Mark your calendars! Click onward for more info.
Five Good Songs about Barack Obama
Political inspiration is great, but the world is tired of Will.I.Am‘s celeb-packed Obama tribute. In honor of the freshly passed stimulus package, here are five good songs about the United States’ 44th president.
Weekly Music News Roundup
Dysrhythmia begins recording its new album; Tinariwen announces UK dates with Tunng; Prefuse 73 has a new album and a project with Zach Hill; Lifetime reissues a pair of albums; Pelican signs to Southern Lord. Read about this and more in our weekly roundup.
DIY Venue Spotlight: The Lollybot Collective
Their event line-ups and themes have carried out their goal of a guaranteed good — and free — time for everyone who attends.
What We’re Seeing This Weekend: Fucked Up, Monotonix, Cheer-Accident, D. Rider
We’ll see plenty of rock this weekend as our destinations treat us to punk, post-punk, metal, avant-garde rock, quirk rock, and funk. Click onward to read our four-day itinerary.
David Bazan Preps for New Album with Nationwide House Tour
Walking through a quiet neighborhood in Portland, my friend and I come across our destination, a nondescript house — seemingly empty. A few folks nearby on the sidewalk encourage us.
“Just go on in,” they offer. We accept. Approaching the porch, I see a sign on the door with two words: “David Bazan.” Bazan, the former frontman of Pedro the Lion, has arrived here as part of an intimate nationwide tour.
Ten Current/Upcoming Tours to Catch
As the season’s wintry punishment eases (it cracked 50 in Chicago this weekend), more and more artists are getting back in their vans and braving the roads for packed and sparse crowds alike.
Here’s a list of tours on our radar, including dates from The Bad Plus, Fucked Up, Orange Tulip Conspiracy, P.O.S., Secret Chiefs 3, Young Widows, and more.
Overspray: Riding High with the Kings of California Airbrush Art
Overspray: Riding High with the Kings of California Airbrush Art
by Norman Hathaway
Hardcover, 226 Pages, Picturebox, $50
[currently available for $20 here]
Overspray is a another great visual resource from Picturebox, with many examples of ’70s airbrush art from four artists.
Weekly Music News Roundup
This week’s news recap includes pre-order info for the Secret Chiefs 3 live DVD, details for new albums from Cursive and Burnt by the Sun, info on Farmers Market‘s “Norwegian Grammy,” and more.
What We’re Seeing This Weekend: Tortoise, TyK Pinups, Mi Ami, onYou
This weekend, our plans include catching Tortoise and its sneak preview of new material, attending a “going to press” party for the Thought You Knew pinup calendar, and seeing a pair of widely influenced, experimental groups (Mi Ami, onYou) at The Hideout.
Q&A: Jazz Bassist Matt Ulery Explores Chamber Scores with Solo Compositions
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.