Show review: Fujiya & Miyagi, YAWN at Lincoln Hall, 1/25

By Andrew Hertzberg  & Gene Wagendorf III

YAWN

Anytime music borders on psychedelic, the immediate reaction of listeners/viewers tends to be to drop all sorts of acid comparisons/analogies. If The White Album is an acid trip and MGMT is an acid trip and Merriweather Post Pavilion is a fucking acid trip, fine, but then that doesn't really tell me anything. Any amateur hippie will tell you that mindset is key when making the psychedelic leap, that what you bring in to the trip will manifest in the experience. So OK, yeah, you can have a trip that smells like Roxy Music while your buddy one couch over is meandering through a Cronenberg-ian flea market with Stockard Channing and Arthur Rimbaud. That isn't YAWN. That also isn't to say that I want to strip the band of the psychedelic label that its videos do little to shrug off. Instead, I'd compare YAWN to my last mushroom trip, wherein I found myself both wanting to be swallowed by thick, warm blankets and being incapable of sitting still thanks to my body's insatiable bond with the music slipping out of my stereo.

I showed up to Lincoln Hall Wednesday night crunched in the mucusy grip of a lingering, bastard cold, hacking up orbs of phlegm in the alley just before showtime. Reeking of mentholated cough drops and suffering from a nauseating sinus headache, I was hesitant about how much live music I'd be able to enjoy. Then the woo-ing started. Wisps of auditory lollipop drifted over ripe drumming before settling/bursting into a series of dynamic whooshes and playful yodels. Already my nasal passages were clearing and the dull pound in my skull had faded. YAWN, a group of really normal looking guys, were making this blissfully offbeat music that apparently had mystical healing properties. Either that, or it just confused me into not feeling sick. The third (or twentieth?) song they played began with a series of squeaks and blurps, like an intimate conversation between two eunuch-robots in love. Interrupted by the unfolding of a twitchy bass line and lush, tropical percussion, the tune tightroped between the yammering of a chatty spaceship and an Aztec dance party. I was briefly jarred out of my trance by the brightness of a new track, whose synth swirls were sharp enough to be obnoxious, before the edge was dulled by chunks of rolling rhythm. Later, a similar rhythm propelled a clacking, clattering number that sounded like a steam engine pulling a tidal wave into The Old West. Think Neal Cassady driving the bus in Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, but sopping wet and wearing a conductor's hat.

Company of Thieves cover Tom Petty on Lightbox Sessions

By Frank Krolicki

Recently Company of Thieves vocalist Genevieve Schatz and guitarist Marc Walloch were featured on Lightbox Sessions, where they recorded a brief interview and a few acoustic songs in an intimate setting. In addition to stripped down takes on their own tracks "Syrup" and "After Thought" off their fantastic 2011 album Running From a Gamble, the two decided to pull out a bit of Tom Petty in the form of "I Won't Back Down." The result is pretty special, with Genevieve's spot-on vocal squeezing every ounce of passion and conviction possible out of the song's message. I daresay Mr. Petty would be proud. Check out the video below, and if you're a fan, show the band some love by favoriting (let's just say that's a real word) the track on The Hype Machine. While you're at it, read what Genevieve and Marc had to say in a Paste Magazine interview that ran earlier this week.

Lightbox Sessions: Company of Thieves from Lightbox Productions on Vimeo.

Go to There: January 24 - 30

By Andrew Hertzberg

Tortoise

Tuesday, January 24th Tortoise at Empty Bottle (9:30 PM, 21+ $15)
It’s hard to beat Tortoise in the post rock game (vague genre descriptors be damned!). These locals have been at it for over 20 years and all the while with Thrill Jockey Records. Update: Unfortunately, the show is sold out already, so second bets go to Swedish death metal group Ghost at Bottom Lounge (interview on the Reader here) or the always reliable weekly Relax Attack series at the Whistler.

Wednesday, January 25th Ken Vandermark at Hideout (9:30, 21+, $10)
Speaking of jazz, I know we’re Windy City Rock, but doesn’t mean I don’t get down with something a little more out there from time to time. Vandermark is a staple in Chicago’s experimental and improvised scene. Bonus: show up early for the weekly Soup and Bread event.

Thursday, January 26th Bomb Banks at Mutiny (8:30 PM, 21+, FREE)
There’s not too much out there on these post-rockers yet (and a Google search might put you on some sort of list). For a taste, check out this video from Gonzo Chicago, and catch ‘em at a rare poking out from underground.

Friday, January 27th Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt at the Den Theater (10 PM, $5) 
There’s a lot going on this night that is great, but I made a promise to myself to plug TDPR whenever they came through town. This is probably the only band I’ve made a point to see two days in a row. Homemade props, inflatable snowmen, fantastic lights and a crowd-consuming tent all to the soundtrack of upbeat, love-of-everything dance/pop. Not to be missed at this off the beaten path space. (all the good info can be found on the facebook page)

Record review: Rego - 'Seconds'

By Sasha Geffen

Of all the bands I've had the pleasure of catching live around the city, I can't think of a single one that performs with as much of a sense of family as Rego. Songwriter Rebecca Rego and her accompanying players seem as comfortable on stage as they might be jamming in their own living rooms. They play off of each other with the kind of love and humor that even radiates into their official recordings. There's a spark there that the studio process can't even begin to subdue. 

On their sophomore LP, Rego pours their alt-country songcraft into a space that's simultaneously warmer and more melancholy. Throughout Seconds, the band suspends a balance between a folksy bucolic hush and raw rock grit. But even at its angriest, Seconds remains fiercely introspective, often to the point of self-flagellation. Wistful bell lines and Neil Young-style alarm clock guitar blasts both punctuate laments of self-sabotage, the bewildering passing of time, and the destructive personal ruts we tend to dig ourselves into as we grow older.

Listen: The Bright White preview upcoming EP with 'Mary Anne'

By Frank Krolicki

Carrying on the tradition of high-impact, guitar-driven Chicago power pop, four-piece The Bright White came onto the scene in early 2011 with their solid introductory EP Until Then. Building on the momentum created from that release and playing frequent shows around the city, the band has been back in the studio preparing new music for a second EP due out in March. They're offering a first taste in the form of "Mary Anne," an even bolder, more intense--but no less infectious--effort than their previous material. With frontman Matthew Kayser's grabbing vocals, a tight melody and a wailing guitar solo, the song is a reminder that while indie trends come and go, driving, hook-heavy rock and roll never stops sounding good.

The upcoming EP is still untitled, but according to the band it will feature five tracks and a less polished sound than Until Then that captures more of the energy of their live show. You can listen to "Mary Anne" below, and check out the band live tonight at Abbey Pub (also with I Lost Control and The Luck of Eden Hall, 9 p.m., $10).

The Bright White - Mary Anne by Windy City Rock

Tonight: Brice Woodall cassette release at the Ace Bar

By Frank Krolicki

What's a little snow and bitter cold when there's live music to be seen?

Tonight at the Ace Bar (1505 W. Fullerton Ave.), Chicago's Brice Woodall will be celebrating the release of his new cassette EP, Some Odd Years, as part of a bill that also features Tiny Manatee and Sad Astronaut. Early in 2011, Windy City Rock's own Sasha Geffen interviewed Brice--and now what do you know--she is playing synths and bells with him as part of a three-piece that also includes Wade Work of Sequoia.

The EP, which is available for download now on Bandcamp, has an atmospheric folktronica sound that's the perfect fit for a frigid, snowy winter's day (it even features some cool wintry artwork courtesy of Sasha). You can listen to one of the songs, "POV," below, and take in the sounds live starting at 9 p.m. tonight. Click here for more information and tickets.

Video: Michael Lux and the Bad Sons - 'Salt and Pepper'

By Frank Krolicki

One of the albums I'm most looking forward to this year is the debut full-length from Michael Lux and the Bad Sons, a most genuine Chicago rock and roll band that we first heard from in late 2010 via their EP Neat Repeater (which they kindly have up for free download here--worth every megabyte on your hard drive/portable music device). The band recently made a really fun showing on Chic-A-Go-Go, and now they've got something a little more serious in the form of the music video for new track "Salt and Pepper." It's packed full of mystery, intrigue and smoke. Lots of smoke. Oh, and guitars. Big guitars. It's pretty great. See/hear it below, and check out the band live on Thursday, February 9th at the Empty Bottle.

Go To There: January 17 - 23

Tuesday, January 17th Panda Riot, Advance Base, the Hit Back at Empty Bottle (9:30, 21+, $8)  
The dream poppers in Panda Riot headline, but make sure to check out Advance Base, the new moniker of Owen Ashworth, formerly of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone.

Wednesday, January 18th Summer Girlfriends, E+ at Beat Kitchen (8 PM, 21+, $8)
Only half of the four-piece of E+ is playing this show, but they promise "in this format, the tunes are more mellow, groovy and quite ghostly." Summer Girlfriends are sure to be quite the opposite, bringing a post-riot grrrl garage rock.

Northpilot, The Kickback, The Bears of Blue River at Lincoln Hall (7 p.m., all ages, $7).
At LH, it's Left Field Management night for their "Biggest Show Ever," featuring some great Chicago acts you might have read about right here (see our Northpilot EP review and our review of The Kickback's latest).
  
Thursday, January 19th Archie Powell and the Exports at Quenchers (9 PM, 21+, $5 suggested)
Man, it seems like these guys are taking forever following up Skip Work, right? I guess that's how they sucker you into their live shows. Plus, Archie promises to buy you a Blatz. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday night.

Friday, January 20th Cave, Bill Vermette, Velcro Lewis Group, Killer Moon, Strychnine at Hideout (7 PM, 21+$10)
Night One of the third annual Psych Fest at the Hideout with the inimitable Cave headlining. Get lost in their trancey grooves. Check out this video from Gonzo Chicago of them playing on a flatbed truck down Milwaukee Ave.

Saturday, January 21st Dark Fog, Plastic Crimewave Sound, Rabble Rabble, Verma, Red Plastic Buddha at Hideout (7 PM, 21+$10)
And just in case you didn't have enough from the night before, here's night two of Psych Fest. If the Hideout is somehow still standing after Rabble rabble plays, surely it'll be taken down by Steve Krakow's classic Plastic Crimewave Sound.

Sunday, January 22nd Gaberdine at Subterranean (8 PM, 21+, $8)
After all that psych-rock, better take it down a notch. Gaberdine headlines at Subt, although I'm not sure how the six members will themselves and all their instruments on the tiny stage. Read my review of their performance opening for Low last year.

Monday, January 23rd Wally Dogger, Pinto and the Bean, Mutts, Otter Petter at Empty Bottle (9:30 PM, 21+, FREE)
Free Monday nights strike again, providing big sounds from small bands. At the heart of the lineup is the gravely three piece Mutts and duo of Pinto and the Bean (read Frank's review of their debut album The Waiting Place).