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. By   \  comments
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. By   \  comments
And now three reasons to boogie on over to the Empty Bottle tonight... 1. Holy crap, it's Tortoise. Yes, the Chicago stalwarts return for a Tuesday night hometown treat at the Bottle tonight (one of their only five tour dates planned through this summer). Tortoise are not only one of the most important American post-rock slash experimental rock bands, but they may as well be one of the most important Chicago bands ever just in terms of their influence and activity in the local scene. Not only has the much band performed in other windy city acts (The Sea & Cake, Eleventh Dream Day), but they've become some of the city's top producers as multi-instrumentalist John McEntire produced the most recent Broken Social Scene record and will work with jazz keyboardist Marco Benevento in 2012. While Tortoise's 2009 record, Beacons Of Ancestorship, found them crafting accessible textures with an intriguing use of synthesizers that actually come across as quite rockin', lest we forget all of their classic records (featuring some fantastic mallet work) like the 1996 epic Millions Now Living Will Never Die and 98's TNT. Tonight's not just poised to be an excellent rock show, but also a learning experience from soem of the top musicians Chicago has to offer. LISTEN: “High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In” 2. Dent-de-Lion, an avant-garde slash experimental project from French musician Aymeric Hainaux, will undoubtedly set the mood. You can find all of his abstract and eclectic pieces on his website Unpoisson.com. And opening the show is DJ Ryan Weinstein, who will get you moving with his repertoire of soul, funk and dancey punk. 3. Finally, let's give you some visual evidence of Tortoise's awesomeness. Here's a video (that I shot) of the band killing their song, "Salt The Skies," at Lincoln Hall all the way back in February of 2010. Dig it: httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNp2DHDHW0Y 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, 1/24. The Empty Bottle. 21+. $15. By   \  comments
[caption id="attachment_23575" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="A Tundra | Photo by Donny Mahlmeister"][/caption]Three break-out-the-maracas-so-you-can-jam-with-the-bartender reasons to head down to Panchos tonight... 1. Chicago mellow indie poppers A Tundra have literally been around the block. Mostly, just picking up strays from bands like Crush Kill Destroy, Joan of Arc, Smoking Popes, and Tortoise. The end result is a musical gumbo that sounds like equal parts Deerhoof and Joan of Arc with its calculated melodies and endearing male and female vocal dynamic. Also worth mentioning is the group’s penchant for punny song titles such as “Salvador Dali Pardon My French” and “I Phone, Euphone, We All Phone.” We posted a video for “Kurt Nivonnegut” last week. 2. Los Angeles duo Big Harp consists of the husband and wife team of Chris Senseney and Stefanie Drootin. Both Senseney and Drootin come from an indie rock background, Senseney having played with Art in Manila and Drootin with Tim Kasher’s other other side project The Good Life. However, when indie rockers collide, the end result is always something country. Senseney’s down home Nebraska drawl with its weary “seen-it-all-heard-it-all” gritty tone anchors each song on Big Harp’s debut LP White Hat. Gather ‘round, children. Big Harp has some stories to tell. 3. Chicago’s own Coins are the second duo of the evening. Angela Mullenhour and Ellen Bunch take the minimalist approach to pop relying on haunting A Capella-style vocals, lingering guitar tones and keyboard. Mullenhour and Bunch’s hymnals are perfect for celebrating Dia de los Muertos (which is today, by the way). Opening the show are the fiery, jazzy psych-pop hybrid of Dusty Bibles. And, hey, guitarist Trent Reusnow has connections to headliner A Tundra. I smell a cameo. Word up. 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, 11/2. Panchos. 18+ $7. By   \  comments
Who doesn’t love an impromptu concert by a popular indie band? Nobody, that’s who. So when A.V. Club Chicago broke the news late Tuesday that Toronto super collective Broken Social Scene would perform a free show somewhere in town, naturally, it piqued our interest. All principle members including frontman Kevin Drew, guitarist Andrew Whiteman, bassist Brendan Canning, drummer Justin Peroff, guitarist Sam Goldberg, singer Lisa Lobsinger and horn section appeared on an especially erected stage under an “occasionally perfect” Heineken billboard directly across from Wrigley Field. Drew professed his love for Chicago, mentioning that the band spend nine months working on Forgiveness Rock Record here in town with Tortoise/The Sea and Cake’s John McEntire. The group ripped through seven songs in total (Cause = Time, Texico Bitches, 7/4 Shoreline, Anthems of a 17-year-old Girl, KC Accidental, World Sick and Ibi Dreams of Pavement). Our friends over at Gonzo Chicago have an excellent wrap-up of the night below. If you want more video, XRT has a few to quench your thirst. Enjoy! By   \  comments
Tortoise are always up to something. And this time around, as Pitchfork reports the local post-rockers have recorded a score for the new film Lovely Molly, which is directed by Eduardo Sánchez, who is best known for co-directing the late 90's uber cheese-factor horror flick Blair Witch Project. But don't think the title Lovely Molly indicates happier movie. IMDB.com's plot synopsis for the film describes it as, "A horror/thriller centered on one troubled young woman and the evil power that exists inside of her." And, according to Pitchfork, the films producer, Gregg Hale, had this to say about Tortoise's soundtrack:
"Tortoise's music is able to morph and change in a way that really accentuates the twists and turns in the Lovely Molly story" ... "We had tried to work together in 1999 (on Fox's sort-lived 'Freakylinks' TV series) and it didn't pan out, so I was thrilled to have another chance to collaborate with them."
Lovely Molly will premiere on September 14 at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. Finally, expect Tortoise to return to town soon as John McEntire tells Pitchfork that they're planning more touring ahead and the slim possibility that they'll start recording a new album this winter. By   \  comments
All's well that ends well. Sure, it rained all week, but it's nice and sunny outside with just a tiny nip in the air. Naturally, that means it is time to party down while we still can. This weekend, especially, is a doozy. There are so many great shows that it is almost impossible to choose among them. Some of the shows we're all abuzz over are Gypsyblood at Liar's Club, Dead Milkmen at Congress Theater and Local H at the Metro. Let's hop to it, Chicago... FRIDAY SOFT SPEAKER Our own Ross Meyerson practically gushed over Soft Speaker’s debut album I’ll Tend Your Garden. The album is chock full of songs that are simply put, a mish mash of grungey guitar riffs and smoky psychedelic and brit rock influence with a dab of Thom Yorke-ness. The net result is a brilliant first release by the Logan Square quartet. Also on hand this evening are the ghostly 60s girl-group throwback Hollows, scratchy-voiced pop rockers Michael Lux and the Bad Sons (who will have free copies of its debut ep Neat Repeater available) and jangly experimental rockers Dozens. Talk about getting more bang for your buck. (Audrey Leon) 9:00 p.m. Friday, 4/29. Subterranean. 21+ $8. MOGWAI The instrumental onslaught that is Mogwai keeps chugging along, with the band having released yet another album of soft-loud awesomeness with the best title we've seen this year: Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. Live, the band does something extremely difficult to pull off: though possibly the loudest show you'll see this year, the technical wizardry of the band is never drowned out. A Mogwai show always has the potentiol of making your top ten shows of all time (Coachella 2006), and I'd have to imagine that seeing them at the Metro is going to be a mind-blowing and ear-numbing experience. (Andy Kondrat) 9:00 p.m. Friday, 4/29. Metro 18+ $25. GYPSYBLOOD Locals Gypsyblood have been generating quite a bit of buzz lately with their debut record Cold In The Guestway, what with it's guitar-heavy, occasionally early '90s vibe. But let's not get it twisted, Gypsyblood are their own band as they add in touches of playfulness and humor that some of those alt-90's bands simply whiffed on. Seeing how tonight's Liars Club (Yes, THAT Liars Club) show is Gypsybloods' record release for their debut, they've invited along labelmates Cast Spells, who are the folk-pop side project of Maps & Atlases crooner Dave Davison. Opening is a Loud Loop favorite Radar Eyes, who always impress with their dark psych-garage tunes. If you miss this, you will regret it dearly. Yes, that's a threat. Get over it, crybaby. (Richard Giraldi) 9:00 p.m. Friday, 4/29. Liar's Club. 21+. FREE! FIELDED There’s nothing simple about the one-woman band Fielded. The only instrument Lindsay Powell, who is also vocalist for Ga’an, really needs is her voice. Powell uses synths and samples to twist and manipulate her voice into a rhythm section for haunting ambient pop stylings. To see her music recreated live is well worth the relatively small price of admission. Psych-rockers Verma and Zath, the metal side project of Ga’an drummer Seth Sher, will also appear. (Audrey Leon) 10:00 p.m. Friday, 4/29. The Hideout. 21+ $8. SATURDAY BATTLES Battles' first full-length album Mirrored is kind of, well, the best thing ever (hitting No. 3 on my top ten albums of last decade). The live show, as well, was beyond stellar. There might not even be a word in the English language to describe how good their shows were. Since that record was released, however, guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Tyondai Braxton has left the band, and Battles' new record, Glass Drop, is sure to be divisive--the Loud Loop staff has already started drawing lines in the sand over it. The questions, then, are these: will the live show still be phenomenal? Can they play tracks off of Mirrored? Will the lack of guest vocalists live help or hinder the band? There's only one way to find out the answers to all these questions, and just to sate your curiosity will be worth the price of admission. (Andy Kondrat) 10:00 p.m. Saturday, 4/30. Lincoln Hall. 18+. SOLD OUT. DEAD MILKMEN I'll just go ahead and put this bluntly: The Dead Milkmen is the most essential inessential band I can think of. That is to say, these guys blur the already-sometimes-hazy line between punk rock and novelty, with song titles off my favorite record of theirs - Beelzebubba - including "Born to Love Volcanoes," "Sri Lanka Sex Hotel," and "Bleach Boys." Either in spite of, or because of, the silliness inherent to some of the band's songs, combined with the actual real punk rock music they produce, this show is guaranteed to be nothing short of a blast. Revered local punks The Lawrence Arms will also appear. (Andy Kondrat) 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 4/30. Congress Theater. All Ages. $18. MANNEQUIN MEN According to the Chicago Tribune, locals the Mannequin Men play "math rock, punk, metal, free jazz". Huh. Well, isn't that interesting. Here we were all along thinking they played jangly, garage rock with folky hooks. Boy, aren't our faces red? Anyway, we're still awaiting their next batch of tunes to get an official release. Maybe that's where the free jazz shows up? Either way, we're excited. And so should you for the opportunity to see the band positively wreck it at the Empty Bottle with local indie poppers Sleep Kitty ands E+. 9:30 p.m. Saturday, 4/30. Empty Bottle. 21+. $8. SUNDAY LOCAL H Who doesn’t love a good homecoming? The members of Local H (Scott Lucas and Brian St. Clair) have been traversing the US, supporting of its recent “greatest hits” collection from the band’s Island Records years (i.e. The 1990s). Sunday, the hard rocking duo finally come home to Chicago’s majestic Metro. The 90s were a magical decade and Local H were produced many a great album, but if you are jonesing to hear 1996’s uber popular “Bound for the Floor,” you’re finally in luck. So c’mon and feel the nostalgia. (Audrey Leon) 7:00 p.m. Sunday, 5/1. Metro. All Ages. $15. TIM KINSELLA & FRIENDS Tim Kinsella, the mastermind behind such Chicago institutions as Cap’n Jazz, Joan of Arc and many more, is bringing his indie rock prowess to the Whistler stage with some friends. The friends? Why it’s John Herndon from Tortoise, Theo Katsaounis from Joan of Arc and A Tundra, and Donny Malhmeister, also from A Tundra. The Whistler’s website describes the evening as a “duel” between a “double duo,” but no word on just who will duel to the death. Electro rockers Relay Beken will open the festivities. (Audrey Leon) 9:30 p.m. Sunday, 5/1. The Whistler. 21+ FREE By   \  comments

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