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Thursday, November 10, 2011

Ace Frehley at HOB-11-9-2011




The Kiss Army is alive and well and swelling in numbers.   And all the Chi-Town recruits were at HOB earlier this month, proudly wearing their vintage Kiss Tee's and even bringing along the next generation.


   
Even though Ace Frehley gave up his face makeup long ago, some fans, fondly paid tribute to their childhood idols with the full deal--or in this fan's case, half and half.   

 

ChiIL Live Shows even spotted action figure Ace, swinging from the reserved balcony box seats!



As a child of the 70's, I remember Kiss well.   They had all Kiss days at the local amusement park, where their music blasted from every speaker in the park.   And every face painting booth at every school carnival featured their iconic face paint as a popular option.   It was front page news when the band was first photographed without their black and white paint.  I still have some crazy platform boots with ginormous metal heels, that Dug calls my Kiss Army boots.   Kiss is still in rotation today on our ipods, and the punk kin love their stuff as much as we did at their age.





When I got press access to shoot the show, I wasn't sure what to expect, but Ace has still got more than a few picks up his sleeves and brought the house down with eardrum bursting rock.   





He played loads of old Kiss classics along with his own later material.  He has an excellent backing band and an enthusiastic fan base.  

  






 

But Ace still holds his own as more than a nostalgia act.   Sure, Kiss had more flash, with their pyrotechnics and larger than life costumes.  



But what Ace lacks now in spectacle, he make up for in substance.  His show shocked me and made me feel better.

The Last Vegas open for Ace Frehley & The Biters at HOB-11-9-2011



Check out music videos from The Last Vegas here.   They rock hard live and every one of them is seriously photogenic.   They were a pleasure to shoot and I'd go see them again in a second.   We hope to have a review of their latest release up soon.

 











 



   “OTHER SIDE” NEW VIDEO / SINGLE DEBUTED NOV.2nd
 
AOL’s NoiseCreep (www.noisecreep.com) released The Last Vegas new Video / Single, the “Other Side” earlier this month.  

Legendary cult actress and ‘Scream Queen’, Sybil Danning (Howling II, Halloween, Werewolf Women of the SS) stars in and produces this classic piece of Americana trash rock cinema.  Check it out.


After 3 years of extensive touring with some of rock's biggest acts (Motley Crue, AC/DC, Buckcherry, New York Dolls), THE LAST VEGAS are back in action with their latest single, "The Other Side".

 
 
That's right THE LAST VEGAS are offering three songs for free download at their website http://www.thelastvegas.com Head over there now and check out "The Other Side", "Evil Eyes" and "It Ain't Easy".  


The physical EP was just released this week on November 22nd.   THE LAST VEGAS' previous full-length, "Whatever Gets You Off" was one of iTunes Top 15 Rock Albums of the Year (2009) alongside Pearl Jam, The Dead Weather, Them Crooked Vultures and The Black Crowes. 

 
 
The debut single, "I'm Bad", hit over 300 thousand downloads on iTunes in the first week and was named iTunes Rock Single of the Year.

 

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Supersuckers LIVE at Reggie's Rock Club 11-7-11


Dbl click slide show for full screen and other options

I saw The Supersuckers a number of times back in BC--that would be before children--and their shows were always a rockin' good time.   Kiss might have been "The Hottest Band in the Land" but The Supersuckers are the unabashedly self declared "Greatest Rock-n-Roll Band in the World".   Welcome back boys.
  

Excerpt from frontman/bass player, Eddie, on The Supersuckers main page:
My son Quattro says the next thing they will invent for phones will be the ability to teleport yourself anywhere you want to be. Now THAT would rule! No more long drives for me - I'd be at home every night, sleeping in my own bed, waking up with my kids and having a day at home before heading off to "work" at night. Just think of the havoc that would reign down upon the travel industries! No more airlines! No more cars! Ah, I can't wait... That's gonna be fantastic.

Parents rock and rockers parent.   I know my own punk kin would love to see a teleportation phone invented, too!
 

Here's the story of The Supersucker's start: 
  
Our story is almost impossible to believe. This band is literally a human cartoon. We all grew up among the dead-ends and cactus needles of Tucson, Arizona and have known each other since grade school. We graduated from the same high school together at the same time (a school immortalized in our song “Santa Rita High”) and we chose to play in a band together because we liked to hang out together, not because we were great musicians or anything. I truly believe that a band is defined by their limitations, that what they can’t (or won’t) do is just as important as what they can do. I guess that, in this era of pre-fabricated, put-together-to-have-a-hit bands, we’re kind of an aberration and I gotta tell ya that that makes us smile a little every day.

We formed the band in 1988 and we were initially a five piece called The Black Supersuckers ( a name found in some quality “adult literature” we had laying around in our impeccably clean band house!), with me on bass, Dan “Thunder” Bolton and Rontrose Heathman on guitars, Dancing Eagle on drums and a lead singer by the name of Eric Martin. After firmly proving ourselves to be the best band in town we decided it was time to get out of Tucson and try our luck somewhere else. So we tossed a coin with heads as New Orleans and tails as Seattle. Tails it was and in May of “89 we packed up and went north.

We had no idea that Seattle was about to become “Rock Mecca USA”, we just wanted to go somewhere where we could wear our leather jackets a little more often. It was exciting and encouraging to see all of the great bands there, doing their own thing and making some kick-ass, aggressive rock-n-roll that we could relate to, so we started recording immediately. After some classic “creative differences” with our lead singer, we decided to try it as a four piece with yours truly as the singer (I was the only one who knew all the words) and The Supersuckers, as you may or may not know them today, were born.
 

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Nashville Pussy LIVE at Reggie's Rock Club 11-7-11


Double click slide show for full screen and other options

Despite a cold downpour and a Monday night slot, fans came out in droves to see Nashville Pussy and The Supersuckers do their thing, LIVE at Reggie's Rock Club this week.   These accomplished musicians all bring it, live.    And we love bands with a sense of humor.   Husband/ wife team, Blaine and Ruyter, have an undeniable chemistry on stage, despite copious flirting with the audience.



Karen Cuda at Bottom Lounge, Chicago

We missed their bass player, Karen Cuda, and wish her speedy recovery.    She's out with an arm injury.   The good news was, Supersucker's own frontman/ bass player, Eddie Spaghetti, jumped in to fill the void.   Yeah, OK, he's not as hot as Karen, but that boy can play.

Back when Nashville Pussy opened for The Dwarves at Bottom Lounge in August, ChiIL Mama snagged their latest release to review and one for our readers.   One lucky fan got the Dwarves DVD/CD and NP's new CD, From Hell to Texas.   We highly recommend it for catchy riffs, and amusing lyrics.    That said, this is not the CD you want little Logan and Madison belting out in preschool!    As you can see from the set list, their tunes are not for the kindie kin.   Save it for your teens or your alone time.    I crank it in the car after elementary school drop off.   

We'll be reviewing and giving away a zillion new alt-punk-rock-folk-funk CDs for the way underagers leading up to the holidays (and X and New York Dolls DVDs for the rest of you).   But, From Hell to Texas is some good ol' raunchy, kid inappropriate fun.   From our experience, no one needs that more than people who spend their days with dependents who are...well, dependent...on you.   At the show I was front and center with a couple parents of an 8 year old, enjoying a night out.   We also ran into our friend Dan, who has been with Spin Magazine for years, and is a Chi-Town Dad of 3 young boys.   And I'm sure we were not the only ones.    We're big fans of "life doesn't end with birth".   Parents get to have a life, too.   
Here's Nashville Pussy's bio from their site:

True rock n' roll doesn't require definition. It's self-explanatory based on a gut feeling and the unconditional devotion to the musical genre. Nashville Pussy have celebrated their brand of genuine rock n' roll for more than a decade, in classic style at times, surprising at others, but always earthy, raw and unadulterated. 

Band mastermind Blaine Cartwright (vocals, guitar), his wife Ruyter Suys (guitar), Karen Cuda (bass) and Jeremy Thompson (drums) poured their heart and soul into the latest rock release, entitled From Hell To Texas, which saw the band hone their most impressive recording to date alongside the non stop touring, from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Japan, and almost a year straight with the Reverend Horton Heat, "We allowed ourselves this time to give the songs the chance to turn out as perfect as possible," Cartwright explains. "We kept playing the new tracks at our rehearsal room until they really clicked. I feel they're heavier and grittier than previous releases. The whole creative process took three long years, but the result has been worth the trouble."

Their songs are mostly about fun and good times, but occasionally – as in the case of 'Late Great USA' – they also stick the finger into an open wound. "Although Blaine's comical and satyrical themes mostly prevail on From Hell To Texas, there are two or three numbers which deal with more serious subjects. 'Late Great USA' is a political song, we simply had to vent our anger at certain grievances in this country."

For some big kid, AKA:  adult fun, check out Nashville Pussy's main site here for CD and tour info.    Also, check out our very own sister site, ChiILMama.com for loads of give aways, theatre and music reviews, upcoming events, live show videos and video band interviews.   We feature cool, family friendly fun and 17+ shows, too.   ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama (2 ii's and 1 L just like our favorite city & state).    Check out ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.
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Saturday, November 5, 2011

Loyal Divide LIVE at Empty Bottle-Vinyl Release Party 11-4-11


Dbl click the slide show for full screen and other options


Loyal Divide rocked Empty Bottle Friday night, coming off a tour to promote their new, blue vinyl release, Bodice Ripper.    These newcomers are ones to watch.   Their high intensity, live show got the crowd going and their first release has been met enthusiastically by fans and critics alike.   


Here's what their label, Kilo Records has to say about their boys & last Friday's show:


CHICAGO, IL

Local Pyshedeclic Rockers, Loyal Divide hit the stage this Friday at the cities best venue Empty Bottle, for their Bodice Ripper Vinyl Release Show.  Their much anticipated debut LP  was released on October 4th, via Kilo Records, and is available via iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, at your local record store, and more.  The band spent October celebrating with a full Midwest/East Coast Tour, and are returning to Chicago for their first venue performance since May.  Joining the group with be punk rockers Lasers & Fast & Shit, as well as Verma.  This night surely has on hand some of the best Chicago talent coming up in the city right now.

Vinyl includes a free CD with bonus track
For purchase information, future tour dates, etc. check out http://loyaldividemusic.com/

Friday, November 4, 2011

The Toasters LIVE at Sub-T On 11-3-11


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NY Ska legends, The Toasters, rocked Sub-T last Thursday on their 30th Anniversary Tour.   They played to a packed house and appreciative audience.    We had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the horns in particular.   I've told my kids they can grow up to be anything they want to be, but...if they really wanna make mama happy, they'll take up sax and play in a ska, punk, or heavier edged band...at least part time :).   In the meantime, I'll be happily wearing my black Toasters Tee.




Musical Taste: 
The Toasters also have their own brew, now.   What better to toast to 30 years of sweet NY SKA with?!   They also have the honor of being first in ChiIL Mama's "Musical Taste" series.   Seems it's the hot new thang now to have band-beer pairings and other odd foods, restaurants, etc.   If you hear of any ways to ingest and express your musical taste with something you can taste, add them in the comments section or e-mail 'em our way at zbluesun@gmail.com.


30th Anniversary Ska Brewing Beer!
 
Here's what The Toaster have to say about the brouhaha: 

  
If you haven't heard already, we now have our own beer! That's right. Durango, CO. based brewing company, Ska Brewing, have crafted a fine Black Indian Pale Ale (how can it be black and pale at the same time!?! ed.) "The Shebeen" ! In honor of our 30 years in the ska music making business. Currently it is available in select states around the Colorado area. Please ask for Ska Brewing where ever you drink! We love this beer! 

Also, the guys cooked up a nice little video about the process as well...
http://www.vimeo.com/20604077


We will be having an official kick off release this September in Durango, so check back for more details!


Check our FaceBook for photos of the beer and the label image!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150110620660572&set=pu.7719045571 

Akasha Opening for The Toasters at Subterranean-11-3-11



It was our pleasure to hear Chicago locals, Akasha, bring their sweet Reggae to Sub-T last Thursday, opening for the legendary Toasters.   

  
Check 'em out around town where they frequently play some of our favorite venues like Hideout and Double Door.

They've got a new release out and you can check out all the details on their main site.

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