Monday, October 31, 2005

THE LATEST on tour November 2nd through November 6th

catch 'em...
Sun. November 6th The Rail (New Brunswick, NJ) Northern Liberties and shellshag
Sat. November 5th Ding Dong Lounge (New York, NY) the Turpentine Brothers
Fri. November 4th Midway Cafe (Jamaica Plain, MA) The Keys To The Streets of Fear
Wed. November 2nd Moe's Bar & Grill (Cleveland, OH) Teddd Flynnn, Bill Weita and Beckett and Friends

THE LATEST on MySpace


Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click.

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Edmar-rissey

For his halloween costume at the Select Media Festival Secret Halloween Party, the ageless Edmar (ne Marszewski) slicked his hair back, flashed his hairless Korean-Polish chest through black apparel, summoned a rock band complete with passionate yet sensitive fans, and dove straight in to "Meat is Murder" with great abandon. To put it in a word, glorious.
It's beyond me how Mr. Marszewski is able to scrap together a Smiths Tribute band from a bunch of boys who were born at least a good year after the Smiths first release and looked more likely to play Flying Burrito Brothers tunes (or surgeons in a Civil War movie).
Another delight last night was the demonic Alien act Aspic Tines who reminded us "Hurricanes! Earth Quakes, Tsunami! WATCH OUT!."
churchbus looked pure and wholesome next to this galactic romantic mess that was.

Saturday, October 29, 2005

There's something in the basement...


Last night just under the all night bustle of the Fulton Meat Market District, Lozenge played an exuberant set violently steered by accordionist/moog-ist Kyle Bruckman while Kurt Johnson hammered in the foundation like a house being built top down.
Lozenge is at the tail end of a three week tour that from the sound of their band chatter had more snags and pitfalls than triumphs; nevertheless leaving them completely pumped to finish what their tour motto started "undoing America." Band commentary aside, Lozenge put on an excellent show absolutely tight and sporadic. The addition of Viennese Free Jazz artist, saxophonist, and longtime Lozenge associate, Boris Hauf was a pleasant surprise. I don't know if Boris was there for the entire tour but they played so well together that it's just not surprising they've been on the road for three weeks straight.
I told Kyle after the show how much Lozenge has been missed since the band (for all practical purposes) broke up on his move to the Bay Area. He said (and I could tell he meant it) that he missed it too. So I'd expect more shows from this noise rock monster outfit. But don't take any chances see them tonight at Enemy their last show...ever?
Check out their tunes (drill down from their discography page to the individual releases and find mp3 links).

Note: The photo on top was taken by Sandra Lima at the Prodigal Son in 2002 (although it looks surprisingly similar to the scene last night).

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Tip of the Week

Tricia Moreau Sweeney. Her work got a nice write-up (Tip of the Week!) in New City. Other good news, it will be hanging well past the Nov. 18th close date probably through to December.
Tricia Moreau Sweeney shows at Schopf Gallery on Lake, 942 West Lake, (312)432-1630.
Up next THE LATEST on teenie tour east November 2-6.
This weekend, celebrate Halloween with some real freaks the Lumpen crew and churchbus too.


Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click.

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Here you go Chicago...

A view from the other side, an Astros Buddy reminisces (with apologies and thanks to Erin Kline). This is copied from an email not originally intended for public display so excuse the e-nglish:

I am sitting at home with a sinus infection - and a tennis match looming for tomorrow at noon. I am trying to decide if I should go and practice right now - or eat, rest up a bit, and then practice. Either way the sinus infection is there - decisions - decisions - and I cannot really reschedule the match, which sucks.
The White Socks, The Cubs, The Astros - they are all jacked up on steroids that's what makes Baseball fun. Personally I am an Astros Fan - because I was an Astros Buddy as a kid. Every year my dad would sign us up to be Astros buddies. I even collected baseball cards, Nolan Ryan, Jose Cruz, Alan Ashby, and Phil Garner. I used to scream: JOSE CRUZ. I played T-ball, dad's pitch, baseball, and later softball, which I disliked. I even played on the softball team in high school - until I starting get sick during games. All things considered - my entry into the world of baseball wasn't graceful. I, too, was no fan of the dome - (in fact it pissed me off to be so close to Astroworld but so far away). I was bribed by my parents to attend my first Astros game - having stepped in cow shit at the rodeo, I quite hesitatant about the sports complex. My first game was probably in 1980. I would have been five or six. I remember walking into the mens room by mistake. As I recall the mens restroom I entered was brightly painted with metal urinals - I didn't know they were urinals at the time. I was trying to figure out what they were when my mother reached in and pulled me out. My Astros' buddy shirt was orange and white.
We were not allowed to drink soda's or eat junk food at home. So from 2-17 of course I wanted nothing more than a carbonated beverage and a bag of Fritos. My parents - on their more benevolent days - would in public and would allow us to drink a soda and eat junk food. So attending an Astros game pretty much guaranteed a soda, a hot dog, and sometimes a hot pretzel, OR better yet greasy ass Nachos. So I grew to love the games - because I loved the junk food. I liked watching the animated score board - I loved yelling: JOSE CRUZ.
But later things changed, I remember when my new Astros buddy shirt came in the mail and it was dark blue with rainbow sleeves. It was itchy. I missed the orange. I liked my orange hat better too. I remember whining when I had to wear the itchy shirt to the Astros game. I remember getting sick during that same visit and throwing up my foot long hot dog on the foot of the couple beside us. I remember my dad getting to a shouting match with the guy who I barfed on - and that was the last dome game I ever went too.
Later, Phil B took me to Enron Field on a date. I brought my glove(just as in the Astros buddies days). Except unlike during the Astros buddies days - this time I caught a ball. It was in my glove and I glanced back at Phil - seeking approval. I couldn't read him - there were all these little boys surrounding me. I was nervous - I didn't want my date to think that I would punk all those kids out of a a ball. SO I dropped the ball (surely that was more lady-like) - and the kids rushed in a grabbed it. My date was not impressed by my show of generosity, he was if anything disappointed. Apart from the ball screw -up it was a fun time. The beer was sold in plastic bottle - and it was $4.25 per bottle. Phil was wasted by the time we left. I remember thinking that he had spent way too much money on beer. At the time, I was making like $10.00 bucks an hour for $ 4.25 seemed like such an outrageous sum.
I am pulling for the Astros, because once an Astros buddy - always an Astros buddy. Say hi to Tricia
Erin

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Lumpen gives good art.

Edmar and crew continue to amaze with their unflagging desire to demonstrate the abundance importance and pleasure of a-r-t; particularly that of the underground, the outsiders, the bottom liners and above all else the New Chicagoans.  Yesterday's Opening at Iron Studios was a spectacular display of art, artists, music and noise. A show claiming to be the best Chicago group show of the year practically dares you to present yourself.  Now I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that in pure aesthetic value this show is a couple of ribbons short of "best of year" but in overall worthiness, Yes, yes I say yes this is the best of the year.
The New Chicagoans featured thirty local artist in a fairly large space - a loft-ized industrial warehouse in Bridgeport. Most artists are represented by one piece although often that piece is quite grand in scale.  Not much tiny here, in fact anything smaller in scale is reproduced in large numbers to make a bigger whole.  I don't know if that is intentional but it works.  I do know that some artists were told (and told how) to scale back their art to make room for others. I saw one example of this with Duk Ju Kim's piece.  She expected to have two pieces showing and some who saw the two insist that they must be seen together.  I haven't seen the other piece but I immediatly found Kim's work magnetic.  It is centered on the far wall as you walk in and stands roughly 8' high.  A striking facial abstraction that dominates the pieces around it and left viewers staring for several minutes and congregating in its presence.  The appearance of Duk Ju Kim, a mid-career artist, is a smart move on the curator's part.  Her piece along with Al Pocius and John Salhus (all of whom produced oil paintings in a sea of drawings, models, installations, dvd's and 3-D slide shows) give a sense of maturity to the overall show that is otherwise lacking.  It is the balance of this mature work to the youthful energy of the art and the surroundings that makes the show a success.
 
I got a kick in the pants from last night's musical act, Wizzards.  Wizzards is a new duo featuring Lightning Bolt bassist Brian Gibson.  The ideas and sounds conjured by Lightning Bolt and the noise cult it leads can be found in Wizzards.  They were surrounded by christmas lights in plastic tubing and wore long shiney masks and other costuming so that they resembled a cross between Attic Ted and Ace Frehely.
 
Tonight Bobby Conn and others rock your balls off, also at Iron Studios - a feature of Lumpen's Select Media Festival and a Benefit for Hurricane Katrina victim and drum buddy inventor Quintron.
 
Next week, the Secret Halloween Party with churchbus.


Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click.

Friday, October 21, 2005

a note from Edmar

No turning back now.. Next up THE NEW CHICAGOANS

edmar <ed@lumpen.com> wrote:
Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 04:37:52 -0500
Subject: No turning back now.. Next up THE NEW CHICAGOANS
From: edmar <ed@lumpen.com>
To: Lumpen // buddY list <ed@lumpen.com>

Select Media Festival opened up in the community of the Future, Bridgeport,
at the Hey Cadets!/Texas Ballroom complex on Archer Avenue last nite.
The performances by Soft Serve, It's a Trap, Warhammer48K, Jerusalem and the
Starbaskets, and Carpet of Sexy set the standards high for what we think
will be quite a nice frolic into a new experimental cultural diaspora.

Situated east of the White Sox, north of the haunted hogbutchering grounds,
south of I55 and west of McKinley Park, Bridgeport, the community of the
Future is yours to create.

We are staging Select Media Festival from the 2nd floor of a huge warehouse
called Iron Studios in the country's oldest industrial park. And tonite we
are unveiling the best group art exhibition this city has had all year.
We are not kidding. If you think we are wrong then we'll give you cab fair
back. Maybe.

details:

The New Chicagoans
Friday October 21

Iron Studios
3636 Iron St 2nd floor
Reception 6pm
Performance program 8pm
$8 and $5 for students

Directions/map
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=3636+S+Iron+St+chicago&iwloc=A&hl=en

The New Chicagoans
The New Chicagoans refers to a multiplicity of approaches by the vanguard of
the Chicago art communities. This group exhibition reveals the wide range of
approaches in contemporary art making in the city by emerging and
established practitioners.

Featuring: Brian Ulrich, Christine Tarkowski, Juan Chavez, Cody Hudson,
Chris Uphues, Rob Doran, Michael Merck, Joe Compean, Jackie Kilmer, John
Parot, Melina Ausikaitis, Duk Ju Kim, John Salhus, Victor Van Bramer,
Barbara Kasten, Nat Ward, Sighn, Ryan Davies, Nick Black, Jason Lazarus,
Greg Stimac, You Are Beautiful, Elisa Harkins, Carl Virgo, Al Burian, Al
Pocius, Andrew Wilson, Stephen Eichorn, Melinda Fries, Erin Foley, Michael
Genovese, Stephen Mathewson, Paul Nudd, and Dolan Geiman.

Show runs October 21 - November 13, 2005 Gallery Hours: 1pm-5pm Sat and Sun

6 pm: Opening
9pm Performances
Auk Theater Irene Moon (Lexington), Mudboy (Providence), Wizzards, Far Rad
Midnight: Fossil Fools Energy Dance Party
And the Electric Love DJ.

Performances at Iron Studios
Auk Theatre (Lexington, KY) is the recent project of Entomologist/noise
musician Irene Moon. Last time she was in Chicago Irene gave a strict,
verbose and addictive PowerPoint presentation about insects at buddY. Now,
in collaboration with comic illustrator and one time member of the band Hair
Police, Matt Minter, they will present noisy, short and simple Absurdist
theatre with only the best topics in consideration; shoes, cardboard, bats,
wine, shapes and murder. www.begoniasociety.org

Mudboy (from Providence RI) is the alter ego of Rafael Lyon, proprietor of
the cd-r label Free Matter for the Blind. Some famous dude had this to say
about his performance: "With a modified electric church organ and some field
recordings, Mudboy creates shimmering waves somewhere between Steve
Reich/Brian Eno and the Bulb Records universe." www.mudboymusic.com

Wizzards is a new band from Providence with Rich Porter (Bug-sized Mind) and
Brian Gibson (Lightning Bolt). Spell casting loudness... Wicked drumming-
lots of electronic freakout. Yes wizzards are wizzards...

Fossil Fools Energy Dance Party: Tom Hansell and Kristen Baumlier

Electric Love is the feeling of music.

From october 20 to november 13 we are making it happen.
http://www.selectmediafestival.org
And
http://www.lumpen.com/communityofthefuture/home.html


Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

This Weekend Visit Bridgeport, the Community of the Future.

Southsiders have their cake and eat it too this month with the Sox in the World Series and the 4th of a series Select Media Festivals going on this weekend through November 13th.

Being a fellow southsider myself I'm glad to see this festival come South from its former too-hip-for-it's-self digs up in "Bucktown."

This Friday, October 21st catch the New Chicagoans Exhibition at Iron Studios featuring over thirty outsider artists based in Chicago (Bridgeport, community of the future, well represented).

churchbus drummer (and Cardboard Art Show Curator) Al Pocius has a few pieces in the show as does John Salhus (whose "losing boxer" paintings were fantastic) and Duk Ju Kim (I own one of hers and not a week goes by that I don't learn something new from it).

Next week head back to Iron Studios and catch churchbus with the Doors and the Smiths (it sounds too good to be true, I know!).


Yahoo! Music Unlimited - Access over 1 million songs. Try it free.

Sunday, October 16, 2005

Constructing Gender Deconstructing Rock

Dr. Michael A. Weinstein is 63. He's a professor of Political Science at Purdue University. He has published many books and essays. Dr. Weinstein (or Fellow Traveler as the rock world knows him) is also in a punk rock band - a punk band for whom one direct link to the establishment is not adequate (Vortis also features Chicago Sun Times Rock Critic/Sound Opinions Co-host Jim Derogatis). That's an impressive resume and to top it off Mr. Traveler is a sometimes Art Critic for New City which is the main reason I was thrilled that he spent the entire three hours of the "Chicago Artist's Month" Openings yapping it up at Schopf Gallery. He's reviewing Tricia's work in an upcoming New City so keep your eye out for that. Damn!


I'd say that alone made the Opening a success. It was well attended and it turned into a beautiful cool sunny weekend which was great for the Art Walk in general. We went back the next day and caught the Circle in Square contemporary dance troupe performing in front of Tricia's work. Two of the routines addressed the blurring of aggression and affection and worked well against Tricia's narrative photographs of couples fighting or hugging (deliberately impossible to know which it is).


Later Friday night we took the crew over to the Art Gallery Cabaret where Hotel Brotherhood played sweet and slightly-more-rocking-than-usual with Sam relinquishing the slide and lead guitar for bass ( I love the bottom end but miss Sam's subtle work on the other two). After that Al Pocius and company tore rock and roll a new asshole. It was lovely and sad at the same time, perhaps a perfect liaison to the Opening and ending of the night.

Monday, October 10, 2005

New Track du Jour at disclexington

Artist: churchbus
Track: flight of the buffalo
Location: Sunken Monastery Studio Chicago, IL
Date: 10-10-2005
Comment: Buffalo once roamed the lands once known as prairies once situated between the eastern and western mountain ranges of this continent, North America.

See churchbus this Friday, Oct. 14th with Hotel Brotherhood right after the Opening at Schopf Gallery.

track du jour

Monday, October 03, 2005

Pics and Licks


Next Friday, October 14th, is the Opening Reception for Tricia Moreau Sweeney's first solo photography show in Chicago. Tricia has managed to incorporate many Chicago rockers into her art while staying clear of the rock photographer moniker. Instead of the usual rant and pose images "rock photography" brings to mind, Tricia uses these models in a series of narrative photographs that blur the line between affection and aggression - and often gender (on that Tricia Moreau Sweeney and "rock photography" do share some common ground). The reception is from 6 - 9 PM at Schopf Gallery. Immediately after the reception please join us at the Art Gallery Cabaret with churchbus for a chance to "meet the models."
Tricia has shown work in group shows throughout Chicago for the past three years. She had several solo shows in Houston and Austin before moving to Chicago from Texas in 2000 to join the MFA program at UIC.

Schopf Gallery
942 W. Lake Street Chicago, IL 60607
T: 312.432.1630
Gallery Hours:
11am- 5pm Tuesday- Saturday or by appointment
Directions:
Located in the West Loop Gate Gallery District, four blocks west of Halsted Street between Sangamon and Morgan. The nearest CTA stops are the Clinton Green Line, Grand Blue Line and Halsted Bus at Lake.
contact us: galleryonlake@yahoo.com