Dave Chamberlain

If you think the Danielson Famile's religious thing is a snort of over-the-top strange, than you've absolutely got to see the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players--one of the few unsigned bands to ever play "Conan O'Brien."

This might sound a little far out, and it is: the Trachtenburgs are indeed a family unit--dad, mom and child. While Jason plays piano and sings, wife Tina shows slides (usually vintage) of other people's vacations; daughter Rachel, just 9-years-old, plays the drums. Sounds odd? You bet, but subversive is more like it. With Jason playing silly little pop ditties with titles like "Eggs" or "Fondue Friends in Switzerland," Tina doing visuals and Rachel's able handling on the drums, it's almost too strange to believe unless you see it. Don't leave early, lest you miss the band's signature song, "Opnad Contribution Study Committee Report," creatively inspired by slides from a McDonald's corporate meeting in the seventies. Perhaps the Trachtenburgs are destined to be a one-trick pony, but anyone into the bizarre should make this their must-see show of the year. Note: The Family was originally scheduled to play two shows at Schubas, April 7, but they've scaled back to just the early show at 7pm, as starting at 10pm would put the set well past Rachel's bedtime.

Euro-rock:

As the years progress, Rocket From the Crypt seems less and less impressive. But the band's show on March 30 at the Metro features two interesting, very diverse openers, both of which put on highly charged performances at this year's South by Southwest. Britain-based Ikara Colt, whose 2002 debut, "Chat and Business" (Fantastic/Epitaph), was one of last year's great unsung records, channels a refreshingly different spirit into indie/art rock. Though comparisons with Sonic Youth and Wire abound, Ikara Colt's youth focuses a more jagged, dissonant edge than either of those two have presented in the last ten years. With arching, poking vocals and guitars that stab and surge, "Chat and Business" makes for the best art-punk to come out of England in recent memory. On stage, the band reproduces its record almost too well, and carries a much less treble-heavy, hi-fi sound than "Chat" might indicate. Imagine Chicago's own atombombpocketknife in a knockdown drag-out bottle fight with a bunch of soccer hooligans, add a touch of gothic arrogance, and you're about on target.

Fellow opener Sahara Hotnights--yet another band of Swedes--drew great crowds for their pair of SXSW performances, though judging by the ogling male crowd, it appeared that just as many showed up to see as to actually hear. Composed of four very attractive women, if these ladies' stage show or record, "Jenny Bomb" (Jet Set) were less than riveting, they'd still likely pull a crowd. Fortunately, that's hardly the case--they play with great intensity (say, ten times that of the Donnas), and "Jenny Bomb" borders on a new genre-mix of rock, mashing together elements of punk rock and grunge in a way no other radio-swamping horde of Vikings does. The music challenges a bit more than the wave of garage rock, making it that much better when it seeps in for good.

See, and hear:

Since witnessing the Watchers open for !!! last spring at the Empty Bottle, I've gone through a couple opinion changes. At first, the band's music was disappointing when put up against their high-octane, movement-heavy live show; since then, it's grown on me, thanks to "To the Rooftops," the band's debut on Gern Blandsten. The band plays its own take on hard wave, combining the post-punk likes of Television and Gang of Four with lots of style, but that sells them far too short, considering the strong elements of funk and soul that find a way into the cracks. Though the record emphasizes a tunefulness that gets muddied on stage, Watchers have some great big buildups with funky releases, like the linear "Strays" or the pulsing, heavily rhythmic "Follow Me Follower." As much as !!!, the Watchers aim to make you move, so expect a crowd that obliges, March 28 at the Fireside Bowl.

In brief:

Former Man's Ruin latest rock monster, Drunk Horse, hits town (March 27, Double Door) in support of its Tee Pee Records debut record, "Adult Situations," a boogie-power metal record that's as unpretentious as it is loud. The record reeks of early and mid-seventies power rock, avoiding the doom-laden low end in favor of hot licks and a glassful of "Dazed and Confused"... Drag City recording artist the Scene Creamers--which includes two former members of The Make-Up--finally play Chicago (March 29, Fireside Bowl) with a record in tow, "I Suck on that Emotion." Fans of the Make-Up's shuddering indie blues-wave will find the Creamers to be the next best thing... The Sea and Cake headline a pair of huge local bills, March 28-29 at the Metro, with Friday night's support featuring the always entertaining 90 Day Men, and the next night featuring indie-rock beacons Joan of Arc. And right on the heels of TSaC's recently released "One Bedroom," Mr. Sam Prekop and Co. have just followed it up with "Glass," featuring four new tracks and "One Bedroom" remixes by Stereolab, Carl Craig and Broadcast. The record won't be out until May, so these two dates represent your only chance to score a copy for now.

(2003-03-26)

Also by Dave Chamberlain

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