Chicago -
By Matt Harness
Ever since I pulled up a chair to the Beachwood Music desk in April, I’ve been asking the Bloodshot artists I’ve interviewed how they would spend their last quarters of the night on the jukebox in the corner. Feel free to turn this list into your own private compilation.
*
“Ha Ha Ha” by Del Shannon
*
“Whiskey River” by Willie Nelson
*
“Freight Train” by Elizabeth Cotten
*
“Five Years” by David Bowie
Posted on December 18, 2009
By The Beachwood Priest Driven Ambulance Affairs Desk
It looked like New Year’s Eve and felt like Christmas for Flaming Lips fans at the Allstate Arena Friday as the band brought its confetti-strewn psychedelic circus act to one of its largest indoor venues to date. As part of WXRT’s Big Holiday Concert, and in support of the Lips’ freaked-out, meandering recent release Embryonic, the Oklahoma City group trotted out its usual theatrics on a grander scale: Vocalist Wayne Coyne surfed the sea of fans in his customary human-sized hamster ball, made confetti rain from the rafters, and sent flocks of bright balloons into the farthest depths of the stadium.
– Martina Sheehan
Some highlights.
1. The big open.
Posted on December 15, 2009
By The Beachwood Surrender Affairs Desk
Cheap Trick wants you to want them, and they’re still mighty desirable. Thursday night at the Allstate Arena, the band blasted through a 75-minute set that featured four powerful songs from their 2009 studio album, “The Latest,” alongside timeless gems like “Surrender,” “Dream Police” and “I Want You to Want Me.”
– Bobby Reed
Some highlights. Where embedding has been disabled, we provide the YouTube URLs.
1. Rolling numbers.
Posted on December 14, 2009
By Matt Harness
Most people in Chicago don’t know Joe Swank.
The 41-year-old from Marion, Illinois, a town known best for its federal prison, is a music industry insider. He works for Bloodshot Records as one of the label’s publicity experts, most notably by encouraging radio stations around the country to play Robbie Fulks, among others.
Now, Swank has another mission. That is to promote himself and his band the Zen Pirates, who recently released Hank Williams Died for My Sins. Swank, who calls his brand of music “aggressive hillbilly,” is unsigned but unworried. His work at Bloodshot is his main focus these days.
Beachwood Music talked to Swank about seemingly everything under the music tent, including his history with the Drive-By Truckers.
Posted on December 11, 2009
By The Beachwood Jesus Affairs Desk
“David Yow didn’t allow bruised ribs suffered from an accidental fall during The Jesus Lizard’s first of two sold-out weekend shows at Metro to keep him from playing the second concert,” the Tribune reports. “Yet the vocalist’s injury, incurred while he was crowd-surfing to the closing ‘Wheelchair Epidemic’ at Friday’s unhinged 75-minute performance, significantly limited his trademark antics the following evening.”
1.
Posted on December 1, 2009
