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Friday, May 4, 2012

PLAY LOCALLY-(21+) Damn Choir Album Release & Suckers at Empty Bottle

There's once again an overabundance of great live music, theatre, and events going on in Chi-Town.   Here are just a few of our highly recommended live band favs for Friday and Saturday.



Friday 



record release party (21+)

The Damn Choir | Paper Thick Walls | Kingsley Flood at The Hideout
    • Today
    • 10:00pm until 1:00am

  • The Hideout - 1354 W. Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

  • Get tickets: http://ticketf.ly/HixAaM
    Details: The Damn Choir at The Hideout

We've been promoting this one for a while on FB & Twitter, and today's the day.  Check out our original show shots here then come out and hear them live at Hideout tonight!



Damn Choir at Burlington (with Crain Wives and Briar Rabbit  12-16-11)




Paper Thick Walls at Schubas  (click the link for our show shots from Schubas)

 

Saturday 



Suckers at Empty Bottle (21+)

Come check out some live ear candy at Empty Bottle.  
Suckers' Candy Salad Now Streaming On Paste
Sophomore LP Out On Frenchkiss Records

Spring Tour With Support From Frenchkiss Labelmates Young Man & Devin


Tour Dates

5/01 - Glasslands - Brooklyn, NY
5/02 - Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
5/03 - Club AE - Pittsburgh, PA
5/04 - The Basement - Columbus, OH
5/05 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL
5/07 - 7th St Entry - Minneapolis, MN*
5/09 - Hi Dive - Denver, CO
5/11 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT*
5/12 - Neurolux - Boise, ID N*
5/13 - Neumo's - Seattle, WA*
5/14 - Media Club - Vancouver, BC*
5/17 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA*
5/18 - Echo - Los Angeles, CA*
5/19 - Alex's Bar - Long Beach, CA*
5/20 - Casbah - San Diego, CA*
5/22 - Rhythm Room - Phoenix, AZ*
5/23 - Lowbrow Palace - El Paso, TX*
5/25 - Red 7 - Austin, TX*
5/28 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA&
5/29 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC&
5/30 - The Ottobar - Baltimore, MD&

*  w/ Young Man
& w/ Devin


Press
"Pushing themselves to hone their sound has allowed them to construct an infectious piece of work without sacrificing depth or meaning, particularly in terms of their lyrics." - Paste

"With a dollop of radiant electronic energy, the Brooklyn art pop collective sounds ready for the summer, and they will be." - Consequence of Sound

"you’ll definitely find plenty to fall for on this effort, such as the band’s favorite accompaniment–a nice heartfelt whistle." - Austin Town Hall

"No one’s abandoning their love for awesome, varying guitar tones (that solo!) nor that affinity for hyper-catchy riffs in unexpected places (that whistling!) nor those heartstring-tugging choir vocals, they’re just updating their tried-and-true formula into anthemic territory, and it works like a charm." - Pretty Much Amazing

"they’ve concentrated and focused their eccentricities into a set that is dreamlike but not at all dream-pop, and sweet without ever slipping into cloying twee territory." - PopMatters

""Turn on the Sunshine” gives fans a complex arrangement of poppy chord progressions merged into the smooth, singular focal point of a sweet and innocent love track." - The Wild Honey Pie



'Candy Salad' | Tracklisting
01. Going Nowhere
02. Figure It Out
03. Bricks to the Bones
04. Chinese Braille
05. Leave the Light On
06. Charmaine
07. George
08. Turn on the Sunshine
09. Lydia
10. Roses

Click Here To Stream Candy Salad  On Paste Magazine
....................................................................................

Besides being a signature song for Suckers, “It Gets Your Body Movin’” is a mission statement for the band as well.  Ever since coalescing in Brooklyn four years ago, they’ve been restless experimenters, thriving on creative momentum.  And while the trio’s just-completed sophomore album Candy Salad, out April 24th on Frenchkiss, is a remarkable progression from their auspiciously far-flung debut Wild Smile, it’s every bit as indicative of how they’re powered by the uncertainty of paradox. It’s a more mature work than Wild Smile, mostly because of its directness and simplicity. It has a warmer sound than their past releases, resulting from hours upon end of intense studio work, but still retains a refreshing, almost effortless feel that instantly draws in the listener.

And that’s essentially the story of Suckers: instantaneous impact that can obscure the tremendous evolution that preceded it.  Vocalists Austin Fisher and Quinn Walker grew up down the road from each other in the alternately enlightened and grim environment outside of New Haven, CT, while enigmatic bassist/utilityman Pan lived about twenty minutes away.  Though raised in the shadow of Yale, the three were inspired to seek the kind of cultural stimulus one could only acquire hours away in New York City.  Upon arrival, they soon immersed themselves fully in the city’s unpredictable and volatile intersection of art and music –Fisher would spend off hours working at the Guggenheim and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while Walker released a solo double-album to considerable underground acclaim on Voodoo-Eros, the label run by influential avant-pop band CocoRosie.

And while those early days of hashing out material previously written by Fisher and Walker were formative, it wasn’t until they started composing from scratch as a trio that Suckers truly began to take shape.  The first song they wrote together became “It Gets Your Body Movin’,” an infectious singalong that detonated on contact in the blogosphere, a timeless song that began their incredibly timely trajectory within the internet’s hype cycle.

It would become the linchpin of their 2009 self-titled EP, produced by Anand Wilder of Yeasayer and a crucial document of where the band was in that still fetal stage.  Fisher rightfully calls the time between the EP and their 2010 debut Wild Smile “a blur,” which culminated with the band being the toast of SXSW after wowing the festival with their kinetic live performances, Walker’s stratospheric falsetto and uncanny, wildly colorful stage presence. You could hear hints of the twitchy experimentalism of Talking Heads, David Bowie’s flamboyant persona and a vocal range that spanned from Kate Bush’s spectral incantations to Bono’s populism, and though referential of Walker and Fisher’s idols, it sounded like little else.  As Fisher puts it, “if we think something is starting to sound overtly like another band, we change direction.”

Indeed, the immensely tuneful and lyrically ambitious Candy Salad represents such a marked change in direction that even Suckers’ older records aren’t subject to the band’s aversion to replication.  Unlike Wild Smile, which featured songs culled together from various studio sessions, the band hunkered down at Vacation Island in Williamsburg with Matt Boynton (Black Dice, MGMT).  The intent was to formulate something more cohesive and warm and from the majestic Brit-pop of “Lydia” to the charging Eno-esque “Figure It Out,” to “Going Nowhere,” their most straightforward song to date despite removing the bass “When Doves Cry”-style, they’ve achieved something totally new for the band while maintaining the buoyancy and pop smarts of Wild Smile.  Obviously, they can’t wait for their fans to hear it, partly because they want to share it - Walker hopes you love it, Fisher hopes you get the lyrics tattooed on your back and Pan hopes it makes mom proud - and partly because they’ve already got their sights set on what’s next, perpetual bodies in motion.

Chris (Sandman) Sand-The Infamous Red Bathrobe Video Premier



Sandman-Thanks for the Sex-LIVE at Hideout, Chicago
ChiIL Live Shows 4/26/12 (PG13 for content)


As referenced in our interview with Chris and Tony, here's the infamous, "red bathrobe", laugh inducing music video for Thanks For The Sex, shot at Tony's home last summer and "locked in the vault" till now.    Sandman hasn't even put it out there on his own sites, but he gave us the thumbs up to run it.  You've seen it here at ChiIL Live Shows, folks.   Though tame by most standards, this one gets a PG13 for content, though it's more likely to crack you up than incense the censors.    We also have a live version of the same song that we shot at Hideout on 4/26/12 above.    Enjoy!





Sandman-Thanks for the Sex-music video 
at Tony's home, Chicago

Gotta Get Home To My Baby-LIVE at Hideout-Chris (Sandman) Sand


(PG13 language alert)   We dig this slice of Americana--a brand new song from Chris (Sandman) Sand of Roll Out Cowboy documentary fame.

Chris (Sandman) Sand--The Rappin' Cowboy-- performed LIVE at Hideout in Chicago on 4/26/12. His wife and infant daughter, Stevie, are in Montana. His gigs as a musician and his truck driver day job take him away from them for stretches, but provide great material for songs that are simultaneously poignant, funny and all together endearing.

Ballad of a Salad-LIVE at Hideout-Chris (Sandman) Sand





ChiIL Live Shows/ChiIL Mama had a chance to catch Chris (Sandman) Sand and Tony Rogers at their recent Chicago show at Hideout.   Here's Ballad of a Salad live and the music video version, shot last summer in Tony's kitchen, below.    



*Check out our full video interview with both musicians here.




We'll have a shorter version of just the How Creatives Parents and How Parents Create excerpt here in the near future.



Thursday, May 3, 2012

Summer Camp Music Festival Kicks Off Season #SCMF12


Here are some of ChiIL Live Shows/ChiIL Mama's highlights from 2012

It's nearly Summer Camp (SCamp) time again and ChiIL Live Shows will be back covering the start of the big, summer music fest scene again.    

Every Memorial Day weekend, starting on the Thursday before for early bird ticket holders, the fields and forest of Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe are transformed, as colorful tents and even more colorful people descend on the park to rock out to great bands, eat tasty, multicultural food, shop, learn and play together.



We've been raving about Summer Camp Music Festival in Three Sisters Park in south western Illinois for years now, and covering all their 2012 artist announcements and ticket tiers on our Facebook and Twitter Feeds.



  
    
Moe

But Summer Camp isn't something you can just read about.   It's something you have to experience!    

Late Night With Cornmeal:


























Sure the lineup is impressive, but sometimes the real show is out in the audience!   Whether muddy or dry, rainy or warm, SCamp is a rockin' fun time.




Summercamp is multigenerational

Kids Camp


A positive place for all the Summer Camp kids to get together! 


Join the fun with all sorts of games and activities like jewelry making, face painting, water fun, arts and crafts, hair wraps, and as much creative fun as we could pack into a single weekend!   

  







Kids area is for parents to enjoy with their children and all activities are free.    It's open early every day and closes before the main acts in the later afternoon and evening.    In past years, my own kids, Sagezilla and Du-Jay have loved catapulting water balloons at "the hippies" walking by on the paths with giant sling shot, water balloon launchers.   It's a playful, fun way to drench the great unwashed masses.








 

Sagezilla got her first hair wrap ever at Summer Camp and both kids adored learning knot work and making their own hemp bracelets with super cool beads.  


The staff at the kids' area is sweet, friendly, fun and knowledgeable and they are eager to help families make the most of their Summer Camp weekend.


Past kids' activities have included 56 Hope Road w/ music from Mr. Dave & an amazing drum workshop with Greg.  There have also been demos and lessons by awesome juggler, Dean Franzen, Ruthee the balloon artist from the unique twist, and water wars from fun-on-the-run!  It's the perfect space to make some music, paint your face, juggle some water balloons and have a blast!   

 

And the kids usually have a sweet, decorated golf cart parade through the grounds on the last day, all painted up and playing music!


Kids under 6 are FREE with a paying adult and kids 6-12 are half price at the gate.

Click here for our photo filled feature on the best of SCamp 09

Summercamp is World Class Music

Avett Brothers

Umphrey's McGee & Moe












Avett Brothers

 Kellar Williams

Les Claypool


We shot thousands of photos over 3 days of Summer Camp in 2009 & 2011 and we'll be back to shoot 4 days in 2012!   Check back with ChiIL Live Shows/ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often throughout May for huge photo filled SCamp features including past recaps and original live show shots of this years' line up that we shot elsewhere.  




 



Check out Summer Camp's main site here to order your tickets, plan your schedule and more!



 

 
Lineup Highlights Include:





moe.Umphrey's McGee

  • PLUS




Jane's Addiction

Also featuring a special Make a Difference performance by Everyone Orchestra

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

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.

 
"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.




Chi, IL Shows and More On Our Radar Tonight-Timon of Athens Opens at Chicago Shakespeare & Marla Rose at Women & Children First

Tonight



Timon of Athens


by William Shakespeare

directed by Barbara Gaines


April 24 – June 10, 2012

ChiIL Live Shows will be there for opening night of Timon of Athens tonight at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.   We can't wait to see renowned actor, Ian McDiarmid in the lead.   Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.   We'll have a full review up shortly.


In a high-risk world of quick profits and borrowed luxury, Timon is a god among men. But can this titan survive when the tides of fortune turn? From performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company and on Broadway to the Star Wars film series and beyond, internationally celebrated actor Ian McDiarmid is brilliantly matched to the challenging role of Timon. And Artistic Director Barbara Gaines' gripping new production features the kind of inventive staging and electrifying performances that always makes an evening at Chicago Shakespeare one to remember—book your tickets today!


Approximate Running Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes





 

Marla Rose (vegan agitator, author, and local mother to young son, Justice, speaks at Women & Children First in Andersonville at 7:30pm)    Marla's quite a character and a long time friend of ours.   She's recently written a new book, The Adventures of Vivian Sharpe, Vegan Superhero which we'll be reviewing soon at ChiILMama.com.   



Tonight she's on with Geeta Maker-Clark, reading from This I Believe on Motherhood.

This I Believe: On Motherhood
This I Believe, Inc.
An offshoot of the popular public radio series This I Believe, This I Believe: On
Motherhood is an inspirational compilation of original essays, offering the insight and
wisdom of sixty contributors—celebrated and unknown—exploring what is arguably the
most complex of all human relationships: that between a mother and her children. Two
local contributors, Geeta Maker-Clark and Marla Rose, will share their stories from a
collection that would make a wonderful gift for all mothers and mothers-to-be.


$19.95
ISBN-13: 9781118074534
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: John Wiley & Sons, 4/2012


Check out the event details here.

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