Transmission

Preview: Down With Webster @ Schubas

2012-02-10T01:19:29Z

It's easy to see why you might doubt Down With Webster's formula. They're a mostly white Canadian rap collective. But sometimes breaking the mold is just what a band needs. Give these guys a shot and you'll come to find that their songs are catchy as funk!

Following suit with colleagues like Travie McCoy's (of "Billionaire" fame) Gym Class Heroes, DWW is only one part rap troupe. They're also a live band and--if we're being honest here--it's just more entertaining to watch a full band back an MC rather than one lone DJ and his tables.

They're big in Canada--selling over 50,000 records and receiving Juno and Canadian Radio Music Award nominations--and now they're coming to the U.S. This isn't their first time in the states, but I'm willing to bet this is the first a lot of our GB readers are hearing of Down With Webster.

The crew makes its stop at Schubas this Saturday, Feb. 11. Tickets for the show are a mere $10 and it's +18. Openers Abstract Giants--who released an awesome album early lat year--kick off the show at 10pm.

Tour Diary: Canasta in Mongolia - Day 3, Tsetserleg

2012-02-09T19:31:40Z

This next update comes from Canasta pianist Megan O'Connor (subbing in for Sarah Kneebone who couldn't make this trip) after a brief lag where the band was without internet access. Now back in the capital, wifi is plentiful and so are the posts. [Read all about why this indie Chicago band is touring in Mongolia, and the previous posts.]

Canasta's tour van: Mongolian style (photos courtesy of the band)

"Not sure how long we were in the van after leaving Ulaan Bataar, but at least twenty horse herds, one batch of camels and a few yaks later, we pulled in to the small town of Tsetserleg. (I want to get our driver a bumper sticker that says "I brake for cashmere goats." He was truly amazing.) We decided to throw on an extra layer of long underwear and take a walk around town. Pretty empty outside, all we saw were a few stray dogs, some dance music blasting from a doorway, and a couple of men walking around in deels, the traditional Mongolian coat. (More on deels later. Wow, Mongolians know how to stay warm.) We spotted a small Buddhist monastery, about halfway up the side of a small mountain foothill and decided to climb to it. The cold air and the high altitude made it hard for us to catch our breath on the way up the long staircase. The air was cold. Very cold. But really, "very cold" is a woefully inadequate description. This air felt like something alive and aggressive trying to invade us. Like Dementors. Still, the view from the monastery of the village and surrounding mountains made the climb worthwhile. We said very little, just looked out and took many pictures. The sun was slipping behind the mountains, and so we rushed back down the hill to the hotel, red-cheeked and shivering.

Just being inside felt incredible after our walk. Dinner at the tiny restaurant in our hotel involved mutton and horse (tough for our vegetarian Jeremy, who has eaten a lot of rice this week), and a bottle of vodka, which, when it comes to warming you up, is almost as good as a deel. Otgon, our fantastic embassy translator, showed us how the Mongolians toast, and we spent some time flicking vodka with our ring fingers.

Canasta and Lenin in Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia

The next day, after meeting the dapper young Governor of the aimag (province), we went to the local theater and had a workshop with music teachers and musicians from around the aimag. An exchange of ideas and music followed, and one of our trip highlights was watching a mind-blowing performance of throat-singing, dancing, and musicians playing traditional instruments like the horse hair fiddle. During the Q&A, they asked us about our day jobs. If you are ever looking for a challenge, try explaining to a room of Mongolians about your job at an animal shelter. I was met with a sea of shaking heads and incredulous laughter. I am pretty sure I would have made their night if I had told them about the concept of Doggie Daycare.

After some soundcheck and equipment issues (I imagine someone else in the band will have more to say about this), we played a show for the people of the town. The folks of Tsetserleg must rank among our very favorite audiences. They were enthusiastic and responsive, clapping along to "Magazine" and waving their arms to our cover of "No Diggity." The night before we'd befriended a three-year-old, whom I consider to be my best Mongolian friend, and gave her a shaker (generously donated by the Old Town School). We were delighted to see her in the front row with her parents, shaking her new egg shaker furiously, though perhaps not quite in rhythm. We also got to meet Tim, a Peace Corps volunteer living in Tsetserleg, who brought a bunch of excited students along with him. Playing for them all was a blast.

Before I wrap this up, I must write about some important Mongolian etiquette. My favorite: if you step on someone's toes, or bump into them under the table, you must shake hands. For a clumsy person like me, this means constant hand-shaking. I love it: it makes bumping into people a way to make friends.

A few others:

Never shake hands with gloves on.

When entering a ger (yurt), do not knock. Instead, yell out "Nokhoi khor!" ("Hold the dog!")

Never let your hat touch the floor.

When you have to go to the bathroom on a long journey in the middle of vast and desolate Mongolian countryside, you say to the driver "I need to check my horse."

And never, EVER play the "I've got your nose" game. Seriously. Don't do it.

Za za. (Means "OK" in Mongolian. I love this, and plan to use it constantly from now on.)

Wish us luck & warmth & drumsets."

<-- Read Day 2!

Tour Diary: Canasta in Mongolia - Day 2

2012-02-07T15:42:46Z

Subtitle: Megan and Elizabeth get lost in UlaanBaatar, or CAMELS!!! Camels everyone!!

This latest tour blog comes via Canasta's violinist Elizabeth Lindau. Read all about why in the world they're in Mongolia, and the previous post.

"Going in order...After performing a set for a local TV show, Canasta headed over to a gallery/bar called Xanadu with some Mongolians from the UB art/music scene. We loaded up into our van, along with Lauren, an American who is in Mongolia on a Fulbright scholarship. After a short drive, we pulled over and all exited the van. Megan spotted some great street art, so I (Elizabeth) pulled out my camera to take a picture. After a few shots, we looked around for our group, and spotted a bunch of folks in puffy coats about a block or so away. We were surprised that they hadn't waited for us, but we scampered over to catch up with them. As we got closer, we began to realize...it wasn't our group. And...we were now lost and alone. Being lost in a foreign city isn't a huge deal, but when the temperature is around minus thirty Fahrenheit...well...we knew we wouldn't last too long without getting inside. Some Mongolian girls stopped and tried to help us, but they hadn't heard of Xanadu. We were two little baby birds, fallen from the nest, chirping "Xanadu"! Xanadu!" and getting colder by the minute.

Pianist ~~Sarah Kneebone~~ (correction) Megan O'Connor meets a new friend on the streets of Ulaan Bataar
(photos courtesy of Canasta)

Meanwhile, inside the club, eventually Jeremy realized that he hadn't seen either of us in awhile. He asked a few other folks if anyone had seen us...and no one had. So everyone suited up to go back outside, and eventually found a pianist and violist who were quite happy to see them.

And as for the camels, well...not sure there's too much to say other than...CAMELS!!! After a few days in UB, we loaded up in a minibus and a jeep to make the seven-hour drive to Tsesterleg (two vehicles are mandatory when you leave the capital, in case one breaks down). Cold and desolate doesn't begin to describe the scenery...broken up only by occasional gers (yurts), sheep, cows, or horses. About five hours in (after an in-van jam session featuring lots of Canasta songs, Yoshimi, and Pearl Jam) our translator spotted...CAMELS! We pulled over and walked over to them, and were able to get about thirty feet away. There's not much more to say other than...camels are totally the best, and two humps are way better than one."

Canasta's Elizabeth Lindau and said camels

<-- Read Day 1 | Read Day 3!

OK Go Driving

2012-02-06T20:36:53Z

Yep, Chicago expats OK Go were in a commercial during the Super Bowl. This time around, they performed "Needing/Getting" in and with a Chevy Sonic -- using various appendages attached to the car to play instruments and other constructions set up along a rambling desert track. The commercial took months of planning and four days of shooting, and apparently 1,000 instruments were spread out over the two-mile course.

Car and Driver has a great behind-the-scenes look at the making of the video.

Tour Diary: Canasta in Mongolia - Day 1

2012-02-06T15:51:19Z

As we'd hoped, the band members of Canasta have made it safely to Mongolia for their whirlwind tour [see previous], and they even found a brief pocket of internet connectivity in order to send in this quick update, and a photo.

The following comes from guitarist, Jeremy Beckford:

"I dont think any of us were quite sure of what to expect before arriving in Mongolia, other than ball shrinking subzero temperatures. Arriving at midnight after a 17 hour trek across the north pole and through China didn't exactly prepare us either, but the warm greetings of U.S. embassy staff definitely helped with the -38 air temp outside. The first thing that surprised me was the number of expatriates here, catered to by businesses striving to provide American culture all over Ulaan Bataar, the capital city. Our first orders as Team Canasta were to report to the nation's only school for the blind for a performance and Q&A. It quickly became clear the people of Mongolia have a love of music that knows no boundaries. Clapping along has become passé in Chicago indie rock circles, but these guys are full blown 7-100 members of canasta. Their focus and appreciation of created the warmest environment for a concert I've ever experienced. The highlight was 1 boy who asked to sing a song with us and came up to shyly stand in front of his peers and hold the mic for a couple of minutes. The crowd cheered him until be belted out the most heartfelt rendition of his school song, later joined by the rest of the student body. Pretty much the most touching moment on stage I've experienced.
To be continued....."

Read Day 2! -->

Photos/Review: Smith Westerns @ Cabaret Metro 2/3/12

2012-02-04T07:08:22Z

Though Chicago's own Smith Westerns barely played for an hour on a stage adorned with Happy Faces, they left an immediate impression on the audience and did what great bands can truly do, which is leave their fans wanting more instead of getting tired of the songs. In fact, as the set progressed to the end, the night culminated in complete audience wild abandon and the band did well to feed on this adoration and become even stronger on stage, lead singer Cullen Omori especially. The band perhaps made a breakthrough when they achieved an opener touring spot for Arctic Monkeys but, let's face it, Arctic Monkeys aren't half the band these Chicago lads are.

If you've been paying attention for awhile, you've probably seen this band grow from being a little sloppy and imperfect into what seems like flawless rock stars. Though the actual lighting on the stage was mostly backlighting vs. front lighting, focusing on silhouetted movements vs. facial expressions, The Omori brothers have an incredible stage presence between Cameron constantly thrashing his head around and Cullen moving his hips about like a postmodern reincarnation of Elvis, only with about 100x more sex appeal. Their wondrous glammy songs seem mainly about being young and in love. At this point in their career, their lyrics aren't completely original sounding and the music reminds one of the best eras of music, when psychedelic, pop, and glam all danced languidly together, sharing eachother's worth. It's the sum of the parts in this case: lyrics and music accompaniment that seem to make the songs click with the listener.

Their albums are also getting more interesting and stronger as a whole. Their self titled release in 2009 showed promise but it was their 2011 release Dye it Blonde that truly showed touches of brilliance. The only real negative of the album is that is just isn't long enough and resembles more an EP in its length. Still, it's better to have the quality over quantity and Dye it Blonde surely delivers in that department, with perhaps the absolute pinnacle achievement being "Smile," which they also pulled off perfectly live.

In fact, the songs from this latest release came off especially well, though it seems more natural that "End of the Night" be placed last instead of second (sort of like how it would be odd for Leonard Cohen to begin a night with "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye") Besides that, it's key to add that there were a few new songs that really felt like they belonged most with the songs on their most recent album vs. their debut. Though the young fans will yearn for Cullen to touch their extended fingers and let them caress his guitar, it will be nice to continue to hear the band grow musically and lyrically. But, either way, with their lush sounds and their engaging stage presence, "I wanna tell you, you're hard to resist."

Pulling Strings: For classical music in Chicago, you got a guy - February 2012

2012-02-02T16:21:09Z

by Elliot Mandel

February offers mind-bending music and behind-the-scenes access to those who write and perform it. Meet a real live orchestral composer who moonlights as a DJ. Sit in on a rehearsal at Symphony Center or a master class in Evanston. Impress your friends by mentioning "the blackbirds" (really). This month, the boundaries of music are stretched into previously unexplored realms; bring an open mind, but for the love of all that is good and holy, turn off your phone or risk eternal shame.

Hear a great concert recently? Have a tip on an upcoming show? Talk about it in the comments.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and maestro Riccardo Muti will give the world premiers of two pieces written by composers-in-residence Mason Bates (the aforementioned DJ) and Anna Clyne. Both composers are known for evoking colorful musical worlds rich with subtlety that enchant audiences with sounds never imagined in the concert hall. Following performances on February 3 and 9, join Bates, Clyne, and CSO musicians in Symphony Center's 4th floor Arcade for an informal reception--and the CSO will buy your first drink. Use promo code POST for $30 tickets to either concert, or $50 for both. February 3 and 9, 8pm at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.

Civic Orchestra of Chicago - Open Rehearsal
For one night only, you can catch a rare opportunity to observe a rehearsal led by Chicago Symphony Orchestra Music Director Riccardo Muti as he puts the Civic Orchestra through its paces in César Franck's Symphony in D Minor. Franck's symphony, the only one he wrote, shocked audiences when it premiered almost exactly 123 years ago, but the melodies it contains are now counted among his most loved. The Civic Orchestra is the training orchestra of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, packed full of young, talented musicians known for giving powerful performances. Admission is free, but tickets are required. February 6, 7pm at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.

eighth blackbird

eighth blackbird, Pacifica Quartet
Two locally-based and superb ensembles will join forces to showcase the music of contemporary Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina. The Grammy-nominated, six-member band eighth blackbird is known for daring and expert performances of modern music, while the Pacifica Quartet racks up praise for its singular beauty and stellar concerts. Gubaidulina marries ancient elements of her Russian background with an improvisational style of music often written for unusual instrument combinations. Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker, characterizes Gubaidulina's music as a "viscerally evolving fabric...wholly devoted to fullness of sound and richness of story." Tickets are $25, $5 for students. February 15, 7:30pm at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph, Chicago.

Menahem Pressler and Cyrus Forough
[Updated] The Music Institute of Chicago presents two unique events in the intimate setting of Nichols Concert Hall. Menahem Pressler is the founding pianist of the famous Beaux Arts Trio and a towering figure of music instruction. Watch from the audience as he coaches students in two master classes on February 17, 7-9:30pm, and February 18, 10am-12:30pm. Tickets are $10 for each session.

After you watch a master of teaching, listen to some of the most beautiful violin music ever written, performed by Cyrus Forough. Forough is himself a renowned teacher, but also a soloist of great demand whose career has carried him around the world. The program features Bach's haunting Chaconne, Beethoven's Sixth Sonata for Violin and Piano, and Prokofiev's First Sonata for Violin and Piano. Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for students. February 18, 7:30pm at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston.

Programs, artists, and prices subject to change. Tickets subject to availability.

About the author: Elliot Mandel plays cello, attends lots of concerts, writes reviews, takes pictures, and loves sports. He has hope that--one day--a cellist will play the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Ode to the Artificial Will to Flow In the Cave of Self-Inception

2012-02-02T05:47:05Z

George Lewis

The musical career of trombonist/composer/professor George Lewis looks very different depending on where you put your finger on the timeline. In the middle 1970s, he came onto the scene as a teenager in Anthony Braxton's first classic quartet, taking up the brass mantle from Kenny Wheeler. Wheeler's smoky, moody tone was a nice foil for Braxton's multi-directional compositional style of the time, but it also sounded sometimes like he had trouble with the fast charts. Not so Lewis, whose trombone lines dart and pivot, hummingbird-like, in the air around Braxton, speeding the group's development immeasurably. A few years later, Lewis' Homage to Charles Parker LP includes other unexpected elements, like Richard Teitelbaum's Moog synths and Lewis' own electronic processing on his trombone. Lewis' compositions at the time, like Braxton's, came from a personal, genre-less place, born just as much of jazz and improv as classical composition and experimental music forms. He was also one of the earliest jazz musicians to work regularly with computer-assisted composition and music forms.

Throughout the '80s, Lewis could be heard on loads of free improv recordings, including the News For Lulu records (with Bill Frisell and John Zorn), and Yankees (Zorn and Derek Bailey), his brass speeding through impromptu chord sequences one moment, squawking like authority figures in Peanuts cartoons the next. Though his recorded output never really slowed, Lewis spent more time in the coming decades developing computer-music software like the Voyager program, which creates sound shapes and reactions to live music inputs.

Since the mid-2000s, Lewis has taught at Columbia University in New York, and just a few years, he authored A Power Stronger Than Itself, a 700+ page behemoth chronicling the development of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), an organization founded in Chicago with the intent of fostering African-American musical creativity. The group, now passing 40 years of existence, is one of the most enduring musical organizations of the modern era.

This Sunday (yes, as in "Super Bowl _____"), The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) will present George Lewis & Friends at the Museum of Contemporary Art (220 E. Chicago Ave.) at 3 p.m. The program includes five pieces:

George Lewis (b. 1952): Artificial Life 2007 (2007)
Steve Lehman: Impossible Flow for flute, clarinet, horn, trombone, piano, bass, percussion, drum set (2011) CHICAGO PREMIERE
Nicole Mitchell: The Cave of Self-Inception for two flutes and percussion (2012) WORLD PREMIERE
Tyshawn Sorey (b.1980): Ode to Gust Burns for bassoon, piano, percussion, guitar and trombone (2012) WORLD PREMIERE
George Lewis: Will to Adorn, for ensemble (2011) CHICAGO PREMIERE

The event will also include time for the composers to discuss their pieces midway through.

Tickets are $28, $22 for MCA members. The program is scheduled to be 75 minutes, so yes, you'll still have time to get home and watch that kicking-throwing thing on TV, if you are so inclined.

Next Stop: Mongolia (Canasta Heads East...Way East)

2012-02-01T23:53:34Z

Canasta prepares for their journey (photo courtesy the band)

Some bands tour via car, van or bus, but Chicago indie band Canasta is going to have to manage their upcoming tour with some planes and a convoy of trucks and jeeps. As part of the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' Arts Envoy Program the band will be performing in Mongolia next week. They'll begin their tour on Friday, February 3, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and also play in Tsetserleg, Harhorin, and Arvaikheer, finishing up in Ulaanbaatar on the 12th. Canasta will play similar sets to what they usually break out for evenings at Schubas and the like, but admit that there might be some changes in their normal format. They'll not only give live musical performances, but also give workshops and lead jam sessions with the locals. Canasta is comprised of Matt Priest (lead vocals, bass, trombone); Elizabeth Lindau (violin, vocals); Jeremy Beckford (guitar, vocals); Brian Palmieri (drums); Ryan Tracy (keyboard, piano, bass, vocals); and Sarah Kneebone (piano, keyboard, vocals).

Perhaps some pre-trip inspiration can be gleaned from a song from their latest album:

[mp3] - Canasta - "Reading the Map Upside Down" from The Fakeout, the Tease and the Breather

While they're away, we've asked the band to live blog their experiences for Gapers Block's readers. Look for more from the band while they're in Mongolia (if they can find some wifi) and once they're back home.

In the middle of packing this week, the band's keyboard/piano player Ryan Tracy was kind enough to share his thoughts on the band's upcoming adventure.

Gapers Block: How did you become involved with this U.S. State Department program?

Ryan Tracy:Well it turns out that the State Dept. sends artists and musicians to U.S. embassies all over the world. But like most people, that was news to us until an old friend of Matt's - who works for them - brought it to our attention. In fact, he has been stationed in Mongolia for the past four years and was trying to convince Matt to come visit on his own. But once it became clear that Matt wouldn't be able to swing it on his own, he suggested that Canasta try applying for their Arts Envoy Program, which we did. And though it took almost a year and a half to come to pass, it's finally happening.

GB: Has any member of the band been to Mongolia before? Or to Russia or nearby parts of Asia?

RT: For all but one of us, this will be the first time any member of Canasta heads to Asia. In fact, for our drummer Brian, it will be the first time he leaves the country (what a way to start). Elizabeth is the most well-traveled of the group having spent time in Japan, Fiji, and Thailand, though that last one was just a stop-off on the way back from Antarctica.

GB: How does one prepare for a Mongolian adventure?

RT: First, look up the capital of Mongolia so you don't look like a fool when people ask you (it's Ulaanbaatar). Second, apply for a new credit card and buy absolutely anything that looks like it could be warm. This includes winter boots graded to -30F, long underwear, wool socks, a coat that weighs more than you, the most ridiculous looking hat you can find (the ridiculous ones are always the warmest), and if you haven't maxed out your credit limit yet: a balaclava. After that, it's just a flurry of big suitcases, immunizations, and some crossed fingers that no one sleeps in and misses their flight.

GB: Are you worried about the instruments reacting to the demanding climate? Or to the difference in voltage for the electric stuff?

RT: The instrument we're worried about most is the voice of our lead singer, Matt Priest--cold is torture on the voice. We've toured the US in winter before, and typically if we limit Matt's talking and make sure he's never 30 minutes away from a hot tea, we're good to go. But in a country where the air is so dry they don't recommend wearing eye contacts, we're a little nervous. The rest of the instruments we're hoping survive the haul over the Pacific, but the State Department has been nice enough to provide us with most of the amps we'll need thus eliminating most of our voltage problems...most...

GB: Are you preparing yourself mentally for some serious artistic influences?

RT: Definitely. We've started to write some new music in the last few months and we're hoping this experience might elevate those songs to a new level where Canasta fans are going "whoa, didn't see that coming." If 10-day tour of Mongolia doesn't catch the fans off guard, hopefully the new songs will.

GB: What do you think will be the strangest part of Canasta's performance in the eyes of future Mongolian audiences?

RT: Canasta's very proud of the lyrics we've written for our songs, and we make sure they're featured during our live show. Also, occasionally we like a little crowd banter to keep the non-musical energy going and get a feel for the crowd. With the language barrier though, it certainly feels like both of these might get lost on the audience, but who knows, maybe Mongolia is just as raucous as Iowa City.

GB: What are you most looking forward to?

RT: I think we're all incredibly excited for the exchange between us and the Mongolian culture that you wouldn't get on a typical travel excursion. Most of the time while traveling, it's a lot of driving around looking at this famous thing or that famous place, but with this experience we really get to be a part of everyday life in Mongolia from Q&A sessions at local schools to packing up a Jeep and driving 4 hours to the next city. We'll still be visiting as many famous things as possible, but the experience of playing and listening to music is what we'll always remember.

GB: Will there be any dares based around eating or drinking local cuisine?

RT:We have a fairly ambitious group of eaters in the band so I don't know if members will have to be dared to eat stuff, or if they'll voluntarily get the weirdest things possible. A friend of ours sent us some videos of a TV show in which the host samples some Mongolian delicacies including sheep's head and goat innards. Our vegetarian in the band is probably not too interested in that, but for the rest of us we stand by the old cliché of "when in Rome..."

GB: How many sweaters are being packed?

RT: All of them. Even the ugly Christmas sweaters.

Spiritualized Announces World Tour, Chicago Date

2012-01-31T02:14:37Z

It wouldn't be too much of an overstatement to say that British space-rock powerhouse Spiritualized owned the genre during it's heyday in the 1990s. 1992's Lazer Guided Melodies signaled that band leader Jason Pierce was going to continue to effectively mine the psychedelic vein of his former band, Spacemen 3. Spiritualized reached their critical peak with 1997's Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space, an album that dropped at a time when both Britpop and their particular brand of drone rock were big both here and abroad.

Spiritualized has made a few short touring forays over the last few years, but this outing has all the characteristics of a proper world tour. Chicago gets a not-to-be-missed club date at the Metro on May 3. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, February 4 at noon.

Dark Star Orchestra Channels the Dead for Two Chicago Shows

2012-01-31T01:20:48Z

Say what you will about the Grateful Dead but few if any bands in the history of rock have engendered their level of fanatical devotion. Need proof? Look no further than the fact that Dead cover band extraordinaire Dark Star Orchestra has the truck to play two shows in Chicago in the next week, this despite the fact that kids born after legendary lead-man Jerry Garcia died are in high school and working on getting their driver's licenses.

Dark Star Orchestra, or simply DSO to those in the know, have made their bones by shadowing the fountainhead band through a slavish, completest knowledge of the original band's catalog, and shows which attempt to recreate particular historic shows song by song. Don't be fooled into thinking that they are strictly a nostalgia band, however. Any given DSO show looks remarkably similar to any late '80s or early '90s Dead show, with a mix of aging baby boomers and their teenage children who missed the circus the first time around. The band is comprised of virtuoso musicians who share with their fan base a wide-eyed love of the source material, and play to the level of that devotion.

DSO wheels into town for two shows, a marquee gig at the Vic Theater on Saturday, February 4 and, for those of you wishing you could have seen the Dead at the Matrix in 1966, a club gig at Martyrs on Monday, February 6.

Wilco Eats Spinach, Plays with Popeye

2012-01-30T15:16:10Z

Well, this explains Wilco's unexpected appearance in a recent Popeye comic strip: the band's latest music video is a black-and-white cartoon featuring Popeye, Olive Oyl, Swee' Pea, Wimpy and Bluto. In it, Olive falls for Jeff Tweedy while Bluto and Popeye vie for her attention.

The video for "Dawned On Me" off The Whole Love is the first new Popeye cartoon since the character's 75th anniversary in 2004, and the first hand-drawn Popeye cartoon in more than 30 years. Apparently the band's collaboration with King Features Syndicate was the brainchild of director Darren Romanelli. There's a website for the collaboration, wilcospinach.com, that offers a free download of a live version of "Dawned On Me," and also seems to hint that actual cans of Wilco brand spinach may be in the offing. Not going to hold my breath on that one.

Review: Jack's Mannequin @ HOB, 1/25

2012-01-28T18:42:07Z

I've already scrapped what I had written for this review twice. I started writing my first draft about Jack's Mannequin's frontman Andrew McMahon, where he's come since his years fronting Something Corporate nearly a decade ago and his effect on the Drive-Thru Records generation. Not long after I decided to start over, I came across this article, written just one day after I saw Jack's Mannequin play at House of Blues on Wednesday and took it as a sign that surely I'm not the only one that still remembers the golden era of pop punk.

Photo by Steve Stearns

Much like many of the bands that came from the same beginnings as McMahon--Dashboard Confessional, New Found Glory, Midtown--I can't help but feel that Jack's Mannequin has been overlooked because their California-sun-kissed songs' appeal to a polo-wearing, lite-beer-drinking college crowd. But as I watched Andrew McMahon--who's fronted two successful bands, written five albums, toured the world over before his 30th birthday and survived a bout with leukemia--on stage the other night, it's hard to think that he's not doing something right.

McMahon looked more comfortable than ever behind the keys on Wednesday--Jack's second of a two-night run at HOB. Guitarist Bobby Anderson's, an overlap from the Something Corporate years, sounds and backing vocals seemed like a stronger presence than I've seen during past performances. The band seemed more cohesive than ever. It's clear McMahon and his crew have gained more than success from their years in the game. They've gained maturity.

Photo by Steve Stearns

Jack's Mannequin has an admittedly thicker pop sheen than McMahon's previous piano rock group. Some would take this to mean that this new brand has less of an "edge," but that's hardly the case. Set list choices like "I'm Ready" and "What Gets You Off" are visibly challenging both musically and vocally, and yet the band never wavered.

Even songs off Jack's most recent album People and Things--a rock album that's poppier production style left it feeling a bit "blah"--sounded richer and more full-bodied in a live setting. I was especially pleased to hear the record's standout track "Amy, I"--a song that McMahon admitted the band had skipped on their first night in Chicago.

Photo by Steve Stearns

Despite the...err...boisterous and youthful crowd at Wednesday night's show, tender moments like McMahon's encore performance of "Swim" sans band still showed through. It's been a long ride for McMahon, but it's I'm glad to have been along.

Review/Photos: Los Campesinos! with Parenthetical Girls @ Metro 1/27/12

2012-01-28T07:44:05Z

Somewhere between the time this reviewer saw Los Campesinos! at Lollapalooza play a side stage in the middle of the afternoon in 2007 and last night, the band seemed to have gain a much rougher crowd. Though their songs haven't gotten all that rougher, their pop songs with an edge now inspire moshing and crowd surfing, which seemed just as jarring as it was unlikely for fans who just wanted to hear the songs.

On a better note, the sold out crowd was so into it they were singing every word with emphasis/crescendos where it mattered, softer tones for more delicate ballad like spots and spontaneous mass clapping where the songs called for it with a push. If you've ever been to a show where the band has to cue the audience to join in the fun with hands and singing, you'll realize quickly that it's either a dud audience or a dud band. There were none of these cues needed for Los Campesinos! however, because the fans knew the songs cold and were singing them with a passion indicative of years of growth with songs, even though there was just as much love for the newer songs from the fourth full length from 2011, Hello Sadness, than there was for some of the older tracks. (Full setlist can be viewed here)

The band itself is quite accomplished in their playing, though lead singer Gareth Paisey seemed slightly less animated than in years past. Probably the funniest moment was when he expressed appreciation of the crowd love but reminded people to be careful when moving about. To be honest, seeing the band live and hearing their records can be great fun but even when they are singing "Songs About Your Girlfriend" or how "Romance is Boring", it makes you wonder how fellow Welsh band Joy Formidable was able to pull off an even stronger sound with less than half the members (Los Campesinos! has 7 with Joy Formidable having only 3). There is a great deal of skill in coordinating all of the different musical elements in the songs but at the same time, their sound is much less astounding overall and their performance, though great compared to many bands, was lacking to the one Joy Formidable put on 12/14/11 at The Metro as well.

In some ways, it's also possible that Gareth Paisey also merely seemed less animated when compared to lead singer Zac Pennington of Parenthetical Girls who played in front of projected visuals of Andy Warhol screen shots and assorted old film stills. The four piece plays visceral pop with a delicate vigor in a way that only a band who covers The Smiths and numbers their EPs with their own blood could be capable of. The band has gone through some changes with some lineup changes (most notably with Rachael Jensen leaving) but the band seems to have fully recovered in a way that makes you realize as long as Pennington is involved, the songs will work live and on record. He caressed his mic like a maniac, danced with the crowd in a constant enchantment and sang lyrics that seem so utterly personal they couldn't possibly be as catchy as they sounded.

Pennington talked about his bit part in Portlandia, meeting two cats named after Twin Peaks characters, and how quaint Los Campesinos! are but mainly in his 45 minutes on stage, he impressed the very young crowd with his sense of timing and oddness that somehow makes you feel like all of the abnormal things about you are okay. In a slight way, Pennington's stage demeanor is a little like a much more subtle Kevin Barnes of Of Montreal except there's something more real and vital in Parenthetical Girls, a little less like a concept and a show and more like a way of presenting inner turmoil in a way one somehow can dance to. Though they've always had a small devoted following, they really do deserve a larger fan base for all of their talent. Highlights of the set included "A Song for Ellie Greenwich" "Entitlements" "Careful Who You Dance With" and "Stolen Children" though their cover of "Handsome Devil" is always quite a gem.

Phish Bringing the Freak Show to the Circus?

2012-01-26T20:42:42Z

Pink Floyd's Roger Waters has already confirmed a June 8 show at Wrigley Field playing the band's classic album The Wall, but let the rumor mill churn on. This official looking Live Nation tour itinerary floating around on Facebook puts jam rock juggernauts Phish in the venue for a July 4th and 5th double header. Before you resign yourself to having your hippie friends on your couch, remember there is absolutely no confirmation from anywhere at this point, but the team is away those dates.