by Alex Danger Stewart

What: St. Vincent w/ Wildbirds and Peacedrums

Where: The Metro, Chicago, IL

When: 9pm, February 18, 2010

Who: Myself, the bands, that Andrew fellow, this girl named Matti, I think Greg was there, hundreds of others

How Much Did it Cost? $21 cause I was a rube and bought my tickets online instead of going to the box office

“You guys only like her so much because she’s a girl.”

A friend recently threw this barb at a group of fellows who were ganging up on her because she wasn’t as completely enamored with the music of St. Vincent as the rest of us. She said it jokingly but I’m going to pretend it wasn’t. Indie pop is serious business. That said, I completely reject the notion that I only enjoy St. Vincent to the extent that I do because Annie Clark is a (beautiful) lady. Sure, I’d love to have her appear on my upcoming reality TV show Let Me Take You out to Dinner. Continue Reading

by Alex Danger Stewart
What: The Clams, Abbot Smile, Woo-Man and the Banana, KAM!

When: January 28

Where: Subterranean, Bucktown, Wicker Park, Chicago, IL

Why are you so damn slow? It’s a complicated answer. Also I had school work and a surprisingly socially active weekend. Get off my back.

I’m not entirely sure of what today’s date (The 5th maybe) is but I went to a very good show last week. Desperate to avoid my RA’s attempts to force socializations, I made my way up to the scenic Wicker Park neighborhood for a night of local rock. I didn’t go completely blank and uninformed. I’ve seen the Clams once before at CJ’s Lounge in Rockford and I’ve enjoyed Clams guitarist/bassist Brett Daniels many times in his other (ed note: former band) band, White Moose. Once I arrived I was slightly disappointed to find that the Clams were headlining. It’s not that I don’t like hearing new bands or wasn’t willing to wait around for the Clams to play (I had already shelled out $8 at the door. Get it? Shelled? Clams? Oh my). But I don’t really like new things. If I could, I would see the bands that I like play exclusively with each other all of the time. Plus I wasn’t really in the mood for Psych-Pop. Since I started going to school here last August almost every new Chicago band I’ve seen has drawn from the same tradition of garagey, reverb drenched, fuzzed out, shoe gazey pop. It’s as if a whole generation of bands (and by that I mean like 20 people) all bought the Jesus and Mary Chain’s Psychocandy and the Nuggets box set and decided to start bands. Not that I’m complaining. I love both of those releases and prefer the previous adjectives to most others. But sometimes I’d like to hear some variety. Continue Reading

What: Joie De Vivre, Empire Empire, etc etc etc

Where: The Beat Kitchen, Chicago, IL

When: January 16, 2010

Why is this Significant? Joie Motherfucking Headlined The Beat Kitchen!

So last weekend I made my way up to the Beat Kitchen on the scenic north side of Chicago. Yes, last week. I don’t work fast, I work smart. Ok, I don’t work very smart either. And to be honest, someone beat me to posting a review. She had that shit up before I even woke up on Sunday. You should go read it here (http://reviewsic.com/2010/01/17/in-review-the-beat-kitchen-116/). It’s pretty good, save one glaring disagreement (more on that later). Since the other writer covered most of what I have to say about music, I’m gonna ramble a bit.

If anyone has ever encountered me at a Chicago show, they’ve probably had a conversation that went something like this, Continue Reading

by Alex Danger Stewart

2009 was very much a transitory year for me. Late last year, I made a conscious decision to stop being an asshole about new indie rock and open my ears to new music. There are a few reasons for this. I was growing tired of (re)listening to the same Mission of Burma, Radiohead, and Voidoids albums over and over, tired of my top ten lists being generated by thinking of the ten (or fewer) new albums that I bought that year and placing them in an arbitrary order, tired of not recognizing any music from the best publications’ year end lists, and tired of being known as the 90s guy (don’t get me wrong, music from the 90s is invariably better). Also, I was losing my sanity in a very real way (still am, technically) and my insides were craving music of a more sensitive nature. So I made the decision to end 2009 being much more aware and involved with releases by new, smallish bands. I actually made it my New Years’ Resolution. Most normal, responsible people may have resolved to do markedly better in school, or get a girlfriend, or lose 30 lbs because they care about such things. I cut my hair, stopped doing shots, and started listening to Grizzly Bear. I’m ok with my choices. Are you? Continue Reading

What: Marc Burger
Where: The giant Macy’s on State and Washington, Chicago, IL
Be More Specific: The food court on the 7th floor.

I’m sure you’re all familiar with Macy’s. The worldwide Thanksgiving Parade department store that most of you probably never shop at because you’re much more reasonable about clothing than I am. The downtown Macy’s is especially unbearable around this time of year. After the entire backlash for buying out and then renaming the flagship Marshall Fields.

- Just a tangent here for everyone who got all uppity and bitched about that. Marshall Fields went under because no one shopped there. No one shopped there because it sucked and was dirty and not very nice. If you loved it as much as you claim, why didn’t you shop there more often? Because it sucked and was dirty and not very nice. Macy’s is way better -

Macy’s has felt compelled to go to obscene lengths to remind everyone that Christmas is almost happening. Because of all this tackiness, one wouldn’t assume that such a store would be a good place to eat. They would be wrong. Dead wrong. As one makes their way through the labyrinth of garishness up to the 7th floor food court, they’re met with a great surprise. Sitting next to a Frontera Fresco (very good fast Mexican food in it’s own right, although it’s slightly redundant since Rick Bayless’s far superior fast service restaurant Xoco is just across the river on Clark) is Marc Burger. I have no idea why, but world renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson has launched a fast food burger restaurant in the food court of Macy’s. You may know Samuelsson as the youngest chef ever to receive a 3 star review from the New York Times and a former recipient of the designation, “Best Chef in New York City,” by the James Beard Foundation. He most recently catered the Obama Administration’s first state dinner (You know, the one with those crazy party crashers). Apparently he is also dedicated to serving random people truly amazing hamburgers.

What I Ate: Cheeseburger with white cheddar and thick cut bacon.
Was it Amazing?: Yes!

I should give you some background. Hamburgers are one of my favorite things ever. No hyperbole. They are literally my 4th favorite thing in existence on this planet. I have my moments of McDonald’s gratuity, but I actually have a pretty discerning palate. Given my druthers, I would always prefer a tremendous piece of meat on a quality bun with a tomato, small amount of butter or mayonnaise, and no other condiments. That’s what is so remarkable about these burgers. The meat comes from antibiotic free, grass fed, American cattle and is fresh lean and succulent. The grill jockey has shockingly high standards and cooks the meat to just the right temperature; leaving a flavor filled juicy extravaganza. Slapped onto a potato roll and topped with white cheddar, and smoky delicious thick cut bacon, I am left muttering obscene exclamations as I sit next to a table full of worried old women. No seriously, today was my 2nd visit and I (who have an admittedly sizable vocabulary) was reduced to random whispers of, “God damn,” through bites of burger. The sandwich also comes with very good seasoned fries, very mild pickles, and a notable slaw, but it doesn’t matter. Eating this burger is like the first time you hear Coltrane’s ‘A Love Supreme’, eat foie gras, or see a woman’s breasts. Your life is just not the same. Ever.

Alex Danger Stewart is a contributing writer to Sock Monkey Sound and once dressed as The Hamburgler for Halloween when he was 7 years old. Granted, I have no proof of this. But I’m sure he’ll let this moment of revisionist history slide.

It’s the first part in a duo of episodes on the Rockford Area Music Industry Awards, and possibly the last part as well once Ditzel hears this. RAMI award winner Dave Pedersen joins us to discuss his experience winning a RAMI with his band The Shizams. SockMonkeySound.com contributing writer Alex Danger Stewart is along for the ride also as we play a new game ‘Get Positive’. We try to have a conversation about what the RAMI’s are and our opinions on the award but we seem to get Ditzeled at every corner.

Featured music by
Steve Ditzel and the Blue Lightning Band
Andy Spitson
Starlite Radio
The Dean Moriarty Jazz Band
The Shizams

Get Positive music by Pizzicato Five

Intro by the Beastie Boys

Check out the Rockford Area Music Awards Website at www.ramiawards.com

by Alex Danger Stewart

What: A review of Warren Franklin’s album ‘Stray’

Why: Because he asked me to.

Is it Available Now? Yes

*Note: I listened to this on computer speakers because I don’t have room in my apartment for a stereo. Because of this, I refrained from saying much about the sound quality *

Album reviews are an odd thing. Or at least they often seem that way. Film has some nearly objective ideas from which one can judge the merits of storytelling, shot composition, etc on a more academic level. Even the quality of live shows is somewhat dependent on the reaction of the crowd. A performer garnering their praise or alienation can, in turn, be used as a foundation for a positive review. But reviewing an album is a different beast. Ideally, I suppose that one is supposed to give an impression or preview of what the album has in store for potential listeners and shoot for some sense of object definition in regards to quality-despite the fact that contemporary criticism is clearly entirely subjective, one still wants to be decisive in their style. Halfhearted statements prefaced with the phrase, “in my opinion,” are just bad writing. The downfall can come at the hands of alternately falling too far towards feigned objectivity or being unable to escape the hugely personal nature of music listening. I’ve maneuvered around this issue in different ways throughout the year. In high school I copied reviews from Entertainment Weekly and Spin (two magazines that I was sure my elderly journalism teacher didn’t read). Later when writing practice reviews and personal blogs, I only reviewed those albums of which I knew inside out and could explicate in any number of different ways. Now I just hijack another man’s review for my own individual musings. It works in some ways, it’s clearly better than indefinite, halfheartedness.

No one would accuse Warren Franklin of being halfhearted (nice segue!). His debut album, Stray, falls solidly into the category of uber earnest acoustic guitar fellow. This earnestness is both commendable and risky. As an often glib fellow who takes time to point out his own clever writing, I find the sincerity to be quite notable. This guy clearly cares. Songwriters can rarely go wrong with writing honestly from the heart (the quote at the top of the page is one of my favorite non sequitur lines in recent memory). One of the most commendable facets of his album is the restraint shown in its production. Apart from scattered organ, cello, and tambourine, most songs consist only of Franklin’s voice and guitars. The lushly arranged moments come at times that feel natural and rarely dishonest. The album also makes strengths of two of Franklin’s more prominent drawbacks. The harshness of his yell and his sometimes overly strong attack on the guitar can be off-putting live but they are put to good use. In lieu of drums, an acoustic guitar lays down a solid rhythmic base, especially on a song like, “Damned.” Franklin finds a fine platform for bellowing like a psychopath in songs like, “Asleep” in which he brings to mind Isaac Brock’s more unhinged moments and, “Stray” which one could understandably mistake for a cut off of the quieter half of the Foo Fighters’ In Your Honor. It finds less success in, “God Given Right” and “You Spoke of the Lord,” where the harshness feels out of place next to smoother vocal elements.

Franklin should get special praise for thanking himself in the liner notes of the album as well as getting Brandon Lutmer to sing, “Whoa oh ohhhh,” on “You Spoke of the Lord.” I’m sure it was a moment that few other people other than me will laugh at.

Conclusion: If you see Warren perform somewhere, buy this album. Or buy me a drink. I’m sure I’ll be there.

Contact Warren Franklin at myspace.com/warrenfranklin

Alex Danger Stewart is a contributing writer to Sock Monkey Sound. Email him at thedangerzone@sockmonkeysound.com

by Alex Danger Stewart

Who: Wilco with special guest, Tortoise

What: A concert. Duh

Where: The UIC Pavilion

When: October 19th

I’m often prone to beginning reviews and essays and such with one of several reassurances. Either that (despite possibly nebulous evidence to the contrary) I am actually well informed enough to provide a quality review of the topic at hand, or that in declaring my personal biases I am freeing the reader to discount my opinion for clearly shallow reasons even though I think they should place trust in what I have to say. It’s a self reflexive, vaguely post modern ploy meant to distract from the fact that I didn’t take any notes or do any actual journalistic work. Fuck it. I think it works.

Here’s the part where I confess my bias. I love Wilco. I hear accusations of dad rock and I don’t really care. That’s not even a real term. A lot of dads like Sonic Youth. Would anyone accuse them of being bland, or passé, or people who wear high waisted jeans, or any other of the more derogatory adjectives associated with being a dad? The Wilco of late is not any more retro sounding than any one of a slew of roots rock bands. The accusations most likely stem from the fact that the band has been in existence for a good 15 years and has (seemingly) left behind the noisier, avant leaning aspects of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born to return to more conventional stylings. Although that criticism is valid on some levels, it shows a lack of deeper listening to the more recent releases. In the end, no matter the dressing, you can’t beat a folk song that grabs your heart and squeezes your mind grapes. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

I love Wilco. I find them to be one of the more perfect internalizations of American music in the last 50 years. I would even go as far as to argue that (my love for Jay Bennett not withstanding) the current line up is Wilco’s most accomplished. These guys are a god damned mechanized assault squad. These songs sound like they do on the record and, in many cases, are bigger, louder, and more dynamic. This becomes even more evident when they play Via Chicago.

Quick! What’s your favorite Wilco song? Poor Places? They played it and it sounds the way you remember it. Except now Nels Cline is in the band. He’s a crazy free jazz nutjob (the man once covered the entirety of John Coltrane’s Interstellar Space on guitar!) so the chattering, dissonant, electronic burbles in the latter half of the song become more swirling and encompassing. Name another song! Passenger Side? Really? Ok well they didn’t play that. But they did play Casino Queen. They played for more than 2 ½ hours. During that time, with nods to George Harrison jammed up against krautrocking epics, in between lushly orchestrated chamber pop, one begins to realize that this is a band that defies any easy categorization beyond American Rock and Roll. It becomes entirely ok for Wilco to record an easy going love song like You and I instead of something as damaged as She’s a Jar (neither of which were played, by the way. That’s ok because they opened with Via Chicago and threw down a stellar Shot in The Arm because America is nothing if not society’s great melting pot. A place where any myriad of influences can fit comfortably next to one another as long as you cushion them with fantastic melodies (luckily this shallow metaphor is able to ignore America’s rich history of bigotry that goes along with the cultural diversity). And like Wilco, America isn’t just for dads. Despite those Steely Dan comparisons (yuck!), America is for everyone.

Oh wait. Quick PS: Tortoise was reliably entertaining in the opening slot. They sounded great, although I find them slightly boring in long stretches. Tortoise should open for all of my favorite bands.

Final Verdict: 5 out of 5 Kiss Covers.

Alex Danger Stewart will be eating those negative words about Steely Dan someday.

by Alex Danger Stewart

Who: Islands, Jemina Pearl, Toro Y Moi

Where: Subterranean in Wicker Park

When: October 15th

Why: That’s a silly question

Thursday night concerts aren’t always my favorite. On the one hand, you get the usual joys of going to a show and there are usually some pretty fair drink specials. On the other hand, the crowds are rarely as energetic as ones that have been pregaming since the afternoon. Plus most of my favorite television shows are on Thursday night. Despite these potential drawbacks, I made my way to trendy (and very geographically confusing) Wicker Park for a night of cheap Chicago indie rock.

I’m always one for full disclosure so I should say this up front. I have a total music boner for scary punk rock girls (and normal ones too) so I’m probably more likely to enjoy Jemina Pearl (pronounced Jemeena like Velveeta not JemIna like Aunt Jemima) than your average music enthusiast. Formerly of punk rock toddlers Be Your Own Pet, Pearl is essentially tough as shit. Beyond lyrics that make credible threats to take your virginity and beat you up with her bicycle gang, she has been known to let her fists do the talking. On the previous night in Detroit, a cigarette flicking heckler learned which petite blonde shouldn’t be messed with as she exited the stage and beat him bloody. Pearl and her band blazed through their album’s worth of bullet fast surf anthems, girl group rockers, and Stoogey garage burners (including a personal ode to yours truly D is For Danger). Early sound issues kept the crowd impassive; but once the sound guy turned everything up by the third song, butts were forced to move. By the end of the set, I had sweated through three layers of shirt. Always a mark of good times.

I know this is terrible journalism, but I honestly didn’t give a fuck about the other two acts. Toro Y Moi is one of those “Dude with a laptop” acts that I find difficult to get excited about. He played pretty good electronica and didn’t overstay his welcome. That was good. Islands can be a fun band (if one is so inclined to enjoy disco) but I was in the mood to break things, not listen to a less mentally ill Of Montreal. So I left. If you dig the indie sub-genre of “Guys in a cape making early Prince/Chic club anthems,” you’ll love Islands.

Final Verdict: 13 out of 15 Karen O’s (Fever to Tell era)

Alex Danger Stewart is on Match Dot Com and E-Harmony for all you scary punk rock girls out there.

by Alex Danger Stewart

What: Kuma’s Corner
Where: 2900 West Belmont, Chicago. www.kumascorner.com

This may come as a surprise to some, but in addition to loving Yo La Tengo and enjoying the new Girls album, I’m pretty metal. Certainly not in any hardcore manner. No one would ever describe me as being, “Metal as shit.” I am, however, the kind of person who will walk into a restaurant that has Mastodon blaring on the speakers, is staffed by intimidating women in Eyehategod shirts, and doesn’t have any Bud products on tap and think, “Nice!” Obviously Kuma’s fulfilled all of these requirements; otherwise I wouldn’t have used them as examples. Even more importantly, this restaurant is about as meat centric as one could get. This is American food at its most unapologetically carnivorous. One will find the menu to be filled with the kind of artery clogging beef and pork burgers that dreams are made of (it is understandable why Kuma’s was recently designated as The Best Burger in Chicago). It’s as if an entire menu was created under the drunken philosophy of looking at a perfectly cooked hunk of burger and thinking, “fuck it,” as they pile on whatever combination of prosciutto, bacon, chili, and cheese the heart desires. Every burger and sandwich is named after a different metal band (in a way that seems befitting to each burger). Nowhere else can the idea of eating a Melvin, Dark Throne, or Bongzilla appear so inviting. In addition to delicious burgers, Kuma’s Corner has an extensive menu of, largely American, microbrews.

What I Ate: The Pig Destroyer and Two Brother’s French Country Ale

The Pig Destroyer is a classic pulled pork sandwich served on a toasty pretzel roll. The meat was tender and smokey in a way that can only be accomplished by long, slow, cooking. The classic, Kansas City style barbecue sauce (which was clearly made in house), was sweet and spicy in a way that spread a warm tingle all throughout my mouth and across my lips. Nicely complimented by the sour tang of the pretzel roll, my sandwich was accompanied by a pile of waffle fries. Fries are not hard to make well, but I’m often disappointed by the prevalence of frozen fries at restaurants. It’s always a nice treat when you get a batch that was freshly cut from real potatoes.

Two Brother’s French Country Ale (which is shockingly brewed in Warrenville, IL!) is a richly textured amber ale that greats you with a caramely aroma and finishes with a strong, bitter, hoppy presence. I often bitch about charging $5 for a pint, but this was well worth it.

I visited Kuma’s on a cold, rainy, Thursday and my meal made me warm all over; ready to brave the walk to the train station. Like a Viking.

Should You Go? Have you ever made disparaging remarks about hippies? Do you like super hoppy, well crafted beers? Have you ever wanted to order a Chicago dog called the Goblin Cock?-honestly you’d be better off going a few blocks north to Hot Doug’s for the best hot dog in the world. Do you get all worked up over the idea of eating a burger with a fried egg on top? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you should definitely pay Kuma’s Corner a visit.

Score: 3 ½ out of 4 Upside Down Crosses.

Alex Danger Stewart explores his hedonistic desires in both Rockford and Chicago.