Bassist/composer Matt Ulery has spent the last half of this decade entertaining Chicago with his involvement in chamber-jazz outfit Loom, jazz and classical-guitar quartet Eastern Blok, and other exceptional endeavors.
P.O.S. has saved hip hop.
I haven’t been this excited and energized about a hip-hop album since Shadows On The Sun by Brother Ali came out in 2003.
The 20-year anniversary of the movie Elvira: Mistress of the Dark was just celebrated in Los Angeles with host Peaches Christ, who also hosted at Tease-O-Rama last year.
Every year, we’re treated to fossils of rock and roll providing halftime entertainment that appeals to the most common denominator. Naturally, most of it is excruciating to independent music fans. Here’s a list of awful moments from this year’s big game (in chronological order).
Announcements are made for new albums from Irepress, Karl Sanders, Black Moth Super Rainbow, and Staff Benda Bilili — a group of paraplegic Congolese street musicians.
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey releases its new studio album for free; Secret Chiefs 3 announces a concert DVD; Les Claypool announces an outstanding mini festival that will be in a town near you. This and more after the jump.
Universe City is Norman, Oklahoma’s progressive oasis, offering an art studio stocked with supplies, bi-monthly open mic nights, and poetry readings for anyone needing to express him/herself.
There is also a library, free school, and an art gallery open to anyone wanting to learn or be inspired. There is no cover for shows, but donations are welcome and are given to the bands.
Featuring members of NOMO, Silences (Sumire), Zing! and Eastern Blok, this newly formed improvisational outfit features four young standouts in Chicago’s jazz, rock, and electronic scenes, relying less on freeform contrast and more on repeated melodies and apparent sections.
Our plans for Friday involve the impressionistic Patti Smith documentary, Patti Smith: Dream of Life, which includes an after-film conversation with Smith, director Steven Sebring, and Chicago Sun-Times pop critic Jim DeRogatis.
Later in the night, progressive-metal power trio The Alaya Conscious prepares for a new EP with a show at Chicago’s Elbo Room.
A veteran journalist for The New York Times, The Guardian, Harper’s Magazine, and The Nation, Naomi Klein has long been a critic of globalization. We’re especially excited to see her speak Thursday evening about her latest book, The Shock Doctrine, at Chicago’s Loyola University.
This week, see ALARM columnist Jo Weldon in Lisa Whitmer‘s playful look into the world of burlesque in her documentary No Strings Attached, featuring Weldon’s glove-and-stocking-peel class.
Our list of favorites from last year includes devastating dub metal, organ-fueled psychedelic grind, a re-released classic-rock gem from nearly four decades ago, an international assemblage of punk-infused field recordings, and an Indian/surf/metal take on John Zorn‘s Masada material.
Details emerge about new albums from Isis, Tortoise, Akron/Family, and Stinking Lizaveta; Zu announces some dates for a world tour (a pair of which are with Mike Patton); Dark Meat will go on tour with its 17 members; the Scion Rock Fest hosts a spate of crushing metal bands in Atlanta on February 28.
Keep readin’…