Archives for September 2010

In my dating past, the two guys I had been most serious about happened to be actors which is purely coincidental seeing as though I had known the first one since we were 13 and he didn’t really have too much of an idea about where his career was headed.  Luckily, I had dated both of these guys pretty early on in their careers so I didn’t have to really ensue any uncomfortable conversations about any make out scenes that they were going to be participating in.
Now yes, I know…I knoooooow, I know, I know, “it’s just work; just a part of the job”, and “it’s so uncomfortable, you have an entire crew watching you”.  But still.  You are STILL physically kissing, making out, passionately embracing another person!  I mean, what if I said it just happened to be a part of my job to make out with this guest so they’d give me an interview.  What if that was just part of the job?  That’d be sexual harassment!  But yet it’s not for an actor when they’re told that they have to smash face with another actor.

I know a lot of times there can be no physical attraction or chemistry between the two actors and it’s “their job” to act like there is…but couldn’t the same be said for the guy who’s so out of his mind drunk at the bar that he makes out with, to borrow a term from Jersey Shore, the “grenade” who happens to be there? [Read more…] about So…that’s just part of your job?

Even though the *actual* Oktoberfest is just about to end, you still have a full weekend to participate in the annual harvest season tradition right here at home before it’s all said and done.

I consider myself lucky having a good friend who lives in Munich (oops..I mean München!), as he is the sole reason I’ve got an Oktoberfest streak going of 6 years running!  But even after I return home with a well-exercised liver, I still like to buck up and partake in the Chicago celebrations because what it all boils down to is this:  the great food, plus..well, yeah..the great beer, but most importantly the good times.  And those good times are summed up in the one single German word of “gemütlichkeit”. 

Here are two locations, one north and one south, where you can sway to the festive tunes, raise your ‘mass’ and bellow from the bottom of your lungs a hearty “Prost!”

SOUTHSIDE OKTOBERFEST – Toyota Park, Bridgeview

Taking over the home of the Chicago Fire for three days (Fri-Sun), the Southside version of der Wiesn features free admission and parking!  The food and music go without saying, but just like the real one in Munich there’s also a carnival area with rides, etc. (which carries an extra charge of $15).

Hours:

Friday: 5Pm-11

Saturday and Sunday: 1PM-11

ST. BENEDICT’S OKTOBERFEST – 3920 N. Leavitt, Chicago

St. Benedict’s Parish in North Center has been holding down Oktoberfest celebrations since 1966, true to their heritage as a German-rooted church.  It takes place Saturday and Sunday and in addition to the food, beer and live music they feature raffles, games, a teen area, kids attractions and an area with screens so you won’t miss any Bears action on Sunday.

All proceeds benefit the St. Benedict parish and schools, so all the beer you guzzle ends up going to a good cause..plus, admission is FREE.

Hours:

Saturday: 3pm-11

Sunday: 1PM-9

So, you’re all set to dive into the annual Bavarian tradition, except that you’re going to need to memorize just one thing.  Don’t worry, there’s only 4 words to learn, and this youtube video makes it easy with a “follow the bouncing pretzel” format…and you just can’t properly do Oktoberfest without it:

Awwww… back to reality I come. Our family vacation to the Bahamas was incredible.  Even though we went during “hurricane season” to save a little money, the weather was perfect every day. When it rains in the Bahamas it lasts for about 10 minutes, then it’s a sun-shining day out!

We stayed at the Atlantis– here was the view from our balcony:

Yep! It was like heaven LOL. Brian and I enjoyed the water rides at the Atlantis and checked out the huge aquariums too.  Look at some of what we saw………….

WOW! Yah…. it was pretty amazing being so close to a huge shark like that. I think he wanted to eat me.

Saturday night we went to a comedy show and saw the best comics. This one guy performed, and I’ve never laughed so hard. His name was Frankie Paul– look him up by clicking HERE.

The food in the Bahamas was to die for. The accommodations were superb, and we can’t wait to go back!!

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There are two shows hitting Chicago this weekend that are unmissable for any fan of Brit rock.  We’re talking two bands that at best play North America rarely, but also were both at one time completely broken up!

On Friday, it’s Chapterhouse at Lincoln Hall, then James hits the Vic on Saturday.

Let’s go with James first, since they’re the ones that had success on our side of the Atlantic.  And by success, I mean that to this day drunk girls in bars go bananas and sing along every time James’ song “Laid” comes on.  They were seriously one of my favorite bands back in my days as a wee lad attending jr. high and high school.  I’d catch their videos on “120 Minutes” and had their first few albums on cassette!

I’ll stop dating myself now and say that after the group was defunct for over 6 years, I was one of the fans thrilled that they decided to pick up the torch and carry on in 2007.  An excellent record called ‘Hey Ma’ came along in 2008, and since April they’ve delivered two mini-albums entitled ‘The Night Before’ and ‘The Morning After’ for a combined 16 new tracks, which is arguably some of their best stuff ever.

I’m including videos for my two favorite James tunes ever:  “Say Something” and “Sit Down”, though the video for the most common (and in my opinion the best) version of the latter is nowhere to be found, so it’s audio only..

Chapterhouse was more of a flash in the pan act that was synonymous with the “shoegaze” movement which sprouted out of Britain in the late-80’s.  It was named as such because in order to get the intense wash of fuzzy guitar sounds that identified the genre, musicians required the use of practically a floor-full of guitar effect pedals.  As a result, they were constantly looking down to manipulate these pedals with their feet..hence, gazing at their shoes.  Other acts that fell into this category included The Jesus & Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and Ride among others.  More popularly, this style helped launch the sound of groups such as Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr..

Somewhere around 1995, Chapterhouse dissolved and most of their music became out of print and hard to find.  Thanks to some reissues, that’s been rectified and they played their first gig in 14 years last November in London, much to the delight of this fan.  The kicker, though, is that they are not properly reforming.  This is the only North American swing that they’re gonna do, so if you’re like me and never had a chance to see them back in the day…Friday at Lincoln Hall is our only chance.

I’m including videos for the two Chapterhouse tracks from way back when that I just couldn’t get enough of then, and they sound just as great today: “Mesmerise” and “Pearl”.

In full disclosure, I’ll be the bloke up in the balcony spinning tunes between acts..but that’s hardly the reason that I recommend checking them out.

However if you do need another reason, Chicago’s own indie/shoegaze group Airiel are excellent live, and they’re opening up the show..

Nick Rosario – Every once in a while there is someone or something that just speaks to you. I want to talk about two individuals who spoke to me during my high school years. Those two men; Eddie and Jobo.  Every morning I would wake up to the sound of their voices. It was as if they spoke my language. Their shtick to me was hilarious. They were always up to something; whether it was making prank phone calls, getting women to remove their panties on Thursday, or playing one of their parody songs. These two just flat out made me laugh.

I was ecstatic to find out that they agreed to appear on an episode of NudeHippo. Here was my chance to talk to two guys I had always admired. I was there to meet them when they arrived for the taping. Right away Jobo started telling me about the things him and Eddie used to get into. These guys truly knew how to party. I was on the floor laughing, as Jobo described their escapades. If you have never heard Jobo tell a story, you are really missing out. Highlights from their appearance include: Jobo admitting to being a recovering cocaine addict, liking disco, and listening to the Score sports radio. Eddie having the Backstreet Boys sing his proposal to his fiance, liking Kid Rock, and doing a Barney the Dinosaur impression.

I failed to mention earlier that it was also Jobo’s birthday. We had a cake for him and sang to him. Eddie and Jobo have returned to Chicago Radio. They can be heard Saturday nights from 7-9pm on WLS-Am 890. Their appearance on our show will go down as one of my favorites.

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I’m not a religious person, so to hell with buying me an expensive box to rot in….THIS is the way I want to go.  (don’t forget step #6!).

The flight to bring me back to the States was coming out of Madrid, and I was envisioning a couple of chill nights being spent there to wind the journey down, knowing that I’d be jumping right back into the madness of life upon getting home.  Oh, but I was mistaken..

It began when my good friend at Delilah’s on Lincoln enthusiastically put me in touch with his “boy Francisco in Madrid”.  Turns out Francisco is a well-connected music industry guy who is in tune with anything you’d ever need in Madrid.  Sure, he knows which direction to point you in for famous sites, but I’m talking about real tangible stuff:  where to go drinking, where the best rock clubs/bars are, where the good record stores are, where to eat, where the red light district is, and even hooked me with a cheap price on a place to stay.  Upon arriving and meeting Francisco, he informs me that he’s involved with a music festival happening the very two nights that I’d be in town…um, yeah..could I have even scripted this any better?

The real kicker was the moment I was shown the band lineup, and there I found Chicago’s own JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound.  Honing their blend of indie rock and classic Chicago soul for three years now, there really isn’t anyone else in town (Chicago, that is) doing what they’re doing.

Amongst a two-night bill full of rock acts, these guys brought the hip shaking.  It took a few songs for the Spaniards to warm up to them and their style (I’m not aware of any soul/rock/R&B groups in Madrid), but by the end of the band’s set the crowd was all-in and nobody was standing still.  I think they successfully left their mark, and I hope that the remaining shows that they’re playing in Spain over the next week are as much of a hit.

Once they return home, you’ll have a chance to catch them on Oct. 28th at Otto’s in Dekalb if you’re reading from the far west burbs, and then in the city at an event called “Spooktacular” on Oct. 30th at Impala Studios.

But my Chicago connection for the night wasn’t yet over.

Not only was I put in touch with my new friend Francisco in Madrid, but Mike from Delilah’s also implored me to check out his favorite bar in that city.  Now, if a film director whose work you love told you about a film that he/she enjoys, you’d rush right out to see it, wouldn’t you?  Similarly, when the owner of Chicago’s finest bar (and globally ranked whiskey bar) tells me to check out a place called Templo Del Gato, you can bet I’ll be there.

Upon walking in, I immediately knew why Mike loves it so much.  Like Delilah’s, music is top priority and it looked and felt like a ‘sister bar’ to Delilah’s.  The dj was killing it with old school 60’s garage like the Kinks and Easybeats, plus post punk like Joy Division and The Cure.  And it was on the little window of the dj booth where I found the sticker in the photo that you see here.  Righteous.

The clientele was fun and friendly, and the bartender–who could barely speak English but understood that I was sent there from the Chicago bar on the sticker–was happy that I was there and my second round of cerveza was on the house.

All in all, it was a nice little buffer to return home from a long trip by practically feeling like I was already back in Chicago 48 hours before arriving!

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Have you ever had an experience that just knocked you right off your feet? I had the good fortune to have that happen to me. I went to see Rock of Ages at the Bank of America Theatre. The only word that comes to mind is WOW!!!! I have seen many musicals, but none of them had me reminiscing like this one. For anyone who grew up in the eighties this musical is for you. From the opening number I was transported back in time. It’s as if I was living my teenage years all over again. Every number had a special place in my heart. It took me back to a time where things were much simpler. A time where my biggest concern was where to spend my White Castle paycheck. It took me back to riding in my buddies jeep, where we would blast Bon Jovi. To the times I made out with my girlfriend to Poison. All great memories; relived through two and a half hours of non-stop fun. Even if you are not a theater goer, I believe you would enjoy the music and energy with which the cast performs. The songs stand the test of time. All your 80’s favorites are here. “We’re not gonna take it“, “Cum on feel the noize“, “Anyway you want it“, “Hit me with your best shot“, and “Don’t stop believing”  just to name a few. Rock of Ages does what any good musical should do. Take you on a ride and leave you wanting more. That’s what it did for me. So if you have the time go and see Rock of Ages. You owe to yourself. ROCK ON!!!!

Click here to read Ashley Lobo’s look at ROCK OF AGES.