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I had to get this up right away because you know my local bands here in Chicago really do kick ass and this band, aptly named The Locals, are kicking some major KISS ass today. This KISS cover of Shout It Out Loud is part of a Chicago indie band tribute CD project. And this awesome band has an LP out, Big Picture, that I reviewed over here a few months back where I reviewed a show of theirs as well. I need to see them again because they seriously rock! They’re working on a new EP, so get out to see them, Chicago, especially if you like guitar-driven, female-fronted indie rock.
Songs from this EP, by Anna Rose, come up on my car stereo quite often and I find myself thinking back to my highschool days. Now, Anna’s highschool days are only a few years behind her; she’s a very talented and mature 24 year old singer and guitarist. Highschool was a coonsiderably longer time ago for me. But Ana’s voice brings it back rather clearly. Listening to “Picture” you can hear that hint of Ann Wilson’s guitar solo, that sharp way she ends her words at the end of her phrases like Nancy Wilson does. Listen to the lyrics and imagine a bit of Grace Slick’s drama in there. It’s not a far stretch. And indeed, Anna Rose does not deny that her heroes are the same heroes of my youth: Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin.
These five songs are from a larger project, her upcoming album Nomad, and they give a clear picture of where this accomplished woman is heading. Vocally, she effortlessly shifts from soft, high notes to bluesy low ones which almost make me wait impatiently for that sweet little guitar solo in the middle of “WIlshire Blvd.” to finish to hear her sing some more. Are we tired of female singer/songwriters? Has Jewel, Shania, Callie glutted the market? No, I doubt we will ever tire of the sweet female voice singing us a story but it does mean that each new one has to outshine the others. Anna Rose stands to win this round if not with this little EP then with Nomad, which I eagerly anticipate. buy it here
Anna Rose sings this bluesy-country rock that is so rich and lush. Her voice is young and sharp and she clips the ends of her words with just the right amount of twang to please me. But there’s more to this young artist than her sound. Lyrically, Anna Rose has crafted an EP’s worth of songs worth hearing. I’m waiting for my copy so I can give you a proper review; I think it holds a lot of promise. Her self-titled EP is due out September 29, in the meantime, have a taste of “Picture” and get your groove on to that sweet guitar solo, xoxo
You can see her perform here: Sep 21 2009, 9:00 p.m., Gramercy Theatre, New York City
Uh yes, it’s mailbox cleanup time. And no, I’ve not been busy looking at porn… well not all the time! and please do continue to bother me!
Seriously, don’t you hate these posts? I’m so sorry, not the least of all to those lovely musicians! But I’ve got seriously behind, in a good way, with a lot of reviews and shows to go to and such. So, here’s a kind of grab bag of what’s been sitting in my inbox for way too long now, deserving some space and not getting any!
Elephant Stone, ex-High Dials guitarist Rishi Dhir’s new band, gives us this single, “I Am Blind” from their new record The Seven Seas which is released by Indiecater Records. (And you can stream the record there as well as purchase it!) It’s described as jangle-rock. I think it’s very good and wish I had time to give it a more thorough review. It was up for a Polaris Prize afterall!
“All My Ghosts” from Christopher Bell’s Cover EP released on Silent Home Records. It’s a quaint little song, with strings and harmonies and beautiful, old-fashioned appeal. I quite like it!
“Splintered Bridges” is a super cool little ditty from an all girl group out of Berkeley, CA called The Splinters. It came to me labeled, “garage pop” and yeah, I think that’s pretty accurate. They got some blog love from their shows at SXSW and have a new 7″ out on Double Negative Records.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t share this lovely man with you, darlings. Jack Stafford contacted me a while ago saying he was touring the US this fall and it took me some time to go peek at his music. Well ”Love Drug” just won me over just as much as “Rise of the Renunciate” did, some of you will know why. So forgive me Jack! And readers, do go over to his MySpace and hear the rest, buy his music there too!
And here’s Jack Stafford’s ridiculously long tour schedule, see? He’s really become a renunciate!
Aug 14 2009 8:00P Kiste Stuttgart
Aug 15 2009 8:00P Abendsegler Feldberger Seenlandschaft
Aug 22 2009 8:00P Hafen 2 Offenbach
Aug 24 2009 8:00P Cafe Schroder Gottingen
Aug 26 2009 8:00P Ae Neukoelln Berlin
Aug 27 2009 8:00P ““Intersoup ““`Berlin
Aug 29 2009 8:00P` Kunstbaurkino Grosshennersdorf
Aug 30 2009 8:00P Subway to Peter Chemnitz
Aug 31 2009 8:00P Li-Wei Apolda
Sep 1 2009 8:00P Cafe Galao Stuttgart
Sep 2 2009 8:00P Steinbruch Duisburg
Sep 3 2009 8:00P Spatz & Wal Unna
Sep 4 2009 8:00P Pferdestall Bremerhaven
Sep 5 2009 8:00P Kassel Museumsnacht Kassel
Sep 17 2009 8:00P The Space Hamden, Connecticut
Sep 18 2009 8:00P The People’s Pint Greenfield, Massachusetts
Sep 19 2009 8:00P PA’s Lounge Somerville, Massachusetts
Sep 20 2009 8:00P The Burren Somerville, Massachusetts
Sep 21 2009 8:00P The Red Door Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Sep 22 2009 8:00P Radio Bean Burlington, Vermont
Sep 23 2009 8:00P Langdon St Cafe Montpelier, Vermont
Sep 24 2009 8:00P Monkey house Winooski, Vermont
Sep 29 2009 8:00P Cafe Nine New Haven, Connecticut
Sep 30 2009 8:00P The Saint Ashbury Park, New Jersey
Oct 1 2009 8:00P Dewey Beach Music Conference & Festival Dewey Beach, Delaware
Oct 2 2009 8:00P Dewey Beach Music Conference & Festival Dewey Beach, Delaware
Oct 3 2009 8:00P Dewey Beach Music Conference & Festival Dewey Beach, Delaware
Oct 7 2009 8:00P The Wonderland Ballroom Washington, Washington DC
Oct 10 2009 8:00P Mansions 462 Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Oct 11 2009 8:00P The Acoustic Coffeehouse Johnson City, Tennessee
Oct 12 2009 8:00P WDVX Knoxville, Tennessee
Oct 13 2009 8:00P Caledonia Lounge Athens, Georgia
Oct 15 2009 8:00P Preservation Pub Knoxville, Tennessee
Oct 16 2009 8:00P Music City Bar Nashville, Tennessee
Oct 17 2009 8:00P Richard’s Cafe White’s Creek, Tennessee
Oct 19 2009 8:00P The Record Bar Kansas City, Missouri
Oct 20 2009 8:00P Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, Indiana
Oct 22 2009 12:30P Mojo’s Davenport, Indiana
Oct 22 2009 8:00P The Frequency Madison, Wyoming
Oct 28 2009 8:00P The Bug Jar Rochester, New York
Oct 29 2009 8:00P The Perfect Wife Manchester, Vermont
Nov 4 2009 7:00P The Living Room New York, New York
Nov 18 2009 8:00P Bohemeo’s Houston, Texas
Nov 19 2009 8:00P The Aardvark Ft Worth, Texas
Nov 20 2009 8:00P Saxon Pub (w/ porterdavis) Austin, Texas
Nov 27 2009 8:00P The Corner Pub Conroe, Texas
Dec 10 2009 8:00P Cafe Briljant Haarlem
Dec 12 2009 8:00P Le Shamrock Liege
Dec 16 2009 8:00P Lokaal Vredebreuk Den Haag
Dec 17 2009 4:00P Delicatessen Amsterdam
Dec 17 2009 8:00P Pageturner 12 @ Pakhuis Wilhelmina Amsterdam
Feb 10 2010 8:00P El Negocito Gent
Lie down in the fire with me
I burn everything frequently
If it don’t feel good
When you first get in
Wait ’til it gets under your skin
Lie down underneath the breeze
Can’t cool down when you’re down with me
If it don’t feel good When you first get in
Wait ’til it gets under your skin
This week’s Contrast Podcast is another in the series “The Body” and we’re focusing on The Skin. Well, you know I had to get in on this! So here’s my selection, Under Your Skin, and you can watch the video here (damn un-enabled YouTube) Funny, but until tonight when I was looking up info on this song I never knew it was about tattoos
I had the great opportunity to see The Locals in their first headlining spot at Martyrs on Friday night. This trio is a high-energy, indie rock, guitar-heavy band that I’ve been looking forward to meeting for weeks and weeks. And, my darling readers, I was not disappointed! Taking the stage after four other bands, The Locals completely wowed the crowd. And yes, they do have their local following here in Chicago. With two women as sexy as Yvonne Doll and Christy Nunes out in front, you know that I was entranced! I wasn’t the only one, a throng of women (and some men) in the audience cheered, heckled (SEXY!!! from one in particular) and sang along through their 40 minute set.
Doll’s vocals are a perfect combination of lady-like melody and gutsy, throaty rock-n-roll angst. She worked her guitar hard that night, taking a wide stance and giving us lots of reverb (you all know how much I love that!). Nunes on bass was a thrill to watch. It’s been a damn long time since I’ve seen a bass player really move and it wasn’t just the way her hair whipped across her face. This bass player knew how to work it, how to provide not just a foundation for a song but a counter melody when needed as well. The Local’s music is bad-girl gritty through and through.
Big Picture is a 10-track powerhouse of songs full of solid musicianship and some great hooks. Opening with “Bending in the Wind,” we’re lulled into a false security, expecting a record full of ballads. It’s a fine lead up to what I feel is the best song on the album, the title track Big Picture where Doll unveils her vocal range beautifully. “Ohio” is another song that was just stunning live; it’s one of those that you hear twice and feel like you’ve been listening to it for years. It’s their fourth album and I’ve had it on heavy rotation here at Chez Tart. Go to their MySpace to purchase it.
They’ve been recording a new album; I’ll let you know as soon as I get it. And seeing as my little wifey was way into this band, I promise you you’ll be hearing more about them here!
The Locals will play at Art Fair on the Square in Madison, WI on June 11. Go catch this band!
photo credit: Ryan Bakerink
cause this song is gooooooood, but the video is absolutely horrid. No, I mean, this is a much better band than that. I’m choosing to think they just made a really bad management decision here. Perhaps that also explains why I can’t find any information on upcoming tour dates? Damn, I hate when I find a great band and then discover they’ve broken up. Fans, tell me it ain’t so!
Described as lo-fi garage rock or even something reminiscent of early glam rock (their NYC origins?), Suffrajett is a powerful trio, fronted by Simi Sernaker who has a true rock-and-roll woman’s voice. She’s a violinist and the band features her on electric violin (!) Yeah it’s another act that stems from the riot grrl days but there’s obviously some positive sex power in this group and I give it a “hell yeah” vote of approval, for whatever that’s worth to you
Closer mp3, Suffrajett: SXSW 2008 Showcasing Artists
Suffrajett’s website
Suffrajett on MySpace buy Suffrajett’s Black Glitter, 2007
I had to get this up right away because you know my local bands here in Chicago really do kick ass and this band, aptly named The Locals, are kicking some major KISS ass today. This KISS cover of Shout It Out Loud is part of a Chicago indie band tribute CD project. And this awesome band has an LP out, Big Picture, that I reviewed over here a few months back where I reviewed a show of theirs as well. I need to see them again because they seriously rock! They’re working on a new EP, so get out to see them, Chicago, especially if you like guitar-driven, female-fronted indie rock.
and please do continue to bother me!
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