Results tagged “lakeshoretheatre”

There will be swoon, and velvety darkness, and an epic reach to the music. After all, these traits have been common to the Dears over the Montreal group's four full-length albums. But there might be a few surprises tonight, too, considering that founder and frontman Murray Lightburn has seen a nearly wholesale shift in his supporting lineup since the recording of Missiles (Dangerbird), the band's latest. (The Dears kick off nearly a month of touring with this Lakeshore Theater gig.) Internal squabbles aside, the live setting suits their music, which is forever searching for a way to breathe life into the ether. Plus, there's like seven musicians in this band now, so there's always something to look at. Is that a harmonium?

We caught Great Northern a while ago on one of their first national tours and were entranced with how they transformed their lush recorded arrangements into brutal brawling powerhouses onstage. The boy / girl interplay that carries along the most driving tracks turn from sultry back-and-forths and become molten exchanges by two intertwining and majestic forces. Hyperbole falls by the wayside as the honesty of the band's attack strips away the threat of exaggeration.

         

Rachael Yamagata returned home last night to perform two shows to two packed house at Lakeshore Theatre last night. She played a bunch of old faves, some new stuff off her forthcoming disc, and she charmed every soul in the room. She may not have sold a million albums yet (yet), but we already consider her one of Chicago's superstars.

Sure, it seems like Adam Green's ex-bandmate Kimya Dawson is getting all the accolades for last year's Juno soundtrack, which is funny since he co-wrote the biggest hit on that record, but folks should be directing their focus on Green's new cabaret leanings, leaving his old anti-folk tunes in the dust. His latest album, Sixes & Sevens, mixes Lee Hazelwood's cinematic sonic styling with a sly sexiness that would do Serge Gainsbourg proud. The 20 songs on the album leap all over the place stylistically, covering everything from Memphis driven soul to quirky half-tunes better suited to a carnival calliope. Through it all Green displays an astonishing range and derring-do that skirts the edge of complication only to be reined in by solid songcraft.

The Sensuous Woman: Margaret Cho

Well, it is shaping up to be quite the warm weekend. Any of our lovely readers want to invite us to some type of pool party? We'll bring waterwings shaped like Mayor Daley's face. Someone should really make those. In the event we receive no invitations, we've lined up some other activities certain to help you, and us, take advantage of another weekend. As we mentioned yesterday, Calsfest 2007 is taking place at Cal's Liquors,...

In the mid 90's we were television addicts. From soaps to sitcoms, we soaked up nearly everything the tube could offer. Our collection of VHS tapes at the time was chock full of good stuff. But in some cases it was the commercials that we loved most. One of our favorites featured Judy Tenuta drinking Diet Dr. Pepper while "working out" at the gym. The moment she proclaiming "You can't get a body like mine...

Movies in the summertime. Comic book heroes? Check. Cuddly computer animation? Check. Bloated running times? Check. MOTS? SOS? Double-check. With scads of movie franchises so stale yet so expensive they give McDonald's a bad name, it's no wonder that we'd rather catch up on our reading than check out what Hollywood has deigned to fob off on us this season. (We do confess to being excited about Ocean's Thirteen however; director Steven Soderbergh always keeps...

Much of the ink spilled over Chicago’s renaissance as a filmmaking hotspot touts all the big Hollywood productions that have set up shop here like Batman Begins and the currently in production Stranger Than Fiction. But independent artists are the ones who are keeping the scene viable and giving local crews the chance to work and network. Several small fests showcase the work of guerilla filmmakers; recent gatherings include Fast Forward, the Really Short Film...