dent may: college town boy

another great musician to grace the stage of schubas!

dent may played last night and i hope all of his chicago fans did not miss out...

awesome show!

the morning benders: crosseyed

tastes of purple snails and long fingernails

scents of coconut rum and steel drums

pairs best with candy peaches and empty beaches

fanfarlo: fire escape

tastes of peacocks and sunblock

scents of shaky knees and a bay breeze

pairs best with winter hats and orange cats

cotton jones: gotta cheer up

tastes of long showers and wilted flowers

scents of dusty roads and heavy loads

pairs best with late night love and lacy gloves

dirty projectors: no more

tastes of spinning sounds and private grounds

scents of violin cries and retro ties

pairs best with fluted glasses and back stage passes

agent ribbons: chelsea, let's go join the circus

tastes of popcorn and bugle horns

scents of circus tents and sweet scents

pairs best with pink balloons and sand dunes

tilly & the wall: reckless

tastes of island shacks and fanny packs

scents of red dirt and short skirts

pairs best with saturdays and lemon glaze

slow club: summer shakedown

tastes of snare and curly hair

scents of feathers and time together

pairs best with martinis and blue bikinis

the pipettes: sex

tastes of dates and rice cakes

scents of spring and bee stings

pairs best with yellow leaves and short sleeves

the knife: bird

tastes of indian dishes and tropical fishes

scents of delicate spices and secret devices

pairs best with velvet sounds on urban grounds

camera obscura: teenager

tastes of lemon tart and mended hearts

scents of antique shops and bus stops

pairs best with vintage lights and early nights

camera obscura is playing at metro in chicago 5/29!

forest fire: sunshine city

tastes of cellophane and drizzling rain

scents of cucumber and a deep slumber

pairs best with coffee cake and a quiet lake

people in planes: narcoleptic

i started listening to people in planes this summer, so i was pretty excited

to finally meet them at subterranean up-close and personal. the five guys

came all the way from wales for this tour, and have been driving in a

van together all over the country. they started playing together when they

were kids, but people in planes has been people in planes for only

four years now. they boys have grown into men, with wives and

girlfriends waiting patiently for their reappearance, but they never stopped

doing what they love. they were all very welcoming and willing to 

let their fans get a glimpse of who they really are... narcoleptic has

always been my favorite song, so give it a listen and check out more

here! people in planes, it was truly nice to meet you. hear you. keep

on keeping on.

the features: lions

cant wait to see the features at schubas tonight!

hopefully they will take the time to talk to me so i can report back to you

with more details on how the band plays live and whatever else 

there is to find out about THE FEATURES!

meiko: piano song

i was very excited to see meiko, because she is the artist i would assimilate

my music to most. she plays acoustic, singer-songwriter, folk-pop type

music. she plays guitar and has a beautiful voice supported by simple

background instrumentals. as a live-performer she was amazing. she

was extremely personable with the audience, sharing confessions about her

recent breakup and the stories behind all of her songs and musical

inspirations. she was cute and funny, which is always nice when there

is a little more to the show than the music. her personality lit up

the space and everyone loved it. she was bombarded by fans after

the performance and was more than willing to take the time to talk to

and take pictures with every last one of them. one oober excited

fan sewed her a small pillow that looked like a house. he told her

he wanted her to feel at home on her tour and she was extremely

appreciative and loving the attention that she completely deserves.

fall in love with her music and fall in love with her...

cory chisel and the wandering sons: sinner's waltz

i went to schubas to see meiko on may 15th and was delighted to be introduced

to cory chisel and the wandering sons. their sound reminded me of ben taylor,

who labels his music "kung folk". not quite sure what to call it, but i like it.

i got the opportunity to do a quick interview with the lead singer, cory

chisel himself...

He grew up with his father, a preacher, and his mother, a piano player.

He got discouraged by the piano, attempting to parallel his mother's

skill level, so instead he asked for a guitar for his 13th birthday.

He had been writing songs and needed something to accompany his

voice. He didn't grow up with a lot of money so the guitar was a really

big deal. His hard work and perseverance payed off when his burned

cd ended up on a desk. Now he is recording in nashville under the same

label as my morning jacket. Living in Nashville and playing music, the

band could not imagine life without music.

Cory's favorite pizza topping?

... he is lactose intolerant so he prefers to indulge in anything thai!

... my favorite food as well, his taste and food and music is

pretty spot on.

iron and wine: innocent bones

the iron and wine show at schubas may 13th was incredibly crowded.

apparently iron and wine oversold 50 tickets on their website, so the venue

was even more crowded than usual, but im not surprised. iron and wine

has a huge following because it is pretty hard to hate on sam beam. his

robust beard cannot even distract from his heart-felt lyrical confessions

blended with intricate guitar. it is amazing to me how is sound is so

full-bodied as a solo-performer. he voice fills the room and the delicate

guitar just feels like a breeze pushing his words and his sounds in circles

around you. his songs are poetic and capturing. id love to keep them 

in my pocket always. perfect for an afternoon stroll, a morning coffee

break, or a peaceful tuesday after midnight...

mike watt and the missingmen with nones

mike watt and missingmen played at schubas tavern

may 14th.  the band has been around a while and 

brought a great crowd.  they rocked hard with an 

enthusiastic audience following right along.  they 

took the time after the show to stick around and meet

the fans and sign memorabilia. this is key, a band 

who understands their fan base is the reason for any 

kind of musical success.  it is easy for bands to hide 

from their star struck and often bombarding audience, 

but bands who meet and greet their fan base, in my 

opinion, get the most loyal fan base.  i also saw the

band in the audience watching nones, who opened up 

the show with a very interesting set.  Nones had a male

lead vocalist, who also poked around on the saxophone.

the rest of the band was made up of a female drummer, 

female guitarist, and female bassist.  i don't know that

i have every seen a male vocalist supported by an entirely

female band, but it was awesomely sexy.  their music 

was a bit loud for my tastes, but the intrigue of their 

set up got me into it regardless.  

bowerbirds: small olives

bowerbirds were introduced to me this past summer, so i was already excited 

about this schubas show that took place on may 4th.

their performance did not let me down. seeing a band live just never

compares to the recorded version, unless the band is no good. the

bowerbirds had a postal sevice-esque sound to them with clear vocals,

and consistent melodies that projected serenity and beauty into the

crowd. The female vocalist was intriguing to watch, not only because

she was sexy, but because her angelic voice meshed with obvious

musical talent on the accordion and guitar. her band was very modest, 

but guitarist and lead vocalist was not afraid to let me know a little bit

about bandmate beth tacular... he told me she recieved an accordion

only three years ago and has already managed to learn and rock out

on that thing harder than anyone could have ever expected.

the duo plays with a rotating cast, and right now they are touring with

matt damron, from the bright young things. he meshed very well with

the two, who also played a few songs, including their closing song, by

themselves. the band overall just had great control, great presence, and 

great sound- which schubas usually always manages to have.

bowerbirds, thanks for a great show and good luck with the rest of your

tour.

ponytail: small wevs

ponytail played at schubas may 3rd.

you may have also seen them at south by southwest.

the group's performance really surprised me...

the band was very young and hipster, with talented musicians to 

complete the look. the lead singer reminded me of a contemporary 

pocahontas. she had short mohawked hair and she carried the band's 

vocals with high energy tribal-chant-type sounds that got the crowd 

moving. i can only imagine this band's young talent will continue to

blossom. ya ponytail!

the seedy seeds: changes less the moon

i had not heard of the seedy seeds until the may 2nd show at

double door, unfortunately. their music is awesome and

a real gem to see live. the band has male and female vocals

and solid accompaniment. the female vocalist was incredible.

she played the accordion and the guitar, and had an amazing voice.  

the band was very modest, performing in plain white ts and sneakers.  

I met them after the show and they were all extremely friendly 

and appreciative of their fan base that was present and listening at 

double door that night.

kyle andrews: sushi

kyle andrews was another artist who graced the stage of

double door on may 2. The band filled the stage and the

room with some awesome tunage. my favorite thing about

this band is their album title... real blasty. real blasty awesome.

coltrane motion: supersexy '67

i had the pleasure of seeing coltrane motion perform at

double door on may 2. the two guys that make up coltrane motion, are both incredibly fun to watch live. They play around

with synths, guitars, and even a theremin, which ive never seen

done before. They are totally worth seeing live if you get the

opportunity, because their charismatic live performance cannot

be compared to their studio recordings. And, I had a pleasure of

meeting the two fellows and they were both awesome and very

friendly. They gave out free records of their new album, and who

doesn't love free stuff?! supersexy coltrane motion!!!

office: wound up

while i was gone...

i was very busy moving, graduating, and seeing some 

awesome music. i promise to fill you in on everything!

starting with OFFICE!

office performed at the double door on may 2nd

the band was lively, fun, and energetic!

... my favorite was the female drummer who 

rocked hard, keeping her male counterparts

on tempo all night long

dan deacon: snake mistakes

tastes of globe trotters and trend spotters

scents of spice cakes and pepper flakes

pairs best with wind chimes and gold mines

... rebecca hill is back!