Dave Chamberlain

Uno-A-Go-GO, an International one-man-band festival, kicked off Tuesday and runs through Sunday.

Any music fan anywhere should not miss the Friday night extravaganza at the Fireside Bowl, headlined by the out-of-control one-man destroyer, Mr. Bob Log III. Armed with a slide guitar and kick drum, wearing biker gear and fitted with a helmet-device-microphone-thing that funnels his vocals through a telephone, Log takes the blues, dredges them through punk rock's gutter and spits out a furious, high-octane slap in the face. The guy's got three records, two on Epitaph and one on its little brother Fat Possum--whatever. On stage, he'll keep you absolutely transfixed, and if you're a pretty girl, you might even get to sit on his lap while he plays a song or two. A highly recommended total package for both the music and stage show. (Uno-A-Go-Go ends October 6 with the Noise Brunch from noon-4pm at the Empty Bottle, featuring twelve of the more unusual one-man acts, free pastries and take-out specials from Bite.)

Japan's Ghost made the most diverse, sonically pleasing brand of psychedelic music anywhere throughout the nineties, sewing together swaths of acid dreamscapes using electric and acoustic guitars, banjo, harp, lute, cello, an assortment of percussion instruments (vibes, glockenspiel, bells, vibes), an occasional brass instrument and vocals. It might sound like a mess, but it's not; instead Ghost floats through songs with both a trance-inducing calmness and hooks that could snag even the most jaded Syd Barrett wannabe. The band released six records in the nineties (all of which were released domestically on Drag City), maintaining an unparalleled level of controlled hallucinogenic purity. They play twice this week: October 3 at the Fireside as openers for Cursive, and a headlining date October 5 at the Empty Bottle with Glenn Kotche and El Guapo. The latter, an art-rock band from Washington, D.C., finally scored some national distribution when it released "Super/System" on Dischord Record. The record gets a very high "strange" rating, with everything from droning, percussion-based pieces to discordant electronic-based folktales rounding out the eighteen tracks. I've no idea how it will come off on stage (I suspect the overuse of computers), but the record at least interests me.

The Candy Snatchers last time through (at the Double Door) was a bit of a mess, with extenuating circumstances forcing them to add a member who'd never played with the band at the last minute. Last year, the Snatchers were featured on half of one of the great split-LPs of all time (on Man's Ruin) made with the Cheap Dates, and they also plugged out six more songs for "Takin' a Ride" (Coldfront), featuring blistering borderline hardcore tracks with appropriate punk-rock titles ("I'm a Bastard," "Ass, Grass or Crack," "Shit City"). Fans of frenetic, jagged loud rock (think Teengenerate) can't go wrong. Catch them Thursday night (October 3) at the Empty Bottle.

Something just feels right about a country-music artist who makes a special mention of the ultra-violent, ultra-controversial video game "Grand Theft Auto III" in the Thank You portion of a record's liner notes. Rex Hobart and the Misery Boys do just that inside their latest, "You Favorite Fool" (Bloodshot), their third record of roadhouse honky-tonk to date. It's steady-as-the-misery-goes again for Hobart, who runs with the dusty-road heartbreak that composes the nugget of quality country music and still keeps a good sense of humor about the whole thing. The clear highlight: "The Golden Ring," a duet with Ms. Kelly Hogan that resembles a Dolly Parton track in form, minus Dolly's trademark twang. Hobart and the Boys play October 4 at Schubas with Laura Minor.

Sunday night (October 6) at the Fireside marks the likely final occasion to catch the New Bomb Turks, who are for all intents and purposes bidding farewell to the touring lifestyle. And maybe it's time, too. The band's latest record, "The Night Before the Day the Earth Stood Still" (Gearhead), falls flat, which is a difficult thing for me to say, considering that these guys were at the front wave of the nineties punk-influenced garage revival and were a constant (whether playing as NBT or working in record stores) during my hazy college days at Ohio State. Of the record's thirteen tracks, only the punch-drunk "Hassle St" approaches the savagely fast snot-rock that dominated every one of NBT's nine records. The band claims it's not done making records, just touring, so maybe the time off will contribute to a creative comeback.

Briefly:

Friday night (at the Empty Bottle, October 4) is your last chance to see The Detachment Kit before the local boys light off on tour, at first on their own and then with--in what marks a strange, strange bill--the Supersuckers. DK returns to Chicago, November 11, opening for Eddie Spaghetti and crew at the Abbey Pub... . And for those who still haven't caught on to the best live band in America, The Mooney Suzuki headlines at the Metro, October 9. I once saw the Suzuki play a South by Southwest party at the Casino El Camino (a sort of sister bar to Delilah's) in Austin. Playing at ground level in front of a hungover crowd that was unenthusiastic at first, the Suzuki brought the music to the people, strutting around wearing sunglasses and dressed in all black, down to their pointy-toed boots. Seeing them open for the Hives at the Metro recently, I realized that not a damn thing has changed. This quartet of New Yorkers can sell its brand of high-energy, clap-along rock music to whatever-sized venue it plays. If you've never seen Mooney Suzuki, and you like live rock, do so now.

Cancelled:

Local H, October 5 at the Metro (although they still play October 3 at the Double Door). Also, and predictably, The Fall has cancelled its dates at the Empty Bottle (as well as its US tour in general), scheduled for October 27-28.

(2002-10-02)

Also by Dave Chamberlain

Tip of the Week
The four members who compose tonight's opener Pelican have created an entirely new kind of doom metal...
(2002-09-26)

Raw Material
When Boas play a release party for "Mansion" (Overcoat) this week, they'll unveil one of the most anticipated records to drift out of the incestuous wing of Chicago's music scene.
(2002-09-26)

Tip of the Week
Lost in the garage-rock glut on the airwaves right now are the bands who've been doing it for years, playing small venues for more than a decade, two decades or even three decades.
(2002-09-18)

Raw Material
Why, in the last year, has hip-hop dropped the proverbial ball? Its artists have the public's ear, but those artists have consistently, categorically ignored what's happened to the U.S. since September 11, 2001.
(2002-09-18)

Tip of the Week
(2002-09-11)

Plugged in
(2002-09-11)

Raw Material
(2002-09-11)

Raw Material
(2002-09-04)

Raw Material
(2002-08-28)

Fire Starter
(2002-08-28)

Tip of the Week
(2002-08-21)

Raw Material
(2002-08-21)

about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment