Q: Why do you want to go to Logan Square? A: The Metronome Celebration on June 6 (Milwaukee Ave @ Armitage & Western)
I am not someone who necessarily looks forward to the Summer Neighborhood Festival / Block Party scene that overtakes Chicago every year. A lot of people enjoy it, I am about to get e-mails every week from different crowds wanting to go out to this or that.
It takes something special to get me out to these events. For example, last summer's Guinness Oyster Fest - which featured the It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia trivia competition - to get me out there.
There are 3 acts in particular I hope to see: Apostle of Hustle, Here We Go Magic & John Vanderslice. All will be on the same stage, performing in succession. Below are YouTube examples of their music. Please let me know if you're interested in spending a Saturday afternoon & evening with yours truly in the Logan Square neighborhood.
Apostle of Hustle is the side project of a mainstay in the Broken Social Scene lineup. I've enjoyed everything that has to do with Broken Social Scene. "Everything" includes the solo efforts by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning along with their breakout star Feist.
Here We Go Magic is just the latest example of why NPR's All Songs Considered is my all-time favorite podcast. A few weeks ago they played the below song and I've always had them in the back of my mind to see them when they run through town.
I know extremely little about John Vanderslice. He is a musician who was also featured on a recent All Songs podcast, however it didn't have the same effect that Here We Go Magic had on me. He's actually the one headlining the stage, which is a good indicator that his following would be the largest and the best "draw" of the evening. Give him a shot, cause I will be... It might be a wonderful surprise.
Q: Is the lady in purple inappropriately touching the woman in blue? A: Let's discuss...
First off, I'm not even allowed in to Curves. I think it's ladies only. So the mere annoyance of this pop up ad is high in it's own right.
Then, upon closer inspection, I think we have a mild sexual assault depicted here.
Of course, that's par for the gym course. As long as I'm not a member of a workout facility, my odds of seeing random penises drops over 99.8%. For that 12 month period in which I was a member of a "gym" I was working out under the assumption that large (primarily old) men would be dangling their duty with reckless abandon.
This above ad for Curves gives me a tad bit of solace... It makes me think it's probably creepy for girls to also work out amongst strangers.
Q: So are you saying there are actually guys named Peter Bjorn and John, but not Franz Ferdinand?
A: Yep, one's an actual trio from Sweden and the other is a name of a band from Scotland.
On consecutive Thursdays (April 23 & April 30) I went to concerts by groups that are past winners of my "Song of the Year" informal award.
When I heard that Peter Bjorn and John were going to play at Metro for just $20 I was beyond ecstatic. In an effort to make sure I would not have to go to this show alone, I offered to go to their show the previous night in Milwaukee to make it easier for a friend who was on the fence. Thankfully I found a friend to see the Chicago performance.
Walking in, I had already decided I would be buying a concert shirt.
This choice was made over a year ago after I saw a nice Rolling Stone photo gallery highlighting the best band shirts of the year.
Their main set, lasting 45 minutes was reminiscent of the time I first saw Ben Folds Five (that is a very large compliment coming from me). The correlation exists on the most plain aspect: 3 people making large music and carrying the load equally. Each sang, each played multiple instruments, each was a showman in their own personal way...
Understanding that their newest album, released just weeks prior, would be the focus - I was happy to hear the live versions of my favorite tracks. 45 minutes may seem short, but they didn't hit the stage until after 10 pm. Although they do have the best backdrop I've ever seen in live music, it took the crew a near inexcusable amount of time to prepare for just three musicians.
Then the show went downhill... fast... If I would have seen this show 4 years ago (before I started going to shows more frequently) it might have gotten a more favorable review. But now that I've been to more shows, and seen performances like the one from Broken Social Scene, I can no longer just be happy for a band to show.
"Young Folks" is an apparent elephant in the room for these gentleman who have been together for ten years. It's not a song most typical of their full offering. The duet function of the song presents problems when they don't have a female vocal in the band. However, the opening act (Chairlift) was fronted by a most capable lady... They certainly had access.
--Again, as I harken back to that Broken Social Scene show, when they brought back out Land of Talk's frontwoman to sing "Shoreline." it could have been so much better--
In short, it was an awful performance of a song I was extremely eager to hear. Maybe that's some of my fault. Last December, when I finally saw My Morning Jacket perform a 'Song Of The Year' it was a tad below my imagination.
The encore lasted close to 30 minutes. 15 minutes too long. All the pep and energy of the main set was deflated by a jumbled encore that didn't end with any sort of crescendo. Peter Bjorn and John all separately drifted off the stage independently of each other or any sense. It left an aftertaste I wasn't very appreciate of, almost made me regret buying the shirt, and I doubt I will want to see them again.
A week later was Franz Ferdinand at the Riviera Theatre.
I was very tired this evening.
Hours before the show I had concluded the busiest four days of my professional year.
It was a "show" of another sense.
Thankfully, I was able to take a 2 or 3 hour nap before getting picked up by my friend.
Franz Ferdinand was literally taking the stage when we found our spots to stand (Cutting it a little close for me, but I wanted that extra bit of naptime).
Holy hell was this show amazing.
Without question, doubt, or scheduling I will be at the show the next time this band blows through town. It was as if the setlist was drafted by yours truly - specifically for my own enjoyment. All 3 albums were featured in kind, with a heavy emphasis on their highest of energy tunes. I was fully expecting that "Take Me Out" would be reserved for a spot in their encore, but when they started it less than 5 songs into their set it was a fantastic surprize.
Unlike Peter Bjorn and John - these boys brought it for their biggest hit. It was very refreshing to see a band play a song like this earlier in their set. There was no letdown after, the momentum kept building and building. Their main set ended on, what can only be described by me, as a "team drum solo." Here's video from the same show I saw:
You'll notice in that clip that there is an gigantic grid of video screens serving as their backdrop. I did not expect that Franz Ferdinand would be the type of a band to have such a technologically advanced show. It was very effective, and the light show added to their performance. These guys must have seen how Radiohead uses the visual media to enhance the audible experience.
The encore was no letdown. They didn't even make us wait that long - I think they just ran backstage for a quick beverage. Honestly, I don't know what other compliments I can give these folks.
This performance has elevated Franz Ferdinand into my top five favorite bands.
I've been experiencing some writer's fatigue on the heels of the Lenten Mission... I need to detail the two shows I most recently attended and the next two I hope to attend.
In the meantime, please enjoy this song - it's been in heavy iPod rotation as of late.
Q: Did you lose your JUICY TUBES in my car's back seat? A: Chances are, you did.
FOUND: One (1) item of Ultra brilliant, Ultra Shiny, "Miracle," JUICY TUBES Lip Gloss The sparkly pink 0.5 oz. (14.16 g) tube is from Lancome
Angela, Kristy, Lisa and Nicole - I'm looking in your direction. Yes, all those women have recently been in my car's back seat (where said JUICY TUBES was found).
Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Hopefully this product will find the lips of its rightful owner soon.
Until then, my God have mercy on your less than juicy lipped soul.
Q. If the first person you wrote about was your sister, who will be the 40th and final? A. My brother.
(For Lent, I've decided to write 40 posts about people I love / made me who I am / thankful to know / appreciate)
A very long time ago my Father and I rode our bikes from our home in Prospect Heights to All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines. It was the only time I had ever been to my brother's grave, until yesterday.
Yesterday, Good Friday, was the first time I ever went there by myself. My only 20+ year memory of the location was vivid enough to get me close... It took me less than 10 minutes to find what I was looking for... The sight of how close together one grave is to the next and how some gravestones only have a single date engraved had quite an effect.
I knew Kevin's death was in an April. I didn't know much more. I saw the date and realized that the anniversary of his death was this past Tuesday. What did I do this past Tuesday? I thought to myself... The answer: Went to work, played basketball after work, checked my fantasy baseball team before I fell asleep...
That's all I did? It made me feel the urge to apologize, and I did... After regrouping I also softly said thanks. Probably just how a selfish kid brother should... It's horrible that I was so cavalier in not recognizing that day... I should have at least called home to tell my parents I love them. Instead I just lived my selfish life. But, as I've said before, I don't think I'd be here (at least not in this capacity) if Kevin had survived past his ten months he saw in this realm... that's why I gave thanks...
To summarize the last 40 posts, especially today's, in as a simplified statement as possible: I'm happy to be alive.
Q. What was the source of your largest investment? A. Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
(For Lent, I've decided to write 40 posts about people I love / made me who I am / thankful to know / appreciate)
You all had to have seen this one coming. The four years I spent attending MU starting in the Fall of 1998 to my graduation in 2002 have shaped my life more-so than any other epoch. My "college life" was far from the typial fare that fuel MTV reality-based programming - which is the reason why I look back so fondly at my time there.
Don't bother telling me a story involving you getting drunk at that frat party when you almost banged whatshertits. That's not interesting. Then again, my stories of marathon duration (to us) evenings of two-on-two basketball involving players of lesser than average calibur would only be interesting to the other three involved.
Here's a brief list of what I've taken with me since Milwaukee: -An unhealthy devotion to an at best above medicore basketball program. -A degree in Marketing I believe helped separated me from others in applying for the new position I applied for 2 years ago. -A network of friends that I still keep in (varying degrees of) contact. -Many gold t-shirts. -A really nice leather basketball I will never bounce outside a gym. -An I.D. card that I still keep in my wallet (people like seeing the 1998 mugshot). -The knowlege of what a bubbler is, although I won't ever call one such. -A prefrence to Frozen Custard over Ice Cream. -A habit to check the Journal Sentinal's website. -A love affair with Milwaukee County Buses.
There's more, but you get the point. I went to John Hersey High School. John Hersey was an author. He has a quote painted in the school's main hallway. To paraphrase that quote, "A school not so much a place to learn about past lives, it's about a place to learn how to live your own life."
Although that quote was in my high school, it was my college that is the better example.
I am not someone who necessarily looks forward to the Summer Neighborhood Festival / Block Party scene that overtakes Chicago every year. A lot of people enjoy it, I am about to get e-mails every week from different crowds wanting to go out to this or that.
There are 3 acts in particular I hope to see: Apostle of Hustle, Here We Go Magic & John Vanderslice. All will be on the same stage, performing in succession. Below are YouTube examples of their music. Please let me know if you're interested in spending a Saturday afternoon & evening with yours truly in the Logan Square neighborhood.
