By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk
You shoulda been there.
1. Deep Space Pilots at Reggie’s on Saturday night.
Posted on April 30, 2012
The Week in Chicago Rock
By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk
You shoulda been there.
1. Elbow Deep at the Empty Bottle on Sunday night.
Posted on April 27, 2012
We Now Join Thrill Jockey’s 20th Anniversary Celebration In Progress
Reissues And New Releases!
“As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations for Chicago institution Thrill Jockey Records, post-rock legends Tortoise are hitting the road this spring and summer,” Critical Mob reports.
“The tour starts this Wednesday, April 25, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and wraps up July 20 in Tonsberg, Norway. The group will be playing 20 dates in all; full dates are available at the Thrill Jockey website.”
In honor of said anniversary, let us now enjoy the music stylings of 20 Thrill Jockey artists.
1. Tortoise.
Posted on April 25, 2012
The Illinois State Fair Wants You To Want Them
By The Beachwood Grandstand Affairs Desk
“Cheap Trick, Train, Night Ranger and Blue Oyster Cult will headline this year’s Illinois State Fair,” AP reports.
At least Ted Nugent isn’t scheduled to appear – yet.
All are state fair veterans. Let’s take a look at performances by each band on last year’s circuit so fair-goers know what to expect.
Posted on April 24, 2012
The Weekend in Chicago Rock
By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk
You shoulda been there.
1. Snow Patrol at the Aragon on Saturday night.
Posted on April 23, 2012
Remembering Levon Helm In Chicago
By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk
“Levon Helm was the rarest of musical multi-taskers: an unflappable drummer and a singer who wrung soul out of every note,” Greg Kot writes for the Tribune. “He also was a terrific team player and bandmate; he made the people around him sound good.
“Helm was ‘the only drummer who could make you cry,’ critic Jon Carroll once wrote.
“‘It’s nearly impossible to sing so smoothly and hit that hard at the same time,’ singer Neko Case wrote on Twitter this week.
“Helm, who died Thursday in New York City at age 71 after a long battle with cancer, was part of one of the most revered ensembles in rock history, The Band, a quintet built on interplay, empathy and shared responsibility.”
Helm performed here just last month and had played a variety of Chicago venues in recent years. Let’s take a look.
1. At the Old Town School of Folk Music on March 16, 2012.
Posted on April 20, 2012
The Week in Chicago Rock
By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk
You shoulda been there.
1. Continental at Live Wire Lounge on Wednesday night.
Posted on April 20, 2012
Lollapalooza’s Sweet Deal
By Steve Rhodes
“The new contract that will keep Lollapalooza in Grant Park through 2021 will yield more money for city, county and state governments,” Jim DeRogatis reports on his WBEZ blog Pop N Stuff. “But city officials blew the opportunity to eliminate other unfair advantages that the Daley administration gave the politically connected concert in its original sweetheart deal, and to correct problems these create for the city’s permanent music scene.
“When the Chicago Park District crafted the new pact, Mayor Rahm Emanuel broke his oft-stated promise to ask the City Council to appoint an independent negotiator to handle any new dealings with Lollapalooza, which is co-owned by Austin, Texas-based concert promoters C3 Presents and William Morris Endeavor, the Hollywood talent agency run by the mayor’s brother Ari.
“The Park District secured an extra $1.35 million a year from the festival, which previously benefited from an unprecedented tax-free deal negotiated by its attorney and lobbyist, Mark Vanecko, a nephew of then-Mayor Richard Daley. But it will continue to give the giant concert an exclusive lock on Grant Park, prohibiting similar events by other promoters in the city’s biggest public space. It failed to weigh the negative impacts on the Chicago music scene against the profits the festival brings to local hotels and restaurants; it solicited no public input from the music community and did not consult the City Council; it did nothing to address controversial radius clauses that are the most restrictive in the music industry, and it did not set any penalties if Lollapalooza fails to live up to its obligations.”
In other words, Lollapalooza may no longer be the sweetheart it once was, but it still got a sweet deal.
Posted on April 17, 2012
The Weekend in Chicago Rock
By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk
You shoulda been there.
1. Fun. at the Vic on Saturday night.
Posted on April 16, 2012
The Week in Chicago Rock
By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk
You shoulda been there.
1. That 1 Guy at Park West on Thursday night.
Posted on April 13, 2012