Do Division Fest, Menomena @ Empty Bottle

It was a good weekend for music in Wicker Park/Ukranian Village. I only caught the last song from Portland, OR's Viva Voce; per a friend who saw them both at the fest and at the Empty Bottle the night before, they played exclusively music from their latest album, and not only were the set lists virtually identical both nights, but the jokes and between-song banter were too. Whoops. Handsome Furs also treated us to a set of exclusively tracks from their latest album, Face Control. Dan and Alexi sported new hairstyles since the last time I saw them, with Dan trading in his punk-mullet for a more boyish short on the sides, spiky on top look, and Alexi bleaching her dark hair blond (she can certainly pull off both). Their set was short but sweet (barely over 30 minutes); the married couple has great chemistry with each other and serious intensity on stage, though I was bummed we didn't get even one track off of Plague Park.

I skipped seeing Menomena at the fest on Sunday in favor of checking out their Empty Bottle show last night; I figured that since they're now more of a Metro band, it was a good chance to get to see them in the intimate setting of their early years. I was not disappointed; in addition to reminding me that "Strongest Man in the World" is unfailingly amazing, the guys were clearing having a blast. It was keyboardist Brent Knopf's 32nd birthday, and Justin requested that audience members give him 32 spankings after we all sang him happy birthday. His girlfriend also baked him a cake, and he blew out the candles on stage. Good times. Rumor has it that after a year and a half of doing their own thing they are back in creative mode and working on a new album; they did debut one new song featuring Brent on vocals that I thought sounded great. In an ongoing theme for the weekend, the majority of the set came from 2007's Friend and Foe; I was a little surprised they didn't mix it up a bit more as they aren't touring on a new album. Still, I won't complain, as I'll take whatever I can get from one of my favorite bands.

Metronome

There's a new Chicago street fest coming our way this summer called "Metronome", to be held on Milwaukee at Armitage and Western (because not enough blocks in Wicker Park/Bucktown have a street festival in the summer! Not that I'm complaining!). From June 6-7, there will be two stages representing four genres: Punk, Rock, Folk and Electronic, each with a relevant sponsor (MP Shows, Empty Bottle, Chicago Bluegrass and Blues, and the Congress Theater, respectively). So far the Rock and Punk stage have lineups, with the Rock stage proving to be decently impressive:

8:30pm John Vanderslice
7:00pm Here We Go Magic
5:30pm Apostle of Hustle
4:00pm Kid Congo Powers
2:30pm Turbo Fruits
1:00pm Rock Plaza Central

The Metronome Celebration will benefit the Logan Square Neighborhood Coalition, which will distribute proceeds across all parts of the community through the Greater Goethe Neighborhood Association, the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce, Friends of Goethe School, Chase Elementary and a Sustainable Project Award that will help to provide a more sustainable life for area residents.

Radley

And the PFFR continues to follow the Radley medical story . . .

From the Empty Bottle:
Radley would like to take a moment to thank everyone who donated to his relief fund. There is still work to be done, so come to the Empty Bottle on Sunday, November 16 for the Radley Benefit Dance Party featuring: DJs ALEX VALENTINE, HOLOGRAM TRAV, HUGSEN KISSUS & MILES RAYMER. Tickets are only $3 and all proceeds will be going to the Radley Relief Fund. Did we mention drink specials? How about $3 Bells all night! Come on down, drink, dance and help our dear old friend Radley.

I think at some point Radley needs to give a speech to all his ardent supporters.

Radley Relief

Apparently the Empty Bottle's housecat is ill. My guess it was due to the years of living in a unventilated smoke-filled environment- but maybe that's just me. Anyhoo, the EB is calling out for donations to help him cure what ails him.



RADLEY RELIEF FUND!
Yes, sadly, old man Radley - EB housecat, ladies man - has been struggling with his health lately, and is in need of a variety of medical procedures. We've set up a paypal 'healthcare fund' for him, should any of you be interested in contributing towards his renewed vigor. Head over to PayPal and make a donation to emptybottle@emptybottle.com.

Free Show!

The Empty Bottle has a great lineup for free (!!!) next Thursday, June 12: Oxford Collapse w/ Frightened Rabbit and Tigercity. I walked through the Do Division Fest yesterday as Frightened Rabbit hit the stage and was impressed with my brief exposure; meanwhile, Oxford Collapse put out a solid album in 2006 featuring a killer single, "Please Visit Your National Parks." Just try listening to it without breaking out into a huge smile.

Random Thoughts

Man, Andrew Bird must be making a killing on these Marriott comercials his music is in- I've seen at least four different ones at this point, all with different songs.

Meanwhile, I noticed a band called MM/DD/YYYY is playing at the Empty Bottle on June 30. What an awesome band name, though I wonder how they "pronounce" it.

Also, I think I'm going to start a band called "Gas Tax Holiday."

New Venues

Looks like Chicago has a couple new venues coming our way. I noticed when perusing the upcoming shows that there are a few shows booked for "The Bottom Lounge" starting in May. As we all know, the original Bottom Lounge was demolished to expand the Belmont El stop back in 2005; I remember hearing rumors back then that a new Bottom Lounge would be opened in the West Loop somewhere, but haven't really heard anything since. Further research led me to Timeout Chicago's blog: looks like it is reopening on 1375 Lake Street, and the Bottom Lounge's website (currently under construction) has floor plans available for viewing.


There are also upcoming shows booked at a place called "The Mansion", which is apparently at 2408 Kedzie. Further research here led me to this website; apparently it's a Logan Square mansion that rents its space out for parties and events, and the Empty Bottle is booking a few shows there.

Reefer Duberland

I've been kind of stewing about this today, but I suppose I'll weigh in with my two cents.

As we'd all guessed, last night's "secret show" did involve Interpol, as well as Liars and Bradford Cox of Deerhunter. Indie royalty for sure. But instead of getting some great late night treat for the Chicago independent music community, we got a bunch of big indie stalwarts sitting around on the stage making shit up and looking bored while doing it. Maybe I was a little naive in hoping the Bottle had something really big and special planned that would be talked about for a long time to come, but at least the guys could have looked like they were having a little fun in the meantime. Listening to Angus Andrew and Bradford Cox make bird noises over the same bassline endlessly while Paul Banks cowered in the corner and Daniel Kessler looked like he's rather be in the Bahamas did not make for a compelling show. After realizing "this was it", I moved to the back, realizing over half the audience had cut out as well. Some guy at the water station asked me if I thought it was "unanimous that this was terrible." I headed out to the pool room only to find Carlos D standing around somewhat sheepishly. Guess he wasn't invited to the party.

Was this the Empty Bottle's idea of an amusing practical joke to play on its regulars, or were they surprised by how much it blew too? Did they think we were the type of people who would be happy to pay 10 bucks just to be in the presence of Angus and Paul, even if they had nothing interesting to offer? Maybe the people who saw them at the Aragon earlier that night would be into that sort of thing, but I'm pretty sure everyone who was actually there is beyond that sort of star-struck behavior.

Sort of makes me want to boycott the Empty Bottle for awhile. But I've got tickets to Sunset Rubdown coming up, and I don't want to boycott Spencer Krug. Maybe I just won't buy any beer. Take that!

Empty Bottle Special Guest Guessing

Alright, I've caved to the pressure, bought a ticket to the Empty Bottle's "secret show" on Thursday, and put some time into analyzing who it could possibly be. Assuming this "special guest" is a bigger band playing in town around that time, I've checked out the bands playing the Riv/Aragon/etc. on Wednesday/Thursday/Friday; my prediction is it's either Interpol or Spoon, two Empty Bottle-friendly bands that would definitely sell out the venue "in a matter of minutes" (Interpol even more so). Spoon does have a history of doing these sorts of special shows at smaller venues (though usually sponsored by Jack Daniels or Budweiser or something), but Interpol does play the Aragon at 7:30 Thursday night, so it might make sense that they head over to the Bottle afterwards for this "late night" show. Time will tell! Put in your bets now.

Suprise EB Guest

So my latest edition of the Empty Bottle Show List email tells me there's a show coming up on Oct. 11 with a special surprise guest. In fact, you may have to buy the tickets and show up without knowing who that guest is. Per the email:

Also, you'll find it curious that we've got a 'special surprise guest' playing here on Thursday, October 11th. We may or may not be disclosing the identity of said group, but we can tell you that the show would sell out in minutes if and when we announce them. You adventurous types may want to hedge your bets and buy a ticket now, assuring yourselves the opportunity to see some old friends play a late night set.

Hmmmm, old friends . . . how very cryptic.

Concert Review: Peter, Bjorn and John w/ Fujiya & Miyagi

I was a latecomer to the Peter Bjorn and John bandwagon; all the buzz they were getting somewhat turned me off, and I wasn't sure I really needed to hear yet another Swedish pop band. But when they booked a show at the Empty Bottle, I figured it was time to finally check them out; with all the attention they've been getting lately (and considering the amount of airplay "Young Folks" has been getting on on commercial radio and Verizon commercials), I knew that by this time next year they'd be headlining the Metro or even the Riviera, and I didn't want to regret missing them at the Bottle down the road.

Fujiya and Miyagi, meanwhile, has been a pretty constant presence on my headphones; their brand of funky, danceable kraut-rock is a welcome addition to my dance music collection, and I was thrilled that they were opening for PB&J. The three unassuming Brits came out a bit timidly on opener "Ankle Injuries," but seemed to gain confidence and stage presence as the show went on and the band got into the groove. Singer David Best rarely cracked a smile as his breathy vocals drifted over the crowd, but he did show off his smooth dance moves (I especially enjoyed his hip-shaking during the lyrics "Thigh bone's connected to the hip bone"). Speaking of their single "Collarbone," it was definitely the highlight of their set and drew the most enthusiasm from the crowd. Not surprising, because it's a killer song and definitely their best.

Having picked up Writer's Block only a few weeks before the show, I found myself enjoying the music, but not blown away by any means. Luckily, PB&J's live show definitely made me return to the recorded material with renewed interest. The Swedish threesome definitely brought some serious energy and passion to the stage, especially singer/guitarist Peter Moren; his exuberance and presence were a pleasure to watch. The band mixed in some older songs amongst the best tracks of Writer's Block; they also put a new spin on a few songs, including a folkier, slower version of "Amsterdam" that was interesting to hear. Meanwhile, early show opener Au Revoir Simone's Heather D'Angelo took the place of Victoria Bergsman during "Young Folks" and hammed it up with Peter during their musical call and response.

Occasionally things bordered on cutesy, such as the fact that certain items on stage were labeled ("Peter Bjorn and John Bass Amp", "Peter Bjorn and John Bass Drum") or when Peter introduced "Paris 2004" as a true story of a perfect holiday weekend he had, and suddenly lyrics like "I'm all about her / She's all about me / We're all about each other" became a little overkill. But overall, PB&J rocked a lot harder than I would have expected them too, especially during songs like "Object of My Affection" and the excellent show closer, "Up Against the Wall," which led Peter to jump on top of an amp and finish the show from there. Ideally the show would have ended on that high note, but the band came out for an unremarkable (and surprisingly slow) encore that included "Poor Cow", one of my least favorite songs from Writer's Block. Still, I thought they put on a great show overall and was very glad I decided to go.

Too young

It's "sexy-time" tonight with the Junior Boys at the Empty Bottle. It's been awhile since I've posted anything to the photoblog, so I'll probably take some pics tonight, even though they'll probably look just like the ones I took the last time I saw the Boys at the Bottle. I'm ok with that though.