• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

World News Center

Everything you want to know about anything that's meaningful

  • News
  • Reviews
  • About
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Swinging, Sexy Sounds coming to Chicago

Swinging, Sexy Sounds coming to Chicago

November 29, 2010 by

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 just a couple of examples of April’s music being utilized, all for a newcomer with no record label striving to remain independent.

I caught up with April on the phone while her and the band were driving between gigs out west.  Have a listen and you’ll quickly learn that the girl is not only talented and a bit cheeky, but extremely down to earth and fun.

April Smith Interview Part 1:
Road trips, giving unique gifts to Tina Fey, and trumping Snookie

The name April Smith & The Great Picture Show really does efficiently evoke the vocally-driven, sepia-toned music and carnival-like spirit of this group.  The members behind April are multi-instrumentalists making use of stand-up bass, horns, accordion, mandolin and so forth.  At times on this record you’re given the feeling that you’re sitting in a cabaret early in the 20th century drinking highballs.

If you’ve been watching Boardwalk Empire and are liking the flapper music interludes scattered throughout the episodes..take that sound, give it a contemporary indie edge and sassiness, then toss in the April’s impressive voice and you’ve got ‘Songs For A Sinking Ship’.
“Can’t Say No”, “Movie Loves A Screen” and “Terrible Things” represent those Roaring 20’s-meets 40’s Wartime-meets Tom Waits moments well, while “Colors” is an all-out medicine show stomper (which features what sure as heck sounds like a kazoo solo, but it’s probably more like a well-muted trumpet).

But then April’s soaring voice comes directly to the forefront on slower tracks such as “What’ll I Do” a saucy ballad on which she sings over a bed of strings.

April Smith Interview Part 2: Musical backgrounds, Weeds/NFL commercial, and foodie musicians

Don’t let April’s small frame fool you, she’s a modern-day crooner with pipes that can out-sing someone twice her size.

Reviews of the live shows have been terrific, and I have a feeling that here in Chicago, we won’t have an opportunity to catch this group in a space as intimate as Beat Kitchen after this tour.

Tickets are just $10, and you can get them here.

April Smith & The Great Picture Show – “Colors”

April Smith & The Great Pictures Show – “Movie Loves A Screen”

“Terrible Things” video:

The NFL apparel spot featuring the cover of “You Don’t Own Me”:

The video of “Larry” as discussed in the interview with April..

April Smith & The Great Picture Show, Tuesday, 30th Nov., Beat Kitchen, $10, 8:00PM

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Primary Sidebar

Archives

  • March 2023
  • October 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • November 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in