Music

The troupe of Roma musicians known as Taraf de Haidouks, or Band of Outlaws, is set to release its first new studio recording in six years. The band returns with Maskarada, a collection of enlivening reinterpretations of pieces by classical composers.

Despite the fact that High on Fire and Don Caballero were set to play for free at Chicago’s Wicker Park Festival the next day, neighborhood venue Subterranean was packed for both bands last Saturday night. Somehow, it didn’t seem fitting for a group as dark as High on Fire to play when there was even a trace of sunlight left on the horizon.

Expectations are dangerous, particularly when one is called upon to listen with a fair and objective ear, and many may not be prepared for the leisurely, tropical vibe of Dos, the new release from Culver City Dub Collective.

Do you like accordion music? Theatrics? A vocal delivery reminiscent of both Tom Waits and Andy Kaufman? General debauchery and unruliness? Outkast covers? If you’re in North America this summer, you’ve got the chance to see all these things rolled into one. That’s right — Jason Webley is on tour.

GG Allin lives! Like Tupac and Elvis, this particularly infamous punker continues to live on in various forms of multimedia, and he’s finally made it to DVD. The documentary, entitled Hated, chronicles Allin‘s insane life and includes live material so fans can finally watch him without fearing for their own lives.

Indie mathematicians Minus the Bear are preparing to once again rock your argyle socks off. Their autumnal tour will give you just enough time to get used to Planet of Ice, their new album out August 21, and replacement keyboardist, Alex Rose.

Over a six-night stint at New York’s Jazz Standard, composer/trumpeter Dave Douglas and companions Donny McCaslin (tenor sax), Uri Caine (fender rhodes), James Genus (bass), and Clarence Penn (drums) performed and recorded twelve sets that were subsequently captured on this two-disc selection for Greenleaf Music.

It’s been a few years since progressive, gothic instrumentalists Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses put out new tunes. That will shortly be no longer the case as the epic group is one of the latest to record a limited-edition release for Southern Records‘ Latitudes series.

Several years ago, I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and score a job at Gramaphone Records (Chicago).

Nick Cave has made a career of sticking to his guns. He has certainly changed musical direction, band members, and hairstyles since his first howls with The Birthday Party, but his unique vision and determination remain.

Relying as much on furious explosions of saxophone and uncompromising tenor/baritone melodies as crunches of distortion and choppy metal riffs, the seven members of horn-heavy conglomeration Jerseyband faithfully fulfill their self-bestowed description of being pioneers of “lungcore.”

Contrary to popular belief, video really only maimed the radio star. The internet’s here to finish the job, and Scion broadBand may be the death knell.