Sebadoh @ MHoW in 2011 (BKLYN) (more by Dana (Distortion) Yavin)

Sebadoh are heading out on a North American tour in August, which will make a stop at Schubas on the 16th of the month. Tickets go on sale this Friday (5/25), at noon CST. All tour dates are listed below.

As BrooklynVegan points out, this tour will feature a few different configurations of Sebadoh at each show. In addition to the indie rock trio of Lou Barlow, Jason Loewenstein, and Bob D'Amico, you'll also receive sets from Circle of Buzzards (aka Jason and Bob) and Lou Barlow solo.

Sebadoh are currently working on a new record, which will probably be released in 2013. But according to Backstage Rider, the group may be putting out an EP before they hit the road this summer. Lou also plays on the new Dinosaur Jr. album, scheduled for release this fall.

This past March, the trio reissued their 1990 LP Weed Forestin' with the bonus cassette Child of the Apocalypse. Stream both at the bottom of this post. Digital copies and a limited number of vinyl pressings are still available.

All Sebadoh tour dates are listed below, along with a stream of their recent reissue.

Continue reading "Sebadoh will hit Schubas on tour this summer (dates)"

by Parker Langvardt

Yamantaka // Sonic Titan @ Schubas on 5/18/2012

With two hand-painted clouds made of cardboard on the front of the stage, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan guitarist John Ancheta and keyboardist Brendan Swanson began making atmospheric sounds with their instruments, accompanied by booming recordings of thunder. Drummer Alaska B and the band's lighting tech Alana Ruth were also on stage when vocalists Ruby Kato Attwood and Ange Loft walked through the crowd carrying a black and white paper dragon over their heads. Attwood wore a compact, paper headdress with a sort of royal appearance, while Loft had more of a wig-like headdress with many long black strands that draped down past her waist like flat dreadlocks.

The thunder led into "Queens," from their debut self-titled album, with deep, swirling organ. The vocalists started off slightly timid - it was the first show of the first Yamantaka // Sonic Titan tour, after all - but they became more confident as the suspense built toward the first rolling drum fill and guitar riff. By the time they hit the pulsing bridge, everything had fallen perfectly into place. The second song they played (not from the album) was a slow, psychedelic piece with light organ and distorted bass. The heavy "Reverse Crystal // Murder of a Spider" was followed by drumming and syncopated chanting. Loft took off her headdress at some point, and Attwood danced fluidly with a large paper fan in hand. "Hoshi Neko," the closest Yamantaka // Sonic Titan has gotten to writing a pop song, led into feedback, noise, and dissonant, atonal melodies reminiscent of an Indonesian Gamelan orchestra and jazz keyboardist Sun Ra. It eventually merged into the fast, pulsing "A Star Over Pureland," highlighted by high-pitched primal vocals. They closed with "Crystal Fortress Over The Sea of Trees," which could be considered a companion to "A Star Over Pureland" with its noisy sections that include chiming Asian arpeggios, wordless vocal melodies, and more wild organ.

The dance-oriented openers weren't entirely appropriate, but each put on a good performance in their own right. Supreme Cuts used drum pads and a sampler/sequencer to create smooth, upbeat songs with minor vocal samples. Eight Bit Tiger was a little farther off-base from the headliner, using guitars and keyboards to create funk and synth-pop that got the crowd dancing. Seeing the audience shrink a bit after Eight Bit Tiger, I couldn't help but wonder if there was really no experimental rock band in town that could have benefited Yamantaka // Sonic Titan at least a little bit more.

Check out my interview with Ruby Kato Attwood of Yamantaka // Sonic Titan HERE, and some videos from the show below.

Continue reading "Yamantaka // Sonic Titan played Schubas (review, videos)"

As mentioned, Damien Jurado hits Chicago TONIGHT (May 16), with tourmate JBM for a show at Schubas. Though the club show is now sold-out (hopefully you grabbed tickets), Damien is also playing a 6PM in-store at Reckless Records in Lakeview. His most recent album, Maraqopa, hit stores in February via Secretly Canadian. Check out the music video for the album track "Nothing Is The News" at the bottom of this post.

All Damien Jurado dates are listed below, alongside the video for "Nothing Is The News."

Continue reading "Damien Jurado is here, playing an in-store @ Reckless & Schubas TONIGHT"

Young Magic @ Lincoln Hall in November (more by Chris Hershman)

Brooklyn's Young Magic and Boston's Quilt are joining up for a psych-filled North American tour this summer. Kicking off in Brooklyn in late-June, the two bands will make their way to Chicago's Schubas for a performance on July 8. Advance tickets are on sale.

Young Magic recently remixed the Doldrums track "Egypt" off of his upcoming EP of the same name, due out June 4 via Souterrain Transmissions. Stream/download the band's re-version and Doldrums' original at BrooklynVegan.

All 2012 tour dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Young Magic & Quilt are playing Schubas on tour this summer (dates)"

by Parker Langvardt

Featuring former members of Montreal's Lesbian Fight Club, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan is an art collective that uses music, theatrics, and visual art to subtly communicate their worldview through a constantly expanding story, tied together by the recurring characters within each of their works. The group broke into the music world last fall with their debut self-titled LP, which combines the Asian characteristics of their art and theater with psychedelic pop and rock. Earlier this year they performed an experimental theater piece called 33 at Rhubarb Festival in Toronto, which they are planning a new incarnation of later this year. Both their debut album and 33 were developed in conjunction with their opera, Star, which is still in the works. They kick off their first-ever headlining tour with a show at Schubas this Friday (5/18). Tickets are still available.

I recently spoke with Yamantaka // Sonic Titan cofounder Ruby Kato Attwood. Our bvChicago exclusive interview starts here...

--------

bvChicago: Have you ever been to Chicago?

Ruby Kato Attwood: Never, but I do know that [Chicago] has the largest square footage of green roofs in all of North America, so I'm very excited to go there. I had a friend who was studying international development and sustainable development a few years ago, and I became really interested in green roof technology because in Montreal there are all these old 1950s buildings, which they used to call pancake buildings. They're totally flat, one level. They're over-engineered. They're really strong, so they're a very good candidate for a layer of succulent plants. There aren't as many as in Chicago and I was really interested so I did all this crazy research, and it seems like the university community was really working with the mayor in the early and mid 2000s and they were able to lower their heat island effect by like 3 degrees or something like that, which is really huge, and they save all this water.

Funnily enough, I don't know much about the art scene there other than a few artists, but I'm definitely psyched to play the show. I haven't traveled very much in the states, so I'm really excited.

continued below...

Continue reading "an interview with Ruby Kato Attwood of Yamantaka // Sonic Titan, who are kicking off a tour @ Schubas on Friday"

Father John Misty @ Hotel Vegan (BV-SXSW 2012) (more by Tim Griffin)

As mentioned, Father John Misty (aka J. Tillman) is currently on tour with Har Mar Superstar and the two will reach Chicago's Schubas on Saturday night (May 12). Tickets are still available.

Tillman has announced some new summer dates with Youth Lagoon, set to begin in early-July. The Pitchfork Music Festival, which Youth Lagoon are playing and Tillman is not, is smack in the middle of their tour. Due to this, Tillman has gone and added another show at Schubas, set for July 14. Tickets go on sale this Friday (May 11), at noon CST.

All 2012 tour dates and a video of FJM's recent Letterman performance below...

Continue reading "Father John Misty is playing Schubas on Saturday (where he'll play again in July)"

photos by Grant MacAllister

Retribution Gospel Choir @ Schubas on 5/03/2012

"There's a big hole in the wall, watch out for that," Retribution Gospel Choir frontman Alan Sparhawk deadpanned midway through the band's headlining set at Schubas on Thursday night--referencing the hastily patched aftermath of a taxi's collision with the venue earlier that day. Unlike that careening vehicle, RGC's set traversed a straight-ahead course, a thunderous set which stood in stark contrast to Sparhawk's work with slowcore pioneers Low. [Time Out Chicago]

Continue reading "Retribution Gospel Choir & Small Awesome @ Schubas (pics)"

"The first thing I saw today was a cab inside schubas......Stephanie Tanner style" - Lindsey Romes

"If I'm late for work today, I hope the old "a cab crashed into Schubas and blocked my bus" excuse will suffice." - Mike Proper

Early this morning, a cab apparently crashed into the side of Schubas. It seems to be causing some delays (like Mike's bus). Retribution Gospel Choir are scheduled to play the venue tonight (thx Nevona).

UPDATE: Here's a view of the damage from inside the venue.

As mentioned, Heather Smith's Bone & Bell project are set to release their new EP, Organ Fantasies, on May 25 via local label Knife Fight Records. Take a listen to side A of the album, consisting of "Serpentside" and "Colony Is Good For Me" at the bottom of this post. This new set of songs sees Bone & Bell taking more of an ethereal turn than on Loom, with layers of lush vocals and warm organ. The EP is up for preorder in both digital and vinyl formats.

Catch the group's record release show at Schubas on May 25, with support from Adam Faucett and the Tall Grass and The Columbines. Tickets are still available.

New song streams below...

Continue reading "listen to two new Bone & Bell tracks; preorder Organ Fantasies"

DOWNLOAD: Hospitality - "Epitonic Saki Session" (Zipped MP3s)

Hospitality @ Lincoln Hall (more by Chase Turner)

While in town to play Lincoln Hall during the Tomorrow Never Knows festival (pictured above), Hospitality also visited Logan Square to play an Epitonic Saki Session. Download a zip file of live recordings from the performance at the top of this post and check out some video footage below.

The band are currently on tour with Eleanor Friedberger and together, they hit Schubas on May 1 and SPACE in Evanston (Eleanor's hometown) on May 2. Tickets are still available for both Chicago-area shows. After their run with Eleanor, Hospitality will return to Chicago with Here We Go Magic to play the Empty Bottle on May 15. Tickets are still available for that one as well.

Speaking of HWGM, they've just released a new video for "How Do I Know," directed by Sean Pecknold (Robin Pecknold's brother). View it below. The track comes from their forthcoming LP, A Different Ship, due out on May 8 via Secretly Canadian. Head to Spinner for an advance stream of the album.

All 2012 tour dates for all three acts, below...

Continue reading "Hospitality played an Epitonic Saki Session (video, MP3s); playing 3-Chicago shows in May"

photos by Zach Pollack, words by Parker Langvardt

Cloud Nothings @ Schubas on 4/6/2012

When I was in my teens, the term "power-pop" had a bad connotation. Looking back on it, the issue seems to be that I hadn't heard any authentic or creative power-pop. It's not necessarily a genre I see myself getting into, but A Classic Education and Cloud Nothings both do it justice, though Cloud Nothings have graduated to a darker, more punk-oriented sound.

A Classic Education's peppy style got textural with Giulia Mazza's keyboard and Luca Mazzieri's expressive and occasionally quickly-strummed guitar. Drummer Federico Oppi played with aggressive energy, slamming so hard on the snare drum during the most intense sections that his sticks visibly pushed down into the head of the drum. Paul Pieretto's bass playing was melodic, with stylish slides and bends. The last moments of their set had a hardly-contained wildness to it, with Mazzieri and singer Jonathan Clancy dancing around the stage, strumming their guitars.

Cloud Nothings opened with the youthful anthem "Stay Useless," one of the lighter songs from 2012's excellent Attack on Memory, which was the focus of their set. Next was "Fall In," the chorus of which is very reminiscent of early 90s pop-punk. They flowed into a dark, ambient build, with drummer Jayson Gerycz building the intensity from a flurry of rim clicks and drum shell tapping, to snare drum artillery fire and cymbal crashes. The guitars went from post-rock strumming to punk with dirty bends, driving a small group at the front of the room to mosh, which I've never seen happen at Schubas.

TJ Duke's grinding distorted bass gave "Wasted Days" a kind of body that can not be felt anywhere on the record, and the band launched into the four-plus-minute bridge with a guitar solo from Joe Boyer that was accented by Dylan Baldi's alarm-like pedal manipulation. It took a dark, psychedelic turn for a while before Baldi came back in shouting, "I thought I would be more than this." The first chord of "No Future/No Past" created an indescribable eerie tension throughout my body that was twisted by the suspense leading to the chorus. They ended with two songs from their much more upbeat 2011 self-titled release.

"No Sentiment" was somewhere in there, but I was too sucked into their performance to notice when (apparently they won that war they started, whatever it was). This song stands out as the most political and least self-centered track on Attack on Memory. The lyric "no nostalgia" carries some irony due to the album's obvious grunge, pop-punk, and emo influences, as well as its "lost youth" theme. Even more so, "No Sentiment" seems to remark on the past decade of political doublespeak that has contributed to widespread apathy. Baldi doesn't seem to deny that he has been one of the many disillusioned, and I think we've all had our moments, to say the least.

Cloud Nothings are about to head off to Europe for a string of dates and will return to Chicago for Saturday (July 14) of Pitchfork Festival 2012. Head below for more pictures from their Schubas show...

Continue reading "Cloud Nothings & A Classic Education @ Schubas (pics)"

Bone & Bell @ The Whistler earlier this month (photo by C.B. Lindsey)

Chicago band Bone & Bell are gearing up for the release of their new EP, Organ Fantasies, which they'll be celebrating with a record release show on May 25 at Schubas. Support will come from Adam Faucett and the Tall Grass and The Columbines, and advance tickets are on sale. 50-limited edition 7"s will be available for sale at the show, featuring original artwork by frontwoman Heather Smith.

Check out the EP's cover art, a show flyer, and some song streams, below...

Continue reading "Bone & Bell schedule EP release show @ Schubas"

photos by Sarah Frankie Linder

Perfume Genius @ Schubas

On Tuesday night (April 10), Perfume Genius (aka Mike Hadreas) and his full band brought their current tour with the Parenthetical Girls to Chicago's Schubas for a sold-out performance. The two bands have just a few days left on tour together before Mike and co. head to Europe for most of May. A full set of pictures and all dates can be found below...

Continue reading "Perfume Genius & Parenthetical Girls played Schubas (pics)"

Owen (aka Mike Kinsella) released his most recent LP, Ghost Town, back in November via longtime label Polyvinyl Records. The Chicago singer-songwriter has just announced that he'll be headlining Schubas on June 30, support TBA. Tickets go on sale this Friday (April 20), at noon CST. You can also catch Owen for FREE at Record Breakers this Saturday, as part of a full day of in-stores in celebration of Record Store Day 2012 (set times TBA).

In related news, Joan of Arc play a benefit show for Susan Stursberg with Coffin Pricks, Bailiff, The Ragtones, and DJ Bobby Conn at the Double Door on Sunday night.

Some song streams and videos, below..

Continue reading "Owen schedules Schubas show; playing Record Breakers this weekend"

As we briefly mentioned, the Fruit Bats are playing Schubas on June 29. A second show, taking place one day earlier on June 28, has just been added to the band's schedule. Tickets for their new Chicago show go on sale TODAY (April 13), at noon CST. Tickets for the 29th are still up for grabs. All Fruit Bats dates and some videos, below...

Continue reading "Fruit Bats add another show @ Schubas (updated dates)"

by Parker Langvardt

An Aesthetic Anaesthetic

In January, Chicago post-rock quartet An Aesthetic Anaesthetic used Kickstarter to raise just over $2,000 to put towards their sophomore full-length album, NAMES, which was recorded by producer Sanford Parker at Engine Studios over the course of four days last week. NAMES will be released via Chicago's Artistic Integrity Records, with an estimated street date of July 2012. There will be a total of 500 vinyl copies (100 colored and 400 black), with art by Robert Donis. There are also 17-test pressings of the LP, four of which are claimed by Kickstarter contributors, with custom jackets by Grant Kersey.

An Aesthetic Anaesthetic released their second EP, Ghosts in the Red Wilderness, in February of 2011 and their debut full-length, Before the Machinery of Other Skeletons (a solid Allen Ginsberg reference), in August of 2011. They achieved a variety of moods through these mostly-instrumental recordings by combining elements of post-rock, math rock, punk, and metal. The band have stated that NAMES will be darker than previous efforts and that their goal in recording with Sanford Parker was "to harness the raw energy of their live show."

To experience that raw energy in the near future, head over to Schubas on Friday night (April 6) to catch them opening up for Cleveland's eclectic rock duo Mr. Gnome. Joining them will be Chicago dance-rockers Blane Fonda, who also used Kickstarter to raise funds for their recently released EP, Foolish Croon. Tickets are still available.

Some song streams from both AAA and Blane Fonda, below...

Continue reading "An Aesthetic Anaesthetic recorded an LP w/ Sanford Parker; playing Schubas TOMORROW w/ Mr. Gnome"

photos by Matt Ziegler

Friends @ Metro on 4/06/2012

Brooklyn band Friends hit Chicago's Metro on Friday night (April 6), with their current tour mates Neon Indian. Here are some pictures from their opening set.

Did you miss seeing Friends on Friday night? They've got a couple more dates with Neon Indian (including tonight in Salt Lake City), a string of European festival appearances, and then the band will return to Chicago on June 16 to headline Schubas. Tickets will be posted shortly and go on sale this Friday (April 13), at noon CST.

All known 2012 tour dates and more pictures from their set at Metro, below..

Continue reading "Friends played Metro (pics); announced a show @ Schubas"

DOWNLOAD: DZ Deathrays - "No Sleep" (MP3)

Bass Drum of Death @ the Mohawk in Austin,TX in September (more by Tim Griffin)

Bass Drum of Death, who were one of the many acts to play SXSW this year, have announced a summer North American tour with support from Australia's DZ Deathrays. The "Bass Drum of DeathRAYS tour" hits Chicago's Schubas on June 22. Tickets go on sale TODAY, at noon CST. One more opener is TBA for the Chicago show. Check out their full 2012 tour schedule at the bottom of this post.

Brisbane twosome DZ Deathrays are set to release their debut LP, Bloodstreams, on May 8 in the US via 3|4. Much like their 2011 EP No Sleep, the full-length is fast-paced and super loud. Download the title track from No Sleep at the top of this post and/or stream it below. You can also check out a teaser clip for the new album at the bottom of this post.

All 2012 tour dates, the song stream and teaser clip, below..

Continue reading "Bass Drum of Death to tour w/DZ Deathrays (playing Schubas)"

DOWNLOAD: PS I Love You - "Princess Towers" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: PS I Love You - "Sentimental Dishes" (MP3)

PS I Love You @ SXSW 2011 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Ontario noise-pop duo PS I Love You are set to release their sophomore LP, Death Dreams, on May 8 via Paper Bag Records. Download two album tracks, "Princess Towers" and "Sentimental Dishes," at the top of this post and/or stream them below.

The release of Death Dreams will be closely followed by a North American tour, which stops at Schubas on May 23. Tickets for the Chicago show go on sale this Friday (March 30), at noon CST. Toronto duo Army Girls, who put out their interesting debut EP called Close To The Bone (produced by Fucked Up's Ben Cook) in September, will act as main support for the entire tour.

All 2012 tour dates and song streams from both acts, below..

Continue reading "PS I Love You to play Schubas on tour; releasing new LP (dates, MP3s)"

Bear in Heaven @ Hotel 'Vegan' during SXSW (photo by @bvAustin)

As mentioned, Bear in Heaven, Blouse, and Doldrums added a second show at Schubas (April 19) to their schedule. At the time of our post, ticketing info was forthcoming, but the show has now been placed on sale.

Singer-songwriter Greg Laswell is set to unveil his new LP, Landline, on April 24 via Vanguard Records. The 11-track album will serve as both his first new material since 2010's Take A Bow and as his overall fourth full-length studio release. Landline features a slew of collaborations with female vocalists, such as: Sia, Ingrid Michaelson, and Sara Bareilles. Take a peek at Landline's cover art and tracklisting at the bottom of this post. Check out some preorder bundles via Laswell's website.

Another one of the album's female vocal guests is Elizabeth Ziman (of Elizabeth and the Catapult), with whom Laswell will tour North America this spring/summer. The pair will hit Chicago's Schubas on June 9. Advance tickets are on sale.

All 2012 tour dates and Landline's cover art/tracklisting, below..

Continue reading "Greg Laswell is playing Schubas on tour; releasing new LP"

Porcelain Raft

As mentioned, Porcelain Raft (aka Mauro Remiddi) will kick off a North American tour with Youth Lagoon in just a few days. They'll reach Chicago's Metro on April 4. Tickets are still available.

Remiddi has just announced a Chicago show of his own, taking place on June 7 at Schubas. Tickets go on sale this Friday (March 23), at noon CST.

All known 2012 tour dates and a recent two-part Take Away Show, below..

Continue reading "Porcelain Raft to headline Schubas; tix still available for Youth Lagoon @ Metro (which he opens)"

Colin Stetson @ SXSW 2011 (more by Ryan Barkan)

Avant saxist Colin Stetson released his most recent album, Those Who Didn't Run, in October of 2011 via Constellation Records. He's been keeping busy lately touring the world as part of Bon Iver and will hit the road in just a few days for some solo shows. Most dates will feature support from Sarah Neufeld (of Arcade Fire) including his Chicago performance at Schubas on June 23, which also includes Frank Rosaly on the bill. Advance tickets are on sale.

All known 2012 tour dates and some videos, below..

Continue reading "Colin Stetson is coming to Schubas w/ Frank Rosaly & Sarah Neufeld"

Bear in Heaven

As mentioned, Bear in Heaven, Blouse, and Doldrums are coming to Chicago to play Schubas on April 18. A second show, taking place the following night, has now been added to their tour schedule. Tickets will be posted shortly and go on sale this Friday (March 23), at noon CST.

Bear in Heaven and Doldrums both played at Hotel 'Vegan' in Austin, TX during SXSW, on Wednesday and Friday respectively. More on each day soon, over at BrooklynVegan.

An updated list of 2012 tour dates, below..

Continue reading "Bear in Heaven, Blouse & Doldrums add 2nd show @ Schubas"

DOWNLOAD: Gauntlet Hair - "My Christ" (MP3)

Gauntlet Hair @ BV-CMJ 2011 (more by Chris La Putt)

Gauntlet Hair, who are currently in Austin, TX for SXSW, have announced a Chicago show taking place at Schubas (where they played during TNK 2012) on April 29. Tickets go on sale TODAY, at noon CST.

The duo's most recent release, My Christ 7", hit stores in January via Dead Oceans. Download its A-side at the top of this post.

All known 2012 tour dates and some videos can be found below.

Continue reading "Gauntlet Hair schedule Chicago show"