I'm kicking myself right now for not having cable (or a working television, for that matter). Why? MTV Jams will be dedicating an entire day to the city of Chicago on Saturday, November 14th. Mark your calendars! The day will feature videos from the likes of Kid Sister, Lupe Fiasco, Common, R. Kelly, and Twista, among others, along with interviews with Chicago musicians and residents. Fake Shore Drive will be accepting submissions for any of you artists hoping to get involved. Very cool.
Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent) has just embarked on a 10-city promotional tour for his new film Before I Self Destruct, a companion to his latest album of the same title. Fiddy wrote, directed, and starred in the film, and will be hitting up Chicago on Monday night with a preview screening. Want in? Head on over to MovieTickets.com to print out free passes (you'll have to create an account, also free). The screening will be overbooked to guarantee a full house, so it would be wise to arrive a bit early. It'll all be going down at AMC River East 21 (322 East Illinois St), Monday night at 8:30 pm.
After their wild show last April at Park West, Numero is reviving their Eccentric Soul Revue for another performance on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Lincoln Hall (2424 N. Lincoln Ave.)
The Eccentric Soul Revue is a chance for the long-forgotten soul and funk artists who have been unearthed, polished, and reissued by Numero to shine onstage. Expect a rousing evening of late '60s and '70s awesomeness: Renaldo Domino returns, as does The Notations and Syl Johnson. Added to this round of the revue is Sharon Clark and Chicago native Linda Balentine, who was only 16 when she began recording soul and funk tracks in 1969. Pastor TL Barrett and his choir will open the show with a track from Numero's upcoming collection, Good God! Born Again Funk.
The show is 18 and up, and tickets are $30. The show kicks off at 9 p.m. Find out more at the Lincoln Hall website.
This week's Daytrotter session includes music from White Rabbits who roll into town for shows supporting The Walkmen at Schubas and Lincoln Hall next week. Free downloads!
Rogue Wave drummer Pat Spurgeon needed a kidney, right as the band was about to make it big. They made a movie about it, called D Tour. Catch it on PBS next week.
Is the Metro haunted? Ghost Lab investigates. The episode (titled "Murky Water") replays on Discovery on 11/10 or check online clips here (start with part 4).
Local blog Red Threat has the skinny on DJ Zinc and his latest EP. Is it Drum 'n Bass? Jungle Core? Grimehouse? You be the judge.
There's a disturbing trend of Best Albums of the Decade lists popping up on the interweb. And here's one more! A Top 50 to get you through Friday afternoon from the blog "Music for Kids Who Can't Read Good". (via)
CHIRP sure would like you to contact your representatives today about the Local Community Radio Act of 2009 (HR 1147).
Get your hands on a free download of a remix of Sufjan Stevens' Illinoise album, called, oddly enough, Illinoize, by Montreal-based producer Tor. More, um, oddly enough, Sufjan has a new album out all about The BQE in New York.
The music industry primarily runs off of the hopes and dreams of millions of kids wanting to be in a rock and roll band. Its slightly lesser known secondary source of fuel is the hopes and dreams of kids who at least want to work in a rock and roll business. All over Chicago, businesses large and small find interns knocking on their door — students, career-changers, hobbyists, and more. Transmission sits down to talk to some of them about where they're coming from, where they want to go, and what fun manual labor they've performed along on the way.
Hold onto your Biore nose strips -- the for-the-ladies music festival known as Lilith Fair is coming back in the summer of 2010.
Lilith Fair originally ran from 1997 to 1999 and featured such luminaries as Christina Aguilera, Tegan and Sara, Missy Elliott, Erykah Badu, The Dixie Chicks, and the Indigo Girls. Our Holy Lady of Lilith, co-founder Sarah McLachlan, plans to take the festival overseas for the first time, as well as touring extensively in the U.S. No dates have been set, but Chicago is one of the cities the Lilith Fair will visit.
If you like architecture, music and Wilco, then you'll love this month's issue of LoftLife magazine. They have a feature on Wilco's northside recording loft, including tons of photos. The only thing missing is Kotche's drum kit (if you want to see that, you'll have to pick up a physical copy of the magazine). (via Chicago-ist) (see what I did there?...)
In a band? Free on New Years Eve? Consider this: Beck's Music Export is offering you the chance to open for DJ/producer Mark Ronson this NYE at River East Art Center. To enter, head on over to BecksMusicExport.com and submit a track and recent photograph, with an optional 30-second video. Online voters will select the top six bands from the online submissions, and from there the six acts will perform as part of Beck's Music Export Wildcard Tour in December, where they'll be voted down to one winner. Good luck!
For us non-musicians, tickets for the party go on sale this Sunday, November 8th, for $50. The Airbone Toxic Event, The Virgins and The Drums will also be performing alongside Ronson. Check out the Beck's site for ticketing information. Here's a wake-up call for us slackers who haven't started thinking about NYE yet: Girl Talk at the Congress Theater sold out before October's end! Don't let the ball drop on this one, cheesy pun intended.
Who doesn't like Led Zeppelin? My own memories of friends belting out "D'yer Mak'er" on a high school camping trip will never be forgotten. Led Zeppelin Tribute Band--Heartbreaker--is coming to The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University on Saturday, November 14th and you could go for free! They are holding a contest for the best rocker photos, videos, songs or whatever you've got for your own hair band tribute. The best part is, even if you don't win, all entrants receive $10 off the regularly priced $35 tickets. To enter email your material to tickets@govst.edu or become a fan of their Facebook page and post to the wall. Deadline for entries is November 11.
Maybe you and a friend will be belting out "D'yer Mak'er" yourselves in front of the ultimate tribute band.
Tickets can be purchased by going to centertickets.net or calling 708.235.2222. Governors State University is located at One University Parkway in University Park, IL 60466.
The David Lynch Foundation's DLF.TV interviews Billy Corgan about his music past and present, sits in on drummer auditions, and uncovers the story behind Corgan's song "Eye" from the Lost Highway soundtrack. Check out the video here.
This week's list comes from Michael Serafini, owner of Lincoln Park's Gramaphone Records, and Alycia Ryan, a commercial hip-hop buyer for the store who also spins under the name DJ AMPM. The store, at 2843 N. Clark St., focuses on "electronic and dance music -- all indie electronic-based, not just rock and indie rock," Serafini says.
Sa-Ra, Love Czars II (Ubiquity Records) The Drastics vs. Michael Jackson, MJ A Rocker 2562, Aerial (Tectonic) Bop, Clear Your Mind (Med School Music)
Leron Carson, Red Lightbulb Theory, '87-'88 (Sound Signature)
A Work in Progress (Chez Damier and Priceless One), Moment of Truth (Yore) Daniel Wang, The Balihu Years 1993-2008 (Rush Hour)
Various Artists, Spatula City Swings (Spatula City) Tevo Howard, Passion Sound (Beautiful Granville Records), which Serafini describes as "deep, deep introspective house music...starting to blow up."
Get ready for a big local hullaballoo when the Empty Bottle (1035 N. Western) hosts the Hollows record release show on Monday, Nov. 9.
You've gotta check out Hollows. Pumping out 11 songs in only 30 minutes, the band's self-titled debut is pure '60s girl-group pop. Add bite to the bounce, and you've got yourself a catchy lil' ray of garage-infused sunshine. The album's release is by local vinyl label Addenda Records, a cohort of the equally awesome Plustapes.
Opening the show is Bird Talk and DJ Emilie Fabulette. Headlining is the always fabulous Miss Alex White and her latest band, White Mystery, a dirty guitar-and-drums garage rock duo accompanied by White's brother, Francis.
All this boffo entertainment, and what's more, it's free. What, is it your birthday? The show kicks off at 9:30 p.m. Be there.
Listening to Leonard Cohen's music is like listening to your own conscience; seeing him live makes you realize that your conscience is a 74 year-old man in a dark suit and fedora. For over three hours last night, Leonard Cohen kept the rapt attention of an adoring audience as he performed songs that have been so deeply etched into the memories of his fans that its hard to think of a time we didn't know them. He frequently began songs in a kneeling position, as if the weight of his own voice were too much to bear, then rose to a standing position with his body curved into a question mark, for who asks deeper questions than the troubadour from Quebec?
Mr. Cohen received numerous standing ovations, recited the lyrics to 1,000 Kisses Deep as a poem, and received applause from the audience upon hearing key lyrics throughout the evening, such as: you told me again you preferred handsome men but in my case you'd make an exception; and I was born like this I had no choice, I was born with the gift of a golden voice. After what seemed like the last song, he came back for an encore that went four songs long. He sang Closing Time, a sure sign that he was finished, only to come back with I Tried To Leave You, getting a big laugh from the audience.
Between now and November 13th Leonard Cohen will be appearing in North Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, Nevada and California. Catch him if you can, this is one concert you'll never forget. For more information visit Leonard Cohen.
When I hear the phrase "actor-turned-musician", I normally think of boringvanityprojects set to stroke one's ego, with fewexceptions. Luckily, Ryan Gosling's new project Dead Man's Bones falls into the 'exception' category. The band stopped through Chicago last week for two sold-out shows at Schubas in support their ghoulish new self-titled album. The album can be a bit hokey at times but live the same songs basically sound like Arcade Fire gone trick-or-treating (see: "In the Room Where You Sleep" album version vs. live version). Think ghosts and goblins plus theatrical songwriting plus a children's choir - kitschy elements but it works in a pleasantly surprising way.
The music industry primarily runs off of the hopes and dreams of millions of kids wanting to be in a rock and roll band. Its slightly lesser known secondary source of fuel is the hopes and dreams of kids who at least want to work in a rock and roll business. All over Chicago, businesses large and small find interns knocking on their door - students, career-changers, hobbyists, and more. Transmission sits down to talk to some of them about where they're coming from, where they want to go, and what fun manual labor they've performed along on the way.
Transmission is the music section of Gapers Block. It aims to highlight Chicago music in its many varied forms, as well as cover touring acts performing in the city.
Editor: Anne Holub, ash@gapersblock.com
Transmission staff inbox: transmission@gapersblock.com
I'm kicking myself right now for not having cable (or a working television, for that matter). Why? MTV Jams will be dedicating an entire day to the city of Chicago on Saturday, November 14th. Mark your calendars! The day will feature videos from the likes of Kid Sister, Lupe Fiasco, Common, R. Kelly, and Twista, among others, along with interviews with Chicago musicians and residents. Fake Shore Drive will be accepting submissions for any of you artists hoping to get involved. Very cool.
The David Lynch Foundation's DLF.TV interviews Billy Corgan about his music past and present, sits in on drummer auditions, and uncovers the story behind Corgan's song "Eye" from the Lost Highway soundtrack. Check out the video 
