Gangsta Reggae vs. Gangsta Country

A loose collection of whatnot.
1. The Wild Hare Is Back?!
In May 2011, Ethiopian owner-musician Zeleke Gessesse decided to close Chicago’s landmark reggae club and open a new one in Addis Ababa. (See One Love, Wild Hare.)
Well, it turns out new owners re-opened the Hare way back in February as a restaurant/bar serving Caribbean food at 2610 North Halsted, but the Wrightwood Neighbors Association is still fighting their application for a live music license. Some neighbors have described the Hare as loud, disturbing and gangsta.
(For what it’s worth, Ald. Tom Tunney had this to say to Chicago magazine (A Wild Ride Winds Down: The Awesome Story Behind Wrigleyville’s The Wild Hare) upon the bar’s closing at its original location: “Zeke and The Wild Hare have been a longtime presence in the 44th ward. We helped them expand at their location on Clark Street, and they’ve been good neighbors. Zeke brought a real slice of creativity and independence that’s sometimes lacking in the Wrigleyville neighborhood, and we’re sorry to see him go.”)
The city re-scheduled a license hearing for later this month. Mystic Vibes TV cut this public service announcement in support of the Hare.

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Posted on November 14, 2012

By Steve Rhodes

Would love to show a collection of videos from Bob Dylan’s show here Friday night but – with one exception, as we shall see – they simply do not exist. Apparently Bob is quite strict about such things. What a dick. Because according to the critics – as we shall see – the show was an amazing triumph.
Now, I’m a huge Dylan fan. I happen to believe he is the greatest artist of all time, with the possible exception of William Shakespeare. But I have had absolutely no interest in his last half-dozen records or so, what we might call his Starbucks era. Because if you can’t get them there, you ought to be able to.
Seems to me the music has been rudimentary and his voice, once perhaps the most underrated and unfairly, ignorantly maligned instrument in rock history, is totally shot.
Let’s take a look.

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Posted on November 13, 2012

By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk

You shoulda been there.
1. Pierce The Veil at House of Blues on Friday night.

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Posted on November 12, 2012

By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk

You shoulda been there.
1. Misfits at the House of Blues on Monday night.

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Posted on November 9, 2012

By Steve Rhodes

A loose collection of whatnot.
1. The Chicago Gangsters were actually from Ohio. More deets after the vid.

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Posted on November 8, 2012

By The Beachwood Election Bureau

As the presidential race comes down the stretch, it’s all about Ohio.
So we’re told.
Ohio is the swing state du jour.
All eyes are on it.
Whatever.
There are many songs about Ohio. The top of the heap is – no doubt – the one by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
“The Kent State shootings had a profound effect on some of the students who later became prominent musicians,” according to Songfacts.
“Chrissie Hynde was a student at the time, and eventually formed The Pretenders. Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale were also on campus, and after the shootings, they developed the band Devo based on the concept of ‘De-Evolution,’ meaning the human race was regressing.

Said Casale, “It refocused me entirely. I don’t think I would have done Devo without it. It was the deciding factor that made me live and breathe this idea and make it happen. In Chrissie Hynde’s case, I’m sure it was a very powerful single event that was traumatic enough to form her sensibility and account for a lot of her anger.”

Hynde, of course, went on to write “My City Was Gone,” in which she lamented the mallification of her home state. The final verse:

I went back to Ohio
But my pretty countryside
had been paved down the middle
by a government that had no pride
The farms of Ohio
had been replaced by shopping malls
And Muzak filled the air
from Seneca to Cuyahoga Falls
Way to go, Ohio

Oddly, Rush Limbaugh uses the opening of the song as a “bumper” on his radio show despite the fact that Hynde does not share his politics.
“[S]he cannot stop him from using the song as long as the show continues to pay royalties,” according to Songfacts.
But the Ohio song most relevant to this year’s Election Day is one that has unfortunately been relevant for too long: Bruce Springsteen’s “Youngstown.”

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Posted on November 6, 2012

By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk

You shoulda been there.
1. Shiny Toy Guns at Subterranean on Thursday night.

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Posted on November 5, 2012

By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk

You shoulda been there.
1. Those Darlins at Schubas on Thursday night.

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Posted on November 2, 2012

Pow!

Axes in Chicago.
1. Perfect guitar for fighting crime.

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Posted on November 1, 2012