Ani DiFranco @ The Vic 9.23.09

Last night I saw Ani DiFranco at The Vic on her very own birthday. Unfortunately, she did not, as I had hoped she would, change my mind about her music. I’m just not into it. All of her songs sound the same and I don’t understand why someone with a clearly beautiful voice would choose to rarely use it and instead speak through half of her songs and sing/play off-tune for the rest. The best thing I’ve got from last night’s show is that Ani has these jiggly little legs that move her about in a fashion of dance that was both weird and endearing to me. That’s about it.

Per a couple of Twitter requests that I received yesterday, here’s last night’s set list to the best of my friends’ ability. Apparently there were a few new songs that they didn’t know, so they guessed for you.

Ani DiFranco’s Sort-Of Set List 9.23.09 @ The Vic Chicago

Anticipate
Happy Birthday (crowd to Ani )***editor’s note, this smiley emoticon is courtesy my friend, not earbudz, we would like to formally give an eyeroll.
Dilate
H20
Fuel
New…Trial of Living?
New… Obama song? Yes We Can?
Smiling Underneath
Sunday Morning
Red Letter Year
New…
Two Little Girls
New… Wired To Me?
Cover-Which Side Are You On?
New… If You’re Not Getting Happier As You Get Older… You’re f*cking Up
Untouchable Face
Shameless

Encore:
Evolve
Overlap

Posted by Garvey

An Horse @ Schuba’s 9.14.09

I’m going to start this off with a warning to you dear readers – be ready to read some gush. I don’t know what to say about last night’s An Horse show at Schuba’s that I haven’t said before about past shows. Every time I see An Horse play live, it’s exactly the same. They manage to get a HUGE sound out of two people, a guitar and a drum set. They’re tight, they exude energy, and it’s always just an awesome live show. Last night was no exception. So, rather than repeat myself or repeat other bloggers who are no doubt saying the same things about An Horse’s shows, I’m just going to say this: if you only take one piece of advice all year, take this – go see An Horse perform live. You will not regret it. It’s impossible to watch/hear them play and not want to jump around with the music. And when the song, Little Lungs, is performed, it quite literally moves me, every single time. In fact, the first time I heard that song was a live version – the album wasn’t out yet – and as soon as it ended, my best friend and I looked at each other wide eyed, and she just said, “Whoa,” and I could only nod. Every time I experience Little Lungs being performed live, I feel completely encompassed by the music and can’t think or speak for a few moments afterward; and you can tell there’s that general feeling among everyone in the room. It’s an incredible experience that I want you all to enjoy, so check out An Horse when they hit a city near you!

Okay, I’m done gushing. I promise there will be nothing but snark from here on out for the rest of the week!
 
www.anhorse.com

Sep 15 2009 8:00P	7th Street Entry	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sep 17 2009 8:00P	The Lo Pub	Winnipeg, Manitoba
Sep 19 2009 8:00P	The Palomino	Calgary, Alberta
Sep 20 2009 8:00P	Brixx Bar @ The Starlite Room	Edmonton, Alberta
Sep 23 2009 8:00P	The Biltmore	Vancouver, British Columbia
Sep 25 2009 8:00P	Rifflandia Music Festival w/ Tegan & Sara, Pink Mountaintops, Buck 65, Holy Fuck & more	Victoria, British Columbia
Sep 29 2009 8:00P	Jackpot Saloon	Lawrence, Kansas
Oct 1 2009 8:00P	The End	Nashville, Tennessee
Oct 2 2009 8:00P	The Venue w/ Silversun Pickups	Gainesville, Florida
Oct 3 2009 8:00P	Ricochet w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Fort Myers, Florida
Oct 4 2009 8:00P	Florida Theatre w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Jacksonville, Florida
Oct 5 2009 8:00P	Headliners w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Columbia, South Carolina
Oct 7 2009 8:00P	Shoreline Ballroom w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Hilton Head, South Carolina
Oct 9 2009 8:00P	House of Blues w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Oct 10 2009 8:00P	The Fillmore w/ Silversun Pickups	Charlotte, North Carolina
Oct 11 2009 8:00P	The NorVA w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Norfolk, Virginia
Oct 13 2009 8:00P	Metropolis w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Montreal, Quebec
Oct 14 2009 8:00P	Bronson Centre w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Ottawa, Ontario
Oct 15 2009 8:00P	The Sound Academy w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Toronto, Ontario
Oct 17 2009 8:00P	Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Providence, Rhode Island
Oct 18 2009 8:00P	Northern Lights w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Clifton Park, New York
Oct 20 2009 8:00P	The Webster w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Hartford, Connecticut
Oct 21 2009 8:00P	Higher Ground w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Burlington, Vermont
Oct 23 2009 8:00P	Main Street Armory w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Rochester, New York
Oct 24 2009 8:00P	Ches-A-Rena w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Oct 26 2009 8:00P	Headliners w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Toledo, Ohio
Oct 28 2009 8:00P	Exposition Gardens w/ Silversun Pickups & Cage the Elephant	Peoria, Illinois

 

Posted by Garvey

Lez Zeppelin @ Double Door

I’ve been sitting at my desk, staring at my computer for the past 5 minutes wondering, “How do I start a post about a band named Lez Zeppelin?”  How DO you even get into that?  I mean… Lez Zeppelin.  Are they serious?  I did a little internet search, and the “all girl, all zeppelin” band has garnered some major attention.  Musically, it’s deserved.  I saw them perform this Saturday night at the Double Door and they were a great Zeppelin cover band.  They hit all of the notes and it sounded great.  As I stood there next to a woman who was either dancing or having convulsions for the entire set, I couldn’t help but wonder… why Lez Zeppelin?  Why would clearly talented musicians spend their lives as a cover band?  And why were they wearing long leather jackets circa 2002 on stage the entire time?  Weren’t they hot?  And didn’t the hugely furry cuffs of the lead guitarist’s jacket get in the way of her playing? 

The reviews I’ve read of the Lez Zep have all mentioned how exciting this band is live, and… I just didn’t feel it.  I could have experienced almost the same thing sitting in my living room playing a Zeppelin album up very loud.  It was basically two hot girls and two not so hot girls, strutting around a stage regurgitating someone else’s music.  Other than the day full of jokes that it provided my friends and I, “Lez meet at 8 for drinks and then go to the show,” “How should we get there?  Lez take the bus,” Lez Zeppelin was mediocre at best.

Posted by Garvey

Bloc Party creates summer vibe inside Aragon, 3-28-09

The weather outside was frightful, but Saturday night inside the Aragon, felt like a bonfire at the beach in the middle of summer.

This group from England knows how to throw a concert. There was a palpable energy around the ballroom. The music made people happy and embrace the statement “dance like no one is watching.”

As a leading man, Kele Okereke, demands attention, but he started out the show with a thank you. ” Thanks for coming out on this shitty night.”  He reminds me a bit of the lead singer from Living Color….he is the cult of personality, but there is a softer side to him as well…thank you Sears. He has a passion for his music, eyes closed, beating chest in time to the music when he is not strumming his guitar.

They played for about 75 minutes which is longer than the standard anymore. They seemed genuinely excited to be playing for Chicago. They supposedly passed on a big gig at the electronica music festival in Miami  because he was sick, but he recovered quickly “not wanting to disappoint 4,000 fans in Chicago!”

Bloc party is a rock band. They do better with bangers like “mercury” than quiet, pensive songs like “signs”. “mercury” is in retrograde, sent me on an internet chase to see if that rift was from peter gabriel’s “shock the monkey.” Many think it is and the video supposedly goes a little ape shiz. And in other homage news….an instumental paid great props to My Bloody Valentine!!! The cover of their most recent album “intimacy” showing the love to MBV’s “glider.”

This band has a littany of sounds and styles, but they all seem to mesh together well. There were definitely new and old fans alike. The loyalists singing all the words when “helicopter” landed and “this modern love” rang out. It was one of the better shows I have seen lately. New music discovered because of a great live show is so much more fun to absorb.

I hope they make it on to the Lolla bill again. Don’t miss any chance to see these guys.

Cooper out.

Tina Dico, Schuba’s 3-22!!

 

Tina Dico is a lanky blonde from Denmark. Nothing is rotten in the state where she comes from. She took over the stage at Schuba’s on Sunday night and had the crowd eating out of her hand. She is best known on this side of the pond for her vocal contributions to Zero 7, which is great in it’s own rite, but it is kind of like saying Chicago is a town in Illinois.

Most of her material was from her new album “a beginning, a detour, an open ending” which she claimed were actually 3 EP’s. The concept of  many paths and roads repeating often.  She channels someone older; someone who has been broken and wishes to share her mistakes so others don’t tread in her shoes. Tina is fixated on people who are stuck. Her lyrics are not easy. Her smooth delivery coats the pain.

The song “stains” was especially grand and she told a story about it having a hold over her.

She had a guitarist and a guest vocalist from Iceland, Helgi Jonsson. Their chemistry on stage was palpable. The vocals  from the icelandic one added a layer of ethereal spark. His passion on the trombone, piano and in his voice a great addition to Tina’s cool delivery.  She has a great voice that is powerful, yet vulnerable.

She had just performed at the ubiquitous SXSW earlier in the week. One can hope that she makes it big here in the US, but it is nice to have her as a little off the beaten path performer that you can catch at Schubas on a Sunday night.

Thank you Tina. Hurry back please.

Posted by Cooper

Holy crap Lolla, Sasquatch Festival is the new black!!! (perry take some notes while you are out there!!!)

the line up for sasquatch was announced this week. OMFG!!!! it is unreal. i hope lolla steps up to the challenge. the variety is stellar. i wish i could go, but i have to ride my bike from s.f. to l.a. check out their website too, cuz it is pretty bangin’.  the video i posted for school of seven bells is on the first page !!!
http://www.sasquatchfestival.com/#/home

Jane’s Addiction (feat. all four original members), Kings of Leon, Nine Inch Nails, Ben Harper & Relentless7, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Erykah Badu, The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, TV On The Radio, Animal Collective, Silversun Pickups, Bon Iver, Santigold, Of Montreal, Explosions In The Sky, Devotchka, Peter Bjorn & John, Gogol Bordello, M. Ward, The Avett Brothers, Doves, Calexico, Grizzly Bear, M83, Girl Talk, The Gaslight Anthem, The Walkmen, Chromeo (dj set), Deadmau5, Mugison, Sun Kil Moon, Airborne Toxic Event, Blitzen Trapper, Shearwater, BLK JKS, The Wrens, Tobacco, Monotonix, King Khan & The Shrines, St. Vincent, Passion Pit, John Vanderslice, Bishop Allen, Blind Pilot, AA Bondy, Black Moth Super Rainbow, The Knux, Ra Ra Riot, The Dodos, Beach House, Arthur & Yu, The Submarines, Owl City, Viva Voce, James Pants, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, The Builders & The Butchers, The Dutchess & The Duke, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele, Fences, School of Seven Bells, Death Vessel, Horse Feathers, Hockey, Point Juncture, WA, The Pica Beats, Loch Lomond, Vince Mira & more to come.

 

posted by cooper (festival junkie)

Music festival rumblings…..Coachella kicks off 2009

this time of year is so exciting for me as an avid purveyor of live music. once the coachella lineup announcement comes out and the lollapalooza pre-sale ticket rumor mills start churning, you know spring is only a few months away.

coachella is lolla’s older brother that lives in the california desert. he has an affinity for cool hip bands from the 80s and 90s. think new order et al. coachella wins my heart over musically because of the large electronica offering. lolla wins the reality contest, because it is here. chicago makes for a magnificent background , although the sun setting over the mountains made my 2005 coldplay-headlining-cochella  experience, one of perfection.

the coachella fest is now a three day event and in lieu of the economy, they are offering tickets on layaway this year. it will be interesting to see how the 3 day lolla pass hits the wallet.

drumroll please…

the 3 major headliners are: paul mccartney (scratching my head), the cure and the killers. ummmm? other “big” acts: the yeah, yeah, yeahs, franz ferdinand, amy winehouse (no, no, no) morrisey, my bloody valentine and thievery corp. all in all, kind of a strange big name lineup. it seems tailored to the 40 year olds. i don’t think the killers should headline a night, even though they were great at lolla 4 years ago. the beattle? i have heard more about his divorce in the past few years. the cure is cool and typical of past headliners.

the beauty of these festivals is in the “small” print bands: tvon the radio, fleet foxes, lykki lie, white lies, friendly fires (we heart them here at eb) and the ting tings, along with dozens more that will be fun for some.

needless to say i am not looking into air fares to cali this year. i am hopeful that all of the small print bands will be at lolla in august.

Rose Cousins House Concert, Chicago 11/23/08

I recently had the surprising pleasure to see Canadian singer/songwriter Rose Cousins perform at a local house concert. I say surprising because, if you haven’t noticed yet (and thus don’t read this blog regularly-which I can only assume means you don’t know how to read at all), I’m not a huge fan of singer/songwriter/folky/chick-with-guitar type music. I leave that to my fellow blogger, Coops, and my various lesbo friends who drool over girls with acoustic guitars. Rose Cousins, however, may have turned me.

Rose’s singing seemed completely effortless, and from the moment she hit her first note, I was mesmerized. Since I’m a bit of a novice in this genre, I don’t really have any other musician that I can think of to compare her to. But if I had to make a comparison at all, I’d say this: Sometimes (on preferably cold or rainy days) if I can get an afternoon to myself, I like to curl up in my favorite corner of my couch, next to the window, and just write to my little heart’s content and reflect on life. I don’t know why, but having that time to do nothing but think about myself and my life, always leads me to this sense of happiness and thankfulness. And, that reflection always includes good times, bad times, and all times in between. The constant is that they’re the best times of my life. I’ll sometimes lose myself for incredible stretches of time in these thoughts and memories. That’s what it’s like to listen to Rose Cousins. It’s like losing yourself in the best parts of life.

You can check Rose Cousins out here.

Posted by Garvey

Jenny Owen Youngs and Greg Laswell Schuba’s 11-19-08

 

 

I love J.O.Y. so much I can’t just do the 50 words or less treatment for her. This Brooklyn girl is a little bit harsh, and so dry with the sarcasm, she pulls moisture away from you. When she closes her eyes and sings about her battered heart though, she is soft and vulnerable. I have seen her 4 times now at Schuba’s (one of my favorite venues in Chicago.) Each time she is a little more comfortable. Chicago, seemingly, a home away from home for her. Her style is a little bit folky, a little bit rocker and that of a perpetual student of the masters, citing Nick Drake and Nelly in her set. Unlike some of her peers Jenny Owen Youngs has a label, Nettwerk. Often thought of as a dance label, they have housed the likes of Bare Naked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan. Even though she shines when she is on stage alone, backing instruments and vocals make her more confident. Brandon the sideman, accompanied her on rhythm guitar and made the song “voice on tape” ethereal and full of feeling. Greg Laswell joined them both for the subtle kick in the teeth “what the fu*^ was i thinking”. We have all been there. What makes her shows fun and worth repeating is the banter with the crowd and herself. She welcomes hecklers and bites back, which explained the large inflatable shark on keyboards for a while. Next time she is in town I will give a heads up.

Greg Laswell is the epitome of the Hotel Cafe sound. He is a gifted singer songwriter that can tickle the keys or pick the strings. He has gone to sad and back. Even though many of his tunes are about heartache and loss, his hooks are upbeat and are usually on repeat on the pod. He played songs from his most recent release “Three Flights From Alto Nido” as well as the great self made debut “Through Toledo.” Jenny Owen Youngs did a bang up job on the female vocals. Initially his banter seemed a little more canned, but it sat well with the crowd. Greg has become a staple on the Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack and they suit each other. They both are a bit quirky, deep and healing….at least up until the firing of a certain actress. Brandon the sideman again added passion and depth to the music. He is a talented workhorse.

One interesting thing these two artists share is the fact that Perez Hilton his given them shout outs on his blog. Say what you want about him, he has great taste in music.

On a night when Ingrid Michaelson, Smashing Pumpkins and M83 we all in town…Schuba’s was the only place I wanted to be.

posted by: Cooper

Sean Wiggins @ Spyner’s Pub

 

West coast rocker, Sean Wiggins, was in town last week to play two shows for the Reeling Film Festival. I caught her closing show at Spyner’s Pub and, as usual, Wiggins brought down the house. I’ve seen Sean Wiggins perform here in Chicago a good 5 or 6 times and every time she plays, she brings crazy energy and fun to the stage. She and her accompanying band, Lone Goat, are immensley talented and if they happen to be playing a show near you, you should definitely check them out.

Posted by Garvey