It's The Music That I Love

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Monday, August 24, 2009

*a child of the new music paradigm, Jack Conte has been jabbing at the acoustic world with electronic punches for years. with the release of the videosongs and the sleep in color EP, the buzz is starting to build for the third west coast tour this march.

the bay area native has influences that range from danny elfman to bjork to chopin, and as a child, whether he was listening to his father playing bill evans tunes on the piano or his mother singing old cole porter standards, cack found himself immersed in sound. his live show springs from this diverse spectrum of styles, and it involves multiple keyboards, guitars, jerry-rigged drum pads, and an occasional accordion, all glued together with thumping beats and in-your-face electronics.

as a member of one of the first generations to grow up with computers on demand, jack comments, “this is a music revolution, and it’s everyone that’s making it happen. it’s the fans, it’s the musicians, it’s the blogging sites, it’s the programmers who make the blogging sites, it’s everyone.”

enjoy

Friday, August 21, 2009

Ryan Shields

When you're born into a musical family, you can expect to learn how to play one, two or twelve instruments. Ryan Shields was taught by his father at the age of 10 to bang the drums. His mother taught him how to pick the guitar at 13. And his Puerto Rican guitar playing/singing/songwriting grandfather influenced him the rest of the way. He and brother Danny toured the Eastern part of the country as the band Never the Less. At 19 he became the frontman of Swirl. And now he's going it alone. Enjoy.

"Good Day"

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Common Shiner

What is a Common Shiner?

A.) The bruised flesh under, above or around the eye after a fist, knee of elbow is introduced to the face during a sandlot baseball brawl, a pick-up basketball game at the park or a guy says something he shouldn't have said to the pretty girl at the corner pub.

B.) A small, abundant fish found throughout the vast number of streams and lakes in the Midwest and Northeastern United States.

C.) These guys from the Grand Rapids area of Michigan who write and play clever songs with lyrics that actually mean something to the wide variety of people who listen to their music.

All of the above, I guess, is the correct answer, but for today's lesson, the answer is C. And these guys, this Common Shiner, are singing about the love, the hope, the melancholy and the anger in all our lives. But most importantly, the humor in it all.

Morgan Foster: Acoustic Guitar/Lead Vocals
Andrew Huisjen: Electric Guitar/Background Vocals
Vijay Bangalore: Drums
Michael James Brooks: Keyboards/Background Vocals

Over the Rhine

Finding the one that you can spend the rest of your life with in that "I can't go on without you" kind of way, has got to be one of the greatest feelings one can feel. But to find the one you can share the before mentioned emotion with, and have them be the one to complete, and complement, you as a musician, well, that's taking it to an all new level.

But the married duo of Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist, the tandem who deliver the beautiful pop songs that are a "..deeply moving, maddening and redemptive work of art..."(All Music Guide) have done just that. And they will be sharing their stories at the Old Town School of Folk Music on December 12 at 7 and 10 p.m.

"In the Sun"

*He will be playing at the Old Town School of Folk Music November 27 at 8 p.m.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Alexi Murdoch

Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs

They are not the cover band at the local pub. Nor are they the winners of the talent show at your high school or town fair. With a perfectly harmonized sound, Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs are Sid & Susie, covering it all from Neil Young to Carly Simon. They'll be playing two shows Saturday, September 12 (7 and 10 p.m.) at the Gary & Laura Maurer Concert Hall, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, Illinois for the Old Town School of Folk Music.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

"Long Live The Queen"

2009 Lollapalooza, Chicago

So, day 1 and 2 are both complete and once again, it appears that the mad mass of music lovers respected themselves, each other and the music againyesterday, with zero reports of violence coming from the fest. And now Day 3 shows up with the remainder of yesterdays scorching heat warnings of the heavy 90's to the low 100's. AGAIN, I BEG OF YOU ALL, DRINK YOUR WATER BOYS AND GIRLS!

With a little more than 11 hours left on the clock until the thiord and final day of the giant party hosted by Perry Farrell gets started in the garden of Chicago (Grant Park), I have posted more videos or songs for every band/group/artist who I know is supposed to play this beautiful outdoor event today.

That's a lie. I'm not going to do it for the acts playing on the Kidzapalooza stage or at Perry's. Just don't want to. But the rest, at least all the acts who I know are supposed to be in town this weekend for this shin-dig, will, with any luck, be posted up during this last minute attempt by me. Enjoy.