Plus: Remembering Pickles Piekarski
1. Sasha Go Hard Drops Nutty World.
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Alternatively:
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2. Ebony: Chicago Drill Stars Talk Music, Violence.
EBONY: The drill scene has an unusual number of women rapping about shooting and violence. Does this reflect the reality for females on the streets of Chicago?
KATIE GOT BANDZ: I wouldn’t say that. I can’t speak for no other females in Chicago but for me everything I talk about I’ve experienced it or I’ve seen it every day. I used to be out here wild, playing with guns but I’ve slowed down on that because I have stuff to live for.
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3. Katie Got Bandz On Sway.
On Popping Out.
On Female Rappers In Chicago & Graduating High School With Sasha Go Hard.
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On Relationships And Growing As An Artist.
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4. MLB: Chicago’s Music Scene An Early Crucible For Civil Rights.
“Carlos Johnson has been playing the blues in Chicago for more than 40 years, and he says the secret to the popularity of the genre – which originated in the South – is the expression of deep suffering that permeates its roots.
“‘[Blues music] was kind of adaptable because coming from the South there was not a lot of opulence for African-Americans,’ said Johnson during a break between sets at the Buddy Guy’s Legends blues bar. ‘So when we got here, we basically had the same thing – but just on a higher level.
“‘The level of struggle and pain and indifference was still there, so the music developed that. Any time you’re in a social environment and you’re doing anything, it absorbs you.’
“As he made his way among the audience members with his electric guitar, Johnson was absorbed in his music – the passion that has taken him around the globe, singing the blues in places like Japan and Argentina.
“But Johnson’s home, like the home of the blues, is Chicago, whose White Sox will host the Civil Rights Game on Saturday at U.S. Cellular Field.
“The game itself will be preceded by a roundtable discussion at 12:30 p.m. on Friday at the Chicago Cultural Center, featuring White Sox executive vice president Kenny Williams and moderator Harold Reynolds, and the Beacon Awards Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Downtown Chicago Marriott Magnificent Mile.
“Tickets for Saturday’s luncheon – featuring Commissioner Bud Selig, Beacon Award winner Bo Jackson, Hall of Famer Hank Aaron, White Sox great Minnie Miñoso, Cubs great Ferguson Jenkins and keynote speaker Michael Wilbon – can be purchased at whitesox.com.”
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5. Guardian: Top 10 Chicago Playlist: Alternative Windy City Anthems.
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6. Chicagoist: Playlist: Great Local Bands Actually From Chicago.
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7. New Pelican.
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8. Via the Reader’s Peter Margasak: “The latest title from the wonderful Awesome Tapes From Africa label – the imprint run by Chicago-area native Brian Shimkovitz.”
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9. Stream Robbie Fulks’ Small-Town Folk Epic Gone Away Backward.
“Robbie Fulks’ latest album serves as a homecoming,” Kyle McGovern writes for Spin.
“Out August 27, Gone Away Backward marks the alt-country vet’s return not only to his folk and bluegrass roots, but also to Bloodshot Records – the upcoming LP is his first on the label since 2001’s 13 Hillbilly Giants.
“Thematically, Fulks’ childhood hangs heavily over the 12-track effort; as Bloodshot puts it, the Chicago-based singer-songwriter laments ‘the decline of small-town and rural America in which he was raised.’
“Recorded and mixed by Steve Albini, Gone Away Backward inhabits a forgotten segment of the country, telling stories of children outgrowing (and out-earning) their parents, and weary travelers fighting crises of faith and big-city grifters.
“It’s all woven together with warm instrumentation – banjo, mandolin, fiddle, upright bass, and Fulks’ own guitar picking – and it’s all streaming [here].”
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10. Remembering Pickles Piekarski.
“The sudden death last Friday of Bad Examples bassist Tom “Pickles” Piekarski, age 61, shocked and saddened the Chicagoland music community which he had been a part of since 1972,” Tom Lounges writes for the Times of Northwest Indiana.
“He was born May 31, 1952 in Humboldt Park and spent his childhood there, moving to McHenry, Ill. in 1997 to care for his parents.
“A heart attack at his McHenry home took the life of this much respected and beloved veteran player recognized as much for his dark sunglasses and beret, as for laying down the groove for such famous regional groups as Mike Jordan & The Rockamatics and The Bad Examples.
“Other groups who benefitted from his musical skills, include Betsy & The Boneshakers, The Blue Balls, JP & The Cats, Bucky Halker, and globally famous children’s music group, Ralph’s World.
“Although a cornerstone of The Bad Examples’ hook-heavy sound and energetic live shows from 1988 until his untimely death last week, Mr. Piekarski may best be remembered by those outside of the Midwest for his time with Chicago folk-rock icon, John Prine, whose band came to be called The Famous Potatoes.”
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Comments welcome.
Posted on August 21, 2013