“I’m going through changes,” Jake Orrall chants on the slow-burning Sabbath cover that rounds out 2012’s Hypnotic Nights. As one-half of JEFF the Brotherhood Orrall, along with his brother Jamin, has made a name as one of the hardest working bands in the business. Between touring incessantly for nearly 10 years and managing their record label, Infinity Cat Recordings, the brotherhood has been busy. With seven albums to their credit, JEFF the Brotherhood’s gritty garage rock invokes psychedelic metal and punk-pop to recall hot nights and cool beers. In advance of their April 3 show at Subterranean, Chicagoist caught up with Jake to discuss the band’s latest changes including a major label release, performing as a quartet, and co-producing with Dan Auerbach.
If you thought Stars already said it all, think again. The Montreal-based quintet has expressed much in the way of heartbreak, politics, and dance parties in their more than 12 years together, only to arrive at their sixth studio album with reinvigorated resolution. Released in September 2012, The North advances Stars’ artful introspection in their continued pursuit of intricately crafted pop.
Stars bassist Evan Cranley took some time off from prepping for the next leg of their tour to speak with Chicago Innerview about recording amongst ghosts, keeping the band together, and touring with kids.
Most marriages — not to mention musical collaborations — can be counted in years, not decades. Yet the husband-and-wife musical duo of Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk, two-thirds of Low, have been collaborating in life and art together for over two decades. The Duluth-based band celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year with the release of its tenth album, The Invisible Way. While their lingering minimalist arrangements have continually strapped Low with the “slowcore” label, the trio’s continued success is built upon their strikingly heartfelt vocal harmonies, slow tempos, and quietly burning instrumentation.
At home in Minnesota, Parker took time to speak with Chicago INNERVIEW about recording with Jeff Tweedy, performing in cathedrals, and what she’s learned after 20 years in Low.
Another baseball season has come and gone in Chicago, but chances are your toes are still tapping to this year’s unofficial Cubs anthem, JD McPherson’s “North Side Gal.” The Oklahoma native’s infectious blend of early 1950’s R&B and rock ‘n’ roll has captivated listeners with his raucous update to an old school sound. Since the re-release of his debut album Signs and Signifiers this spring, the former schoolteacher’s sound has exploded, wining the praise of fans like Tom Waits and Nick Lowe. We caught up with JD McPherson after his recent show at Metro to discuss the Cubs, recording in Chicago, and meeting his heroes. Read the full interview on Chicagoist.
The corn dog has returned. It’s a staple at any summer festival, but Lollapalooza is no neighborhood street fair and Graham Elliot’s lobster corn dog topped with lemon aioli is a gourmet take on the deep-fried favorite.
For the third consecutive year, Elliot has assembled an eclectic lineup of food vendors at Lollapalooza’s Chow Town. His signature corn dog will be featured at Grahamwhich, who will join over thirty additional vendors to serve the 90,000 person crowds each day of the three-day festival this August.
Foster the People‘s Mark Pontius and Cubbie Fink took over Ada Street’s vinyl library last night with a guest DJ set benefitting the band’s Do Good Project. Spinning crowd favorites including Daft Punk, David Byrne, and Notorious B.I.G. the guys kept the dance party kicking long after their sold-out show at the Congress Theater. The Do Good Project supports local charities in a variety of volunteer projects along the tour, including Music Works in Chicago. Look for the Do Good van at Foster the People’s second sold-out show tonight, and at each stop along their tour this summer.
This interview was originally published by Indieball.com
Chicago Cubs fans have no enviable fate, but JD McPherson’s propulsive performance of “North Side Gal” on opening day had listeners all over the city ready to root for Wrigley Field. The first single off McPherson’s debut Signs & Signifiers is a wicked ride that’s rooted in swinging R&B and rock ‘n’ roll with up-to-the-minute attitude. He returns to rock Chicago tonight at Lincoln Hall.
Originally recorded at Chicago’s Hi-Style studio, an all-analog space built by producer and bassist Jimmy Sutton, Signs & Signifiers was rereleased by Rounder Records on April 17th. McPherson was recently kind enough to chat with me for Indieball about the experience of recording the album. “The quality of the old rhythm mics and tape equipment had a lovely impact on the warmth of the sound,” he said by phone. “On an atmospheric level it was cool stuff to be around. Similar to the equipment, the studio has an antiquey, industrial vibe right down to Jimmy’s record collection. There’s a strong aesthetic quality, which is good because we didn’t really leave the studio during the recording process!”
Growing up, the Oklahoma native was as much influenced by the American roots heritage as punk and surf rock. “There is a ton of great music out of Oklahoma and not everyone is influenced by Bob Willis and Woody Guthrie or the fact that Buddy Holly recorded at Tinker Air Force Base, but it definitely affected me. On the other hand, Jimmy’s first concert was The Ramones and my favorite band was The Pixies.”
For all of its rollicking rhythm and throwback hat tips, Signs & Signifiers doesn’t feel dated but rather timeless. “Early 50’s R&B is the drive and focus we were excited about on this album, says McPherson. “Yet most of the comments we receive agree that the influence feels contemporary. People can tell we’re not coming from a place of falsehood, and that we want to write songs that are relevant today.” This earnestness, it seems, is what invigorates these musical traditions – a return to what made people rock in the first place.
On the seemingly heady album title for an enjoyably forthright style, the former teacher admits to deliberately jabbing his art school background. “In the ideals of post-modern art education you get trained to have to analyze things in code. With this album I was trying to make something that is pretty straightforward.” McPherson’s degree in experimental film and MFA was put to use in the making of videos for “North Side Gal” and the soulful, lingering “A Gentle Awakening.” He and Sutton shot the videos which he then edited. Although McPherson’s visual arts pursuits are on hold at the moment, he also recently directed a video for Nick Lowe.
Chicago has become something of a second home to JD McPherson. “In an overarching way, it was the perfect place to record this album.” He mentions the musical legacy of the city’s blues tradition, Chess Records, Vee-Jay and the “spiritual sense of influence” their records had on his music. “Chicago is my favorite American city,” he says. “It’s comfortable because it’s still Midwestern but has incredible culture and the best food.” Where does JD head when he’s in town? “Jimmy is from the South Side so he’s shown me all around and we’ll go for a spin on Lakeshore Drive. I love to grab a Polish at Fat Johnnie’s, Al’s Beef, and the Green Mill which is a very special establishment.”
As for all those aspiring north side gals, the title of his breakout single is not specific to the Windy City. “It can be about Chicago,” McPherson acknowledges, “but it can also be about the north side of Tulsa or Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. It’s for everyone.” McPherson’s music is for everyone – everyone who resonates with a distinctive style and the infectious abandon of new-old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll.
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.
Oh to be young, talented, British, and infinitely cool – the sibling trio Kitty, Daisy, & Lewis deliver on so many levels. With a dynamic sound that channels blues, swing, R&B, jazz, Hawaiian, rock, and country, they seize the exuberance of another era. If you’re interested in sparking some fire in your step and some snap in your shimmy, jam to their sophomore album Smoking in Heaven.
Read the rest of my review and get MP3s at Indieball.
After five quiet years without touring, Fiona Apple took the Lincoln Hall stage this week without a word and “Fast as You Can” she was back. The announcement of her mini-tour caused frenzy among fans, who assaulted the venue’s servers in unprecedented numbers, crashing the site in many cases and causing an outrage among the incensed and ticketless. Few situations send my heart rate into such a palpitated state as the purchasing of prized concert tickets, but I made damn sure I would see Fiona. A second show was added to the tour’s Chicago stop only, and those of us lucky enough to see the songstress can attest her live concert was as captivating as ever.
The powerful performance included classics like “Sleep to Dream” and “On the Bound,” closing with “Criminal.” Just as alluring were three new songs Fiona debuted from her upcoming album due out this June, “Anything We Want,” “Valentine,” and “Every Single Night.” The audience shouted its admiration between songs and Fiona came out of her reverie to smile in thanks. She infused the show with her brand of whimsy, breaking into the occasional jig and featuring an old kitchen pipe as a percussion piece.
Fiona’s reflective and recalcitrant music shaped my adolescence while my classmates memorized boy band dance moves. If you had asked me my favorite poems in junior high, I would have named Fiona’s When the Pawn… and Prufrock, budding lit major that I was. I imagine more than one high school relationship argument was fueled by overexposure to her lyrical indignation on a given day. The first time I saw Fiona Apple live involved driving five hours across Ohio (including a stop to pick up my cousin, a fellow Fiona-phile) and ending up back on campus just in time to hand in a final exam. That show was the most passionate, eloquent, and spellbinding performance I had ever seen, and more than one audience member was moved to tears.
Her performance this week at Lincoln Hall was just as enthralling. Fiona does not just sing; it’s an entirely visceral enterprise as if the crowd is privy to a physical and emotional internal journey she’s experiencing number by number. While her vocals range from her characteristic sultry growl to heart-shattering highs and belts of bravado, the singer swirls and paces onstage. Fiona is perhaps most emotive when commanding the piano keys, framed by the glow of a few red church votives. Otherwise her hands wring, tug at her skirt, flutter through the air, or clutch the microphone with white knuckles, as when crooning “”I just want to feel everything, so I’m gonna try to be still.”
Fiona Apple gives all of herself when performing; rendering fans all the hungrier for the rare times she shares her unrivaled talent onstage. Connecting with some of her old songs that are such a part of me and revisiting them with new insight was all the more poignant. No matter the absence, Fiona Apple’s power, honesty, and grace are always resonant, always craved as long as she is willing to share them – the mark of a truly extraordinary machine.
