North by Northwest

Keep up with the Sweeneys this summer on a photo excursion from the middle to the Northwest and back again.

More Meeting Notes

Meeting Notes

Here are notes I jotted down over the four years and four months I worked at Sears. I left them in B6-256B in case they're helpful to followers.

Hey Chicago! Hey Cleveland!

Friday Night - Erin's 30th Birthday. The Spoken Four, Shellshag, THE LATEST at Fireside Bowl 2648 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago, IL 60601. Show starts at 10 PM

Saturday Night - June, 24 2006 at The Tower 9521 Madison, Cleveland, OH 44101 Cost: $3-5 donation with Shell Shag and X Bolex BYOB

Come bowl with THE LATEST Friday Night

Bob's old hanging buddy, Johnny Driver will be in town with his Brooklyn punk/no wave duo Shellshag. Also playing Friday night, Chicago's own grrl rockers the Spoken Four.

Come on out and set a spell.

The Fireside is at 2648 W. Fullerton. Show starts early, doors at 8 PM.

New Track du Jour

track du jour

Artist: THE LATEST
Track: Under the Understanding
Location: El Goodo Audio (Chicago,IL)
Date: 06-17-2006
Comment:This track was recorded in 2005 with Andrius Jutzi on drums. His last effort with us before leaving the band because his work life was consuming him. Andrius does set work for the TV show "Prison Break." The show's been a hit so it looks like Andrius made a good choice. We recorded at least 14 tracks on two very cold and blustery days in early 2005. Bob's putting them out on his own label Recent Records. We should have the cd's this week, expect a CD Release party in August or September. You can check out other tracks from this session on THE LATEST audio page. The flash video Blackhole was recorded at these sessions, as was the music for THE LATEST video game "Why Fight It?"

Email me if you want a CD - it's really good and I can hook you up.
click below to listen (requires FLASH)...
track du jour

When I walk out my front door...

...I can walk into the street right in front of me and ride a pony or slide down a three story slide or ride a ferris wheel and see the tops of all my neighbors' houses. That's because our neighborhood street festival is going on this weekend. Aside from the sudden transition from a quiet residential block to carnie central, my favorite thing about the Heart of Italy Food & Wine Street Festival is the main stage. Last year the main event was none other than Frankie Avalon, two years ago it was the Big Ragoo. The night, however, is always stolen by the Rat Pack impersonators. Don't forget for Father's Day - Sinatra Sunday baby.

New highlight hanging with the joyous nuns from Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity who recently took over St. Michael's church and rectory three doors down.

New Improvements - actually the festival over all seems much improved from previous years with new and better rides for the kiddies, better craft booths (I like the one with the venetian masks) and better food (in the past they couldn't keep up with the canoli demand).

Photos by Tricia Moreau Sweeney
#1 & 2 Snake wins a stuffed amphibian for Paloma
#3 When in Rome
#4 Girls

Big Horse - Saturday June 17th

THE LATEST at Electrical Audio (Albini's place)

THE LATEST recorded yesterday at Steve Albini's studio Electrical Audio. Mr. Albini was there but he wasn't wearing his trademark jumpsuit because he wasn't working. He was studying a poker match and from a peek at the collection of books and videos on the subject, lying around the studio, he's quite a poker buff.

Our engineer was Robert Daniels, owner/operator of el Goodo Audio and reknown ProTools Wizard. Yes, we recorded to ProTools, even though I saw two 2" 24 track machine and a whole lot of tape. Even Albini has gone digital at least some if the time. Right now Electrical Audio rents out the gear from el Goodo when it's needed.

Let me tell you something about THE LATEST. We are no slackers. Thanks to Bob Taylor's carefully constructed songs and his ability to belt them out tight and rocking as many times as needed, we were able to lay down 12 songs in one day. We do have some overdubs to do but still, the raw stuff is there.

Another amazing thing about THE LATEST, we've got another whole album under our belts that is coming out this month. Jaysus, that's exciting.

I hope to get some of these cuts up as track du jours soon.

Albini's place is great by the way and a very relaxing place to record. It has a homey hangout area complete with a dormitory, kitchen, shower etc... They have a billiard table but the kind without pockets and I don't know how to play that kind. Anyway we were too busy most of the time to play billiards. The main recording room has a 32' ceiling. We put 12 mikes on the drums. We got a BIG sound woooweeee lemme tell you. Robert tried several mikes on the guitar amps but fell back to the trusty old SM57. I just love that mike and now I can say I use the same guitar mikes as EA.

Alright then, rock on.

New Track du Jour

track du jour

Artist: Brillo
Track: NutSack
Location: Chicago
Date: 08-07-2006
Comment:

click below to listen (requires FLASH)...
track du jour

the Infernal Bridegroom and Daniel Johnston

It was inevitable that IBP and Daniel Johnston meet don't you think?

In many ways the timing couldn't be better. IBP began work on their Daniel Johnston Rock Opera before the latest DJ resurgence. Of course they can't help but get caught up in all the fanfare, and so far for the better. Anyway, the show's a success in its own right.

Lucky Houstonians (and those Austinites willing to break down mental barriers) have a choice when exploring their local troubadour's life and work. They can head to the Warehouse district and catch the revue or they can get heavy with the flick.

Big Kudos to Jason Nodler and the rest of the IBP Troupe. I just wish I could be there for it.

I've heard it suggested more than once that they should keep this show running an indefinite amount of time. That sounds silly at first but the Neofuturists have been doing one show 50 weeks of the year since 1988. They're just asking to be taken down.

Hey Cleveland!

New Town Drunks (Chapel Hill) and churchbus (Chicago) play Moe's Bar & Grill Saturday June 3rd with local hero Beckett & Friends.

We will also be enjoying your Rock and Roll Hall of Shame on Sunday if you care to join us.

Come out.

New Town Drunks and churchbus Tonight Thursday June 1st 2006

...trust us with your house

If pictures really do say a thousands words then Diane and Roberto are having the time of their lives over in Chapel Hill, NC. It looks like they are fitting in nicely amongst the East Coast hillbillies too. Maybe they have found a happy home.

Their home for the next four nights is not in Chapel Hill though, it's our pad. That's because the crazy Puerto Rican and his Detroit mistress are bringing their show, New Town Drunks, to Chicago to record at Sunken Monastery Studios (aka my basement) and play a show with churchbus. Apparently they are bringing their North Carolina weather with them. Roberto never could stand the cold (so why they moved to Queens from Houston is still a mystery).

It's hotter than a two peckered billie goat in heat over here in Chicago. That's taken us by surprise - we don't stick in the window units until mid-July. Anyway NTD should feel right at home. They should be showin' up 'round supper time.

2nite

Bob Taylor this Friday with Hotel Brotherhood and Relaxation Records

Bob Taylor of THE LATEST writes some damn fine songs and he's itching to let you hear them so come out Friday night Chicago and check it out. Take a break from the Black Out Festival if you are battling the crowds. This show is just down the street and it's free. Hotel Brotherhood (coming off a Texas recording trip) and Relaxation Record (a solo project from harmoniumist Jim Dorling of the Thrill Jockey recording artists Town and Country) give ol' Bob a boost.

This Friday May 26th at Gallery Cabaret, 2020 N. Oakley Chicago, IL.

Garage Rock Chicago

Chicago Garage Rock is in something of an Enlightenment period. This is not to say that the Pride of the Rustbelt has ever lacked for gritty whiteboy blues, it's just more prominent than I recall when I first moved up here in '01. I'm sure sister city Detroit's garage boom (the Detroit Cobras, the Dirt Bombs, the White Stripes) has had a lot to do with the crowd swelling but Chicago's been cultivating it's own brand with an ear closer to Memphis than Detroit these days. Nothing makes that clearer than this years BlackOut Festival hosted by Horizontal Action Magazine (HA claims to be taking a break meanwhile they are pulling some of the coolest rabbits out of their hat). Last year HA miraculously (and financially disastrously) reunited the Pagans (Cleveland, OH) this year the Oblivians pay a visit teamed up oddly enough with Quintron. Therein lies the Memphis connection with the disbursement of the Oblivians to garage projects that permeate the Chicago scene.

Greg Oblivian went on to form the Reigning Sound which headlined last year's Black Out Festival and performed at the wedding party for Cococoma keyboardist Michael Fitzpatrick. Eric Oblivian is releasing a Cococoma 7" on his garage rock flaghsip label Goner Records.. Lucky Cococoma recently released another 7" on Chicago's Shit Sandwich Records which is run by Norah Utley of Headache City which features Cococoma's guitarist, Lisa Roe, and the aforementioned Mikey Fitzpatrick.

The intertwining of this scene gets way more knotted so I'll refrain from full disclosure although I should say I am connected to this garage world by a few tenticles. I play with Cococoma's Bill Roe and Michael Fitzpatrick (also of Headache City) in THE LATEST (more Beefheart than Iggy) and I play in churchbus (more Them than Sonics) with Al Scum drummer of the C*nts. The C*nts put out what may be the first Chicago garage single in 1978 and has recorded a dozen or so garage albums since. Er, not that the C*nts are playing the festival or anything but how can I not mention an affiliation with one of the longest running gargage bands in the city, and btw/fyi/lol, they will soon be recording for disclexington productions.

The Blackout officially starts Wednesday but you'll get a good feel for it tomorrow night at Cal's with maybe (but I doubt it) a little less crowd congestion. Cococoma on at 10 PM.

a Message to you Pretty: Opening Tonight

Rodrigo Avila's studio has been down on 18th Street for several months now but he has just recently turned it into a gallery. It's a one room event with the Pilsen public culture as a pleasant distraction. Surprisingly with such limited space Rodrigo has chosen to have group shows which meant for the last one that each artist showed only one piece. It didn't take long to see the whole show and the work was varied and good . Across the street was a larger one-man opening and down the street is the Jumping Bean which displays art prominantly and serves a good cup of jo. All of this means if you can make it down to Pilsen tonight you can hang with some good folks and see some good art. I've seen Olivia Ortega and Julie Smith's work and they are both well worth a peek. If you've got the money, I think you'd do well to pick something up.

Check out Rodrigo's blog for more images and details.

New Track du Jour

track du jour

Artist: de Schmog
Track: Speeding Motorcycle
Location: Houston - Rudyard's Pub
Date: 05-18-2006
Comment: In honor of Houston's Infernal Bridegroom Productions upcoming musical Speeding Motorcycle, I reluctantly give you this live track from a de Schmog show in 2003. Reluctantly I say because this show goes down as THE drunkest I've ever been on stage and I said a lot of stupid stuff. At one point I said "alfohol." Classic. Anyway, as many Texans do, Diane came back from Chapel Hill, NC with a new respect for hometown heroes. She wanted to play a Daniel Johnston song and as luck would have it, we played the song now memorialized in a musical. Enjoy. And P.S. this goes down in our non-linear Lexington Street review since de Schmog spent several years on Lexington rehearsing, living and being stupid.

click below to listen (requires FLASH)...
track du jour

movie and pic from the Proletariat - courtesy of Ramon

Mr. Ramon Medina was kind enough to make this little movie and post these pics.



Thank you Ramon.