Local Business Profile
Insider Magazine
July 2007
By Ryan Fergus
Walking In Memphis
Tennessee Native Brings BBQ Expertise to Hillside
Barbeque lovers living in Chicagoland often have it rough. Not fortunate enough to live in the Barbeque “hot spots” of the country such as Kansas City, Austin, St. Louis or the Carolina’s, they’re often left with the watered-down, chain version of that sweet, tangy flavor that true barbeque fans savor. Luckily for those in the southwest suburbs, there is hope, and it’s located in a small strip mall in Hillside.
Memphis Jack’s, a true southern-style barbeque joint, opened its doors eleven months ago with the mission of bringing some of that mouth-watering flavor to Chicagoland. Owned and operated by Jack Adams III, the restaurant is a virtual recreation of the classic “joints” down South that are easy to miss, but almost always worth pulling off the interstate for.
The décor is spot on- Elvis posters plastered on the wall, B.B. King singin’ ‘bout his baby on the stereo and picnic-style benches for you and yours to sit while you tear apart a big rack of ribs, or a pulled pork sandwich (a Memphis Jack’s specialty). How about some free lemonade while you wait for your food? Done.
Sure, the furnishing is delicious in itself, but what about the food? According to Adams, a Memphis native who set-up a brief incarnation of Memphis Jack’s in Denver before coming to the Midwest, the truth is in the sauce.
“We make all our sauce in-house; it’s a secret recipe that I’ve been perfecting for over three years now.” The tantalizing topping adheres to the Memphis template of a half-tomato/half-vinegar-based blend (plus Adam’s secret spices of course). In addition, Memphis Jack’s applies an “everything fresh, everyday” policy to the whole menu, from the sauce, to the peach cobbler and even to the mac-n-cheese (the recipe of which coming from Adam’s own mother).
The result of all this hard work? BBQ heaven.
Showing posts with label Profile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Profile. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
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’.”
Erin Gallagher Jewelry Profile
Local Business Profile
Insider Magazine
By Ryan Fergus
October 2007
Erin Gallagher Jewelry
Suburban Jewelry Maven Sets Her Sights On The Big City
Customization is an increasingly demanded service these days; it in fact seems that the modern consumer not only seeks, but also demands a product that is tailor - made to their exact specifications. While this trend continues to flourish in almost every kind of industry, customization in jewelry has lagged - and it’s this very movement that Erin Gallagher is trying to hasten.
“Women should be able to have their jewelry fit them like clothing” Gallagher relays from her soon-to-be open, self-titled boutique. “Currently that isn’t the trend.”
Growing up in LaGrange, where she attended Lyons Township High School, Gallagher prepped for her future career by working at Eye On Design in Hinsdale, taking classes at the Art Institute of Chicago and, most crucially, starting a small, home-operated jewelry business with her mother, Cathy. The partnership quickly grew, with the mother-and-daughter team getting their jewelry stocked in Bloomingdales department stores after only a year of working together. Things were moving forward- and quickly.
Then tragedy struck - cruelly, and without warning.
After Cathy Gallagher’s sudden death from advanced colorectal cancer, Erin, motivated by her mother’s love and confidence, decided to push onward with their dream. Her cousin and close friend, Melissa Bocker (herself a Downers Grove native), stepped in to help, working trade shows for the burgeoning company.
The next logical step for the duo was to open a studio; a home base of sorts where Gallagher and Bocker could continue to create, as well as allow customers to browse through a diverse selection of rare stones to create the perfect jewelry piece to accent a particular outfit or event.
That dream is finally coming to fruition September 28th, when Erin Gallagher Jewelry (1017 W. Lake St.) officially opens for business. As Gallagher puts it, “we are the only store in Chicago to my knowledge where women can customize their jewelry – specifically the type of stone, as well as the length and style of the chain.” The front end of the studio is concentrated towards the high-end pieces that make up the Erin Gallagher line. The rear of the store is dedicated to the plentiful customizable options available to customers.
The team, now including store manager (and Westchester resident) Lisa McSweeney, are putting the finishing touches on the boutique themselves- three young women hammering nails, sanding floors and assembling displays- all in preparation for the grand opening.
For Gallagher in particular, the feeling in the air is that of sweet promise. “I love our store…I love the fact that women will be able to come here and feel glamorous.”
Insider Magazine
By Ryan Fergus
October 2007
Erin Gallagher Jewelry
Suburban Jewelry Maven Sets Her Sights On The Big City
Customization is an increasingly demanded service these days; it in fact seems that the modern consumer not only seeks, but also demands a product that is tailor - made to their exact specifications. While this trend continues to flourish in almost every kind of industry, customization in jewelry has lagged - and it’s this very movement that Erin Gallagher is trying to hasten.
“Women should be able to have their jewelry fit them like clothing” Gallagher relays from her soon-to-be open, self-titled boutique. “Currently that isn’t the trend.”
Growing up in LaGrange, where she attended Lyons Township High School, Gallagher prepped for her future career by working at Eye On Design in Hinsdale, taking classes at the Art Institute of Chicago and, most crucially, starting a small, home-operated jewelry business with her mother, Cathy. The partnership quickly grew, with the mother-and-daughter team getting their jewelry stocked in Bloomingdales department stores after only a year of working together. Things were moving forward- and quickly.
Then tragedy struck - cruelly, and without warning.
After Cathy Gallagher’s sudden death from advanced colorectal cancer, Erin, motivated by her mother’s love and confidence, decided to push onward with their dream. Her cousin and close friend, Melissa Bocker (herself a Downers Grove native), stepped in to help, working trade shows for the burgeoning company.
The next logical step for the duo was to open a studio; a home base of sorts where Gallagher and Bocker could continue to create, as well as allow customers to browse through a diverse selection of rare stones to create the perfect jewelry piece to accent a particular outfit or event.
That dream is finally coming to fruition September 28th, when Erin Gallagher Jewelry (1017 W. Lake St.) officially opens for business. As Gallagher puts it, “we are the only store in Chicago to my knowledge where women can customize their jewelry – specifically the type of stone, as well as the length and style of the chain.” The front end of the studio is concentrated towards the high-end pieces that make up the Erin Gallagher line. The rear of the store is dedicated to the plentiful customizable options available to customers.
The team, now including store manager (and Westchester resident) Lisa McSweeney, are putting the finishing touches on the boutique themselves- three young women hammering nails, sanding floors and assembling displays- all in preparation for the grand opening.
For Gallagher in particular, the feeling in the air is that of sweet promise. “I love our store…I love the fact that women will be able to come here and feel glamorous.”
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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