View Davey von Bohlen’s Chicago shows in a larger map 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 … [Read more…]
The Internet has been buzzing with rumors of a potential Cap’n Jazz reunion since December. This week, the reunion picture got a little clearer. Jessica Hopper dropped a hint in the Chicago Reader that the rumors may come to fruition at the Joan of Arc Don’t Mind Control Variety Show at the Empty Bottle tonight. … [Read more…]
“Gimme something to look forward to,” Britt Daniel sang on Spoon’s 2002 album, Kill The Moonlight. And with every new year, there’s a great list of upcoming releases by musicians to impatiently look forward to with every blog post on “Band A” or “Band B.” Spoon is one of those groups that’s bound to get … [Read more…]
The new year is almost here, and with it comes a maelstrom of “End of the Year Lists.†Here on Ex-Spectator, I’ll be rolling out a few “End of the Yearâ€/â€End of the Decade†lists. Today’s list: The Best Overlooked Albums of the Aughts. A while back I started an ongoing feature called “Overlooked in … [Read more…]
It was indeed “A Decade Under The Influence.†But while Taking Back Sunday could string together a few solid hits drenched in a post-hardcore milieu and cut with pop sensibilities, chances are no one in the band could have predicted how influential emo would become in the aughts. The presence of the word in the … [Read more…]
Setting: Lincoln Hall, Chicago. About 10:30ish, 15 minutes or so into Headlights‘ set, about a half hour after Maritime‘s performance. Mike Kinsella and his friend (who I unfortunately did not get the name of) sitting at the southern end of the bar. I pop up before I leave the show… Me: Hey, it was really … [Read more…]
I wrote another piece for The Boston Phoenix, this time about… Sunny Day Real Estate. Whoda thunk it? For folks wondering about A) all the reunion hubub and why it’s happening 2) what’s the big deal with the band C) just how the band got back together and 3.14) the details of the reunion and … [Read more…]
Isn’t it a little to early for those end-of-the-year or end-of-the-decade critics list? Didn’t September just roll around? August hadn’t even ended before Pitchfork rolled out it’s top singles of the 2000s. Doesn’t it all seem a little too, well, soon? It’s still just September! There are four full months left in the decade! Some … [Read more…]
I got this in the mail today: To explain, I was one of 382 folks to back record label Polyvinyl in their hopes to store/salvage 10,000 records using Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a new funding organization that helps artists, organizations, and individuals fund their various projects. It’s basically like a social networking site that allows creative … [Read more…]
From the looks of a post early in the day by Stereogum, one would have thought it was the end of the aural world for fans of underground music. Although the reports later in the day dismissed the rumors that Touch and Go Records was finished; instead, the still dreadful news that the label will … [Read more…]