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

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