Washington, D.C. based U.S. Royalty returned to Chicago last week on the tail-end of their most recent tour. They brought their rock ‘n roll swagger back to Schuba’s, complete with a custom mixtape.
U.S. Royalty’s front man, John Thornley, spoke with me previously about the band’s influences, the recording process of their first LP, and his favorite haunts in Chicago and his hometown, DC. Check out the interview and enjoy the show’s closing number below.
Posted in chicago, lakeview, listening, music notes
Tagged chicago, lakeview, listening, music notes, schubas, us royalty
What are you doing this Saturday? Perfecting your 7-layer dip recipe? Deciding which last-minute jersey purchase best suits your skin tone (hint: the team colors are the same)? Since you’ll spend all Sunday waiting with rapt attention for a Madonna wardrobe malfunction, why not get out on football eve and help spark something?
Since 2007, the Chicago-based non-profit Spark Ventures has been creating sustainable partnerships with international grassroots organizations focused on helping vulnerable children reach their potential. On February 4th, Young Partners of Spark, a community of young professionals who support Spark Ventures, will host a benefit concert to raise awareness for this incredible organization.
Join YPS and Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press to rock out for a cause at The Cubby Bear from 7-9 pm. Admission is $15, and tickets may be purchased in advance here.
For further inspiration, check out the video below highlighting the wonderful work Spark Ventures does for children across the world.
We are Spark from Spark Ventures on Vimeo.
Posted in chicago, events, lakeview, volunteering, wrigleyville
Tagged chicago, non-profit, spark ventures, volunteering, wrigleyville, zambia
A spectrum of Chicagoans show their true colors celebrating the annual
Pride Parade in Lakeview.
[photos by m. fletch & stina m.]
Posted in chicago, festivals, lakeview, street scene
Tagged chicago, festivals, gay pride, lakeview, street scene
Swedish chanteuse Lykke Li delivered another powerful performance at Metro. It was a wonderful way to dance, dance, dance my birthday night away!
Her breathy vocals effortlessly convey evocative lyrics, taking Swedish indiepop on a unique turn with soulful undertones and an extra-catchy tempo. [Read on]
Posted in chicago, lakeview, listening, music notes
Tagged bithday, lakeview, listening, lykke li, metro, music notes
Friends and music lovers, I am a regular contributor to indieball.com which recently featured my article on U.S. Royalty.
Schubas Tavern – Chicago, IL
Washington, D.C. quartet U.S. Royalty was formed in 2008 and has drawn a lot of buzz regarding the release of their debut album MIRRORS in January. Frontman John Thornley was kind enough to sit down and chat with me after their show at Schubas in Chicago last month.
In August 2009, U.S. Royalty released an EP entitled Midsommar; I am struck by a discernible shift from Midsommar’s more pop-ready rock elements to the classic rock-reminiscent and folksier MIRRORS. “We recorded those first tracks to send to people and book shows,” says Thornley. “They were songs that we knew would resonate and we still play many of them . . . In recording MIRRORS we never decided ‘this will be the sound.’ We just saw what developed organically.”
Influenced by life on the road, MIRRORS is indeed a journey. Ranging from gritty guitar and bluesy vocals to wistful sun-soaked harmonies, we are guided from mountains, through desert, to the sea in an Americana ode. Hints of backwoods twang blend with breezy West Coast vibes, indie pop, post-punk, and old fashioned rock & roll. Citing influences from Stevie Nicks (whom they covered in the Schuba’s set), Led Zeppelin, The Smashing Pumpkins, Muddy Waters, and The Talking Heads, it’s easy to see where U.S. Royalty gets their range.
MIRRORS is a great listen all the way through. However, it’s U.S. Royalty’s live performance that really sells me. Their raw and exuberant presence imbues the music with a dramatic force. “In the studio you want to highlight the craftsmanship, the layers in the music. It’s much more deliberate and subtle; everything is not firing at once the way it is live,” Thornley explains. “The music explodes onstage. The layers are still there but we are reacting to each other, to the audience, and to the material so it takes on a new energy.”
A cursory online search of the as-yet-unsigned band returns reviews comparing U.S. Royalty to quite a scope of successful acts. “I think the comparisons are interesting,” Thornley responds. “I can see The Killers maybe in our level of showmanship and The Black Keys in the bluesy elements of certain songs. I love Band of Horses but I really did not get that reference. Listening to our album or live show, it is not the same style for 12 songs in a row, which maybe causes a lot of comparisons, but we are just doing our own thing.”
John’s brother, Paul Thornley, grooves on the guitar in a fringed leather jacket that instantly recalls Stevie Ray Vaughn and I have to ask John about his tan snakeskin boots. “I got them outside of LA; I love it out there. There are so many hidden little towns outside the city and I always find great things.” Thornley lists Tune Inn as his favorite hometown spot in the District; “It’s much different than most of the bars in Capitol Hill. They can tend to be stiff and stuffy but this place has taxidermy and gun racks hanging on the walls.” As for the Windy City, Thornley replies “Chicago is becoming something of a second home for us. We always love playing at Schubas; it’s a great venue. Also, I just went to Skylark today and am confident it is the coolest bar in Chicago.”
Defying categorization, U.S. Royalty has been difficult to place. With their range of style and wealth of influences, it’s easy to play the comparison game, but U.S. Royalty knows who they are and they deliver. As you will glimpse with the tracks “Equestrian” and “Monte Carlo” here, MIRRORS is a well crafted body of work that flows over you, offering a sense of where U.S. Royalty has been and where they are going. I suggest you join them and enjoy the journey.
Posted in chicago, d.c., lakeview, listening, music notes
Tagged chicago, DC, lakeview, listening, music notes, schubas, u.s. royalty
It took way too long for me to pay a visit to DMK after its much lauded opening in late 2009, so I resolved to end 2010 with one great burger. The Lakeview joint is Chicago chef Michael Kornick’s less formal establishment and homage to burger basics. DMK’s name comes from his initials along with business partner David Morton, whose family owns some steakhouses.
A massive neon sign marks the spot on Sheffield, and inside the vibe is low-lit and laid back. The décor is elementally cool with exposed brick and wood trim and so is the playlist featuring among others The XX, Tom Petty, and Discovery. My companions, C. and S., and I are extra ravenous so the quick service is much appreciated while never feeling rushed. DMK doesn’t accept reservations; we are seated immediately but as the dinner crowd later surges a considerable wait forms.
DMK’s thing is grass fed beef. This means the cows get to frolic and graze in fields rather than process corn-based feed in enclosures. Their diets are more varied and their meat is leaner. As DMK’s website points out, “If steer were meant to eat corn, they would have fingers instead of hooves to roll it in butter.”
#13 and Parmesan Truffle Fries
I hate overwhelming menus and DMK thankfully breaks it down to fourteen options. It’s still difficult to deliberate as we salivate over each enticing item. The #1, featuring aged cheddar and smoked bacon, is thoroughly enjoyed so quickly by burger connoisseur S. that he is only able to reflect on its flavor palette in the afterglow. My #5 could use a stronger sense of prosciutto, as it’s overpowered by the onion, but I am feeling the grass fed beef. The burger is tender with just the right touch of pink and juicy without being greasy. C. opts for the #13 and her crispy portabella is a behemoth of a burger. The components make for a tasty marriage while the horseradish highlights individual arugula, mushroom, and fontina flavors. “The burgers start with a good foundation in the bun,” S. points out. Made with potato flour, DMK’s buns are thick but not unwieldy, substantial yet light.
#5 with Sea salt and Black Pepper Fries
And the fries! DMK serves a free side of sea salt and black pepper fries with every burger from 5-7pm on weekdays. They are soft with a crispy exterior and golden browned to perfection. Hand-cut from russet potatoes, they are available with a variety of yummy accoutrements. After previously experiencing the truffle pommes frites at mk (by the way, still one of my top meals in Chicago) I wonder how the “economy” version would compare. Our amicable waitress confirms that the parmesan and truffle cream fries are their most popular. The table portion is perfect, and again I find myself lapping up the truffle cream.
Need more reasons to visit? At $8 for each, the price-point is on par with your corner tavern’s greasy burger. DMK’s donates part of its profit to a different charity every month with its 365 Days of Giving program. Finally, while a systems error keeps us waiting for the check, our waitress hands us free drink vouchers for the trouble.
It would seem Kornick sparked a craft- burger trend in Chicago, but after hearing not-so-great reviews of the other attempts I’m more inclined to keep revisiting DMK. With many unexplored numbers on the menu, a well-selected beer list with a thirst-inducing range, and rave reviews of the sweet potato fries with lemon-tabasco aioli I have yet to try, I am already craving my next bite of DMK.
[click to enlarge]
DMK Burger Bar
2954 N. Sheffield
Chicago, IL 60657
Posted in eating, exploring, impressions, lakeview
Let’s start at the beginning. I love books. Fellow book nerds know the dizzying delirious ecstasy that overwhelms when one steps foot inside a really good book store. What makes a book store really good? I prefer mazes of shelves, rolling ladders, economical prices, cats, and a great vibe. Your heart starts racing, eyes darting from one section heading to another. “Do I want to head straight for the classics, or scan the stack of art books to my right? Look, a brightly colored coffee table book beckons from across the room, but over here is that one I’ve been dying to read forever.” Minutes later you realize sweat is forming on the back of your neck and your arms are sore from the heap of gems you’ve acquired. Rent is due…you’ll have to charge this.
I liken the opportunity to try a new bookstore to a new date. I am optimistic but wary. It sounds enticing enough, but will it live up to expectations? Powell’s does. I’ve been past Powell’s Bookstore on Lincoln countless times but had never stopped in. I knew they had scholarly works but was unsure of the rest of their trove.
Powell’s houses over a quarter million books, in an unobtrusive and organized space. While their focus does lie in academic books this is hardly your university’s bookstore. Rooms of books surround you, but there is no clutter or cramming of patrons. My embellished flats click on the floor as I stroll the aisles, dancing slightly to a lilting Jose Gonzales song that drifts by. Academic enticement is all around. I enter One Year in the Life of Shakespeare and then am thrust into the exotic and erotic history of the spice trade. I transcend the space and time to enter Taschen’s world of mid-century storefront design and then catapult to an ill-fated conquering of Everest.
Comfortably worn furniture dots the store. The front reading area houses a window seat, chess tables, and couches. A patron sneaks a nap slumped over his reading, magnifying glass strewn aside on the floor. The staff is quiet, friendly, and inconspicuous. A framed poem, constructed of cut out magazine letters on canvas reads:
I like everything that has no style
Dictionaries, Pictographs, Nature
My self, my paintings
Because style is violent
And I am not violent
A fan of secretive spaces, I especially enjoyed the rare book room in the back. You enter and breathe in a woody, papery musk and immediately feel the increase in temperature. This is no dusty back room; however, rare books line the walls in neat wood and glass cabinets. I peruse a 1959 title detailing The Shame of Oscar Wilde as well as a worn pamphlet detailing the phenomenon of junior high social life centering on the school print shop.
I don’t need any more books, as the stacks on my bedroom floor keep growing but there are such unique finds I cannot pass up the following:
- A collection of Truman Capote’s short stories
- A Year in Provence
- The Dinner Party [a gift for my favorite feminist]
- A travel writing manual from 1980
- Lesbian Empire: Crosswriting in the 1920′s
In addition to the
Lincoln Ave. location Powell’s has a Hyde Park outpost as well as an online sales site. Chicago’s Powell’s was founded in 1970, a year before its Portland sister-store, by U of Chicago grad Michael Powell. I’ve been known to sing the praises of Myopic’s funky, close-quartered labyrinth, but while its attitude fits there I appreciate that Powell’s has no agenda. It doesn’t strain to be anything other than a place of fantastic finds, whether hunting for a specific title or wandering in search of new ways to spend your rent money.
Powell’s Bookstore
2850 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657
Posted in impressions, lakeview, neighborhoods, reading
