Emma Pollock, “Hug the Harbour”

Emma Pollock is set to release her second solo album, The Law of Large Numbers, on March 2nd via the Chemikal Underground label.

The album marks both a return to the label that Emma and her previous band, The Delgados called home for many years, as well as a return to the darker edge of that band.

Don’t get me wrong, I liked Watch the Fireworks, but if it hadn’t been Emma I’m not sure I would have listened to it as much as I did. The new album, on the other hand, reminds me of what I loved about The Delgados, and that’s a damn fine thing.

Tour dates are apparently forthcoming, but it looks from Emma’s website that she’ll be playing in the U.K. in mid-March… in other words, no SXSW. Oh well.

Will try to add some discussion tomorrow, but for now, just a few pics.

Josh Ritter, “Change of Time”

Josh Ritter is set to release his sixth studio album, So Runs The World Away, on April 23rd in Ireland and on May 4th in the U.S. and the rest of the world. “Change of Time” is the album’s first single.

A month of tour dates have been announced to coincide with the Irish and American releases, including a May 15th show here in Chicago at the Vic. Tickets for that show go on sale on Saturday. You can find info on tickets for the rest of the shows (many of which are already on sale) here.

Josh Ritter Tour Dates
4/24: Galway, Ireland (Live Lounge at The Radisson Hotel)
4/25: Limerick, Ireland (Dolans Warehouse)
4/27: Dublin, Ireland (Grand Canal Theatre)
4/29: Belfast, N. Ireland (Festival Marquee at CQAF)
4/30: Kilkenny, Ireland (Ormonde Hotel)
5/7: Philadelphia, PA (TLA)
5/8: Washington, DC (9:30 Club)
5/10: Baltimore, MD (Ram’s Head)
5/11: Durham, NC (Carolina Theatre)
5/13: Atlanta, GA (Variety Playhouse)
5/15: Chicago, IL (The Vic – on sale Saturday)
5/19: New York, NY (Town Hall)
5/20: New York, NY (Town Hall – SOLD OUT)

I completely missed this a couple of weeks ago – Wilco stopped in for a song on the Late Late Show on January 28th.

Too bad, too, because this is probably one of just two or three songs on Wilco The Album that I care to ever hear again. Which probably doesn’t bode well for the fact that I’m seeing the band in Madison this weekend.

… And we’re back.

Sorry for the silence on the blog the last few weeks.  I was pretty consumed with campaign work for most of the latter half of January (and the beginning of February), and didn’t have much in the way of free time to devote to the blog. However, now that the primaries are over, things are essentially back to normal, so hopefully the blog will be too.

Anyway, here’s what’s going on in Chicago this week in terms of shows.  Not a huge week, at least in terms of stuff I’m looking forward to, but it looks like I’ll probably hit at least 3 shows (Robbie Fulks, Those Darlins and Fucked Up).  As a life-long Genesis geek, I may actually try for the Musical Box/Fucked Up two-fer on Saturday.  Maybe.

As always, my picks are in bold.

---

Monday, February 8
Beat Kitchen: Pat McCurdy
Empty Bottle: King Cannibal, Phaded, Quadratic, Searchl1te (FREE SHOW)
Hideout: Robbie Fulks (duo w/ Nora O’Connor)
Martyr’s: Nefarious Fat Cats, Drama Junkies, Two Aglets Jazzing
Schubas: New York Songwriters Circle – Chicago Showcase

Robbie Fulks: “Cigarette State” (from “Corporate Country Sucks” tv show)

---

Tuesday, February 9
Beat Kitchen: Dawn Landes & The Hounds, Rachele Eve
Double Door: Del Barber, Heather Styka, Tom Rorem, Julie Klee
Empty Bottle: Snacks, Ghetto Caviar
Hideout: Sanctified Grumblers
Martyr’s: Pearls Mahone & the OneEyed Jacks, Izzy & the Kesstronics, The Congregation
Schubas: Mike’s Pawn Shop, The Able Body
Subterranean: Leah Stargazing, Two Star, The Blue Pages, Hey The Maker

---

Wednesday, February 10
Abbey Pub: Class Ed, Lil Sicc, Graphic Nature, House of Hanibl, more
Beat Kitchen: Noise by Numbers
Bottom Lounge: Shifting Totem, The Heavy Bombers, Poundcake, Pheta Morgana
Double Door: Polysics, Evil Beaver, Earth Program
Empty Bottle: The Vindits, Baron Von Something, Deadlands
Hideout: Immediate Sound Series w/ Matt Schneider, My Silence
Lincoln Hall: Abstract Giants, Doko Benjo, Contriband
Martyr’s: Phil Agnotti Band, Kristine Jackson, Holiday House
Schubas: Laugh It Up, Kid ft. Sean Flannery, Danny Kallas, Chad Briggs, more
Subterranean: Color Radio, Joie de Vivre, Mountains for Clouds

---

Thursday, February 11
Abbey Pub: The Maybenauts, Gidgets Ga Ga, The Queue, Fitzpatrick
Beat Kitchen: The Elms, Molehill, Verona Account
Bottom Lounge: Goat Motor, Cavepeople, Killing Revolutions, Flatbed Orange, more
Double Door: Papadosio
Empty Bottle: Ultratumbados, Scotia Widows, Andy Marchel and the Cocaine Rainbow
Hideout: Mako Sica, Brent Gutzeit, Birth
Lincoln Hall: Sleeping At Last + String Quartet, Matthew Perryman Jones, The Artifacts
Martyr’s: Golem, Black Bear Combo
Reggie’s Rock Club: Mikkey Halsted, Big Wiz
Ronny’s (6pm): Dave Hause (of The Loved Ones), Isaac Thotz and Dave Merriman, Love and Squalor
Ronny’s (10pm): Dave Hause (of The Loved Ones), Bob Nanna, Into It.Over It
Schubas: Those Darlins, Hacienda, Velcro Lewis
Subterranean: Singing in the Abbey, Ceiling Stars, Brother George

Those Darlins: “The Whole Damn Thing” (live in Philadelphia)

---

Friday, February 12
Abbey Pub: Cealed Kasket, Beatallica, Hemi
Beat Kitchen: Saraphine, The Daymakers, Every Part the Buffalo, Ron Robinson
Bottom Lounge: The Fold, The Scissors, The Insecurities, Last Fast Action, more
Congress Theater: Omarion, Bobby V, Ginuwine
Double Door: The Lovehammers, Once Divided, Commove, The Action Blast
Empty Bottle: Welcome to Ashley, I Lost Control, The Handcuffs
Hideout: Vortis, The Cathy Santonies, Hot & Heavy Burlesque
House of Blues: Great White, Rev Luv
Lincoln Hall (7pm): Empires, This Is Me Smiling, The Fireship
Lincoln Hall (10:30pm): Flosstradamus
Martyr’s: Exotic Animal Petting Zoo, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, Airlines X
Metro: Moneypenny, Gemini Club, Kid Color, more
Metro (SmartBar): Congorock (Fool’s Gold), Willy Joy, Charlie Glitch
Reggie’s Rock Club: This is Versailles, Green Sugar, The Loneliest Monk, Cains & Abels, The Mpls Henrys
Ronny’s: Mouth of the Architect, Millions, Raise the Red Lantern
Schubas: Nomo, The Lowly Ensemble
Subterranean: Leslie & the Ly’s, Christopher the Conquered

---

Saturday, February 13
Abbey Pub: Silent Civilian, Blind Witness, Czar, ThunderDriver, A Break in the Storm
Aragon: Baile De Los Enamorados, Los Acosta, Amanda y Diego, Los Humildes
Beat Kitchen: Maritime, Chaperone, King Sparrow
Bottom Lounge: Stellar Road, 56 Hope Road, Backyard Cohort, Mastrueno
Congress Theater: Mosdoom – Doom ft. Mos Def, Mike Relm
Double Door: Backyard Tire Fire, The Steak House Mints
Empty Bottle (10pm): Fucked Up, Kurt Vile, Zola Jesus, Boystown
Hideout: Makeout Party Orchestra, ssssnake
House of Blues: Lovehammers, Gaskill, Simple Simon
Lincoln Hall: Gene Ween, The Lonesome Organist [SOLD OUT]
Martyr’s (7pm): John Forte
Martyr’s (10pm): The Drastics, The Pinstripes
Metro (6pm): Oceano, Monsters, Dorian’s Decay, Elysion Fields, The Beauty of Bloodshed
Metro (11:30pm): Nocturna, DJ Scary Lady Sarah
Metro (SmartBar): Frankie Knuckles, Michael Serafini
Reggie’s Rock Club: The Hallow, Dead Town Revival, The Spent 50s, X is for Eyes
Ronny’s: The Clergymen, I Luv Luv Birds, Bourgeois Rebellion
Schubas: Trevor Hall, Tomorrows Bad Seeds
Subterranean: Mahjongg, Icy Demons, Love Concept
Viaduct Theater (9:30pm): Fucked Up, Kurt Vile)
The Vic: The Musical Box

Fucked Up: Live at Generation Records (NYC)
Kurt Vile: “Freak Train”
Maritime: “Guns of Navarone”
The Musical Box: Excerpts from A Trick of the Tail

---

Sunday, February 14
Abbey Pub: Mr. Dibbs, Silent Army, Sector 7G, Kidd Russell, more
Beat Kitchen: Glittermouse, The Locals, The Cell Phones
Double Door: Nneka, Jerome Holloway
Empty Bottle: Yawn, Netherfriends, Baby Magdelene (DJ set)
House of Blues: Killswitch Engage, The Devil Wears Prada, Dark Tranquility
Lincoln Hall: The Dirty Rooks, Jon Langford, The Delta Routine
Metro: Madina Lake, The Blisters, Big Science, Brendan Kelly, Depaul Prelude Choir
Reggie’s Rock Club: Scary Kids Scaring Kids, The Sleeping, Eli, On the Front, Rosaline
Ronny’s: Teenage Rage, Dastardly, Jared Bartman, Merryweather
Schubas: Trevor Hall, Tomorrows Bad Seeds
Subterranean: The Audition, The Dangerous Summer, Sparks the Rescue, The Right Coast

Via Wikipedia:

Cap’n Jazz was a short-lived, but highly influential emo band. The group was formed in Chicago in 1989 by brothers Tim and Mike Kinsella, who were joined by Sam Zurick and Victor Villareal. After a number of name changes and the addition of guitarist Davey von Bohlen the band began to earn a cult following in the Chicago area and the Midwest.

It’s weird – despite the fact that I was a HUGE emo fan in the mid-late 90’s, and that I loved a ton of the Chicago/upper-Midwest bands that made up that movement, I never got into Cap’n Jazz. Hell, I never even owned a Cap’n Jazz CD. I think I’d been warned that they were “weird” or something and shied away. My loss.

Anyway, the band reunited last night at the Empty Bottle here in Chicago for a 4-song set. No one seems to have any clue if this was a one-time thing or whether it might turn into something more permanent, though some fans online are already clamoring for a summer tour.

Thanks to mpshows for pointing out that this video from the show had already made it onto Youtube.

You probably saw it already, but wait for 0:53.

OK, so far this year Guns n’ Roses has been in Asia and Canada, and are now scheduled to head to South America. Prior to this year, the band’s last tour dates were in Mexico, Australia and New Zealand in mid-2007.

So you gotta assume they’ll be hitting the U.S. at some point this year, right?

Right?

Guns n’ Roses South American Tour
3/7: Brasília, Brazil @ Ginásio Nilson Nelson – on sale January 25th.
3/10: Belo Horizonte, Brazil @ Ginásio Jornalista Felipe Drumond (Mineirinho) – on sale January 27th.
3/13: São Paulo, Brazil @ Palestra Itália Stadium – on sale January 27th.
3/14: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil @ Praça da Apoteose – on sale January 25th.
3/16: Porto Alegre, Brazil @ Ginásio Gigantinho – on sale January 25th.
3/18: Montevideo, Uruguay @ Estadio Centenario – on sale January 24th.
3/220: Santiago, Chile @ Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos – on sale TBA.
3/25: Lima, Peru @ La Explanada Sur del Estadio Monumental – on sale January 23rd.

Guns n’ Roses, “Whole Lotta Rosie” (AC/DC cover – live in Edmonton)

Hey kids… sorry for the relative lack of silence around the blog this week. I’ve been pretty busy working on David Schroeder’s campaign for Illinois State Representative (he was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune yesterday!), and haven’t had as much extra time as usual for keeping up the blog or going to shows.

Anyway, while I happen to have a few minutes here, I wanted to mention a cool little package I got in the mail last week from the folks at Earlove.

If you haven’t heard of them, Earlove is a local Chicago company that sells some the best affordable earplugs I’ve ever used. And don’t go thinking that these are your typical, cheap, sound-destroying foam earplugs that you spend 5 minutes putting in correctly just to rip out about 30 seconds into a show so that you can actually hear the music being performed.

Nope, the earplugs that Earlove sells were actually developed by the high-end audio company Etymotic Research, and, amazingly, do a great job of protecting your ears while still allowing you to hear music.  I’ve been using them for several years, and now drag them to pretty much every show I go to (with a few exceptions, ahem, Swell Season).

Anyway, if you go to a lot of shows, I strongly recommend picking up a pair of Earlove ear plugs. I used them a ton last year when I saw nearly 400 bands over the course of the year, and I feel pretty confident that my ears are in much better shape than they otherwise would be if I hadn’t.

Oh, and to be completely fair, there are definitely times when I leave my earplugs in my pocket – although Earlove are infinitely better than foam, there are still some times you want to hear the music in all of its glory. That said, just imagine how nice it is to be able to protect your ears from a crappy opening band. It’s bad enough that I have to be in the same room as Ponytail, but at least I don’t have to give up my hearing in the process.

Shearwater, “Black Eyes”

Austin, Texas’ Shearwater is set to release its brand new album, The Golden Archipelago, via Matador Records on February 23rd. This is the second track the band has made available from the album.

If you click through the album cover on the right, you’ll be taken to the Matador store where you pre-order the album for 15% off.

Oh, and if you’re in Chicago, tickets go on sale tomorrow for the band’s April 4 show at Lincoln Hall with Wye Oak and Hospital Ships.

Some pics from Saturday night’s show at Lincoln Hall featuring The Rural Alberta Advantage, Bowerbirds and Julie Doiron.

Good show overall, though not quite as good as I was hoping. Nils’ (of RAA) voice was pretty beat up — he was apparently getting over a cold. As a result, he wasn’t quite able to reach a lot of the notes he usually does, and it affected the songs in a pretty noticeable way. Still, though, kudos to him for fighting through it, including choosing to play a new song (whose title I didn’t catch) which basically requires him to scream for about 5 minutes straight. I almost expected him to start coughing blood during that song.

I’d never actually seen Julie Doiron before, and I came away extremely impressed. Bowerbirds, on the other hand, didn’t do a lot for me, though to be fair I was pretty tired by the time they came on and I only ended up sticking around for about 1/2 of their set.

The Rural Alberta Advantage

Julie Doiron

Bowerbirds

Here’s what’s going on in Chicago this week.  Doesn’t look like I’m gonna get out this week.

Edited to add: Sorry, forgot to bold my picks for the week.  Hope it didn’t seem like I was saying there weren’t any good shows this week.  I’m just working a lot on David Shroeder’s campaign for Illinois State Representative (5th District), and I’m not sure I’m gonna have time to get out much before the Feb. 2nd primary.

---

Monday, January 18
Beat Kitchen: Pat McCurdy
Empty Bottle: Coltrane Motion, Soft Speaker, Panda Riot [FREE]
Hideout: Haiti Benefit w/ Waco Brothers, Eleventh Dream Day
Martyr’s: Dale Watson, The Hoyle Brothers
Reggie’s Rock Club: Wednesday 13’s Gunfire 76, Sex Slaves, Felon Love
Schuba’s: The Ike Reilly Assassination, TJ & Dave

---

Tuesday, January 19
Beat Kitchen: Chicago Underground Comedy
Double Door: This is Cinema, Yawn, Paperbeat, Hey Rabbit
Empty Bottle (7pm): The Necks, Vox Arcana
Empty Bottle (10pm): The Necks, Joshua Abrams Group
Hideout: Sactified Grumblers
House of Blues: Theory of a Deadman, Halestorm, Adelitas Way, Taking Down
Lincoln Hall: Illegal D, Stare Decisis
Martyr’s: The Pawns, Bodies Bright, The Nows
Reggie’s Rock Club: The Upwelling, Floral Terrace, Collide and Scope, Kirkland
Ronny’s: Elephant Gun, Children of Spy, Crayolala, Faggy Pussy
Schuba’s: Julia Nunes, Oh Theodora
Subterranean: Rough Cut, The Black Saints, Bourgeois Rebellion

---

Wednesday, January 20
Beat Kitchen: Rabbit Children, The Crown and Two Chairmen, The Viaducts
Bottom Lounge: I:Scintilla, Dead on TV, 48sin, Komplicator
Double Door: The Moses Gun, Astral Planes, Columbia Exposition
Empty Bottle: State Champion, Rabble Rabble, Phantom Family Halo, Wishgift
Hideout: Immediate Sound Series w/ Ken Vandermark’s Don Cherry Project
House of Blues: DevilDriver, Suffocation, Goatwhore, Thy Will Be Done
Lincoln Hall: Joey McIntyre
Martyr’s: Tin Lynott
Schuba’s: Inchworm, Save the Clocktower, Sissy Mena
Subterranean: We Love You, The Tinycakes, The Little Village, Broken Bones

---

Thursday, January 21
Beat Kitchen: Ben Keeler & The 500 Club, Paper Thick Walls, Goodman West
Bottom Lounge: B1gt1me (Tom Waits tribute), Benton Harbor Lunchbox
Double Door: Soul Supreme dance party [free]
Empty Bottle: Daily Void, Daylight Robbery, The Krunchies, Nones
Hideout: Warm Ones, Jitney, Ben Clarke
House of Blues: The Expendables
Lincoln Hall: Cavashawn, The Fold, Valaska
Martyr’s: Harris and the Mood, Killer Moon, Dash Cunning
Metro: Nile, Immolation, Krisiun, Abigail Williams, Dreaming Dead
Metro (SmartBar): Danny the Wildchild, Phantom 45, Biobooster
Ronny’s: Grant Hart (of Husker Du), Jared Grabb, Annie Saunders, The Blind Staggers
Schuba’s: Decibully, A Lull, Clip Art
Subterranean: 28 Mansions, Baby & Hide, Republic of Lights

---

Friday, January 22
Abbey Pub: Pravda Records 25th Anniversary Show w/ The Service, The Slugs, Boom Hank
Beat Kitchen: Rockie, Ray Protege, Stefan Ponce
Bottom Lounge: Camera, Land of Lincoln, The Kickback, The Vindits
Double Door: Jon Drake & The Shakes, The Damn Choir, A Night in the Box, Curtis Evans
Empty Bottle: Joan of Arc Don’t Mind Control Variety Show
Hideout: Dark Fog, Plastic Crimewave Sound, Sadhu Sadhu, more
House of Blues: Super Diamond
Lincoln Hall: Mother Hubbard, Skyler (Rehab), Kid Color, Just Desserts
Martyr’s: Button Pushers, Peace of Mind Orchestra, Fresh Hops
Metro: Pet Lions, Post Honeymoon, White Mystery, The Dirty Diamonds
Metro (SmartBar): Tommie Sunshine, Traxx, Greg Corner
Reggie’s Rock Club: Yea Big & Kid Static, Seel Fresh, Scheme, Giraffe Nuts
Ronny’s: Ratattack, Dumpster Babies, The Paver, Baseline:Mars, Model N
Schuba’s (7:30pm): Freedy Johnston
Schuba’s (10pm): Brighton, MA, Elsinore, Flight
Subterranean: Cruel Hand, Bracewar, Mother of Mercy, Nowhere Bound, Iron Rain

---

Saturday, January 23
Abbey Pub: Robert Gordon and the Gang They Couldn’t Hang (ft. Glen Matlock), more
Beat Kitchen (5:30pm): The Action Blast, The Fireship, Artifex Pereo, Made Avail, Onasis
Beat Kitchen (10:30pm): Otter Petter, Sirsy, The Blissters
Bottom Lounge: The Krank Daddies, Thee Invaders, Kevin Flynn & The Avondale Ramblers, more
Double Door: The Assembly, Meqqa, Villian vs. Villain, Heart Set Self Destruct
Empty Bottle: Anxiety High, Johnny Rev, Black Actress, Vortis
Hideout: Baby Alright, Jane Baxter Miller
House of Blues: Super Diamond
Lincoln Hall: Tea Leaf Green, Elmwood
Martyr’s: The Charming Beggars, The Good
Metro: The Felix Culpa, Loyal Divide, Robbers, Suns
Reggie’s Rock Club: The Riverdales, Tenement, Sugar Stems
Ronny’s (5pm): Burn Tibet, The Disappeared, Everything Went Black, Rex Catapult, Burning Luck
Ronny’s (10pm): Juiceboxx, Sweatheart, Barry and the Eastenders
Schuba’s: Brighton, MA, Andrew Belle, Tacoma Narrows
Subterranean (6pm): Rule 22, We Are The Union, Shortstop From Tokyo, The Takeouts
Subterranean (11pm): Dark Wave Disco DJs, Midnight Conspiracy, DJ Action Adventure
The Vic: Robin Thicke

---

Sunday, January 24
Beat Kitchen (12pm): Human Tim + Robot Tim
Bottom Lounge: Faceoff, The Flips, The Turbo Vamps, more
Empty Bottle: Prefuse 73, Gaslamp Killer, Voices Voices
House of Blues (5:30pm): Between the Bured and Me, Cynic, more
House of Blues (11pm): Shock Value II Tour w/ Down with Webster
Reggie’s Rock Club: 1997, Chasing Thrill, Shut Up and Deal, Universe, Minus the Girl
Ronny’s: Absolutely Not, Beekeeper, Hwy, The Auramatics
Schuba’s: The Spares, Chris Staples
Subterranean: This Providence, Coventry, Mathletes

Some pics from last night’s show at Schubas.

Overall, in my opinion at least, just a so-so night of music. Freelance Whales put on a really energetic, enjoyable set, and openers Lasers and Fast and Shit were a pleasantly surprising throwback to early-00’s Brooklyn electro-clash.

On the other hand, I was not a particular fan of Bear in Heaven (though their more proggy songs weren’t bad), and headliners Surfer Blood were pretty boring aside from the 2 or 3 really good tunes they have.

All in all, though, the show was pretty helpful to me to help winnow out which bands I need to see again at SXSW in March (Freelance Whales) and which I don’t (Bear in Heaven). And I can probably skip Surfer Blood as well, given that they confirmed during the show that they’ll be back in Chicago this summer for this year’s Pitchfork Fest.

Oh, and I also had the pleasure of finally meeting TartyTart from the Love Shack, Baby blog in person. If you’re not following her Twitter and/or blog, you should fix that right quick. She’s good people.

Surfer Blood

Freelance Whales

Bear in Heaven

Lasers and Fast and Shit

First video from the band’s fantastic new album, 2, which is out on January 26th via Sub Pop. Pre-order it here.

Thanks to Bradley’s Almanac for the heads up!

Oblio, “A Story of Nashville”

One of my favorite discoveries of the last year or so has been Nashville’s Oblio. The band released its latest album, Tonight, You’re Gonna Be a Revelation, late last year, and it’s been in pretty heavy rotation on my iPhone ever since.

So I was happy to open my email this morning to find an email announcing that the band is hitting the road for a two-week tour next month with the excellent Deleted Scenes.

Sadly, there’s no Chicago date as of now, but they’re hitting most of the Southeast and East coast, so that means that a good chunk of you fine folks who read this blog should be able to see them in (or near) your town. And I strongly, strongly recommend that you do so.

Oblio February Tour Dates
02/03 — Richmond, VA (The Triple)
02/04 — Philadelphia, PA (The Khyber)
02/05 — New York, NY (Cake Shop)
02/06 — Fredericksburg, VA (Woodbound Bookshop)
02/07 — Arlington, VA (IOTA)
02/08 — Raleigh, NC (Slim’s Downtown)
02/09 — Charlotte, NC (Snug Harbor)
02/11 — Atlanta, GA (Star Bar)
02/12 — Athens, GA (TBA)
02/13 — Nashville, TN (The Basement)