Cirque du Soleil’s Alegría
The Sears Centre – Hoffman Estates, IL
3/4/2010

Alegría means “jubilation” in Spanish and I walked into the show not knowing what I was getting into. I’ve only heard the great love of Cirque du Soleil shows from friends who’ve seen the larger Las Vegas shows. When Cirque’s Alegría hit town I jumped on the chance to witness it for myself.

Alegría’s characters are made up of Kings’ fools, minstrels, beggars, old aristocrats and children, along with the clowns.  The story is about the hand off of power throughout time. It evolves from ancient monarchies to modern democracies.

Alegría is currently running a 7 performance residence at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, IL, and if you are anywhere near Hoffman Estates or Chicago please take this chance to see a Cirque show up close and personal. The Sears Centre is ideal for Alegría because of the smaller size of the venue. We were lucky to have fantastic seats but even those further away could still see and appreciate the sheer beauty of the show.

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Album Cover 2009

According to HuDost’s Website, the band HuDost was initially formed as an acoustic duo between songwriters Moksha Sommer and Jemal Wade Hines that later expanded to include an ensemble of musicians and instruments. With the band’s third album, Trapeze, HuDost exemplifies their versatility with genres and musicianship that gained them acclaim from their first two albums and currently puts them at the forefront of the folk rock world.

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Body Language
Metro – Chicago, IL
12/4/2009

The Brooklyn-based electro team are opening for their tour with Zero 7. However, Body Language is no stranger to performing, recently touring with School of Seven Bells as well as originating from private events and basement parties. Their hi-fi sound is alike and unlike anything you have heard before. Their first EP, Speaks, was supplied
from the demand of their live audiences and friends. On December 4th, Body language gave the Chicago crowd a reason to join the group in their fancy footwork. Grinding out groovy covers like Detroit Grand Pubah’s “Sandwiches”, Body language just may be “hot like butter” in 2010.

More on their synth sounds after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »

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Zero 7
Metro – Chicago, IL
12/4/2009

Reminiscent of the random synchronized sounds of Animal Collective, Grammy nominated Zero 7 took the stage at the Metro on 12/4. The stage was littered with instruments- plenty of drums, acoustic and electric guitars, synth and keyboards with enough extra equipment to please even the pickiest audiophile. Two extremely talented female vocalists crushed any concern that Sia was not on tour with the UK group. Zero 7 took the stage and proceeded to take the Chicago crowd through space and time over the next few hours.
The ups and downs of the Zero 7 show follow after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »

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A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS VOLUME 7 WILL FEATURE ALL-STAR LINE UP OF YOUNG TALENT TO BENEFIT SPECIAL OLYMPICS

COLBIE CAILLAT, CARTER TWINS, CHARICE, MILEY CYRUS, KRISTINIA DeBARGE, GLORIANA, VANESSA HUDGENS, SEAN KINGSTON, LEIGHTON MEESTER, MITCHEL MUSSO, KELLIE PICKLER ASHLEY TISDALE AND CARRIE UNDERWOOD CONTRIBUTE TO ACCLAIMED CHRISTMAS SERIES

(Los Angeles, CA – Thursday October 1^st, 2009) The torch has been passed to a new generation of superstar talent for A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS VOLUME 7, as Colbie Caillat, Carter Twins, Charice, Miley Cyrus, Kristinia DeBarge, Gloriana, Vanessa Hudgens, Sean Kingston, Leighton Meester, Mitchel Musso, Kellie Pickler, Ashley Tisdale, and Carrie Underwood contribute to the latest edition of the acclaimed  album series which benefits Special Olympics.   A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS VOLUME 7, set for release on November 23, through the Universal Music Enterprises, features original recordings of new and traditional Christmas songs which each artist selected especially for this album.    

LINK TO COVER ART: http://www.dbaronmedia.com/special-olympics-photos-media.html

In making the announcement, Timothy Shriver, Chairman and CEO of Special Olympics, said, “This is a fantastic Christmas record created by and for a new generation that wants to make the world a better place.      The songs on   A Very Special Christmas Volume 7 have all the freshness and energy of the talented artists who recorded them.  Through the spirit of their musical performances, these young recording stars bring the same passion and dedication to Special Olympics that our athletes display every day of their lives.”

A Very Special Christmas was launched in 1987 when record executive/producer Jimmy Iovine decided that a Christmas album would be a beautiful memorial to his father.  His wife Vicki suggested that the album benefit Special Olympics, for which she was working as a volunteer. Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss (the “A” and “M” of A&M Records) helped make the first A Very Special Christmas album possible with an advance and a commitment to handle the record without taking any royalties, and Bobby Shriver signed on as a producer.   Keith Haring, one of the great artists of the 20^th century, created the Madonna and child artwork that has appeared on every cover.

Selling one million copies in its first year, the premier album, A Very Special Christmas,  and the subsequent albums in the series, have generated more than $l00 million for Special Olympics, the most ever raised by a benefit recording series.  Disbursed in grants by the Special Olympics Christmas Records Trust, the monies raised each year by the albums/CDs/DVDs play a crucial role in the lives of the least-advantaged Special Olympics athletes around the world where there are inaccurate and prejudiced views about people with intellectual disabilities.

Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed away this year, but her words about the artists on the first volume of Very Special Christmas apply to the artists on A Very Special Christmas Volume 7, too. “I am full of admiration for the many artists who have helped us.  It’s a great tribute that these men and women say to themselves, ‘I’ll use my talent to help others.’ It’s not easy because they’ve got so many demands on them and every charity wants them, but they’ve helped us, and I’m very grateful.”

Each successive album of the series has honored the quality of its predecessors with timeless recordings of holiday music by some of the most influential and talented artists of the time.  U2, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Madonna, Sting, Bon Jovi, Reba McIntyre, Alan Jackson,   Wyclef Jean, Sheryl Crow, Mary J. Blige, No Doubt, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Vanessa Williams and Bryan Adams are among the stars who contributed tracks to the previous albums and whose songs for A Very Special Christmas have become perennial favorites on the radio and at holiday celebrations over the years.

For more information on Special Olympics, go to www.veryspecialchristmas.org

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Pixies
Aragon Ballroom – Chicago, IL
November 19, 2009

It was one of those rare moments when both the boys and girls were having fun – the sold-out crowd rose to their feet and joined hands – as a chorus of voices chanted, “Bam Thwok…Bam Thwok,” (the title of their 2004 single). Or maybe I was the only one. “Bam Thwok” or no “Bam Thwok,” the set was about as outstanding as you’d expect, especially considering Doolittle was played in its entirety. Probably best “Bam Thwok” didn’t replace any of their other set selections. “Bam Thwok”….the last time I’ll say it. Bam. I would’ve liked to have heard “U-Mass,” “Ed Is Dead,” definitely “Cactus” and “Is She Weird?” and perhaps a cover mixed in. All the songs are hits in my book; it would’ve been a five-hour show to get to them all.

Rarely have I ever been to a show and saw the band as anything more than people I really respect; the Pixies were celebrities. The four came out all dressed in black, acknowledged the huge applause, paused in front of the mic without saying anything and launched into “Dancing The Manta Ray.” A visual backdrop accompanied the performance from five minutes before the Pixies took stage throughout varying from the lyrics of “Gauge Away,” the awesome doll-teeth/baby-spinning on “Crackity Jones,” to the huge face displays of the band themselves.

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Them Crooked Vultures is made up of Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones. They are releasing their self-titled debut album on November 17th. The album is available for pre-order on iTunes now. You can also download their first single, “Mind Eraser, No Chaser”, for free on iTunes!

Them Crooked Vultures recently announced its first ever shows in California and the Pacific Northwest:November 17 at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, November 19 at the Fox Theater in Oakland, November 21 at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, and November 22 at the Roseland Theater in Portland.The dates expand an itinerary that already includes a December tour of the UK and Europe and January dates in Australia and New Zealand.

For further information, updates, dates, etc., check back at www.themcrookedvultures.com.

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Exciting news for fans of Orianthi! To coordinate with the release of the This Is It soundtrack, Geffen is pushing up the release of her debut album Believe one day earlier, to October 26th. Believe features the single “According to You,” and will be available in stores and online TODAY. Visit Orianthi’s Myspace to preview tracks and for more information.

YouTube Video Link

Myspace Link

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Watch a new version of Madonna’s “Celebration” featuring real fans! The video was shot on location in Barcelona and Milan during the Sticky and Sweet Tour 2009, and also features Madonna’s teen daughter Lourdes giving homage to her mother’s classic “Like A Virgin” video. “Celebration” is the title track from the Queen of Pop’s forthcoming greatest hits compilation due out on September 29th.

Want to become a part of Madonna history? Dress up in your favorite Madonna looks, film your own version of the video, and enter the “Celebration” video contest. Simply upload the video to Myspace and email the entry to madonnnacontest@warnerreprise.com by Sunday, September 27th. The best ones will be featured on Madonna.com and Myspace.com.

Watch Madonna’s Video Here!

Madonna assets: http://totalassault.com/assets/?team_id=146

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Artist: Regina Spektor
Album: Far
Written by: Rachel Morris

Quirky. Insightful. Fun. Intelligent. Original. Those are just a few words many have tagged to Regina Spektor’s music. And there’s no relenting on her new album Far. It is a an amalgam of those qualities and many others that showcase a growth worth taking in.

For Far, Regina worked with four top producers, which included Jeff Lynne (ELO, The Traveling Wilburys), Mike Elizondo (Dr. Dre, Eminem), David Kahne (Paul McCartney, The Strokes) and Garret “Jacknife” Lee (Weezer, R.E.M.). Talk about an eclectic mix. And that’s what you get on on this album.

Old and fair-weather fans may be “disappointed” in her decision to go this direction, and call it “overproduced.” Because up until now, she’s been a one-woman band. But whoever said experimentation and growth weren’t allowed? Whoever said it’s uncool to try something new? I recommend those fans take a deep breath and just enjoy the experience that is Regina. ‘Cause it is an experience.

Her two previous albums Soviet Kitsch and Begin To Hope are full of songs that are distinctively Regina’s own, and Far doesn’t fail. Spektor’s intricate melodies are still here. She still gives you her rich and evocative sounds that will entrance and intoxicate. With the playful “The Calculation” to the musing “Blue Lips”, Regina’s Far takes you on a real ride.

Only Regina could make “I’ve got a perfect body ’cause my eyelashes catch my sweat,” sound sweet in her lovely “Folding Chair”. And “Dance Anthem of the 80s” has so much unexpected fun, I had to replay it five times in a row before I could move on. Something quite special happens right around two minutes.

So… Quirky. Insightful. Fun. Intelligent. Original. Those adjectives don’t spell ‘blow you away’, or even ‘brilliant’. But they still describe Regina and her music. An important talent, indeed.

For a sure-fire Regina Spektor experience, you can catch her this Saturday, September 12 at The Chicago Theater. http://www.thechicagotheatre.com/events/regina-spektor-chi-909.html

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