Kelly Hogan @ the Vic in March (more by Chase Turner)

We previously posted the partial lineup of Millennium Park's Downtown Sound series and now the full schedule has been released. The park have also unveiled all other free events that are taking place at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion throughout the summer. Check out the full schedule below...

Continue reading "Millennium Park's full summer lineup (Downtown Sound & more)"

James Vincent McMorrow @ the Hideout in September (more by Ben Rodig)

Irish singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow released his most recent album, We Don't Eat, an EP of live recordings, in February via Vagrant Records. One of the EP's tracks is a stripped down, piano version of Steve Winwood's "Higher Love," which you can sample here. As part of a string of summer tour dates, James will hit Evanston, IL's SPACE on July 10. Tickets go on sale this Friday (April 20), at 5PM CST. All 2012 tour dates and some song streams, below...

Continue reading "James Vincent McMorrow is coming to SPACE"

photos by Ben Rodig

Marissa Nadler & James Vincent McMorrow @ Hideout -- 9/15/11

"Before her last song of the evening, "All Love Must Die," a song "about being a mistress," Nadler recounted her experience the night before at the airport hotel bar, with the businessmen and escorts. In the song, Nadler sings, "I spent the summer breathing in the scent of your arms again/ But I was not your woman those times," and concludes, "I'd rather be your mistress than your nobody." To write so vividly about being a mistress surely isn't a simple gift. And whether Nadler draws on real or imagined experiences in her songs, her characters always seem to come to life in a way that only Appalachian folk stories, passed down and adapted through generations, can.

For the small number of the crowd who made their way to the back room for Nadler's performance, it would have appeared that James Vincent McMorrow had a tough act to follow, on the eighth day of his first headlining tour in the U.S. But it wasn't so, as the front bar emptied out, and the back room swelled as he and his five-piece band took the stage." [Gaper's Block]

Continue reading "Marissa Nadler & James Vincent McMorrow @ Hideout (pics)"

James Vincent McMorrow (photo by Julie Ling)

James Vincent McMorrow recently visited the NPR offices to play a "Tiny Desk Concert." His session was finally posted this morning, and consists of three cuts from his debut LP Early In The Morning, plus a previously unreleased track titled "Red Dust." You can view the footage below.

In less than a month (on September 15th), James and Marissa Nadler will play Hideout together. Tickets are still available, and this is definitely not a show to miss.

Continue reading "James Vincent McMorrow played a "Tiny Desk Concert," playing Hideout in less than a month w/ Marissa Nadler"

Marissa Nadler @ Schubas (more by Ben Rodig)

Marissa Nadler has just announced a string of fall European dates, but right before that happens, she'll open a handful of shows for the awesome James Vincent McMorrow on US soil.

Their run together will kick off on September 9th, at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC, and reach Chicago's Hideout on September 15th. Tickets are still available.

Head below to view Marissa's new video for "Alabaster Queen," and all joint tour dates.

Continue reading "Marissa Nadler to open dates for James Vincent McMorrow"

DOWNLOAD: James Vincent McMorrow - "If I Had A Boat" (MP3)

James Vincent McMorrow (photo by Julie Ling)

Irish singer-songwriter; James Vincent McMorrow has been popping up everywhere lately, and for very good reason.

Maybe you were lucky enough to catch his two most recent performances in Chicago? First supporting The Rural Alberta Advantage at Lincoln Hall in late March, and then even more recently; opening up for Bell X1 at the very same venue in June.

His 2011 debut EP, Early In The Morning (Vagrant Records) made waves in the industry. He's been compared to Sufjan Stevens, and to the vocal stylings of Justin Vernon. Download the EP's single, "If I Had A Boat" at the top of this post.

Usually just accompanied by an acoustic guitar, James will embark on a fall-North American tour with a 5-piece band behind him.

"Playing on my own right now is beautiful because it allows me to connect on a very primitive level," says James, "but I look forward to being surrounded with friends on stage to share this with me."

His first-ever headlining run will hit Chicago's Hideout on September 15th.
Tickets are on sale now.

In the meantime, James is touring throughout Europe.

You can view all 2011 tour dates, some videos, and stream Early In The Morning below..

Continue reading "James Vincent McMorrow plots North American tour"

The Antlers @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (more by Amanda Hatfield)

today in Chicago
* Ribfest Chicago (Day 2)
* Lucy Kaplansky @ SPACE
* The Antlers, Little Scream @ Metro
* Bouncing Souls @ Reggie's (Day 3)
* Bell X1, James Vincent McMorrow @ Lincoln Hall
* Neon Marshmallow Music Festival (Day 2) @ Empty Bottle
* Jeremy Messersmith, The Daredevil Christopher Wright, Dinosaur Bones @ Schubas

What else?