frontpsych

[frontpsych]

Lily & Madeline @ Lincoln Hall, Chicago

November 15, 2014

To be honest, I’d never heard any of Lily & Madeline’s songs before going to their concert. This is usually, for me personally, a terrible idea. I get all disconnected by not fitting in with the collectively-adoring audience; I get mad when I can’t sing along after the musician yells at us to; etc. Lily & Madeline may be the best possible show to go into blind, to have no clue about the magic you’re about to encounter.

 Much like First Aid Kit, Lily and Madeline Jurkiewicz are sisters, folk-pop singers first discovered via YouTube. They’ve got a quite, soft strength very much akin to Fleet Foxes – another band with enormous power in the build.

 But man, when you see these girls live, off the internet channels where they got their start, when you see the humbleness and the warm hearts of the sisters pouring into their instruments, songs and words between sets, you really get the power. Sure, the way they layer their voices better than any corporate produced girl band is one major reason you need to check them out, but the other is simply, if you do, they’re not gonna leave until you’ve had a good time. // Kati Heng

#lily & madeleine #asthmatic kitty #lincoln hall #chicago #Concert Review

[frontpsych]

My Brightest Diamond @ Lincoln Hall, Chicago

November 13, 2014

My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden told me before the show she wanted to serve as a sort of a shaman for the audience, a mystical guide connecting us, the listeners, to this magical place where the music exists. From the very first moments, when a marching band stationed on the balcony, soon marching their way onstage, until the very soft, subtle end, Worden performed this role flawlessly. Of course, the pomp and show and stage was full in the beginning, as a full marching band weaved its way through the crowd, stopping onstage to join her in performing “Pressure,” but the best part, the meat of the show came with just Shara on a keyboard, a guitarist and a drummer calmly revealing the music to us. We reached that mystic place, indeed. // Kati Heng

#my brightest diamond #lincoln hall #chicago #Concert Review

[frontpsych]

that being said, i leave to start this tour next week. my first solo shows in nearly 2 years. hanging with my ride or die’s in lemuria. buy a ticket which comes with a copy of their new 7”. see us in the south. see us in the west. see us soon.

www.intoitoverit.com/tours

www.intoitoverit.com/tours

www.intoitoverit.com/tours

www.intoitoverit.com/tours

www.intoitoverit.com/tours

[frontpsych]

EMPTY BOTTLE FREE MONDAY WITH EGO + MORE - TONIGHT

Fans of FP know that we're fans of Chicago label Maximum Pelt, run by Magic Ian of EGO, who played at our first FPCHI show back in June. Now, the label is hosting its own show at the Empty Bottle on Monday, releasing two 7"s, one from EGO themselves, and one a split between Foul Tip and Lil Tits. Side A features Foul Tip, a great new band featuring Ed Bornstein to fill that T'Bone shaped hole left in your heart. The two-piece bass and drum combo offers 'Madness', with gut-punching bass, and lyrics just as sharp as the drums, each with their own unique twists and turns-of-phrase. Side B from Lil Tits is louder, fuzzier, and noisier, tagged as witchpunk on soundcloud, though according to the presser, they prefer the term "feminimalism." EGO's 7" is a departure from both of these bands. 'Can't Shut it Off' is a wah-induced power-pop jammer with infectious guitar leads that they've become know for, while the slower tempo of 'Sunlight' on Side B features a guitar line reminiscent of a psychedelic Television.

Come to the party on Monday night for a free (FREE FREE FREE) show at the Empty Bottle. The show starts at 9 PM  and both releases will be available. All three bands will play, as well as Perfume. You can pre-order the EGO 7" here, and the Foul Tip/Lil Tits split here. Check out Max Pelt's soundcloud to hear the tracks ahead of time too. Jesus, do you still need more convincing? OK, fine. All three bands have music videos. Check 'em out on Max Pelt's blog: Lil Tits, Foul Tip, and EGO. Happy? See you Monday!

#Chicago #empty bottle #live music #ego #massive ego #maximum pelt #shit to do #ukrainian village

[frontpsych]

tUnE-yArDs @ the Vic, Chicago

October 22, 2014

I showed up to the Vic thinking the tUnE-yArDs crew would have to work really really hard to top the set they played at Pitchfork this summer. Of course, Merrill Garbus and the rest of her freaky singers, percussionists and strings players were up to the challenge. The great part about headlining a show rather than having a 45 minute outdoor set is simple: a longer set, a better acoustics and a more focused audience totally allow Merrill to take her time, showing us the step by step process of her song making. Sure, for the first part of the show she had a full crew, but after kicking it off fast, Merrill worked alone with her guitarist/synth player, live-layering percussion pieces on top of each other, verbally reminding us that “all good things take time.”  Maybe the coolest part of the night, though, was between the main set and the encore, the whole crowd signaled tUnE-yArDs to come back out by shouting the “wee-ooh, wee-ooh, wee-oh!” police-siren sounds from the beginning of her song “Gangsta.” So much more fun than the basic applause. // Kati Heng

#tune-yards #merrill garbus #the Vic #chicago #concert recap

[frontpsych]

King Tuff & Cassie Ramone @ Subterranean, Chicago

October 16, 2014

Two killer garage kids in one night. I could hardly stand it. Opening first with Cassie Ramone (or well, The Lemons opened, but I came late and got in minutes before Ramone took the stage), who had the audience sit on the ground to listen in a way that reminded me of preschool in the most adorable fashion, the night started off on a note that “hey folks, fuck pretensions, we’re here for fun and for the music.” If you’ve never seen Ramone live, I cannot recommend it enough. For whatever reason, recordings can never capture the delicacy and charm of her voice; listening to her guitar without seeing her fingers glide over the strings never does it justice. Small break, and then Tuffy kicked off the rest of the party smashing through songs at an alarming rate, only stopping to make some truly down to earth comments and jokes. Way to go, kids. Way to go //Kati Heng

#King Tuff #Tuffy #cassie ramone #subterranean #chicago #show review #concert recap

[frontpsych]

All About the Buffet: Riot Fest 2014

For our coverage of Riot Fest 2014, we decided to share a conversation between Midwest Editor Jordan Mainzer and Senior Staff Writer Andrew Hertzberg.

Andrew Hertzberg: What was the best set you saw all weekend? What was the worst and/or most disappointing?

Jordan Mainzer: Patti Smith continues to amaze me. She played one of my favorite shows last year at the Vic, and I thought she fit Riot Fest well without getting lost in the noise of the weekend by being comparatively quiet. "Dancing Barefoot" and "Because The Night" were beautiful (as was her cover of Lennon's "Beautiful Boy"), her shout-outs to her husband and Humboldt Park were touching, and I don't think her idealism was particularly lost on the crowd. She gave the word "riot" a good connotation. It really pissed me off that she got 45 minutes and Social Distortion got an hour. I'd rather hear "Gloria" and "Horses" than "Story of My Life" and "Ring of Fire" any day.

The National are maybe my favorite band, but the fact that they had travel issues and therefore could only play for about 50 minutes was really disappointing. And the set itself, for the first time ever, seemed like them just going through the motions. It was almost as if during "Mr. November", Matt Berninger realized halfway, "Oh yeah. This is the song where I go into the crowd." Their set was definitely more subdued than other sets, too, but with The National, you don't really want that live. You want the Matt Berninger that screams and kills a whole bottle of wine on stage. To their credit, they've been touring the fuck out of Trouble Will Find Me for about a year and a half and probably need a break. It just bums me out that I caught them on a rare off night.

What about you?

AH: Patti Smith was definitely a highlight of the weekend, as was the one-two punch of the Buzzcocks and Television. I’ve seen plenty of older bands just sorta cash it in (like the Pixies last year), and it wasn’t the case for any of these three artists. Weezer playing the Blue Album was a highlight, even if it was a bit more going through the motions on their part. It was still a great set to end the weekend on.

Jane’s Addiction was a bummer. I’ve never been a huge fan, but I was excited to see them. A combination of bad sound, shitty weather, and an obnoxious Perry Farrell had me heading home early one day one.

Were there any schedule conflicts you feel like you made the wrong decision on?

JM: No, but I regret not downloading the maps before entering festival grounds. I went the wrong way looking for Plague Vendor at the Revolt Stage and ended up hearing bits of Circa Survive, which was my original conflict. I ended up finding the Revolt Stage and hearing the end of Plague Vendor. I didn’t end up really "seeing" either band.

There were definitely moments where I walked by stages and wished for the power to teleport over just to catch a song or two and then teleport to a different stage. PUP and Silverstein come to my mind. I was instead getting food and watching Billy Bragg. I didn't even see one song of The Hold Steady, another band I've seen live a billion times.

But there were also times where I heard sets from afar and thought to myself, "I'm glad I'm not there," including The Afghan Whigs (who I just never got into) and Die Antwoord.

Were there any sets you walked by that sounded good and drew you in?

AH: Not really. The schedule was so packed that I mostly had every minute planned out the whole weekend, with a few minor tweaks throughout the fest. Either getting food or attempting to meet people or just getting around, I walked by Plague Vendor, Senses Fail, The Hotelier, Wavves, and Team Spirit, all of which left me feeling ‘meh’ or ‘ugh.’ Though I was pleasantly surprised by 7 Seconds. Maybe pleasant isn’t the best word to describe the Reno, NV hardcore band, but there are definitely worse bands to hear right before the Buzzcocks.

How were Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas? That was one I wanted to check out but didn’t make it to.

JM: Really good! I love when brass instruments are turned to a perfect live volume. Plus, she used to live in Humboldt Park. Their new album is great.

AH: Who do you think had the most intense crowd?

JM: Of all of the emo bands I saw over the weekend, I Am The Avalanche’s crowd was the most enthusiastic. Which makes sense, considering they were playing right before the Sunday night headliners at a small stage during Cheap Trick and Social Distortion, so those at the IATA set were true fans. I love that band, and they were great live. They played a lot of cuts from their last two albums, 2011's Avalanche United and this year's Wolverines.

What about you?

AH: Dropkick Murphy’s, for sure. Jesus, that area was so swamped. Everyone was packing it in to that stage; I made the mistake of trying to get to the East side of the park to see a little of My Gold Mask or Hot Snakes, and to no avail. Die Antwoord, too. Lots of people were really getting into that set. Which was weird for a weekend catering mostly to punk, emo, and metal.

Did you go on any of the rides or attractions like the haunted house or mini-golf?

JM: No. I know it's called Riot Fest & Carnival, but one of my biggest pet peeves at music festivals is seeing people spend all the money they do and then just sit in circles, sleep, or prioritize waiting in line for drinks over seeing some actual music. I feel similarly about the carnival. I could have done mini-golf, but I can go do mini-golf anywhere, anytime. I can't see Patti Smith any time I want.

Honestly, I feel the same way about seeing local bands at Chicago music festivals. It's cool to support them, especially if they're your friends, but even they have to understand if you'd rather see something you can't pay 5 dollars to see any given weekend. Right?

How much local music did you see?

AH: To me, most music festivals are a buffet, where I sample as much as I can without committing to one entree. I think we can both agree that weather and sound conditions at music festivals generally aren’t the best ways to see your favorite bands. Since more people are there to be seen than to see, you gotta sorta go with the flow that people will be talking around you and getting drunk and bumping into you. No use being a crotchety old man about it. That said, I felt no guilt leaving Billy Bragg’s set early to go see the end of Netherfriends’ set. Haven’t seen him all summer, and his set was tight. And yes, I did see him later that week at a free show at Emporium. Which had its own vibe and intensity.

I didn’t actually see as many local bands as I had planned, though, just because logistics of the park made it difficult to get around. I did see The Orwells and Vamos!, who were both great, and a little bit of Lucki Eck$, who was very disappointing. For local hip hop, I much preferred Show You Suck’s set the night before at Cobra Lounge. Vamos played there, too, and Archie Powell and the Exports played a fun, sweaty set.

Any memorable fashion styles or t-shirts that stuck out?

JM: There was too much good music to notice anybody in the crowd. I feel like Pitchfork is the more interesting festival fashion-wise, anyway. And Lollapalooza, if you count cargo shorts and Imagine Dragons tour t-shirts as interesting.

What about you?

AH: There was a dude with an Oakland Raiders shirt that had a Tusken Raider as the main logo instead of whatever is usually there. I thought there was a lot of great fashion in general. People do more interesting things with their hair, even beyond just mohawks and spikes. Sure, there were great conventional punk looks (I guess that’s a thing), but there was everything from pirates, to steampunks, to dapper gentlemen, to normcore (a la Greg Graffin). Not to mention the sideshow “freaks” walking around the park on stilts and what not.

Any smaller bands you took a chance on that paid off?

JM: I usually go into festivals having done a lot of research and with pretty definite decisions, except for blocks of 2 or 3 hours where there's nothing I want to see. That's when I seek out the random stages. This year, I caught Rose's Pawn Shop, a bluegrass outfit from LA that was pretty fun.

What about you?

AH: I saw Baby Baby. They were ok. Sorta funny, but definitely a bit amateur and unfocused. Fun to watch for a little bit. I missed Radkey (again!) who I’ve really wanted to see. But NOFX was playing “The Decline”, so I couldn’t miss out on that.

A lot of the bands I saw played cover songs this year, which I thought was great. Did you experience the same?

JM: Yeah. Dropkick Murphys played "Taking Care of Business", "We're an American Band", and the first words of "Blitzkrieg Bop". Flaming Lips played a bombastic version of "Lucy and the Sky With Diamonds". Social Distortion did their version of "Ring of Fire". But the only cover that didn't come across as "Fuck it, why not?" was Patti Smith playing Lennon's "Beautiful Boy", which fit thematically within her set and was a meaningful tribute. I like cover songs live when they're tributary and/or completely unexpected (like when I saw Okkervil River cover "Dancehall Days"). The other ones I mentioned kind of made me shrug my shoulders.

What were some of your favorite covers of the fest?

AH: I had no idea Stiff Little Fingers had a version of “Doesn’t Make It Alright”, which was probably the highlight of their set. Billy Bragg’s Woody Guthrie cover was entirely appropriate, since I kept describing him to my girlfriend as an English Woody Guthrie. I heard 7 Seconds cover “If The Kids Are United” while wandering around trying to find the phantom water-station that wasn’t. They also did “99 Red Balloons.”

Parts of Grant Park are still closed off to the public over a month after Lollapalooza. Humboldt Park seems to be going in the same direction. Is there a better way to organize these festivals that doesn’t destroy the city’s parks to the public for the rest of the summer?

Or is it really worth it at all?

JM: Chicago has so many great indoor venues that it's a shame they're not used more come festival time. What if all festivals were like Tomorrow Never Knows: all indoors and spread across various venues? One flat fee for all shows? They wouldn't be able to jam-pack the schedule with conflicts, obviously, but it's worth a thought. Would that create a logistical nightmare? Too much traffic? Put too many people out of work?

What do you think?

AH: Considering Riot Fest used to be an indoor multi-venue festival, they must have decided they can make more $$$ off of having a festival. I mean, there are plenty of after-shows, but who wants to pay $30-$60 on top of the hundreds of dollars you already spent at the park? With good weather, it is quite enjoyable to be outside watching music and hanging out, and you can’t see Wu Tang Clan from a Ferris Wheel inside the Empty Bottle.

And to be fair, I rode my bike through Humboldt Park a few weeks after the fest and didn’t see any fences still up. I also saw a heron nab a fish out of a pond, steps away from where the main stages were. So the natural ecosystem already seems restored there. [ED note: Riot Fest caused $182K in damages to Humboldt Park.] Either way, whatever’s happening in Humboldt Park certainly isn’t as shifty as what’s happening in Grant Park.

We both agreed that the Fest is moving away from nostalgia, but then again, they also had ten bands play ten classic albums in full. Are they just getting better at finding the right balance between old and new?

JM: Yes. Also, hardly any of those albums were, in my mind, "classic". It's sort of like reunion shows: everybody got so pumped when, like, Mazzy Star reunited, but I thought to myself, "Ok, how much did you really listen to Mazzy Star back in the day?" I knew all of the Offspring songs, but do people actually still listen to them? I still listen to the Blue Album all the time, but I pretty much forgot the Offspring even existed until Riot Fest announced their lineup.

Was the Offspring set for you a total nostalgia fest, or do you still listen to them?

AH: Total nostalgia, but also totally great.

An issue I had last year was that the fest is really dude-heavy. Pitchfork does a pretty good job of leveling the playing field. But Pitchfork also employs a more diverse lineup. Does Riot Fest have an obligation to diversify the lineup?

JM: In the spirit of punk (and some metal), which claims to be all-inclusive and about those who face hardships, yes, Riot Fest has an obligation to diversify the lineup. Or at least give Patti Smith more time than Social Distortion.

What do you think?

AH: Totally. During the Pussy Riot panel, Riot Mike lamented that there’s not more women making music. There are, Mike. You’re just not booking them. Try these: No Doubt, Garbage, Bikini Kill or the Julie Ruin, Siouxie Sioux, Vice Squad, the Raincoats, the Vaselines, Lydia Lunch, Dresden Dolls, Shonen Knife, the Donnas, Tsunami Bomb, the Distillers, Perfect Pussy, Tinsel Teeth, Guerilla Toss, and fuck it, why not Hole. Yes, I’m aware some of these don’t play actively, but keep in mind this is the festival that got the Replacements back together.

Who’s on your wishlist for next year?

JM: In alphabetical order: Against Me!, Bayside, Behemoth, Every Time I Die, Four Year Strong, Joyce Manor, Lucinda Williams, Prawn, Self Defense Family, Slint, Slough Feg, Trap Them, Trophy Scars, Weatherbox.

You?

AH: Aside from the aforementioned ladies, Talking Heads, Blur, Pulp, and Suede. And Elastica. I want a festival to bring Carsick Cars or PK14 a larger audience. The Pop Group would be amazing, but I still don’t think the world is ready for them. Depeche Mode would be great. James Chance, The Dickies, The Vandals, 88 Fingers Louie. Lucky Boys Confusion for all the hours I spent playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater in my parent’s basement to their music. Definitely newer bands that skew away from traditional punk: Pile, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, Running, anything loud and fast and different.

JM: A lot of what this festival was about for me was seeing killer sets from this "new" wave of "emo" bands, including Title Fight, The Hotelier, The Menzingers, The Front Bottoms, La Dispute, and I Am The Avalanche, plus a revitalized Say Anything. I know you're not as into this so-called "revival" as I am, but did you see any of these bands?

AH: Nah, not really my thing at all. It seems even more sentimental to see new bands rip off the old instead of just seeing the original bands for nostalgia. It’s weird though to read recaps from other sites like this one from Chicago Magazine and read it as if it were an entirely different festival. Does that say something about the modern music festival experience? Going back to being in a park, what does it matter that so many people were at the same fest, if we had different experiences? Should a music festival be about unity? Or should it just be about fun? Should it be about anything? I’m curious to see what happens to the music festival bubble. This shit can’t last forever, right? Will I still want to go to Riot Fest or Pitchfork in 2024?

JM: I hope so! How was the Pussy Riot panel, by the way?

AH: Henry Rollins really turned me off. Since it was billed as a panel with Pussy Riot, that’s what I expected and who I wanted to hear from. Instead, Rollins turned the show all about him, with a few words from Greg Graffin and Riot Mike, and only occasionally addressing the Pussy Riot members with any actual questions. I hope they do more panel stuff like that like Riot Mike suggested as a possibility in the future but find better moderators that know how to cast the spotlight on someone besides themselves.

JM: Do you think the Flaming Lips' power outage was just a way to fill time because of The National's late arrival?

AH: Ha, that’d be clever but probably not. I’m sorta surprised it’s never happened sooner at one of their shows. There’s so much going on. I think it was just a bizarre coincidence, and they should have kept playing until the National arrived.

JM: I know you were looking forward to seeing Billy Bragg, so you were probably mad about Kurt Vile going over his time. Were you so totally pissed off in that moment?

AH: Pretty much, especially because I knew I wanted to dip early and catch a bit of Netherfriends. But he played “To Have and To Have Not” and “Accident Waiting to Happen”, so it worked out in the end. It’s all about the buffet.

[frontpsych]

From Hard Rock Comics: Nirvana, published by Revolutionary Comics, San Diego, CA, 1992. Story by Spike Steffenhagen. Art and lettering by Scott Pentzer. Pretty sure the artist that drew this has never seen a photo of Sonic Youth.

[frontpsych]

FP: What’s your worst-nightmare scenario crowd?

AS: A crowd full of bros with their jaws dropped.

SC: Arms crossed, blank stare, tweeting in the front row.

ML: No crowd at all is my worst nightmare. Or one that hates us.

Check our interview with La Luz right here.

source

#La Luz #interview #punk #crowdsurfing #hardly art records

[frontpsych]

DC: Joy Buttons return to the stage tonight at the MLK Library, celebrating the opening of the DC Punk Archive. See you tonight at 6 PM. Spin their latest track "The Box" above, off the upcoming Other EP.

#Joy Buttons #DC #dc hardcore #MLK library #dc public library #dc punk archive #punk rock #hardcore punk

[frontpsych]

#gpoy

#gpoy

[frontpsych]

Abuse of Weakness // A Film By Catherine Breillat

Catherine Breillat is not the kind of girl who would suffer Judd Apatow. The French filmmaker, novelist and Professor of Auteur Cinema at the European Graduate School has often courted controversy for her films’ frank treatment of sexual themes. Her 1976 debut film, A Real Young Girl, was banned until 1999 because 1) the production went bankrupt and 2) controversy surrounding the shots of lead actress Charlotte Alexandra’s vulva. Alexandra was 20 years old at the time, her character 14.

In America, it seems like Breillat’s highest grossing movie, ~$730K, is 2003’s Fat Girl. You will not find Fat Girl or any of her other films on streaming or DVD Netflix. You will find Fat Girl on Amazon Instant Video—if you click through the disclaimer to show material with “explicit and adult themes.” You can also watch Fat Girl on Hulu or iTunes. But still the best place to catch films like Breillat’s is at the humble arts theater in your hometown. So you can be close to your fellow sex-obsessed intellectuals. That’s where I saw Abuse of Weakness, her latest, in downtown Chicago.

This film is not concerned with sex at all.

Stuart Ross ruminates on French auteur Catherine Breillat's latest film, Abuse of Weakness.

#Catherine Breillat #Abuse of Weakness #Stuart Ross #exploitation #Fat Girl #french film #auteur #auteur theory #french movies #french arthouse cinema #french cinema

[frontpsych]

Jason Molina :: North Star Blues Session – Belgium, 2003

Still touring under the guise of Songs: Ohia, Jason Molina recorded the following live session on April 20, 2003 for the “Duyster” radio show on Studio Brussel, FM 94.5 Belgium. Woodshedding material that would later appear on record (plus an interview), the set is raw and stripped down.

[frontpsych]

I want to be a part of something that promotes thinking outside of oneself. That’s what a real community is, punk or otherwise. That’s what empathy is. If I see people hurting each other right in front of me and don’t say anything, what kind of human being am I? Barry [of Joyce Manor] did his duty as a human being, he saw someone about to get hurt, and quickly stopped it. I hope I’d have the common decency to do the same thing.

Frances Quinlan of Hop Along

In Noisey's lengthy piece on the Joyce Manor stage diving non-troversy, Quinlan delivers the truth. Read her full response, as well as the words of Chris Conley, Max Bemis, Laura Jane Grace and many other contemporary punk rock stars here.

#Frances Quinlan #Hop Along #Joyce Manor #stage diving #Noisey #Laura Jane Grace #empathy #Max Bemis #Chris Conley

[frontpsych]

The Morning Benders | Cold War (Star Slinger Remix)

[frontpsych]

I know what helped me was just keeping a very small focus on what was in front of me. When I had cancer, when my mother died, and when I was truly rock bottom, what was helpful to me were just the smallest steps of even just lying still and breathing and being like: ‘Ok, I’m alive. I’m here. And I’m breathing. Now I’m going to take a step beyond that even if it’s just a literal step.’ It was so helpful to me to focus on a small area and to not worry about things too far ahead. Each of those small steps has led me down a much bigger, longer road.

Tig Notaro (via good)

Tig Notaro's LIVE was named our #1 favorite comedy record of 2013. Read our review here, and the 19 other best stand-up CDs.

#Tig Notaro #stand up #breast cancer #comedy #comedian #comedienne

[frontpsych]

Excellent poster for the new Into It. Over It. and Lemuria tour.