Perhaps everything is free in the age of downloading, but more and more artists are releasing music free of charge. Or, rather, free of the idea of initially charging for music. Though it’s a tough environment for musicians to try and make a living, some artists—such as Brooklyn hip-hop duo Das Racist—have built and broadened their audience because of their free tunes.

via The Best Free Albums of 2010 < PopMatters.

I loved making my “best free albums” list for True/Slant last year, and I’m happy to continue doing it for PopMatters this year. Enjoy.

Milwaukee musician Davey von Bohlen has led the kind of musical career that must leave other artists teeming with jealousy. Since the early ’90s, Davey has performed in a variety of bands: Ten Boy Summer, Cap’n Jazz, The Promise Ring, Vermont and Maritime. Nearly all of these acts – Cap’n Jazz and The Promise Ring in particular – have become touchstones and major influences for countless punk, emo and indie bands.

Though Davey is a Wisconsin native, he spent a good chunk of time performing shows in the not-to-distant city of Chicago. It didn’t hurt that the other four members of Cap’n Jazz all lived in the Chicago area. But, even after that band broke up, Davey has continued to play in Chicago.

With Saturday night’s Maritime set at Beat Kitchen adding to an impressive tally of local shows, Davey took some time to discuss some of the gigs he’s performed in Chicago in an email interview:

Chicago was the first place where any of my bands became accepted, or followed as a band people might actually like to hear and see. For many years, The Promise Ring felt that Chicago was also a homtown gig.

Chicago has played a strong role in Davey’s musical life during the past few decades. To read more of the interview and find out some interesting anecdotes about Davey’s career, check out the map at the top of this post to uncover some interesting history behind some of your favorite Chicago venues.

Davey von Bohlen

Some Kind of Merchandiser from Leor Galil on Vimeo.

“Merchandise, it keeps us alive,” Fugazi proclaimed on their song “Merchandise.” Though the D.C. punk act saw merch as a distraction, many Do It Yourself punk acts use money from selling records and clothing to survive as a band.

When Philadelphia’s Algernon Cadwallader played Strangelight – a new Chicago DIY venue – on Friday, Feb. 5, singer/bassist Peter Helmis took some time to discuss the process of creating and selling merchandise. Peter highlighted an important attribute of creating one’s own records and merchandise that many artists are beginning to take advantage of in the digital era:

It’s really helpful, if you’re a band that’s playing lots of shows, to have a bunch of your records. If someone else puts it out, they’ll give you a bunch of free ones to start out with, then you have to buy them from the label whenever you need them. If you put it out yourself, it’s more money up front, but you have like 1,000 records at your disposal whenever you want. You don’t have to buy them again, you just sell them, have them whenever you go out.

As the band saves money by putting out its own records (Algernon’s DIY label is called Be Happy Records) and bringing their merch on tour, fans have the chance of saving money as well. Buying a record at a concert is usually cheaper than ordering it online or through a mail order, and often some of the merchandise isn’t available online. Three items onsale at the concert – the 75:24 tape, the Fun 7″ record and the tour T-shirt – are either sold out online or not available elsewhere. The group’s CD – Some Kind of Cadwallader – cost $6 at the concert and costs upwards of $8 online (plus shipping and handling).

Like a lot of DIY punk bands, Algernon Cadwallader isn’t getting rich and famous from its merchandise or playing concerts. As Peter said:

It’s anything but full-time, but it’s definitely a full-time hobby. It’s our passion.

To get a glimpse of Algernon Cadwallader’s Friday night performance, take a look at the video below:

Algernon Cadwallader – “Some Kind of Cadwallader” from Leor Galil on Vimeo.

***

Location, location, location. That’s often what can affect the outcome of a show. If a venue has terrible sound, can’t handle the crowd and exudes a bad atmosphere, the show may just as well be over before it starts.

Schubas Tavern, located at 3159 N. Southport Ave., is one of the most-respected live music institutions in Chicago. The building was constructed in 1903 by Schiltz Brewery and it was eventually transformed into a live-music venue in the 1980s. Schubas’ Communications Director Tim Stephans gave a brief historical overview of Schubas:

Tim on the history of Schubas.

Since it became a place to host live music, Schubas has played host to a vast array of musicians and bands. Schubas’ Talent Buyer & Promoter Matt Rucins explained the draw of hearing live music in a building like Schubas and Lincoln Hall, the city’s newest music venue that operates under the Schubas’ banner:

Matt on Schubas’ acoustics.

Perhaps the acoustics, shape and feel of Schubas as a venue helps create a certain atmosphere that Tim said is something that makes Schubas unique:

Tim on Schubas’ atmosphere.

Schubas will host concerts by Asobi Seksu, NOMO and Wild Beasts in February. Check the Schubas website for more information on upcoming concerts.

Sound quality is one of the most important components of a live show. Bad sound can ruin a perfectly good performance. As such, the sound-men and women play a pivotal role during concerts.

On Jan. 17, Cincinatti’s Pomegranates played a special in-store show at Reckless Records in Wicker Park. In-stores at Reckless can occur as frequently as a few times a week or once a month and are free to the public. The week of Jan. 17, the Reckless locations in Wicker Park and Lakeview saw a flurry of in-store performances by bands that came to Chicago as part of Schubas‘ annual Tomorrow Never Knows festival.

Reckless employee Jim Magas set up the P.A. for the gig, and allowed me to observe his concert-time duties. The slideshow above details the experience. Enjoy.