Rocking And Rolling On A Monday Night—Colleen Green, Sam Vicari, Upset, Impulsive Hearts At Beat Kitchen
By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 13, 2015 6:00PM
We’re with you, it’s hard to get up the energy to rock and/or roll on a Monday night, but tonight’s line-up at Beat Kitchen promises to pay off on your personal investment if you attend. The line-up includes two artists who have recently released albums that are already some of our favorites of the year thus far. And the rest of the bill is pretty great as well.
Colleen Green’s new album, I Want To Grow Old, sees her moving away from the lo-fi DIY aesthetic of her previous work to strap on speaker shredding guitars with the support of some thundering bass lines and a drum kit mic'ed to sound massive. Green’s new approach is definitely influenced by a sound whose prevalence began to crest in the mid-‘90s, and while fans of that dog and early Veruca Salt will find much to enjoy here, that doesn’t mean I Want To Grow Up is some sort of exercise in nostalgia. Green keeps the lyrics straightforward, confessional and relatable and this merges quite nicely with the bigger sound of the band on the album, providing a lovely balance that keeps things feeling both relatable and new.
Chicago’s Sam Vicari opens tonights show and his own recently released Giving Up shows he’s continuing his impressive track record of no missteps over the last three albums. His heartfelt delivery and sunny melodies continue to be anchored by killer power-pop arrangements. We’ve said it once and we’re sure we’ll say it again, but how this guy is not a modern teen heartthrob type who can simultaneously appeal to boys and girls of all ages is completely beyond us. His live sets see his songs stripped of the full live band, leaving just Vicari, mic and a guitar, but the presentation is no less winning once stripped to the bare essentials.
Rounding out the evening are two other acts, including Chicago’s Impulsive Hearts, headed by Danielle Sines. The bands latest self-titled cassette’s sound has nods towards a little bit of surf, a little bit of girl group harmonies and a whole lotta wall of sound. Headlining is Upset, out of Los Angeles. Their latest EP, '76, just came out a few weeks ago and is chock full of scrappy, poppy, punk tunes that sound as if they’ve been written in someone’s basement while fueled by pixie stix.
So let’s treat this Monday night bill like it’s a Friday night party and give these bands their due. We think you’ll find it well worth it. Plus, you get to rave about the show tomorrow morning and keep the good vibes going into the rest of the week.
Tonight, April 13, at Beat Kitchen, 2100 W Belmont, 8:30 p.m., $10-$12, 17+