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Do You Need Some Woo When You #2?

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April 23, 2011 by
superToilet

I know you don't come here to learn anything but are forced to on occasion anyway. Never anything useful, I'm not cruel, but still something you can talk about after your regular conversation crashes. "Hi honey, how was your day?" "Fine. And your's?" "Fine." (unhealthy pause) "So, have you seen the new, musical, toilets?" See? You're right back in the swing of things. Before we sing a song of sewage let's catch everyone up on the history of the flush toilet. Despite popular belief the modern flush toilet was not invented by Thomas Crapper. Nor was it invented by anyone named John. Nope, the original flush toilet was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: World News Center Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The White Stripes are Kaput

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February 2, 2011 by
The White Stripes

Announced today on their website, The White Stripes are officially broken up. This comes as a bit of a surprise I must say, as Jack White had been hinting late in 2010 that he and Meg White would be reconvening early this year.  In a Vanity Fair interview, he had said “We thought we'd do a lot of things that we'd never done: a full tour of Canada, a documentary, coffee-table book, live album, a boxed set…Now that we've gotten a lot of that out of our system, Meg and I can get back in the studio and start fresh." Seemingly, we were to hear brand spanking new material from these two sometime in the near future.  But today, the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Around Chicago Tagged With: , , ,

Put Some Rock N Roll Under The Tree

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December 19, 2010 by
damned_smash-250x417

Got a punk rocker on your list?  Have a friend or loved one who dresses like crap?  A local Chicago company could be your answer. They’re a bit of a two-pronged attack, with Full Breach 77 and Straight To Hell. Full Breach 77 is a one-stop rock n roll shop.  Need a t-shirt from a long-defunct obscure punk band?  They’ve got it.  Got some holes to fill in your music collection?  They’ve got that too.  Need to put a little oomph into your wardrobe?  They’ve got you covered. You’ll find various prints from the likes of Iggy Pop, Sid Vicious, T. Rex, Buzzcocks, The Damned, The Cramps, Johnny Thunders, The Replacements, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Around Chicago Tagged With: , , ,

Swinging, Sexy Sounds coming to Chicago

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November 29, 2010 by
April Smith & The Great Picture Show

Tuesday boasts a must-see show in Chicago as April Smith & The Great Picture Show roll their boisterous, vaudeville-like live show into town. April Smith is a NJ-born, Brooklyn-dwelling musician, and despite the fact that the album 'Songs For A Sinking Ship' is her debut, people have already been taking notice.  If you're a fan of Showtime's hit Weeds, you've likely heard April's track "Terrible Things" on the show's Season 6 promo that aired this summer. Then there's the new NFL women's apparel commercial spot that features Alyssa Milano and the band performing a cover of Leslie Gore's 1964 classic "You Don't Own Me".  And that's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Around Chicago Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

New Kanye West Record, A Perfect “10″ From Pitchfork

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November 22, 2010 by
'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' cover

Wow.  The world of indie rockers has been turned upside down today.  The 5th Kanye West record entitled 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' is released.  Pitchfork, the barometer and flag bearer for all that is underground and 'cool', has given it a score of a perfect 10. Forget the fact that they've done this for a mainstream hip-hop record, condsider instead that this is the first album (that isn't a reissue of a classic) to be ordained as such since the 2002 Wilco release 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot', and only the 12th new release to receive the 10.0 in all. Mr. West wanted to make a landmark record, and I don't know if you'll be able … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Around Chicago Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Grinderman (Nick Cave) Tonight In Chicago!

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November 22, 2010 by
Grinderman (feat. Nick Cave, 2nd from left)

There are few artists in the world of rock more revered and respected than Nick Cave. His group Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds not only forged new musical ground in the mid-80s, but they continue to woo critics and fans to this day (case in point: the band's 14th album 'Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!' from 2008), inspiring countless musicians in their wake. But midway through this past decade, even a guy as pioneering as Cave felt the need to branch out a bit, and began writing some songs on guitar..an instrument he rarely himself played. Enter Grinderman. Instead of enlisting new musicians to work with, Cave knew that his regular cast of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Around Chicago Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Ain’t No Rest For Cage The Elephant

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November 18, 2010 by
Cage The Elephant

It's been a hell of a year for Cage The Elephant, the best thing to come out of Kentucky since distilled corn. After the release of their self-titled debut a year ago, scoring the opening slot on the big Stone Temple Pilots tour this summer, a successful jaunt of their own, and a few hit singles ("Ain't No Rest For The Wicked", "Back Against The Wall", "In One Ear")..the group could easily take five and not be blamed for it. Instead, they're going to continue to ride the wave and their 2nd album is slated for a January 11th release, entitled 'Thank You, Happy Birthday'. They've made the first single available, called "Shake Me Down", and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Around Chicago Tagged With: , , , , ,

New Music: German Invasion

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November 17, 2010 by
'Narcotica'

I'm digging this new record entitled 'Narcotica' from a German band called The Blue Angel Lounge.  Hailing from Hagen, Germany (a town near Köln..or, "Cologne"), their debut album instantly transports me to a time and place in my musical past, while at the same time injecting a modern edge to it.  It's released on Berlin label 8mm Musik. For anybody in Chicago that grew up dancing to new wave/dark wave/alternative in the wee hours at places like Neo or Club 950 back in the day, these guys might strike a chord with you. To me, the baritone vocals recall that of Mark Burgess of 80's post punk group The Chameleons UK..and the dark … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Around Chicago Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Norah Jones & Her Pals; The Decemberists

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November 13, 2010 by
The Decemberists 'Down By The Water'

Jazzy pop vocalist Norah Jones releases her 5th full-length record entitled '...Featuring' on Tuesday, entirely comprised of collaborations with other artists.  And heavy hitting ones, too.  Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, OutKast, Ryan Adams and Herbie Hancock are just a sampling of who makes appearances on the 18 tracks, each featuring a different guest.  My favorites so far are the partnerships with Dolly Parton, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, M. Ward (with whom she does a bluesy slowed-down cover of "Blue Bayou"), and Belle & Sebastian. The modest Jones described the experience of working with these people on her website: “It's so … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Around Chicago Tagged With: , , , , ,

A Show Not To Miss…TONIGHT

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November 9, 2010 by
The Joy Formidable

I was first turned onto The Joy Formidable when I was making my annual preparations for the Iceland Airwaves festival, which took place a few weeks ago in Reykjavík.  The festival website has the entire lineup (which this year it boasted a total in the neighborhood of 250 acts playing over the 5 nights) with info/bios/mp3s/links/etc on its website weeks prior to the event, to give folks like me ample time to get to know the artists and compile a hit list for who I want to interview and check out.  Side note:  that's the beauty of Iceland Airwaves...the percentage of the artists that I recognize and know is only a certain amount, and I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Around Chicago Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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