Scott Pilgrim is like my Harry Potter, Twilight or any other popular book series today. I realize I’m hardly alone in that sentiment: There’s something powerful about Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series that’s irresistible. Though I’ve seen some negative chatter about the first “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” trailer, mostly relating to its glorified … [Read more…]
This week, Newcity published an article I wrote on Chicago’s bad movie scene. “So-bad-it’s-good” movies have been getting a lot of press lately. There’s “Birdemic: Shock and Terror,” “The Room” and “Troll 2,” which is finding even more approval due to the recent documentary on the B-movie,”Best Worst Movie,” making the rounds on the critical … [Read more…]
A riot broke out at New York’s South Street Seaport during a free concert Tuesday. And what nefarious musician inspired such a disastrous public event? The newest shock rocker to hit the scene? Some “evil” death metal band? An anarchist cult yelling at the crowds to fight the government conspiracy? Nope. It was Drake, hip-hop and … [Read more…]
I’m an unabashed fan of Kickstarter, a site where creative types pitch projects for friends, family and complete strangers to help fund. I’ve helped fund a few projects here and there, and the platform Kickstarter has on its hands manifests the same kind of inquisitive state that can lead to spending hours on the site. … [Read more…]
Songs of Summer is a guide to the summer’s new tunes that evoke sensations of everyone’s favorite season. Today’s jam is: Bodega Girls – “We Are Losers” Bodega Girls have been toiling away in Boston’s music scene for some time now. Their new single, “We Are Losers,” is a great reflection of their city’s odd … [Read more…]
Country music legend and sausage hawker Jimmy Dean has died. The New York Times reports that his death Sunday evening was unexpected: His wife, Donna Meade Dean, said her husband died at their Henrico County, Va., home. She told The Associated Press that he had some health problems but was still functioning well, so his … [Read more…]
Some musicians flounder when asked to create and perform new material on short notice. Extra Life frontman Charlie Looker isn’t one of them. In 2006, Looker was asked to perform a solo set at The Stone in the East Village. Looker didn’t have any solo material, as he’d been spending his nights exploring the esoteric … [Read more…]
Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion fits approximately 11,000 people. That is, unless there is a free She & Him show. The Pavilion has 4,000 fixed seats, and the lawn fits about 7,000 people. When She & Him performed at Millennium Park’s concert pavilion Monday, the number of people that can fit in the area grew … [Read more…]
Someone out there thinks that it’s a perfect time for a music video making fun of those who died on the Gaza flotilla. Jerusalem Post deputy editor Caroline Glick for one. So do the people at Latma, a Hebrew-based “satire” site that Glick happens to edit. That partnership happened to produce the following “humor” video … [Read more…]
A massive argument amongst indie music bloggers spilled over Twitter on Thursday. Or, in real terms, a blip on Twitter’s scanner brought up some pretty big concepts about how new music is transmitted dispersed online, and right from the keyboards of a few “big” name indie bloggers. The whole shindig went down when I Guess … [Read more…]