I don’t know when Pearl Jam evolved from just being grunge runners-up and moved into its current super-American icon status. I like it, though. (Note: A friend and Pearl Jam fan read my blog and said that my declaring PJ a grunge runner-up was offensive, that it was always Nirvana’s equal. “Soundgarden and Alice in […]
August 5, 2007
The best thing about Lollapalooza this year is that we were staying at a friend’s condo on N. Harbor, maybe a block away from Grant Park. Yup, no cabs, no public transportation, no driving — no parking fees, either, since my friend hooked us up with a spot after the first day. (Thanks Meredith!) So […]
August 4, 2007
I mean that in the non-literal, yet literal sense of the word of course, in that after their set you felt like it would be OK to go to heaven. It was a great big party, that’s hard to describe in words, so here are photos. Lovers were kissing everywhere you looked at Grant Park. […]
August 2, 2007
Here’s the biggest reason I love Milwaukee: On Monday, I saw three awesome bands — Dappled Cities, Interpol (see lead singer Paul Banks’ photo above) and the Fratellis — in one night. I shuttled to and from the Pabst Theater and the Rave to do so, but it wasn’t a hassle at all. No expensive […]
July 30, 2007
The gig 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 30 Genre alt-pop Where Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St. How much $10 Info www.dappledcitiesfly.com Here’s another reason you should go to the Pabst tonight: it’s a night where the British Empire rules again. The Fratellis are Scottish, the Switches are from England and Dappled Cities are Australian. So […]
July 20, 2007
The gig 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 30 Genre alt-pop Where Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St. How much $10 Info www.thefratellis.com Doo-wop the Monday blues away, here’s three things you didn’t know about the Fratellis! One You may know these Scottish boys aren’t brothers at all, but the Fratellis (Jon/John Lawler on vocals and guitar; […]
July 16, 2007
The fact that the Pitchfork Music Festival 2007 sold out, partnered with ATP, and had a lineup that was every snotty indie music nerd’s wet dream meant that there was a lot of pseudo-intellectual music analysis overheard this weekend. If I carried a recorder while walking through the crowds I could’ve remembered a lot of […]
July 11, 2007
Who knows why I thought Robbers on High Street were from England. I went on their Myspace page, saw Brooklyn … and thought, oh they must’ve moved there. Maybe it’s their name (I mean, do you say, “A robber stole Tuc’s wallet on my birthday?” No.), or maybe it’s the band’s Kinks-ish sounding songs. Or […]
June 29, 2007
There’s a reason my Summerfest blog took so long to post. In fact, I am still processing the whole experience right now. I got to see John Mayer in the rain, fireworks, Built to Spill, Son Volt and the Old 97s. I drank a lot of $4.50 beer and paid $15 for parking MORE THAN […]
June 20, 2007
My favorite musical term is “in the pocket.” Musicians I love and respect can always play in the pocket, and it’s beautiful to watch. It’s hard to explain, so I’m going to let jazz musician Tyra Neftzger define it for you: “In music, the pocket isn’t a place where the musician holds something — it’s […]
August 6, 2007
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