Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Blue Man Group offering big discounts on tickets - Chicago Performing Arts | Examiner.com
Blue Man Group, the body painted musical/performance art show, is offering all tickets (normally $57-77) for $44. In a nod to this slow economy and what must be a slow theater season, Blue Man is trying to perk up ticket sales. The offer is only good through August 29th, so if you want to see them, get on it. The code for the promotion is "extra", enter it when you purchase through Ticketmaster.
I tried the code online and it does work, but note that there is an $8 service charge for each ticket. You can bypass the service charge and still get the discounted tickets by visiting the box office at the Briar Street Theater, 3133 N. Halsted. At $8 a ticket, it would be worth the trip! If you have any questions, you can reach Briar Street Theater box office at (773) 348-4000.(click for hours of operation)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Insane Clown Violent J warned Tila Tequila before her set (Video) - Chicago Performing Arts | Examiner.com
Insane Clown Violent J warned Tila Tequila before her set (Video)
We may still be wondering why singer and reality star Tila Tequila was appearing at the 2010 Gathering of the Juggalos at Cave in Rock, IL, a 4 day festival about 330 miles south of Chicago. She was there and she was pelted with thrown 'objects' from the crowd, bottles, feces, and rocks.
According to my favorite source of surprisingly accurate celebrity news, TMZ, where there are pictures of a beat up Miss Tequila, she was warned before her set that she would be attacked.
Insane Clown Posse member and an organizer of the festival, Violent J said, "We told her about the rumor and she didn’t care. We paid her before the show and assured her that even if things got out of hand, she could keep the money if she had to leave the stage."
As you can see in the video below(warning, there's some swearing in it) Miss Tequila tried to perform behind a few security people as the crowd yelled and threw things at her. She said about the attack, "I went onstage and immediately, before I even got on stage, DUDES were throwing HUGE STONE ROCKS in my face, beer bottles that slit my eye open, almost burnt my hair on fire cuz they threw fire crackers on stage, and they even took the sh*t out of the port-0-potty and threw sh*t and p*ss at me when I was onstage."
She went on to say: "These people were trying to kill me. So then after the last blow to my head with the firecracker they threw at me exploded, my bodyguard and the other security grabbed me and ran as fast as they could to the shitty trailer. Since their security SUCKS, the 2 thousand people ran after us, trying to kill me. They almost got me so they finally reach the trailer, blood all over myself, cant stop bleeding, then all of a sudden, all 2 thousand people surround the trailer and busts the windows!!! Even the guys INSIDE with me were shaking! Their hands were shaking cuz they were so scared! So 3 guys inside the trailer had to grab a table and push it over the broken windows and grabbed all the chairs they could find so hold the people from outside back. It was scary as hell!" They chased her off stage and into a trailer, then broke a window in the trailer, all the time throwing things at her.
Violent J's admission that she was warned could easily be turned into an admission that adequate security was not provided for Miss Tequila as she has promised to sue the promoters of the Gathering of the Juggalos for her injuries. She suffered cuts to her head, bruises all over her body and she was terrorized by an angry mob. I wonder if Insane Clowns have insurance for this type of attack?
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Lady Gaga surfing in bra and panties in LA (Video) - Chicago Performing Arts
Lady Gaga was in Chicago last weekend for Lollapalooza and dived into the crowd at the Semi-Precious-Weapons set. She was nearly naked in some mesh body hose with tape as pasties. The lucky crowd got quite a handful as she was passed around and back up to the stage. She screamed something unintelligible and left the stage to her pals Semi-Precious-Weapons. It was the real Gaga, not the fake one seen around town all last week here in Chicago.
She did a similar jump at her own show on the second night in LA on her current Monster Ball tour. She wasn't wearing much more than last week! She looks like she is in a bra and panties. As you can see near the end of the video below, she didn't get so far. She jumped on the back of a surprised security guard and he held her up and carried her to the crowd. I think she wanted him to carry her through the crowd or maybe she was going to crawl over him further into the crowd. He didn't let her get too far and pushed her back where one of her dancers helped her back up to the stage.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Sneak preview of new Sugar Snow album
Sugar Snow is a Boston band with some Chicago connections. Started by lead singer Simone Berk a couple of years ago, they are finishing up mastering their first CD. I have received a preview and I like what I hear.
The first song is "Riven" and it's the kind of song that Liz Phair wishes she could still write! A smart, quirky, sarcastic song that breaks up with you while explaining that you'll feel nothing unless it's specifically pointed out.
"The Word" is a dreamy, sexy, ballad with a haunting, repeating guitar melody. There is an earlier version of this song on Sugar Snow's Myspace that I had heard before and liked very much. I went back and listened again. While the first recording is good, the new one is sublime. It's a very slow song, and it marches forward with a vocal power that has a beat of its own.
Berk is an impressive song writer and performer. Her voice is sweet, strong, spot on, yet her messages are stronger. She has a sneaky writing technique that gently hits you over the head.
For more information on Sugar Snow, peruse their non-musical blog as it outlines their top secret plan to break out huge in the music business.
Please read these other recent articles:
Thee Invaders tonight at Reggies
Thee Invaders (Photo Lee Klawans)
Tonight, August 11th at Reggies, 2109 South State Street, there's a great Rock-a-Billy/Rock/Psychobilly show starting at 8pm. It's a $12, 18+ show and with 5 great bands, you'll get your moneys worth!
The last time I saw Thee Invaders, lead singer, Matt McVader, began one song, offering to eat all of the audience's brains! The show flew from there. McVader's vocals are gritty and aggressive, he holds your attention with his disaffected glare! Jason Larsen is a wizard on lead guitar. He plays a beautiful Gretsch that perfectly broadcasts his amazing razor sharp lead lines. Traci Trouble is on bass and she is simply the hottest bass player in the city. These guys are veterans of many Chicago bands and great to watch and hear.
Also playing are Reckless Ones, Tracer Bullet, Johnny Murder and the 25 to Life, and Shotgun Gambling.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Vince Vaughn will parachute onto Air and Water Show
US Army Golden Knights over Chicago in a past show (Photo US Army)
In what will be his most dramatic performance in Chicago, Vince Vaughn will parachute with the U.S. Army Golden Knights this Saturday at North Avenue Beach to kick off the Chicago Air and Water Show.
The Golden Knights will be performing Saturday and Sunday at the 52nd annual Chicago Air and Water show, the largest free show of its kind in the United States.. It has featured a Golden Knights team for 51 years. At 11am on Saturday Vince Vaughn will tandem jump with the Golden Knights. Bill Murray made the jump in 2008 (see video below). Like Murray, Vaughn will be securely strapped to his designated parachutist the whole trip.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels and U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights will headline the 52nd Annual Chicago Air and Water Show along the lakefront from Fullerton to Oak Street, with North Avenue Beach as the focal point. Although most of the water portion takes place near North Avenue, the air show can be seen as far north as Foster if you want to avoid the huge crowds. New for this year; the water and air portions have been combined for one continuous show beginning at 11 am and ending at 4 pm both days.
Also appearing in the show:
Aeroshell Aerobatic Team
Lima Lima Flight Team,
Sean D. Tucker and Team Oracle
The Firebirds
Bill Stein Airshows
Red Bull Helicopter
USAF C-130 Hercules
Heritage Flight
Viper West F-16 Demonstration Team
USAF B-1B Lancer Bomber
U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter
KC 135 Stratotanker Aerial Refueling
C-17
T-6
U.S.N. F-18 Super Hornet Demo
T-38 Talon Demonstration
USAF Reserve ParaRescue Wing
U.S. Coast Guard Air/Sea Rescue
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Lady Gaga crowd surfs at Lollapolooza (Video)
Lady Gaga crashed the Semi-Precious Weapons Lollapalooza show yesterday and surfed the crowd, all in a sheer, almost naked body hose outfit. It''s the real Gaga, not the fake one seen around town this week. Check out the video below from my favorite source of surprisingly accurate celebrity news, TMZ. She jumped from the stage at the 4:15 show at the BMI stage and gets a royal groping from the surprised crowd...
Gaga later headlined the South Stage and wrapped up the first day of Lolla or as Jim Derogatis called it, "Walmart on the Lake". Her show received bland reviews with plenty of lip syncing suggestions. I even heard from some stage crew that were there earlier in the week that she 'rehearsed' with a prerecorded voice track. While she cuts corners on musical integrity, she makes up for it in production value. The stage show was very theatrical and complex. She is one of the most visually interesting artsits working today and you can mute the sound on her videos, but you must admit that they are works of art.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Rollin Outta Here Naked opens Sept. 3rd
Vaudezilla Productions Rollin Out of Here Naked (Photo Lee Klawans)
Vaudezilla Productions presents "Rollin Outta Here Naked: A Big Lebowski Burlesque" at the Greenhouse Theater Sept 3rd through the 25th. It's written by Keith Emroll and Logan Conner and directed by Emroll and Red Hot Annie. I saw this show at its sold out run last fall and I was not sure what to make of it before I saw it.
Vaudezilla takes bowling, The Big Lebowski, and burlesque strippers and what do they get? A very entertaining and funny show! It was a bit odd seeing characters in drag(women playing men) with drawn on mustaches and beards stripping down to their panties and pasties, but it does work and well. It is a great show! It is presented in about 15 mini-acts which keep it moving and the acting steals the show. Vaudezilla could easily call itself a theater company.
It starts more or less with Lebowski on the phone with the business man at the other Lebowski home. He complains about the rug and so on... It is a funny scene and this play was good comedy, stealing liberally and literally from the movie. The show is more theater than burlesque and the stripping is inserted masterfully. Maria May I (as Jesus Quintana) does a sexy strip from a workman's jump suit with a bowling ball as a prop. As I mentioned earlier, Maria does all of this with drawn on facial hair and makes it disturbingly sexy!
The costuming was fabulous! Please note the unbelievable bowling pin head dresses in the photo album. There is attention to detail in every aspect of costuming. The actors wore the sets!
Red Hot Annie did an artful strip with a sheet and also strips in the self painting scene from the movie. Keith Emroll flexed his acting muscles as the Stranger and hosts two intermission contests, in character, very effectively. The audience had a fun time answering trivia and completing quotes from the movie for sponsor's prizes that were quite generous.
You can order tickets for "Rolling Out of Here Naked" through the Greenhouse Theater's website.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Musicians need insurance to cover their equipment
Mat Devine saves a guitar in the Swiss Alps (Photo-Kill Hannah)
The last couple of years have been rough for Chicago musicians. Kill Hannah in 2008, had a fire aboard their tour bus in Switzerland and lost almost all of their gear and personal belongings. Then last November their entire bus and trailer were stolen while they slept in a hotel room in Philadelphia, PA. Kill Hannah lost over $120,000 in gear and merchandise, including one-of-a-kind vintage custom guitars and vintage custom effects.
I just wrote about Chicago band, Russian Circles today! They had an accident in their brand new tour van in Baton Rouge, LA. and lost a lot of equipment as well as their van and a rental trailer. Another Chicago band, The Branded had all of their gear damaged beyond repair due to flooding in their practice space last month. They have heartbreaking pictures up on their site of water logged vintage tube amps and rusted guitars(below).
Some simple searching on the net led me to Music Pro Insurance, which covers your gear year round anywhere in the world. I am not recommending them specifically, they just popped up first in my search. According to their site, you can get $25,000 of coverage for $275 dollars a year, less than a dollar a day. $50,000 to cover equipment is $550 a year. It's a small price to pay. Homeowners or renters insurance may also cover any loses, check with your agent to be sure and don't end up like this poor poor Les Paul.
Chicago's Russian Circles crashes tour van in Louisiana
Damaged gear and trailer (Photo Russian Circles)
Chicago band Russian Circles was involved in an accident Friday night in Baton Rouge, LA., just three days into a huge tour. They lost their new van, a rented trailer and a bunch of gear. Luckily, no one was injured, but they have been stuck in Baton Rouge until they find a new van.
An announcement from their site explains their dilemma, "The band have been stranded in Baton Rouge since Friday and are so sad to have had to miss playing the Baton Rouge, Atlanta and Carborro shows. But they are on the way to buy their second van in a week and will make it to play DC and the rest of the tour dates barring any other disasters." The tour continues through NYC to Canada and then back through the Midwest.
They have more pictures on their website of the damage. You would think that instruments in cases would have been saved, but the impact was so severe that it crushed drums in their cases. It's assumed they had some insurance for the van, but the instruments were probably not covered. The band is taking donations through PayPal to help replace the damaged items. The donation info is here.
Experience Jan James Friday at Martyrs CD release show
Jan James Promo Photo
Jan James is an overlooked Chicago treasure. In addition to playing all over town locally, she has performed in Europe and Scandinavia to huge audiences. She has shared stages with James Brown, Koko Taylor, Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, Jeff Beck and B.B. King. At Chicago's Royal George Theater Jan had the starring role of Janis Joplin in a musical play based on Janis’ letters and songs.
James, with her band, has a CD release show this Friday, August 6th, at Martyrs. You can listen to samples from her new album, Ring Around The Moon, on her website.
The new record is a showcase for her dynamic voice. Click right now and listen to "That's Alright With Me"(click the link there if the player won't play). It's a great Motown style song with a funky beat and strong, fat saxophone by Josh Shapiro. The album has a wide range of songs with some country leaning with a twangy pedal steel guitar as in "Grains of Sand" to an hymn-like "Someday, Somebody". The more you listen, the more you will like and appreciate this album.
Jan James grabs your attention from the first note of every song and doesn't let go. She has the kind of voice that doesn't need a microphone or modern effects. It's a pure powerful instrument in itself and she is a master with it. James is backed up by her longtime companion/collaborator, Craig Calvert, who has co-written their songs. Calvert also plays a very mean yet subtle guitar effortlessly on every track and whether he is in the background or taking the lead, he's playing something interesting.
Head out to Martyrs Friday and you will discover a great Chicago band.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Lollapalooza's Last Band Standing for DJs this year...again
Maybe Lollapalooza's "Last Band Standing" contest should change its name. For the second year in a row, there are no bands in the contest. Like last year, the contestants are DJs. There have been no bands since 2008 when The Melismatics won a spot at Lolla. The winners last year, Punky Fresh & DJ Pasha, yes, there were two DJs standing at the end, played on first thing in the AM on Perry’s stage, one per day.
This year, it's a DJ remix contest. They have knocked down 500 contestants to four finalists, Craig Williams, DJ White Shadow, Lucky Date, and Professor Purple. The final selection will be made August 1st, when they will battle it out live at Double Door. And below, through the magic of embedded MP3 players, you can sample all four DJs before you head out to Double Door for the show. My vote is for Professor Purple. The show is FREE, but you should go early, there will be a big crowd.
There are also some nice prizes...
Winner:
An opening slot at Lollapalooza on Perry’s stage
Two Pioneer CDJ900s?
Set of Shure SE535 sound isolating earphones
$250 gift certificate for SatelliteRecords.com
Winning remix featured for free download on SatelliteRecords.com homepage for one week
Eight hour custom one-on-one training in topic of choice, courtesy of Music Industry Workshop
4 hour hands-on training program in Digital Mastering day of finals competition, courtesy of Music Industry Workshop
$1,000 cash
Lollapalooza artist pass and artist guest pass
Hotel for Lollapalooza weekend
?Remaining three finalists?:
Two three-day passes to Lollapalooza?
Pioneer HDJ2000 headphones?
$150 gift certificate to SatelliteRecords.com
4 hour hands-on training program in Digital Mastering day of finals competition, courtesy of Music Industry Workshop
$750 cash
Smashing Pumpkins raise a fortune for Matthew Leone
According to published reports, the Smashing Pumpkins benefit show at Chicago's Metro on Tuesday night raised anywhere from 60-80 thousand dollars for Chicago musician Matthew Leone. Kill Hannah opened the night.
Tickets were sold by a raffle system, $10 for a raffle ticket that gave you a chance to win 2 concert tickets. VIP and meet and greet tickets for $100 and $500 a piece were also sold out. Between encores, Billy Corgan auctioned off the guitar he was playing for $10,000. Other memorabilia was action off between sets, $1,600 for a bag of collectible Pumpkins memorabilia, $2,500 for a signed event poster and $4,000 to meet Billy after the show.
Illinois Governor, Pat Quinn was at the concert and proclaimed Tuesday Matthew Leone Day in Illinois. "We have a true American hero right here in Matthew Leone," the governor said. He presented Matthew's twin brother, Nathan with a plaque.
Reviews of the show were mixed (video below). Smashing Pumpkins are now Billy Corgan plus three new members, Mike Byrne on drums, Nicole Fiorentino on bass, and Jeff Scroeder on guitar. Here's my review from a Pumpkin's show Monday in NY City. This show, however, was more about compassion than music criticism.
"I couldn't believe how wonderful Billy Corgan was," Giulio Leone, Matthew's father, said after the show. "It was a wonderful evening. It's sort of the positive ending to a very negative situation."
Matthew Leone, from the band Madina Lake, survived brain surgery last week to replace part of his skull that was removed almost a month ago after injuries suffered in a terrible attack on June 30th. He is now home from the hospital. The surgery was successful. He is recovering, smiling, and walking, but said to be in great pain.
Matthew was the victim of a severe beating when he tried to aid a woman that was being choked by her husband in the street. Matthew had just left his brother's apartment on his way to meet a friend around 12:45am when he saw the argument. The woman yelled for Leone to help her and he tried to break them up and calm the situation. The husband, later identified as Justin Pivec, brutally attacked Leone and left him unconscious with many head injuries. Pivec, as reported here, has been arrested and charged with domestic battery for the incident with his wife and with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, a felony, for attacking Leone.
Matthew has no medical insurance and faces large bills for his stay in the hospital, his surgery and subsequent treatments. Sweet Relief kindly started a fund for Matthew and has raised over $30,000, this is aside from the concert proceeds. Donation are still being accepted, click "Chip In" on the box below.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Attention musicians, MuckWork will do your uncreative dirty work
Attention musicians, MuckWork will do your uncreative dirty work
Like the one man band, fledgling musicians are expected to do everything themselves. They are promoter, designer, publicist, agent, and much more. Their careers depend on these skills as much as their musicianship. Currently in beta testing is a site that aims to aid performers in those skills they may not possess.
MuckWork.com is a site for musicians to find competent virtual assistants to do the mundane non-creative work that helps them reach success. The assistants will be qualified, reliable, and paid hourly by artists to do work in their specialties; copyrighting songs, trademarking band's names, managing email lists, booking shows, designing, and promotion. They'll do just about anything requested so that musicians can concentrate on the work that only they can do, create their music and play it.
Now you may think this is a great idea, but come on, it won't work. How can you be sure the work will be done? The site takes responsibility for the work. If one assistant can't get it done, it will be handed off to another. You may be thinking, who could possibly organize something so seemingly open ended and complex? How about a guy that started out selling his own Cds online and ended up selling the Cds of over 150,000 independent musicians. The former owner of CDBaby.com, Derek Sivers, is behind the idea and is capable of executing it.
In 2008, he gave up ownership of CDBaby.com. He put it into an irrevocable charitable trust to benefit music education charities. A few months after he made the trust (containing CDBaby.com), it was purchased by Disc Makers. The trust received $22 million dollars for the sale. Sivers gets an annual income that is the minimum required by law from the trust and yet he points out that he is free to donate that as well. The man is a true philanthropist, he is passionate about helping musicians.
Send your musician friends to MuckWork.com to sign up for beta-testing and let us help Derek get started with his latest project.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Free streaming concerts all week at Spin.com
Free streaming concerts all week at Spin.com
Spin Magazine is celebrating their 25th anniversary with live streaming shows all week. The concerts are sponsored by American Express and Spin.com asks you to connect through Facebook, make a click to "like" an AE product and then you can watch the show. It's a small price to pay to watch some great bands. The Smashing Pumpkins are just now finishing up their show in my other window!
I'm sorry for not writing sooner so you didn't miss the Billy Corgan Quartet! You probably know that Billy is the only one still in the band from the original lineup. It's a good show tonight. The new kid on drums, Mike Byrne is great, but eh, there's no soul. He's super quick and plays a spot on beat, but it's too mechanical. I feel like I am watching him play along with the recorded versions of these songs. The new guitar player, Jeff Scroeder is damn good. He played some absolute monster solos on Tarantula! Yet the Pumpkins have almost become a self-cover band for Corgan. Everyone is playing their parts, but there is not much magic. New bass player, Nicole Fiorentino looks bored and has barely moved while playing fine. Don't get me wrong, this new band is very good and I am sure that all of their playing is directed by Billy, so running anywhere but straight on track is probably not allowed. The Smashing Pumpkins are in Chicago, July 27th playing a sold out benefit at Metro, so I'll probably have another review for you soon.
This link at Spin Magazine will take you to the stream. Save it because The Flaming Lips play tomorrow and you never know what they will do. Their shows are very theatrical and full of props. The rest of the shows are running all week, schedule above.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Kill Hannah is Chicago's favorite band contest winner
Last week I held a contest to find the most popular band in Chicago. I sure found out which band has the most active fans! Kill Hannah won, almost doubling the votes of runner up, Black Actress. They won due to the Kill Hannah Kollective, a fan site that is very active and well organized. Someone posted a link to the contest there and instantly they filled the comments with votes. I must admit that I sent them a message, but I also sent emails to Smashing Pumpkins' fan sites(no response at all), and direct messages to every Chicago band I could think of on Facebook, MySpace and their own sites. The Kill Hannah Kollective defeated everyone!
Kill Hannah was formed by lead singer Mat Devine in 1993 and have slowly gained a following in the US and Europe. They have opened for Jane's Addiction, Everclear, Eve 6, Mindless Self Indulgence, 30 Seconds To Mars, and The All-American Rejects. They are on tour now with Smashing Pumpkins. Current members are Devine, Dan Wiese, Greg Corner, Elias Mallin, and Michael Maddox. Their fans are so loyal because besides their musical talents they are simply really nice accessible guys. Every year in Chicago they have a Christmas show, New Heart for Xmas. I went to one in 2008 at Sub-T on North Ave. and the place was packed, more than sold out. These guys spent hours hanging out with fans, signing anything and everything, and taking photos with them at a meet and greet before the show.
Their music is memorable, Alt Rock, heavy on guitar affects and Devine's vocal piercing all. It's a very tight band that grabs the audience wherever they play and doesn't let them go. They are the only band I know that has laser beams on their frickin guitars!
They are in Chicago on July 27th for a sold out show at Metro with Smashing Pumpkins, then they are back here August 22nd at the Hard Rock Hotel. Both shows are fundraisers for Matthew Leone, an injured Chicago musician without health insurance.
First, a promised video and then more photos below in the slideshow...
Snoop Dogg leaves 800 fans hanging in Schaumburg
He was seen at press conferences for the league and at the Adidas and Best Buy stores on Michigan Ave.
According to NBC5 Chicago, Snoop was supposed to be at John Barleycorn's Schaumburg location late Friday night. 800 people paid $25 each to get into the club. The place was packed and the Gin and Juice was flowing, but Snoop Dogg was a no show.
NBC5 Chicago said, "Club management announced at about 1:45 a.m. that the rapper was not going to appear, causing the crowd to boo and throw items at the stage. Schaumburg police dispatched officers to the scene, but no arrests were made."
John Barleycorn in Schaumburg seems like an unlikely location for Snoop Dogg to appear considering that all his other appearances were downtown. He was seen earlier in the night attending a fashion show at Crimson Lounge in Hotel Sax downtown. I have been to bars in Schaumburg and I think Snoop made a wise decision!
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