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The CHIRP Blog
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesWeekly Voyages: Friday Feb. 7 to Thursday Feb. 13
(Weekly Voyages is CHIRP Radio's listing of concerts in Chicago at select venues. Information about tickets can be obtained from the venues' Web sites. Do you have corrections or updates for this list? Send us an e-mail.)
Friday February 7
Mr. Blotto
Abbey Pub 21+
Elway, The Please & Thank Yous, Typesetter
Beat Kitchen 8:30pm
Crybaby, Stufy The Sidekick, Bullfights on Acid, Marykate
Bottom Lounge 6pm
Swizzle Tree, Workout Music, Brighton MA, The Dead On
Double Door 8:30pm, 21+
The Hoyle Brothers
Empty Bottle 5:30pm, 21+
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday John Lydon Edition
He was discovered by Malcolm McLaren at designer Vivienne Westwood’s boutique, Sex. He snotty nosed fellow wearing a Pink Floyd shirt, to which he had painted on the words “I hate.” This earned him an audition for The Sex Pistols. Today is the birthday of John Lydon a/k/a Johnny Rotten, one of the most important figures in punk and post-punk music. Whether the Pistols were musically innovative can be debated. What isn’t debatable is that Lydon’s presence and lyrics fit the stance of a band challenging societal norms. He was someone who wanted to do more than entertain. And The Sex Pistols lit the fuse for a new music explosion. Hence, they burned out quickly, but Lydon moved onto Public Image, Ltd., with Keith Leven and Jah Wobble. PiL are really the starting point for post-punk, leading to all sorts of cross-breeding and experimentation, making the late ‘70s and early ‘80s perhaps the most fruitful period for rock post-mid-‘60s. Let’s pay tribute to Mr. Lydon by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesWeekly Voyages: Friday Jan. 31 to Thursday Feb. 6
(Weekly Voyages is CHIRP Radio's listing of concerts in Chicago at select venues. Information about tickets can be obtained from the venues' Web sites. Do you have corrections or updates for this list? Send us an e-mail.)
Friday January 31
Echoes Of Pompeii
Abbey Pub 9pm, 21+
Ideaman, Voice of Addiction, Downtown Brown, Maggot Twat, Something Involving A Monkey, Stuck Underwater
Beat Kitchen 7:30pm
Carbon Tigers, Suns, Secret Colours, Wedding Dress
Double Door 8pm, 21+
Sklut and Weston, Mike Flood and Co, Duck and Goose
Elbo Room 9pm, 21+
The Hoyle Brothers
Empty Bottle 5:30pm 21+
JD Samson & MEN, Teen Witch Fan Club
Empty Bottle 9:30pm, 21+
Screaming Females, Fake Limbs
Hideout 10pm, 21+
Savoy
House of Blues Chicago 8:30pm, 17+
Caleb Hawley, GoldFord, Tall Walker, Mighty Fox
Lincoln Hall 8pm 21+
Kelsey Phillips writesJoin CHIRP for Bass Drum of Death at the Empty Bottle on Thursday Jan. 30!
Nothing beats being frozen solid like getting your ears busted (in a positive, non-literal way) by a bass drum.
This Thursday, CHIRP welcomes Bass Drum of Death to the Empty Bottle for a truly dope lineup. Hailing from Oxford, Mississippi, John Barrett's one-time solo act has evolved into a trio over the years, banging out some gritty garage rock that can get downright evil. BDOD is joined by local four-piece Blasted Diplomats, sure to bring us some solid hooks and straight blue-collar rock. Opening up the night with some good vibes is Chicago's own The Lemons, who's pop-rock is guaranteed to make you feel warm even in the negative 25 degree windchill.
This is one serious lineup that you won't want to miss. Head to the Empty Bottle this Thursday, January 30th and check it out. The 21+ show starts at 9pm and tickets are only $10. See you there!
Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Warren Zevon Edition
It’s Warren Zevon’s birthday today. Warren was born here in Chicago back in 1947. It must have been a fascinating childhood, as his father, a Russian immigrant was a bookie. By the time he was 13, Zevon briefly studied classical music under the tutelage of Igor Stravinsky. By 16, he quit school and tried to make it in music. He wrote from songs for The Turtles and his first record was stillborn. After a stint as the musical director for The Everly Brothers, Zevon made lots of cool friends, like Lindsay Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and Jackson Browne. The Browne connection led to a record deal, and Zevon’s first two albums for Asylum Records (Warren Zevon and Excitable Boy) are classics. Zevon had one foot in Laurel Canyon and one foot in a hard bitten world of down and out people and headless CIA men. And this was all filtered through his dark sense of humor. Zevon had his one hit, “Werewolves of London” and a fascinating career where he crossed paths with so many top flight musicians. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, he made another great LP and spent an hour on the David Letterman show, in what was truly memorable television, before passing on. In honor of Zevon, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.