Music Meridian

I received this in the chi-improv email list, and thought I'd pass it along:

Dear Chicago and lovers of Chicago music,

As most of you already know, Fred Anderson is going to have to relocate the
Velvet Lounge very soon. For a lot of us, the Velvet Lounge has been a home
base, a Mecca of Music. For many years, Baba Fred has not only been a great
musical inspiration, but he has provided a space for so many musicians to
perform and to continue the development of creative music. He has been tireless
in his efforts. This is our moment to step up and come together as a
community to help him out.

There is already a new development around the corner on Cermak that is
designated for the new Velvet Lounge's location, but it's going to take an enormous
amount of work and money for this transition. In order for Fred to move into
the new space, he is going to have to build up the place from scratch--and
it's an overwhelming task!

In fact, the costs for this transformation are near $100,000.

The visual image, for those of you not living in Chicago, is that 2128 1/2 S.
Indiana is a lone box on a flattened landscape. The large abandoned
buildings surrounding the Velvet have already been torn down and the wrecking
vehicles are parked on the side of the Velvet's walls. Even Fitzies BBQ is gone!


We have two dates planned for fundraising concerts at the moment.
Sunday, May 22nd Afternoon (exact time TBA) at the HotHouse--Marguerite has
offered her space for this event
Friday, May 27th at the Velvet (9:30pm until-)

Later this week, a formal press release will be disseminated and by next
week, the Velvet Lounge website: www.velvetlounge.net, should be accessible for
internet contributions and also publicize the fundraising activities.

Here are ways you can help:

1. Chicago Musicians: All musicians interested in performing please email
me. If we end up with more musicians than can fit on these dates, we'll make
another date somewhere else.
2. Musicians at Large: If you have ideas to share, or would like to do a
fundraising concert in your area, please let us know.
3. Writers/Promoters/DJs: Anyone who has the ability to publicize this story
and get the word out, it would be really appreciated. A formal press
release will be published on chi-improv by the end of the week.
4. Fundraisers/Grantwriters: If you have any great ideas about how to
raise this money ASAP, please email me and we can plan a meeting.
5. Music Lovers/Organizers: If you want to make a contribution, or want to
help organize activities, please email me.

Peace and Blessings,
Nicole Mitchell
dreamtme3@aol.com
www.nicolemitchell.com

Let me draw your attention to the right side of the website...You'll see the list of contributors...got it? Good!

If you click on a name in that list, you will be taken to that person's brand spankin' new bio page!!

Right now, the bios are empty. I'm leaving it up to each contributor to add their own info, pictures etc as they see fit.

Each contributor can also list 4 CDs that they're currenty listening to in the "In Rotation" portion of their bio.

I hope this is a fun way to get to know the people who work behind the scenes a little better. Enjoy!

I'm a sucker for novelty records. I love listening to Spike Jones and Weird Al while others cringe. I still get a huge kick out of Shooby "The Human Horn" Taylor and the Dakoka MP3s.

So it's no surpise that I'm really getting into the new CD from Petra Haden. She sings the entire album "The Who Sells Out" including all the instruments. Astounding.

It was a great album to begin with, so having that kind of source material helps. Being an extremely amazing vocalist helps too She used to be in That Dog, is a daughter of Charlie Haden...that kind of experience can also be a plus! She also got the idea to do this from Mike Watt! How cool is that?

Anyway, I think if you want some adventurous listening then check it out...even if you're not a Who fan or unfamilure with the original album. It's sorta like Medulla but....FUN.

my x didn't like this album. she thought it generic, nothing special. maybe this is because i started her on the manics with generation terrorists, which is indeed arena rock ripped off from gnr and lesser bands. with the holy bible, however, the music turned in on itself, and the lyrics matured to their razor-edge sharpest. you can taste the metal. you can feel the cut. and then, on the eve of their american tour, the man responsible for many of those words disappeared. just as many see 'in utero' as cobain's sonic suicide note, so is this richey james'. it's more than that, though. biting political commentary, blacker-than-black nihilism, and pretty much no hope for redemption. no one is safe from this album. nothing would be the same again.
reviews like to say two things. one is that nothing sounded like this before and nothing has since. the other is that it's so relentlessly negative, both in words and music, that it's not a fun listen. people don't really listen to it so much as scour themselves clean with it. it's both ideal for 10th anniversary release, because of the uniqueness in time and space, and not, because it's lack of popularity. in fact, the release of this in the us finally, ten years later, makes it available to a new generation of disaffected youth. granted, it still costs as much as the import did, but this time it's two cds and a dvd.
this is the sound of the walls coming down. this is the sound of oppression crushing you. this is the sound of someone fighting the good fight against the forces of evil, and losing. this is the barbed wire twisting around your neck. this is the end of the world.
you should have this.

Ok, this is crazy. There are 3 fantasic shows going on in Chicago tonight (Monday) and they're all free. So many decisions....

Show #1
Tonight (March 14th) the Renaissance Society at the University of
Chicago there will be a diverse concert featuring three groups:

Flockterkit (Aram Shelton, Ernst Karel, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Jason
Roebke, Steve Hess) includes some of the most vibrant improvisers and
composers from the local experimental music scene. Featuring acoustic
instruments and electronics, the group focuses on texture and
electroacoustic composition.

The Zs (Sam Hillmer, Alex Mincek, Charlie Looker, Mathew Hough, Brad
Wentworth, Ian Antonio) are a double trio--two saxophones, two
guitars, two drummers--from New York. Working between the worlds of
avant rock and new music, the Zs often explore the extremes of
compositional complexity and virtuosity as well as extended
repetition.

Oso, an eclectic trio headed by singer/songwriter Phil Taylor, known
for his unique guitar work and quirky arrangements, which have been
referred to as post-glitch folk art and organic traveling music.

The Renaissance Society is located at 5811 S Ellis Ave in Hyde Park.
The concert begins at 8:00 and is free of charge.

Show #2
MON. 3/14/05 (9:30pm, Free!) @ Empty Bottle
TV Pow with Boris Hauf (Austria)
Cheer Accident
Rotten Milk
Another amazing program a part of our 'free Monday' series, this show will feature three free wheeling improvisational performances. TV POW headlines, a trio of composers and free improvisers that utilize various acoustic and electronic instruments to create ambient, drone-based soundscapes. For this performance, POW will be joined by Austrian-based composer and saxophonist BORIS HAUF, a regarded improviser and inventive talent. Oft-kilter progressive pop ensemble CHEER ACCIDENT will also perform, as will experimental noise provocateur ROTTEN MILK.

Show #3
TIM BERNE'S ACOUSTIC HARD CELL Most of saxophonist Tim Berne's work this decade has prominently featured electric and electronic instrumentation (often courtesy of keyboardist Craig Taborn and guitarist Marc Ducret), and until one gig in England last year the sound of this trio--Berne, Taborn, and drummer Tom Rainey--was largely defined by the Fender Rhodes electric piano. But no Rhodes was available that night, meaning Taborn had to adapt the material for grand piano; the results were so good that Berne stuck with the format. Two tracks like this turn up on last year's Electric and Acoustic Hard Cell Live (Screwgun): taking the Rhodes's liquid decay out of the mix makes the fleet push-and-pull interactions between Berne and Taborn snappier and more precise than ever. Berne's compositions remain lengthy and labyrinthine: they duck and weave like an overcaffeinated boxer, their tightly coiled profusions of sixteenth notes stoked by Rainey's stuttery, kinetic drumming. All three musicians play with time like it's taffy, playfully rolling behind and ahead of the beat. And though it can sometimes feel like everyone's spinning off in different directions, the music always turns back from the brink of chaos to coalesce with a brilliant herky-jerk funkiness. 7 PM, Claudia Cassidy Theater, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington, 312-744-6630.

Again, I was blown away by the Paul Wertico Trio. The HotHouse last night was actually quite crowded, glad to see people coming out. I'd like to think it was my rantings here that got people to come, but more likely it was this radio spot on XRT as well as a good deal of Wertico's students from NorthWestern And Roosevelt Univeristy that brought the attendance up.

The trio is getting more powerful and stranger each time I see them. This time they've added a lot more sampling/electronics into the mix. At one point all 3 players were cueing samples to make waves of wonderful sound.

Also, during Clybourn Strut 2 members from the audience were brought up to add additional percussion via tuned cowbells and a cookie sheet.

And of course their usual brand of rock meets jazz precision was something to behold.

Wonderful stuff. Catch them when the play next!

In other news, I started my BitTorrent download of the SxSW sampler. It's 750 songs by artists appearing at the Austin festival next week. I'm only 0.3% through the download....looks like this is gonna take a while. Maybe later in the day, when more people are Torrenting the speeds will pick up.

Anyone downloaded this yet and heard some of the music?

Live show alert:

Paul Wertico Trio is at the HotHouse tonight. As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, his band is totally on fire and not to be missed.

i've decided to give you my one-word review of the new mars volta album 'frances the mute'.

wow.

except my cd appears to have glitches on it. not good.

a better review would be to say this album would bore my x-girlfriend to tears. thus, it's an amazing cd.





As a fan, this is a really tough review for me to write. Ivy's new album "In The Clear" has gotten a ton of good press since it was released, and I hope that nothing but good things come of that. However, I just don't feel this album cuts it or is going to be the breakthrough hit that many are hoping for. While more upbeat than 2001's "Long Distance", and sounding to me the most like their covers album "Guest Room", "In The Clear" languishes between mellow and downright boring. My favorite tracks are the ones most akin to their "Apartment Life" album tracks - namely Corners of Your Mind - but the majority of "Clear" is thick and heavy, weighed down by the trite lyrics (except Ocean City Girl, which is original and smart), and overuse of effects. I'm still a fan, will still see them on tour this summer, and will probably know all the words to this CD by next week, but I can't say I'm not disappointed.





I got the new Aesop Rock EP, "Fast Cars, Danger, Fire And Knifes". For fans of the Bazooka Tooth sound, this is right up your alley. Interesting beats, weird samples and intricate wordplay, as is normal for Aesop Rock and the Def Jux crew.

The added bonus, is the EP comes with a huge 80 page booklet, containing all of Aesop Rock's Lyrics from every album since Float. Hip-Hop Scholars take note!!

I think it's a limited edition, so scoop it up now before you have to pay $300 for it on Ebay.

I recently watched the Metallica documentary "Some Kind Of Monster" and I gotta say it was quite the entertaining journey.

Even if you're not a fan of Metallica (or used to be a fan until they wussed out) it's definately worth the time to watch.

Not only do you get to see Lars purposly playing out of time beats just to piss off the other band members (which is absolutely classic!) you get to see them pick up the pieces from that kind of frayed relationship.

Some other highlights:

- Dave Mustaine telling Lars how much of a failure he feels like because he doesn't have Metallica's success, and how he wishes he would have gone to AA meetings in 1982.

- Learning that Lars runs new Metallica songs by his dad (who looks like some old wizard straight out of a Dungeons and Dragons manual). And upon hearing a track off of St. Anger, he says "If I were you, I would delete that".

- Watching James get pulled over by the cops for speeding in his hotrod.

- Lars decide to clean house and get rid of a bunch of his art collection. He got a cool $10 Million for it, he figured it was a "pretty good deal".

- Kirk and Lars go to an Echobrain show and realize that Jason is doing what he wants to do outside of Metallica and realizing he's happy and semi-successful.

- Robert Turjullo is offered to join Metallica and is given an advance of $1 Million up front. You should see the look on his face!

Anyways, this is just a small sampling of the eye-opening footage that was caught. One can only imagine what else they recorded and didn't use.

Then again, there is the outtakes disc I haven't watched yet...hmmm....





"Avenue Q" won the 2004 Tony for best new musical on Broadway, and from the soundtrack alone I can see why. Picture a young, fresh faced man named Princeton, fresh out of college and looking for a place to live. He comes to Avenue Q and meets a cast of characters that will teach him about life, love and the world. Wait, did I say man? I meant puppet. Amazingly, half of the main characters are puppets, ala "Sesame Street". But this is no G-rated family-safe musical. Tackling issues such as joblessness, homosexuality, racism, and sex, this musical takes an irreverant look at heavy issues with humor and tounge-in-cheek attitude. Take the song titles alone - "What do you do with a BA in English", "If you were gay", "Everyone's a little bit racist" and "The Internet is for porn" - are just the tip of the iceberg.

The soundtrack in and of itself is done very well, giving just enough dialogue before songs to give the listener an idea of the plot before jumping into the tunes. I didn't feel I was missing anything vital, and it teasingly made me want to fly to New York and see the show. Musically upbeat, lyrically smart and sometimes raunchy, and overall amazing vocal talent have ensured that this CD hasn't left my CD player in 2 weeks... except to go with me in my car!