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[...]
Posts Tagged ‘The Promise Ring’
February 14th, 2010 - 6:32 pm § in Behind the scene at shows, Featured
‘A Picture Postcard’ of Chicago venues, from a musician’s perspective
February 13th, 2010 - 7:42 pm § in True/Slant
Valentine's Day Mix
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. What does that mean? Well, it means it’s time for a Valentine’s Day mix, of course! Below is a nice little mix of songs for VD 2010: 1. Electric Six – “Electric Demons in Love”: [youtubevid id="cDGQTlJjCrg"] 2. Andre 3000[...]
January 22nd, 2010 - 5:00 pm § in True/Slant
Video Friday: Cap'n Jazz – 'Oh Messy Life'
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 [...]
December 23rd, 2009 - 12:19 am § in True/Slant
The Decade In Emo
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[...]
October 18th, 2009 - 1:52 pm § in Perfect Lines
Interview with Darren Walters
I’m happy to post a selection from the ongoing email interview I’m having with one Darren Walters, co-founder of Jade Tree Records. As a majority of my America Is Just A Word interviewees happen to be musicians, it’s great having Darren on board to give some perspective of the othe[...]
September 30th, 2009 - 11:25 pm § in Perfect Lines
Nothing Sounds Good If You're Andy Greenwald
This is why I cannot respect Andy Greenwald’s opinion on emo: Obviously, taste is taste. Opinion, opinion. But if this man is the guy who’s supposed to be the emo know-it-all (read: self-created title/Spin created title), I’m not buying it. The guy doesn’t seem to understand [...]
September 29th, 2009 - 8:59 pm § in Perfect Lines
Interview with Chris Simpson
It’s an absolute pleasure to bring Chris Simpson into the America Is Just A World fold. Part of my inclination for adding more interviews and material to what I’ve already written for the book is to really uncover the narratives that have been overlooked, and no band’s lifetime has[...]
September 23rd, 2009 - 11:05 pm § in Perfect Lines
On and On and On
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 r[...]
September 9th, 2009 - 7:18 pm § in Perfect Lines
List-less Once Again
Another day, another quizzical top ten list. This time it’s curtsey of Justin Jacbos at Paste magazine, with a piece entitled “10 Bands That Prove That Emo Wasn’t Always For The Hot Topic Tween Set.” The newsworthiness of the piece is due to the two fall reunion tours by emo [...]
September 8th, 2009 - 2:41 am § in Band Profile
Band Profile: Snowing
I stumbled upon these guys from an article on punknews.org, and I’m glad I did. Snowing is a quartet out of Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, and they seem deeply into the Pennsylvania emo thing. Which, these days seems to be a resurgence of the kind of cataclysmic catharsis that Cap’n Jazz a[...]