First Shows in Austin

30 Jun 2008 - 9:34
By adam | Posted in Austin, shows | Comments (0) Tags: , , , , , |

We weren't in town for 3 days before we saw our first show in austin, Rilo Kiley at Stubb's.  Jenny Lewis was amazing, both vocally, and on guitar (and hot).  We were also hot, but Austin hot is not quite as sticky and sweaty as Chicago hot.  It was a great show, and it reminded me of why I started liking Rilo Kiley.  The first few songs were way more guitar-rock than recent albums.

Saturday was the first metal show I've been to here.  The show was outside at Mohawk, which is great, I love being able to smoke at shows, especially metal shows that I can't convice the wifest to attend with me.

Clouds opened up, and they were actually the band that drew me to the show.  I saw that at SXSW, and they were fantastic there.  The new album (We Are Above You) just came out, and they just put on way too good a show to not go see them again.  There's something about their swagger that very few of the "stoner metal" bands do well.  I also really love the 3 lead vocalists.  I wouldn't say any of them are exceptional in their own right, but it's fantastic hearing them play off each other, and trade leads and harmonies.

Clouds - Slow DayTorche's Meanderthal album is a strong contender for the best metal album this year, it's full of great pop hooks, catchy songs, all wrapped in a fuzzed out metal package.  I'd been warned that their live show isn't so great, though.  The first song, from one of their earlier EP's, was definitely worth a warning.  The vocals were pretty much absent, and any sense of song was obliterated in a haze of badly mixed, overly loud wall of fuzz.  As they moved on to songs from the new albums, I got a little more used to picking the vocals out of the mix, and the stronger songs punched through the din.  I can certainly see why these guys don't make friends with their live show.  The singer has a shit-eating grin on the entire time, almost like he's unaware of the fact that people can't tell how fun the songs are.  It was a great set, though, and still worth seeing, if you like the album.

Boris came on last.  I'll have to admit that I really only see Boris as an amusement.  None of their songs grab me, and their noise is to up-front to just put on and immerse in, the way you can with, say, Sunn O))).  They led off with songs from smile, which were enjoyable enough, but I got bored quickly.

Save Chicago Culture

13 May 2008 - 7:19
By adam | Posted in chicago, shows | Comments (1) Tags: , |

Tomorrow, the city council votes on an ordinance requiring anyone organizing a concert of any scale, at any (already) licensed venue, to be a licensed promoter. This is very dangerous to Chicago's rich music scene, and to the arts in Chicago in general.

The definition of “event promoter” is so loosely defined it could apply to a band that books its own shows or a teenage kid trying to get his favorite band into town.
The “event promoter” must be licensed and will pay $500 – $2000 depending on expected audience size.
To get the license, applicant must be over 21, get fingerprinted, submit to a background check, and jump over several other hurdles.
This proposed ordinance seems targeted towards smaller venues, since those with 500+ permanent seats are exempt.

These issues have been tirelessly highlighted by Jim DeRogatis at the Sun Times. There are two interviews that are very much worth reading: Alderman Shulter and the Department of Business Affairs. Please, if you're in Chicago, sign the "Stop the promoter’s ordinance petition" and contact your alderman. via CYSTSFTS

UPDATE: the ordinance has been put back into committee, to get more input from the community.

The State of MP3 Players

12 May 2008 - 11:22
By adam | Posted in music | Comments (5) Tags: , , , |

Microsoft surpasses 2 million Zunes sold. Apple sells 2.65 million iPods a month

How is it that the two top selling MP3 players are the two most DRM-encumbered? I think, though, that a survey would be more relevant. Something simple, like "What Do you use to listen to music on the road?" It would answer my nagging doubts: How many of those iPods go to repeat buyers? How many people use something that's not an MP3 player to play MP3's?

I fall into the latter category, the wifest into the former. I use my blackberry for music playing (with a decent pair of headphones and a decent music player, that scrobbles). I spent a long time worrying about what type of MP3 player to buy, so that DRM wouldn't be an issue. Then Amazon MP3 launched, and it all became moot. There's now (almost) no MP3 I can't find on Amazon, DownloadPunk, or Bleep. My music player is a MSD, so there's no worry about adding files from multiple machines.  I don't have to use special software (yes, iTunes is special in a short bus kinda way) to load music either.  Any fears of running out of battery are assuaged by the fact that i can charge it off any usb port.

The Month of Shows begins

7 May 2008 - 9:16
By adam | Posted in shows | Comments (0) Tags: , , |

Somehow, practically every band I'm into is playing Chicago this month. It started friday, with Ghostland Observatory at the Metro, in an overdose of fog, lazers and white sportcoats. It was hysterical to have a house DJ as an opening act, which absolutely no one danced to.  Reminds me why I never go to clubs.  From there, we went directly to looptopia. The next afternoon, we caught the Woodknots at the Empty Bottle, for an art show.

Last night was the Chicago stop for Gigantour, which is probably the highest production show I've seen since Van Halen1, since I mostly go to small independent shows. I didn't realize that the show started at 4:30, so I missed High on Fire before I'd even left work. We got there in the midst of Children Of Bodom, who put on a hell of a show2 , just all out metal. In Flames set was rather lackluster, save for "Only For The Weak".

Megadeth was in another gear entirely. I was really into them in junior high, so it seemed kind of weird to be just seeing them for the first time at 28. Nothing else mattered when they launched their set, though. I was immediately in a state of childlike glee, as they ripped into "Sleepwalker" and "Wake Up Dead". It's like this:

  • Megadeth's new stuff is cut from the same cloth as their old stuff. The same can't be said for most metal bands *cough*InFlames*cough*
  • Their set heavily favors the songs that made them great (still looking at you, IF).
  • When Dave wears tight black pants, he looks like the old school metal god he is. When Anders wears them, he looks like a scene kid.
  • For all of COB's technical, precise speed and fun-loving songs, Megadeth still has better songs, better groove, and a ton more energy.

Fuck the haters, Megadeth isn't a 2nd tier thrash band, they're a 1st rate band who plays thrash. Their songs exist outside of metal-for-metalheads. For all that guitar hero has brought metal back, few, if any, bands in this decade have superceded the genre. Going into the show, I expected to enjoy COB and IF, and maybe stick around for Megadeth. COB delivered on my expectations, but Megadeth blew me away.


  1. Discounting festivals like Lollapalooza (back ↩)
  2. although my boss was a little non-plussed by the keyboardist's lack of stage presence. (back ↩)

Urbano-Vegetal

5 May 2008 - 7:14
By adam | Posted in architecture | Comments (1) Tags: , , |

Made In Tokyo has a great collection of photomanipulations of fanciful cities where nature has overscaled the city:

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