Friday, July 6, 2012

Slumgullion


Looks like it’s going to be extremely hot in Chicago tonight for the Squeeze/B-52’s double bill at Charter One Pavilion on Northerly Island. Hopefully, the musicians and the audience will find some way to keep cool.

The weather is supposed to be a little less torrid on Sunday when The Wanton Looks, The Handcuffs, and Dot Dot Dot will be among the bands performing at the Lincoln Park Music and Art Fest

My review of the new Susanna Hoffs CD, Someday, can be found in the July issue of the Illinois Entertainer. I gave it a thumbs up, but couldn’t help but wish I could hear some of the songs, particularly “One Day,” without producer Mitchell Froom’s orchestrated backdrops. Hoffs has now made that possible by releasing the new five-song EP, Some Summer Days for free download on NoiseTrade. It has what she calls “Ragtag Versions” of “One Day,” “Raining,” and “Always Enough,” along with “Petite Chanson” and “Summer Daze,” which aren’t on the CD.

In just about two weeks, throngs of Doctor Who fans will travel to the city of Cardiff in Wales to immerse themselves in The Doctor Who Experience. The ambitious interactive exhibit will take place in close proximity to where the long-running English sci-fi series is currently being filmed. In addition to encountering The Doctor’s various intergalactic foes, and being able to check out costumes and props, visitors will get to enter a replica of The TARDIS. The Doctor Who Experience will run through 2017.

Dum Dum Girls recorded the low-fi but catchy “I Don’t Care” as the May theme song for Rookie Mag, an online publication for teenage girls. The four-woman band will be coming to Chicago for two shows in August; the Cubby Bear on the 4th, and then Lollapalooza on the 5th. Their Only In Dreams CD was one of my Top 10 picks for 2011. “Bedroom Eyes” in particular has an irresistible melody, and the official video is mesmerizing. 

Matt Dodge & The Lobsters, a young band that featured some melodic power pop on its debut, has just released a new EP called Rockerpreneur. All four songs sound promising, based on the previews on iTunes, with the rockabilly flavored “Number 2 A Word” being the most fun. Fans are being encouraged to give feedback on the Matt Dodge & The Lobsters website.

Chicago-based power pop band Aaron Fox and The Reliables is inviting fans to check out its newly upgraded website. They’ll be playing Pierogi Fest in Whiting, Indiana on July 28th.

Singer-guitarist Rick Hromadka from Maple Mars  has posted a preview reel on YouTube of Introducing Ruby Free, the upcoming CD he recorded with his wife, singer Lisa Cavaliere. Their debut CD is set to drop on July 31st on SodaStar Music. Looks like it could be an interesting project.

No comments:

Related Posts with Thumbnails