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The CHIRP Blog
Erik Roldan writesNeon Marshmellow Fest
Chicagoans pride themselves on their summer music festivals. Whether it be mega-fests like Lollapalooza or The Pitchfork Music Festival that draw music fans in from around the country, or the myriad neighborhood street festivals which book local acts and world renowned performers on the same bill, the residents of the windy city are pampered when it comes to these fair-weather extravaganzas.
Now, we can add experimental music to the plot of our summer blow-outs. Debuting last year at the Viaduct Theater, the Neon Marshmallow Fest gives the oft-neglected crafters of experimental sound their own forum. While last year’s marathon edition eroded the ear canals of hardcore audiophiles with sets bleeding from day into night, this year’s festival scales back the endurance level while dialing up the sonic intensity with three nights of an augmented quad stereo sound stage at the Empty Bottle.
CHIRP Radio’s David Wicik got a chance recently to catch up with festival organizers Matt Kimmel and Dan Smith.
CHIRP: What is your background? How did you get into the experimental music scene in Chicago?
Dan Smith: I’m an MRI technician currently. As far as the music scene goes, I used to play a lot of piano, I didn’t really play with anybody, and then I started playing with this one guy and I thought I was doing some different things with instruments and sound and he was like, “Yeah that’s this whole other thing.” You know, I thought I had invented something, and he corrected me. So I started delving into the experimental scene more and more and I loved it.
Matt Kimmel: I do the video site Acid Marshmallow where I just video a lot of shows around town. Before that I had put out some records and worked on college radio and everything. And through the site I had videoed a lot of stuff. I met this guy (Smith) when I had booked him for a show at my old apartment and we’ve been chillin’ since then.
CHIRP (To Smith): So do you still perform?
DS: Yeah, I used to play as Red Electric Rainbow and have since dropped that. Now I just like to play by myself and collaborate with people more, and improvise when I’m playing by myself.
CHIRP (To Smith): Any recent collaborations we should know about?
DS: I play with my ex-roommate Ryan Schupak a lot, and I’ve played with two of the guys from Green Pasture Happiness a couple of weeks ago.
CHIRP: So I was going to ask about Acid Marshmallow since I assume that that was the jumping off point for this festival…
MK: Actually, this guy (Smith), last year, he had gone to the Viaduct Theater, where we had it last year, before we had the fest, and he talked to them about how it was such a great venue that we should have a festival there. And we were already friends at that point, and he had mentioned the idea of the fest, and I was like, “Yeah, that’s really cool, you know, there’s not anything like that in Chicago right now.” And he asked me if I wanted to help out. So we decided to go with it and it worked out pretty awesomely last year.
CHIRP: So what was the original inspiration then, to have the festival?
DS: There were a couple of artists I just wanted to see, and I thought it would be cool to bring them to Chicago and try to see if it would work, to see if people would respond to it. And they did.
CHIRP: You know, I feel like this is a feeling that a lot of music fans have, like “Oh man, if only I could bring these three artists,” yet for the most part the idea stops right there. So what you think helped you to follow through?
DS: Well I asked the venue and they said they were cool with it, and then I asked a couple artists and they were in, so I was like, “Well, I guess there’s no turning back now, I might as well try and make it happen.” I also got some advice along the way from people who had done shows before. I put in a ton of work. Matt put in a ton of work…
MK: There are just so many good artists in experimental music that don’t get a chance to play in Chicago. And just the idea of getting these guys out here that usually don’t have the chance, and just giving them a reason to have a bunch of people come out and see them. Experimental music can be tough sometimes, a lot of shows are not well attended. Touring it can be tough, a lot of venues won’t book it, it’s always alt. venues, and a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to tour. The fest gave people a good reason to come out to Chicago, and tour on their way out from all over.
CHIRP: That being said, how difficult was it to organize? Did you have existing relationships built up with these people?
DS: I really didn’t. Like I said, I’m pretty new to the scene. So, I started booking it before Matt was fully onboard, and I talked to a bunch of people that he knew that didn’t know me, and I mentioned that I knew him, and Matt was like, “Yeah, no, I’m involved it’s going to be cool.” But at the beginning there I was virtually unknown, just some guy sending an e-mail. But it seemed to work out pretty well, everyone was pretty responsive to the idea. So once I got a couple artists booked, it seemed to fall into place much easier. It actually ended up that more people wanted to play than we were asking.
MK: Yeah, I really think a lot of people want to play in Chicago, but don’t get the chance. So with the fest, it seemed like a lot of people were receptive because they just wanted to come out here.
CHIRP: How many of the acts playing the Neon Marshmallow Fest are local?
MK: Only two this year, right?
DS: There’s Beau (Wanzer), Sam (Prekop), Quam’s (Dave Quam aka Massacooramaan) deejaying, and then the Zerang trio (Michael Zerang, Michael Colligan and Jim Baker)…
MK: And Tiger Hatchery.
DS: And Tiger Hatchery, so we have five, and well John MacEntire’s deejaying.
MK: Yeah, definitely not as many as last year. The thing that we wanted to do this year, like our main objective, was we wanted to get people in town that have either never played here before, haven’t played here for like five to ten years, or like, the Chicago artists that are playing weren’t involved in the fest last year, like Beau. Except Tiger Hatchery is a return, but only on the idea that they had broken up. One of their members had left Chicago seven or eight months ago and he’s a really great guy and really supportive of the scene. He booked shows at The Mopery. And I wanted to just make sure that they had a chance to play in Chicago. But we just wanted to bring something very different, so people would have a chance to see something out of the ordinary. (Sunday headliner) Morton Subotnick is a very rare show. He just started playing again, he’s played two shows this year. But prior to that he had taken like a ten year break. And he’s a legend that a lot of people haven’t ever had the chance to see.
CHIRP: Describe the experience of an average festival-goer to the Neon Marshmallow fest. What is the energy level like?
DS: Well last year was like…
MK: A mindf#ck.
DS: Yeah, there were one hundred and five performances in four days.
MK: One of the days featured over thirteen hours of nonstop music. It was a true marathon. But last year, and this year, I think the cool thing about it is that even though everything falls under the umbrella of experimental music, there’s no one who is really doing the same thing as the other. So there will probably be some catchy, head-bobbing sets, and then there will be some walls of harsh noise. Another one of our hopes is that people who have heard of one or two of the artists, like Oneohtrix Point Never, you know there’s a lot of stuff on the bill, even on the Saturday bill, the night he’s (Daniel Lopatin) playing, that they would like, if they gave it a chance. And that’s the thing about experimental music, it’s really a great live medium. When you go to a performance, you really experience the music.
DS: You have to experience it live. A harsh noise wall live, it’s one thing to listen to it at home on your speakers and dismiss it, it’s another thing to go and hear it live.
MK: Yeah, and actually, the Empty Bottle has pretty great sound in my opinion, but we’re actually upping the sound. We’re getting extra speakers and extra subs. It’s going to be pretty incredible. Sets will be in quad stereo.
CHIRP: Can you describe quad stereo for the non-music geeks?
DS: We’re just going to move around more. You’re going to feel the music in other directions. Instead of just coming at you, you’re going to feel it behind you and beside you.
MK: Not just the left-right channel, a left front, a left back, a right front and a right back.
DS: It’ll be a more panoramic sound.
MK: And the Subotnick set, he’s doing his composition specifically for the quad stereo. So it will be…electric, it will be incredible.
CHIRP: If you had to pick one performer at the fest whose set is most likely to help you achieve Nirvana, who would it be?
MK: This is a toughie. They all probably could. I like all these bands so much. Subotnick is pretty f#cking incredible. He pretty much mapped out and invented the idea of a synthesizer. He’s been making music since the ’50s.
DS: Yeah, he really opened the door for what we hear out there right now.
MK: Yeah, I don’t want to cop out and call the headliner the one to make me achieve Nirvana. Really they’re all going to be great.
DS: Last time I saw Outer Space was pretty intense; it was just climax after climax, after climax.
MK: And he’s (John Elliott) actually, on top of using the quad stereo, he’s
actually bringing his own PA on top of it.
DS: Yeah, John really understands sound. All the tours that Emeralds did and all the shows he played, you can tell he really paid attention to what the sound guys were doing and then refined that and built on that, because when he plays live, you can really tell the difference. Sound is not good enough for him.
MK: I feel like that set is going to be very physical. But I think also The Rita set is going to be like that, as far as panic attack levels of bass. He’s (Sam McKinlay) like every sound at once, like a sheet of sound.
Neon Marshmallow Fest is currently underway (June 10-12) at The Empty Bottle (1035 N. Western). Tickets are still available for Saturday and Sunday night!
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesThis Week With CHIRP Radio (Week of June 6, 2011)
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Monday, June 6
CHIRP & Logan Square favorite Streetside Bar & Grill have teamed up to bring you Locals Only with CHIRP DJ Greg Hansberry and a live performance from local act BIGJOY!
Streetside Bar & Grill / 3201 W. Armitage
9:00pm -
Friday, June 10
CHIRP Radio welcomes Architecture in Helsinki to Lincoln Hall!
Lincoln Hall / 2424 N. Lincoln Ave.
10:00pm / $16.00 / 18+ -
Friday, June 10
CHIRP Radio presents Southern Culture on the Skids at the Old Town School!
The Old Town School of Folk Music / 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.
8:00pm / $22.00 / All Ages -
Friday, June 10
CHIRP is excited to be a sponsor for the Neon Marshmallow Music Festival, an international experimental music festival showcasing a wide variety of electronic and electro-acoustic music, ranging from noise and free jazz to EAI and music concrete.
The 3-day fest runs from Friday, June 10 through Sunday, June 12 at the Empty Bottle. We’ll be there Friday night, so stop by our table and say hi!
The Empty Bottle / 1035 N. Western Ave.
Lineup, Schedule and Ticket Info. -
Friday, June 10 – Sunday, June 12
CHIRP is a proud sponsor of Ribfest 2011, three outrageous days of ribs, music and fun!
Intersection of Lincoln Ave., Damen Ave., and Irving Park Rd.
Schedule Info. / All Ages -
Saturday June 11 – Sunday June 12
CHIRP Radio is helping to celebrate the start of summer with Andersonville’s Midsommarfest!
Clark St. and Foster Ave.
Schedule Info. / All Ages
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Curtis Mayfield Edition
“Keep On Pushin’” wasn’t just a Curtis Mayfield song, it defined the philosophy of this legendary Chicago soul man. He started in The Impressions, and after some success in the late ’50s, the group relocated to Chicago and with Mayfield writing the songs, they were one of the leading R & B vocal groups of the decade. And Mayfield changed with the times, and by the second half of the decade, The Impressions were adding social commentary to their silky soul sides, resulting in classics like “People Get Ready”. In 1970, Mayfield went solo, adding urban and funk elements and influencing disco, as best reflected on the classic soundtrack to the blaxploitation movie Superfly. Sadly, he was paralyzed when a light tower fell on him at a concert, yet, from a wheelchair, he managed one more critically lauded album, New World Order. Let’s pay tribute to a soul giant, by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first ten songs that come up.
- The Fuzztones — Cinderella (Lysergic Emanations): The first time I ever heard this classic garage rocker from The Sonics was via this cover by these ’80s garage revivalists. This version isn’t quite as manic, but Deb O’Nair’s Farfisa organ and Rudi Protudi’s solid vocal make this work pretty well. Rudi is still at it, as The Fuzztones recently put out a new album.
- The Shazam — Sleepy Horse (The Shazam): A nice mid-tempo Dixie fried power pop song from this Nashvile band’s debut. Hans Rotenberry sings with a nice drawl, while the song mixes a McCartney-esque melody with a rhythm section that’s between The Move and Faces.
- Toots & The Maytals — Desmond Dekker Came First (Time Tough — The Anthology): This is a history lesson, with the great Toots Hibbert paying tribute to the first ska star to break through around the globe. This has a loping, skanking beat, swell horns and Toots sings like he means it, because, well, he does mean it.
- Freddie Scott — Are You Lonely For Me (Beg, Scream and Shout!): It’s no longer in print, sadly, but if you can snag this incredible six CD box set, you will have one of the finest collections of ’60s soul ever compiled. Rhino Records set out to make a soul compilation that only had a smattering of well known hits, mixing in lots of lesser known gems. This Freddie Scott tune is a fine example — this is a great deep soul side, with Scott showing off an impressive voice.
- The Meters — Cissy Strut (Beg, Scream and Shout!): Apparently, my iPod can’t get enough of this box set. Not a problem. The Meters are a classic New Orleans combo, who were led by Art Neville (yes, as in The Neville Brothers). The Meters put their own stamp on funk, using New Orleans second line rhythms to move R & B in a new direction. This was one of their best loved songs.
- Randy Newman — Rollin’ (Good Old Boys): The Onion recently had a good interview with Mr. Newman that is well worth checking out. Many consider Good Old Boys to be his masterpiece. Certainly, Newman honed his mix of classic American songwriting and pithy commentary to a sharp peak. This manages to be bluesy while still fitting in a swell string section.
- Jay Reatard — Man Of Steel (Watch Me Fall): Hmm…the title of Jay’s last album was kinda prophetic, huh? This song is pretty typical of his later output. He wastes no notes, moving into the verse and quickly to the chorus. He knew how to use dynamics and could manipulate melodies to make things so catchy. The instrumental break is a good example of how his music was growing in sophistication. It’s like he was the 21st Century garage punk Buddy Holly.
- Jamey Johnson — Can’t Cash My Checks (The Guitar Song): Johnson has a smooth voice that’s as thick as molasses. His low key country extends the tradition of Merle Haggard, Don Williams and John Anderson, with a bit of Southern rock blended in from time to time (like the extended guitar solo at the end). He is great at singing laments about how low he has sunk and can’t go any lower, as exemplified in this song.
- Lyle Lovett — What Do You Do/The Glory Of Love (Lyle Lovett and His Large Band): Whereas Johnson is trying to bring country back to its roots, Lovett spent the ’80s using it as a springboard to tie together many forms of American music. Here, Lovett, duetting with Francine Reed, marries a bluesy original with a classic song that was a hit for Benny Goodman in the ’30s. He contrasts marital squabbling with a paean to the joys of love to great effect.
- Stevie Wonder — Living For The City (Innervisions): Curtis Mayfield blazed a trail for Stevie Wonder, who also pushed soul music forward. This is the most famous of his social commentary songs, with an amazing vocal, Wonder’s clavinet playing and the stunning synthesizer line that takes the song out of the chorus — an truly indelible melody whose sad beauty contrasts the gritty urban feel of the rest of the track. And the spoken word portion before the last verse inspired a similar section in Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s hip-hop classic “The Message”.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesThis Week With CHIRP Radio (Week of May 30, 2011)
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Sunday, June 5th
CHIRP welcomes Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins to Metro!
Metro]http://metrochicago.com/shows#Jun05">Metro[/url] / 3730 N. Clark Street
8:00pm / $21.00 / 18+ -
Sunday, June 5th
CHIRP is proud to be a media sponsor for the 2011 Chicago Underground Film Festival! This year’s festival will showcase a mix of independent features, shorts, documentaries and experimental films. The fest kicks off on Thursday, June 2 and runs through Thursday, June 9.
We are especially excited to be a part of the closing night screening of Heavy Metal Picnic! “A rock and roll flashback to 1985, focusing on an out-of-control weekend field party at ‘The Farm’, Heavy Metal Picnic is a celebration of mid-80s Maryland rock and roll and heavy metal, by those who lived, and survived it.” We’ll be in the lobby before and after the screening. Please stop by and say hello!
Gene Siskel Film Center / 164 N. State Street
Festival Schedule / Tickets
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Neil Finn Edition
At the tender age of 17 years old, Neil Finn joined his older brother Tim’s band Split Enz. Sporting thickly hornrimmed glasses and an artificially large cowlick, he initially stayed in the background. But within just three years, he finally brought the Enz to the attention of U.S. music fans, as his composition “I Got You” became a big FM radio hit. From that point forward, Neil’s canny pop instincts were a perfect compliment to his brother Tim’s slightly more arty efforts. The Enz were a commercial force through the early ’80s. But no one could have expected that Crowded House, Neil’s next band, would become world wide stars. But Finn’s modern update on classic rock/pop tunesmithing hit elevated him to the ranks of the most respected songwriters around. Finn is still out there, working with everyone from his son and wife to Jeff Tweedy and members of Radiohead. Whatever he does, it is always interesting, intelligent catchy music. Let’s wish Neil a happy birthday by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 tunes that come up.
- Parts & Labor — Prefix Free (Receivers): This song begins with an electronic equivalent of a freight train chug before a melodic keyboard line comes in. The more I listen to these guys, they remind me a lot of the Minneapolis band Arcwelder in how they put their songs together. However, instead of relying on loud guitars and faster tempos, they chug along with copious layers of various keyboards. They have such a big sound. I really need to see them live some time.
- Feist — The Water (The Reminder): Leslie Feist deserves so much credit for pursuing her sophisticated, at times jazzy, pop without any consideration of trends, what’s indie or what’s popular. As a result of her focus on what interests her, she found there’s a market for what she does, and thank goodness for her. This is a torchy ballad, with minimal accompaniment and a wonderful vocal.
- Billy Joel — Don’t Ask Me Why (Glass Houses): I find Joel to be a true Tin Pan Alley songwriter who happened to blossom during the rock era. While he’s had his share of clunkers, he is a true craftsman. This song finds a midpoint between Paul Simon and Paul McCartney and is simply a wonderful piece of pop songwriting.
- The Thought — Tonight Again (The Thought): Every once in a while, I Google this ’80s Dutch band to try to find more info about them, but come up empty. They put out one LP in the U.S., and it’s a nifty foray into psychedelic rock and pop. Mixed in with the punchier numbers, are a couple of atmospheric pieces, of which this is one. This is a dramatic tale, just vocals and keyboards. It reminds me a bit of The Zombies’ “The Butcher’s Tale”.
- The Go-Betweens — This Night’s For You (Oceans Apart): Grant McLennan’s untimely death put an end to one of the better comebacks in rock history. After a decent first comeback effort, Oceans Apart was a terrific album, finding McLennan and Robert Forster writing songs as well as ever. This track mixes a simple melancholy melody with some well-deployed guitar crunch, making for a track that musically churns a few conflicting emotions.
- The Orange Alabaster Mushroom — Rainbow Man (Space And Time): If The Thought were psychedelic, this band (really just a guy) was ultra psychedelic. The Orange Alabaster Mushroom’s tinny psychedelic pop songs sound like lost transmissions from 1967, touching on everyone from Tommorrow to early Pink Floyd to The Thamesmen. This is twee whimsy and really fun.
- Sloan — The Other Man (Pretty Together): This is Sloan at their AM Gold-iest. This sounds like it could have come from Firefall (remember their hit “Strange Way”?). It’s a dramatically rendered first person character study of the guy who is cheating with your woman. The song sets the mood right away, the chorus swells and if you slipped this into an oldies playlist, there would be people who would swear they heard this song before.
- Three Dog Night — One (Celebrate: The Three Dog Night Story 1965-1975): Not much to say about this. Harry Nilsson wrote it and Three Dog Night showed their usual impeccable taste in material and amped up the emotions in the song and had a smash. Three Dog Night isn’t really talked about much, because they are considered a singles band rather than an album act, but they really recorded a lot of great sides. Underrated band.
- Stories — Brother Louie (Have A Nice Decade): Back -to-back ’70s Top 40 smashes! This is a cover of a song that was a big hit for Hot Chocolate (yes, the “You Sexy Thing” guys) in England. Of course, this is terrific song. The original version is slower, with a more haunting feel and spoken interludes that bring home the sting of the racism that the song indicts. The Stories version is also dramatic, but has a wee bit more of an anthemic feel, with a nifty soulful vocal. The original is better, but this is pretty darned good too.
- The Isley Brothers — Make Me Say It Again Girl (It’s Your Thing: The Story of The Isley Brothers): While the Isleys initially made their name with frat party dance numbers and were a fine funk rock act, with a singer as skillful as Ronald Isley, they were made to do sexy ballads. Isley’s tenor and falsetto are in fine form on this lovely tune.