CHI, IL LIVE METRO SHOWS ON OUR RADAR: Rescheduled Emilie Autumn, Rescheduled Sleigh Bells, & JD McPherson #liveshowphotos

ChiIL Live Shows-Emilie Autumn LIVE at Chicago House of Blues 2/25/12

Emilie Autumn

BUY TIX

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 31

An Evening With...

EMILIE AUTUMN

Postponed to Friday, February 15 due to illness // All Tickets for 10/31 Will Be Honored

World-class violinist. Fashion icon. Famously bipolar. The list goes on, but one thing is certain: We're talking about Emilie Autumn. With world tours, glossy magazine covers, and guest spots on the albums of such artists as Courtney Love (with whom she performed on Leno and Letterman), Otep, Billy Corgan, and TV's 'Metalocalypse' under her corset strings, Emilie Autumn's devilishly dark lyrics, metal-shredding violin solos, pink-glittered pasties, and industrial-strength voice reinvent "gothic" for the masses, and goths have never had so much fun.

More akin to a Broadway musical than a standard rock performance, the Los Angeles-born starlet's highly theatrical stage show is a sexy circus of glam-rock burlesque, backed by a scantily-clad girl band known to EA's devoted fans as the Bloody Crumpets. Featuring EA's signature electric violin pyrotechnics, heartbreakingly lush orchestrations, hard-core beats, and menacing lyrics growled with enough intensity to make your hair stand on end, the resulting noise is a harpsichord-heavy romp through Victorian asylums where screaming is allowed and girls always get revenge.

Click here for ChiIL Live Shows full Emilie Autumn feature from her excellent 2/25/12 Chicago House of Blues Show.

Check out her new album, Fight Like a Girl

Tonight's Sleigh Bells' Chicago show is now rescheduled for November 4th at Metro.   Save the date and check these guys out!    Click here for their main site including their new album, Reign of Terror, streaming.

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 28

SLEIGH BELLS

Rescheduled to Sunday, Nov 4 // All Tickets for 9/28 Will Be Honored

**Due to a recent injury, Sleigh Bells have had to reschedule dates of their Fall 2012 tour.**

The Brooklyn duo known as Sleigh Bells emerged in the Fall of 2009 with rhythmic pop songs that combine overdriven guitar riffs and sugary female vocal melodies. Guitarist/producer Derek Miller teamed up with singer Alexis Krauss after he happened to serve her and her mother at a Brazilian restaurant in Brooklyn. As proof of their winning formula, Sleigh Bells quickly earned the adoration of critics at the New Yorker, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and more. Their debut album, Treats, released on Mom + Pop Music in May 2010, ended up on over 150 Best-Of lists for that year. Their newest, Reign of Terror, produced by Miller, is one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2012. 

Metro- Chicago, IL

November 4, 2012 9:00 PM

**THIS SHOW HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FROM SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2012 TO NOVEMBER 4TH, 2012. ALL TICKETS FOR THE SEPTEMBER 28TH SHOW WILL BE HONORED.** 

18 & Over. Valid State/Federal ID required for entry. 

Doors open at 8:00 PM. 

Also Appearing: TBA.

JD McPherson 

BUY TIX

FRIDAY OCTOBER 12

93XRT Welcomes

JD McPHERSON

LUCIUS

It’s no surprise that a tawny pocket of the American south called Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, spat out pompadour-sporting bluegrass sensation JD McPherson. Always a color-within-the-lines type of guy, painter-turned-musician McPherson approaches his brass-coated blue-eyed soul with laser-beam focus. 

McPherson’s debut album Signs & Signifiers was released this past April to overwhelming acclaim and was praised for its wide span of influences ranging from Fats Domino to Led Zeppelin to Wu-Tang Clan. Smooth-as-bourbon upright bass and rockabilly piano trills add theatricality to McPherson’s rootsy compositions depicting Cadillac convertibles, ramshackle farmhands, and pin-curled beauties. 

The juxtaposition between McPherson’s suave croons and primal vocal rips lends a jagged edge to his live performances and laces his fully loaded bombastic rockabilly arrangements with intrigue. McPherson’s appearance at Metro on October 12 is part of a worldwide tour supporting Signs & Signifiers. 

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar-This Thursday Spiritualized at Metro #Album Review

There's a certain subset of our friends who NEVER miss a Spiritualized show on the off chance it's Jason's last.   He's not only still among the living, but just released a new album,  Sweet Heart Sweet Light, and Chi-Town's right at the tour's start.   This is one show not to miss.

Spiritualized
Metro- Chicago, IL
May 3, 2012 8:00 PM 18 & Over. Valid State or Federal ID Required for entry.
Doors open at 7:00 PM.
Also appearing: Nikki Lane. 





 
Don't be put off by the enigmatic Spiritualized site.  Tabs reading Perscriptions, Admissions, Pharmacy, Outpatient, Complimentary Medicines and Side Effects will not get you a box full of e-junk from cheap Canadian pharmacies, but an ear full of Spiritualized to cure what ails you.   

Fat Possum in the US and Domino imprint Double Six in the UK is the new home of psych rockers Spiritualized.   Their new album, Sweet Heart Sweet Light, their first since 2008's Songs in A&E just came out April 19th, a month delay from the original anticipated release.    
 
Spiritualized

Sweet Heart Sweet Light

The 7th album from Spiritualized is in stores now. Look for Spiritualized on tour in North America in May. Tickets are on sale now. The LP is in store June 05 and can be pre-ordered now.

In January, Spin's David Marchese quoted Spiritualized frontman Jason Pierce as saying:

 

"I had the rather foolish idea last November that I could deliver the record that's been sent out and keep working on the real version," says Pierce, speaking on the phone from his Manhattan hotel room. "I'd meet the delivery date they need for reviews and things like that and nobody would be any the wiser that I'd be carrying on with the mixing." 

So, erm, the version of the (very good) album that we've been listening to is not the version that fans will eventually hear? "I think it's quite different," explains Pierce. "People say that all the little mixing moves I'm doing now are just for myself, but to me they're no different than the mixing moves I did at the start of the process. Balancing things is what mixing is. Some bits are more realized and closer to what I wanted them to sound like, but I'm in the unenviable position now where the [album] that's out there isn't finished."

Pierce isn't particularly worried, though, about confusing reviewers by having these quasi-completed version of Sweet Heart kicking around. "With the reviews," he scoffs, "sometimes it's like they've got a different album anyway.   Just don't ask Pierce if it's hard for him to resist the urge to keep tinkering with his majestic sounds. "Tinkering?" he says irritably. "Is that what you think I'm doing? Tinkering?" No no no no. Silly question. Poor choice of words.

Regardless, barring any wholesale changes, when Pierce is done doing what he needs to do, Sweet Heart Sweet Light is shaping up to be another stellar entry in the band's beautiful catalog.

ChiIL Live Shows got a recent press peek at the NEW new album, and are impressed with the mix.  Hey Jane is a strong start to an impressive track list.   Then Little Girl blew us away.   We're particularly fond of Headin' for the Top Now and I Am What I Am.    Mary is wrenching and wonderful.   This album is an enticing amalgam of Jason's influences in such diverse genres as jazz, blues, drone and gospel, and his own past collection of works.

That extra month of perfectionistic fine tuning was well worth the wait!  I do get it.   I'm married to a location sound engineer who is super sensitive to audio mixes, and I tend to get a bit OCD myself when it comes to writing and visual arts.   When things are visually unbalanced or off kilter, or I have to suffer through poor writing, it bothers me in an almost physical way that begs to be rectified.   

Then there's that scary fact that once things are printed and distributed, they're indelible and can't be improved upon or fixed, even if your future life wisdom shows you a better phrase.   At least with music there's always the live shows, where anything goes and new arrangements that go above and beyond the studio tracks are possible.

We can't wait to see Spiritualized break out the new and old material at Metro tomorrow.   

Despite Jason's requisite pain and death laden lyrics, this album is decidedly upbeat compared to his past, and a poignant joy to listen to.   If music is your drug, try Sweet Heart Sweet Light on white vinyl!   This perceptive perscription's a sure cure that'll leave you euphoric.    Highly recommended.

We're still waiting for final confirmation but plan to be on hand to shoot stills and possibly catch an interview with Jason, if humanly possible.

  
Sweet Heart Sweet Light Tracklist:
01. Hey Jane
02. Little Girl
03. Get What You Want
04. Too Late
05. Heading For The Top
06. Freedom
07. I Am What I Am
08. Mary
09. Life Is A Problem
10. So Long You Pretty Things


 Spiritualized 2012 -- Remaining Tour Dates

05/02 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
05/03 Chicago, IL Metro
05/04 Detroit, MI The Majestic Theatre
05/05 Toronto, Ontario The Phoenix
05/07 New York, NY Terminal 5
05/09 Boston, MA Paradise
05/10 Washington, DC The 9:30 Club
05/11 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
05/12 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
05/13 Atlanta, GA The Variety Playhouse
05/15 Dallas, TX The Granada Theatre
05/16 Austin, TX Emo's East
05/18 Tucson AZ The Rialto Theatre
05/19 Phoenix AZ The Crescent Ballroom
05/20 San Diego CA Belly Up Tavern
05/22 Los Angeles CA The Wiltern
05/23 San Francisco CA The Fillmore
05/25 Portland, OR The Wonder Ballroom
05/26 Vancouver, British Columbia The Rickshaw Theatre

 
We've been promoting the Spiritualized show for months on our ChiIL Live Shows Facebook page and Twitter feed, and the time is finally here, TOMORROW at METRO (18+).  Doors at 7pm.   Tickets are still available at the door.

2012 is a huge year for anniversaries, with Metro celebrating 30 years and XRT celebrating 40!    So check out some Chi, IL Live Shows at one of our favorite Chi-town staples.    They may have dropped the Cabaret from their name, but Metro still boasts an impressive, eclectic line up of bands coming through.    Check in with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often for the heads up on our highly recommended list.

Jane's Addiction One For The Books at The Metro 9-25-11

Energy and emotions ran high last night, and in a strange deja vu, Jane's Addiction at The Metro is once again one for the books. It was pure, visceral pleasure to see the boys back together again (with the addition of Chris Chaney on bass) playing the best of their old favorites and amazing new material. The thirteen song set ended all too soon, and left fans hungry for more. But it was quality over quantity. And Jane's Addiction's still got it.    

They opened strong with Whores and gave the crowd a little tease with dancers.   Then they went into a tight Just Because, Ain't No Right, and Then She Did.   The crowd was right there with them on Stealing, Lies, and Ocean. Then the haunting 3 Days took things up a level.   

So many times new material takes a while to seep into the collective unconscious, and fans endure it while waiting for more well loved favorites they have a history with. That is just not the case with Irresistible Force, which is quickly living up to it's name. The energy stayed up and the crowd loved it. Idiots, had the audience screaming and dancing. Mountain was poignant and amazing. Stop had the whole floor of Metro teeming, writhing and crushing against the stage. Jane Says rounded out the strong set and capped off an entirely memorable show.    

There's such a different vibe when a well loved band plays an intimate venue versus an arena show, and Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro in particular, made the most of the space and interacted liberally with the audience. Many male and female admirers took the opportunity to get hands on with the boys in the band. It's impressive to me that Perry's over 50 and can still pull off that frenetic energy and crackling sexuality he had over 20 years ago in the 80's. Of course, the gorgeous, soft-core bondage dancers didn't hurt any either, for stirring up the crowd.   

Jane's Addiction still exudes that androgynous, sensual alt rock miasma that makes the darkest lyrics sexy, and has captivated audiences for decades. This show truly came across as a thank you to the fans. Amid the rock star posturing and showmanship, a good dose of genuine gratitude, and affection for the fans came through. As Perry shared red wine and chocolates with fans and Dave crouched at the edge of the stage and serenaded individuals in the front row, the audience/ band rapport was elevated from one night stand to long term romance. And with a 20+ year history, even an off again on again history, maybe that's just what it is.

Local Chicago band, Apteka, and Boys from Denver opened. Boys claimed their hard won spot as openers by nailing a national OurStage.com unsigned bands competition.