CD Review: Big Hello - Apple Album

While we wait for the new CD from The Handcuffs, here’s a look back at the first band fronted by the husband and wife team of drummer Brad Elvis and singer-guitarist Chloe F. Orwell. This review of Big Hello’s Apple Album originally appeared in the Illinois Entertainer back in 1998.

Brad Elvis recorded three albums of exuberant pop songs with The Elvis Brothers, and he continues his successful streak with Big Hello’s debut, Apple Album. A hard-hitting drummer who bears a slight resemblance to Austin Powers, Elvis draws upon British Invasion and 1960s girl groups for inspiration. He may no longer have stage siblings Brad and Rob around, but he’s found a worthy successor in Chloe F. Orwell, a first-rate vocalist and songwriter.

Orwell’s energetic “Oh Canada” kicks things off nicely, and her winsome “I Don’t Like You” would have fit in perfectly on the soundtrack for That Thing You Do. Johhny Million provides guitar firepower throughout the CD, and he also wrote the catchy “Hooked On The Girl.” Bass player j.a.c.k.i.e. often joins Million on harmony vocals.

Brad Elvis consistently supplies fresh, engaging material like “Star 69” and “Colorado Coastline.” The songs “Today Will Be Yesterday Tomorrow” and “Pen Pal” rock a little harder, while “Sister Mary” taps into mid-1960s Beatles. Fans who miss The Elvis Brothers will be glad to discover that the fun lives on in Big Hello.

Don’t It Always Seem To Go - - -

With all the talk around town about cutting back on the big name acts at Taste Of Chicago, and then tossing Celtic Fest and other formerly stand-alone events into the watered-down mix, it might be a good time to remember ChicagoFest. This 10-day outdoor celebration sprang to life on the lakefront every August, from the late 1970s through 1983. From what I can remember, ChicagoFest was always viewed in some quarters as an extravagance the city could ill afford, but for music fans, it was pure heaven. If one of the current mayoral candidates could figure out a way to bring it back, and make a profit, that would be something worth voting for.

ChicagoFest already had one foot in the grave by the time number VI came around. It had been abandoned by the mayor’s office and shagged from its normal home at Navy Pier (before its transformation into a major tourist attraction) and relocated to Soldier Field (before its transformation into whatever it’s supposed to be now). Still, this Chicago Park District managed version drew an amazing assortment of acts that could be enjoyed for a paltry $8 per day admission.

Rock and roll headliners on the Main Stage that year included Sammy Hagar; Charlie Daniels Band; The Beach Boys; Chicago; The Hollies with Graham Nash; and a Joe Walsh/Cheap Trick double bill that also included The Elvis Brothers. The Temptations, The Four Tops, and Mary Wells performed on opening night, and other Main Stage attractions included Alabama, George Strait and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band; and The Impressions featuring Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield.

The Pepsi-Cola Rock Stage offered a mix of local acts like Heavy Manners, Scraps, Bohemia, B.B. Spin, Sirenz, The Kind, Phil ‘N’ The Blanks, and Spooner (actually from Wisconsin), with national acts like Red Rockers and Marshall Crenshaw. The Budweiser Blues ‘N’ Bud WXRT Stage served up the likes of Koko Taylor, Son Seals, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, Luther Allison, King Sunny Ade, Corky Siegel Band, Willy Dixon, and Big Twist & The Mellow Fellows. Steve Goodman, Bonnie Koloc, Heartsfield, Doug Kershaw, and Jethro Burns kept things rocking at the Old Style Beer Country Stage, and Stanley Turrentine, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Judy Roberts, The Original Ramsey Lewis Trio, Angela Bofill, and Wynton Marsalis were among the better known acts who performed at the Miller Highlife Jazz Scene. There was also a Vintage Rock Stage that brought in The Turtles, The Buckinghams, The Association, and David Clayton-Thomas.

As an avid Hollies fan, I was thrilled with their performance. A mist rolling in off Lake Michigan gave that night’s performance an added tough of magic as the band played a number of its biggest hits. The Allan Clarke-Graham Nash-Tony Hicks harmonies were perfect, and the concert ended with an extended version of “Long Cool Woman” that included a bit of the old standard “Shakin’ All Over.” Afterward, the crowd was chanting, “Hol-lies, Hol-lies, Hol-lies!”

Each year of ChicagoFest brought another banquet of astounding talent. I can still remember picking up the schedules in record stores, and planning how many nights I would be going. By comparison, Taste Of Chicago, even before its recent downsizing, has always seemed like barely a mouthful.

Hi-Fi Christmas Party Volume 2

The concept behind the initial Hi-Fi Christmas Party, a various artists compilation released in 2002, was to raise money to help fund research on the rare blood disorder, Von Willebrand’s Disease. According to producer/organizer Dan Pavelich’s liner notes on Volume 2, which was released in 2006, the success of that first CD inspired a sequel. Once again, the focus is on original 1960s-style power pop, with a few exceptions.

The Elvis Brothers take us back a little further on their “Rock-A-Billy Christmas,” to the days of Buddy Holly. Composed by Graham Elvis, this peppy number showcases his bass playing, as well as the band’s playful, give and take vocals. The only disappointment, is that at just under two minutes, the fun doesn’t last long enough. The harmonies and big production values on Lisa Mychols & Wondermints’ “Lost Winter’s Dream” are reminiscent of Leslie Gore’s Top 40 hits; and Husky Team, which includes Smithereens drummer Dennis Diken, delightfully mashes “Auld Lang Syne” with “Green Onions.”

The Grip Weeds’ masterful “Christmas, Bring Us” evokes the height of the British Invasion and bands like The Move and The Who. Jeremy’s spiritually inclined “It’s That Time Of Year” aims for the same era, and stands as one of the best cuts he’s ever released. The Bradburys, with Dan Pavelich on vocals and rhythm guitar, use a melodic, mid-tempo arrangement on the romantic “A Christmas Wish.”

Opting for a more modern and energetic power pop approach, Sketch Middle comes on like Material Issue on the irresistible “Turtlenecks & Eggnog.” Rob Paravonian uses high-speed guitars and quick-rhyme lyrics on the very funny “We’re Breaking Up For The Holidays” as he justifies his drastic solution for avoiding the stress of visiting family members around Christmas. The Spongetones take a gentler, acoustic-based approach with “Christmas Boy.” “King Of Kings” by Joey Molland & The Echo Boys features the Badfinger vocalist-guitarist on a Celtic flavored rock tribute to the Christ child.

One of the few songs on Hi-Fi Christmas Party Volume Two that isn’t an original, or in a power pop vein, comes from The Brothers Figaro Orchestra. Their unusual take on the traditional “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” creates the ambience of a Big Band era radio show.

CD Review: The Handcuffs - Electroluv

Brad Elvis Steakley, former drummer with The Elvis Brothers, first hooked up with vocalist-guitarist Chloe F. Orwell in the band Big Hello, and they continue to make top notch power pop as The Handcuffs. Electroluv, their second effort, also features guitarist Ellis Clark from the band Epicycle, as well as a few guest appearances from Brad’s former Elvis Brother, Graham on bass. Emily Togni plays bass on most of the other tracks.

The title track, a tribute to a vacuum cleaner, shows Steakley’s knack for writing songs that combine fun lyrics and strong melodies. The catchy “Baby Boombox” celebrates audio cassettes, 8 tracks, and turntables, while the very short “Russian or Polish Girl” is a micro-sized Gilbert & Sullivan opera. The only lyrics to “Gotta Problem With Me?” are “You gotta problem with me, I gotta problem with you” but Orwell’s feisty attitude and the energetic arrangement somehow make it work.

Not that everything on Electroluv aims for the funny bone. The mid-tempo “Wonderful Life” takes a bittersweet look at living alone, and “Turn It Up,” the only song written by Orwell, is more of a lush ballad. The various keyboards used on “Fake Friends” evoke a James Bond movie theme as Orwell sings, “Creatures like you make my skin crawl.” “Somebody Somewhere” may be the CD’s best track, an energetic blast of power pop at its best.