Our (fairly) regular roundup of Music & Arts related news from Chicago-based web media, featuring thoughts and insight from some of the city’s most dedicated writers.
- MCA & Pitchfork Debut Conversation Series Events
In exciting music news for the city, the Museum of Contemporary Art has partnered with Pitchfork in order to present a series of curated talks, In Sight Out, which will focus on music, art, and culture. Guests will speak of their creative process and their artistry over time, much to the delight of attendees.
The first two artists participating as part of the series are the revered Jeff Tweedy and Carrie Brownstein. Tweedy will be discussing his time in the influential Chicago rock group, Wilco, as well as collaborations as part of Uncle Tupelo, singing with Billy Bragg, and his latest project, Tweedy, with his son, Spencer. He will be joined during the talk by Pitchfork’s Editor-in-Chief, Mark Richardson.
Carrie Brownstein, notably a member of the groundbreaking indie-rock band, Sleater-Kinney, will take the stage to discuss her forthcoming memoir, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, as well as her time in the band, developing the notable television show, Portlandia, and more throughout her journey as a standout musician. Jessica Hopper, Pitchfork’s Senior Editor and the Editor-inChief of the Pitchfork Review, will moderate the talk.
Tickets are on sale for Jeff Tweedy’s event, which occurs on July 16 at 7 pm, while the tickets for Carrie Brownstein’s talk will go on sale on September 15 at 10 am for an October 30 event. Each conversation will be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Tweedy’s event tickets cost $10 each, and are available via Museum of Contemporary Art or at their Box Office, at (312) 397-4010.
- Finding Indie’s Soul with Gina Bloom and Paul Gulyas at Stars Align
Paul Gulyas, Gina Bloom & Chuck Sansone perform at Stars Align
This month’s Stars Align brought together Gina Bloom (The Congregation) and Paul Gulyas (The Shams Band) for a stripped-down night of collaboration.
This collaboration almost didn’t happen. The Shams Band’s Donnie Biggins was originally slated to perform, but a family emergency forced him to cancel. Facing minimal time to prepare, Gulyas and Bloom had to improvise.
“Chaos is what breeds creativity,” Gulyas said, speaking before the show.
A great collaboration was born from that chaos. For most of the show, the two took turns covering each other’s bands, sprinkling in their own songs. The Congregation’s Chuck Sansone accompanied Bloom on the keyboard.
Bloom is usually backed by a full band in The Congregation, but her powerful vocals stood strong atop Sansone’s keys. Her performance carried The Shams Band to new heights while bringing out the blues and emotion at its core.
Gulyas is no slouch on the mic either. His twangy singing and acoustic guitar took The Congregation down a country road while still teasing out the nuanced emotions of their songs.
This performance by Bloom and Gulyas reveals the common threads between rock and roll’s many offspring. And those threads become more apparent when the Stars Align.
Be sure to check out the recording of their collaboration at the top of this post. And thanks to our sponsor Begyle Brewing for making it all possible.
- Around Town: Full Moon
We celebrate the full moon today in Around Town. [ more › ]
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