Rockin' Mixes For Kids

Tomorrow is the Rock for Kids Music Mixer at SmartBar and a bunch us from Gapers Block: Transmission have put our own mixes together for your bidding. Over 75 groups and artists representing the Chicago music community have contributed mix CDs that will be up for bidding, but I have to say, I'm a little partial to the GB staff offering. Here is a preview of my own playlist:

James Brown - Turn Me Loose, I'm Dr. Feelgood
Robert Palmer - Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)
Huey Lewis & The News - I Want A New Drug
Ray Charles - I Don't Need No Doctor
Memphis Minnie - Doctor Doctor Blues
The Beatles - Doctor Robert
The Lemonheads - Hospital
Mötley Crüe - Dr. Feelgood
Bon Jovi - Bad Medicine
The White Stripes - Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine
The Replacements - Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out
Bobby McFerrin - Good Lovin'
David Seville - Witch Doctor
Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM
The Faint - Take Me to the Hospital
The Velvet Underground - Lady Godiva's Operation
The Smiths - Girlfriend In A Coma
Death Cab For Cutie - What Sarah Said
Cold War Kids - Hospital Beds

I had a lot of fun coming up with a theme and putting it together, and found a bunch of new (to me) songs in the process. Of course you could take this song-list and put together your own mix CD, but wouldn't it be a lot more fun to get a CD that is already made (with awesome album art, i might add), and know that youre helping out a good cause in the process? I thought so. Tickets to the event are a $10 donation, and as an added bonus, our friends from ManBQue will be offering up nosh for the evening (seriously, try the bacon-gouda burger, it will change your life). See you tomorrow night!

Yes, This Is Happening.

This video is hilarious.

I'm glad they didn't dub the recorded version over the audio.

Can't wait to see him at Pitchfork.

That is all.

DeRo Moves On

The big news in our little corner of the universe yesterday was that Jim DeRogatis has resigned after 15 years as pop music critic for the Sun Times. He is one critic that I respect, can always count on to be honest, and have looked up to since I started writing about music myself not too long ago. Look at me talking like he's gone away....really nothing changes for me, I'll still be reading his stuff online and listening to the same podcast like I always have! He is moving on to teach full time at Columbia College, but will still be writing, now for WBEZ's Vocalo blog. Of course there are opinions and WTFs galore, but I'm just happy that he's still going to be on Sound Opinions with Greg Kot (often dubbed the Siskel & Ebert of music). I look forward to that podcast every week.

So, who will replace him at the Sun Times? But does it matter who replaces him? As @ourmaninchicago said on Twitter, "DeRo's move to Vocalo is a huge statement, both about @WBEZ and @SunTimes." It's no secret that newspapers are slowly dying, and now that DeRo has jumped ship, there are two very important points to make. One is a point that Bill Wyman made on his Hittsville blog--that people like DeRogatis and Roger Ebert are major contributing factors in what make the paper still relevant, so what happens when they leave? The other is that one of the only reasons the music reviewer position was still relevant (in print) was because DeRo had it for so long. His familiarity, experience and reputation made it relevant. And thats a brand he will take with him to Vocalo. So, in my opinion, whoever takes on that position vacated by DeRo better come with a reputation of their own, or they may as well be jumping on a sinking ship.

Here's a little more info and insight on his move:

Robert Feder announces the news on Volcalo.

Tankboy provides some insight into why his move may not be such a shock at all.

OK Go Come Home For A Night

Hey whats up. So I went to see this little band called OK Go this weekend, who has this little album called Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky out, and who just started this little record label, and just left a BIG record label, oh, and they have a couple little videos you may have seen.

All kidding aside, the show was awesome, the band is awesome, and they have become one of my favorite bands around. (That may or may not have anything to do with how I think Damian Kulash is way sexy.)

N-E-WAYs, I wrote this little review of the show, and Tankboy took some pictures.

Betty the Beagle Celebrates Record Store Day

When we got home from record store shopping, we saw that Betty had done some shopping of her own in our record collection!

How could you get mad at that face? Betty, next time you want to listen to a record, just tell Dad and he will put one on for you!

Turned On

My friend Aubs just sent me this album by Little Dragon, Machine Dreams, and it's all kinds of awesome.

And I'm only about half way through it.

Consider This...

I love when I turn on an All Songs Considered podcast and it's a group episode, and this week's Spring Preview is just that. Bob Boilen, Carrie Brownstein, Robin Hilton and Stephen Thompson crack me up when they get together behind the mic. Sometimes I make the greatest discoveries through their show (as with their kick-ass SXSW coverage), while other times I've really gotta question their song selections (I'm lookin at you Robin and Steven*).

This week I was turned on to The Mynabirds' song "Give It Time." That Laura Burhenn could give Miss Cat Power a run for her money any day, add just a dash of Loretta Lynn twang. I don't usually dig too many female vocalists, but there is something downright haunting about Burhenn's vocals that just doesn't let go. Give it a listen here--along with the rest of the songs previewed on this week's All Songs podcast (including a new one from The Black Keys).

*Just kidding guys (well, except for that Valentine's Day podcast).

UPDATE: The Mynabirds will be performing at the Do Division Street Fest in Chicago on June 6.

Festival Crazy

It's been an exhausting week in Chicago concerning the two biggest summer music fests: Lollapalooza and Pitchfork both finalized their line-ups, but not with out lots of fanfare. There were letter games, number games, and big parties. But now it's all out in the open and all we need are the schedules so we can bitch about all the bands that are playing opposite each other.

In other summer music news, the MCA announced the dates for jazz at "Tuesdays on the Terrace", and Downtown Sound's line-up at Pritzker Pavilion is nothing to sneeze at either. Still waiting for that Edible Audible Picnic schedule though...

If you're not getting pumped for summer by now, there's got to be something seriously wrong with you. Seriously, see a doctor.

Officially Lolla

Oh look! There was some other big news today! The Lollapalooza line-up is finally official! Yay!

I have not even bought tickets yet, and I say yet because I know I will go, and I will have a great time, and I will get sunburned, and I will make snarky comments about bands and attendees, and I will say how much better it was in '05. I'm not even waiting because I expect to get in as "press" because I don't, but 200 bucks is a lot of money, and last year I didn't even end up going on Saturday. And you know what, I've already seen a lot of the bands I would want to see under better circumstances. So maybe I'll wait for the schedule to come out and buy single day passes. I have said in the past that I would skip the festival proper in the future and just attend the aftershows, maybe I'll just do that.

Who am I kidding, I know I'll end up buying the three day pass and going for the "experience," but I still can't bring myself to do it just yet.

So who are you excited to see???

Kele Goes Solo

Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke is branching out on his own and releasing a solo album while the band takes a break. It will be called The Boxer.

According to Pitchfork: "Kele teamed up with Spank Rock producer XXXChange to make an album of electronic pop. In a press release about the album, Kele said, "The key for the sound of the record was to take things as harsh and as physical as I could make it." Yikes. This could be great, or really, really awful. Guess we'll have to wait til June 14, when the first single "Tenderoni" is dropped, to judge for ourselves.

Last minute tickets to Spoon? Don't mind if I do!

My review of last nights Spoon show is up on Gapers Block! Complete with pictures courtesy of Katie Hovland! I'm really happy I got to say everything I wanted to about Transference, and looking at my notes from when I first listened to it, I'm glad I got to spend more time w it before I went and reviewed it. Anyway, go read what I had to say about it and the show (including the Aragon - ick).

Plus read Tankboy's thoughts on them being better suited to smaller rooms. I totally agree (especially for the songs on this new album), just couldn't fit it into my article, and wanted to focus more on my other points anyway.