Rock Chicago Magazine

Men Without Hats Does “The Safety Dance” at The Mayne with Bow Wow Wow

Canadian New Wave Group Men Without Hats and England’s Bow Wow Wow played the Mayne Stage Saturday night. This was the first show I saw at the Mayne where the floor was a dance floor, which made perfect sense for this type of music. There wasn’t one song that didn’t make the audience want to dance. Each group played for an hour. Men Without Hats was very Synth Driven whereas Bow Wow Wow was all about the drums and bass. Men Without Hats came on first and played a set that included “I Got The Message,” “Head Above Water” “Living In China” the song they are best known for “Safety Dance” and an encore of Abba’s “SOS.” The only original member left in the group is singer Ivan Doroschuk backed up by two female keyboard players and a guitarist. Doroschuk sounds exactly the same as he did 30 years, and didn’t stay in one place long. With so many synth driven songs it was hard not move around.

Bow Wow Wow started with the band playing an instrumental before singer Annabella Lwin. The band consisting of original bassist Leigh Gorman, guitarist Phil Gough, and Devin Beaman on drums was incredible, especially the sound of the bass and drums which really drove the music. Bow Wow Wow was a lot of fun to watch. Their set included “C30, C60, C90,” “See Jungle” “Go Wild In The Country,” and their biggest hit “I want Candy.”

Reviewed by Alex Kluft on 11/18/12

Photos by Alex Kluft

Morris Day and The Time: Swagger With a Smile at The Venue

If “class” and “swagger” had a child, that child would be named Morris Day.  Day’s effortless “cool” is an inviting look into a 30+ year career shaped by musical excitement and a flawless live show!

The lights dim at 9:10pm and the band walks out onto The Venue’s beautiful stage dressed in dark suits and sporting fedoras.  Drums, bass, two keyboards, and an electric guitar lay down the foundation of a swinging groove as the guitarist takes to the mic and questions, “ARE YOU READY CHICAGO?”.  The sold out crowd erupts and jumps to their feet.  The music intensifies and the lights begin to circle.  “Please put your hands together for MORRIS DAY!”.  Out comes the quint-essential hype man holding a gold framed mirror.  Following comes the strutting Morris Day.  Hype man and Day reach center stage, mirror is held up, Day pulls out a long comb from the inside of his gold, sparkle, zoot suit coat, the grooming ensues, and the crowd roars!

The opening hit “Get It Up” sets up the theme for the party with lyrics, “Get it up.  Get ready for a real good time.  I’m going to try to blow your mind.”  Within the first 2 minutes of the band’s appearance on stage, you are quickly reminded of the influence Prince had on his high school cohort.  The precision of the band’s flawless choreography, the powerful musical arrangements, and the front man’s commanding presence are all credited to Day’s time under Prince’s guiding wing in the late 70′s.

The first three songs were an assault of high energy tracks physically forcing everyone in The Venue to smile, clap, sing, and dance.  The dedicated fans bellowed out every single word as Day’s hypnotizing charm drove the musical train through their tenacious set list.

Finally, a “break” is given as the drummer, Jellybean holds down a funky groove and the rest of the band sits back in the cut.  Day takes to the microphone and  greets all of his adoring fans as he graciously thanks everyone for supporting their career “since 1981”.  Once again the crowd screams and smiles grow larger as they are reminded of how long Day’s music has enriched their lives.  These fans are hardcore.  Men in zoot suites and women dressed to impressed, fans wanted to show their support in every way possible.  Men wanted to be him and the women wanted to woo the self proclaimed playboy.

As quickly as they sat down, half of the crowd was brought back to their feet as Day dictated, “Band, hit me 5 times!”.  The crack of the snare drum, the synchronized bounce of the band, and the finger points and leg shakes of Day brought the energy in the room up yet another level.  Weather you knew the music or not, the simplicity of the lyrics and the message coupled with  the inviting depth of the music made the party environment comfortably nostalgic.

The intensity of the set came down 25 minutes in as Day and hype man made their way backstage.  The band began teasing a ballad as the bass player asked, “Do you want to sing the slow jams?”.  Women shrieked as the band jumped to the intro of another ballad.  Day’s voice is heard as he sings the first 3 lines of the song and then apologizes, “I’m sorry you have to hear my voice from back stage right now, but I’m half naked.”  Women shrieked even more as the band swells.  Day makes is way back on stage with a long tench coat draped over his zoot suit.  He brings the crowd and the volume of the band down with his hands, calls for “six hits”, and as directed, the band slams six tight punches as they plow right into “The Bird”.  All of a sudden, audience members flood the stage and swarm Day.  Emulating a much “cooler” line dance, the make shift back up dancers all follow Day’s lead as they wave their arms and glide their feet to song.

The feeling of an anxious unknown was prevalent through the 55 minute set as the band jumped from one song right into another.  The theatrical antics and constant connection to the fans engaged even the security staff who could not resist an occasional shimmy here and there.  Day left the stage and returned shortly for the expected encore.  There was one more song everyone needed to hear before the night was complete.  Day taunted the crowd and asked, “Is there something else you all want to hear?”.  Simultaneously, the crowd screamed “YES” as the lights lit up the entire venue.  As everyone hoped, the 1983 hit, “Jungle Love” satisfied their musical appetite and the 7 minute extended jam proved to be the climax of the entire set.

Morris Day and The Time are a prime example of artists and performers that continue to do what they love simply because they have to.  The live experience is the heart beat of this machine.  Sure, appearances in the movies Purple Rain and Jay And Silent Bob are credible, commercial accolades, but   you won’t see Morris Day and The Time at the Super Bowl or in a slick car commercial anytime soon.  They have stayed tried and true to their niche brand of entertainment and they are not begging to be noticed.  In an ever changing industry, genuine passion and hard work have consistently been rewarded through longevity.  Long live Morris Day and The Time.

Reviewed by Edmer Abante [a.k.a. MER] on 11/14/12

Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer Cozy Up at SPACE

In the busy world of bands touring the country from one town to another, surprises, accidents, and late-minute changes are to be expected.  Spinal Tap’s manager Ian Faith even famously complained, “Do you what I spend my time doing? I sleep two or three hours a night. There’s no sex and drugs for Ian, David. Do you know what I do? I find lost luggage. I locate mandolin strings in the middle of Austin at 4:00 in the morning!”

So when Mandy Fer strode to the stage at the start of their set, my initial reaction was to see it as an interesting way to start their set – a choice they probably made because Mandy is a local, born and raised in nearby Deerfield.  True there were many in the audience there to support her, but she soon explained the real reason for her unexpected solo performance.  “Dave lost his voice,” she said, “and he’s out there somewhere looking for it.”  Sadly,  Dave’s honeyed John Gorka-ish voice would not make an appearance this night.  There was a stool and a djembe there on stage, open for him to potentially make a late appearance.

Instead of hand-wringing and sad faces, the show quickly turned into a showcase for Mandy’s abundant vocal and guitar talents. When they played here six months ago, Dave and Mandy were joined on stage by a bass and drums for a full band performance. Yet even on that night, Mandy’s guitar solos stood out, mixing a variety of influences and tunings.  “I was addicted to alternate tunings,” she explained, as she re-tuned her guitar before each song, “but after I met Willy Porter it was all downhill.”  In truth, her guitar work was stunning, shifting from Spanish-inflected strumming to blues-rock speedy run-throughs of notes to drop-thumb folk sweetness to quiet single-note textures.  She continues to mature and find the musical nuances in the complex constructions of their songs.

But now I need to shift to the main attraction: Mandy’s voice.  It’s not only the sweetness of it, or its amazing balance of pure tone and weathered edges, or its ability to be just as powerful in a whisper as in full volume – it’s her ability to combine all of those elements over the course of a single song.  From “Grow,” the set opener to “Golden Grey,” we were treated to a one-woman showcase of folk styles that pushed comfortably beyond that over-simplified label.

She shared a new song, a “freshie” as she termed it – one coming from her recent move from Flagstaff, Arizona to the San Juan Islands of Washington State.  She described the beautiful view from their cabin, stretching across fields of rye through forest to the ocean.  Had she not named those elements beforehand we certainly would have been able to detect them in the song.  She transported us across time and space, and the audience responded with silence and rapt attention.

By the time Dave joined Mandy on stage for one final song, she could already claim victory for a triumphant set – which made it an extra treat to have one more song from this wonderful duo.  Dave was able to add a variety of rhythms and beats to Mandy’s guitar and voice, and from where I was sitting close to the stage he seemed to hold it together pretty well, considering his ailing condition.

Mandy dedicated the set to set grandmother, Pearl, who at 93 was there in the audience to cheer her on.  That completed the home-spun feel of her set, which comes as part of a ten-week tour before they head off for their first European set of performances.  But for now, in a club that usually plays host to established stars keeping the glow of their careers shining brightly, on this night, one was truly born.

Reviewed by Neil Rigler on 11/15/12

She’s No Diamond in the Rough: Shawn Colvin Visits City Winery in Chicago

I paid a visit to a newer venue on the near west side for the first time Thursday night, City Winery, to check out the club, and see an old favorite performer of mine, Shawn Colvin. I hadn’t seen Shawn perform since the early days of her solo career some twenty years ago. A nice clean, modern room that holds about three-hundred people, City Winery, located at Randolph and Racine, had the feel of a Micro Brewery, but the barrels were, of course, filled with wine. For me, I sensed the feel of what I always pictured a sub-ground level Nineteen Sixties Coffee House would look like, but on a much grander scale. They make their own wine on site, as well as offer a wide variety of bottled wines. Bottled beer is also available, but looking around, beer drinkers were definitely in the small minority. A few Martini’s and Cosmopolitan’s speckled the tables as well. An Appetizer and Dinner menu is also available. We took the “when in Rome” approach, and decided to order a carafe of the House Cabernet. A nice, fairly smooth red was served in what resembled a beaker from Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory. The $39.00 carafe was a decent value considering where we were located, although, and not to say they were stingy exactly, but another 4-6 ounces would have been appreciated. The room carried a nice sound acoustic wise, and maintained a warm, welcoming feel.

Taking the stage promptly at Nine-o’clock, the 56 year old Ms. Colvin was genuinely pleased to be playing in front of her own fans, most of whom were her peers as well. She has been touring as the opening act for Heart recently, and her appreciation for playing for people that specifically came to see her was very apparent. She performed solo, and played the same acoustic guitar throughout the set. There is definitely a certain high level of talent required to be able to perform by yourself for ninety minutes in front of a decent sized crowd. You must not only be able to play solid, mistake free music, as there is no Bass player, Drummer or Keyboard player to help cover up any miscues, but you also have to have the charisma and charm to be part story teller and part comedian. Shawn was spot on with all three counts, keeping the full room focused and captivated on her performance from start to finish.  Playing with her customary thumb-pick, her finger picking style offers a fuller sound then a straight forward, standard pick playing style will afford. Her vocals are as solid and youthful sounding as they were when I last saw her at Park West in 1991.

The three time Grammy award winner opened her 16 song set with Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”, then performed one of two songs from her debut CD Steady On, “Another Long One”. She also played “Diamond in the Rough” as her sixth song of the night from that release. I didn’t get a version of my favorite song from that album, “Shot Gun Down the Avalanche”, a song that has resided in the top 20 of my IPod since the week I got it, but you can’t win them all. At one point I marveled at how the self proclaimed singer of sad songs could in fact be so uplifting. “Trouble” from her A Few Small Repairs album was third, followed by “Seven Times the Charm”, the first of three songs from her eighth studio album All Fall Down, which was released earlier this year.  She also performed “Anne of the Thousand Days” and “Change is on the Way” from that new release. Her fifth song of the evening was “Polaroids”, from her second album Fat City. The song also appeared on the soundtrack from the 2001 movie “Heartbreakers”. This is where she engaged in poking a little fun at the two-chord foundation of the self written song, breaking into nearly a dozen teases of similar melodies from The Eagles to Stevie Wonder in the process of a nearly fifteen minute song-standup-story telling routine that was very well executed.

The only real excitement, audience wise, came just as Shawn began her last, pre-encore song, “Killing the Blues”. A bit of a kerfuffle erupted in the back of the room when a loud boom rang out, and an apparently annoyed man stormed off in a huff, leaving his stunned date by herself. After a collective crowd neck crane, things simmered back down, while Shawn didn’t miss a beat. Appearing quickly after a nice standing ovation, Ms. Colvin wrapped up the enjoyable evening with Lefty Frizzell’s 1974 song “That’s the Way Love Goes” for her encore. Now Shawn Colvin is back on the road to fend off requests for “Barracuda”, as she rejoins the Wilson sisters for the remainder of their current Heart tour. It was my pleasure and good fortune that she got to take a short break.

Reviewed by Patrick Kinsella on 11/8/12

Regina Spektor Cranks the Volume at The Chicago Theatre

Photo by Alex Kluft 

Regina Spektor is easily one of the best artists in the past decade. Last night at the Chicago Theatre she showed how unique her music is. Spektor played for 1 hr 45mins to a close to sold out crowd. Spektor came out at 8:50 P.M. dressed in a black polka dot dress and sang “Ain’t No Cover” A cappella, than sat behind a Steinway piano, and was joined by her band which consisted of drums, cello, and keyboards. The audience was mainly around the age of college students with a few adults, and even a family friend of Spektor’s that’s 91. The crowd was going crazy when Spektor walked out onstage, and many yelled out “I Love You Regina” between songs. The funniest part of the show was Regina trying to sound like Klaus Meine, the lead singer of the Scorpions while telling a story about being in Russia and talking about Chicago with a friend. On a few songs Spektor got up from the piano and came to the center and sang as well as playing keyboard on 1 or 2 songs. The encore consisted of 4 songs, and ended with Spektor playing “Samson” solo piano. The crowd sang along on several songs. I’ve seen many different artists at the Chicago Theatre, and I’d say it was a perfect fit for Spektor.

Set List

Ain’t No Cover

The Calculation

On the Radio

Small Town Moon

Ode to Divorce

Patron Saint

How

All the Rowboats

Blue Lips

Call Them Brothers (with Jack Dishel)

Dance Anthem of the 80’s

Better

Ne Me Quitte Pas

Firewood

Oh Marcello

Ballad of a Politician

Sailor Song

Open

The Party

Encore:

Us

Fidelity

Hotel Song

Samson

Band:

Mathias Künzli – Drums

Yoed Nir – Cello

Brad Whiteley – Keyboards

Reviewed by Alex Kluft on 10/18/12

An Intimate Evening With Dionne Warwick

What becomes a legend most is that rare moment when a genuine reciprocity of both regard and revelation emerges between artist and audience. For a moment time freezes; audience members become ‘invited guests’ rather than ticket holders. The ‘Star’ becomes ‘friend’ and over the course of a short evening; old memories are conjured and new memories made.

When Dionne Warwick stepped onto the stage this past weekend at Naperville’s intimate Pfeiffer Hall, she gracefully stepped into a spotlight that immediately conveyed not only her enduring popularity amongst the 35 years plus age range of the audience, but the dignity, elegance, and dare I say, prowess of a woman who’s career spans five decades. Dionne has truly been there, done that and seen it all..and Saturday night’s audience; hopeful, and expectant..was in no way disappointed.

Having been a child in the early seventies, growing up Newark, Bellville, and Bloomfield New Jersey, towns neighboring the city of all cities; NYC,towns smack dab up against that of Dionne’s own hometown – East Orange…and myself having a musical mother….my childhood was jam packed with the music of Dionne, in fact…so much so that I would say that the musical soundtrack to my life would be incomplete without her. For many years I had wanted to see Dionne in concert, but in recent years, tours were occasional and performance cities few. So I must admit, the opportunity to see Ms. Warwick up close and live was a true gift from the Universe (and my editor Kevin Pollack). I must also admit that my hopes and expectations – despite- internet threads bemoaning Dionne’s short set lists, late time starts and shoddy wardrobe choices – were extremely high, after all…she is regarded a ‘Legend’. Now…back to Saturday’s show. Dionne put on a show that would shame many contemporary ‘divas’ today. Point blank..a show that I will NEVER forget! Stepping into that spotlight, draped in a flowing white pant suit of sorts, her feet gloved in silver jeweled heels, her silver hair shorn tight and high, Dionne basked deservedly in the admiration of her audience. Nodding to her band a quartet of five accomplished men who’ve been traveling with her around the globe for nearly a decade, Dionne promised a night of memories old, familiar, and new, she promised a night of of casual sharing and fun. At one point she pulled up a stool, daintily unfolded a white kerchief, patted the sweat off of her forehead and told us, ‘ this year marks my 50th year in the entertainment industry. I wanted to thank all of you for supporting my career and I couldn’t think of any way to do other than with my music.

While it is true that I am a fan, I can be honest and unbiased in my observations. Every single minute of An Evening with Dionne Warwick was thrilling and unforgettable. Intimate and celebratory. Her voice perhaps a tad deeper and raspier still soars and resonates with vibratto and is near pitch perfect. Dionne is a consummate songstress from the old school…that school that believed that every single word in a song was important, that songs tell stories..that each song is it’s own chapter, play, movie, moment in time. Like the greats with which she has kept company….Liza, Frank, Sammy, Johnny…she wraps her mouth around every single word and pulls you into the story of the song…and she never lets you go! Dionne’s connection to her band was seamless- her pianist and percussionist, in particular, were exceptional.

Covering many of her hits, Dionne took us back in time with classics such as, ‘Walk On By’, ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’, ‘ Do You Know The Way To San Jose?’ , ‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’, ‘Alfie’, and ‘Message To Michael’. Commemorating and celebrating her musical partnerships with songwriters Burt Bacarach and Hal David, Lady D unveiled two new songs written by them expressly for her new cd; NOW: Celebrating 50 Years Of Dionne Warwick. Towards the end of the evening, Dionne stunned the crowd with a haunting and powerful rendition of, ‘I’ll Never Love this Way Again’.

Mid-show, she shared with us her love of all things Brazil, taking us on a musical journey of the senses as she delivered several sultry, jazzy tunes and even took to samba-ing across the stage..telling us that if the music of the natives didn’t inspire us to ‘move something’..then there was a good chance that we were already dead’…. As an end of the night treat, Dionne brought to the stage her son, actor and singer David Elliott. Together they delivered a soulful rendition and restyling of her classic, ‘Say a Little Prayer’ which afterwards brought the audience to it’s third (or fouth) standing ovation’ the first being for her sweeping and heartfelt rendition of ‘Alfie’, the second for her powerhouse, come to Jesus rendition of ‘What the World Needs Now…’

Allowing her son to enjoy the spotlight for a solo song, a gorgeously delivered soulful re-imagining of the Latin classic, ‘Besame Mucho’, the two were reunited to perform yet another Dionne signature; ‘That’s What Friends Are For’….

Spending the evening with Dionne was for me a chance of a lifetime event, well worth the wait, never to be forgotten. I truly felt as if Dionned had invited me into her home for an intimate evening of sharing and storytelling in song. Elegant, Graceful and Legendary, are the ONLY words I can use to describe this rare concert appearance from the inimitable Dionne Warwick.

Reviewed by Madrid St. Angelo on 10/6/12 at Pfeiffer Hall, Naperville, IL

Alanis Morissette Says “Thank U” to The Riviera Theatre

Photos by Alex Kluft 

Alanis Morissette played a great show at that the Riviera Saturday night. For me, Morissette is one of a few artists that really define music in the 90’s. For the first 2 songs; “Jekyll and Hyde w/ Souleye” and I Remain (Part 1) she didn’t stop moving from one side of the stage to other. The fans knew the words to nearly every song and at certain points the crowd was doing the singing. The set included 22 songs and 2 encores, the first encore was 3 songs, “Hand In My Pocket,” “Everything,” and “Your House” played acoustically. And the closer was “Thank U.” Morissette’s band was incredible and really rocked. On a few songs she played harmonica and guitar. Almost 40, Morissette sounds better than ever, and kept the fans moving around all night long.

 Reviewed by Alex Kluft on 10/13/12

Setlist

 1. Jekyll and Hyde w/SoulEye

2. I Remain (Part 1)

3. Woman Down

4. All I Really Want

5. You Learn

6. Guardian

7. Mary Jane

8. Spiral

9.  Right Through You

10. So Pure

11. Ironic 

12. Havoc

13. Head Over Feet

14. Lens

15. I Remain (Part 2)

16. Uninvited

17. You Oughta Know

18. Numb

Encore:

19. Hand in My Pocket

20. Everything

21. Your House

Encore 2:

22. Thank U