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This Week in Great Music: 10/4 – 10/10

Sarah — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 15:39:25 +0000

Bit of a quiet week. I’m headed down to explore a new neighborhood on Friday for a house concert with Antje Duvekot and Lucy Wainwright Roche. I love house concerts, I just wish they weren’t so far away from my little north side cocoon.

Monday, October 4
Robbie Fulks, The Bramble and The Rose; Hideout. 7 pm, $10 suggested donation

Tuesday, October 5
Darren Hanlon, Martha Berner; Mayne Stage. 8:30 pm, $10

Wednesday, October 6
Bobby Bare Jr., Blue Giant; Schubas. 9 pm, $14

Thursday, October 7
Justin Nozuka Band, Alex Cuba; Martyrs. 7 pm, $20
Maria Muldaur; SPACE. 8 pm, $20-36
Bobby Bare Jr., Blue Giant; Schubas. 9 pm, $14

Friday, October 8
Suzanne Vega, Old Town School of Folk Music. 7 pm & 10 pm, $36-40
Antje Duvekot, Lucy Wainwright Roche; house concert. 8 pm.

Saturday, October 9
fun., Steel Train, Jarrod Gorbel; House of Blues. 7 pm, $13
Willy Porter and the Carpe Diem String Quartet; SPACE. 8 pm, $25-40

Sunday, October 10
OK Go, Company of Thieves, Summer Darling; House of Blues. 6:30 pm, $18-22.50
JP, Chrissie and the Fairground Boys, Amy Correia; Park West. 8 pm, $25
Will Hoge, Erick Baker; Lincoln Hall. 8 pm, $20

This Week in Great Music: 4/12 – 4/18

Sarah — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:02:15 +0000

I am too sleepy for commentary this morning, so have the below list of shows which I have deemed to be Awesome. I’ll be at the Empty Bottle on Thursday to catch Dosh’s show, and hopefully I won’t forget about the tickets I have to the Old Town School of Folk Music on Sunday, for Eliza Gilkyson and Carrie Newcomer. Folktastic!

Monday, April 12
Robbie Fulks, Robbie Gjersoe; Hideout. 7 pm, $10 suggested donation
Florence and the Machine, Holy Hail; House of Blues. 7 pm, $18-21
The Morning Benders, Miniature Tigers; Lincoln Hall. 8 pm, $12

Tuesday, April 13
Gebhard Ullmann Clarinet Trio, Chicago Cultural Center. 12:15 pm, free
The Rocketz, The Honeybees, Pearls Mahone; Reggie’s Rock Club. 6 pm, $8
Kevin O’Donnell’s Spring Spectacular, Martyrs’. 8 pm, $8
Identity Crisis, Natalie Oliveri, Leslie Beukelman, Paper Thick Walls; Double Door. 9 pm, $5

Wednesday, April 14
Aetiology, Children of Nova, Debello, Jeff Ruby; Elbo Room. 8:30 pm, $8
NIU Steel Band, Old Town School of Folk Music. 8:30 pm, $5 suggested donation
Gebhard Ullmann Clarinet Trio, Hideout. 9:30 pm, $10

Thursday, April 15
Elton John, Sears Centre (5333 Prairie Stone Pkwy., Hoffman Estates). 8 pm, $39.50-169
Vieux Farka Toure, Martyrs’. 8 pm, $25
Micah Dalton, Rachael Sage, Mori Einsidler; SPACE. 8 pm, $8-18
Blues Traveler, House of Blues. 8 pm, $30-55
Adam Green, The Dead Trees; Schubas. 9 pm, $15
Dosh, White Hinterland, Roommates; Empty Bottle. 9:30 pm, $10

Friday, April 16
Ellis Paul, Adam Ezra; SPACE. 8 pm, $18-30
Laura Freeman, Davenport’s Piano Bar and Cabaret (1383 N Milwaukee). 8 pm, $15, two drink minimum
Owen, Rocky Votolato, Brooke Waggoner; Lincoln Hall. 10 pm, $15
Kevin Andrew Prchal, Arthi Meera; Uncommon Ground (1401 W Devon). 10 pm, $10 suggested donation

Saturday, April 17
OK Go, Earl Greyhound, The Booze; Metro. 7 pm, $17-19
Graham Parker, Old Town School of Folk Music. 7 pm and 10 pm, $18-22
Jeffrey Foucault, Andy Friedman; Schubas. 7 pm, $12-14
Loudon Wainwright III and Richard Thompson, McAninch Arts Center (425 Fawell Blvd, Glen Ellyn). 8 pm, $30-65
ChickenFat Klezmer Orchestra, Relax on Milwaukee (2937 N Milwaukee). 9 pm, free
Occidental Brothers Dance Band International, Phil Cohran; Schubas. 10 pm, $12

Sunday, April 18
Carrie Newcomer, Eliza Gilkyson; Old Town School of Folk Music. 7 pm, $18-22
Legendary Shack Shakers, The Hackensaw Boys, Tangleweed; Double Door. 8:30 pm, $15

News & Links – January 20

Sarah — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:39:34 +0000

OK Go might have gotten their big break with their imaginative, and yet incredibly simple, video for “Here We Go Again”, which, when it came out, was pretty much posted on every website ever. Things have changed now, however, with EMI disabling embedding of their new music video for “This Too Shall Pass”. Damien from the band writes a pretty comprehensive explanation about why the label has chosen to do this. In short, it’s all about money. To oversimplify, embedding the Youtube video means that EMI can’t monetize the content on someone else’s blog or website or what have you, and the label certainly doesn’t want to lose out on the few pennies they get from Youtube. So no embedding means that you’ve got to go to Youtube to see the video, as well as whatever ads are chucked up alongside it. The internet is all about monetizing things these days.

Several sites and blogs are remembering Kate McGarrigle with some truly beautiful tributes. Carl Wilson writes a beautiful piece, as understated and simple as the music that Kate was known for. Neda Ulaby and Noah Adams from NPR share their memories of Kate. A recording of Kate and Anna McGarrigle performing along with Rufus Wainwright at a tribute to Emmylou Harris is available on NPR’s site. The Cover Lay Down blog shares several songs by Kate and her family, as well as other artists covering “Heart Like a Wheel”, by Kate and Anna McGarrigle.

Music For Relief, a nonprofit organized by members of Linkin Park in the aftermath of the 2005 tsunami, is offering a compilation of unreleased music from artist such as Peter Gabriel, Alanis Morissette, Lupe Fiasco, and the Dave Matthews Band in exchange for donations to the relief efforts in Haiti. Paste Magazine is doing something similar, offering access to 250+ songs, many of which are otherwise unreleased. Are you aware of any other artist giveaways or fundraising efforts? Drop links in the comments if you’ve got something of interest.

Martha Wainwright hasn’t let the recent birth of her son (Arcangelo, 10 weeks premature) stop her. The Telegraph reviews a recent show, where she was joined on a few songs by her father, Loudon Wainwright III.

Owen Pallett gives a track-by-track guide to Heartland to Drowned in Sound.

Coachella has announced its 2010 headliners: Jay-Z, Muse, and Gorillaz. Other artists appearing include Pavement, Phoenix, Them Crooked Vultures, Grizzly Bear, the Avett Brothers, La Roux, Vampire Weekend, the xx, Camera Obscura, Old Crow Medicine Show, Florence and the Machine, Miike Snow, Owen Pallett, Girls, Ra Ra Riot, Hockey, Kate Miller-Heidke, and pretty much every band that has ever existed.

New Zealand’s Under the Radar interviews Neko Case, who talks about the origins of her music, her work with the New Pornographers, songwriting, and why there are thirty minutes of frogs and crickets at the end of Middle Cyclone.

The 2010 edition of Starbucks’ Sweetheart series is out now, and say what you will about Starbucks, but they definitely promote great music. Artists included on this year’s compilation include Jose Gonzalez, Spoon, Elvis Perkins, Diane Birch, and the Avett Brothers. (Incidentally, I noticed the other day when I was in a Starbucks that while they sell I and Love and You in the store, they’ve changed the album cover to be headshots of the band rather than the less-yuppie-consumer-friendly painting of the woman with the skull.)