Chicago 6 Corners

Schubas Crowd Protocol
Matt Crews Opens for Jessica Robbins ... with a Bit of Background Noise

By Lee Posey, March 28, 2010 (submitted soon after Crews' March 18 Show)

Are you kidding me, Matt Crews, with your voice? When I first saw you, you nervously sped through a chapbook. Up on stage, your voice echoed your confidence. The sound was strong, the wavers intentional; you licked your lips between verses like you were tasting the words that had just come out.

Shut up people! I am trying to hear what he’s saying! With a voice like that, I have to wonder what words he chooses. I pick out a couple:

“Love is a war. It’s good to know which side you’re fighting for.”
“…Pistol cloaked in kisses”

I want to hear more!

In any small venue where a quiet(er) singer songwriter is performing, I petition audience members to be respectful enough to pay attention (or feign attention) to the person on stage. Don’t distract me with talk about taxes. I don’t want the song drowned out by discourse on TurboTax. 

Whisper something about the song, perhaps. I’m not asking for silence. That would be weird (and probably even more distracting to the performer). Occasional silence is good, where everyone takes a breath and you hear the singer unadulterated. Muffled chats are acceptable, but not a lengthy narrative of unrelated issues. Go sit at the bar. Go home. Go to a restaurant. Don’t stand at a stage with your back turned.

At some venues, this isn’t always easy, but at Schubas there’s an entirely separate room for bar activity. The doors close where music is being played. That’s one of the great things about Schubas. So, people, don’t ruin it!

Upcoming Matt Crews Shows

Where: Phyllis’ Musical Inn, 1800 W. Division St.
When: April 28 at 8:30 p.m.

Upcoming at Schubas

Roman Candle (3/25), Seabear (4/2), Cymbals Eat Guitars (4/4), New York Songwriters Circle: Chicago Showcase (4/5), The Morning Benders (4/12)

Lethal Poetry Brings Saul Williams to Chicago
'A Night of Sight & Sound' Co-Shines Spotlight on Local Musicians and Artists Saturday – and More in Months to Come

By David Shuey, March 26, 2010

These past few months Lethal Poetry has been killing it with their Words That Kill shows, offering a wealth of talent at low cost. Saturday night, they switch things up a bit. They signed a poet/hip-hop/actor/artist legend – and also a daughter of a legend. It costs a bit more, but the talent quotient goes up ten-fold.

Saul Williams is a wordsmith giant who by night's end should be standing atop the shoulders of some of Chicago's finest rhyme-masters and musicians. Also performing are Shirley King (B.B. King's daughter), Malik Yusef, Aja Monet, Billy Tuggle, The Mojdeh Project, Precise, Max Abstrax, and D-Nick the Microphone Misfit. King plays soon after the 6 p.m. start time. What else? To quote the promoters, A Night of Sight & Sound offers "The sickest DJs + crazy live painting + severe b-boy battle!!!" Enough said. See full information after the jump.

Williams may not play his Niggy Tardust industrial rock standards, which mesmerized my eyes and ears at the 2008 Lollapalooza; feather-clad as a modern day Ziggy playing originals (and a bloody U2 cover) with a Reznor-orchestrated bent. It was completely unexpected – and an A-Z complete thrill. This Kinetic Playground show should be more like what I saw at his first Lolla performance in 2005: Words and beats, in a harmonious mix of hip-hop and spoken word.

Pulling the strings behind this event is Lethal Poetry, and our friend Mojdeh, who has skillz at mashing up commerce, art, and big ideas. Partial proceeds go to Rock For Kids.  Mojdeh, some may remember, helped curate our Open Mic night for our Solstice Party fundraiser for Chicago 6 Corners.

Even if you miss this big show, you can connect to Lethal Poetry in other ways:

A Sea Change (and New Album) for Mar Caribe
Q&A with Tom McGettrick

Story and interview by Scarlett Stoppa

There wasn't a cloud in the sky the first time I spotted Tom McGettrick, barefoot on a park bench in Andersonville, intently plucking his banjo. Settled into a serendipitously placed antique rocking chair, eyes drifting closed, I let his music dance me up a mountain: picture sun-dappled Smokys, a lazy orange cat snoozing in a triangle of light, sweet birch creaking with the breeze.

Add mandolin, violin, guitar, trombone, saxophone, trumpet, clarinet, ukulele, drums, upright bass, pump organ, or any combination thereof and Mar Caribe will carry you anywhere. Though they do have their favorite spots: dusty tumbleweed ghost towns (50-paces gun duel imminent), the Pacific (or Atlantic) coastal waters of Argentina, fireside in a Rumanian gypsy camp, you get the picture. Literally. Mar Caribe being, by design, a fully instrumental band, the listening experience is a make-your-own adventure.

Among Mar Caribe's favorite places is The Hideout, which is why they are thrilled to both headline and offer their first full-length album (free download with $8 cover) there this Friday. Mark your calendar with the details below, and read on for Q&A with Tom on the seas Mar Caribe has navigated and where the wind is blowing them next.

More Details on Friday, March 26th Show at The Hideout 

Cost: $8 (gets you a Chicago-Independent download code for Mar Caribe's new album)
Where: The Hideout (1354 West Wabansia, 60622)
Bands & Show Times: Tre Orsi (plays at 10 p.m.); Andy Wagner (plays at 11 p.m.); Mar Caribe (plays at 12 a.m.)

It took some months to meet that mysterious, sunny-sidewalk banjo player, but when I did it was well worth the wait. As is his habit, and mine, Mr. McGettrick was enjoying Western Elstons'  every-other-Wednesday set at Simon's when he approached me with panache: "Want to dance, Suzie Cream Cheese?" We've been friends ever since, despite his strong opinions against some of my favorite things – Bob Dylan, for instance. It's those strong opinions, in fact, that made me eager to interview Tom about Mar Caribe's shifting line-up and new album, which was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Matt DeWine of Pieholden Suite Studios. 2-parts brilliant (and hard-working) musician, 1-part earnest appreciator, and 1-part young curmudgeon, Tom's insights did not disappoint. 

C6C: Mar Caribe's contributing musician line-up appears to be fairly fluid, but last October a founding member, Jason Eckerman, left for music school in Massachusetts. How has the band, the music, or the creative process changed since Jason left?

Tom McGettrick: A lot has changed. Jason, Tom [Santiago, another founding member], and I had grown very close, so the whole feel of the band changed. I also miss the mandolin [Jason's instrument].  It got even worse when Chris [Dammann, bass] decided to leave.  Those departures and that of Bob Frech, who was our first trumpeter, forced us to retool. But it's turned out okay since we've treated it as an opportunity to grow. Friday, we will have our second show with a three-piece horn section and a fiddler, and I really love it. I don't think we would ever have gone in this direction with our old line-up, and this has been a lot of fun.

C6C: Timeout Chicago calls Mar Caribe's style "soundtrack music...indicating the advent of a gunfight [etc]..." The reviewer concludes with the opinion that "this is an interesting idea that the group should take farther." Do you agree, and if so, where do you see taking it?

Tom McGettrick: I think the new horns have really taken the idea where it needs to be, but I like the album. It sounds like us in the front room of The Hideout where the banjo predominates and we only have horns here and there. "New F Minor" is the only one with a lot of instrumentation on it. That was really fun to make. DeWine [Matt/Pieholden Suite Studios] had us add pump organ and (digital) mellotone to thicken it up. Then he added tons of reverb to really make the horns high flying and dramatic. That song is the bridge to the next series of songs we've written, where we've got a much bigger sound, but more melodically driven than New F Minor. At the same time, the chordal complexity rivals that song, so i feel like we've made a big jump.

The Silver Series: Nudity in Physical Form
A Perfect Gift for Weddings or Enlightened Easters (Less So for Bar Mitzvahs or Baby Showers)

By David Shuey, March 23, 2010

  It seems fitting that I'm finishing the book Naked by David Sedaris the same day I'm meeting Adeline Sides to discuss her gorgeous photography book of painted-but-still-very-nude people, modern design, and open poetry. While laying it all bare terrifies the hell out of the oft-neurotic Sedaris, the elegance, grace and beauty of the collaborators of our esteemed Chicago 6 Corners photo editor make it abundantly clear: as artists, like the photographer herself, they are comfortable in their own skin – and it elevates the material accordingly.

Or simply, naked is awesome – beyond the prurient. Particularly when combining a singular aesthetic with confident execution.

The material in question began as a straight-forward photo project. Sides would work with friends and models, had a make-up artist paint them silver, and produced final prints in black and white with high contrasts. She knew they had merit beyond a gallery showing, but where to take them from there? "I had all these great photos, but I felt like I wanted to do more with these images," said Sides recently at Humboldt's Star Lounge Cafe. 

The Silver Series soon took on a life of it's own – as any artist or builder with vast amounts of raw material can attest. The result is now a 78-page break from daily life. You can even preview most of the book here. Tangible, practical ideas fomented when reading it myself – hey, this could be a gift for a hip aunt (if I had one), or a treat for the household coffee table (make room, hookah). More generally, it's an investment in the classical idea of the human form. (Other organic natural forms make far worse gifts.)

A true creative journey, Sides jumped into the fire of the unknown. She already had an experienced hand in the collaborative process. But building a physical product from scratch is another thing. "I got people to sign releases, and all that. But understanding all about the publishing process was a key learning experience."

In total, she worked with four models, seven poets (including herself), two associate editors and contributing editor, and lucked out with a designer who could match the coupling of photography and poems without becoming – in my own graphic designer's eyes – repetitive. Every double-page spread is a new look, a unique feeling – but all living and breathing in the same continuum. 

An earlier C6C post on the process and collaboration of the Silver Series goes deeper into that creative period. For me, I love hearing about the means. But it's the ends that make me recommend this book.

Look closely. Check out the photos on this page by clicking them. A poem can be found on this image to the right. Again, check out most of the pages online. But if you want the real (physical) deal, better get yourself some paints and Craigslist models – or better yet, buy the book. It's not only an investment in Chicago (and New Orleans) created art – it might also save your own (fully clothed) ass the next time you forget to buy that wedding present.

 

Finally.
[Spring = Rocks Shows @ Empty Bottle + Readings @ Ipsento Coffee + Record Release @ Schubas + Art @ Sine Qua Non Salon]

By Lee Posey, March 14, 2010

Finally.

Finally, the people of Chicago can step out their front doors and not be hit with bitter cold air. We can walk to the train not hunched over, shuffling as quickly as possible across the ice on the sidewalks. It’s time to emerge. Winter is over.

Maybe.

But, if nothing else, spring is in sight. And what better way to kick off the best time of the year than to go see a show at the Empty Bottle?

Finally.

Converge, drink, dance or sway. Sing along. 

[Pool of Frogs w/ Lasers and Fast & Shit + Carjack @ Empty Bottle, March 12]

Pool of Frogs’ set was clean and energetic. Even as cameras invaded their space, the guys just kept performing, with a respectable absence of anything fake or overdone. Authentic. Honest. Fun. The camera’s light highlighted different aspects of the show – the band members, especially Chad Fess, who is going to be on an episode of A&E’s Obsessed (hence the camera), the audience, the fans. All parts of a good show got their chance to be in the spotlight.

We go out. We see old friends. We meet new friends. We meet people we know from stories or Facebook. We perform. We watch. We feel a part of something.

Finally.

Addendum: Keep your eye on the A&E calendar for Chad’s episode. Check the cool Pool of Frogs  website for songs, show dates, and "bandisodes" (fun 'n funky homemade promotional videos). Above-right photo of Chad and Pool of Frogs taken at March 12 show (crap camera phone shot sweetened up w/ bonus frog on Photoshop).


[Ipsento Coffeehouse Reading Last Thursday, Full Show & Record Release at Schubas This Thursday]

Thursday, my coworker Tim invited me to hear him read at Ipsento, where he used to work. I recently visited Ipsento on my way from Logan Square to Wicker Park, and was delighted with the experience.

I heard someone order the “Ipsento” latte, so I walked in knowing that’s just what I wanted. It was everything people have been saying about it. Their signature drink is delicious, as was the reading that occurred while I was sipping it.

The headliner was Matt Crews, who sped through his chapbook so quickly that I had to fight to keep up; some words came out so fast, I couldn’t tell what he was saying. But the passion was there – plus there was something lyrical about the way the words flowed from his mouth. It made me wonder what his songs are like. That’s why I’m going to see him open for Jessica Robbins at Schubas this Thursday.

Ipsento: A place for great coffee, readings, and more located at 2035 N. Western (Phone: 773-904-8177)

March 18 Record Release at Schubas w/ Matt Crews and Jessica Robbins
Cover: $8
Where: Schubas Tavern (get tickets here), 3159 N. Southport
When: 9 p.m. Thursday, March 18, 2010

[Silvia Hidalgo Art @ Sine Qua Non Salon in Lincoln Park]

You need a new haircut for spring, anyway.

Finally!

Sine Quan Non Salon Address & Phone: 2766 N. Lincoln, 773-871-2280

Shelley Miller Might Just be ’That Bessie Smith Chick’
Dance in Your Living Room and at the Martyrs' CD Release Party for ’When It's All Gone, You Come Back Home’

By Hannah Frank, March 11, 2010

Oh, to be a word in Shelley Miller's lyrics – you may be pulled, twisted, set free, whispered, or pushed into being. Her guitar picking style is folky and smooth, and casts a gentle spell like drinking a good beer. The songs on her third and latest album effort are moody but smart.

She'll be performing Friday at Martyrs' in Chicago in a CD release party for “When It's All Gone, You Come Back Home”.

Her voice is so important to her sound it's akin to a Stradivarius violin – rare and difficult to duplicate. You likely won't find this brand of breaking, heartfelt folk on American Idol, but if there was “Americana Idol” we'd be texting her in.

I was so taken by her voice when listening to the album, I'd go further to say the Chicago singer-songwriter's voice is a beautiful car crash. In her phrasing, I heard remnants of Tori Amos, Nora Jones and Lucinda Williams. There was a grittiness and originality that folk/Americana fans will find pleasing, and she's not afraid to take chances. There's a variety of styles, each song is like another book on the shelf, with a unique story and delivery.

The track “It was Billie,” partially influenced by Billie Holiday, glows like a jazz song performed in an old country cabin.

“Someone a couple weeks ago referred to me as ’that Bessie Smith chick' – which was a huge compliment. And I was once told that I look like Jeff Tweedy, but that's a whole different matter,” jokes Shelley.

Review of Opera Cabal’s ‘USW’ [‘And So Forth’]
For the One Who Thinks Differently

By James Sandrolini, March 7, 2010

Witnessing the contemporary avant-garde breathe new life into moribund revolutionary politics hardly represents just another night on the town. Especially in Chicago, the literal birthplace of anarchist Americana with the Haymarket Square riot of 1886. For those attending this Saturday night’s [2/20/10] highly conceptual theater piece USW in the city's ancient Fine Arts Building, this “opera” presented an aural and visual orgy of the senses. More sensorial than temporal, this highly challenging and at times jarring production, vaguely inspired by the incendiary times and trials of determined Marxist revolutionaries in pre-Nazi era Germany, is something not to be taken lightly. It is, in the eyes of one reviewer, “a multi-media, theatrical and abstract representation of the chaotic life and politics of Sparticist league founder Rosa Luxemburg.”

The program, appropriately held on the tenth floor of the historic, century-old Fine Arts Building, had the aura of a large, underground New York art-house production. One had the feeling he/she was somehow privileged to have been ‘invited’ to such a rarified art-house event. A young, well-tempered crowd, draped in Bauhaus black and white, was at capacity levels for the voluminous, ancient room. Little in this timeless environment would have been terribly out of place during the pre-Weimar period, the electric and increasingly precarious time-period Opera Cabal had re-created for ‘USW’ [literally ‘And So Forth’ from the German ‘Und So Weiter’].

 

“Those who do not move do not notice their chains.” Thus spake Polish-German hell-raiser, Rosa Luxemburg. And like Ms. Luxemburg, USW is fully engaged in movement. This ambitious, often baroque production begins with an edgy, frenetic trio of instrumentalists [bassoon, violin & cello] plucking, clicking and hissing out intensely cut, staccato’d notes and verbal emissions to the rapt, if slightly intimidated audience. Avant-garde scat singing, if you like. The effect was jagged, energizing and arresting. Though, clearly not for everyone (a number of disengaged audience members faded gently into shallow bouts of slumber around me). The overall effect of this vaguely musical offering suggested, perhaps demanded, motion, if highly physical and chaotic. On display here was construction and movement of language, by whatever means necessary.

 

According to USW composer Lewis Nielson, who admits to no great affinity for traditional opera, this experimental 2007 piece offers text that “consists of repeating consonants and vowels, fragments of indeterminate language, and utterances – both fragmented and in complete form – in German, Spanish and English.” The opening piece, entitled ‘WHAT ABOUT YOU?’, offers tense, curt musical phrasing paired with dense lingual meaning providing, “a social message unmistakable in any language or form of communication.” While such assertions lend themselves to considerable debate, there can be no doubt that all of this musical-lingual movement is meant to represent some degree of profound social meaning, however opaque.

 

These Cats Are All That
Acclaimed Musicians (SuperGroup!), Local Talent (Magicians!) Blend at CAU's Art and Music Showcase this Saturday

By Hannah Frank, March 4, 2010

Gypsy jazz guitarist Alfonso Ponticelli and Saxophonist Mars Williams are solid enough talents to warrant their own weekend headlining slots. But by sharing the stage as part of the singer-songwriter Ellis Clark’s “SuperGroup” at the Viaduct Theater this  Saturday night, music fans might ask themselves, “Did I hear that right?” Especially after you add another half-dozen or more outsized talents to the band. Not to mention, all the extras poured into the evening.

Ellis Clark is a long-time friend of Chicago Acoustic Underground, which is hosting its third event. The past two Viaduct shows saw upwards of 200 people pack the Roscoe Village venue.

Clark said it was a “great personal pleasure” to bring the group together – in fact, he could hardly sleep after an early practice. The line-up includes Jon Brant (one of Chicago's best bassists), Brad Elvis (Drummer of The Handcuffs and The Romantics), Jim Hines (Percussion for Brian Wilson's Grammy-winning “SMiLE” album), Geoff Benge (The Webstirs, Epicycle, and Liz Phair), Carlyn Engelmann (keyboardist of The Chamber Strings), Chloe Orwell and Phil Angotti (vocals) and Mike Bezin (trumpeter and leader of The West End Jazz Band). Also of note with his Rock ‘n Roll pedigree: Mars Williams (sax) has worked with Billy Idol and The Psychedelic Furs and is widely known for his improvisation skills.

More than a list of names, Chicago Acoustic Underground is trying to nurture local bands as well, and up close with CAU, you can see first hand the real commitment it has to original music.

Enter Dawn Xiana Moon, a woman for whom “singer-songwriter” is just a phrase. This multi-instrumentalist is at times breathless and other times quietly fierce as she blends Sarah McLaughlin and bits of Jewel into her own intelligent folk-pop. I am particularly eager to see Moon, who is a classically-trained pianist,with a full band as they support their recent album effort.

Speaking of new albums, GoodbyeHome will be showing off tracks from their soon-to-be-released record. Imagine the organic nature of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon intercepted by folk musicians with a lot on their mind and a lot of instruments on hand. The group is what I would call “AA” or “Atmospheric Americana.” Firmly rooted in Americana, yet without any hint of rawness, their sound is polished and enveloping. Frontman Gregg Combs is staking ground as an accomplished singer-songwriter. The full band includes a new violinist and rumors of a guest tuba player are circulating.

The Road Underneath the Headlight Sonata
Hannah Frank Talks Personal Music, Songwriting with Todd Murray (a.k.a. Sincerely, Iris)

Story and Interview by Hannah Frank, February 15, 2010

[Editor's Note: Hannah Frank, she of Hannah Frank Trio, is playing with Sincerely, Iris on February 18 at Goose Island Brewery at 9 p.m. sharp. Go to our Live Shows post for info, or click on the flier below.]

Todd Murray, a Chicago singer-songwriter, is not the first to be inspired by Jeff Buckley — but he may well be the first to relate that inspiration to sensitivity and balance. His stage moniker, Sincerely, Iris, came about as a reflection of these views on music. "[Iris] is sort of feminine, I kind of like that aspect. I really like girl singers like Billie Holiday and I like Jeff Buckley and how he had that feminine aspect to his voice. That's what music is to me — the harder stuff and the more sensitive stuff all in one."

Murray’s most recent collection, Headlight Sonata, stands out among the acoustic masses thanks to a full-house hand of solid folk-pop songwriting and a shim of shoulder-shakin’ blues. Like Buckley, Murray studied jazz, and his main instruments are guitar and voice. His approach to arranging and producing his music is much more considered than most folk acts. Murray was schooled in Kentucky and Colorado but he is not a jazz player or a theory guy. He opposed learning music note for note, yet eagerly applied jazz’s "crazy chords and weird progressions” to his songwriting.
 
"I remember being in class and instead of studying I'd go write a song," says Murray. He also found ways to compose songs while working odd jobs. As a front desk clerk at a hotel in Ohio, he used the quiet late night shift to jot down lyrics. One summer, while serving as a general labor "grunt," he would sneak away to his car to write down some lyrics before getting back to mowing the lawn.

On Headlight Sonata, Sincerely, Iris fills out Murray’s solo live act with layers of guitar lines, bass, and drums. Murray also uses effects pedals and different tracking techniques to obtain an array of guitar sounds. For example, what sounds like mandolin on his track “Boys, Girls and Fools” is actually a quickly-strummed guitar double tracked with the guitar tuned an octave or a third higher.

One of his catchiest tunes is "Cemetery Blues." The imagery, hook, and lyrics come together gracefully. "At the beginning of the song he [the narrator] is kind of sad about death, he's not ready for it,” says Murray. “After complications with money or relationships — all the things of life in general — by the time you get a little older, you're like, 'Bring it on, I'm ready, I've had enough.'"

Murray says tugging on heart strings and connecting with people are the most important things when writing songs or approaching music. "I always want to write lyrics and approach a song from a personal level. It's always personal for me," shares Murray, "as opposed to making sure it has an amazing hook or that it's super-catchy."

Blazing Live Shows to See in February

Compiled by David Shuey, February 2, 2010

This is just a start. More soon! See you all at Black Math on Thursday. Pre-show appetizer: Check out Jimmy's recent interview on Shutter Soul as January's artist spotlight.

Black Math UPDATE: Look for a new record in 2010 put out by Permanent Records. Expect some fresh gems to be played at Hideout. Until then, almost all of Black Math's pre-2010 output is available for FREE download. 11 newer songs here, including the solid "ReadingMysteries" (vocals by Xina) and "Walking@Night" (vocals by Xina/Jimmy). Their Counterfeit Unrealities EP is here (or you can buy it for $5 here, along with their 7" self-titled vinyl record for $7, shipping included). Guitarist/co-vocalist Andrew has some solo tunes here under the Bright Creatures moniker. 

Black Math :: 2/4
Sounds Like: The dark synth corner of your psyche you don't talk about at dinner parties.
Playing With: The Nones and Red Electric Rainbow
Cost: $8
Where: The Hideout at 9 p.m.
Links: MySpace; the EP or 7" s/t record you can buy; the vinyl album you can't get anymore at Permanent; our last post on BM in August.

White Mystery :: 2/4 & 2/6 (still busy!)
Sounds Like: Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwk.
Cost & Where: On 2/4, they open at Empty Bottle, $5 limited advance. On 2/6 they open at Beat Kitchen, $10, 17+ show.
Links: Our recent Q&A interview on C6C with Ms. Alex White; MySpace; and new, minimally rockin' website; even more songs.

Dan Patrevito and Friends :: 2/19, 2/24, 3/8 & 3/14
Sounds Like: Blues to make you "Hide the Women and Children" (quoth Dan)
Cost: Free
Where & Cost: 2/19, 9-12:30 a.m, at Hotti Biscotti (free). 2/24, starting at 10 p.m., at AliveOne (free). 3/8 they open early from 8-8:45 p.m. at Martyrs ($7). 3/14, doors 8 p.m. at

Dirt Room located below Double Door ($5).

Links: Six songs you can sample on this website.

Hannah Frank Trio (with Sincerely, Iris & White Wolf Sonic Princess) :: 2/18
Sounds Like: Acoustic goodness to warm your heart.
Cost: $5
Where & When: Goose Island Wrigleyville, 3535 N. Clark. Sincerely, Iris starts at 9 p.m. Hannah Frank Trio at 10 p.m. White Wolf Sonic Princess at 11 p.m.
Links: Hannah Frank Trio MySpace; Sincerely, Iris MySpace; White Wolf Sonic Princess Myspace