SPIRALARMS Sign with Steamhammer/SPV #musicvideo #heavyrockers

Steamhammer / SPV is proud to announce that East Bay Heavy Rockers SpiralArms just inked a worldwide deal with Steamhammer / SPV. Their second album "Freedom" is scheduled for an October 2013 release. SpiralArms rose from the ashes of millennial bands Systematic, Forbidden and Man Made God. This sextet has one mission. That mission is to save today's music scene by bringing true heavy melodic rock to the forefront. Tim Narducci (SpiralArms) comments: "We're very proud to be a part of the SPV/Steamhammer records! SPV is the perfect home for us to grow into the band that we had envisioned when we started. Their belief in SpiralArms has only inspired us to rock harder then ever! We always felt like we just needed a crack in the door so we can kick it all the way open with our brand of heaviness." Georg Schröder (A+R Steamhammer/SPV) ads: "This band rocks hard! Their debut album 'Highest Society' which was released in 2010 already showed that these guys are really able to deliver some true, honest and super heavy melodic Rock. The upcoming album 'Freedom' goes one step further and just blew us away. The songs recall on the times of the really big rock songs of the past but the band managed it to sound amazingly fresh and modern. We can't wait to release this Rock Monster in October!" Check out "Dropping Like Flies" The first Video from the upcoming album "Freedom" here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT8MmiJC43U SpiralArms are: Tim Narducci - Vocals/Guitar Craig Locicero - Guitar Anthony Traslavina - Guitar Cornbread - Bass/Vocal Brad Barth - Keyboards Ron Redeen - Drums www.spiralarms.com

Hear the first single from Dent May's forthcoming album Warm Blanket out Aug. 27 on Paw Tracks

Photo by Aaron Beasley 

STREAM: Dent May - "Born Too Late"  Dent May previously shared a teaser video for this upcoming new album, Warm Blanket. Now, you can hear the first single from the album, "Born Too Late," over at The FADER.  About Dent May: Warm Blanket is the third album from Mississippi songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Dent May. Recorded in solitude in a reportedly haunted Victorian house by the bay in St. Augustine, Florida, the album arrives just barely a year after the release of his previous LP, Do Things. Dent's most ambitious undertaking yet, Warm Blanket is another kaleidoscopic odyssey through the restless musical mind of a DIY pop auteur. He played almost all of the instruments on the album, making use of the house's antique grand piano and recruiting Florida locals to fill in on horns, strings, and pedal steel guitar. The result is an album of existential pop, psychedelic funk, and melancholy soul with soaring arrangements ripped from the pages of classic American songwriting. Lyrically, Dent investigates life's timeless mysteries, touching on youth, mortality, alienation, and unrequited love with startling honesty and humor. A delightful mix of organic textures, analog synth squiggles, inventive vocal melodies, and sincere wordplay, Warm Blanket is a bold step forward for an artist who shows no signs of slowing down.    DENT MAY    06/24 - Fargo, ND - The Aquarium  06/25 - Iowa City, IA - The Mill +  06/26 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups +    + = w/ Dead Gaze Dent May  Warm Blanket (Paw Tracks) Street Date: August 27, 2013 Formats: CD / LP / Digital     1. Turn Up The Speakers 2. Let Them Talk 3. Born Too Late 4. Yazoo 5. Corner Piece 6. Do I Cross Your Mind? 7. It Takes A Long Time 8. I'm Ready To Be Old 9. Endlessly 10. Found A Friend 11. Summer Is Over  DENT MAY LINKS: Official Site - www.dentmay.com     Facebook - www.facebook.com/dentmay  Twitter - https://twitter.com/dentmay Label - http://www.paw-tracks.com

Spin Premieres Alela Diane's 'About Farewell' Video About Farewell Out June 25th (Digitally) And July 30th (Physical) On Rusted Blue Records

'About Farewell' Track Listing: 1. Colorado Blue 2. About Farewell 3. The Way We Fall 4. Nothing I Can Do 5. Lost Land 6. I Thought I Knew 7. Before The Leaving 8. Hazel Street 9. Black Sheep 10. Rose & Thorn Praise For Alela Diane: "Diane’s work here is hauntingly honest, strongly suggesting that the emotional wallop of About Farewell won’t be easy to shake off" --Pitchfork "Diane unspools such gorgeous melody that you can't help but experience what she's feeling" --Spin "Diane's warm alto provides an ideal vehicle for her minor-key meditations on matters existential and elemental. With a lyrical style that tends more toward dreamlike imagery than straightforward narrative, she creates music with timeless character."-- NPR "Alela Diane's songs are campfire pipe dreams filled with picket fences, desert sands and paths leading back to you." -- The Guardian [UK] "Her sincere, timeless voice and songwriting earning her country-flecked brand of folk comparisons to 70′s folk godmothers Karen Dalton and Vashti Bunyan." -- Consequence Of Sound Links: Alela Diane Website Alela Diane Facebook Watch 'About Farewell' Video At Spin! Pre-Order About Farewell on iTunes  "I heard somebody say that 'the brightest lights cast the biggest shadows,' so honey, I've got to let you go, I've got to let you go". ...So croons the elegant folkstress Alela Diane on the title number from her forthcoming record, About Farewell. Over the last year, Alela has finished recording and mixing this new album, to be self-released in the summer via her own label, Rusted Blue Records. It serves as an eloquent goodbye to lovers from years past, coupled with some poignant last walks down memory lane. While the lyrics deal most directly with her recent divorce, the album explores her entire last decade of relationships with tremendous honesty and nuanced insight. To call the experience "cathartic" would almost be an understatement - for Alela, this was a record which direly needed to be made. In the writing process, she was able to lucidly articulate her emotions about her marriage, a process which led her to realize the necessity of ending one chapter of her life in order to begin a new one. Her art helped to guide her, as ever, along the proper path. The process of writing and recording About Farewell cemented her intention to say a firm goodbye. Yet in releasing it - surrendering it to the world - this songbird can find new levity with that weight off her wings. She's flying towards what the French call l'avenir - the "yet to come." These songs are somber and achingly truthful, yet always glimmering with her exquisite poetry. In these new songs, Alela's staggering voice is able to take center stage, as she's turned away from the full band that she last employed with Alela Diane & Wild Divine. The entirety of About Farewell was built around her voice and simple guitar arrangements. With an unprecedented level of creative control, Alela could explore her own ideas for harmonies and melodies and create a wholly unique piece of self-expression. While the record is a step forward for her in this way, it also represents a return to her roots as a songwriter. Hailing from Nevada City, CA, the homespun charms of her origin place have never left her. Alela's first record, The Pirate's Gospel, featured hand-drawn and hand-sewn sleeves. It is this handcrafted DIY aesthetic which is revisited anew, both in her decision to self-release the album, and in her self-possessed approach to recording Alela laid much of About Farewell to tape with John Askew at Flora Recording Studios in her current home of Portland, Or, in late 2011 and early 2012. Over the course of 2012 she enlisted the help of some very talented friends to flesh out the sound: Heather Broderick (Horse Feathers, Efterklang, Loch Lomond) arranging and playing piano and flute, Holcombe Waller arranging strings, and Neal Morgan (Joanna Newsom, Bill Callahan touring bands) playing drums. In early 2013, she finished mixing the album with John Askew at Scenic Burrows and Mix Foundry. We find these stripped-down folk songs to be a perfect vehicle for Alela's impressive emotional range. She's able to convey heartrending vulnerability at one moment, then bold wisdom and unflinching directness at the next. Nowhere is this palette so rich as in the live shows, an intimate treat for audiences lucky enough to catch her this year.  In the season of spring, the heart has thawed and we turn to the promise of budding possibilities. A once-heartsick Alela has said her farewells, and now is the time to meet the new, more fully actualized woman.

BLUE MAN GROUP SEEKS NEW BLUE MEN AT OPEN CASTING CALL AT CHICAGO’S BRIAR STREET THEATRE 7/9

Blue Man Group is one of our long time favorites.   Click here to check out loads of our photo filled past coverage.    ChiIL Mama was even quoted in their ads :). You too could be blue! What does it take to be a Blue Man?   Blue Man is an egoless, genderless being.  Male and female performers are encouraged to audition.  All necessary audition equipment will be provided.  The basic criteria for Blue Man performers are: Height between 5’10” and 6’1” tall (athletic build) Solid drumming skills Excellent acting skills Willingness to relocate Open Casting Call to be Held Tuesday, July 9 – 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.   Blue Man Group, the international entertainment phenomenon, announces the 2013 Blue Man Group open casting call on Tuesday, July 9 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Briar Street Theatre (3133 N. Halsted Street). The Blue Man Group casting department is searching for talented performers with a unique combination of qualities to be a Blue Man for the existing and upcoming productions and multimedia projects.   The Blue Man cast features performing artists with a diverse mix of disciplines: classically-trained actors, rock musicians and dancers.  Once cast, the new Blue Men will have the opportunity to perform in one of the nine ongoing theatrical productions in Chicago, New York, Boston, Las Vegas, Orlando, Berlin, Australia, Brazil and on tour throughout the U.S. In addition, the Blue Men can be seen onboard the new Norwegian Epic by Norwegian Cruise Line – the Official Cruise Line of Blue Man Group.   The Blue Man Group open casting calls have been instrumental in finding the next generation of wide-eyed explorers of contemporary civilization. In the most recent Chicago open casting call, a local, Nick Rush, auditioned and now performs as one of the ever-curious and creative Blue Men at the Briar Street Theatre.   What does it take to be a Blue Man?   Blue Man is an egoless, genderless being.  Male and female performers are encouraged to audition.  All necessary audition equipment will be provided.  The basic criteria for Blue Man performers are: Height between 5’10” and 6’1” tall (athletic build) Solid drumming skills Excellent acting skills Willingness to relocate This open call audition is for Blue Man performers.  Musicians who do not meet the above criteria can be considered for Blue Man Group band positions by submitting application information on bluemancasting.com.  For more information about ongoing Blue Man Group casting efforts, performers may visit bluemancasting.com. ABOUT THE SHOW In the show, the Blue Men encounter a variety of environments to discover, engage with and explore of-the-moment situations with cutting-edge technology.  Many of the signature scenes that have made Blue Man Group one of today’s best-loved theatrical productions have been in the show since its opening and new material has been integrated regularly. Newer passages include Blue Men interacting with “GiPads;” a funny and perceptive look at contemporary communication vehicles; and a pulsating finale featuring an original Blue Man Group music score.  The company’s music, featuring custom made instruments and signature, percussive sound, can be heard on five albums, including the Grammy-nominated “Audio,” as well as various film and television projects. As the company grows, it remains true to its vision of providing exciting experiences in a variety of media, appealing to a broad range of age groups and cultural backgrounds.  Blue Man Group’s appeal is multi-generational, with several projects specifically designed for young people, including “Making Waves,” a popular touring exhibit for children, and the national “Invent an Instrument” competition. Through August 1, 2013 Blue Man Group will be hosting the Blue Man Group Art Competition. Up to six winners will be chosen by a panel of local Chicago judges to have 10’ x 10’ reproductions of their Blue Man-inspired works hung in an outdoor art gallery on the exterior wall of the Briar Street Theater. Winners will also receive a $5,000 cash prize. Interested artists can visit entrythingy.com/www.blueman.com for more details, full rules and regulations and entry requirements. BLUE MAN GROUP TICKET INFORMATION   Tickets are available from $49-$99. Tickets may be purchased at the Briar Street Theatre by calling the box office at (773) 348-4000; by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787; at all Ticketmaster ticket centers or via the Internet at www.ticketmaster.com.  For more information, visit www.blueman.com/tickets/chicago. Blue Man Group Chicago Open Casting Call at the Briar Street Theatre (3133 N. Halsted St.) Tuesday, July 9 – 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

ACT OUT OPENING: 5th Annual Salon des Naked July: Art Stripped Down 2013

The National Pastime Theater Presents

Salon des Naked July: Art Stripped Down 2013

Fifth Annual Summer Festival

At The National Pastime Theater the entire month of July is filled with lovely, provoking and aggressive bodies. As the temperature rises, the clothing falls. The National Pastimes’ festival reveals the human body as beautiful in every shape, size and color. By exposing these physical differences, audiences discover the innate similarities in all human bodies. We are all made of the same material both natural and beautiful.

In our fifth annual Salon, Naked July: Art Stripped Down, NPT offers a series of shows and exhibitions. We offer multi-disciplinary pieces that explore the many aspects of beauty in art featuring the nude human body. There are Life Drawing Sessions, Aggressive Movement Theater and Dance, Audience Participatory workshops and classic Burlesque Big City Butterflies. The National Pastime Theater transforms our world into a human form art gallery for one month. Only at The National Pastime Theater.

June 28^th through July 27^th

Only at The National Pastime Theater

The 2013 line up includes:

Le Chat Noir, Gary Schirmer and Friends. Fridays at 8 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. 90 minutes

Urban Jungle, Vaudezilla. Fridays at 10 p.m. -11 p.m. 60 minutes

Kill Your Boyfriends, Pride Films and Plays. Begins Saturday July 5^th.Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays 3 p.m. and special performance Friday July 26 at Midnight. 70 minutes.

Naked People 2013 Gary Shirmer Figure Study Visual Art Opening Friday July 12 only, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Free

The Living Canvas, Performance Saturdays 10 p.m. including post show discussion. 90 minutes. Workshop 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., lunch break 1 p.m. Workshop 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Tickets are $20.00 for each live performance and $10.00 each film screening per adventurous patron. Individual tickets are available for purchase at nakedjuly.com.  Discounted festival passes are available by calling the box office at 773-327-7077, group rates are also available.

The National Pastime Theater is located within the rediscovered historic Preston Bradley Center at 941 W Lawrence Ave. 4th Floor in Chicago. The curious and bold can discover us via the Red Line Lawrence train stop and bus routes 36, 81, 145 and 151 are all within 3 blocks. $5 parking in Weiss hospital parking at 4650 N. Clarendon. Voucher at box office.

For tickets go to nakedjuly.com (tickets on sale 6-11-13 p.m.)

Details:

 Le Chat Noir, Gary Schirmer and Friends. Fridays at 8 p.m. Hosted byNaked July Art Stripped Down’s long time Art Curator. (Live Nude Studies, Music, Salon, Naked July)

This is an interactive Toulouse-Lautrec inspired Salon with a figure drawing seminary, live music, audience participation if desired and an enjoyable safe atmosphere in our hidden away antique speakeasy theater. The atmosphere like no other place in the world. Figure study virtuoso Gary Schirmer will lead all who wish to improve or begin their figure study skills or still modeling skills. Anyone can play. You may also BYOB and walk about the room. Observe the studies and enjoy the atmosphere and music. All supplies will be included for those that wish to draw. “Like nothing you have ever seen.”  Guaranteed!

Urban Jungle, Vaudezilla. Fridays at 10 p.m. Vaudezilla is the Official Burlesque Troupe of Naked July: Art Stripped Down 2013. (Burlesque, Vaudeville, Performance Art, Naked July)

Join Vaudezilla as we take a walk on the wild side in our “Urban Jungle” cabaret, a fast-paced 60 minute show that lets us examine the hot, hot heat of the Windy City at night.  In this stunning combination of burlesque and performance art, we follow a variety of cabaret performers on a journey through missed connections, public transportation foibles, and what it’s like to be a starving artist in the big city.

Kill Your Boyfriends, Pride Films and Plays. Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. starting July 6^th, with a special midnight performance on July 26th. (July 06, through July 27 and Midnight July 26.) This is Pride Films and Plays second appearance at Naked July: Art Stripped Down. (Dance, Theater, Naked July)

Two couples in a single bed. Finding each relationship at a moment of strain, we watch as the characters try to make it through one more night, each unable to sleep, refusing to rest.  A fever dream of movement and text, the performance combines the words of several writers to voice the panic and obsession that threaten to consume.  Fear of sex.  Fear of death.  Fear of sleep and the fight against its tranquil oblivion.  You always hurt the one you love.  Or, at the very least, the one who sleeps next to you.  “You must kill your boyfriends”, poet Alex Dimitrov tells us. “You must kill what wants, like death, to keep you”.

Choreographed and Arranged by Derek Van Barham. Authors: Richard Siken, Alex Dimitrov, Sylvia Plath, Sharon Olds, Thom Gunn, Shakespeare, and Walt Whitman (among others).

The Living Canvas, Saturdays 10 p.m. The Living Canvas returns to Naked July: Art Stripped Down in 2013 with its freshest and most collaborative approach yet. (Movement, Dance, Theater, Workshop, Naked July)

A delightful mix of professional directing, performing, and writing joins up with startling new ideas developed in workshops with Living Canvas fans.  Patrons will have the opportunity to attend and participate in the workshops on the performance day and have input into that night's performance. Sign up for the workshops after purchasing tickets.

The Living Canvas celebrates the beauty and expressive power of the human form through performance art, nurturing a sense of body acceptance for performer and audience. It is spectacle and storytelling, utilizing creative lighting, sound, and multi-media imagery that interact with the human canvas.

WIN a Jack the Giant Slayer Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet) US & Canada $44.95 value #giveaway #ad

ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama and win a Jack the Giant Slayer Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet).  Giveaway open to residents of the USA and Canada).    

Click here to check out our photo filled past Jack the Giant Slayer coverage & our full movie review.   

We were thrilled to give away 100 family four packs of tickets to a special advanced screening  of Jack the Giant Slayer and loads of cool swag to our readers.   Now YOU can own it to watch again and again.  Thanks to Warner Bros. for providing us with a Jack the Giant Slayer Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet) for our giveaway.


Enter here for your chance to win 

Open through midnight July 9th to any residents of the US or Canada.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Warner Bros. is proud to announce the arrival of Jack the Giant Slayer now released on DVD & Blu-ray as of June 18!

Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of this life to stop them and rescue the princess! 

The question is... are you courageous enough to rescue the princess? Are you brave like Jack?  Take the quiz to find out!

Celebrate this classic story with NEW content exclusive to the Jack The Giant Slayer Blog App! 

• Control the Action! - Move your mouse across the GIFS and take control of action-packed scenes from Jack the Giant Slayer. YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF THE ACTION!

• How Brave Are You? QUIZ - Are you brave like Jack? Do beanstalks and "giant" challenges make you afraid or courageous? Take the quiz to find out!

• Giant Soundboard - Jack the Giant Slayer is filled with epic giant stomps, sword slashes and thunderous sounds! Play with official sound effects from the movie and compose your own "giant hit song"! 

Get Social With It!

• Tweet with the #JackTheGiantSlayer hashtag 

About Jack the Giant Slayer:

Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of this life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom and its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend... and gets the chance to become a legend himself! Directed by Brian Singer (X-Men, Superman Returns)

Starring: Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy), Ewan McGregor (Star Wars, Moulin Rouge!), and Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones).

Thanks to Warner Bros. for providing us with a Jack the Giant Slayer Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet) for our giveaway.

TONIGHT: Chi, IL Live Shows on Our Radar-- Young Empires at Schubas

YOUNG EMPIRES Photo Credit: David Waldman The tale of self-proclaimed Haute rockers Young Empires  is quite unconventional. Their story began in the fall of 2009 with the help of Craigslist and the creative core now consists of lead vocalist Matthew Vlahovich, bassist Jake Palahnuk, and drummer Taylor Hill, who joined later. Within two weeks of forming, the band began rehearsing and booked their first gig shortly after, putting pressure on the musicians to write viable songs, practice relentlessly, and become savvy in sampling and analog drum machine programming. “Being without a drummer in our formative years was challenging, but retrospectively, it gave us an opportunity to take advantage of electronic kick drums that rattled club sound systems and sample percussion rhythms from West Africa to create a diverse music palette,” Matthew explains. Taking advantage of the proliferation of inexpensive recording devices, the band isolated themselves on a rainy weekend in January 2010 in a motel room and self-produced and recorded four demos that gained significant attention on the blogosphere and hit the charts on Hype Machine. The upcoming two years proved to be a globe trotting adventure for the band, being jet set to cities including Bogota, London, Los Angeles, Paris, Stockholm, New York and Miami to perform with the likes of Jamiroquai, Foster The People, Chromeo, Tanlines, Bag Raiders, Sleigh Bells, and Dragonette, and at festivals like SXSW, CMJ, and Brighton’s The Great Escape. “We are incredibly fortunate to live at a time when online music-sharing can foster rapid fan growth around the globe. We are also really lucky that our music has resonated so well globally and is not confined to any particular geographic location”, Matthew explains. Between tours, Young Empires wrote, recorded and mixed their debut EP, Wake All My Youth. Although none of the members had any background in engineering or producing, the group did everything on the disc except the final mastering. This lends a distinctive edge to the glittering, electro-tinged indie rock numbers. The songs, culled from a span of nearly two years, also reveal the group’s evolution, showcasing various aspects of the musicians as they’ve more closely discovered their sound. Wake All My Youth was released via Pirates Blend/Sony Canada in February 2012 and two singles from the EP, “White Doves”, and “We Don’t Sleep Tonight” have quickly climbed the alternative and pop radio charts, both landing in the top 10 at alternative radio. Additionally, the band has made waves in the sync world highlighted by multiple placements on primetime network TV, EA Sports FIFA 13, and the CTV where “White Doves” served as a theme song for their broadcast of the London Olympics. The success in Canada has spilled over into the U.S. as the band is currently charting on AAA radio and Votiv will release a new version of Wake All My Youth on April 23, 2013. Although Young Empires have been developing both their recordings and their evocative live performances for the past few years, the musicians feel that the EP is only a taste of what’s to come. The band is currently in the process of writing their debut album and recently quit their full time jobs. They are poised to continue to map out a unique sonic territory within indie and pop music, combining syncopation and melodrama to excellent effect, Young Empires are weavers of disparate indie threads that move crowds every show. “At the end of the day we just want to have a positive impact on as many people as we can,” Jake says. “We want our music to be the thing that people connect to and feel good about. Summer 2013 Tour Dates / 06.19.13 - Schubas Tavern - Chicago, IL ! 06.20.13 - The Shelter - Detroit, MI # 06.22.13 - Firefly Music Festival - Dover, DE 06.25.13 - Mercury Lounge - New York, NY * 06.26.13 - The Church - Boston, MA * 06.27.13 - The Monkeyhouse - Burlington, VT * 06.28.13 - The Waiting Room - Buffalo, NY *  ! with The Break # with The Generationals * with Black Light Dinner Party  Previous Press / “Young Empires’ glossy production and funked up rhythms, reminds us of the Rapture’s dance-ready grooves…They’re too good.” NYLON "The mathmania of Battles, the gloss 'n' grandeur of The Killers, and the calamitous quiver of Arcade Fire...Young Empires have consummately summated this generation's achievements in Rock. Not that they're total re-tread merchants; no, they're master weavers of our disparate indie threads, forging a fine tapestry of future disco." NME   "Mapping some new sonic territory somewhere between Vampire Weekend and The Killers, they combine syncopation and melodrama to excellent effect…they’re known for winning over cold audiences with their live act."  MTV Iggy "Defined by swirling synthesizer tones, soulful bass grooves, and funky guitar rhythms, Young Empires deliver dance tracks full of swagger, sexuality, and a little angst." RCRD LBL Links / Young Empires Official Site Young Empires Twitter Young Empires Facebook Young Empires Soundcloud