EARLY SPRING CONCERT SCHEDULE: April 2011 + BBS Heads to Coachella!

Bang Bang Slang jumps ship from Chicago with Coachella coverage 04/15 - 04/17

It was April before we knew it and by BBS standards, March had resulted in a slow concert calendar that wasn’t entirely up to par with our snooty, nearly-Springtime expectations. Booking managers in Chicago – get your shit together!  There were some limitations of course, preventing coverage at concerts like Middle Brother/ Dawes/ Deer Tick (wish those Godspeed shows could have worked out too), but in the end it was all ok. Where March lacked in quantity of shows, it certainly made up for its lingering pace with brilliant performances from Bright Eyes and Destroyer/War on Drugs. And Michael Showalter‘s 2+ hour comedy set at Scubas was pretty enjoyable. The bar has been set high and so have the expectations for quality live music as April hits Chi-town and the concert calendar starts to get bloated with much-anticipated shows.

Aside from having no excuse – though we could think of a few – for missing Queen of the Stone Age, Kurt Vile, and Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears already, April’s concert calendar is still scorching and the months ahead are making us do that thing like a kindergartener does when they have to go pee really bad, but don’t know where the bathroom is. (SEE BELOW – dates in bold indicate that BBS will be in attendance)

… AND WE’RE GOING TO COACHELLA!!!! (Details to follow next week as we finalize the attack plan and tsee how these daily schedules shape up. Come on already.)

APRIL 2011

• 04/07: Cults @ Empty Bottle, Cave Singers @ Lincoln Hall, Two Door Cinema Club @ Park West (SOLD OUT)
• 04/08: Cut Copy @ Riviera (SOLD OUT), Dom @ Subterranean
  
• 04/09: Sharon Van Etten @ Lincoln Hall, Big K.R.I.T/Freddie Gibbs @ Bottom Lounge, Rober Plant @ Auditorium Theatre (SOLD OUT), Skeleton Witch @ Empty Bottle
• 04/11: Phosphorescent @ Lincoln Hall
• 04/12: Starfucker @ Lincoln Hall
• 04/15: BBS LEAVES FOR COACHELLA!!! (Be back soon, Chicago…), Tobacco @ Lincoln Hall, Jeff Tweedy @ The Vic (SOLD OUT)
  
• 04/16: Ha Ha Tonka @ Subterranean, Royal Bangs @ Empty Bottle, Jeff Tweedy @ The Vic (SOLD OUT)
• 04/18: Black Angels @ Lincoln Hall
• 04/19: Delorean @ Lincoln Hall, Foo Fighters “SECRET SHOW” TBA
• 04/20: Fresh & Only’s/Crocodiles @ Lincoln Hall, Rose Hill Drive @ Beat Kitchen
• 04/21: Low @ Lincoln Hall, Counting Crows @ House of Blues
• 04/22: Arcade Fire/The National @ UIC, Black Lips @ Logan Square Auditorium, TV on the Radio @ Metro (SOLD OUT)
• 04/23: Ezra Furman & The Harpoons @ Subterranean, Junip @ SPACE
• 04/24: Arcade Fire/The National @ UIC (SOLD OUT), Pinback @ Bottom Lounge
• 04/25: Arcade Fire/The National @ UIC (SOLD OUT)
• 04/26: Foals/Freelance Whales @ Metro
• 04/27: Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Lincoln Hall
• 04/28: Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Lincoln Hall
• 04/30: Coheed & Cambria @ House of Blues

Bang Bang Slang‘s Top 3 Concert Picks – APRIL:

1.) COACHELLA April 15-17

LISTEN: The Strokes – “Two Kinds of Happiness“

2.) Arcade Fire/The National @ UIC Pavillion, April 22nd

LISTEN: Arcade Fire – “Modern Man“

3.) Ezra Furman & The Harpoons @ Subterranean, April 23rd

LISTEN: Ezra Furman & The Harpoons – “I Wanna Be Ignored“

HONORABLE MENTION!!!

(if only we could attend. maybe after the Arcade Fire show. fingers crossed)

4.) Black Lips @ Logan Square Auditorium, April 22nd

LISTEN: Black Lips – “Navajo“

 

Camera still broken. Concert archives are about to get LIVE next week. Stay tuned…

Which shows are you looking forward to this April? Let us know and come meet us as always for a free beer – on BBS‘s tab!

*Remember – you can buy tickets to all upcoming Chicago shows on our concert calendar by clicking on the respective pictures on the sidebar of the site. Word.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: OFWGKTA’s FRANK OCEAN

Since the passing of R&B Doggfather, Nathaniel “Nate Dogg” Hale, BBS has been feeling very soulful. Last week found us at Lincoln Hall for Destroyer and War on Drugs – our second favorite show of 2011 – and while the concert held promise as a sign of amazing indie rock crashing down the pipeline in Chicago, we couldn’t keep these funky feelings at bay. Couldn’t shake ’em and didn’t want to. We embraced them. We’re like – ‘Fuck this scene right now. We just want to grind on some R. Kelly and sip bubbly”. Chris Brown‘s “Deuces” remix has been on blast (don’t hate – Drake, T.I., Kanye, Fabolous, Rick Ross, & Andre 300?!), loving this mixtape by Toronto’s The Weeknd (free download below), and have concluded that the constant in this R&B equation has been OFWGKTA‘s smooth singer/songwriter – Frank Ocean. He’s the catalyst.

The Weeknd – House of Balloons

DOWNLOAD: HERE

Frank Ocean‘s debut, “nostalgia, ULTRA”, is just plain sick – the most impressive R&B album (that’s not really R&B) to hit our ears in years . The 23 year-old New Orleans native often leans on left-field rock samples to aid the tone of the album, but balances the mood with the elements you’d expect to find on a Pharrell project or on BET After Hours – the end product is very soulful and  fresh to death. For example, Ultra‘s first full-length song jocks Coldplay‘s beat for “Strawberry Swing“, copping the same song title even, but the song doesn’t evoke Chris Martin‘s goofball, rainbow Sgt. Pepper costume, but rather a wave of nostalgic imagery in the form of young lovers, spaceships leaving behind a “dying earth”, and a painstaking breakup. By the albums’ end, Ocean references Radiohead, Van Halen, Coachella and samples MGMT and The Eagles (and another track that sounds a little Kanye-heavy via 808’s & Heartbreak). There’s even a Nicole Kidman soundbit that gets some love, a heated argument of one-liners on Kidman‘s end from Eye Wide Shut. Bananas. All the while, these sampled cuts sound fresh – just as fresh as the songs that stand alone from the “borrowed” approach that will no doubt have Ocean‘s fanbase doubled once Odd Future barfs all over the rest of America by summertime.

The album’s shining moment is the bass-heavy, perfectly personified  “Swim Good” – here Frank Ocean finds himself heartbroken, in a black suit, driving his whip into the ocean, swimming away from the heaviness of relationships and life’s bullshit. The song ends with a sound clip of waves crashing and bubbling onto shores of a beach somewhere seemingly far away, seagulls chirping, wind blowing. Ocean‘s strongest quality as a songwriter is his ability to create really tangible and visceral imagery and this is showcased from start to finish on Ultra. When he’s not painting himself as R&B’s Johnny Cash, full-throttle, headfirst into the Pacific, he’s having “cocaine for breakfast (yikes!)” in a dirty kitchen and shooting porn in a nearby bedroom or banging a girl in the bed of a garden, “making love underneath the cherry leaves, up against the cherry tree”. The imagery can be super gritty, but it’s very candid and Frank Ocean isn’t afraid to be human. One of the best genre-crossing bold voices in music right now.

Odd Future, Tyler the Creator, blah blah blah blah – Frank Ocean is swimming to success and swimmin’ good.

 

Frank Ocean – nostalgia, ULTRA

DOWNLOAD: HERE

 

BBS will be catching Odd Future‘s set at COACHELLA next Friday. Will you be there?

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: HERE

FRANK OCEAN OFFICIAL TWITTER: HERE

BBS REMEMBERS: NATE DOGG

R&B’s ‘Hardest Man’, G-Funk OG, and in many ways an underappreciated hip hop legend,  has gone on to that deluxe apartment in the sky… BBS pours some out and remembers our Top 3 Nate Dogg tracks:

1.)

LISTEN: “Hardest Man In Town” (G Funk Classics: Vols. 1 & 2)

2.)

LISTEN: “Regulate” w/ Warren G (Regulate – G Funk Era)

3.)

LISTEN: “The Next Episode” w/ Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg (The Chronic 2001)

 

Rest in peace, Nathaniel Hale. You’ve extinguished your lit blunt on the game in a way that no other R&B gangster ever could or will.

What were your favorite Nate Dogg tracks?

BANG ON THIS! San Diego’s “Dirty Gold” Gear Up For Debut EP with “California Sunrise”

Last Friday teased Chicagoans with the first sunny, early-signs-of-spring weather day that we’ve had in what seems like an ice age. And while listening to Aquarium Drunkard’s blog radio showcase with the sunroof cracked, another early spring treat sounded its way through the car speakers – an all-too fitting compliment to an already amazing travel day: Dirty Gold’s “California Sunrise”. We may be a little late on the ball here with these dudes, but better late than never and definitely deserving of our first ‘Bang on This!‘ of 2011.

Brothers John and Lincoln Ballif don’t even have their high school diplomas and yet they’ve graduated into the scene with mature, brilliantly catchy jams and a momentous reputation that’s throwing them in the same camp as their afro-pop, warm-riffed peers – Vampire Weekend and Beach House.  If it’s not snowing or butt-ass freezing wherever it is that you are – grab the rolling papers and your longboard, toss on your shades and go for a ride with this introductory gem from a band that is sure to blow up and show up in 2011. Dirty Gold’s “Roar” EP finds its official release on April 12 2K11 (Autumn Tone), but the single is available via iTunes or for your listening enjoyment below. Brah.

LISTEN: Dirty Gold – “California Sunrise”

 

Dirty Gold News and Tour Info: HERE

THIS WEEK: Michael Showalter @ Schubas TONIGHT, Bright Eyes @ The Riviera TOMORROW… excited for some Arts & FARTS & crafts and maybe some fried terradactyl eggs tonight! Beers on US if you want in.

INTERVIEW: Flogging Molly’s Matt Hensely Talks New Album, Skateboarding, and Life on Tour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a few short hours, gallons of green dye will be pumped into the  Chicago River, pub crawls from the South Loop to Wrigleyville will commence, kilt-clad bagpipers will wail down Lincoln from bar to bar, and Chicagoans – Irish or not – will be lining up their first round of Jameson shots in hopes that what follows will live up to be a more drunkenly awesome St. Patty’s weekend than the last.

Oh, yeah. And Flogging Molly is playing 2 nights at the Congress Theater too. What else could be more drunken and awesome? (FRIDAY MARCH 11th & SATURDAY MARCH 12th TICKETS HERE)

It’s not every St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Chicago that we get Irish-punk pioneers to devote tour dates to one of the most piss-tossed, wild calendar weekends of the year (last year I found myself wandering into an RJD2 show and while badass it was, culturally festive it was not). So, when an opportunity for Bang Bang Slang to interview accordion player/vocalist (and skateboarding great), Matt Hensley, of Flogging Molly – we couldn’t have felt more lucky and eager to hear how their Green 17 tour had been shaping up so far and get some dirt on their anticipated new release “Speed of Darkness”. Matt and I had a chance to catch up last Sunday while he was en route to Flogging Molly’s next date in Minneapolis and I was en route to a hangover. Here’s how it went down:

Matt Hensley Source: Gapersblock.com

BANG BANG SLANG: I know that a lot of fans are really stoked on the new single that dropped last month, “Don’t Shut ‘Em Down” – tell me a little bit about that song and what else we can expect from “Speed of Darkness”.

MATT HENSLEY: ‘Shut ‘em Down” and the new record were recorded in Detroit. With every songwriting process you’re affected by where you’re around and your day-to-day surroundings and the result from recording in a place like Detroit is that the record has a sort of tonality about it that’s very working class. We were affected by what we saw in Detroit every day, a lack of jobs and overall frustration with the working world right now. I think this record really lends itself to that. As a band I think we’re continually trying to be better musicians, better songwriters, better performers, better in every regard to our craft. Also,  we don’t want to release the same record over and over and we know no one wants to hear that either. This new record is a sweet departure from our usual sound and I think the end result is something really good. It feels a little prickly around the edges which makes me happy and the ‘Shut ‘Em Down Single’ has this kind of Motown vibe which makes sense to me, also like a little jam in there too. Ya know, it’s us, but my heart really feels the influence with that song.

BBS: Will you be playing these new working class songs when you return to the Midwest for the Chicago double header?

MH: Right now we’ve been playing about 4 new songs a night. And since we’re obviously playing 2 nights in Chicago, we’ll be set up to play at least 4 new songs a night off  the new record.

BBS: So the record is complete?

MH: Well, the record is mastered. I have the mastered version right now and while it doesn’t officially come out till May, I got the mastered disc about a week ago and I’m pretty pleased.

BBS: 2011 seems to have Flogging Molly busy as shit on tour – how has Green 17 been so far?

MH: It’s been really great man, it’s been SOLID.

BBS: Which cities traditionally tend to be the kindest to the band?

MH: In America it almost goes without saying that any city with a lot of ethnicity has been very kind to this band – New York, Chicago, Philly, San Francisco, Los Angeles (which is where we’re based from). I think because of the instruments that we’re playing and the vibes that we give, it’s pretty good everywhere we go. It feels good. Ya know, Arizona – we get a lotta love there. We’re actually playing St. Patty’s Day there, at a place that’s been giving us crazy amounts of love for a while now. You wouldn’t think it’s a place at first glance that would be a big Flogging Molly town, but Arizona’s huge for us. And then we’ll play Texas and you wouldn’t think towns in Texas would be lvery Irish or anything, but Texas actually has a lot of Irish roots and European roots and it’s a border state, so  you’ll get a lot of people cool with accordions and acoustic instruments – our sound isn’t exactly that sort of music specifically but it lends itself to that.

BBS: I also see that you and the guys will be a part of some MAJOR festivals in the coming months – namely Coachella and Sasquatch in the U.S. and plenty of others in Europe over the summer – how does playing to tens of thousands play in to the dynamic for the band and how do you like it?

MH: I think for me personally, and I’m sure if you asked the other guys in the band they’d probably have a different answer for you, but for me after you start playing for about 200 people then it kinda feels the same to me when we play the really big shows. If it’s 1,000 or 2,000 it feels the same. Put me in a room with like 20 people and I’ll actually get pretty nervous. When you’re lacking the amount of people at a show, you become more vulnerable to it all, that’s the feeling I have. At the same time though it’s always like the closer I am to the people, the better it is that I feel. When we’re actually playing a stage where we’re close to the crowd and we can high-five people, just within 2 feet of them it feels great. And the farther I am from the stage, I kinda get removed from that feeling. Sometimes in Europe you’re playing 20 feet in the air, 40 feet from the first people, it can take a little while to get out of your own head, get in your zone, and make sure you’re putting on a good show and build up the energy.

BBS: So you like playing the big festivals too then?

MH: I do, but my favorite gigs are when we get booked in like a bar, or I guess now like a very big bar, when it has that feel. It gives us that feeling like when we we’d play Molly Malone’s or a small pub, that’s my favorite. When we used to stand on the goddamn bar and throw shit, just raise shit – that’s my favorite.

BBS: How’s [Hensley’s] bar going, man?

MH: I’m actually not the majority owner of it anymore, I sold it – it’s still my bar though to some degree, it has all my artwork, all my vibe to it, I just couldn’t deal with being in a full time rock band and trying to run a restaurant. It just overwhelmed me to the point where I had to choose what situation was best for me.

BBS: I know that skateboarding is still a huge part of your life and your son’s life. You said in an interview with Fuel Tv “I still look in the mirror and see a skateboarder who’s in a band”. Is that still true?

MH: It is still true. I’ve been skateboarding my whole life, so it’s who I am first absolutely. I make a living playing music, without a doubt, but I wouldn’t be in this band an I wouldn’t have these opportunities had I not been a skateboarder to begin with. I know that sounds crazy but it’s the truth. I’ve given everything I could and skated my ass off since I can remember, but it’s also given back to me more than I could ever describe. When I moved to Chicago, I worked at Sessions Skateboard Shop and its because I did a demo at The Vic and I met Dan Fields who ran that shop and next thing I know I’m in Chicago working there. So I wouldn’t have even had my first job in Chicago if I wasn’t a skateboarder, ya know? It’s a very cool, small cyclical world.

BBS: Do you feel like success has changed you at all?

MH: I don’t man, though I’m sure it has. I still feel like I’m 16 years old goin to a demo. I’m just trying to keep it fuckin real. In the back of my mind I know that I don’t get to see as many people that I used to. I blow at the internet – I don’t have a myspace account or anything like that. I can’t do it. I probably don’t get in touch with my friends as much as I’d like to, but when I show up to do a gig I still feel like that’s a big part of my psyche that’s like, ‘I gotta keep this shit real. Street-level’. I never want to be in a situation where it’s so blown out that I’d be unapproachable. I’m never striving to be like that.

BBS: When you have time are you still skating or chilling with anyone from the H-Street days or when you’re back in Cali?

MH: I’ve skated with Steve Ortega a couple times. About two weeks ago I got a call from Sal Barbier and we just talked about music for like an hour, but I definitely keep in touch with a lot of the H-Street guys. Right before I went on this tour I did an interview for a Danny Way documentary – I must’ve talked about him for like 3 hours and I’ve been talking to him a little bit back and forth since then. They’re definitely part of my life still.

BBS: Do you get worried that if you ever bail too hard your accordion days with Flogging Molly would be fucked?

MH: I’m not really pushing myself to that limit anymore and I really haven’t in a while. When I was first making it happen with Flogging Molly, I’d show up to shows with a broken wrist in a cast or shit like that and the band would be like , ‘You need to watch what you’re doin, man!’. I still skate with my son when we go, but I’m just not doing crazy shit because I really can’t. I literally can’t afford to break my hand, which is a weird thing for me. If I break my foot it’s one thing, If I break my elbow it’s another, but if I break my right hand I’m pretty fucked. Especially if I know I’m about to crash, I’ll be flying through the air and I’ll take my right arm and tuck it or try to make it safe and use the rest of my body to take that beating – that’s fine –  but, I just can’t fuck with my right hand.

BBS: You were touching on this before when you were catching up with Sal about music, what are you listening to right now?

MH: It’s kinda all over the place. Right now on my iPod I’ve been listening to a lot of Hank III. Also been listening to a Spanish accordion player called Tony De La Rosa, a lot of Mexican music. A lot of Mexican accordion music.

BBS: Why should Chicago fans take a break from their pub crawls and hike over to the Congress to see Flogging Molly next weekend?

MH: [laughs] I’d say to have a good time man! To have a drink and have a good time. I don’t know what else is going on in Chicago that weekend but I can guarantee you a blurry, good ass time at our show.

BBS: Lastly, What does Matt Hensely drink on St. Patrick’s day before he goes on stage – brown liquor or beer?

MH: Lately I’ve been on a whiskey kick, so I’d probably be drinkin Jameson to be honest with you. I’m tryin to lose my fuckin beer belly to be honest with you . I’ve been easin’ off the Guiness and settin up the Jameson. I’ll probably make an exception on that day though.  [laughs]

BBS will drink to that! Make sure to catch Flogging Molly at the Congress TONIGHT and TOMORROW! And catch them on the road to St. Patty’s Day, if you can’t raise your glass with the rest of us this weekend.

FLOGGING MOLLY “GREEN 17”  TOUR DATES

• 03/13: Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
• 03/15: Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
• 03/16: Austin, TX – ACL LIVE @ The Moody Theater (SXSW)
• 03/17: Tempe, AZ – LUCKY MAN’S ST. PATRICK’S DAY BASH

Thanks again, Matt… and since we can’t make it this weekend, we’ll get “blurry” with you at Coachella!

WINTER CONCERT SCHEDULE: EARLY 2011 (March)

Let’s go ahead and pretend that these last few months never really happened. Good? Good.

Bang Bang Slang will be sorting through MONTHS of film, footage, and various music related material collected from Nov – Feb and the good news is: we’re back at what we do best and we’re never gonna leave you hangin again. No more distractions from ‘the man’, no more wedding stress from our editor and founder, no more excuses about cameras being broken, no more miserable fucking sinus infections. It’s time to be selfish again. [insert evil laugh here]

The transition from 2010 to 2011 came with a rather mild concert calendar for Chicagoans and maybe that’s just our opinion, but it seems that every year this shitty trend never fails to hail true. The end of the year is always so underwhelming when it comes to live music. We’ll get some killer NYE shows like the 3 Day run from The Black Keys or Yeasayer at Metro (which is still a bit of a stretch for NYE worthiness), but everyone seems to forget that the month leading up to the countdown is a dwindling half-boner, bands start winding down tours, and the actual new year takes a bit to shape up as booking agents nurse their hangovers.

BBS has been present at 2011 shows from acts like Little Dragon,  Best Coast/Wavves, Robyn, Freddie Gibbs, Mister Heavenly, The Dig and even a  Trey Anastasio show in NYC – but to anyone who follows us, this is an “off” menu for our concert-going apetites.

More  good news? March’s music calendar is picking up speed and by April we should be back on track with hard-hitting, quality shows.  Here’s what we’re looking at for March 2011: (SEE BELOW – Dates in bold indicate that BBS will be in attendance)

MARCH 2011

• 03/10: Portugal. The Man @ Lincoln Hall (SOLD OUT)
• 03/11: Cold War Kids @ The Riviera, Maps & Atlases @ Lincoln Hall, Get up Kids @ Bottom Lounge, Jonathan Richman @ Metro
• 03/12: Get Up Kids/Miniature Tigers @ Lincoln Hall, Middle Brother @ Metro, Crystal Castles @ The Riviera
• 03/14: Michael Showalter @ Schubas EARLY/LATE (SOLD OUT), Ty Segall @ Empty Bottle
• 03/15: Bright Eyes @ The Riviera (SOLD OUT), Salem @ Empty Bottle, Elephant 6 @ Lincoln Hall (SOLD OUT)
• 03/19: Civil Twilight @ Schubas
• 03/23: Papercuts @ Schubas
• 03/24: Warpaint @ Lincoln Hall, Junip @ SPACE
• 03/25: Greenhornes/Hacienda @ DoubleDoor, Matt Pond & Rocky Votolato @ SubT
• 03/26: Godspeed You Black Emperor @ Metro (SOLD OUT), Rural Alberta Advantage @ Lincoln Hall, Henry Rollins @ Mercury Theatre (SOLD OUT), Amos Lee @ The Vic (SOLD OUT)
• 03/27: Godspeed You Black Emperor @ Metro (SOLD OUT), British Sea Power @ Lincoln Hall
• 03/28: Apex Manor/The Dig @ Schubas, Godspeed You Black Emperor @ The Vic (SOLD OUT)
• 03/29: Destroyer/War on Drugs @ Lincoln Hall
• 03/30: Ellie Goulding @ Lincoln Hall (SOLD OUT)
• 03/31: Devotchka @ HOB, Yelawolf @ Reggies Rock Club

Bang Bang Slang’s Top 3 Concert Picks – MARCH:

1.) BRIGHT EYES @ The Riviera, March 15th

LISTEN: Bright Eyes – “Jejune Stars”

2.) MIDDLE BROTHER @ Metro, March 12

LISTEN: Middle Brother – “Me Me Me”

3.) WAR ON DRUGS @ Lincoln Hall, March 29

LISTEN: War on Drugs – “Baby Missiles”

Bang Bang Slang has been a longtime supporter of alt-country music and/or any Americana, rootsy sounds – Delta Spirit being one of the bands we admire big time in that light. No one from BBS will be able to make Middle Brother’s first Chicago gig and we’re gutted about it. If you’re a Deer Tick, Delta Spirit, or Dawes fan and you haven’t heard of this hybrid of musical greatness, check out their debut, self-titled LP now, and by some miracle tickets are still available for this Saturday’s show via Metro’s website HERE. We’re equally excited for our first Bright Eyes show in YEARS and Lincoln Hall‘s War on Drugs/Destroyer date – let’s the games begin! (But let’s also hope that Conor plays some of the old jams too…)

NEXT MONTH: RECORD STORE DAY, Tv on the Radio, Arcade Fire, Queens of the Stone Age, Kurt Vile, Jeff Tweedy, Black Angels, Black Lips… and BBS travels to COACHELLA!!!

What’s your concert schedule for March lookin’ like? As promised to anyone who follows the site – come and meet up with BBS at any of the shows in bold and we’ll buy you a beer on us. Don’t be shy…

 

BANG ON THIS! Surfer Blood “I’m Not Ready” (Halfway House Sessions) + Lincoln Hall Shows TOMORROW!

First off – Congratulations to Tim who won last week’s Alejandro Escovedo ticket giveaway!

Bang Bang Slang‘s “Bang on THIS!” song-of-the-day comes from West Palm Beach 2010 indie breakout group Surfer Blood – a familiar band featured on BBS – and their Halfway House performance of a newer, non-Astro Coast song, “I’m Not Ready”. With tomorrow’s double-header performances at Lincoln Hall this will be the 4th time that Surfer Blood has cruised into Chicago this year. Might be more. The last time that BBS caught up with the Surfer Blood dudes was at Pitchfork Fest, where they jammed through a breezy afternoon set to a sweaty group of hundreds, crammed in the corner of the festival grounds. While it still might be a bit crammed at their 7:00 PM NEARLY SOLD OUT LH show tomorrow, tickets to the 10:00 show are still available… and The Drums are opening, so give me a break. Buy a ticket already.

LISTEN: Surfer Blood – “Anchorage “

LISTEN: The Drums – ” Let’s Go Surfing “

If “I’m Not Ready” is a sign of what’s to come with the follow up to 2010’s Astro Coast, then Surfer Blood should have no problem riding out the wave of success they’ve been hanging on over the past year or so. “Ready” captures a similar tone and song structure utilized on Astro Coast – it could’ve very well been slipped onto the tracklist unnoticed, a nice accent and contribution to the already near flawless debut. But as with the rest of the Halfway House recordings for the Surfer Blood session, “Ready” carries an air of maturity for the band as a whole that didn’t exist last Fall when they started to blow up. They’re playing their instruments  better than ever before and have made some harmonious changes in their arrangements that have given their songs a bigger, more commanding sound. JP bellows a spot-on Tim Kasher style “Ah-oh-Ah-oh” to end the song – his vocal ability is finally at that level of balance between perfectly imperfect and extremely genuine to favor the sound of his band. We’re loving it.

If BBS had to guess, we’d say that Surfer Blood‘s follow up album follows in the same suit as The Strokes‘ “Room on Fire“. No need to shake up the formula, but a second offering of Astro Coast might just work the best here.

SURFER BLOOD w/ THE DRUMS @ LINCOLN HALL 10/14

7:00 show – ALMOST SOLD OUT!

10:00 show – TICKETS AVAILABLE!

BUY TICKETS: 7:00 HERE, 10:00 HERE

As usual, FREE BEER to anyone that wants one and send us an email or comment on the post! See you at Lincoln Hall…

To hear the rest of the badass Surfer Blood Halfway House Sessions – CLICK HERE

For Surfer Blood News & Tour Dates – CLICK HERE

Bang Bang Slang Meets Dean Ween… Goes Fishing – 09/10/10

 

Mickey Melchiondo & BBS Hooligans off the coast of Belmar, NJ 09/10/10

 

It’s been nearly a month since we braved the open seas with one of our guitar heroes as Co-Captain – Mickey Melchiondo (the one and only Deaner of Ween) – and the experience is one that will hold lasting vibrations of awesomeness for the entire gang that came along on our fishing adventure.

Speaking now as founder of the site, I couldn’t have wrangled up a better group of dudes to bring out to Belmar, NJ. An overdue thanks has to be given to our buddy Yankus who put the wheels in motion, contacted Mickey, kept our asses in check, and solidified plans for the entire thing – thank you, man! After 5 hours of slaying bluefish, sea bass, and striper, shitfaced crushing of endless booze, slamming burritos with fish guts on our hands, and smoking cigs till our boxes were empty, we made it back to the shore with smiles ear to ear and a story to tell for the rest of our lives. If only we didn’t go bar hopping till last call afterwards, make friends with degenerates, and wake up on the grimey, prison floors of the Belmar Motor Lodge… we might have actually remembered the details.

Yes, going on a Brownie Troop trip with Mickey is as fucking awesome as you would imagine.

 

The Skylarker II Pirates of Belmar

 

I thought the only way we could do Mickey, Brownie Troop, Captain Steve, and Billy justice by means of commemorating the trip would be by offering up an account from an expert angler who was on board (and who is of course a devout follower of Boognish). Here’s Contessa’s official fishing report on our time spent aboard the Skylarker II:

“Fishing aboard the Skylarker II was the type of early autumn magic in which wet and salty dreams are made.  Admittedly, as the crew of 11 departed the parking lot of the unassuming Belmar Motor Lodge, I wasn’t confident in the success of the coming trip. To call our crew novice would have been an extreme understatement, as the majority of those among us had never fished before; but, what this crew lacked in experience, they made up for with unbridled enthusiasm and copious amounts of Bud Light.

While we motored north up the coast, first mate Billy dug in blade-first to a stack of Bunker flats which would make for the chum (and bait) of the evening. By the time Captain Steve found his numbers, whatever lack of confidence I had earlier was quickly trumped by the potent smell of bluefish grease in the air. The first hour of fishing was extremely consistent, offering the crew a mixed bag of 8-15 LBS bluefish, seabass, and even one keeper Striper landed by Tony of New Hope, PA.

The bite slowed down as the tide went slack; which ironically was when things started to heat up. I realized that our other new friend from New Hope had brought a spinning rod with a bag of various metal; the right tools for a methodology of slaying I happen to know a lot about. In no time at all we were all taking turns on the spin-gear; bombing casts deep into the chum-slick, literally hooking mammoth blues on every crank. Artificials ended up out-fishing the bait about 20-1. Thankfully, everybody got their chance to partake in the festivities.  All and all, it was an amazing trip in the beauty that is coastal Jerz.” -DC

I couldn’t have summed it up better if I tried. Mainly because I don’t know shit about fishing. Sidenote: No one puked or fell overboard, which was a plus.

 

The Skylarker II in all its Glory

 

 

Billy preparing our chum

 

 

A Warm Welcome from Contessa, Biney, & Geoff

 

 

Starfish beer

 

… and then we caught fire and started bagging fish left and right.

OUR CATCHES OF THE DAY

 

Alex stands proud with Mickey and his Bluefish

 

 

Leslie is a boss

 

 

A-Trab & Deaner sharing in the glory

 

 

Tony's Big 'Ol Striper

 

 

Jordon's turn... bloodfest

 

 

Hale with his slippery bastard

 

HANGIN’ WITH MICKEY

 

The Cash Fan

 

 

Mickey & Drew after some serious metal skipping

 

 

On the way back to shore...

 

 

The Bachelor & Mickey

 

...AND THE REST OF ‘EM

 

"Best sleep of my life..."

 

 

Gon' get em!

 

 

Baine's MONSTER Seabass

 

 

Hey... who's that guy?

 

 

Geoff crushes some breeters

 

Mickey Skipping A Lure – Belmar, NJ 09/10/10

BBS will let the pictures do most of the talking on this one. But Mickey really hit the nail on the head with his credo on the Mickey’s Guide Service website: “A fishing trip is the best gift one can receive in my opinion, whether it’s for one person or a huge gathering”. In this case it was a jumbled mess of drunken best buds and the end result was one for the history books, just as we had predicted.

Do yourself a favor and book a trip with  Captain Mickey before he wises up and stops taking bastards like us on the water: HERE

 

Mickey's Guide Service

 

And OF COURSE we flew all the way  back to NYC to see Ween play Central Park the following weekend. What sort of assholes would we be if we flaked on Ween‘s final performance of the summer in one of the sickest park settings they’ve ever played? (FULL SETLIST BELOW)

 

 

Ween Plays Central Park 09/17/10

 

SETLIST

Buckingham Green

She Wanted to Leave

Bananas & Blow

Learnin’ To Live

Transdermal Celebration

Up on the Hill

Take Me Away

Don’t Get Too Close (2 My Fantasy)

Even if You Don’t

Push ‘Th Little Daisies

Sorry Charlie

Voodoo Lady

Happy Colored Marbles

Stallion Pt. 3

Ice Castles

Final Alarm

With My Own Bare Hands

Your Party

Let’s Dance – David Bowie Cover

Touch My Tooter

You Fucked Up

Stroker Ace

Waving My Dick in the Wind

Hey There Fancy Pants

Wayne’s Pet Youngin’

Goin Gets Tough from the Get Go

Johnny on the Spot

The Mollusk

Spinal Meningitis

Mister Would You Please Help My Pony?

Roses are Free

Encore:

Fiesta

Mr. Richard Smoker

Dr. Rock

 

 

Hail Boognish

 

… should Bang Bang Slang grow a pair and just fly out to Colorado for Ween’s Halloween show? We just might.

Tickets available for halloWEEN in Denver: HERE

WEEN news, merch, and tour info: OFFICIAL WEBSITE

FALL CONCERT SCHEDULE: Round #2! (October 2010)

In the blink of an eye and the chug of a beer, we’re nearing the second week of October and BBS has completely dropped the ball on our monthly “Chicago Concert Calendar” post! After catching a mindblowing performance from indie troubador Will Oldham and his band Bonnie “Prince” Billy at Lincoln Hall and experiencing a dance funk house party – that we wouldn’t have anticipated in a million years – from Eels at Metro last week, October has clearly started on a sizzling hot note. November holds some equally hot promise for Chicagoans from acts like Danzig, Dawes, Mike Gordon, Delorean, and The Frames.

But as always, let’s focus on the now and hit you with the pressing dates that matter most (SEE BELOW – dates in bold indicate that BBS will be in attendance:

OCTOBER 2010

• 10/06: Teenage Fanclub @ Lincoln Hall
• 10/07: Jimmy Eat World @ Riviera, Stars @ The Vic, Dungen @ Lincoln Hall
• 10/09: Riverboat Gamblers @ Subterranean, Carl Broemel (of My Morning Jacket) @ Schubas
• 10/10: Dan Deacon Ensemble @ Logan Square Auditorium
• 10/11: Belle & Sebastian @ Chicago Theatre (SOLD OUT), AA Bondy @ Schubas, Neon Indian @ Metro, Miike Snow @ Riviera
• 10/12: Temper Trap @ Metro, Alejandro Escovedo @ Lincoln Hall
• 10/13: Guided By Voices @ The Vic (SOLD OUT), Walkmen w/ Miniature Tigers @ Metro
• 10/14: Bell X1 (acoustic) @ Schubas (SOLD OUT), Surfer Blood w/ The Drums (2 shows) @ Lincoln Hall, The New Pornographers w/ Tokyo Police Club @ The Vic
• 10/15: Sufjan Stevens @ Chicago Theatre (SOLD OUT), Devotchka @ Lincoln Hall, Safari @ Horseshoe, Felice Brothers @ Empty Bottle
• 10/16: Gorillaz @ UIC Pavillion, Devotchka @ Lincoln Hall, Jason Isbel & The 400 Unit w/ Langhorne Slim @ DoubleDoor, Raekwon @ Logan Square Auditorium
• 10/18: The Bloody Beetroots @ Lincoln Hall, Joan of Arc @ Empty Bottle
• 10/19: Band of Horses @ The Vic (SOLD OUT)
• 10/20: Avi Buffalo @ Schubas, Social Distortion w/ Lucero @ Riviera
• 10/21: Dr. Dog @ The Vic
• 10/22: Blonde Redhead @ The Vic, Deerhunter w/ Real Estate @ Metro
• 10/23: Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses (2 Shows) @ Subterranean (SOLD OUT)
• 10/25: LCD Soundsystem w/ Hot Chip @ Aragon Ballroom (SOLD OUT)
• 10/26: LCD Soundsystem w/ Hot Chip @ Riviera
• 10/27: Two Door Cinema Club @ Lincoln Hall
• 10/28: Planes Mistaken for Stars @ Subterranean, Black Mountain @ Metro, The Vaselines w/ Dum Dum Girls @ Lincoln Hall
• 10/29: Bear in Heaven @ Lincoln Hall, Jaill @ Mayne Stage, Born Ruffians @ Empty Bottle
• 10/30: Bob Dylan & His Band @ Riviera, Dandy Warhols @ The Vic, Soft Pack w/ Kurt Vile @ Empty Bottle, Deer Tick @ Bottom Lounge, Morning Benders @ Lincoln Hall
• 10/31: Mumford & Sons @ The Vic (SOLD OUT) (Happy Halloween!)

BANG BANG SLANG’s Top 3 Concert Picks – OCTOBER:

1.) LCD SOUNDSYSTEM w/ HOT CHIP @ Aragon Ballroom, October 25

LISTEN: LCD Soundsystem – “Losing My Edge”

2.) RYAN BINGHAM & THE DEAD HORSES @ Subterranean, October 23

LISTEN: Ryan Bingham – “Dylan’s Hard Rain”

3.) CARL BROEMEL (of My Morning Jacket) @ Schubas, October 9

LISTEN: Carl Broemel – “Heaven Knows”

Our next round of shows will resume tomorrow with Jimmy Eat World‘s stop at Riviera. We’ve been fans of these Tuscon indie/pop innovators for well over a decade now, having last seen them on their Bleed American tour, appropriately on September 10, 2001 – right before they pulled that album title from their modus operandi. So it’s been practically 10 years since we’ve checked em out and seeing them live again should be as comforting as a big bowl of mac ‘n cheese. All in all – Chicago venues have stepped their game up for October and there’s too much for us to even digest at this point… it’s overwhelming. Good work booking/talent/promo managers!

Again, congratulations to Jonathan who will be at Lincoln Hall‘s Teenage Fanclub show tonight! Alejandro Escovedo ticket giveaway winners will be announced at 12:00 PM on Friday 10/08… Keep the entries coming – we’ve got a ton so far.

Anyone going to Jimmy Eat World on Thursday or any other shows highlighted in bold? Let us know and BBS will buy you a beer – as usual – on us… FOR FREE!

-BBS

Alejandro Escovedo TICKET GIVEAWAY! Lincoln Hall 10/12 – Chicago, IL

Alejandro Escovedo & The Sensitive Boys stop by Lincoln Hall next Tuesday!

He’s come a long way since his time in the ’70’s  with punk rock pioneers The Nuns. A long way. Alejandro Escovedo is the quintessential “somehow still flying under the radar” prodigal musician – a talent that has tasted a wide spectrum of genres, mastered them, collaborated with many of the greats, and established a healthy discography as a solo artist over the last two decades. Plus, he was a central collaborator with BBS’ favorite singer/songwriter, Ryan Adams, during Whiskeytown‘s “Stranger’s Almanac” sessions. (I would cut off my pinky to see some of those Bloodshot Records shows from the late 90’s…ugh) A man who No Depression hailed as their “Artist of the Decade” is coming to our beloved Lincoln Hall next Tuesday 10/12.

… and Bang Bang Slang has a pair of tickets to give away to the show!

Another artist that helps lessen BBS‘ longing for the South and bring back our fondness for Alt-Country to the Midwest, Escovedo‘s Chicago tour date is his first in a while and should be whiskey soaked glory.

Congratulations to Jonathan and Ashley for taking away last week’s pair of tickets to Teenage Fanclub‘s 2 night stand at Lincoln Hall beginning tonight! Have fun!!!

FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN – send an email to bangbangslangblog@gmail.com or get at @bangbangslang on Twitter! (Please include your full name)

WINNER ANNOUNCED ON FRIDAY 10/08!

TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE AT LINCOLN HALL: HERE

…good luck!

-BBS