Teitur; (tie'tor) is a singular name for a singular man. Hailing from the Faroe Islands Teitur is an artist whose songs remind you what music can do for the soul. Teitur first came to the attention of the world with the release of his 2003 debut album Poetry & Aeroplanes, which won him rave reviews.Thousands of fans who were captivated by his inspiring melodies and gentle but finely observed, often wry and quirkily observant lyrics. Since the release of his debut album, he has toured non-stop. Initially playing intimate acoustic shows, he slowly won over bigger and bigger audiences, fleshing out his live performances with a band and sometimes string quartet. Extensive touring included support slots for celebrity fans who include Rufus Wainwright, Aimee Mann and John Mayer.
On her third Nonesuch release, Saltbreakers, singer-songwriter Laura Veirs remains tantalized by the mysteries and marvels of the natural world, filling her work with images, both precise and poetic, of the ocean and the stars. But she digs even deeper this time into the vagaries of human nature, transforming the turbulence of her own life, as well as her concerns about the hair-trigger state of the world at large, into a collection of songs distinguished as much by their emotional urgency as by their often astonishing musical inventiveness.
On her third Nonesuch release, Saltbreakers, singer-songwriter Laura Veirs remains tantalized by the mysteries and marvels of the natural world, filling her work with images, both precise and poetic, of the ocean and the stars. But she digs even deeper this time into the vagaries of human nature, transforming the turbulence of her own life, as well as her concerns about the hair-trigger state of the world at large, into a collection of songs distinguished as much by their emotional urgency as by their often astonishing musical inventiveness.
In between full lengths, The Heavenly States became the first rock band to play Libya after Muammar Khadafi and the United States lifted a 30-year travel ban to the country. Still, western music and the band’s proposed tour remained controversial. Word of the tour spread like wildfire and was documented by the likes of Newsweek, NPR, San Francisco Chronicle and many more. The world might soon hear more about this trip, as Libyan-American producer, Jawal Nga, asked the band if he could base a film on the band’s story. “Bruce Willis, Khadafi, 100,000 tons of TNT, a helicopter and an American flag. Can anyone say box office gold?” jokes bassist Masanori Mark Christianson. Masanori, a Japanese-Korean immigrant who dabbles in cooking and the visual arts, was raised in the same southeastern Minnesota town as Ted, his Mexican-American bandmate, and often wonders how they all ended up together, contributing to a project that was once unimaginable.
Now with the Libyan stint as well as countless US tours and trips to Egypt, Australia and Europe under their belt, the four musicians who make up The Heavenly States have entered the studio and have emerged with a new LP entitled, Delayer. Delayer is thick with sonic layers and, as Rolling Stone says of their prior album, “delivers equal parts patchouli-soaked violin and Superchunk-worthy melodies.” Perhaps the band’s hook-laden wall of sound - an approach that shatters the typical indie rock formula - stems from the chemistry sparked by four individuals from completely different backgrounds who have traveled the world and made music together. “This ain’t no pick up band with a leader and hired guns,” says Genevieve, “None of us ever wanted to be a part of something we weren’t really a part of.”
Brighton, MA is a band from Chicago, IL which could, at first glance, seem confusing. The band's name is a reference to the town singer/songwriter Matthew Kerstein was born in, and is as much a general statement about nostalgia and "going home again" as it is an actual location. The band comprises five members: Kerstein, guitarist Jim Tuerk, guitarist Devon Bryant, bassist Matt Priest and drummer Sam Koentopp. Their self-titled debut record finds these strong musical personalities blending with easy camaraderie to paint backdrops for Kerstein's mature songs of warning and optimism.
Joe Lally has played bass in Fugazi since the band's inception in 1987. In 2003 the members of Fugazi decided to take an indefinite hiatus from recording and performing. Since then Joe has continued to write and perform new material both solo and in collaboration with various musicians and friends.
Joe's first album, "There to Here", was released in October 2006 and featured guest performances from Fugazi-mates Ian Mackaye, Guy Picciotto and Jerry Busher as well as many others. In the last year he has toured extensively, playing everything from Jazz festivals to rock clubs, in the US, Europe, and Brazil, often accompanied live by members of The Melvins, Capillary Action, Zu and others.
“Nothing Is Underrated”, like Joe's first album, was produced by Ian MacKaye at Dischord House and was mixed at Inner Ear Studios. Joe has again collaborated and recorded with many fellow musicians, including: Ben Azzara - drums (The Capitol City Dusters, DCIC), Andy Gale - drums (Haram), Eddie Janny - guitar (Rites of Spring), Sam Krulewitch - kayboards (Capillary Action), Ricardo Lagomasino - drums (Capillary Action), Ian MacKaye - guitar (Fugazi), and Guy Picciotto - guitar (Fugazi) and Devin Ocampo - drums (Medications).
Founded thirteen years ago at a booze and hallucinogen-fueled party at the Dabbs Hotel along the river in Llano, Texas, the Asylum Street Spankers stand as one of America’s most distinctive groups. Defiantly acoustic, fiercely independent and absurdly good, the Spankers have been led by founders Christina Marrs and Wammo from being a country-blues revival act playing happy hours in Austin, through nearly 40 musicians, endless touring and constant evolution to being an internationally reknowned underground institution. Fueled by an ethos born of their punk roots, Marrs and Wammo have built their lives around making unique music that surprises and entertains.
White Rabbits have succeeded in realizing a tremendously vibrant and creative debut record with Fort Nightly. They communicate joy without being cloying or saccharine sweet, and the listeners could easily find themselves clapping along to any one of the darker moments. White Rabbits combine style and panache, both musical and personal, for a thoroughly fresh and unexpected experience. This is certainly one to follow ?though the looking glass…
Pela is an American rock & roll band. At a time when the word ‘America’ has never been more fraught with meaning, songs that speak to our basic feelings and emotions about life could never be more resonant. Lost amongst all the geo-political tumult are the stories of every day America; the aches and pains and the beautiful possibilities. Yet amidst this turmoil and uncertainty, new stories are being written and told by a new generation of American bands. Pela is clearly one of those voices.
For the Submarines' Blake Hazard and John Dragonetti, it was love at first take—but the second take is even better. With their debut album Declare A New State, the longtime collaborators have forged a beautiful and sonically inventive record. From the haunted, sing-song buzz of "Peace and Hate" to the swoony pocket symphonies of "Modern Inventions" to the delicately ornamented "The Good Night," Declare A New State is both gorgeously bittersweet pop music and a tribute to the unexpected wonder of a second chance. Not bad for a record that the duo made with no thought that it would ever be released.
Chicago quartet, Blueblood makes thoughtful, yet urgent, artful songs, moving smoothly between brash, tense numbers and introspective narratives. The members all share a love of blue-eyed soul, british rock, percussive flourishes and proper attire. Blueblood recently released their debut e.p., "Have Mercy", a record that showcases the members' rich musical taste, yet hints at the band's next steps into the future.
Three of us are actual brothers with the not-fake last name of Lava. Grandsons of the great jazz composer Neal Hefti — who went all Hollywood and wrote the Batman song (da-da-da-da-da-da) and Odd Couple theme (ba-dum-ba-dum-ba-daaa) — we grew up in a musical household where harmonizing was as mundane as watering the plants.
Sometimes compared to Rufus Wainwright and Sondre Lerche, we make music for both the head and the heart, with sophisticated chord progressions, wow-they-can-actually-play technique, and unapologetic passion. Our songs have been hailed as “refreshingly intelligent…[with] irresistible forward motion and remarkable sincerity of spirit” (Oberlin Review). Live, we are experimental, improvising songs, segues, and arrangements on the spot.
Adam Fitz' soulful hollerin' and amped-up pop-rock quartet have been working rooms in Chicago since the 2005 release of Fitz's debut, Between the Incident and the Event. Singer, folk storyteller, country crunk rocker and melodic screamer, Adam puts every inch of his pain and joy into his music. His voice is powerful and poignant; backed by the Drastics' rhythm section and 'rock scientist' Eddie Dixon, they crank through manic rave-ups, slink into steady grooves, and stretch out on melodramatic ballads heavy in themes of family, desire, and loss. Frequenting the windy city's most reputable rooms, such as Schubas and the Hideout, these boys occasionally work as the backing band for Ralph 'Soul' Jackson, and have shared bills with soul legends such as Syl Johnson, Clarence Reid, Sharon Jones (Dap-Kings), Roscoe Robinson, and Herman Hitson.
Adam Fitz and his band have worked up a reputation locally with their strong live shows consisting of Fitz originals as well as energized interpretations of cover songs ranging from Leonard Cohen to M Ward. In June of '07 they recorded a, yet unreleased, 'in studio' live album at Wall to Wall studios and have now begun recording the follow-up to Incident at the Drastic's own Dirty North Studio, to be released in the near future on Rabbit Factory Inc..
Versatile violinist, vocalist, and songwriter Rebecca Zapen's first musical memory was that of sitting under the baby grand piano as a toddler, her ears filled by the sounds of her mother playing Chopin, Beethoven, and Mozart. Her college years were filled with opera, orchestra, chamber music, and late night jazz jams. The journey continued to twist and unfold, rich in varied musical experiences: Tom Waits tunes via CB radio and Celtic harp, a four-year trip to the Old World in Klezmania, spoken word with eclectic folk, Gypsy jazz. She walks her present path as a performer of range and depth: a classically-trained violinist, a jazz crooner/violinist in quartet ZapStar, and an award-winning songwriter/composer. Rebecca's dreamy, ethereal vocals swoon and sweep atop sublime melodies and infectiously charming lyrics, instantly hypnotic and effortlessly charming. Accompanying herself on ukulele, guitar, and violin, and joined by double bass, string section, and dobro, Zapen's music is mellow, creative, happy, and smart.
Something of a one-man mixture of the Cramps, Beck's early indie records (circa One Foot in the Grave), and the soundtrack to O Brother Where Art Thou, singer and guitarist Langhorne Slim offers a sardonic, modern take on traditional folk, country, and blues. Fancifully dubbed "the bastard son of Hasil Adkins" in some of his early press releases, Langhorne Slim is in fact a Pennsylvania native who resettled in Brooklyn after his graduation from the State University of New York at Purchase. After a self-released demo garnered some local and online attention (as well as a semi-regular gig as the opening act for indie novelty outfit the Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players), Langhorne Slim signed with the indie label Narnack Records and released his first EP, Electric Love Letter, in March 2004. The more varied and band-oriented full-length When the Sun's Gone Down followed in the spring of 2005. Much touring ensued over the next year, including support dates with Lucero and Murder by Death, with drummer Malachi DeLorenzo and upright bassist Paul DeFiglia (aka "the War Eagles") in tow. In 2006, Langhorne Slim signed with the larger (though still not major) label V2 Records, which released the all-new EP Engine in September of that year, as the singer was finishing recording his second full album, produced by Josh Ritter's keyboardist, Sam Kassirer
If forgoing the telly is one marker of her individuality, another, more significant one is Kate Walsh's debut album proper. A soothing, richly sensual work, Tim’s House is an admirable contribution to the quiet revolution. Packing heart-stoppingly beautiful songs - if ‘Your Song’ and ‘Tonight’ don’t move you we respectively suggest you check your pulse – the album has maturity and finesse way beyond Kate’s years.
With song writer and vocalist extraordinaire Quincy Coleman think Elvis Presley's power, Edith Piaf's emotion and the spirit of Django Reinhardt breaking Challa on a Hawaiian island while shooting a scene for a David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Fellini collaboration. Born into a family of performers, (dad actor and Golden Globe winner Dabney Coleman, mom model/actress Jean Hale Coleman and brother Randy who has toured with Def Leppard and opened for The Who at the Hollywood Bowl) Quincy pursued entertainment dreams throughout high school and college. Quincy not only regularly sells out local Los Angeles venues such as the Temple Bar, The Mint, and the influential Hotel Café, her buzz is expanding beyond Southern California and into the national and international spotlight. The song "Afraid" from "Also Known as Mary" is on the soundtrack for the academy award winning film "Crash." "Give it Away", from the same CD is on an upcoming UK compilation called "Beautiful Embrace" which also features Bryan Adams and Sarah McLaughlin.
Brandi Shearer is the San Francisco chanteuse whose album ‘Close To Dark’ People magazine calls a “very good collection of bluesy, heartfelt tales of love and loss.” Her artistic path has taken her from her roots in rural Oregon to the cabarets of Hungary and France to the San Francisco Bay Area. Brandi’s music is a blend of dreamy 1930s and 1940s-inspired torch sounds and up-tempo, bluesy rock songs. The LA Weekly raves Shearer is “the singer you should get to know well”, possessing a “heaven-sent, heartshuddering vocal style.” Fresh off a tour with Vermont rockers Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Brandi Shearer recently joined Walsh and Coleman at SXSW to preview the tour. Variety summed up her live show: “there's more than a touch of Janis Joplin ... Shearer always seemed ready to cut loose and start smashing the furniture.”
Saturday 5/31/2008
11:00 AM
All Ages
Indie Arts Market
One-of-a-kind pieces of art will be for sale including paintings, jewelry, collages, sculpture, silkscreen prints, letterpress, zines, textiles, stationery and much more! The Indie Arts Market showcases over 30 up and coming artists from Chicago.
Deep in the heart of 2005, the world was lit only by fire. Music was used primarily for the communication of status and food source location information in the pre-literate societies that predominated the period. Slings & Arrows were the merest pollywogs in this Hobbsian pond when they were visited by the twin apparitions of rock and roll, heretofore unexperienced by the simple inhabitants of the time. Slings extended these feelings into the ancestral musics and in a fly's wink, modernity was upon them.
SND ON SND don’t set out to write within a template. They just play melodic indie rock that favors punk, but loves a good pop hook, the occasional noisy freakout, and even tinges of the roots-rock that morphed into alt-country. It’s kind of messy and ill-defined, but isn’t all the best music that way?
