Good Old War and Belle Brigade at Lincoln Hall on 4/13/12

Gotye at Aragon Ballroom on April 6, 2012

If any artist has gained popularity overnight through one hit song, it has definitely been Gotye - the Belgian-Australian singer who's been honing his craft since 2003. It's more so about the listener to credit his popularity too; it's hard to find a highly relatable song with charming electronics, simple lyrics and great vocals.

Over the course of a few months, the venue traveled twice, going from a capacity of 750 people to 6x its size, ending up at the Aragon Ballroom; a complimentary space that Kimbra even commented on saying she ‘felt like she was in Disneyworld'.

Kimbra opened the show for Gotye, flaunting her feminine, funk-rock songs wearing a red 'cucaracha' dress and her hair black and cropped like she had in Gotye's music video. Her loud belts and rapid hand movements kept you listening and watching for more. Needless to say it was an excellent warm up to the rest of the night.

Gotye started with 'Eyes Wide Open', their music gaining traction from the start. Their music is indescribable; it's a new sound with xylophones, electronic, haunting, with a full feeling. A large percentage of entertainment came from visuals in the background screen; ethereal movies and images playing on a loop. They were animated in different styles telling stories alongside the lyrics, some of them haunting, others entertaining and hypnotic, complimentary to their music.

Songs from new and old albums were played, and in the middle of the show (finally) he played the hit song that brought the theater together; ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’. (Now, I won't tell you that he initially forgot the lyrics to his own song which got him to start over again.) At her part, Kimbra came out slowly wearing a small glittery black dress. Their harmony together was exact to the original studio recording, and the crowd went wild singing along.

I was surprised and pleased he did not save the song for the encore when a lot of bands keep their fans waiting in anticipation. It was refreshing (as I was not quite tired yet) to fully enjoy that song while I was still attentive and had energy left.

The rest of the show went by quickly but enjoyably, playing a 2 song encore. The crowd was cooperative and the music was identical to how it sounds on the album recording. I'd give it a 5 guitar rating!

Review by Becca Waterloo

G. Love and Special Sauce at Metro on 3/17/12

Photos and video taken by Melody Perpich:









Why did we need to eat dinner? WHY???? IT WAS A BAAAAD DECISION!!! Eating interfered with getting to the show early to score a spot up in the front and having the chance to actually touch G. Love himself. This alone would have been fodder for discussion for the next two years. Maybe pathetic yet true. G. (Garrett Dutton) Love reached his hand out to touch everyone in the first two rows over the course of the show. I think the guys were just as thrilled as the women. This was a girl night out for me having left South Bend, Indiana (hockey tournament weekend for my son), taking a 2.5 hour train to Chicago, catching "El" with the throngs of determined St. Patty's Day partiers, to head back home to the Northside. Once off the train I had to walk 2 miles with heavy bag (no cabs and the train line was being repaired at my stop so not running). This was no easy task but so worth it.

I went to the show with three friends who could all hang in the heat and crowd. G. Love and Special Sauce concluded their "Fixin' To Die" tour at this show pulling out all the stops to put on an exceptional performance. It was nothing short of amazing. Tim Shanko (replacing Jimi "Jazz" Prescott) on stand up and electric bass was truly outstanding. His rapid fire fast fingered frenzied and animated playing was gaping mouth worthy. For those of you who do not know G. Love, he began performing in 1993 with a Philadelphia, PA band and is classified as alternative hip hop and blues. He raps like nobody white's business and plays a badass harmonica and guitar. Tonight they were all on fire. They played all the usual suspects "Booty Call", "Baby's Got Sauce", "Who's Got the Weed" (which was everywhere around us) and others. The encore was an amazing set which included "Fulsom Prison Blues" and a memorable version of "50 Way's to Leave Your Lover". Johnny and Paul would have been proud. It was interesting to notice that there were at least as many (hetero) men as women at the show. Maybe even more men. We surmised that maybe it is the sexual nature of the lyrics or the music attracts guys that like to dance and sing rap lyrics. Many of the guys near us clearly new every song and lyric and were shamelessly dancing throughout the show, alone, with a buddy, or even with an occasional girlfriend. A very fun time hands down (or up). The show gets a 5 out of 5 guitar rating for high energy, a full two hours of solid playing, free contact highs, and great acoustics. This band, now with TIm Shanko, is even more of top of its game.

Dia Frampton (and Meg) at Subterranean on March 2, 2012

(photos taken by Melody Perpich)

VIdeo of Dia and Meg singing "We Are In This Together":



Gotta love an all ages show when both you and the kids want to see the performer. My kids both watched Dia Framton on "The Voice" in 2011 and bought her solo release when it came out. It turns out that all the songs have catchy hooks and have "safe" pop lyrics that the kids (ages 8 and 11) can both sing along to. The songs are a bit contagious. The kids have now memorized all of the songs on the album and were thrilled to see Dia live at Subterranean. In all fairness, when her sister Meg came on stage, she looked like the "star". She had her hair up and looked gorgeous in her sequin dress (see above photo). It turns out that Meg is the more shy sister and less vocally talented. Meg and Dia had a strong fan base to begin with and now sister Meg tours, plays piano, guitar and sings back up vocals for Dia. My kids were not the only ones who knew all the lyrics. All of the high schoolers in attendance seemed to know all of them too and made sure to sing them at the top of their lungs throughout the show. This always begs the question "Do you think we all came here to hear you sing?". I will give a hall pass to the concert goers since these were all/mostly/with the exception of me and my husband, teenagers.

Dia had a bit of a cold but did the best she could reaching for her notes. She was very relaxed, taking off her boots and "Dr. Seuss" socks that her mother bought her (I think they were soft and fuzzy) to go barefoot on stage. Obviously this was not an intimidating venue and everyone was in lovers lane with Dia. We had a chance to meet her and the kids posed for pictures after the show. She was exceptionally sweet and appreciative of my daughter's compliments. She sang most of her songs from her debut CD plus a few covers and her most notable version of "Heartless" which raised the bar for other "Voice" competitors.

My personal favorite song of the night was a cover of "The Flight of the Conchords' song "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room" attached here. This song is hilarious. They picked a random guy from the front of the audience and had him sit on stage while serenading him. If you have not yet seen the "Flight of the Conchords" series, I highly recommend it.



The show was perfect for a fun family night of music. Subterranean is a nice and small venue with good acoustics. They needed some work on lighting because the band and singers (opening act too) were basically in the dark. Word of caution regarding parking. It is either metered or you need a neighborhood sticker. We learned the hard way, thought we scored "rock star" parking (did not see the neighborhood sign) and received a nice $75 ticket. Not so much fun.

Mathien at Reggie's Rock Club on 2/10/12

iPhone photo from Reggie's show courtesy of Becca Waterloo!


ASSUMING YOU CARE, MY DAY WENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS:

6:30 am: Cursed at the alarm clock, woke up, packed kids lunches got breakfast on table, walked and drove kids to school.
8:30 am: Got myself dressed, put lots of under eye cover cream on, and drive downtowne to educational (work) conference until 2:00 pm.
2:45 pm: Picked up kids from school and bought birthday present for daughter's friend who is turning 9.
3:15 pm: Fed son snack before hockey and took daughter to birthday party.
4:45 pm: Went back home, threw in a load of laundry and got on treadmill for 45 minutes (give or take but who is keeping track?).
6:30 pm: Went to pick up daughter from party, had glass of wine with mothers who were also picking up there over sugared and pizza fed daughters.
7:45 pm: Went home, drank two large cups of Starbuck's Italian Roast (home brewed).
8:00 pm: Had friend and daughter over from 8 until 10pm (to chat about dissatisfaction with our kids schools, grading, and other things we have absolutely no control over, and drink more coffee).
9:45 pm: Grabbed "bar bag", cell phone, car keys, ID (for the Po Po in case I am pulled over for speeding and to prove that I am decades over 21 when I get to the bar).
10:00 pm: Left comfort of warm home to meet my friend Becca at Reggie's (on the coldest night of 2012) at 10:30 pm after driving my visiting friend and her daughter home.
(And the bright light at the end of my humdrum day...unless you thought the other parts sounded fun)
11:00 pm: Stood up by the stage, grooved and danced for one hour to a little known but most excellent band, Mathien.
1:00 am: Arrived home, blogged about how seeing Mathien was the light at the end of the tunnel of my already oh so exciting yet typical day. Hallelujah Mathien! (How else could I get though the monotony of the day to day living experience?).

According to the song "Lettuce Head" from Mathien's latest release The Night I was an Alpha Male, "If you knew me then, you really did not know me at all. If you know me now, you should get to know me better". So: If you did not know them then, you should get to know Mathien now or if you knew them, you should definitely get to know them better.

Chris Mathien demonstrates his highly proficient skills on his axe while rocking out to the song "Lettuce Head":



This is my second time seeing Mathien and this talented band has been consistently fun, energetic, and completely engaging. The show was well worth guzzling coffee for in order to keep oneself awake to make it to an 11 pm show (even after starting your day at 6:30 am).

Before I forget, parking for Reggie's was easy breezy. I secured free rock star parking directly across from the venue at 10:30 pm. Normally you could leave your jacket in the car and run across the street if it were not -30 degrees. Another bonus is that there is an incredible record store next door to Reggie's with tons of used CDs, t-shirts and albums. If I had more time to browse I could have found much long lost and new music. Reggie's also serves food until midnight!


More on Mathien's latest release, The Night I Was an Alpha Male soon. For more on Mathien, check out their website here. Please see my first review (check previous blog postings) from the Lincoln Hall show for more details and my full review on Mathien.

The Parlour Suite and Nina Ferraro at Beat Kitchen on 1/15/12

The Parlour Suite

The Parlour Suite is a Minneapolis band with a vintage pop-vibe. Inga (vocals, keyboard) and Joel Roberts (vocals, guitar), a handsome married couple (sorry single ladies and gents) have collaborated musically to create their first EP, Welcome to the Garden Party. Their music is surf inspired (Joel is originally from Australia) and also draws influence from the Phil Spector vault of girl groups (ie. The Ronettes). Beat Kitchen is a great local spot (about the size of Schubas) to see up and coming new bands for a small price. Despite the tattoo and piercings observed at the venue, the crowd and staff are exceptionally friendly. If you are hungry they also have a good bar menu.

Parlour Suite performed the songs from their release and I videotaped my personal favorite "The Goldenhand" for your enjoyment. This song immediately reminded me of the retro-pop sound of "She and Him" (Zoey Deschanel and M. Ward). They had a new drummer with them who played as if he had been with them for years.



My friend Wendy accompanied me to the show and commented that "someone needs to feed her (Inga) a burger". I swiftly told Wendy to "stop being a hater" and to go to the gym. Really, Inga is friendly, talented, and has a great figure (and luckily can enjoy a burger without being cursed with an unsightly muffin top as punishment for the indulgence). She also knows how to wear a pair of high silver sparkle shoes.




With the retro 60's girl thing being resurrected (Lana Rey for example), Parlour Suite has good timing. It will be great to follow them over the next year. With a little polish and fine tuning they just might have something here. For me, the sound was a bit loud for the size of the space and small crowd (possibly a sound guy issue) and the lighting was off since you could not see Inga's face at the keyboard (see video). For more on the Parlour Suite and to see where they are touring, check out their website here. They plan to have a full length CD out soon also.

Nina Ferraro





She had me at "My name is Nina Ferraro and I am 16 years old". She is a prodigious young singer-songwriter that can easily rival any of her older, more experienced contemporaries (Colbie, Ingrid, and others). The maturity in her writing and vocals was remarkable. In all honesty I was VERY tired and not planning to stay for Nina's set which began close to 10:30pm (I did not know who she was). After hearing her first song I was in for the duration. She is a doe-eyed singing-songwriting Chicago teenager from out of nowhere. I spoke briefly to her mother who claims no genetic responsibility for her innate talent. She told me that there is no other musical talent in the family and that when Nina was a young child, she just randomly started writing songs that were well beyond her years. They were so impressive that her mother thought she was plagiarizing them.

Nina has been a guitar student at Old Town School of Folk in Chicago and also plays ukelele, piano, and toy piano. She is clearly influenced by Regina Spektor in her song "Same Boy" and according to mom, is a big KT Tunstall fan.
Nina has previously performed at SPACE, Taste of Chicago, Abbey Pub, Old Town School, and other venues in Chicago. She is not "touring" yet and trying to keep it simple and Chicago based. Her recent 5 song EP release "The Promise" is well worth $5. All the music and lyrics were written by Nina and each song of this freshman debut is unique and reveals the innocent sweet quality of her voice. Her live performance was vocally flawless (and trust me I am picky). She had a great range and perfect soothing pitch with nuance. She was also professional (introduced her band, thanked the audience, introduced her songs) demonstrating her intent to be taken seriously as a future star on the rise. She was very naturally comfortable on stage as if born to perform.

Her recent EP was produced by Will Gilden of Meiko, Eric Hutchinson, Michelle Branch acclaim and as a result is a professionally produced debut. Her EP band includes impressive musicians such as Jonny Flower (The Weepies), Joshua Radin, and Ingrid Michaelson. Keep an eye out for Nina, she is on her way up, I promise. For more on Nina, check out her website here.

Willy Porter and the Mealies at Old Town School of Folk on 1/27/12

I had not seen Willy Porter in several years and view him as one of the singer songwriters that never got the acclaim he deserves. He is also someone that I "grew up with" during my formative years in Chicago. He performed at many festivals and venues during his (and my) more youthful years in Chicago. He is now a Milwaukee, Wisconsin native and is happy to mock the Chicago (Bears) and Wisconsin (Packers) rivalry (is there one?). Tonight I volunteered to usher at the show at OTS, taking the opportunity to revisit my past and the special spot in my heart for the soulful heartfelt sound of Willy Porter. The song "Moonbeam" posted here really reveals Willy's typical warm and soulful vocals and his rapid fire agility on guitar. His guitar playing virtuosity is unparalleled (but I have trouble with bar chords still).

Willy performed with Carpe Diem, a string quartet consisting of Charles Wetherbee (violin), John Ewing (violin), Korine Fujiwara (viola), and Kristin Ostling (cello). His recent reinvention of Willy Porter + Carpe Diem = The Mealies, worked fabulously. This new collaboration allowed Willy (his name was often heard in the crowd with affection as they cheered him on - thus I am not referring to him as "Porter") to rework some of his earlier songs and invent new ones with enhanced beauty and flourish. Their latest release "Live at BoMA" is lovely and worth a listen. I personally splurged the $15 so that the money would land directly in their pockets but I believe you can download the CD for about $7. The crowd tonight was of mixed ages and filled less than half of the theater. It is a mystery why Willy's following is not stronger as it should be. Lesser musicians have more. If I only had the answers.




Willy played a 20 minute solo set followed by a short set by Carpe Diem (demonstrating their talent as a quartet sans vocals) and the show ended with a set with "The Mealies" (defined above). Combined, Willy's vocals were more muted but the music was mesmerizing. If you are a fan of string instruments (think Andrew Bird) morphing from classical to rock and bluegrass beats, you too will be sold. The set ended with a revamped "Mealies" version of "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel. If OTS would have allowed video, this one was the one to capture. This version was fantastic and better than the original (however iconic it is). Acoustics, as always at Old Town, were perfect. The show gets a 5 out of 5 guitar rating. For more check out the Mealies website.