The Congregation’s Busy Summer Vacation
The Congregation have a big summer ahead of them, and it’s kicking off this weekend at Fitzgerald’s in Oak Park on Saturday. Some of you may have noticed that the band has been getting more and more buzz since earlier this year when it was announced they’d be opening for Wilco on July 8 in Geneva, IL and being mentioned in Paste Magazine. As if that’s not enough, they’re also planning to drop their first full-length in the fall called Right Now Everything and have a slew of shows lined up all over Chicago including the Sheffield Garden Walk and Taste Of Lincoln Ave.
To prepare everyone for the ridiculous amount of awesome they are about to behold, I give you my original review of the bands 2010 EP, Not For Sleepin’. Read more…
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Brendan Benson-What Kind Of World
If you had come to me a few months ago and said that a member of The Raconteurs was going to release a new album in April that would see so many spins on my iPod I’d be embarrassed, I would have naturally thought you were talking about Jack White. If you then corrected me and said that you were referring to Brendan Benson, AKA the other guy, I probably would have punched you in the throat (in this scenario I’m imagining you as a man without glasses). Now that I’ve heard both solo albums from the bandmates, I’d like to apologize for the hypothetical whupping. Read more…
Ghost Pal-Extended Family EP
It’s hard to believe that a week ago I was sitting here watching as Don Draper reclined in his chair to The Beatles “Tomorrow Never Knows,” and now I’m listening to Ghost Pal cover that song as the lead track of their new EP. Is Revolver the most culturally relevant album of all-time? I can’t say for sure, but it is my favorite Beatles album-and that makes it pretty great.
What I like about the Ghost Pal version is that they capture the sound of the song without copying it. The fact that’s the Beatles created This song in the late 60′s is astounding. I’m not a record producer, but I have to think that even making some of that stuff happen in 2012 isn’t easy. This version gets a lot of help from a strong sax by Henry Kandel and embellished organ laying a foundation for Oliver Ignatius to build around. Ignatius has always had a Lennon-ish voice, but he doesn’t play it up too much here. “Tomorrow Never Knows” is a song that is very easy to mess up. Ghost Pal gets it right.
When I first heard the second track on Extended Family, “Wildebeest Song,”I really liked it. Now, hearing it again, I love it. There’s something about the way the vocals remain out front while the other instruments creep in and get louder and louder just sounds fascinating. The horn section again provides much of the depth while the piano chimes in with fun flourishes.
“Understanding Song” brings a more somber pace, with Ignatius singing in a lower register than we are used to hearing. This is the simplest song on the EP, but it has a great ending starting about thirty seconds before the finish where vocals are layered on top of one another creating a huge chorus.
On “It’s The Real Thing!” we get our first real taste of proper guitar in the forefront. The opening fingerpicking lasts through the whole song, with Justin Coles’ banjo played over it, culminating in a orgy of sound that would make Clint Mansell proud. This one definitely requires multiple listens. It’s a complex tune, musically, and the story in the lyrics will knock you over. Then, out of nowhere it twists into something completely different. It’s strange and great all at once.
The final track of the EP brings us to the infamous Nathan Jones. Fans of Ghost Pal know that their long-awaited LP, Nathan Jones Is Dead, has been pushed back so many times Dr. Dre is like, “Seriously?” Well, as of today the record is slated to be released in the summer. If this song is any indication of what we’re in for, color me excited.
It’s a cover of The Supremes hit song, but you’ve never heard it like this. It’s a broken relationship ballad sung to Nathan Jones, with Ignatius playing the role of Jean Terrell, Justin Coles as Cindy Birdsong, and Josh Barocas as Mary Wilson. There are some good lyrics to hear on this one, written by Leonard Caston and Kathy Wakefield:
“If a woman could die of tears, Nathan Jones, I wouldn’t be here. The key that you’re holding won’t get in my door. And there’s no room in my heart for you anymore.”
There’s a sense of desperation in the vocals, and you can feel the longing though the speakers. It’s a great way to end the EP and introduce us to the character Nathan Jones that we’ll be hearing more about soon enough.
I’m not gonna lie, any time I see an email or get a message from Oliver, I get a smile on my face. He’s one of the musicians I will trust blindly. He’s got great instincts and a knowledge of composition that people twice his age envy. Over the past year he’s produced no less than four great records for other people. Now it’s time for him to focus on his own material.
Other musicians appearing on the record but not mentioned above: Carson Moody on drums and vocals, Alexandre De Silva on electric guitar, Dominic Coles on organ, harmonium and sleigh bells. Though I didn’t highlight their work, the contributions they made should not go unrecognized.
The Future Laureates At Subterannean 5/12/12
When I did an interview with The Future Laureates at the beginning of April, Danny Surico said something I didn’t quite grasp at the time. He said, “We’re a pop band, but I want our shows to have the energy of a punk show.” At the time that seemed impossible-postpunk maybe, but not a real down and dirty CBGB’s in the 70′s type punk show. Saturday night, as if trying to prove me wrong, the band put on one of the most electric shows I’ve seen in a while, with Danny doing everything short of cutting his body up with shards of glass on stage.
The show was sold out, and you could easily tell that everyone in the crowd was there for the main attraction. Thanks a lot Tree and Cobalt & The Hired Guns. You’re cool, but the quicker you get off stage, the sooner we can get this party started. It was nice to see that members of the audience included some of Future Laureates fellow Chicago Roots Collective family like Trevor Jones of Molehill and Kristina Priceman of Mike Mangione And The Union (who joined the band on violin for a couple songs). The section of the room I was in, about four feet from the stage on the right, was filled with family and friends of the band, as well as the James Hyde cheering section.
As this was the release show for the bands new full-length, Fortress Sessions, they stuck mainly to new material, leading with the first tune off that record, “Galahad’s Song.” The sound at SubT was a little better than usual as I heard it, which was probably helped by Matt Daigler and Danny’s sweet harmonies. The drums, usually such a tricky thing in the small venue, were no problem at all and everything came out crystal clear.
If you know the band you already know that they tread mostly in earnest lyrics and bouncy rhythms that keep feet shuffling and grins appearing. This set was no different, charging through fun dance-y numbers like “Crooked Third Wheel” and “For Debbie.” The crowd was loving every second, but I was waiting for those quieter moments when the guys wear their hearts on their sleeves.
That came in at a few different times. When they played “Carry Me Away” I thought they were hitting it just right. My favorite performance of the evening was when they really brought it down, almost to a halt, with “Lines.” I’m a big fan of the song, but it seemed like some others in the audience were more interested in talking to each other about whatever, so that’s their loss. The phrasing was perfect and it sounded just different enough from the record that you could appreciate the small changes.
I really enjoyed the bands version of “Moonshiner.” It seemed like maybe I was the only one there familiar with that one, but I’m sure that’s not true. It’s been covered famously by Bob Dylan and less famously by Uncle Tupelo. I really liked the way they arranged it, with Joe Redmond killing the electric guitar solo.
They also covered Tom Petty’s “American Girl,” which got a much better reaction from the crowd. In fact, the only misstep the band made was following this song with a slow one. I thought there was an opportunity there to blow the roof off the venue, but I could see the counter argument as well.
This was a raucous show. Much more so than I had imagined. The next morning I woke up exhausted and aching from my neck to my feet from constant nodding and bouncing.
Generally that’s how I know if a show was good or not. The three song encore the band finished out with played toward their faithful fans. The only song I really knew well enough to sing along to was “Santiago.” The audience would have easily stayed til 3 am if the band had kept playing.
Now that their record is out, the party never has to stop. You can buy it on their bandcamp page for only ten dollars.
The Buddies Exclusive Chicago Video Premiere
The Buddies are one of my favorite Chiacgo bands. Above that, they are one of the best live bands I’ve seen and some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. When I was offered the opportunity to premiere their new music video, I jumped at the chance.
One thing I live about the Eric and Ryan Henriquez-directed clip is that it captures the fun side of the group. The video is a throw back to the party videos of the 80′s, bringing to mind the “Fight For Your Right” video by The Beastie Boys.
