Music with Meaning Night 12 Recap

I am hip-hop. I know everything about the genre. I hate when people refer to it as culture. That goes for any music genre that calls itself culture. That's bullshit.

Bullet was great. Ya-B was great. Marflow pulled up all the MCs for freestyling. Rock and roll isn't like that. There's too much whining in rock and roll. If not enough people are in the crowd a rock band will put on a shitty show. Not these MCs. They didn't seem to care whether 50 or 500 people were in Abbey Pub.

I had a good time. I also ate wings.

Music with Meaning Night 11 Recap

A nice, laid back Sunday evening in Pilsen. Eric, Kelsey and I got to do an all-vinyl set and we weren't restricted to just Chicago music. The Skylark patrons seemed to dig everything we played. For some odd reason George Harrison's "Got My Mind Set on You" garned the biggest reaction. Who knew the dead, stabbed Beatle's pop work would be so danceable.

My one regret was not playing at Bach on Moog album.

Music with Meaning Night 10 Recap

I love Daniel Knox. He's one of the few performers that I'll still enjoy at 40, 50 or 60. He played another great set and this time had a guest theramin player. Marilyn Manson and Daniel Knox used theramins.

Ash in Pensacola is a band I've wanted to see for the last 6-months but never could. I'm glad they played. A stripped down set of just a guitarist and singer worked well in Martyrs.

The Thin Man ranged from alt-country, circus, folk and Americana roots rock. The group played an all-too short 45-minute set and a baby was there. She just turned a year old. The baby liked The Thin Man.

Great night. Shitty circumstances. God damn Rib Fest.

Music with Meaning Night 9 Recap

Friday night was the first of four shows in the basement of DePaul's McGaw Hall. 8 bands played in two classrooms. It was cheap.

The show had an odd feeling. Maybe it was the fluorescent lights or maybe it was because classes ended that day but the June 9 show felt like it already happened. The bands and the paying attendees seemed to want to be somewhere else. No one complained and most people seemed to have a good time, but something was missing. It was cold outside, sweaty basement shows are usually the best.

KK Rampage jumped into desks, but too early in their set. Canteen played a great set with a keyboard, programmed drum beats from an iPod and surf guitar but too many people were watching Elephant and Castle to consider even trying out a new group. The Digital Kill sounded loud from 100 feet outside the room. Whalehorse used a projector to the fullest.

Odd show. Worthwhile but odd.

Music with Meaning Night 8 Recap

Last night's Double Door taught me a valuable lesson in rock. Dudes like to rock and dudes like to drink.

The Quitters, a band I booked on a recommendation, were great. They recorded their set on a cassette tape, gave away their CD for free and their guitarist/singer Matt threw his guitar on the floor. He threw it to the floor in front of the stage.

Low of the Low are five dudes who like saying 'Bro' and drinking. They fucking rocked. Fucking is the only adjective one should use when describing the south side stoner metal band.

My Big Beautiful brought the old school pop punk. It's rare for me to enjoy pop punk. I enjoyed their set.

That last paragraph sounds horrible. No one should use the word brought when describing music. The use of the word instantly makes the writer seem old and creepy, like a Rolling Stone writer.

I got drunk and yelled at Jesus and the Devil to play songs I wanted to hear. They did. It was great. Their drummer kicked over his set. I bought their t-shirt. They will be entered in the Chicago Rock-Off series.

Music with Meaning Night 7 Recap

I love's Cal's Liquors. I only want to attend shows at Cal's, The Mutiny and Liar's Club.

The Spoken Four were good. Walking Bicycles were good. The Reptoids were good. Everyone was good. Everyone was loud. Everyone was drinking. In the top 10 of MWM shows I've thrown.

I should write more. Fuck it. Just show up.

Adding lbs.

I just watched myself on 'JBTV'. I'm not aging well.

At least I don't suck as much as this Head Automatica song and video.

Music with Meaning Night 6 Recap

Night six was the first MWM event we've ever done at Subterranean. The place seems a lot smaller during load-in and soundcheck.

The Patent Clerks was a pleasent suprise. The Columbus, Mo group made everyone (about 15 people) shut-up and listen in a good way. The Elevens and Mira Mira brought some nice mellow indie rock. STAR was my favorite of the night. It was my first time seeing them and I had no idea that their Dinosaur Jr./Republica/Big Black/My Bloody Valentine/La Bouche style of rock was done with just a drum machine (beats from an iPod), guitar and bass. Coupleskate was an ideal band to close out the evening, playing a 40-minute set of solid indie rock.

Hip hop was on the ground level. Indie rock was on the second level. Worlds did not collide.

P!nk is biting the hand that feeds. Trent Reznor is the 'angriest' 45-year old.

Music with Meaning Night 5 Recap

Thanks to The Skeeballs for driving out from Lake Geneva to play the Horseshoe on a Monday night. Thanks to everyone who came out. Thanks to The Stranger for playing an excellent 45-minute set of rockabilly. They were a perfect example of four parts coming together to drown out the rest of the world/bar.

I wanted to mention Joshua Dumas the other day. He read on night 3 at Mojoe's. Before the reading I had yet to meet Mr. Dumas. Through the festival we 'met' through emails and he asked to read. I said yes. His reading/performance/whatever was definitly one of the best yet. His story of lost/not lost/never there love was both heartbreaking and beautiful. He started slow and uncomfortable. He finished the same way. Everyone was paying heed to every word uttered. People with published books leaned over to ask me, "Who is this guy? He's great."

I'm still sick. I can't sleep due to construction. Tonight's show at Subterranean should be nice and mellow.

God damn jackhammers.

I almost forgot, today is 6/6/06. I am the most evil and most good motherfucker ever. It's a fact.

The next 7 days...
mellow, ambient rock
drunken grunge, grrrl, punk rock
readings - ROCK
8 bands in a classroom
critically acclaimed piano men
spinning records in Pilsen
HIP-HOP

Music with Meaning Night 4 Recap

Due to said illness I missed night 4 of Music with Meaning 7. This was the first MWM event I've ever missed.

Music with Meaning Night 3 Recap

I'm sick.

Music with Meaning Night 2 Recap

First Music with Meaning show in Pilsen. First Music with Meaning show in a church that was out of operation. First Music with Meanign show, to my knowledge, that a band member walked out of due to booze.

Emily Jane Powers, In Miniature and Hotel Brotherhood put on excellent shows. The setting made everything feel surreal (does that make sense?) and the beer before, during and after the show added a fuzzy feeling.

Waking up at 9am to buy records today was a bad idea. Eating Pizza Hut was worse than the night of drinking.

Music with Meaning Night 1 Recap

Altgeld Forgotten made me smile. Paper Bullets made me hurt my neck. Herb danced too much and fell into a chair. Herb is my boss.

Evening 1 was a success. No injuries, a good amount of people (about 100), pleasant weather and Eric got to DJ for the majority of the night.

Thanks to everyone that came out. The next three nights will mellow everyone.

Legal advice

There is a construction crew on the balcony. They're here every Monday through Friday, 7:30am until 4pm. They have jackhammers. Many jackhammers. It's impossible to sleep when a jackhammer is in use and less than 10 feet away. Trust me, I've tried. It doesn't matter if you haven't slept in 48-hours or are really drunk, it's impossible to sleep.

I live in an apartment. When the lease was signed for the year there was no mention of construction. No rights. There is no way to get out of the lease. There's a jackhammer 10 feet from me.

This construction is making it hard not to be a racist. I'm starting to hold grudges against old, Jewish men just because of one guy.

848

Music with Meaning 7 begins tonight. Paper Bullets and Altgeld Forgotten will play rock and roll/punk music and Eric Lab Rat, Kelsey Snell and I will spin records. It will be fun if people show up.

If you listen to NPR and live in Chicago you might hear the festival getting mentioned on the morning show Eight Forty Eight. Hooray. That wasn't sarcasm. I'm just not sure how much it'll help.

Oprah had a Legends Ball. Alicia Keys, Ashanti, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Mary J. Blige, Brandy, Naomi Campbell, Mariah Carey, Natalie Cole, Kimberly Elise, Missy Elliott, Tyra Banks, Iman, Janet Jackson, Phylicia Rashad, Debbie Allen and Alfre Woodard were honored.

Alicia Keys - made famous because of Clive Davis, on old white guy
Ashanti - made famous because of a corrupt record label, Murder Inc.
Angela Bassett - most famous role is of Tina Turner in "What's Love Got to do With It", got the shit kicked out of her by Ike
Halle Berry - only won an Academy Award after showing her breasts
Mary J. Blige - well documented coke problem
Brandy - became famous after doing mall tours for a record label run by old white guys
Naomi Campbell - too easy
Mariah Carey - married her old boss
Natalie Cole - drug problem, most famous for 'duet' with her father
Kimberly Elise - unknown by most, invited for her role in the Oprah produced film "Beloved"
Missy Elliott - "Put the pussy on ya, like I told ya" from "Work It"
Tyra Banks - she put on a fat suit to 'understand' how it is to be overweight and then cried to actual obese people about her experience
Iman - married to David Bowie, actually qualifies as legendary is my mind
Janet Jackson - too easy
Phylicia Rashad - a famous Brooklyn based lawyer with a loving family and a well-to-do doctor husband
Debbie Allen - I used to love "A Different World"
Alfre Woodard - I got nothing on Mrs. Woodard. She's a well-respected actress and hasn't taken many sub-par roles.

I'm a bigger legend than most of these women. I just don't have some old white guy telling me what to do.

I have so many posters

20. Alix Kates Shulman "Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen"

The festival starts a week from today. 30 days of stuff to do. Blow me.

Sandwich

It has recently come to my attention that I am not growing as a writer. In the past five months I've yet to write anything substantial. Lots of lists about music (which probably says something about my relationships with anyone human) and fear of saying something that will cause trouble. Friends of mine who I thought were horrible writers have lapped me tenfold. Good?

I can't name drop here. Nor will I make a list. Out of fear I will not rate my friends.

My problem, at least what I think is my problem, is that I can't stop thinking about these people. Thinking about these people leads me to not write. What is there to write about? There's a lot to write about, a lot I want to 'say', but I'm not thinking of anything. So I surround myself with them. Whenever one is too far out of reach I call for coffee or beer or something. If I'm friends with writers I must be one too.

---

I just finished watching "The Jacket". Eh.

19. Rich Koslowski "The King"

From yesterday's child show experience

I just watched Buddy Guy on an episode of "Big Music Show" on the kids network Noggin. He played the "King of Swing". Does anyone out there have the audacity and lack of soul to call Mr. Guy a sell-out?

The show was hard to watch.

Guy looks a lot better without hair.

A blue puppet played a horn.

Fucking weird.

I like Buddy Guy, but why didn't they get Brian Setzer? He plays "swing" music. The show was weird.

"Action" movie

The "Harry Potter" series puts the lead characters in danger for no reason. They create the danger that almost kills them. It's true with most action movies. If characters just pulled out guns most problems would be solved within ten minutes.

Knowing your role

It's 10:36 am. I'm watching Comedy Central. A David Cross comedy special is on. If there was no apartment construction, no job, etc. I would just be waking up. I would still be watching the same thing. The commercial that just aired was for Taco Bell. Rather than try to come across as healthy or cheap, they're focusing on the fact that drunks like to eat Taco Bell as their "Fourth Meal". Kudos, Taco Bell. Thank you for not bullshitting everyone.