monotone howls over driving bass and drums (provided by Tina L. Sunny and JB Hopkins, respectively) and bluesy guitar licks (provided by Toby Tennant). I Lost Control released its first EP
Cones and Arrows this January.
LISTEN: “TWB.”
2. Los Angeles trio
Burial at Sea is the calm before the storm tonight. The group plays delightfully slow pop jams with just a hint of folk rock hanging out in the background. With a name like Burial at Sea, one would expect a rowdy metal or screamo band, but instead we’re all greeted to the dulcet, husky harmonies and swirling guitars of a much different band. And it’s a pleasant surprise.
WATCH: “Who‘s Gonna Love You.”
3. Opening the show tonight are Wheaton’s own
The Beez Neez. The quintet have a kind of folky John Mayer thing happening, which is no coincidence since the band lists on its Facebook page that frontman Brian Allison once played with Mayer.
LISTEN: "Walk Around the World."
8:00 p.m. Wednesday, 11/16. Double Door. 21+ FREE!!! By Audrey Leon \ comments
Indie rockers
Joan of Arc will appear at the
Chicago Book Expo, a pop-up bookstore in Uptown, this Saturday, Nov. 19, to perform a newly commissioned film score.
The Tim Kinsella-led outfit will perform a contemporary soundtrack to the 1915 Charlie Chaplin silent film “His New Job.” The performance will take place at 8 p.m. in the auditorium of St. Augustine College (1345 W. Argyle Ave.), the former site of Essanay Studios where the Chaplin film was shot.
Chicago Writer’s House, a co-presenter of Chicago Book Expo, commissioned the score to honor the Uptown neighborhood where the expo is being held.
If it feels odd that a rock band is participating in a book expo, don’t worry. Tim Kinsella recently released his first novel “
The Karaoke Singer’s Guide to Self-Defense” this fall through the Chicago imprint
Featherproof Books.
Tickets for the event are $10 (or $5 with at least $10 of receipts from the expo). Tickets will be sold at the door and in advance through the Chicago Book Expo at 4720 N. Broadway (the old Border’s Books location) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19.
For more information about the Chicago Book Expo, including other events, please visit the
Uptown Update.
By Audrey Leon \ comments
[caption id="attachment_23701" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Norman Toronto"]
[/caption] Three think-sunny-thoughts reasons to get out of the house and wander over to the Double Door tonight...
1. The Albany Park quintet
Norman Toronto and His Band easily fit within Chicago’s vast and exciting psychedelic rock scene with its penchant for low-rumbling, swirling rhythms and sharp guitar solos. The glue that holds these ragamuffins together is Norman Toronto himself. The frontman’s rich baritone triggers thoughts to other great dramatic vocalists such as Morrissey and Danzig. The band’s album
Rock and Roll Tide features those low, golden tones set to what sounds like a 1991 Seattle-era second coming of the Doors. The music is a rollercoaster ride of famous baritones but damned if it isn’t soothing.
LISTEN: “Roll Tide”
2. Chicago R&B rockers
The Mood aren’t really moody. In fact, the - sometimes known as “Harris and the Mood” - group exudes a rather chipper disposition on the majority of its 2009 EP
Kingdom Come. Songs like the title track and album closer “Why Haven’t We Been There” have lyrical content that would sour most people’s moods, but for some reason the backing blue-eyed soul, beefed up with trombone and saxophone, just bounces like tiny rays of sunshine. And that’s just fine.
LISTEN: “Why Haven’t We Been There”
3. Rounding out the showcase are New York ensemble
Ashen Figure. The group playfully changes mood from avant-guard spoken-word pop to wild free jazz to accompany singer Kellie Norris-Bergman’s intriguing flowing verses. Opening tonight are Milwaukee’s own
Will Phalen and the Stereo Addicts. The alt-country outfit plays a more endearing Midwestern folk than simple country, but that shouldn’t scare anyone off from jamming out to
Middle West, Phalen’s sophomore LP.
LISTEN: ”I Can’t Run”
8:00 p.m. Wednesday, 11/9. Double Door. 21+ $5. By Audrey Leon \ comments
