In part two, guitarist Jack Armondo, vocalist and percussionist Gretta Rochelle and I talk a variety of topics including the fact their songs have been remixed by both The Hood Internet and T-Minus 321, what I found to be a slight 1980’s stylistic inclination in their music, their amazing “Violet Eyes” music video, non-musical personal heroes and the future of the band.
So, once again, grab some popcorn, sit back, relax and enjoy the conclusion of my conversation with My Gold Mask.
If you’ve been paying the least bit of attention to Chicago’s dense and diverse music scene over the past few months, then My Gold Mask need no introduction. The dark, art-rock duo consisting of vocalist and percussionist Gretta Rochelle and guitarist Jack Armondo have taken the windy city by storm.
He is going to be helping us out via his camera so that LoudLoopPress.com can not only be the go-to spot for Chicago music news and views, but for concert and artist photography as well. Look for Reynolds’ first photo gallery for our My Gold Mask feature story to go up next week.
The “Violet Eyes (T-Minus 321 Remix),” first posted to Sheena Beaston’s music blog, is far more dance-y and electronic than the original’s dark and brooding tone. Gone are the pounding drum beats and Jack Armondo’s delay-reflected guitar lines, and in their stead are hyperactive synth lines and computerized blips under Gretta Rochelle’s still-haunting vocals. The track even features a killer coda that’s straight ’80s electro-pop.
Finally, My Gold Mask’s newest EP, A Thousand Voices, is now available to download on iTunes, and be sure to catch the band on Monday, March 15, at the Empty Bottle!
The video, directed by Jim Newberry, is pretty amazing. It’s entirely in black and white and shifts from soft, out of focus shots to high definition footage of the band performing in what appears to be a park. It also features a really cool scene with an icy car racing under El tracks. The clip fits the songs’ haunting, art-rock orchestration perfectly. You can purchase their new EP A Thousand Voices on Mygoldmask.com right now, and check out the video below:
It’s that time again, we’ve looked ahead and started filling in our calendars with all of the awesome upcoming shows headed to Chicago in the next few months. Being the good guys and gals that we are, we’re sharing our favorites with you, all of which will surely be not-to-miss performances of artists from around the globe that includes an impressive line-up of local acts. Check out below what we think are the hot Winter/Early Spring concerts, local acts are BOLD for easy access, and let us know in the comments what we may have missed.
Welcome to the first Weekend Diversions of 2010! We’ve got a lot of great shows this weekend to cover including three shows from bands who appeared on our 10 Chicago Bands To Watch In 2010 list. If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to check it out.
Also, Loud Loop Radio will be back on the air next Saturday, January 16, at 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Radio DePaul.
Finally, the last Top 10 Albums from 2000 – 2009 will be up sometime this weekend (it’s mine!) so look out for that.
Simply put: There are thousands of great local bands playing every week in our fair city. Some you might know and some you might not. Seeing as it’s the beginning of a brand new decade, we thought we’d point out some local bands who we think are on the verge of breaking into the big time. And isn’t it always cool to say you were a fan of popular act back in the day when they were playing for eight people in a crappy dive bar? Yes, it is always cool. (Ed. Note: Although numbered, this list is in no particular order)
We want all of our readers to give a nice big welcome to 
