LPFM

The Chicago Tribune's got an article about CHIRP and low power FM stations- learn more about CHIRP's mission.

Chicago's "Next Big Things"

Via Gaper's Block: Jim DeRogatis has his list of the 10 Chicago bands he thinks will "blow up" in 2008. I can't say I've heard of a lot of them, but The Cool Kids and Kid Sister are clearly well on their way.

Girls Rock

Who doesn't love movies about kids rocking out? A new documentary called Girls Rock is coming out this spring about Portland, OR's Rock 'n Roll Camp for Girls. As the website says, "The Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls is a place where 8-18 year olds come from all over the country to learn Rock DIY-style--forming bands, writing songs and building community, and “Girls Rock!” is the movie about their journey. " The movie makes it's way to Chicago in early March at the Music Box, with a Q&A with the filmmakers on March 9 and 10, as well as a guitar giveaway March 7-9.

I should also point out Chicago has it's own girls' rock camp- Girls Rock Chicago.

Make Believe

Last Friday I stumbled upon seeing Make Believe at Subterranean. I'd heard about Tim Kinsella, his musical family and his many local projects for years (Joan of Arc, Make Believe, Cap 'n Jazz, Owls), but this was my first time experiencing him in any way. I guess I thought he'd be more emo based on what I'd heard about him, but really, dude's just batshit crazy. (Also, their music was more mathy than emo-y, which was unexpected). He didn't seem to have any control over his body parts as he flailed around the stage with some of the most awkward white-boy dance moves I've ever seen. He seemed to have difficulty forming a full sentence for most of the show- sometimes he'd come to the mike between songs, open his mouth for a few seconds, utter an unintelligible noise and then back away. At some point he was finally able to utter some strange diatribe that I didn't quite follow. He also picked a fight with someone in the balcony and at one point decided to just lay down on the stage for awhile mid-song. Needless to say, I was highly entertained.

Venus Release Party

Venus Magazine fans: check out the upcoming Spring Issue Release Party at Cobra Lounge, 235 N. Ashland on Tuesday February 26, featuring a DJ set by Erica Corniel and Jessica Gonyea of Office. Free rum from 7-9pm and free swag bags for the first 50 guests. More info here.

Yeasayer on Conan

DJBV alerted me to this Stereogum post of Yeasayer performing "2080" on Conan O'Brien, and how at the end Conan calls it his "favorite song in a long time." It reminded me of the time a few years ago when My Morning Jacket played on Conan and he had an even more impassioned response afterwards about the sheer rockness of their performance. Anyhoo, this video can give a little taste of the enjoyable flamboyantness (is that a word?) of Yeasayer's singer, though it doesn't truly reflect the magic of their music and performance. I think I should get my ticket to that Logan Square Auditorium show now, since next stop is clearly a sold-out Metro show and beyond.

On a side note, I just realized that the amount of space I've been dedicating to Yeasayer lately rivals the frequency of Menomena postings after Friend and Foe came out last year. Yeasayer is the new Menomena!

Women in Rock Panel

A cool event coming up:



More info:

Women in Rock 2008: A Day of Panel Discussions (a kickoff event for Women's History Month) Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St.
video theater, lower level
March 1, 2008 10:30am - 4:30pm

10:30am: Rock Stories: Women Who Document Music (featuring Emily Agustin of WLUW's Women on Women show, Marie from chicagopunkpix.com, a filmmaker and female rock critics/journalists)
1pm: I'm in the Band: Women who Live to Rock (featuring Gina Knapik of the Venom Lords, Laurie Miller of Pistol Whipped and The Hootenanners, Mariam Bastani of Condenada, and Jeanine O'Toole of the 1900s)
3pm: Behind the Curtain: Women Who Rock the Music Business (featuring Nan Warshaw of Bloodshot Records, Amy Butterer of Billions Corporation, Sarah Dryczek from Clitfest, and Heather Lember of Girls Rock Chicago)

More Docu-Fun

Though not a music-related documentary, in my ongoing docu-interest I watched The King of Kong last night. I was enthralled- I had no idea the underground world of competitive Donkey Kong was so cutthroat and full of such ridiculous and fascinating characters. Highly recommended.

Super Furry Animals w/ Times New Viking and Jeffrey Lewis @ Metro, 2/16/08

Super Furry Animals on Saturday night was a lot of fun. I'll defer to Kirstie's review of the show on RFC as she is much more of a Super Furry Superfan than I, who takes her Super Furry enjoyment more casually. Some notes and highlights from my end, however:

- I think I was expecting more costumes and debauchery, but I did highly enjoy the large helmet Gruff Rhys entered and exited the stage wearing, and how hilarious it looked when he put the microphone up to the helmet's eyes in order to sing. (See Kirstie's pics for the visual representation). Also highly enjoyable: having Gruff chew carrots into the microphone, the creatively designed Super Furry suits all the members sported, and the fact that the band not only did not do an encore, but made a point to showcase their distaste for encores with some quality signage at the end of the performance.
- I don't get Times New Viking. Can someone please explain their appeal to me? This Pitchfork review seems to indicate they aren't particularly good musicians or songwriters, but we should like them because they just seem to be having so much fun. I think I could have an 8.4 album in the making then, if that's the only prerequisite. I suppose they did seem to be having a good time on stage, but it sure didn't help me get over the fact that I couldn't hear any of the vocals beneath their "lo-fi aesthetic." I had tried listening to their album and couldn't get past my inability to actually hear any of the music beneath the fuzz (and I think there may be some under there). I'd hoped maybe that was just due to the recording quality, but seeing them live just proved that's the sound they are going for.
- I only caught the last song of opener Jeffrey Lewis, which was actually what he called a "music video" entailing him flipping through series of drawings illustrating the story he was singing a capella. The story was about how he used to dress like a hippie, and then one day he realized he'd slowly stopped dressing like a hippie and started dressing like something totally non-descript. Then he talked to his punk friend who had gone through the same transformation. And then they realized it really didn't matter how they dressed. Awwwwww. Actually, I sort of identified with it, as someone who was once described as "that girl who doesn't dress like her music."

Musician Documentaries

I'm currently on a musician documentary kick via Netflix. This weekend I watched The Devil and Daniel Johnston and found it positively riveting. I mentioned this on my radio show this evening and got a call suggesting I check out the Roky Erickson documentary You're Gonna Miss Me (which would thus make it a mentally ill musician documentary kick). What other musician documentaries do I need to see?

Andrew Bird Fundraiser

According to the Sun Times, Andrew Bird is throwing a fundraiser for Obama on February 28 at the Hideout. Suggested donation? $100.

TMT on NPR

Today at 2:40pm ET/ 1:40 CST, Tinymixtapes editor Trillian will be on NPR's Talk of the Nation talking about Valentine's Day mixtapes. Show info is online here, and if you miss it live there'll be archived audio available later in the day.

Man Man/Yeasayer tour!

After going on about the awesomeness of Yeasayer, it looks like they will be back in Chicago shortly with Man Man! As Pitchfork puts it, "Philly weirdos Man Man and Brooklyn weirdos Yeasayer will embark on a joint tour of the U.S. in April." That's about right.

Man Man w/ Yeasayer @ Logan Square Auditorium, Wednesday April 16

They've also got a show scheduled the next day at the Annex in Madison, WI. That's one thing I (mildly) miss about Madison; though not a lot of bands tour through the city, when they do, they play at far smaller venues then the ones they play in Chicago.

Bandwidth, 2/22/08

We at RFC got another edition of Bandwidth on the way:

RadioFreeChicago.Org presents:
Unicycle Loves You, The Safes, & The Pinks at Heart of Gold

February 22nd, 2008
Show starts at 9PM - $5 suggested donation
21 and over

Heart of Gold
3036 N. Lincoln Ave, 4th FL
Chicago, IL 60657

Yeasayer @ Schubas, 2/8/08

I got the opportunity to see the early Yeasayer show last Friday, and I must say, I'm better for it. After having the late show sell out a few weeks early, I realized that this "MGMT" band that was opening for them must be some sort of buzz band, since I knew Yeasayer couldn't possibly have that kind of draw yet. This theory was proven when they added an early show- with Yeasayer opening this time. Luckily I snapped up my ticket just in time for the early show to sell out; it meant getting to Schubas at 7pm, but if this "MGMT" turned out to suck, it also meant I could duck out early.

Based on Yeasayer's hippies-do-rock sound, I was surprised to see the band come out looking more grunge than hippie; a couple of them had long hair, but there was more flannel and fewer long beards than I'd expected. I was also surprised by how much the band made use of electronic sounds, as I'd thought their sound seemed more organic (going along with my hippie theory). Regardless, they sounded amazing. The band made it through several songs without saying a word to the audience, they were so intensely focused on the music they were producing. Singer Chris Keating's voice was so strong and almost otherworldly that it didn't sound like it was coming from his mouth, but from the walls. Running through the majority of their excellent 2007 debut All Hour Cymbals, definite highlights included the much blogged-about "2080" (where Chris cut himself in the process of his flailing, drawing blood) and show closer "Sunrise," which certainly ended the show on a high note. At the end of the show the band seemed positively exhausted, telling the audience they weren't sure they had any energy left for the late show. To top things off, this was the best sound I've heard in Schubas in a long time; everything was completely crystal clear and the volume was at the perfect level where I didn't even think to put in any earplugs.

After Yeasayer's almost transcendent set, it seemed pointless staying for a band that certainly wouldn't live up. After four seemingly pre-pubescent boys conducted an endless soundcheck, the show started and we left after about 10 seconds. The MGMT singer's voice was kind of whiny. But frankly we probably wouldn't have given them a chance even if they were remotely decent, because Yeasayer's performance was just too good to follow.

Paradigm

Emerson from WLUW/Dusted Magazine passed along this truly awesome press release:

For Immediate Release
February 7, 2008

The Power of God Through Christian Hip-Hop

PARADIGM

Paradigm came into this world on July 15, 1983 with an awesome call on his life. The enemy tried to snatch his life at birth, being born with an umbilical cord wrapped around his neck three times. Though the outcome uncertain to the on lookers, the power of God undoubtedly had to prevail, that destiny might be fulfilled. Paradigm was born and raised in the church and faced many ups and downs as a teenage
Christian.

One place he could always find peace and rest was on the basketball court. His own court talent quickly gained him recognition as he began playing basketball in tournaments such as WEST 4TH and THE RUCKER. A career in basketball definitely seemed bright until an injury left him unable to play the sport he loved. During this time Paradigm turned his attention to his keyboard and began to discover a new gift and talent, "Music".

Playing the keyboard with no musical training he began to write and compose his very own songs. It has been two years since the revelation of his calling, and Paradigm has cultivated his own style of music. With a fun and energetic flow, coupled with words of wisdom, Paradigm communicates the power of God through Christian Hip- Hop. He effectively conveys the many facets of God, the joy of Christian living as well as the struggle.

Paradigm is anointed from God to reach and teach his people for this generation. Paradigm has a heart for music being a songwriter, producer, and rapper who has a passion for worship. God has anointed his music to compel the unsaved and to edify this generation for the assignment at hand, which is to glorify Jesus Christ and impact this culture for the kingdom.

Paradigm has performed at college events, open mics and youth concerts throughout the tri-sate area. He was recently featured on Brooklyn Community Access Television and also was featured on (former NBA player and current NBA Global Ambassador) Jerome "JYD" Williams, Change The World Movement CD.

Be on the look out for the ministry of Paradigm, who much like the apostle Paul is a teacher of the Gospel with zeal and candidness that is sure to impact nations.

For More Information and for song previews, please visit: www.zoomoozik.com/paradigm

The Equalizer

Blogging from the New York hotel lobby as the snow meant my flight (and every other flight to Chicago) was cancelled tonight, and I can't get back until the morning. But at least it's 60+ degrees here!

Anyhoo, excited about this upcoming DJ set- it's no Junior Boys show, but it's the next best thing. I'll be interested to see what he has to play for us.

Jeremy Greenspan of the Junior Boys DJ set @ Smart Bar, February 29

Arson on the airwaves

The unluckiest college radio station EVER.

PFFR

I'll be out of town for work the next couple days, so tonight's show will be posted online Thursday night. Dig.

The Hard Sell- Redux

Friday's DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist show was a lot of fun. The two DJs set up behind 8 turntables and used exclusively 7-inches, which was really interesting to see on the video screen behind them, as small cameras were also set up across the tables and even on DJ Shadow's hand (which was actually pretty creepy looking on video). Kirstie from RFC has great pics and an in depth review.

Jigga-what?

I'm sorry, but can someone please translate this Pitchfork review for me? I think I need a dictionary to understand what he's saying. "There's something somethingly deeply vivifing about Poirier's blend of spartan yet far-flung sonic DNA and his naked political ambitions"? What exactly does it mean to be "spartan yet far-flung"? Alkaline? Matte? Tropes? It's so over the top I want to believe the reviewer is doing it on purpose to make some sort of point (what that would be, I couldn't tell you), but with Pitchfork, you can never be sure . . .

To which I will take this opportunity to again repost David Cross' fabulous skewering of Pitchfork reviews from 2005.