What We’re Doing This Weekend

The Sword

Our plans this weekend include local shows with the massive stoner metal of The Sword, the experimental jazz of the Umbrella Music Festival, and the raw alt-country of O’death.

And our friends in Austin have another great festival of their own, as the Fun Fun Fun Fest run on Saturday and Sunday.

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Brother Ali Releases Free MP3 Celebrating Obama’s Election

Last night Brother Ali recorded this track to capture his feelings on this monumental event.

Brother Ali: “Mr. President (You’re The Man)”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

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Q&A: East Coast Avengers Discuss War Obsessions, 9/11, and Fox News

Brought together by the East Coast independent hip-hop scene and shared political views, emcees Trademarc and Esoteric and producer DC the Midi Alien comprise the East Coast Avengers.

The outspoken trio gained national notoriety a few months back upon the release of its first single, “Kill Bill O’Reilly,” which landed it a spot on the “Worst Person in the World” segment of Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

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Japanese Motors Bring Retro Rock to Chicago

Sometimes hype can be destructive. Despite the fact that the indie-rock band Japanese Motors’ self-titled debut album is a mediocre-at-best attempt to hipsterize yet another mid-century retro sound, despite that this band has been pushed so hard by the golden ticket of coolness VICE Records that the influence toward irritation even before hearing the band is inevitable, despite lead singer Al Knost’s attempt to create a West Coast Julian Casablancas (the original retro hipsterizer), despite a half-empty room of uninterested stares at the Empty Bottle — despite all this, this band actually kills it live.

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Weekly Burlesque: Scrapbook Post, Halloween

photo by Jo Weldon

photo by Jo Weldon

I had started this scrapbook blog, but it doesn’t make sense to run two at the moment when I haven’t had time to do one, so here’s a scrapbook post for the holiday. Happy Halloween!! Read More

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Voodoo Music Experience Mixes NOLA and National Flavor

The Voodoo Music Experience celebrated its 10th anniversary in New Orleans with its most ambitious lineup ever and crowds from all over the country. Mixing a tableaux of both international touring bands with local acts that embody the New Orleans indie/alternative/traditional culture, the 3-day weekend continued proudly once again in its City Park homestead which had been underwater during Hurricane Katrina. Read More

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Beastie Boys

The Top 10 Lines from the Beastie Boys’ Hello Nasty

Named after the telephone greeting at PR company Nasty Little Man, Hello Nasty was the Beastie Boys’ stellar follow-up to Ill Communication.

It houses a mix of live instruments, handpicked samples, and serious DJ skills, and it also holds some of the trio’s best lines. We decided to pick out our favorites.

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Weekly Music News Roundup

Ben Weinman

Ben Weinman

Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Ben Weinman posts footage of his solo performance; Black Moth Super Rainbow won’t be playing for a while; MTV Iggy posts a clip of Yo-Yo Ma and Andrew Bird jamming. This and much more…

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DIY Venue Spotlight: The BFG

Photo by Jen Hauser

Saving the youth of Appleton, Wisconsin from radio rock, the BFG House has been hosting punk shows for over a year. The BFG was established to share new music and an alternative way of life with the Appleton community. Bands who play here can expect home cooked meals and an audience of punks, neighbors and the occasional ‘townie.’

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Lawrence Arms and Bouncing Souls Kick Off Riot Fest 2008

Photo by Kevin J. Bradley

Photo by Kevin J. Bradley

Chicago’s own Riot Fest made its return this year, once again kicking down doors to several venues for the annual punk rock festivities. Things started in high gear on Friday, October 12 at the House of Blues with the lineup of The Frankl Project, Das Kapital, Shot Baker, The Bouncing Souls, and The Lawrence Arms. Read More

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