Heading the “mustn’t miss” portion of our weekend, ALARM cover artists Dub Trio return to Chicago. If we have enough time (or the ability to clone ourselves), we hope to also catch Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers, Calexico, the Melvins, Big Business, and a number of other musical talents.
Sean-Michael Yoder feels that this week’s “Five to Consider” are all appropriate for late fall / early winter. This week’s list includes the house, techno, and urban sounds of Butch‘s double-disc release, the melodies and dreaminess of Guy J‘s Esperanza, and the break beats, booty bass, and turntable trickery of Stanton Warriors.
Infused with the energy of a hard-rock outfit, The Bad Plus wields its jazz chops with considerable force. In anticipation of the trio’s forthcoming covers album, For All I Care, ALARM has an exclusive MP3 streamer of “You and I Is a Comfort Zone,” an original song that will only be included on the album’s vinyl edition.
I am pretty lame about my hair, seriously. When I was in high school–I had curly hair in the 70s, not a good thing–I hated my hair as only a high-schooler can. It took me years to learn to just tolerate it, and when I worked in strip joints I was constantly flinging it around so no one could really tell what it looked like. Now I rely mostly on hairpieces, and if I’m not wearing one, my hair is usually what I call “put away,” in a ponytail or bun.
In a city often overshadowed by its DC neighbors, Baltimore has quietly contributed to many musical movements. From new wave and hardcore in the Eighties to a rise in the club scene this century, the town has shown a knack for producing forerunners of the tide. A prime example is avant-garde rock band Wilderness.
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez announces a new solo album for Stones Throw; Saul Williams speaks about the aftermath of The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust; Garage a Trois announces tour dates and posts an album preview; Don Caballero returns to the Northeast, and much more.
The inhabitants of 591 55th Street (or The Basement as it is commonly called) spend plenty of time playing Street Fighter and drinking. A few months ago, a combination of boredom and distaste for venue promoters prompted The Basement to dedicate some time to hosting bands.
Since then, a variety of musicians have performed in their space. Word has spread and many shows have reached capacity. 591 55th Street will be expanding in the near future to accommodate the crowds.
Care to stalk us this weekend? Search for us around Chicago as we see Subtle, The Lonesome Organist, Eastern Blok, the Andreas Kapsalis Trio, Young Widows, and more. And maybe you’d care to see The Dark Knight with online editor Scott Morrow…
Japanese Motors inhabits that mythical Gotham of our rock fan imagination; of tuff boys and tuffer girls, of leather jackets and tight denim and “I Heart NYC” tees, of Lou Reed and Debbie Harry and Richard Hell.
Yay! That’s All I Have To Say.
Faith No More didn’t revolutionize the rock landscape, but for much of its tenure, its members created some of the genre’s best mainstream songs while courting radio success. Along the way, Mike Patton and crew peppered other styles into their expanding repertoire, wedging lounge sounds, incoherent squeals, and even an angelic choir into songs that ran alongside pummeling rock tunes.
There is a kitschy guilty pleasure to pre-Patton songs such as “We Care a Lot,” but respectfully, they can’t compete. So with apologies to the Chuck Mosely era, here is our list for Faith No More’s best songs.
Austin, Texas is so overflowing with live music now that the city throws together an eighty-band festival in its sleep. So it was for the Fun Fun Fun Festival, whose biggest handicap might be its goofy name.