The 1900s Play Chicago Morning Television

Download: The 1900s - "Two Ways" (Via Stereogum)

Watch The 1990s perform Cold And Kind highlight "Two Ways" here

(Jonathan Graef)

(MySpace Page)

Jens Lekman Plays An Encore In Chicago Neighborhood Apartment

(Imeem, via Pitchfork)

Download: Jens Lekman - "The Opposite Of Hallelujah"

Subject line says it all and holy crap! In all likelihood, I was feet from where this was happening, having dinner with my lovely ladyfriend. The encore in question (which consists of renditions of "Julie" and "Tram 7 To Heaven") took place in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood, home to the Logan Square Auditorium, where Jens Lekman played this past Friday, the 2nd. The auditorium is right next to this awesome cafe called Lula. Excellent trivia note, kids: Ira Glass has called Lula one of his favorite places to eat in Chicago.

So, as we all know, Jens played Minneapolis' Triple Rock Social Club (which itself has some pretty tasty grub) the next night, Saturday the 3rd. Did Jens do something similar for that night? Did anyone happen to catch it, either in the flesh or on videotape? If so, leave a comment or email me at Jon AT minneapolisfuckingrocks DOT com. Thanks.

(Jonathan Graef)

A Couple Of Music Articles Worth Your Attention

The first is a CNN article about Laurie Lindeen and her book Petal Pushers, which chronicles her time as the leader of the Minneapolis-based band Zulu's Petals, as well as her marriage to Paul Westerberg.

The second is from the Chicago Reader and concerns a night in the life of two guys selling bootleg CDs. Read that article here.

If it's raining in Minneapolis like it is in Chicago, then these should keep you well-entertained as you're listening to the rain drops outside.

(Jonathan Graef)

Live Review: St. Vincent - The Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL (7/23/07)

(Photo By Autumn Notter)

Click here to listen to St. Vincent perform on Minneapolis Public Radio.

Read Pitchfork's take on Marry Me here

I don't know where St. Vincent gets her dark side but god bless her for having it. It might seem easy to underestimate the negative emotions of Annie Clark's music - after all, she is a pixie-like 23-year-old with translucent skin and a penchant for writing jazzy, Beatles-esque melodies that skip around in your head the moment that you hear them.

But on the other hand, if we as listeners take for granted the fact that St. Vincent look so cute and non-threatening and that her music is so buoyant, it's probably easier for her to make her dark side much more subversive. That is, treating lines like the end of the refrain in "Now, Now" ("I'll make you sorry") or "Marry Me" ("We'll do like Mary and Joseph Did/Without The Kid") as throwaways, rather than direct threats. Furthermore, when she gets the crowd so involved in the show, as she did by having them clap the bossanova rhythm of "Human Racing," it becomes incredibly easy to be swayed by her charisma as a performer.

Then again, there was her introduction to her cover of "Bang Bang," in which she stated that the other side of love was murder. Before she got to that point, though, St. Vincent and her four-piece band (consisting of Clark on guitar, a bassist, a violinist, and a drummer) entered to a whimsical, ethereal instrumental in the style of the Beach Boys. From there, the group segued into a taut rendition of the waltz-like "Jesus Saves, I Spend."

It should be no surprise that an artist who creates an album as creative as Marry Me would re-arrange her weeks-old (at least, to the buying public at large) catalog, which she did with her next song, "Now, Now." On record, the bouncing guitar harmonics were recreated with a violin, giving the song an added bit of texture. The chaotic breakdown toward the song's end gave ample opportunity for St. Vincent to create a womb of sound, insulating the club with feedback and raucous noise.

From there, Clark went on to perform the title track of her album which, along with the "Across The Universe"-esque "All My Stars Aligned, is her most Beatles influenced song. Both songs were lovingly executed, with "Stars'" arrangement emphasizing the guitar more than on record.

But the 1-2 combo of "Your Lips Are Red" (the intro of which was made into a minimal, two-note punk riff) and "Paris Is Burning" were the highlights of the show, with the former devolving into a most unlikely marriage of prog-rock musicianship with Sonic Youth style feedback sprawl and the latter being flawlessly rendered.

Just when we in the crowd all thought it couldn't have gotten any better, St. Vincent took the stage and insisted that all the lights in the venue be turned off. She played a magical version of the Nico/Jackson Browne classic "These Days." If St. Vincent's not careful, her cover of a cover will become to her what Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" became to him.

Maybe it's not so much that St. Vincent has a dark side, rather that she doesn't like the negative or sardonic elements of her lyrics cloud the effervescence of her music. She certainly knocked us all out at the Empty Bottle with her grace and musicianship. But I don't think that any one would take anything, let alone her dark side, for granted after she gave us all such a great night worth of music.

(Jonathan Graef)

Spoon To Do "Secret" Shows In Chicago, San Francisco

Download: Spoon - "The Ghost In You Lingers"
Download: Spoon - "The Underdog"

Tomorrow, as you most likely know, marks the release of Spoon's excellent new album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. To promote it, the Austin-based group are going to play a series of "secret" shows - one of which is in San Francisco, the other is this coming Friday (July 13th) at Chicago's very own Schubas nightclub. There are three ways you can win tickets. The first way is to check the Schubas website. The second is to check in with radio station WXRT and listen to win tickets. The third, and final, way to get your paws on these sure-to-be hot tickets is to march down to Reckless Records in Chicago and buy your copy there. Once you do, you will be eligible to win a pair of tickets to the show (provided you give certain information, of course).

As far as the San Francisco show is concerned, the show will be at the awesome Cafe Du Nord. You can get tickets either from
radio station KFOG or by buying the album at the incredible Amoeba records.

Or, if you just want to see the band from the comfort of your home, tune in to "The Late Show With David Letterman" tomorrow evening (July 10th) to see Spoon play.

Finally, to see what the fuss is all about, stream Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga here .


(Jonathan Graef)

Live Review: The National, 6/7/07, The Metro, Chicago

For a band that constantly sings about disappointment, regret and barely registering one’s own existence in a faux-Rome, The National sure knew how to deliver a hell-of-a-show. Much like the band’s recorded oeuvre, the Brooklyn-based group’s (touring behind their latest album, Boxer) live show started out slow and steady, but finished with a raging passion and intensity that would be only rivaled by…well, a boxer.

The National choose to lead off the night by emphasizing the more subdued and atmospheric aspect of their sound. Using Yo La Tengo’s “Everyday” as entrance music and emerging from a smoky, purple light (one of the concert’s funniest moments involved singer Matt Berninger requesting that a dry-smoke machine be taken off stage), the band opened with two laid-back cuts from Boxer, “Start a War” and “Anthem.”

Both songs started out quiet and patiently, with circular, repetitive guitar and piano arpeggios laying the stage for choruses on a grand scale. Berninger’s robust baritone, reminiscent of Leonard Cohen and Ian Curtis, gave voice to characters that are past their prime and are bitterly disappointed with the hand that life has given them. But still, they manage to enjoy what they have and appreciate the simpler pleasures of life, even if it is just staying home and watching television. It’s as if The National personify the slow realization that everything will eventually turn out for the better, even if present circumstances are less than ideal.

What The National does best is turn melancholy emotions into uplifting songs. “Anthem,” in particular, was a strong embodiment of that bittersweet emotion, and an even stronger indication of what The National is truly great at. As my internet buddy David Brusie said, they’re as transcendent as U2. But unlike the latter-day incarnation of that band, The National actually earns their grandeur without resorting to cheap sentimentality. Judging by the austere acoustic strumming and Berninger’s low, almost muttered, vocals that start off “Anthem,” you wouldn’t necessarily expect to be absolutely floored by the most straightforward of combinations: a spare, piano line and the words “you know I dreamed about you/for twenty-nine years/before I saw you.”

But there we all were, in Chicago’s legendary Metro club, having our minds blown by a sentiment that would undoubtedly come off as sappy and maudlin in any other hands. However, since most songs by The National begin in a modest fashion, they have nowhere to go but up. It takes a certain kind of genius to write a winning crowd-pleaser about “staying in until somebody finds us/do(ing) whatever the T.V tells us,” and an even better kind of genius to sell that song to a crowd that very well could have taken that advice instead of seeing the band (Chicago was supposed to have storms with winds of up to 80 to 100 m.p.h. the night that The National played).

However, the band more than made sure that the audience was rewarded for braving the elements by showcasing the best cuts from Alligator and Boxer. “Fake Empire” contained the best summation of this sort decade thus far (“we’re half-awake in a fake empire”) and renditions of songs like “Abel” and “Mr. November” pleased the enthusiastic crowd greatly. The two sets of brothers which comprise The National’s instrumental section (Aaron and Bryce Dessner; Scott and Bryan Devendorf) made for a particularly taut musical outfit, with instruments (especially violin) being torn into with an unbridled passion.

That brand of passion was apparent throughout the entire night. But by slowly but surely revealing their enthusiasm, and by patiently building their glorious choruses brick by musical brick, The National rewarded their listener’s patience and loyalty by giving them an entire concert’s worth of memorable songs and moments.

Opening for The National were Shapes and Sizes and Talkdemonic. Talkdemonic had a great musical conception, with moody, minor-key guitar arpeggios and jazzy, pre-recorded, organ and drum-machines being enhanced by live violin and drums. However, most of their songs ended with the same, sudden, anti-climatic non-resolution. Eventually, the unpredictability of their songs became quite predictable and, thus, less interesting. A lack of variety in the tempo and format of their songs contributed to the problem, as well. For all the beauty in their arrangements and skilled musicianship, Talkdemonic suffered mostly from the lack of a songwriter in the group. The band’s instrumental songs would make great study music though.

Note to Shapes and Sizes: Before you can be deconstructive, you have to know how to actually construct something. Like, say, songs. The band aimed for the fragmative sounds of groups like Deerhoof and The Fiery Furnaces, but ended up failing to reach those heights miserably. What was supposed to sound like a musical detour ended up just sounding like a sloppy, shambling attempt to throw together a bunch of musical styles at once in desperate attempt to find one, any one, that works. The less said about the singer’s attempt to hit very high notes, the better.

(Jonathan Graef and April Wright)
(Photo by Autumn Notter)

A version of this article was published at Yerp Magazine.

Chicago F'In Rocks: Chic-a-go-go!

(Drawing taken from Chi-A-Go-Go! Cyber Gallery)

Download: The 1900s - "Bring The Good Boys Home"
Download: The 1900s - "A Coming Age"
Download: The 1900s - "When I Say Go"

Originally, this post was to be about The 1900s playing on Chic-A-Go-Go! on Tuesday. But alas, I could not find any footage of said performance (the mp3s posted above are compensation for that lack of footage). However, I figured this would be a good opportunity to write about Chic-A-Go-Go! itself. The cable access program, hosted by Miss Mia and her puppet friend Ratso, started in 1996 as a self-described "dance show for kids of all ages" and has continued ever since. Basically, it's a kids show done by, and for, hipsters, and not in a satirical "Wonder Showzen" way. Rather, the show has the same kind of morals as a kids show ("stay in school," etc) as a typical kids show, but instead of that message being delivered by Mr. Rogers, it's given by Sleater-Kinney. See how much cooler that is? No matter how old you are, Chic-A-Go-Go! will make you feel like this:



(Photo taken from Chic-A-Go-Go! gallery)

You can read a more detailed biography of the show here
and watch past episodes of the program here. To give you a sampling of what Chic-A-Go-Go! is all about, I've posted some clips of the program I found on YouTube. In order, they are clips of Bobby Conn performing a song about Passover, Neko Case performing "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man," and interviews with Sleater-Kinney and TV on the Radio. Enjoy, and let your inner child get its indie-rock on.


ß

(Bobby Conn)



(Neko Case)



(Sleater-Kinney)



(TV on The Radio)

(Jonathan Graef)

Live Review: The Decemberists/My Brightest Diamond: April 19th, Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL

(Colin Meloy)



(Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond)



(Shara Worden and bass player)




(Chris Funk)



(Colin Meloy, Nate Query, and Chris Funk)

A seemingly agreeable (but in retrospect, inaccurate) statement was made right before The Decemberists took stage for the second of two shows at Chicago's historic Riviera Theater. The DJ, from Chicago album-alternative radio station WXRT, who introduced the band said the following : that the Decemberists were deserving of praise because they realize that "not every creative idea has to be distilled in 2 minutes and 35 seconds" and that the band's live performance would not be musical "fast food (but rather)...this is the feast."

In essence, the Decemberists played a show that was both a wonderful confirmation of those statements, but were also a stinging rebuttal to those on-stage comments.

The Decemberists are, indeed, an intelligent and ambitious group of gifted musicians and their performance this past Thursday (4/19/07) was a feast for the ears and the eyes. The band opened with an impeccacble version of "The Crane Wife 1 and 2" that started out slowly and steadily. Singer Colin Meloy's guitar sounded crisp and each new instrumental component (guitar, cello, keyboard) was assuredly added to great effect. The song then built to an explosive gallop that was beautiful, cinematic and transcendent. And that was just part one - part two was executed flawlessly as well. The band's harmonies gave me goosebumps and Chris Funk's (he of somewhat accidental "Colbert Report" fame) work on guitars 12-string and pedal was icing on the musical cake.

Or, to put it in a much more direct way... it was fucking awesome!

So, as the DJ correctly predicated, the band gave us fans in the audience a musical feast. Consider my belly full. DJ 1, Haters 0.

But after the next few songs that the Decemberists played (highlights from all three of their albums, but mostly focusing on Picaresque and The Crane Wife), I realized something. The DJ's, whose name I unfortunately cannot remember, statement about The Decemberists being great because they don't distill their ideas into two-minute pop songs, is largely incorrect.

What makes The Decemberists so great, both on record and in concert, is that they combine the chops and instrumentation of prog-rock with the humanity and warmth of folk and alt-rock. The end result is that their music is ambitious, but not pretentious or cold, like the worst of prog-rock. The Decemebrists proved that argument with a immaculately recreated version of "The Island."

But even after all of that, I honestly feel that The Decemberists are at their best when they write and perform 3-and-a-half minute folk-rock songs about sadness, love and loss.

"Summersong" and "O, Valencia" for instance - both are terrific songs, and both are as straightforward, verse-chorus-verse, as you can get. And both songs were definite highlights of Thursday night's show. So I feel it's not so much that The Decemberists are great because they refuse to distill their creativity into two minute pop songs, but rather, the band is great because they know which ideas are best contained to two minutes and which ideas should be expanded to twelve.That's a crucial difference, and one that makes The Decemberists a band that is both accessible and ambitious - sometimes even in the same song.

The band, after roughly six years together, is extremely confident and comfortable with each other, based on singer Colin Meloy's gently audience-bating stage patter (he jokingly accused members sitting in the balcony of being lazy crowd-participates) and good-natured ribbing of his bandmates. This confidence made for a fantasic and charming live performance - the way that Meloy lead the audience in the final refrain of "Sons and Daughters" was particularly noteworthy, along with the encore performance of "The Mariner's Revenge," which was awesome, theatrical, and hugely, hilariously entertaining.

After the show, I felt like I had seen the rare piece of art that was both deeply intelligent and massively engaging on an emotional level as well. The Decemberists may look like bookworms, but they entertain like the best of any of the arena-rockers, all without compromising their artistic ethos for approval of the masses. For any lover of music, it was an absolutely terrific show.

Opening for The Decemberists was My Brightest Diamond. I am probably one of, oh, let's say three, people on this green earth who did not like her massively-praised 2006 album Bring Me The Workhouse. I thought that, as talented a singer as Shara Worden is, her opera training actually worked against her, in that her songs pulled their rock punches when they should have gone all out instead.

Thankfully, her live performance showed no such restraint, as Shara kicked out the jams by emphasizing the more energetic cuts from Workhouse and embracing a more guitar-oriented live sound. Also, she quoted Pearl Jam's "Black," which made this Pearl Jam fan's day. All in all, I was pleasently surprised with the amount of rock Worden brought. I hope she does so more often on her next studio record.

(Jonathan Graef. All Photos by Autumn Notter)