Freelance Piece
Review by Ryan Fergus
November 2007
Herbie Hancock had made a career of zig-zags and left turns- veering from a 60’s era Miles Davis sideman to excursions into funk, electro and even pop. On his latest, River: The Joni Letters (Verve), Hancock pays tribute to another legendary maverick. Dissecting the broad repertoire of Joni Mitchell (with the help of longtime Mitchell collaborator Larry Klein and a slew of guest vocalists), Hancock manages to stage dramatic reinterpretations that focus heavily on fleshing out the lyrical mood of each piece.
The surprises that flow through River are plentiful; Tina Turner sounds every bit as fierce as one would hope on “Edith and the Kingpin,” while Ms. Mitchell herself shows up for a subdued reworking of “The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms).” Leonard Cohen’s gravelly grumble even turns up on “The Jungle Line,” turning Mitchell’s synthesized world beat into a spoken-word tone poem (resulting in perhaps the album’s sole misstep).
As the guests frequently come and go (including the requisite Norah Jones guest vocal), Hancock’s piano acts as an eloquent host to the proceedings, backed by a crack band including Wayne Shorter on both soprano and tenor sax, and the multi-dimensional session legend Vinnie Colaiuta on drums.
Make no mistake; the track selection here is varied. There is no “Big Yellow Taxi” to be found and only one cut off of Mitchell’s seminal 1971 masterpiece, Blue, made the cut (a soulful version of “River” featuring songbird-of-the-moment Corinne Bailey Rae).
That said, don’t be scared off by the unconventional palette Hancock has chosen to work from. He knows as well as anyone that Mitchell’s career has never been about hit singles, or genre-specific consistency. Instead, it’s been a journey of lyrical depth, varied emotion and a restless urge to consistently unearth new ground.
In other words, traits that Hancock himself is all too familiar with.
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Bloc Party Record Review
Bloc Party “A Weekend in the City”
Record Review
Appeared in the Elmhurst Leader
February 2007
By Ryan Fergus
The term “post-punk” has been tossed around pretty liberally within the rock community in the past five years or so, largely due to the commercial success of New York bands such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Interpol. The genre’s mix of aggressive melodies, angular guitar riffs and danceable beats has had the music press touting it as the “next big sound” almost ad nauseam throughout the decade. One of the breakout superstar bands of this movement (think rock music that you can actually dance to) has been Bloc Party, who’s debut, Silent Alarm, arrived from England in 2005 with all the subtlety of an East London rugby match. The record showed a young band that was able to combine the isolation of post-modern indie-rock with the hyperactive rhythms of the U.K. club scene that they had been exposed to growing up. The resulting record made them one of the few groups within the genre that actually managed to live up to their hype, both critically and commercially.
The new record, A Weekend in the City (Vice Records), is the band’s attempt to expand on the “isolated urban living” theme of Silent Alarm, while managing to pull away from their competitors and imitators with a more mature sound (and judging from the production, a much bigger recording budget).
They very nearly pull it off.
Just as The Killers did late last year with Sam’s Town (their own overblown mess of a second record), A Weekend in the City attempts to compensate for a distinct decrease in catchy hooks with production tricks and layer-upon-layer of guitars, back-up vocal harmonies and random electronic bleeps and blips scattered throughout the disc. The songs here lack the more straightforward pop structures of Silent Alarm; yet soak newer tracks such as “The Prayer” in glossy, radio-ready production. So, while Weekend may not boast an obvious hit such as “Banquet” (the breakout single off of Silent Alarm), at the very least the new songs sounds absolutely massive blasting from a home stereo system.
On a more positive note, lead singer Kele Okereke’s lyrics seem to be of a more personal and vulnerable nature this time out. Amidst (perhaps not coincidentally) the pre-release publicity blitz for A Weekend in the City, Okereke vaguely dropped hints in several interviews all-but-confirming his bisexuality; in fact several of the songs on the record (“I Still Remember” and “Kreuzberg”) deal with the homosexual lifestyle. Recurring themes such as conformity and urban isolation still abound on tracks such as “Uniform” (“there was a sense of disappoint as we left the mall; all the young people looked the same”) and the shouted climax of the blistering opener, “Song For Clay (Disappear Here)” (“East London is a vampire; it sucks the joy right out of me”).
Ever the driving force of the group, Matt Tong’s drumming remains a revelation. His ability to mimic electronic drum ‘n’ bass beats, as well provide the jittery yet thundering rhythmic base of A Weekend in the City makes his contribution alone a reason to check out the record.
All in all Bloc Party has a crafted an ambitious second record that barely escapes the dreaded “sophomore slump” that so many young bands fall into. While short on the memorable hooks that made their debut such a success, A Weekend in the City’s rhythms, lyrics and overall mood make it worth checking out.
Record Review
Appeared in the Elmhurst Leader
February 2007
By Ryan Fergus
The term “post-punk” has been tossed around pretty liberally within the rock community in the past five years or so, largely due to the commercial success of New York bands such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Interpol. The genre’s mix of aggressive melodies, angular guitar riffs and danceable beats has had the music press touting it as the “next big sound” almost ad nauseam throughout the decade. One of the breakout superstar bands of this movement (think rock music that you can actually dance to) has been Bloc Party, who’s debut, Silent Alarm, arrived from England in 2005 with all the subtlety of an East London rugby match. The record showed a young band that was able to combine the isolation of post-modern indie-rock with the hyperactive rhythms of the U.K. club scene that they had been exposed to growing up. The resulting record made them one of the few groups within the genre that actually managed to live up to their hype, both critically and commercially.
The new record, A Weekend in the City (Vice Records), is the band’s attempt to expand on the “isolated urban living” theme of Silent Alarm, while managing to pull away from their competitors and imitators with a more mature sound (and judging from the production, a much bigger recording budget).
They very nearly pull it off.
Just as The Killers did late last year with Sam’s Town (their own overblown mess of a second record), A Weekend in the City attempts to compensate for a distinct decrease in catchy hooks with production tricks and layer-upon-layer of guitars, back-up vocal harmonies and random electronic bleeps and blips scattered throughout the disc. The songs here lack the more straightforward pop structures of Silent Alarm; yet soak newer tracks such as “The Prayer” in glossy, radio-ready production. So, while Weekend may not boast an obvious hit such as “Banquet” (the breakout single off of Silent Alarm), at the very least the new songs sounds absolutely massive blasting from a home stereo system.
On a more positive note, lead singer Kele Okereke’s lyrics seem to be of a more personal and vulnerable nature this time out. Amidst (perhaps not coincidentally) the pre-release publicity blitz for A Weekend in the City, Okereke vaguely dropped hints in several interviews all-but-confirming his bisexuality; in fact several of the songs on the record (“I Still Remember” and “Kreuzberg”) deal with the homosexual lifestyle. Recurring themes such as conformity and urban isolation still abound on tracks such as “Uniform” (“there was a sense of disappoint as we left the mall; all the young people looked the same”) and the shouted climax of the blistering opener, “Song For Clay (Disappear Here)” (“East London is a vampire; it sucks the joy right out of me”).
Ever the driving force of the group, Matt Tong’s drumming remains a revelation. His ability to mimic electronic drum ‘n’ bass beats, as well provide the jittery yet thundering rhythmic base of A Weekend in the City makes his contribution alone a reason to check out the record.
All in all Bloc Party has a crafted an ambitious second record that barely escapes the dreaded “sophomore slump” that so many young bands fall into. While short on the memorable hooks that made their debut such a success, A Weekend in the City’s rhythms, lyrics and overall mood make it worth checking out.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Bound Stems Artist Profile
Bound Stems
Local Artist Profile
By Ryan Fergus
Insider Magazine
July 2007
There are plenty of classic New York-inspired indie-rock records from the past decade (PJ Harvey’s “Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea,” Interpol’s “Turn On The Bright Lights,” The Strokes’ “Is This It?”). And let us not even get started on Los Angeles; after all what band hasn’t sent the city of angels either a telegram of unrequited love, or at the very least, a spewing of acid-flavored venom?
Now, sure, we Chicagoans are privileged enough to boast the 2001 masterpiece that is Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot;” one of the most critically acclaimed records of the new millennium (and a pure “Chicago” record from start to finish), but a question to the Midwest indie-rock elite - what have you done for us lately?
That is the question that Chicago-based five-piece Bound Stems have been attempting to riposte since 2005, when the release of “The Logic of Building the Body Plan” E.P. proceeded to become critically lauded everywhere from The New York Times to Entertainment Weekly. Featuring a re-tooled line-up and the piqued interest of national media, both old and new (the group is a favorite of many influential bloggers), Bound Stems released their debut full length, “Appreciation Night” (Flameshovel) in September of 2006. The record, an interesting mix of Wilco-ish experimentation and youthful, indie-rock abandon, is in the words of drummer Evan Sult, “a patchwork collage of loose ends and beginnings. It’s essentially a record about transportation.”
Coming from Sult, this is particularly interesting, considering both his pedigree and his history. In the mid-to-late 90’s, Sult was drumming with Seattle-based Harvey Danger; a power-pop combo who’s smash single, “Flagpole Sitta,” overshadowed many of the group’s more literate, clever pop stylings. The quick success and just-as-rapid decline of the group’s success (Spin, upon the release of the group’s criminally-underrated second record, “King James Version,” rightly predicted that “the witty swagger and rejection of novelty-grade goofiness will sail over the heads of radio and the general public”) left such a bad taste in Sult’s mouth that he and his girlfriend packed up and left the Pacific Northwest for the “less judgmental and pessimistic” confines of the windy city.
The move was a boon in more ways than just escaping the fallout of the “utter breakdown” of his former band. After answering an ad in the classified section, Sult hooked up with Bobby Gallivan, Dan Radzicki and Dan Fleury, who, in addition to playing together on the same Libertyville high school basketball team, had by this point been playing music together for a few years. The pairing, according to Sult, was “completely reinvigorating. I felt enthusiastic about making music again.”
With the addition of multi-instrumentalist Janie Porche, the group performed at the 2005 South By Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas. The group is currently preparing to perform on the BMI stage at this year’s Lollapalooza, alongside both marquee acts (Pearl Jam, The Roots) and the newest toasts of indie-nation (Tapes ‘N Tapes, LCD Soundsystem).
The success has been sweet, perhaps most notably for Sult, who has proven there can be a classy second-act in rock ‘n’ roll that doesn’t have to rely on inane reality shows, or misguided reunion tours. “My dealings with the whole major-label experience and the break-up of my last band was a very painful, raw experience,” the drummer notes. “Now, with Bound Stems, we kind of look at what Harvey Danger did the first time around and go ‘lets do the opposite of that’.”
Local Artist Profile
By Ryan Fergus
Insider Magazine
July 2007
There are plenty of classic New York-inspired indie-rock records from the past decade (PJ Harvey’s “Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea,” Interpol’s “Turn On The Bright Lights,” The Strokes’ “Is This It?”). And let us not even get started on Los Angeles; after all what band hasn’t sent the city of angels either a telegram of unrequited love, or at the very least, a spewing of acid-flavored venom?
Now, sure, we Chicagoans are privileged enough to boast the 2001 masterpiece that is Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot;” one of the most critically acclaimed records of the new millennium (and a pure “Chicago” record from start to finish), but a question to the Midwest indie-rock elite - what have you done for us lately?
That is the question that Chicago-based five-piece Bound Stems have been attempting to riposte since 2005, when the release of “The Logic of Building the Body Plan” E.P. proceeded to become critically lauded everywhere from The New York Times to Entertainment Weekly. Featuring a re-tooled line-up and the piqued interest of national media, both old and new (the group is a favorite of many influential bloggers), Bound Stems released their debut full length, “Appreciation Night” (Flameshovel) in September of 2006. The record, an interesting mix of Wilco-ish experimentation and youthful, indie-rock abandon, is in the words of drummer Evan Sult, “a patchwork collage of loose ends and beginnings. It’s essentially a record about transportation.”
Coming from Sult, this is particularly interesting, considering both his pedigree and his history. In the mid-to-late 90’s, Sult was drumming with Seattle-based Harvey Danger; a power-pop combo who’s smash single, “Flagpole Sitta,” overshadowed many of the group’s more literate, clever pop stylings. The quick success and just-as-rapid decline of the group’s success (Spin, upon the release of the group’s criminally-underrated second record, “King James Version,” rightly predicted that “the witty swagger and rejection of novelty-grade goofiness will sail over the heads of radio and the general public”) left such a bad taste in Sult’s mouth that he and his girlfriend packed up and left the Pacific Northwest for the “less judgmental and pessimistic” confines of the windy city.
The move was a boon in more ways than just escaping the fallout of the “utter breakdown” of his former band. After answering an ad in the classified section, Sult hooked up with Bobby Gallivan, Dan Radzicki and Dan Fleury, who, in addition to playing together on the same Libertyville high school basketball team, had by this point been playing music together for a few years. The pairing, according to Sult, was “completely reinvigorating. I felt enthusiastic about making music again.”
With the addition of multi-instrumentalist Janie Porche, the group performed at the 2005 South By Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas. The group is currently preparing to perform on the BMI stage at this year’s Lollapalooza, alongside both marquee acts (Pearl Jam, The Roots) and the newest toasts of indie-nation (Tapes ‘N Tapes, LCD Soundsystem).
The success has been sweet, perhaps most notably for Sult, who has proven there can be a classy second-act in rock ‘n’ roll that doesn’t have to rely on inane reality shows, or misguided reunion tours. “My dealings with the whole major-label experience and the break-up of my last band was a very painful, raw experience,” the drummer notes. “Now, with Bound Stems, we kind of look at what Harvey Danger did the first time around and go ‘lets do the opposite of that’.”
Lobster Newberg Artist Profile
Lobster Newberg Profile
By Ryan Fergus
Published in Insider Magazine
November, 2007
Lobster Newburg frontman Colin Peterik has a lot on his plate right now. While replacing recently departed guitarist Sean Briskey, writing new material for the group’s forthcoming full-length and trying to break out of his famous father’s shadow (that would be Jim Peterik, of both Ides of March and Survivor fame) are certainly things on his mind, one issue has shot to the forefront of that very long list- namely, figuring out where the heck he’s going to go for college next Fall.
Peterik, a remarkably well-adjusted eighteen-year-old from LaGrange, seems to be handling all of this in stride. As the lead singer/songwriter of progressive rock group Lobster Newburg, he’s been around music as long as he can remember. Still, just because he lives in the same house at the man who wrote “Eye of the Tiger,” don’t think it’s a constant joy being rock royalty.
“It’s not as glamorous as you might think,” Peterik attests as he sits down for a quick after-school phone conversation. “Sometimes, one of the guys from Night Ranger will stay over or something, but for the most part it’s pretty normal.” While most wouldn’t call getting singing tips backstage from 80’s legends like Kip Winger “normal,” it’s apparent from Peterik’s humble approach that he’s well aware how invaluable experiences like those can be for a young musician. Still, it becomes increasingly clear that he’s not only looking to make his own mark in music, but he’s looking to do it on his own terms.
As a group, Lobster Newburg cites wildly eclectic influences, eschewing today’s sometimes formulaic, radio-ready pop for broader, classic-rock pastures-King Crimson, John Coltrane, Bad Brains, Frank Zappa and Roxy Music are just some of the musical idols listed on the band’s Myspace page (www.myspace.com/lobsternewburg). In other words, there’s nary a My Chemical Romance or Green Day to be found- what gives?
“Everyone in the group was into doing something really different,” concludes Peterik. Although he cites Radiohead as one of the few modern groups that are actively challenging their audience, Peterik seems fairly disillusioned with the current state of music. “It suprises me what makes it on the radio today. I think you can force feed just about anything to people and they’ll eat it up- which, as a songwriter, makes me pretty mad.”
Peterik is quick to assure that giving more commercially viable music the cold shoulder was in no way a reaction to his father’s knack for penning a pop hook as mammoth as the Atlantic. “I wouldn’t call it a reaction; it’s just that straight-forward pop-rock isn’t really what I listen to. I could write three-minute pop songs, and sometimes I do, but I still give them the same amount of care that I would give to a Lobster Newberg song.”
Proposing a prog-rock concept (think the long running-times and intricate instrumentation of bands like Yes and early Genesis) to bassist Will Gumbiner, the duo quickly recruited hardcore punk fan Victor V.B. on drums and blues-based axeman guitarist Briskey to form the quartet. Lobster Newburg was soon born and Peterik’s plan to do something “different” was quickly moving forward, with the group playing out locally on a regular basis, acquiring a management team and recording demos for an impending record.
The band is now on a collision course with a crossroads many teenage bands face as high school draws to a close- namely- what comes next? With the loss of one member already under the group’s belt, Peterik isn’t going to be putting in time at a local community college in order to keep the original line-up intact. “I definitely want to do this as a career, but I’m also applying to music schools like Berklee, so I can still write and perform while I’m getting an education.”
This doesn’t mean the group’s current incarnation is out for the count however; next Fall is still ways away and the group is currently in the process of auditioning new guitar slingers for upcoming shows. With the release of the new album (hopefully by the new year), the band plans to aggressively shop it to labels with the hopes of a full-on record deal. Peterik, just as any opportunistic young man should be, has high hopes for the future.
“We wouldn’t be against being played on the radio,” he concludes in the weary tone of someone who has to get cracking on his history paper. “Our kind of music hasn’t been mainstream for a long time. Maybe it’s about time that it became popular again.”
By Ryan Fergus
Published in Insider Magazine
November, 2007
Lobster Newburg frontman Colin Peterik has a lot on his plate right now. While replacing recently departed guitarist Sean Briskey, writing new material for the group’s forthcoming full-length and trying to break out of his famous father’s shadow (that would be Jim Peterik, of both Ides of March and Survivor fame) are certainly things on his mind, one issue has shot to the forefront of that very long list- namely, figuring out where the heck he’s going to go for college next Fall.
Peterik, a remarkably well-adjusted eighteen-year-old from LaGrange, seems to be handling all of this in stride. As the lead singer/songwriter of progressive rock group Lobster Newburg, he’s been around music as long as he can remember. Still, just because he lives in the same house at the man who wrote “Eye of the Tiger,” don’t think it’s a constant joy being rock royalty.
“It’s not as glamorous as you might think,” Peterik attests as he sits down for a quick after-school phone conversation. “Sometimes, one of the guys from Night Ranger will stay over or something, but for the most part it’s pretty normal.” While most wouldn’t call getting singing tips backstage from 80’s legends like Kip Winger “normal,” it’s apparent from Peterik’s humble approach that he’s well aware how invaluable experiences like those can be for a young musician. Still, it becomes increasingly clear that he’s not only looking to make his own mark in music, but he’s looking to do it on his own terms.
As a group, Lobster Newburg cites wildly eclectic influences, eschewing today’s sometimes formulaic, radio-ready pop for broader, classic-rock pastures-King Crimson, John Coltrane, Bad Brains, Frank Zappa and Roxy Music are just some of the musical idols listed on the band’s Myspace page (www.myspace.com/lobsternewburg). In other words, there’s nary a My Chemical Romance or Green Day to be found- what gives?
“Everyone in the group was into doing something really different,” concludes Peterik. Although he cites Radiohead as one of the few modern groups that are actively challenging their audience, Peterik seems fairly disillusioned with the current state of music. “It suprises me what makes it on the radio today. I think you can force feed just about anything to people and they’ll eat it up- which, as a songwriter, makes me pretty mad.”
Peterik is quick to assure that giving more commercially viable music the cold shoulder was in no way a reaction to his father’s knack for penning a pop hook as mammoth as the Atlantic. “I wouldn’t call it a reaction; it’s just that straight-forward pop-rock isn’t really what I listen to. I could write three-minute pop songs, and sometimes I do, but I still give them the same amount of care that I would give to a Lobster Newberg song.”
Proposing a prog-rock concept (think the long running-times and intricate instrumentation of bands like Yes and early Genesis) to bassist Will Gumbiner, the duo quickly recruited hardcore punk fan Victor V.B. on drums and blues-based axeman guitarist Briskey to form the quartet. Lobster Newburg was soon born and Peterik’s plan to do something “different” was quickly moving forward, with the group playing out locally on a regular basis, acquiring a management team and recording demos for an impending record.
The band is now on a collision course with a crossroads many teenage bands face as high school draws to a close- namely- what comes next? With the loss of one member already under the group’s belt, Peterik isn’t going to be putting in time at a local community college in order to keep the original line-up intact. “I definitely want to do this as a career, but I’m also applying to music schools like Berklee, so I can still write and perform while I’m getting an education.”
This doesn’t mean the group’s current incarnation is out for the count however; next Fall is still ways away and the group is currently in the process of auditioning new guitar slingers for upcoming shows. With the release of the new album (hopefully by the new year), the band plans to aggressively shop it to labels with the hopes of a full-on record deal. Peterik, just as any opportunistic young man should be, has high hopes for the future.
“We wouldn’t be against being played on the radio,” he concludes in the weary tone of someone who has to get cracking on his history paper. “Our kind of music hasn’t been mainstream for a long time. Maybe it’s about time that it became popular again.”
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