Fitz & the Tantrums at The Riviera. 11.22.14

I am so happy that I get to write about Fitz & the Tantrums, I've been wanting to see them for awhile and every time they came to Chicago something else came up so finally see them live was something I have been looking forward to. They are such an energetic band and put on an incredible show! The band originated in LA and has 6 members, all of them are fantastic musicians. The lead singer is Michael Fitzpatrick (Fitz), singer Noelle Scaggs (lead singer of the soul-band The Rebirth, incredible voice), Joe Karnes on bass, James King (AMAZING saxophone, flute and keyboard player),  keyboard player Jeremy Ruzumna and drummer John Wicks. I honestly love all of their songs and was very happy with the set list from this show! They performed a mix of songs from their first album Pickin' up the Pieces and their newest album More Than Just A Dream. Fan favorites include The Walker, Out of my League, Moneygrabber, and their new single Fool's Gold. This show was at the Riv, which was awesome because it's a great venue. I chose to sit in the balcony for this show and it ended up being the best choice even though the TALLEST woman I have ever seen ended up sitting in front of me.....I've said it before many times in previous posts and unfortunately this show wasn't any different. Even when I'm sitting in the balcony the tallest person in the planet sits in front of me. Every. Single. Time. Not to mention, she was with a group of equally annoying people that were literally looked like they stepped out of the 1950's. Anyways, other than being slightly annoyed at them the concert itself was everything I thought it would be. The opening band, Big Data, was just okay in my opinion. I'm not too familiar with their music but they do have a song out called Dangerous that has been featured lately in TV shows and played frequently on the radio. I never usually like the opening act at any show, so it wasn't surprising that I wasn't blown away by them but I could see them becoming fairly popular. Fitz and the Tantrums had a really cool setup and the effects were outstanding. There's a heart that is on the cover of More than Just a Dream that they use for their live shows and during the show they had one that lit up differently with each song. So cool! Also, they gave everyone free bracelets that light up every time you clap, so naturally I took 8 of them (shhhhh). I thought this was an amazing concept and if I were ever in a band I would definitely give everyone bracelets like that! If you enjoy upbeat, groovy music you've gotta put Fitz and the Tantrums on your must-see concert list.  I've honestly never seen a band with so much energy! I know I'll be seeing them again because they come to Chicago all the time and I really enjoyed their show. I hope you enjoy my song clips! I have additional videos on my Youtube channel so if you'd like to see more, check it out! The next show I'll be posting on is coming up in February and I'll be seeing one of my favorite British artists, Ben Howard, at the Vic. Until next time!

(As you can see, the annoying woman in front of me wouldn't stop waving her hand around so I was trying to film around it...)

Sam Smith @ The Riv 9.22

This concert is the one I've been anxiously waiting to review for months and I am so excited to finally be writing this post! Sam Smith is one of the most in demand singers in the world right now and for good reason. He is absolutely incredible and even that word is a massive understatement for how talented he is. Everyone with a radio has surely heard Stay with Me and Latch as well as some other songs from Sam's debut album In the Lonely Hour. I had actually discovered Latch well before I had heard his other music and it's my favorite song in the universe, I will NEVER get sick of it. When I found out he was coming to Chicago, it was a no brainer that I was going! Tickets weren't expensive at all and it was at one of my favorite venues, the Riv. I love seeing great artists at smaller venues before they eventually play larger places. I hope that Sam continues to play these venues because his voice sounded phenomenal in that space! The opening act was a duo out of New Zealand called Broods. I didn't see much of their set, but from what I heard/saw they seem like a pretty cool group. Right before Sam took the stage, I moved to the side so I could get a clearer view of the stage. When he came on that stage, I thought the roof was going to cave in due to the roar of the crowd. It was unbelievable! I can't even imagine how it feels to be so young (he's 22, my age) and have that much success and so many fans that absolutely adore you. I found a copy of the setlist so here are the songs in the order they were performed; Intro, Nirvana, Together, Leave Your Lover, I'm Not the Only One, I've Told You Now, Like I Can, Restart, How Will I Know (Whitney Houston), Good Thing, La La La, Lay Me Down, Money on My Mind and the encore which was Latch, Make it To Me, and Stay with Me. After a beautiful intro, he opened the show with a song I had never heard called Nirvana. It was a great song to kick off the show with. He played a fantastic setlist that included songs off a previously released EP, songs from his debut album In The Lonely Hour and a new song called Restart (LOVE it).  Everyone in the audience knew all the lyrics to every song, including the security guards! The acoustic version of Latch almost made me cry, it's my favorite song to begin with but the stripped down version is so beautiful. His voice is flawless and he really knows how to interact with a crowd. He kept saying how much he loves Chicago and that the audience was his favorite from this tour so far. He is basically the female version of Adele, down to the accent. If they ever did a collaboration together it would be one of the greatest things to happen in the music world. Right after the show I almost left but I am so glad I didn't because I met him and got a picture with him! He is the nicest person I've met and was so sweet to everyone. After I grabbed coffee and started heading home, he was STILL in the line talking to people and taking pictures! It's so rare for an artist nowadays to actually spend so much time with their fans, it really tells a lot about the person. He also smells amazing and is way taller in real life than I expected haha. I can't wait until he comes back to Chicago and I hope that I'll be able to meet him again. I took a few pictures and snippets of some songs but if you want to see the full length performances there's a bunch of great videos from the show on Youtube. 

Latch (acoustic) 

Stay With Me 

Restart 

 

Talking about Disclosure in his cool British accent

My favorite picture in the world. 

DO YOUR EARS A FAVOR AND GO SEE SAM SMITH LIVE! He is such a fantastic performer and has the voice of an angel. I hope that he continues to be successful for many years to come and that he never changes his wonderful personality because he is truly a class act. 

The Bluebird Cafe-Nashville, TN. 8.22.14

This past weekend I made my fourth trip to Nashville where I FINALLY got to experience the infamous Bluebird Cafe first hand! After attempting to get seats for a few years, I wanted to make sure I got there this trip. Waking up at 6 am and fighting to get a table was so worth it because the Bluebird is one of the most well-known music venues in the world. Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks and many other very artists got their start there and it continues to be a landmark in any musician's road to success. The ever popular show Nashville also helped the Bluebird gain more visitors due to the exposure it gets throughout the season. I thought that it was a free-standing building but it actually is located in a strip mall next to a diamond store and a dry cleaners. Pretty random, but maybe it wasn't like that when it was first built. Although the Bluebird is not how it looks on the tv show, it still has some of the same characteristics. The floors are carpeted in real life, whereas in the show they are hardwood. The stage setup is mainly the same but with less surrounding room. The actual venue is extremely small, which is why it is so difficult to reserve seats. There are only 20 tables available to reserve otherwise you have to wait in line to take a chance at one of the bar or pew seats. Since the venue is so small, there really is not a bad seat in the house so whatever table you can find will be more than fine! Sometimes there are pretty well-known artists that play but the night I went featured 2 husband/wife duos. They were alright but I mainly came for the atmosphere and to see such a huge part of music history. The artists that performed were Heino Moeller,  Paul Jefferson, Lisa Brokop and Carrie Moeller. Lisa is from Canada, which was interesting because there were a large amount of Canadians in the audience. The sound system was great and every performer's voice was crystal clear! The food was also pretty good and they have a wide variety of choices on the menu. Recording wasn't allowed, but they did allow photography so I have a few pictures of the inside/outside. If anyone reading this gets the chance to visit Nashville, you have to check this place out! You will not regret it and it'll give you an insider's look at one of the most famous music venues in the world. Also, if anyone has any questions about the Bluebird or Nashville in general, do not hesitate to contact me. I LOVE sharing information and I have a ton to give out about Nashville!

 "The best songwriters in the world pass through this door." 

The stage is what resembles the show Nashville the most, love those lights! 

They have all the pictures of the musicians that have played all over the walls, too many to count. 

Pre-show picture of the stage. 

This is the view from the outside. 

I will definitely be going back to the Bluebird, hopefully when some well-known artists are playing! I am so thankful that I was able to even get tickets, so anytime I go will be special. Hope you enjoyed this post and be on the lookout for a concert review in the next few weeks! 

Disclosure @ the Aragon. 8.1.14

I recently attended my first Lollapalooza Aftershow this past weekend and am so excited to finally be able to review this show. Disclosure is a fairly new act, an English duo consisting of brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence. They are complete geniuses! You have to see one of their shows to understand what I mean, the lighting and effects were absolutely incredible. They’re both also very young, Guy is 23 and Howard is only 20. It’s so interesting that a lot of these DJs come from the UK and they’re all so young, it really blows my mind!  Anyways, this show was at one of my favorite venues ever aka the Aragon Ballroom! I hadn’t been to a show at this place in a few years, so it was nice to be back. Since this show was an after show, it didn’t start until 10 and there were two other opening acts before Disclosure. The first opener was better than the second, in my opinion. The first was a super cool, soulful electronic group called Wrestlers. I really enjoyed their set and everyone was dancing! The second opener was a solo DJ named Julio Bashmore. His music wasn’t as dance friendly as Wrestlers and a lot of his songs sounded the same to me.

By the time his set ended, it was almost time for Disclosure and I was getting pretty excited! They ended up going on around midnight and the place was completely PACKED. I’m glad I moved to the upper level because everyone was so close together on the floor, it was insane. I’ll admit, I was only familiar with one or two of Disclosure’s songs, but the others were equally as good that I was not familiar with! They gained popularity from their massive hit “Latch” featuring Sam Smith that was released earlier this year, which is one of the main songs people associate them with. They played songs from their debut, album,Settle, and everyone seemed to recognize “Latch” when they played it.

I love music you can dance to and these two insanely talented brothers did not disappoint! I am SO glad that I was able to see them at one of my favorite places and will definitely be seeing them again. They have played in Chicago many times previously, but I either was in school or hadn’t discovered them yet. They played a show at the Mid last Thursday and I heard great things about that show as well! If you want to learn more about Disclosure or hear some of their incredible tunes, check out http://disclosureofficial.com/ or https://soundcloud.com/disclosuremusic. They also were on Jimmy Fallon recently and performed Latch with Sam Smith, so that’s another cool performance that is worth checking out. I look forward to attending another Disclosure show and hope that they gain some new fans after this post! My next show that I have planned is Sam Smith at the Riv on September 22nd, so keep your eyes out for that post as well as a new album review in the coming weeks! 

EXCITING NEWS!

Yesterday I received some incredibly exciting news....I'm officially a blogger for Q101! I couldn't be more stoked to be able to share my music experiences with the Local 101 fans and Chicago community. I will still continue to post on here but you can be the coolest person ever and also check out my posts when they're up on Q101.com! My next show that I'll be posting about is happening in 2 days and is a show I'm really looking forward to: DISCLOSURE AT THE ARAGON! I am also super excited because Sam Smith is here (and no one knew!) which I'm pretty sure means that he is going to be at their gig at the Mid tonight and hopefully at the Aragon on Friday. If he doesn't end up being there for my show but is performing at the show tonight, I'll be extremely disappointed. Even though I'm seeing him in September, the song Latch just isn't the same without both artists! Regardless, this show is bound to be a good time and I can't wait to experience my first Lolla after show at my favorite venue ever. Stayed tuned and leave a comment if you're a Disclosure fan or if you're going to the show! :)

Heartless Bastards at Durty Nellies. 7/14

Let me first start off this post by saying that this is the first show I've been to in my area that is actually worth blogging about and I couldn't be happier that it was a Heartless Bastards show. This band is absolutely INCREDIBLE live! Seriously, they're a tight band and you can tell they've been doing this a long time. I first heard them on WXRT 2 years ago, when their most recent album Arrow was released. The song that I heard was Parted Ways and I was floored at how powerful singer Erika Wennerstrom's voice was, I haven't heard anything like it in my life! I immediately researched them and found out that they were discovered in Ohio (they're from Cincinnati) when a demo was given to the Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney. He passed it along and they ended up being signed to Fat Possum records in 2004, such a cool story! I had been wanting to see them for a few years but school always interfered so I didn't get the chance but I finally saw them live and it was well worth the wait. The show was in my hometown too, which is crazy considering where I live and the lack of decent venues that are here. For those unfamiliar with Durty Nellie's, it's a bar/restaurant that has pretty good food and live music most weekend/weekday nights. It's definitely worth checking out if you're ever in the area and the Metra station is literally 2 steps out the door, so it's also convenient if you live in the city. Heartless Bastards ended up playing around 10:30 after the two opening acts, which by that time everyone was ready to see the main act. Anyways, the band consists of Erika the guitarist/singer, Jesse Ebaugh on bass, Dave Colvin on drums and Mark Nathan on guitar. They're all extremely talented and I have never heard drumming or guitar playing like that in my life! Erika was really nice and they genuinely looked so happy to be playing music with each other. They mainly played songs off of Arrow and every single song they played was even better than the previous.  They are reminiscent of the Black Keys (which contradicted what I said in my last post about them haha) and have such great energy on stage. I enjoy bands that don't require any kind of production to make themselves sound/look better than they are, so this band is perfect for someone that just enjoys great music.  I would definitely be seeing them again and hope they come back to the Chicago area soon!

Gotta Have Rock N Roll (Video from YouTube) 

Here's an incredible studio performance of Parted Ways 

My favorite concert experience so far.... attention, Local 101!

This post will be focusing on the best concert experience I've seen so far, which took a lot of thought! I've gotten to see some pretty incredible performers over the years so this was definitely a challenge. I'd have to say that my favorite concert experience I've had was when I saw Wild Belle at the Metro last October. Since I've previously posted on this show, I won't be posting pictures/videos but I'll be focusing on the show itself including the venue. I happened to discover Wild Belle while browsing my Facebook feed last summer. I follow Nylon magazine and they posted about this new band that were on the verge of becoming well-known. I love discovering new music, so naturally I checked them out. After hearing "Keep You", I was sold! I can't even describe their sound, it's that unique. The genre it's most similar too though is reggae, but it's so much better.They're from Barrington, which is really cool because it's local. Another interesting aspect about them is that the incredible vocalist (Natalie) and the equally incredible sax player (Elliot) are siblings. So many instruments are used in their music, including tambourine, keyboards, kalimbas, the list goes on! I absolutely love it when a group has a wide variety of sounds in their music. I had been wanting to see them live for the longest time since discovering them so when I found out they would be playing the Metro, I made the decision to come home from school that weekend. I had never been to the Metro before so also that contributed to the experience. I've been to all the main venues in the Chicago area, but this venue is at the top of my favorites list. It has such a history and so many great performers have played there! The concert itself was phenomenal and I loved that it wasn't anything fancy, just a group of talented musicians playing great songs. Natalie has such a unique voice, I haven't heard anything like it. They played songs from their debut album, Isles, as well as a few others. I love every song on the album, but a few of my favorites are "Shine" and "Twisted". I also like an older song called "Mrs. Franklin". I found a video of Natalie performing it acoustically and it's unbelievable how good her voice is! The opening act was a band called Saint Rich and they also put on a great show. All of the band members looked really young but it turns out they're in their mid-20's! I can't wait until Wild Belle go on tour again and put out a new record. If you like music you can groove to, check out this band and I promise that you won't be disappointed!

It's concert season!

I haven't been very up-to-date on my posts recently, BUT I have a lot of incredible shows lined up for this summer and can't wait to post about them! I'm seeing the Heartless Bastards at Dirty Nellie's on July 14th, Disclosure at the Aragon Ballroom on August 1st and Sam Smith on September 22nd at the Riv. I'm excited about all of these shows, but I'm particularly stoked to see Disclosure. They've achieved massive success due to the highly popular song "Latch" (which features Sam Smith). I've also checked out their other songs and can say that I'll be getting out my dancin' shoes for this show! If you like good dance music, this is the group to check out.  British singer-songwriter Sam Smith has gained a huge following from his song "Stay with Me" and his debut album In the Lonely Hour has climbed the charts since it's release. He's only 22 years old and has the voice of an angel! The band Heartless Bastards are from Cincinnati, super cool and have been compared to the Black Keys. I personally don't think that they sound like them but listen to the song "Parted Ways" and let me know if you think they do! I'm really surprised they're playing in my area, considering good bands rarely come to Palatine so this show should have a pretty good turnout. If anyone is going to any of these shows or attending other shows this summer, feel free to leave a comment in the comment box!

Take 3 minutes out of your day today to make your ears happy!

Check out this groovy tune from Buddy Miles circa 1970! My Mom always plays songs she hears on the radio for me to listen to and she has never steered me wrong. This is a great song and makes me wanna pick up my guitar more often. Hope ya enjoy it!

Memphis vs Nashville!

This past weekend after my graduation, I took a mini vacation to Memphis and I thought I'd dedicate a post comparing it to Nashville. I've been to Nashville three times and Gatlinburg once, but never had the chance to visit Memphis. It's about 5 hours away from Eastern so we figured why not make a trip down there. Although I am a huge fan of Nashville, (the city and the show!) Memphis was pretty damn cool. I enjoy both country music and blues so either city is wonderful if you're a fan of those music genres. Even if you're not, both places have a plethora of amazing things to see and do.

Nashville is called Music City and it surely lives up to that name! Everywhere and anywhere you go, day or night, you can hear some incredible live music from one of the many honky-tonks that grace Broadway Street. It's so cool to be able to walk in off the street and hear people on the edge of fame singing in a small bar. Sometimes famous singers actually come in randomly and play a gig! The first time I went I got to see past American Idol contestant Bucky Covington perform, which was pretty awesome. Nashville doesn't just cater to the country music lovers though, many other bands have come to call Nashville their home in recent years. The Black Keys, Kings of Leon and Jack White reside and record in the city. I am a massive fan of all of those artists, especially Jack White. One of the coolest things that has ever happened to me was when Jack White and his little daughter came into Third Man when I was there. He just walked right in and said "How ya'll doing?" I couldn't even believe what was happening and I'm pretty sure no one else did either. Let me tell you, he is a GIANT in person! Literally one of the tallest people I have seen in my life. Nashville is the place to go if you want to possibly run into any celebrities, the entire cast of the hit show Nashville has been seen out and about as well as many famous country stars. I personally would love to live in Nashville in a few years, mainly because of how wonderful the town itself is! It is a city but also has a town-like feel to it. I would feel completely safe walking around at night and it is so easy to get around the town. I also love how friendly everyone is and of course, the Southern food! Seriously, the best barbecue ever is in Tennessee and my favorite place to go in Nashville is Rippy's. Also, if you want to eat the best burger in the coolest restaurant on the planet, check out Pharmacy. The waitstaff are covered in tattoos and piercings but don't let that stop you from eating there! I had heard many good things about the place and was not disappointed. They make homemade sodas and you can create any flavor you want! Another place to go to for amazing coffee is Fido. It used to be a pet store but they closed it and turned it into this rad coffee shop that makes fantastic coffee.

Memphis is the home of the blues and it also lives up to it's name. Similar to Nashville, there are restaurants and honky-tonks on the infamous Beale Street. The Memphis in May festival is a huge event that features Beale Street Music Fest, World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, and a sunset symphony in AutoZone Park. I had just missed both the music fest and the barbecue contest which was a bummer, but next year I'm planning to go. Beale Street Music Fest had a TON of great bands including Alabama Shakes, Pretty Lights, Fitz and the Tantrums, Foster the People, Snoop Dog, Blues Traveler and many more. During my trip, I got to tour Sun Studios and Graceland. Sun Studio is where Elvis Presley first recorded and has been a milestone in music history. The tour showed the guitars used during the eras of blues as well as where the legends recorded. The studio still records musicians today, including Maroon 5, Jack White, Johnny Marr and others. The next tour I embarked on was of the one and only, Graceland mansion. The mansion itself is gorgeous from the inside and out. It wouldn't be considered a mansion by today's standards, but it's a pretty decent sized house with a lot of property! Just seeing where Elvis spent most of his time during his life was so cool and I would definitely make a trip back. Even if you're not a big Elvis fan, it would be worth your while to check it out. The tour started in the mansion itself, which was awesome.Throughout the tour, I got to see all of the awards and gold records Elvis earned; it was incredible to see just how many awards he received. There was also a room dedicated to showcasing his lavish outfits and more of his records. Elvis is also buried on the property, with his Mom, Dad, Grandma and twin brother. After touring the house, the next part of the tour was of his 2 planes. He had a huge private plane named Lisa Marie, after his daughter, and another small leer jet. Both were extremely over the top in terms of decor and very 60's/70's. The Lisa Marie had multiple areas of the plane including a large bed and a small bar. The plane even had 24 karat gold seat belts and even the bathrooms had gold sinks. It was crazy to think that he paid just 250,000 for a plane that would cost at least a couple million today. The smaller plane had less features and had cool 60's colored leather seats. The most interesting piece of information that I found out through the tour was that Elvis wrote none of his own songs. It blew my mind that someone who won that amount of awards and gold records didn't write a single song that he sang! Overall, I thought the tour was very well done and I would encourage any music lover to make Graceland a must on their travel list.

Both Memphis and Nashville are amazing cities with their own historical/music backgrounds. I truly enjoyed my trip to Memphis and honestly don't think I can choose which place I like better. I definitely would rather live in Nashville than Memphis, but there is something for everyone in both cities. I would say that Memphis has more to do because there are less honky-tonks and more museums/tours to go on. Nashville is mainly honky-tonks and there are a few museums but not as many as Memphis. Nashville does have some cool neighborhoods like the West End (close to Vanderbilt) and the East End if you get tired of the touristy scene on Broadway. I plan on going back to both cities and eventually hope to move to Nashville in a few years. I also am making it a goal to hit up Bonnaroo so hopefully the lineup is good next year!

Here is more info on the Memphis in May festival as well as Beale Street Music Fest:
http://www.memphisinmay.org/musicfestival
http://www.memphisinmay.org/

If anyone has any questions or has been to either of these cities, don't hesitate to comment! I love talking to people about places I've gone/want to go. P.S. Pictures from both trips will be posted in a separate post, hope you enjoyed this one!

Cellrs at Celebration

I haven't posted on here in waaaaay too long so this post is definitely overdue! This past semester, I was an intern at the Doudna Fine Arts Center at Eastern and got the opportunity to assist with finding talent for the annual festival called Celebration. This event is a 3 day festival that features local artists, bands and food vendors. The band that I picked to play the festival is a Chicago-based band by the name of Cellrs. They are really entertaining and definitely a group to watch out for! I first saw them at the House of Blues a few weeks prior to Celebration and I was very impressed with their performance. The crowd at Celebration loved their energy and I'm so glad that I was able to get them at the festival because now they have fans from other areas of the state besides Chicago. If you enjoy rock & roll shows that constantly keep you entertained, check out Cellrs because you won't be disappointed! Go to their Facebook page to hear their music as well as updates on upcoming shows at https://www.facebook.com/cellrs

Here are a few pictures I took from their set!