How's My Living? » elizabeth and the catapult

This Week in Great Music: 10/10 – 10/16

Sarah — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:59:52 +0000

Let’s keep it simple. Do yourself a favor and go see Dessa on Tuesday. She is pretty much totally amazing.

Monday, October 10
Lisa Hannigan, John Smith; Double Door. 8 pm, $15
SIMS, Lazerbeak, Cecil Otter; Bottom Lounge. 9 pm, $10

Tuesday, October 11
Sara Bareilles, Ben Lee, Elizabeth and the Catapult; the Riviera. 7 pm, $26-29
Minus the Bear, The Velvet Teen; Metro. 7:30 pm, $23.50-26
Dessa, Hindi Zahra; Lincoln Hall. 8 pm, $12

Wednesday, October 12
Portishead, Thought Forms; the Aragon. 7:30 pm, sold out

Thursday, October 13
Las Guitarras de Espana, El Payo, Mehran; Martyrs. 8 pm, $20
Ben Rector, Graham Colton; Lincoln Hall. 9 pm, $12
Butch Walker and the Black Widows; Double Door. 9 pm, $20-22

Friday, October 14
Neon Indian, Com Truise, Purity Ring; Lincoln Hall. 10 pm, $15

Saturday, October 15
Portugal. The Man, Alberta Cross; Metro. 9 pm, $20

Sunday, October 16
Meh

This Week in Great Music: 6/13 – 6/19

Sarah — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:38:36 +0000

I don’t know what you’re doing this weekend, but I’m taking a road trip into Ann Arbor to see Andrew Bird. Big surprise.

Monday, June 13
Keren Ann, Chris Garneau; Lincoln Hall. 8 pm, $12-14
Horse Feathers, Hello Mtn.; SPACE. 8 pm, $12-22

Tuesday, June 14
The Shams Band, Johnny Rumble, Antony Ablan and the Tramps; Empty Bottle. 9:30 pm, $8

Wednesday, June 15
Clare Burson, Peter Bradley Adams; Schubas. 8 pm, $10

Thursday, June 16
Natasha Bedingfield, Kate Voegele, Andy Grammer; House of Blues. 6:30 pm, $22.50-25
Robert Plant and the Band of Joy, JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound; Ravinia. 8 pm, $22-80
Katie Herzig, Aunt Martha; Schubas. 9 pm, $12

Friday, June 17
My Morning Jacket; Auditorium Theatre. 7:30 pm, sold out
Lenka, Elizabeth and the Catapult; Subterranean. 9:30 pm, $13-15
Scott H. Biram, Dirt Daubers; Hideout. 10 pm, $10-12

Saturday, June 18
Florence & the Machine, Hanni El Khatib; the Aragon. 8 pm, sold out
Sondre Lerche, Nightlands, Kishi Bashi; Schubas. 10 pm, $20

Sunday, June 19
Ingrid and the Unicorns (Ingrid Graudins, Liam Davis, Steve Freesbie and Nora O’Connor); SPACE. 7 pm, $12-20
Sondre Lerche, Nightlands, Kishi Bashi; Schubas. 8 pm, $20

This Week in Great Music: 5/16 – 5/22

Sarah — Mon, 16 May 2011 15:34:39 +0000

Monday, May 16
Robbie Fulks, The Hoyle Brothers; Hideout. 7 pm, $10 suggested donation

Tuesday, May 17
Harper Blynn, Elizabeth and the Catapult; Schubas. 8 pm, $10
Zoe Keating; SPACE. 8 pm, sold out
The Twilight Singers, Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos; Metro. 9 pm, $21

Wednesday, May 18
Joe Purdy, The Milk Carton Kids; Lincoln Hall. 9 pm, $15-18

Thursday, May 19
Helen Money, D. Charles Speer and the Helix, blink., Zachary Cale; Empty Bottle. 9 pm, $8

Friday, May 20
Death Cab for Cutie, The Lonely Forest; Metro. 7:30 pm, sold out
Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, Athenaeum Theatre (2936 N Southport). 8 pm, $35
Ben Sollee; SPACE. 10 pm, $12-15

Saturday, May 21
Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, Athenaeum Theatre (2936 N Southport). 3 pm, $35
Lucinda Williams, Park West. 8 pm, $40
The Sea and Cake; Empty Bottle. 10 pm, $18-20
Ben Sollee; Schubas. 10 pm, $14

Sunday, May 22
Avec Moi, James and the Drifters, Travis Caudle; Uncommon Ground. 7 pm, $5 suggested donation
Andrew Belle, Matt Hires; Lincoln Hall. 7 pm, $12
Eddie from Ohio; SPACE. 8 pm, $25-40
Lucinda Williams, Park West. 8 pm, $40

This Week in Great Music: 10/11 – 10/17

Sarah — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 15:33:56 +0000

This is basically the worst week in the world for concerts. And by worst, I mean full of too many choices. I’ll be at the Brandi Carlile show at SPACE on Wednesday, and at DeVotchKa at Lincoln Hall on Saturday. The rest of the week is up in the air. I’ll probably be sobbing under my desk rather than making any real decisions.

Monday, October 11
Robbie Fulks, Hideout. 7 pm, $10 suggested donation
Belle and Sebastian, Smith Westerns; Chicago Theatre. 7:30 pm, $42.50
AA Bondy, Schubas. 8 pm, $12-14
Miike Snow, Riviera Theatre. 8 pm, $25
Jennifer Knapp, Lincoln Hall. 8 pm, $20
Neon Indian, Metro. 9 pm, $18

Tuesday, October 12
Alejandro Escovedo and the Sensitive Boys, Lincoln Hall. 8 pm, $20-25

Wednesday, October 13
Guided by Voices, Times New Viking; Riviera Theatre. 8 pm, sold out
Kevin O’Donnell’s Fall Spectacular; Martyrs. 8 pm, $8
Brandi Carlile, Katie Herzig; SPACE. 8 pm, sold out
Marc Cohn, Park West. 8 pm, $35
The Walkmen, Japandroids, Miniature Tigers; Metro. 9 pm, $21
Jukebox the Ghost, Elizabeth and the Catapult, Ruby Coast; Schubas. 9 pm, $10-12

Thursday, October 14
The New Pornographers, Tokyo Police Club; the Vic. 8 pm, $30
Edie Carey, Rose Cousins; SPACE. 8 pm, $12-22
Four Tet, Matthew Dear, Jon Hopkins; Metro. 9 pm, $19
Bell X1, James Vincent McMorrow; Schubas. 9 pm, sold out

Friday, October 15
Patty Loveless; Old Town School of Folk Music. 7 pm & 10 pm, $34-38
Sufjan Stevens, Chicago Theatre. 8 pm, sold out
K’Naan; Park West. 8:30 pm, $22.50-25
Massive Attack, Martina Topley Bird; Riviera Theatre. 8:30 pm, $40
DeVotchKa, Angus and Julia Stone, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir; Lincoln Hall. 8:30 pm, $25
Robbie Fulks, Dave Gonzalez and the Stone River Boys; FitzGerald’s. 9 pm, $15
Rocky Votolato, Ha Ha Tonka; Beat Kitchen. 9:30 pm, $12-14
The Felice Brothers, Adam Haworth Stephens; Empty Bottle. 10 pm, $15
Califone; Hideout. 10 pm, $12
Jon Drake; Uncommon Ground on Clark. 10 pm, $5 suggested donation

Saturday, October 16
Meshell Ndegeocello, Helen Money; Old Town School of Folk Music. 7 pm & 10 pm, $34-38
Gorillaz; UIC Pavillion. 7:30 pm, $49.50-95
DeVotchKa, Angus and Julia Stone, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir; Lincoln Hall. 8:30 pm, $25
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Langhorne Slim, Jesse Skyes and Phil Wandscher, Mimicking Birds; Double Door. 9 pm, $15-18
Old Devil’s Ball, ft. Jon Langford’s Skull Orchard, Andre Williams and Sally Timms; Martyrs. 9 pm, $12
Joe Pug, The Changes, Vandaveer; Metro. 9 pm, $11

Sunday, October 17
Catie Curtis and Terri Hendrix; Old Town School of Folk Music. 4 pm, $16-20
Lissie, Dylan LeBlanc; Lincoln Hall. 8 pm, $14
The Wildbirds, The Black Atlantic, The Lighthouse and the Whaler, Kevin Andrew Prchal; Beat Kitchen. 8:30 pm, $7
Eli Paperboy Reed; Bottom Lounge. 9 pm, $12

February in Review

Sarah — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:04:25 +0000

While I fuss about, trying to upload photos and write reviews of the past two nights’ worth of concerts, have a little mixtape of some of my favorite songs/artists from this past month.

Wow, That’s a Good Song: Elizabeth & the Catapult, “Everybody Knows”

Sarah — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:40:04 +0000

This is probably music blasphemy, but I like Leonard Cohen’s songs when they’re sung by someone other than Leonard Cohen. I know, it’s in the same category as disliking Bob Dylan or something, but I just can’t get into Cohen’s singing.

I can, however, get into this cover of “Everybody Knows.”

And everybody knows that you’re in trouble
Everybody knows what you’ve been through
From the bloody cross on top of Calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows it’s coming apart
Take one last look at this Sacred Heart
Before it blows
And everybody knows

Elizabeth & the Catapult: Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter

News & Links – January 8

Sarah — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:20:04 +0000

Every day, I sit down and go through my Google Reader account and through Twitter and open up about a million tabs of things to read. I figured that on a slow, snowy day like this — right now, I’m the only person who’s managed to show up to my workplace — I might as well share some of these with you.

With the unfortunate passing of Vic Chesnutt on Christmas, fans across the internet have been sharing their stories about him — memorable concerts, quotes, photos, etc. Southern Shelter, an Atlanta-based music blog, has posted recordings of nearly 20 shows from over the years. This includes a recording of a show from 2003, where Andrew Bird popped in to play violin on two tracks (“Zippy Morocco” and “Stay Inside”, both from his 2003 release, Silver Lake). I haven’t had the chance to listen yet, but recordings from Southern Shelter are always great, and I’ve no doubt that this one will be any different. MP3 files are available direct from the blog. FLAC files are available elsewhere, if that’s your thing.

The Music Memoirs asks you to weigh in with what you’re most excited for in music for 2010. I can’t wait to find out the Lollapalooza lineup so I can figure out if I made a good decision to cave and buy a 3-day pass already or not.

TJ of Viva La Mainstream is subjecting himself to Top 40 radio for the good of mankind, or something like that, in his new feature, aptly titled Adventures in Top 40 Radio. Music bloggers: listening to questionable music so you don’t have to.

The Chicago Sun-Times’ Jim DeRogatis previews the Tomorrow Never Knows festival, hosted by Schubas and, this year, sister venue Lincoln Hall.

SXSW has named many more acts, including headliner Cheap Trick. The still incomplete, yet already incredibly overwhelming list of bands performing at SXSW is available on the calendar. Other acts I’ve noticed which have caught my eye (or ear, as it may) include Azure Ray, Jessie Baylin, Basia Bulat, Danielson (last time I saw him, he was singing inside a giant foam tree), Efterklang, Elizabeth & the Catapult, Freelance Whales, The Happy Hollows, Ed Harcourt, Harper Simon, The Magic Numbers, Mariachi El Bronx, Marina & the Diamonds, Kate Miller-Heidke, Holly Miranda, Smith Westerns, Butch Walker, Imaad Wasif, The xx, and Jenny Owen Youngs.

This Week in Great Music: 12/7 – 12/13

Sarah — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:04:59 +0000

Good morning to everyone from snowy Chicago. I got to test out my new winter boots this morning, so I guess I can’t lie to myself anymore; it really is winter now.

It’s a pretty small concert list this week, although there are tons and tons of classical and holiday shows going on this week. Every day this week at noon at the Harold Washington Library, and 12:30 at the Art Institute, there are free holiday concerts from local choirs, if that’s your thing. And with Dashboard, New Found Glory, and Rooney all doing shows this week, I feel like it’s the 90s all over again. Win? I’m not sure. This weekend has some epic shows: XRT’s holiday show out at the Allstate Arena with The Flaming Lips, Phoenix, and Pete Yorn; The Flat Five at the Hideout (Kelly Hogan and Nora O’Connor in the same place? Yes please.); the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival at the Congress on Saturday (with Bela Fleck headlining); and a day of free opera on Sunday at the Cultural Center downtown.

Monday, December 7
Sloan, Lincoln Hall. 7 pm, $20
Dashboard Confessional and New Found Glory, Subterranean. 7:30 pm, $25
Rosi Golan, Luke Brindley, and Peter Bradley Adams, SPACE. 8 pm, $10-18

Tuesday, December 8
Rooney, House of Blues. 6:30 pm, $13-16

Wednesday, December 9
Elizabeth and the Catapult, SPACE. 8 pm, $8-18

Thursday, December 10
Nothing; enjoy your day off in the cold.

Friday, December 11
The Flaming Lips, Phoenix, and Pete Yorn, Allstate Arena (6920 Mannheim, Rosemont). 7 pm, $40-50
The Flat Five (Gerald Dowd, Kelly Hogan, Scott Ligon, K.C. McDonough and Nora O’Connor), Hideout. 9 pm, $10

Saturday, December 12
Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival, Congress Theater. 11 am, $35
Over the Rhine and Lucy Wainwright Roche, Old Town School of Folk Music. 7 pm and 10 pm, $21-25 (7 pm show sold out)

Sunday, December 13
Day of Opera, Chicago Cultural Center. 1 pm, frees
Kris Delmhorst and Hayward Williams, Schubas. 8 pm, $14

This Week in Great Music – 11/9 – 11/15

Sarah — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:56:45 +0000

If I liked math enough, someday, I would sit down and do some sort of analysis to see if I can come up with a pattern for Shows I Want to See, because it seems like there’s always an off week, followed by a week so full of things that it makes my trigger finger (and by that I mean, pulling-credit-card-from-wallet-finger) pretty itchy.

There’s a great range of stuff that interests me this week, from showtunes (Lakeside Pride and the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus) to blues (Keb’ Mo’) to classic 80s new wave (Devo). So, a little something for everyone. As for me, on Tuesday, I’ll be heading over to the Hideout — not for a show, but for the SXSW 2010 music mixer. Yes, your cheerful-yet-shy music blogger is going to do that thing where you interact with people and network, gasp, look at that. I’m still debating going to the Greg Laswell on Thursday, and have the urge to go see Keb’ Mo’ on Friday, and really should not be entertaining ideas to go see Sweet Honey in the Rock on Sunday. And if I didn’t already have Friday plans, you can bet that I’d be at Lincoln Hall to catch Chicago’s crazy punk rock marching band, Mucca Pazza.

Monday, November 9
Lakeside Pride Symphonic Band and Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, Sidetrack (3349 N Halsted). 6 pm, $20 cover (include 2 free drink tickets)
Kevin O’Donnell’s November Spectacular, Martyrs’. 8 pm, $8
Fanfarlo with Freelance Whales, Schubas. 8 pm, $10-12

Tuesday, November 10
Flyleaf, Bottom Lounge. 6 pm, $15
Dent May and His Magnificant Ukulele, Schubas. 9 pm, $10
Art Brut, Lincoln Hall. 9 pm, $15

Wednesday, November 11
Joe Purdy, Abbey Pub (3420 W Grace). 8 pm, $12-15
The Walkmen, Schubas. 9 pm, sold out

Thursday, November 12
Justin Nozuka with Sam Bradley and Elizabeth and the Catapult, Park West. 6:30 pm, $20
Greg Laswell, SPACE. 8 pm, $12
Ray LaMontagne, Auditorium Theatre. 7:30 pm, $29.50-49.50
Devo, The Vic. 8 pm, $41
Peter Bjorn and John, with El Perro Del Mar and Yourself and the Air, Metro. 9 pm, $20-22
The Walkmen, Lincoln Hall. 9 pm, $18

Friday, November 13
Todd Snider, Park West. 7:30 pm, $20
Wolfmother with Heartless Bastards and thenewno2, Riviera Theatre. 7:30 pm, $25
Devo, The Vic. 8 pm, $41
David Wilcox with Ellery, SPACE. 8 pm, $18-28
Keb’Mo’, House of Blues. 9 pm, $29-31
The Walkmen, Lincoln Hall. 10:30 pm, $18

Saturday, November 14
Lakeside Pride Symphonic Band and Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, Evanston Township High School (1600 Dodge Ave., Evanston). 7 pm, $10 in advance/$15 at door
Battle of the Jug Bands, Morseland (1218 W Morse). 7 pm, $7
Dirty Dozen Brass Band with The Sanctified Grumblers, Old Town School of Folk Music. 7 pm and 10 pm, $24-28
The Fab Faux, The Vic. 8 pm, $60
Sons of the Never Wrong, SPACE. 8 pm, $17-27
Mucca Pazza, Lincoln Hall. 10 pm, $12

Sunday, November 15
Sweet Honey in the Rock, Symphony Center (220 S Michigan). 3 pm, $20-50
Kate Voegele with Kevin Hammond, Park West. 7 pm, $15