Back In The City

It's certainly not my best work (the pains of being a writer), but I really enjoyed seeing The Dodos on Monday night at Bottom Lounge. I have to admit, it's tough getting out to a concert on a Monday night period, but even tougher right after getting back from a Mexico vacation!

So now it's back to Chicago and back to the grind-- work, commuting, and worst of all, cold weather. But also back to a busy concert schedule between Tankboy and I. Hey, the great music scene in Chicago is one thing I don't mind returning to!

Bad Veins Get the Shout They Deserve

I just realized that in being so busy, I never dedicated a post to Bad Veins! (which is shocking considering how much I am digging them right now and how excited I was to see them at SubT last month) Here's a copy of my review plus a link to Tankboy's photos from Empty Bottle last night.

Live Review: Bad Veins @ Subterranean 9/15/09

One of my favorite albums as of late has been Bad Veins' self titled debut--from start to finish. The album reminds me a lot of The Killers' debut Hot Fuss--over-the-top, danceable indie-rock with the same longing in the vocals. Bad Veins have a lusher, more orchestral sound though, and aren't afraid of their softer side. You'll find yourself singing along, yelling the full-of-feeling choruses --I often get them stuck in my head and catch myself singing 'I would be lyin if i said i never hated you!' around my house.

While their name might not be in your musical lexicon quite yet, drummer Sebastien Schultz and keyboardist/guitarist/singer Benjamin Davis have gotten quite a bit of attention lately with their single "Gold and Warm" popping up on indie radio stations, as one of MTV's Bands You Should Know, and songs appearing in Gossip Girl and The City.

On Tuesday night, the Cincinnati duo played at Subterranean opening for LA group Division Day who they are currently on tour with. I walked in just in time to see them take the stage, and turns out they had just arrived as well--Davis saying that his eyes were still adjusted to the van and that there's something to be said for that downtime between rolling in and actually playing. They didn't sound affected however, making a whole hell of a lot of noise for two guys (although maybe it was a little too loud for that small of a room--but lets attribute that to the venue's eager sound-tech). That lush multi-layered sound could be attributed to their third "member" Irene--a 1973 reel-to-reel tape machine that took center stage.

The whole time watching them, I couldn't remember which song was my favorite because every time they started into one, I thought 'oh, I love this one!' It was hard to tell if I was the only one in the audience mouthing the words, but the modest crowd did take notice, shifting to the front of the room during "Falling Tide," which is probably their hardest rocking song. They closed with "The Lie," Davis singing into a megaphone, distorting the vocals just so and creating a sense of distance. My only gripe of the evening (besides the loud buzzing feedback between songs) was that I wish they would have played more than a 30 minute set.

Rest, Shows, and More Shows

Forgive me for being so absent from my blog! As expected, I was particularly worn/burnt-out after all that transcribing and writing, plus my real job has been keeping me busier than usual, so I decided to take a much needed step back from the scene.

I did make it out last night (in the rain and with a bum foot!) to see Bad Veins (yes, again) at Empty Bottle--reinforcing that their album is one of my absolute favorites of '09. Tankboy wrote them up and took a ton of great pics of the show (I'll post a link here as soon as he gets them up). We even chatted with the guys outside after the show for a bit, they were super cool.

My sister will be visiting this weekend for the Chicago Marathon, so we might hit up a show Saturday night. They Might Be Giants are at The Vic, Asobi Seksu is at Bottom Lounge and Drug Rug (previewed!) is opening for Portgual. The Man at Schubas. OR, I might be stuck at home tending to my bum foot... we shall see...

Writer/Mad Transcriber

I have barely had a spare minute this week, and part of the reason is because I've been working on my feature about new-ish venue SPACE in Evanston that went up yesterday (which included transcribing a 40 minute interview--btw, transcribing interviews takes FOREVER). Bottom line, don't write it off just because it's in the "suburbs." It's really not that far (the Purple Line stops right there) and they've got a great thing going on up there, along with a pretty great room. It's all happening because the peeps that own/run it really love music-- "we're fans first." What am I doing trying to promote it here, just go and read my piece...

I also went to see one of my very favorite new bands right now on Tuesday--Bad Veins, and my review/preview (yes, they're coming back) is up on Transmission as well.

Have a great weekend everyone! I for one am very happy to say good bye to the work week and relax--no plans this weekend!*

*Except, of course, for Kevin Smith at the Chicago Theater tonight! Tankboy got to interview him just yesterday and Part I is already up on Chicagoist!**

**thanks in part to moi--transcriber and best girlfriend in the world :)

Grammartime!

Have I used that title before? Probably. Oh well. Grammar plays tonight at The Hideout! It's their first headlining gig AND a single release show.

And hey, I don't just like them because I know them.

Discovered Today

Brazos - I was about to close their MySpace page when the song "Ms. Virginia" started playing. Hot Austin indie.

The Sky Drops - I don't know much about them other than they were described as "gaze-grunge" which was pretty spot on. A guy-girl duo who look like they popped right out of a 70's crime drama.

Discovered Today

The Subjects - Their MySpace line says 'Like Nickelback, but less ballsy' but don't let that fool you. Clap-along, dance-along, bop your head indie rock pop. They open for one of my current favorites, Bad Veins, at Empty Bottle in October.

Beak> - Instrumental, arty, fuzzy. Remind me of Tortoise in that way.

Andrew Belle - Singer/songwriter and part-time Chicagoan who's played a weekly gig at Rockit (don't judge). Heartfelt pop that is perfect for television drama, having already had a song appear in 90210. Sounding eerily similar to The Fray, I may tire of him as quickly as I did of Grey's Anatomy, but he's worth checking out. And if you live in Chicago, you have no excuse: 10/4 @ Schubas, 10/13 @ SPACE, 11/6 @ Uncommon Ground, even Whole Foods on 9/5.