Ghost Media

I Fight Dragons Featured in "New Music Business" Article

Maybe it's telling that the example held up for the "new music business" is a band who has been around roughly a year and hasn't made any money.  Either way, the Chicago band I Fight Dragons is featured in just such an article which you can read here.  In their defense, the band's Brian Mazzaferri seems to be pretty realistic about the situation, despite the publicist/interviewer seemingly pushing them as some sort of new paradigm.  Makes you wonder if she's interviewing her own client.

Iron and Wine to Play Lakeshore Theater, Schubas in May

Iron and Wine will be rolling into Chicago for a couple of intimate all-request shows in May.  The shows will take place 5/12 at Lakeshore Theater and 5/13 at Schubas.  No onsale info has been announced....

It Ain't Rocket Science

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Best. Article. Ever.

HERE

South By Southwest Announces Initial Lineup

The South By Southwest music festival has announced over 1100 band playing at this year's festival, which takes place in Austin March You can find the whole list here .

Chicago bands making the cut so far:

Anathallo
Pugs Atomz
Andrew Bird
Disappears
The Enright House
John Langford and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts
Mahjongg
Joe Pug
Vince P
Rabid Rabbit
Red Red Meat
Anni Rossi
Scotland Yard Gospel Choir

Bono on Sinatra

In an OpEd piece for the New York Times  today, Bono  talks about what he learned from Frank Sinatra, both in song and in friendship. 

Enough Already. DeRogatis' "Top 10 Shows" Is a Joke

In a way it makes perfect sense.  An aging, obsolete media should go down with an aging, obsolete critic at the helm.  But at a certain point we should appeal to the civic duty of the Sun Times to provide its public with a music critic at least tangentially conversant in what is going on in his chosen medium.  We've never been a fan of Jim Derogatis.....from his clearly-left-halfway-through show reviews to his stalkerish hatred for Lollapalooza and C3 Productions...but at a certain point no one with an honest bone in their body can defend this nonsense.

To wit: Derogatis' "Top 10 Shows of 2008" List for the Sun Times. Including such cutting edge stalwarts as AC/DC, Robyn Hitchcock, and Neil Young, the list reads like a playlist from a classic rock station.  The average age is 53 years old, and there isn't a single band with a member under age 30.  Outside of Flight of the Concords (probably appropriate that his #2 show of the year is a comedy band) and Jay Z, the youngest to make the list is age 44. 

Not too hard to see why daily newspapers have lost their readership.

Record Labels To Stop Suing Downloaders?

According to the Wall Street Journal, the record industry will stop using lawsuits as a way of fighting online piracy.  Instead the  RIAA claims that it has agreements in place with  internet service providers that will cut off the internet connections of downloaders after a series of warnings.

TNK09 Preview: Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson

The good folks at Schubas are once again hosting the Tomorrow Never Knows Festival, which will take place January 14th-18th.  The festival has long been one of the finest showcases of on-the-cusp-of-greatness independent music, but this year's lineup may be the best in the festivals history.  In the coming weeks we'll be previewing different bands on the bill, and kicking off the series is Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson.  His backing band includes most of Grizzly Bear and Kyp from TV on the Radio and his video has loads of zombies, but more importantly his song "Buriedfed" is stunningly good. Check it out below.

Van Halen's "No Brown M&Ms" Rider

The Smoking Gun has dug up a copy of the oft-referenced never-seen Van Halen tour rider which famously called for a bowl of M&Ms with all the brown ones excluded.  Less legendary passages include their desire for brussell sprouts on "even days", peas on "odd days" and "herring in sour cream" every day.  Check it out here.

Happy Thanksgizzle

Is Billy Corgan Alternative Rock's Britney Spears?

KCRW's Nic Harcourt Retires

Nic Harcourt, music director at Santa Monica's KCRW and host of the influential "Morning Becomes Eclectic" show is stepping down from his position at the end of the month.   Seems like  power and influence just don't pay the bills.  "The bottom line is I’ve been in public radio for 10 years, and regardless of how great my job is, I make public radio money, and I have two 5-year-olds. I have to think about their future ... I’m going to be busy. I’m looking forward to building some equity for myself."  Harcourt will concentrate on his music supervision efforts and voice over work.

Vegan Rats? Health Department Closes Down Earwax Cafe

Wicker Park vegetarian institution Earwax has been closed by the Health Department after inspectors found evidence of rat infestation. 

Pontiac Cafe is Closing

Somehow I managed to miss the news that the Wicker Park outdoor drinking institution Pontiac Cafe is closing it's doors, after being bought by a local restaurateur.  The place had awful service and overpriced beer......but on a sunny day there wasn't a better place in the city.  Time Out Chicago has the full story.

Muxtape Loses the Battle

Last month I wrote about the legal problems online mixtape generator Muxtape was enduring. The battle didn’t last long.  Muxtape officially shut down for good this week, citing difficulties coming to an agreement with major labels.  I’d recommend going to Muxtape's website to read founder Justin Oellette’s thoughtful explanation of the situation, which closes by saying, “The industry will catch up some day, it pretty much has to.”

Smashing Pumpkings Finally Come Home

Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlain and some random people Smashing Pumpkins will at long last return to their hometown of Chicago for a four night run of shows split between two venues.  The band will play November 18th and 19th at The Chicago Theatre and November 21st and 22nd a few blocks south at the Auditorium Theater.  Ticket information has not been announced, but will presumably be announced by an overwrought, melodramatic full page newspaper ad penned by Corgan.

Limewire Releases Free Compliation of Chicago Bands

Limewire and Chicago Innerview Magazine have teamed up with Matt Rucins of Schubas to put together 11 tracks from Chicago's most promising bands.  The entire thing is available via a free download over at the Limewire Music Store  and includes songs from Brighton MA, Pretty Good Dance Moves, and  Maps and Atlases among others. 

Forward Thinking for the Clueless Set

Failing at a remarkable rate of speed, record labels have been forced to think outside of the box when looking for new ways to connect with customers.  If this idea  is any indication, they're not very good at it.

Muxtape Finds Trouble With The Man

The inevitable day of reckoning for online mixtape generator Muxtape has finally come.  Visitors to their site this morning were met with the message that "Muxtape will be unavailable for a brief period while we sort out a problem with the RIAA".  While there are no further details, the situation seems pretty self explanatory.  For those unfamiliar, Muxtape has become a minor phenomenon among early adopter types by allowing you to create a streaming mixtape online with just about any song you care to upload.  With the major labels continuing to hemorrhage money, they sent their version of Dick Cheney...the RIAA out to see if they can extract some money from the situation.  No word as of now when the situation might be resolved.