Tankboy

Yay yay rock and /or roll!

2013-05-16T23:51:00.000-05:00

The Thermals at Lincoln Hall, May 16. Photo by me!

When you're at a show and the crowd is singing along so loudly you can clearly hear them over a band that is charging ahead at full volume and full energy, you know you're probably at a good show. When the band keeps jumping into the crowd to dance with them, and not surf over them or be fawned over by them, you know you're probably at a good show. When the pit gets bigger and bigger as the night goes on and no one on the perimeter seems to mind that one bit, you're probably at a good show. When there is not a single weak song in the set and the band starts off with it's more famous stuff first without worrying about ever running out of steam, you're probably at a god show.

If all of that is happening at the same time then you're definitely at a Thermals show.

You can DO it!

2013-05-15T23:46:00.000-05:00

Inset motivational list of quote that won't seem trite and will actually lead one to refresh mind, body and spirit here.

Thanks.

JAMZ!

2013-05-14T23:25:00.000-05:00

After weeks of missed connections and busy schedules Keep and I actually got in the practice space together tonight! It was sorely needed. It''s funny too, we maybe said two or three sentences to each other over the hour or so, but could figure out where each was just going when noodling with new stuff. It was a nice warm-up to get back in the groove. We even came up with this kind of monster psychedelic yet noisy indie rock super busy drumming but super powerful guitar groove at one point that I hope Keep had the 4-track running during. It's a bit different from what we have been doing; short, catchy, powerful rawk.

And again, SO sorely needed by me. It felt good.

Timeless questions.

2013-05-13T21:13:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I wonder...

Would the cats be happier if I got another dog just so I'd start leaving them alone?

Probably.

When Friday feels like Monday. Eeeeeeek!

2013-05-10T18:42:00.000-05:00

Usually the end of the week, even if it's surrounded by a flurry of activity, holds within it the promise of at least a few days respite. You can go-go into Saturday knowing that you at least have 48 hours to chill, right? Unless of course things go crazy on Friday in such a way that you know your mind will be preoccupied all weekend long whether you actually decide to physically work or not. This Friday is one of those Fridays setting up the weekend in such a way.

Wheeeeee!

Luckily, this is more a rare event than a regularly occurring one at this point, so I do try and look on the bright side of things and enjoy that!

Ever consider just how weird Faith No More was / is?

2013-05-09T11:47:00.000-05:00

Such dapper fellows.

Sorry about the headline that can't make up it's mind on tense when it comes to Faith No More, but I honestly don't know if they consider themselves broken up again or if they're just on another long sabbatical.* Either way, have you ever really thought about just how unlikely their success was?

Think of it; Faith No More started off as a Bay Area artsy-ish metal / funk multi-racial combo who might've gone down as a one-hit wonder for "We Care A Lot." But they ditched their original singer and brought in a new longhaired pretty boy with an elastic voice who brought them larger fame via a video (and song) where most people accidentally assumed he was a little brother to any one of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The rest of that album, The Real Thing, was built on reasonably catchy pop / funk / metal, setting the band up as a group to follow if you were looking for some edgy rock you could both hum along and dance too, depending on your mood.

I remember buying the follow up album, Angel Dust, putting it on the stereo and going, huh. The group had taken a decidedly darker turn and while there were still melodies in there the proceedings were far more abrasive and seemed unwilling to adhere to any single genre. This didn't toally shock me, since I had long ago picked up the first Mr. Bungle album just to get some more of Mike Patton's vocals only to discover a band that REALLY liked thrash metal and free jazz ... and cheerleader anthems and disco and whatever else the fuck they could shove into a song. But imagine the rest of the public, expecting something as catchy as "Epic" and instead seeing the band's new idea of a single was "Midlife Crisis." I bet it confused a few. But you know what? MTV embraced it anyway and the band remained popular! Despite confounding expectations and taking chances people still liked them.

This show was on my birthday!
In Russia though. Boo.

After that came the underrated King For A Day Fool For A Life Time, and I think this is where the band lost their following as they veered ALL OVER THE PLACE including what can only be described as a song sung by Tom Jones as his feet are tickled by the licking flames of hell. I bought this on vinyl before I bought it on CD. I think it was because the LP came out first? Or maybe the Tower by my house forgot to order CDs? Either way it sounded great to me. And while it lost the band followers I'm not sure why since there is literally something for everyone on this album. Literally. It is THAT all over the place. Which, I guess, to most people is probably pretty fucking weird. O.K., King For A Day Fool For A Life Time is super weird.

Its follow up, Album Of The Year, is probably the most straightforward and therefore most boring release in te band's history. It's pretty much just a straightforward rock album. Yawn. But its existence bookends the Mike Patton years to display a band that proved it could write mainstream hit and then went on instead to write hits that would only appeal to people in a parallel and slightly bizzaro dimension.

Pretty weird. But I liked it.

* I suspect they are DUNZO dunzo, which bums me out since despite my being a fan of the band since almost the very beginning I never, ever got a chance to see them play live. I did once book a show with their original singer at a club in Chicago though! So I got to see one of them live.

Technology made the long player grow fat.

2013-05-08T11:57:00.000-05:00

I was listening to Quadrophenia this morning and was struck that while it's running time exceeds that of a single CD it never feels overly long. Then I thought about recent albums from any number of bands that decided to employ every second of space afforded by a CD (or, even beyond into the digital realm that literally has no time imitations). Those, almost without fail, actually make you grow annoyed with the band as they overstay their welcome. In a day and age where every album seems to require a "deluxe edition" with another 15-30 minutes worth of material.

But what if something like this had been available back when Quadrophenia was recorded? Would I view a band like The Who differently? Would they have taken advantage of it?

I think the answer is yes they would have and yes I would have.

The album before Quadrophenia, the now universally viewed as a classic Who's Next, began as a concept album that would have been titled Lifehouse. The story line was incredibly convoluted, and eerily prescient of technology and modes of social interaction that was still decades away, and despite his best efforts Pete Townshend could not shape the tale into submission. Instead he took a few of the best songs, augmented them with a few others, and put together the succinct statement that was Who's Next. In a way, the triumph conveyed by those nine songs far exceeded anything another rock opera would have. Subsequently, I believe that caused Townshend to focus his efforts when it came to Quadrophenia and focus on telling a cohesive story buoyed by a collection of musical themes that stands up and sounds as fresh today as I bet they did in 1973. I wish I could say this definitively but I was only one at the time, so my critical facilities were still being formed.

Now what if in 1971 Townshend could have just released a "deluxe edition" of Who's Next including all the Lifehouse tracks? What then? Considering a decade later he began releasing his Scoop series that collected demos and half-formed songs because, hey, everything he did was fucking art, man! So I think he would have happily unloaded all of Lifehouse, that existed at the time, on the public had he the chance. Hell, a little over a decade ago he did, with the release of The Lifehouse Chronicles! And while that is certainly an interesting addendum to be enjoyed by fas of the band, had it been out out at the same time as Who's Next I don't think the transcendent economy of that album would have shone so brightly. And that would have been a real shame.

So I think the lesson here is that while it's tempting to wow fans with the enormity of your creative output—and let's just put the assumption that additional material released relatively soon after the initial release of an album is also a greedy money grab and just focus on what measure of the artist's inflated sense of self is at play here—nothing makes your star shine so brightly as the good sense to edit out the flab and focus on the strongest material.

It seems like such a simple lesson, but as barriers and limits continue to fall it's a lesson that grows harder for band to learn. Too bad.

THIS is how you make an entrance!

2013-05-07T13:29:00.002-05:00

The only thing that could beat this is if Steve Martin AND Bill Murray were to enter a late night talk show together.

Monday, Monday.

2013-05-06T23:12:00.000-05:00

I think I've got Spring Fever. I fell asleep on the couch a while ago, woke up and saw the clock read 10 p.m., and thought it was already Friday night.

Wishful thinking.

Repairing the circuitry before turning the juice back on.

2013-05-03T16:45:00.000-05:00

So I've been on the wagon for the last few weeks, and it's been interesting. It has literally been too many years since I went this long withut a drop of booze. In fact the last time I did, by the end I was judgmental of everyone who was still drinking around me and swore I'd never be all stupid and shit like them again! That lasted a week. This time around I found myself absent any judgement and able to just focus on realigning myself without feeling anxious or angry about it. I must be getting older!

Anyway, the reasons for this little break were many, and the results have been fabulous. After so many years we fall into bad habits, and given my years in rock and / or roll and the service industry and blah blah blah I honestly started to wonder just how much of my personality the mythology of drinking truly was in the eyes of other people. Well, over the last few weeks I've chilled out, improved my relationship and proven that I can enjoy a band playing in a club without a beer in my hand.* In fact my overall anxiety level is way down, and in the past I would have a beer or a glass of wine when I got home to relax and now I'm realizing it was probably having the opposite effect. Who knew?!

So I'm feeling pretty good. And I'm pretty confident this little break has allowed me to flip an internal reset that is ultimately going to be really good for me.

I think of it this way: I've tripped a circuit breaker and cut off the juice long enough to fix the internal circuitry so now I can safely turn the power back on without worrying its going to flood the system and burn out all the wiring.

*If I may have a word about the band in a club thing? Thanks. The thing I found most difficult to deal with in that setting while completely sober was the fact I was too finely attuned to everything going on around me. Obviously booze dulls the senses but I never realized how much of the hustle and bustle of a bar it helped me turn into so much background noise that was easily processed by my usually overactive brain. Once I got a handle on the overstimulation everything was cool though. And the bands sounded fabulous!

Kanye wins the internet today.

2013-05-03T14:01:00.002-05:00

Yes!

im really kinda sad that no teens have suggested me w a #followanadult
— tupac (@kanye) May 3, 2013

I was craving a burger earlier.

2013-05-02T20:33:00.000-05:00

I've had a hankering for a hamburger for over a week now, and I have yet to satisfy that desire, for a number of reasons.

Just thought I'd let you know!

Swooning over my gal.

2013-05-01T23:06:00.000-05:00

The above showed up in today's mail. It's a beautiful, slipcovered, autographed, massive tome of all things Tank Girl from the original Hewlett and Martin run. Hubba hubba! I bet you wish you had your own, huh?

Sloan! Hardcore! HARDCORE!

2013-04-30T17:27:00.002-05:00

Sloan just released a limited edition 7" single as part of a "hardcore" package. The a-side is terrific, but the b-side is even better. Love the energy!

If you want to grab the vinyl you still can, and it comes with a digital album of hardcore covers* by the band as well as a cool t-shirt. Make sure you buy the shirt a size or two smaller than you usually would for genuine punk rock effect.

*You can also just get the digital version of these tunes for cheaper, if they're sold out of the bundle or your pocketbook is tight.

Is it me or are SO MANY bands just letting us down this year?

2013-04-29T17:59:00.000-05:00

Free Energy at Lincoln Hall, April 26, 2013.

So I wrote that headline a week or so ago and it still stands. But only insomuch as we're talking about bands we expected good things from only to be shafted. I've already written about my disappointment with recent releases from Phoenix, Fall Out Boy and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The new Strokes is nothing to write home about. Guided By Voices continues their trend of releasing albums with a good song or two and then forty minutes or so of subpar filler. Heck, even Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience, an album I was pretty down with upon first listen, isn't holding up under repeat spins.

But I am not despondent! This is the year where I'm finding myself surprised more and more often and remembering what it's like to discover new music you can truly fall for. I'd never heard of The Blank Tapes but they're new one is burrowing under my skin, and Dead Stars is a band with only two EPs under its belt but if you miss indie rock in its loud and sloppy yet undeniably tuneful days, they are scratching that itch quite nicely. All I really knew about Mikal Cronin was that he was associated with Ty Segall, but goddamn if I don't like his album MCII better than anything I've heard from Ty.

And then there are some old favorites who I'd fallen out of love with only to fall for them all over with recent releases. I'm talking about Suede, Wavves, Tegan And Sara and—what?!—Spacehog! And then there are bands I thought were good but maybe losing their touch, like Surfer Blood and The Thermals, who returned this year with some great material.

And let's not even get into Free Energy and Warm Soda, my power pop, good time, hell yeah it feels good to be alive saviors.

And I'm only scratching the surface.

I think what I'm realizing ist that the heavies we thought we could rely on have lost their way big time, and this is O.K. You see, after a number of years where I honestly felt a resounding "meh" at the end of each year when it came time to "top XX album" anything, I think 2013 might be the year I finally don't say "meh" in late December and instead holler, "YEAH!"

Freeeeeee Energy!

2013-04-26T11:49:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to figure out just what it is that makes me go so ga-ga over Free Energy, and I think it's the purity of their music. It's super catchy and super life affirming but at the root it's coming from a very real place. It's honest. It's not putting on airs. It's not trying to impress; this music only wants to make you feel, in the best possible way. They're playing Lincoln Hall tonight, and you can bet I'll be there. The funny thing is, for them being one of my favorite bands right now, it's been quite a while since I saw them last even through they've been through town a bunch of times! Wild. Anyway, they just popped out a new b-side (though I have no idea what it's a b-side to since there doesn't seem to be a new single anywhere!) and as usual it's great. Listen.

Can't wait for tonight.

Motivated!

2013-04-25T06:47:00.000-05:00

So, for reasons I won't go into right now, lately I've ben feeling etra on. On top of things. Able to clearly see pattens I think others are missing. Problem solver, that's me.

Clarity.

Watch a whole buncha critics do a whole buncha talkin'!

2013-04-24T09:28:00.002-05:00

I shared the tweets connected to last evening's critics' panel already, but now you can watch the whole thing! Oh, the excitement!

Video streaming by Ustream
Seriously though, it was a really good discussion and I recommend you watch (well, listen at least) to the whole thing.

How did tonight's critics' panel go? Here's the story in tweets!

2013-04-23T22:24:00.000-05:00

We don't need no stinking critics!

2013-04-23T14:18:00.001-05:00

I'm appearing on a panel tonight discussing criticism in the digital milieu of today. That shounds fancy, but ultimately it'll hopefully just be a really good discussion between some local cultural critics and an engaged audience. That's what I'm hoping for. It takes place at Maybe Stage tonight and kicks off at 7 p.m. sharp, so don't be late!

Jim DeRogatis is moderating the panel, and the attendees include Andrew Barber (editor of the hip-hop blog Fake Shore Drive), Donna Seaman (who writes about books for Booklist and other outlets), LaShawn Williams (the arts editor at Gapers Block), Leah Pickett (who writes about pop culture for the WBEZ blogs), Kris Vire (one helluva great theater critic),Duncan MacKenzie (co-founded and contributes to the Bad at Sports art blog), Drew Hunt (who reviews movies for the Chicago Reader), a special guest who will appear incognito (as many food critics must) ... and me.

Hope to see you there!

Don't lose your head.

2013-04-23T14:11:00.002-05:00

Or, keep your head about you. Or, maintain a good head on your shoulders. Or ... geez, just watch the new Dandy Warhols video.

It's cool to be UNCOOL.

2013-04-22T10:10:00.000-05:00

I'm all about supporting experimental models of selling good writing. I admit I'm a luck sonofabitch, because I've been writing for so long I've got a nice little niche I'm happy with, and since I also work a 9-to-5 I'm free to not fall prey to fighting for freelance dollars on site that survive on listacles* and stories that unfold over 25 piece photo galleries designed to up pageviews.** So when Maura Johnston got fired from The Village Voice and decided to stop chasing pageviews and start her own subscription magazine dedicated to writing slightly longer-form pieces I threw my money in the pot and subscribed for a year. And when David Greenwald lost his fulltime gig and decided that in order to (I presume) keep his sanity amongst all the chasing of freelance gigs he put together a Kickstarter to try and fund a magazine with a couple other folks that would build even further on the idea of longform music writing, UNCOOL, I threw my money in that pot too.

UNCOOL didn't meet it's goal, the main purpose of the fundraiser being that they could fund freelancers and pay for a years worth of writing up front, but instead of just fading away and giving up Greenwald and friends have decided to produce a single issue anyway and see if it sells. If it does they'll make more. Simple! So of course I immediately bought an issue. It looks good and it's only $3.99 so I'm willing to buy into the experiment. If it sucks I won't buy the next one, but judging by the table of contents the writers onboard, and the brie scan I've been able to give my own downloaded issue, I don't think that it's gonna suck.

Do you feel like reading some probably better than decent music and culture writing? Then listen to David's sales spiel below and hit the "buy" button. And then once you download it, if you dig it, feel free to share with friends.

Let's keep quality music writing alive, folks. It's cool to be UNCOOL.

UNCOOL #1: Guiltless Pleasures by UNCOOL
* I fucking HATE that word.
** Which is just for the benefit of advertisers. Though I've been saying for, well pretty much since everyone started to obsess over pageviews, that uniques are what count first, and time spent on the site comes closely behind. That is, if you're really looking for who is engaging with what you're doing.

Let's all dress like the '70s and slay some riffs, dudes!

2013-04-19T16:03:00.000-05:00

When asked to induct Rush into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, what else would you expect Dave Grohl to do other than dress the Foo Fighters in vintage Rush clothing and absolutely slaughter "2112 Overture."

Screw the "best week ever," Grohl continues to have the "BEST LIFE EVER."

A simple observation.

2013-04-18T20:58:00.000-05:00

When you take booze out of your consideration set your belly shrinks while your wallet gets fatter.

Truth.

Feel The Terror!

2013-04-17T17:21:00.000-05:00

Photo by Jim Kopeny / Tankboy

I reviewed the latest from the Flaming Lips, The Terror, on Chicagoist. The album seems to be splitting opinions so take a gander and let me know your thoughts!