Silversun Pickups
Swoon
Dangerbird Records
United Center, Chicago
Friday, March 12, 2010

Silver Lake, that artsy enclave in Los Angeles, has spawned another musical act that is destined to be around for a long time. Especially if the group – Silversun Pickups – continue to release records like Swoon.

One of the most impressive things about Silversun Pickups is the sheer technical ability of the musicians. It is one thing to be a good musician; it is something all together different to blend four good musicians and create music that is seamless and timeless.

The rhythm section includes Nikki Monninger on bass and Christopher Guanlao on drums. They provide pristine back drop for Brian Aubert’s easy-on-the-ears vocals and his shred-light guitar. Joseph Lester gets lost in the shuffle from time to time, but you would surely miss him if he wasn’t there.

There seems to be no ego here. Just four people with one vision. The true hero of this disc though, is Monninger. She keeps things moving at a buoyant pulse with a metronomic precision. It doesn’t appear that she is trying to steal focus so much as that a consistent bass line is one of their foot prints.

Swoon is a good party record. It might be the perfect party record. It can be played at a low volume behind the clatter and clash that a party creates. It can also be cranked up later in the evening when it’s time to dance. Either way, the band’s 2010 Grammy nomination (Best New Artist) is well deserved. We can look forward to more captivating music from the quartet that will surely make you swoon.

Stand out track:
“Growing Old Is Getting Old”

Written by: Paul Barile

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The Constellations
Southern Gothic
Virgin Records
Lincoln Hall, Chicago
Friday, March 12, 2010

There are a lot of influences – past and present – on The Constellations‘ Southern Gothic. From the opening bars of “Setback” we hear The Beatles providing the backbeat for some interesting rap-like vocals.

One of the things that makes The Constellations a compelling musical act – and one to watch as they grow and develop – is that they aren’t going to settle into a formula which is the death knell for so many bands these days.

Gratefully, The Constellations can’t even settle on a formula for Southern Gothic. They glide effortlessly between genres with such ease they blur the lines. They just as easily drop melodic pop vocals over electronica light as they rock out hard and with focus in quarter time.

Unlike the cookie-cutter pop bands that lock into one thing and just connects the dots, The Constellations find nooks and crannies to fill with texture and shading. There is a sense of economy in their recording. They want to put as much into each bar of music as they can.

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Hockey
Mind Chaos
Capitol Records
Lincoln Hall, Chicago
Friday, March 12, 2010

Mind Chaos comes in like a comical video game that escaped from the 1980s and goes out like a tender thought shared between friends over a pint of something really good. Hockey – the Portland, Oregon-based quartet – has released a collection of songs that blend genres while bending them to fit their explosive little soundscapes. There is never a dull moment on Mind Chaos.

There is also nothing expected or predictable. The first listen to this 11-song disc is like a 45-minute birthday. There are a lot of surprises and they all feel so good you can’t wait to hear them again.

Ben Grubin’s vocals as versatile as the types of songs collected here. Whether he is rocking a bumpy cut like “Song Away” or offering a plaintive relaxed delivery evidenced on “Wanna Be Black” Grubin keeps things interesting.

Mind Chaos exists at the confluence of humor and solid craftsmanship. They highlight it with an unquestionable love for music that would be as at home in a John Hughes film as in a Devo concert. The endearing thing is – this music is honest and fun.

Stand out tracks:
“Song Away” and “Everyone’s The Same Age”

Written by: Paul Barile

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All it took was for me to hear the opening guitar riff in V.V. Brown’s single “Shark In The Water” and I was in love. Then I heard the chorus. Words cannot express how insanely catchy that song’s hook is. The horn section! The layered vocals! The chord progression! The voice! The beat and groove! The guitar riff! The clapping! There is not one tiny thing wrong with that chorus. It is absolutely perfect. It serves its purpose: to get stuck in the listener’s head and have that person singing or humming along to the melody over and over all day long. That’s what it did to me upon hearing it the first time. “Shark In The Water” is still on repeat when I listen to it (over and over again). I am not only in love with the song, but in love with the woman singing it. Again, all it took was 20 minutes of conversing with V.V. Brown over the phone and my respect and admiration for her skyrocketed. V.V. Brown is by far my new favorite artist of 2010 and she should be yours as well.

Read on to hear what the British singer/songwriter had to say to The Dead Hub…

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The Avett Brothers
House of Blues – Chicago, IL
3.07.2010

“In terms of the actual show it will still be a raucous high energy show. Everyone’s ready to give it their all.” – Joe Kwan, in my recent interview with The Avett Brothers.

Bursting onto the scene, The Avett Brothers did not disappoint their friends, family and fans that packed the three levels of the House of Blues. The show was sold out, but people were still asking for tickets in the line that spanned a full block just before the doors opened. The high energy show pumped-up the House of Blues crowd so much, the band could barely start their next song. Fans shouting out what song they hope will be played next, anxious and knowing their next song will be just as great as the next.
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The Low Anthem
House of Blues – Chicago, IL
03.07.2010

Easily one of the most innovative collective groups I have witnessed, the Low Anthem is a quartet of Awesome-ness. If there is not a band out there with that name, I’m pretty sure the Rhode Island-based group should take this hint and call dibs. Post haste. I mean, don’t you love it when you can see a favorite band of yours and the opener is just as great as who you came to see? Although parts of their set would drag on the Low Anthem did get a chance to show off for a little while. Flex those musical muscles, so to speak.
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New Found Glory
House of Blues – Chicago, IL
March 5, 2010

To commemorate the 10 Year Anniversary of their self-titled debut album, New Found Glory performed at the House of Blues last Friday night to a jam-packed house full of the band’s most die-hard fans in Chicago. The first half of the show featured songs from the New Found Glory record played from front to back in their original sequenced order. New Found Glory formed in 1997 in Coral Springs, Florida with lead singer Jordan Pundik, lead guitarist and composer Chad Gilbert, rhythm guitarist and lyricist Steve Klein, bassist Ian Grushka, and drummer Cyrus Bolooki.

More photos of New Found Glory and the complete Chicago set list after the jump…

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St Patricks Day is just around the corner! Time for some good Irish fare and you can’t forget about the green beer! What are your St Patty’s Day plans? Don’t have plans yet? No worries, keep reading after the jump for a few ideas for those of you in and around the Chicago city limits.

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Hellogoodbye
House of Blues – Chicago, IL
March 5, 2010

Plagued by an unstable band lineup over the past couple of years, Hellogoodbye needed a stellar performance to prove their credibility; however, they failed to deliver a praise-worthy performance Friday night at the House of Blues in Chicago. When I arrived, Hellogoodbye had already taken the stage. Not to perform their opening set for headliner New Found Glory, though. Instead, Hellogoodbye was up on the stage conducting their sound check that should have already been completed earlier in the afternoon before doors opened for the evening’s actual concert. Fans awkwardly stood around watching as the band panicked over faulty microphones, broken equipment, malfunctioning monitors, and poor sound quality. What a way to start the show. Good first impression for any possible new fans? I think not…

More photos of Hellogoodbye (let’s be real here, Forrest Kline is Hellogoodbye) after the jump.

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Gomez
Vic Theatre – Chicago, IL
March 4, 2010

Having never seen or heard Gomez before last Thursday night, I had no idea what was in store for me. With no expectations and an open mind, I attended the opening night of Gomez’s current tour in the States. Quite honestly, it felt pretty cool to be seeing Gomez live in concert for the first time while they were kicking off their tour in my hometown of Chicago. The fivesome hailing from Southport, England are promoting their latest album A New Tide, which was released almost a year ago on March 31, 2009. Three lead singers told me that Gomez is not your typical English indie rock band. There is nothing ordinary about a band whose members play multiple instruments in addition to having three out of five of the guys sharing lead vocal duties. Gomez earned my respect the second they walked out on stage and picked up their respective instruments. My admiration for Gomez and the group’s songs only grew as each song finished and a new one began. I am now a fan for life and will be at every Gomez show in Chicago from here on out.

More photos of Gomez after the jump…

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