She played them all. Yep, that's all you really need to know from this hoarse, exhausted, #1 fan of Amy Ray . It's over 24 hours since the show and I'm just now getting my voice back, just now feeling like I can walk around the block with my dogs at a normal pace. Damn, going to gigs in your 40s really sucks! Amy is a month older than this old Tart and she sure didn't show it last night. Her set list was long, her band was loud and hot and well tuned and even the new guy [...]
Crystal Castles performed an incredibly intense set at the Metro in Chicago on Saturday. I've been waiting to see Crystal Castles since at least September of last year when I first heard the instrumental version of Love & Caring. Since that time, CC has exploded, bringing chip music to the masses as well as the continuing relevance of copyright laws. At the Metro on Saturday, nobody cared about any of that. From the moment we walked in the door and were greeted by a signed warning us about the intense strobe lights , I knew it [...]
A few Sundays back, I was among the lucky few to attend the Fleet Foxes show here in Chicago. It was a perfect a show for a Sunday - tangible energy from the crowd and melodic music from the band. Yet, I caught Fleet Foxes back in July at Pritzker Pavilion and was a little underwhelmed with the direction of their live show. They would hit on some amazing sections and I would be in folk heaven but rarely would they stay in that place. It was like listening to CSNY if Crosby had ADHD. In Fleet Foxes' case the [...]
Earlier this week we let you know about some great things we'll be doing at Metro here in Chicago to help get more and more readers to see great live music. For this Saturday's show featuring two pairs of musicians, Crystal Castles & Lymbyc Systym , we're offering two pairs of tickets. For the first two comments that appear on this post, we'll get your name on the list over at Metro with a +1 and you'll be all set to go for the show. Both of these bands are truly fantastic, they [...]
Blue-eyed soul has been around forever, white dudes have been trying - sometimes very successfully - to replicate the music that poured out of Detroit and Memphis during the 50's and 60's throughout almost every other decade to date. Jamie Lidell may have the most uncommon path to blue-eyed stardom, starting his career as one half of the electronic duo Super Collider. Yet the result is unmistakably smooth and expressive. Jamie Lidell made a stop at the Metro here in Chicago last Wednesday night and I had the definite pleasure to catch the show. Lidell brought [...]
(photo via Rodrigo Quiñones ) At once both one of the most anticipated acts and unfairly anticlimactic moments of the Hideout Block Party this past September (bad scheduling, anyone?), DJ Andy Butler's love child, Hercules & Love Affair is best suited for the dark, erogenous mystique of the most glamorous of night clubs. So while Chicago's Metro isn't exactly the choicest place to hole up for a night of disco adultery, like the dingiest motel with a breathtaking view of the ocean and the new dawn approaching, it'll nonetheless make for one unforgettable, sweat-soaked night. [...]
Saturday Concert Review Let's focus on the positive first. Both Catfish Haven and Brighton, MA. put on amazing shows at the Metro Saturday bringing in guest musicians and playing with high energy to make their sound robust and rocking. With...
Foxy Sounds At The Metro Sunday night the Metro hosts Fleet Foxes. One of the best shows we saw all summer came from these guys. Here's a little take on the luscious band. Make time to catch them live if...
Spoils Of Living In Chicago When two of the best local bands come together for a dual CD release party, you'd better pencil it in. Moments like this don't happen that often. Brighton, MA. has matured quickly in their short...
A happy Monday to everyone! Just spent a full weekend in Chicago for the first time in some time and I am smitten with this city all over again. I saw a great show Saturday, ate some amazing food and though the Cubbies lost, there is a lot of excitement and energy in my surrogate home. In honor of the mood the town is putting out, we're gonna give a away some tickets to a show here in Chicago. On Wednesday, Jamie Lidell is playing at the Metro . We have two free tickets to [...]
As I'm sure you already know, Hot Chip will be playing twice in Chicago this weekend. The kids are so ready for the floor that they had to set aside two nights at Metro . The most important thing about these shows is the fact that you could go for free. Yup, Bizzies is giving away six (6) total tickets! All you need to do is email me to be entered into the drawing, check below for all the details... Sunday, September 28 @ Metro: Hot Chip + GROWING [...]
Here it is kids, The Metros ' More Money Less Grief . The debut album from TLC 's favorite South London rabblerousers finally came out in the UK Monday, September 15 on 1965 Records (no word yet on a US release). As you can tell from the album cover (left) these fellas don't take themselves too seriously. Tongues firmly planted in cheeks, the boys have the songwriting chops and street cred to back them up. If you're in [...]
The Metros é uma banda de Londres que iniciou sua carreira seguindo os passos do Strokes e do Libertines. Com o passar do tempo, foram amadurecendo um som que mistura referências do pop, do rock, do ska, do punk e do rockabilly. Acabaram assinando com o mesmo selo que descobriu o The Libertines e o The View. O primeiro álbum acaba de sair do forno, e o primeiro single é "Talk About It", um pop bastante divertido e dançante. Das que eu gosto de dançar de noite. Download
This Sunday, CAPE and The Movement will be putting on one of the biggest events of the summer. Kidz In The Hall, Million $ Mano, Hollywood Holt, The Hood Internet, Willy Joy and Sammy Bananas will all be in full effect at CAPEs Summer Blowout at The Metro. Now, you may be wondering how this track is relevant to the post, well, the guy who gave it to me co-organized the entire event... So, ha! You may purchase your tickets here . Oh, and to the DMCA: I'd appreciate it if [...]
If you're in Chicago tonight, do yourself a favor and get to the Metro. Three HearYa live session alums are going to share the stage for an incredible night of music. Ha Ha Tonka, Joe Pug and Backyard Tire Fire (in the studio today) will all be in attendance. Here's what the night will sound like: Exclusive: Joe Pug - Hymn 101 (from the Joe Pug live session ) Exclusive: Ha Ha Tonka - Caney Mountain (from the Ha Ha Tonka live session ) [...]
OPINION: "The problem with some of the bands we love is their ability to spawn some of the worst musical creations of our generation" words: Jamie Milton If you tell me that your favourite band is The Libertines or Oasis, I'll have no problem with that. They're both bands who changed music in some way or another, for good or for bad, they made their mark on music's hall of fame and will remain there forever. But I've got one problem with this troublesome twosome, the offspring they produced. See, this [...]
So much comes in, so we need to turn it out. The 88 to release new album, play the Cell, WGN Byther Smith on NPR Podcast Rachael Yamagata to release new album - listen here Ha Ha Tonka to release...
how often do we say thanks to the people that care most about us? i know i don't do that very much, but from the heart-to-heart talk we just had, i'm really thankful for the friends i have, who share a real stake in each others' lives. so too was brooklyn's yeasayer , who take an unexpected detour on "red cave", the last song of their stunning debut all hour cymbals album with a heartfelt mention to the family and friends who they deeply care for. some of you may remember that as the song they [...]
After reading Ben's post about Broken Social Scene at Northwestern from Dillo Day , I was worried that these latest "Broken Social Scene" shows were actually just Brendan Canning and Kevin Drew kind of trading off solo songs while being backed by the band and simply calling themselves Broken Social Scene. Make no mistake about it, this show was honest-to-god Broken Social Scene, period. Sure, they played many solo songs, but they were not afraid to light up the old classics. Their set at the Metro lasted about two hours, and when you combine [...]
I've had a hectic day. This morning I woke up to several text messages from my friends telling me I'm on the cover of the two daily free-of-charge newspapers we have here in Sweden, Metro and City . After that I packed up my guitar and headed to the office of Sweden's biggest newspaper Dagens Nyheter and guested them in their web TV cast, chatted with my fans and played a song live from the new album. One of my fans also allerted me on the chat that my blog on Aftonbladet.se is the third [...]
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