Mucca Pazza blew the roof off The Hideout last Tuesday, June 12th, in a sold out, sneak peek/album release party for Safety Fifth, now out on Electric Cowbell.Check out their main site for more of a taste of Chi-Town's punk rock marching band.
ChiIL Mama has caught their head muckety muck, Mark Messing, for video interviews twice at Chicago Children's Theatre--once in a duo with Brian Selznick, author/illustrator of Hugo Cabret. (Brian's book was the basis for Oscar Award winning hit movie, Hugo, and The Houdini Box play.)
Mark is the mad maestro and musical mastermind behind Mucca Pazza and the scores to numerous musicals and plays including the critically acclaimed Hunchback Variations.
Freaky Facts:
We shot the heck out of their live show, but didn't try to do anything as formal as an interview at The Hideout. But I did have a few burning questions that Mark Messing and one of the girls were happy to enlighten me on.
ChiIL Live Shows:Does anyone have their old uniforms from school bands they actually used to BE in back in the day?
Mucca Girl: Yeah, one guy does, but he has to remain anonymous because technically he stole it....
CLS: Where do the others all come from?
Mucca Girl:
We've had good luck finding cheap ones on Ebay. Sometimes when a band
is doing new uniforms they'll contact us and ask if we want their old
ones. Or sometimes thrift stores. The wool hatsare handmade, newfor us, though.
CLS: You must be roasting!
Mucca Girl:Yeah,
I'm ready to change outta this! Most of the costumes are wool and
really hot. I dry cleaned mine recently and it was still a little
stinky.
Mark Messing:We spray all the costumes with Vodka, to keep down the funk.
CLS: Wow! Vodka, huh. Does that work?!
Mucca Girl:Not always, but it definitely helps.
CLS:
Maybe with all that vodka soaked wool seeping into your pores, the
costumes are still ripe, but you just don't notice or mind so much anymore, eh?
There was plenty of funk (of the good kind) to go around at Hideout, and Mucca Pazza certainly didn't stink up the joint.
Space was at a premium and the band created some serious heat with their hot new material, but no one was complaining. Mucca Pazza worked the space well--splitting the sizable (30 member) band to border three sides of the rectangular room, encompassing their captive audience and narrowly missing a few noggins with their brass trombones. They even managed to "march" around a bit in the friendly confines....swapping sides and wending through the crowd. I think I got goosed a couple of times by caution tape pom pom flinging cheerleaders. Fun fun! Been there...shot that...bought the t-shirt.
We snagged a press preview of their new album, Safety Fifth (Electric Cowbell), and have been thoroughly enjoying it!
Mucca Pazza--Italian for crazy cow or mad cow--is always high energy, wabi sabi, and entirely endearing. Over the years, we've seen them play to a zombie cast, rock out on top of a paper mache elephant?! and even march into a port-a-let with a sousaphone!! They're a must see live, but they can't play every night. And when you're jonesing for more Mucca, Safety Fifth can fill the void!
Their third disc can't help but make listeners grin ear to ear. The drums and all the horns make the band, but we also dig all the eclectics like mandolin, glockenspiel, violin, and of course, the accordion. Mucca Pazza defies easy classification with whiffs of New Orleans brass carousing around with Balkan folk, surf, reggae, marching band, gypsy, jazz, and the kitchen sink.Mucca Pazza is....seriously talented musicians, being seriously funny, while having some serious fun. Highly recommended. Just don't lick the uniforms......
Last day of 5th grade and 3rd grade for the punk kin
Today's THE Last Day of School for CPS (except for that odd, optional ONE hour on Thurs morning?!). Du-Jay & Sagezilla Rock the Wear Anything (Non Uniform) Day. Buh bye blue polo shirts till August 13th!!
School's out for summer..........If school's also out forever for you, you're likely old enough for our hot 21+ shows. If not...we've got funky, family friendly recommendations, too.
We adore our kids, but love to get out with AND without them.
We've been promoting this one and now it's here, for two days only!! Don't miss this one. Du-Jay, Sagezilla and ChiIL Mama will be there for opening night tonight. Highly recommended. Get your tickets now, if you haven't already. Family friendly.
Here are the basics from Auditorium Theatre's site:
The Nanning Art Theatre - Legend of the Sun
Presented by the China Arts & Entertainment Group in
association with Chicago Human Rhythm Project and Chicago Chinese
Cultural Institute
Venue: Auditorium Theatre
Dates: Tuesday, June 12, 2012 - Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Times: 7:30 pm
Price: $55-$17.50
Legend of the Sun, a unique, large-scale dance drama
based on a centuries-old Chinese folk tale, makes its U.S. debut at the
Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Both exquisitely beautiful
and joyously uplifting, this inspired work features more than 60 dancers
while showcasing the songs, dances and traditions of China�s Zhuang
ethnic minority. The piece also incorporates elements of Western modern
dance and music.
Leave the littles at home for this puppet show. This raunchy improv show is rated R and recommended for 17+ or mature underagers accompanied by an adult. We can't wait to check it out. Get your tixs today. This is a short one week run. Here's the poop on these potty mouthed puppeteers from our friends at Broadway in Chicago.
Stuffed and Unstrung Theatre : Bank of America Theatre, Chicago Illinois
Dates : June 12, 2012 - June 17, 2012
Running time: 90 minutes with no intermission
*This show is rated R and contains language and themes that are not intended for unaccompanied children under the age of 17. **JUST ANNOUNCED! BRIAN HENSON to perform at Tuesday June 12, Wednesday June 13, and Thursday June 14 shows!**
STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG, a live uncensored show that lets loose the perilous and provocative elements of comedic improvisation on stage with a bunch of puppets. Produced by WestBeth Entertainment and Henson Alternative, STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG was created by award-winning director, producer, and writer Brian Henson and actor and improvisational guru Patrick Bristow and features the Miskreant puppets and The Jim Henson Company's renowned puppeteers.
STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG is a wild romp in which the skilled art of puppetry and spontaneous comedy collide. Unpredictable and irreverent, it's never the same show twice. Expert puppeteers create twisted scenes and songs on the fly, as suggestions from the audience prompt the improvised storylines unfolding on stage. This production delivers "two shows in one" as the hilarious puppet action is projected live on large screens flanking the stage, while the puppeteers race around below - displaying their skills in full view of the audience. With live musical accompaniment and Bristow as host, STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG boasts a cast of six world-class puppeteers in an uninhibited live puppet performance.
STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG evolved from Henson's production "Puppet Up! -Uncensored," which made its debut at the 2006 HBO Comedy Festival (Aspen, CO) and later toured to the 2006 Edinburgh Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland), The 2007 Comedy Festival (Las Vegas, NV), and Australia's Sydney Big Laugh Comedy Festival and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (both 2007). The 2010 Off Broadway engagement of STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG marked the debut of this completely revamped production featuring all new technical wizardry with original music and staging. STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG appeared alongside Cee-Lo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow at the 2011 Grammy Awards and was featured on NBC's Celebrity Apprentice in 2012.
*This show is part of the TBS Just For Laughs Chicago festivalall over our city this week. Chi-Town will be funny ha-ha and funny weird all week long. Click the link above for all the venues, shows, and details and see your fav TV shows come to life with the dynamic of LIVE comedy.
**You still have till midnight tonight to enter to win one of 5 pairs of tixs to see Kevin Smith (AKA: Silent Bob) in a not so silent show at The Chicago Theatre. Click here to enter.**
photo credit: 8 Eyes Photography
Mucca Pazza CD Sneak Peek Party at Hideout 21+(sold out) If you had the foresight to snag a ticket, I'll see you there. If you were a punk slacker and did not, check out ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows in the very near future for our photo filled recap. We also have some amazing original live video footage and stills from March Fourth, Portland's version of Mucca Pazza. We'll be reviewing Mucca Pazza's upcoming release, Safety Fifth and March Fourth's newest as well!
Here's the secret scoop about tonight from Hideout:
Mucca
Pazza has been called a lot of things in its day - abnormal,
discordant, uncouth, indecorous, malodorous, %$@# crazy - but one word
that's never popped up in any description of those voluminous marching
freaks is 'sneaky'...
...until now!
MUCCA PAZZA is inviting you to the official
SNEAK PEAK RELEASE PARTY
for their new record SAFETY FIFTH
available NOW for PRE-ORDER through Electric Cowbell Records!
You're invited to a once-or-twice-in-a-lifetime event at the Hideout, in
celebration of our new record, Safety Fifth, which will be performed in
its entirety! You've never been this intimate with a marching band
before! There will be brassy spaz-outs, there will be guitar freak-outs,
there will be obscure drum rudiments, there will be absurd cheers,
there will be an accordion, a sousaphone, fish on the wall, beer, there
might even be music stands!
