PARENTS' NIGHT OUT: Empires at Chicago House of Blues 6/24, Letterman 6/17 and More

EMPIRES TO PERFORM ON THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN STEREOGUM PREMIERES NEW TRACK PLEASE DON'T TELL MY LOVER GQ MAGAZINE'S 25 BEST SONGS OF THE SUMMER BAND PERFORMING AT BONNAROO, AUSTIN CITY LIMITS & MORE NEW EP HOW GOOD DOES IT FEEL OUT JUNE 17TH ON CHOP SHOP / ISLAND RECORDS      Empires are thrilled to announce they'll make their TV debut on The Late Show with David Letterman on June 17th! That same day, Chop Shop / Island Records will release the band's new EP How Good Does It Feel - a collection of songs that will appear on their major label debut Orphan out later this year. A band hand-picked early on by NPR Music as one their 100 acts to see at SXSW this year, Empires new single "How Good Does It Feel" was recently named one of the 25 Best Songs of the Summer by GQ Magazine. Stereogum is now streaming "Please Don't Tell My Lover" - a new song from the EP which they rave, "Empires make timeless music - upbeat yet melancholy, pleasant but not saccharine, lyrics tangled up in the messy business of romance ... these guys have their own thing going, though, and that thing is highly appropriate for the summer that is about to unfold before us." Empires have already played the Hangout and Bottle Rock Music Festivals, toured with Margot & The Nuclear So and So's and are looking forward to performing at this year's Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits Music Festivals. The band will also hit the road with The Chain Gang of 1974 this July. The EP (and upcoming LP) was produced by John Congleton (St. Vincent, The War On Drugs and The Black Angels) and will be available in digital and on limited edition 10" vinyl. Visit iTunes, Spotify and www.weareempires.com for more info. Pre-Order EP How Good Does It Feel here: http://www.myplaydirect.com/empires Stay tuned for more news! Remaining Tour Dates (more to be announced): June 5                         Barboza                                               Seattle, WA                June 6                          Doug Fir                                              Portland, OR              June 7                         Neurolux                                             Boise, ID                    June 9                          Kilby Court                                        Salt Lake City, UT     June 10                       Lost Lake Lounge                               Denver, CO                June 12                       Bonnaroo                                            Manchester, TN June 18                        Mercury Lounge                                 New York, NY           June 20                       Musica                                                Akron, OH                  June 21                        Musica                                                Akron, OH                 June 24                        House of Blues                                   Chicago, IL June 25                        Summerfest                                         Milwaukee, WI July 12                        Common Ground Music Fest            Lansing, MI *     July 16                       Crescent Ballroom                              Phoenix, AZ *     July 18                        The Roxy                                             West Hollywood, CA *             July 19                        Observatory                                        Santa Ana, CA *            July 21                        Bottom of The Hill                             San Francisco, CA *   July 23                        Bunk Bar                                             Portland, OR *   July 24                        The Imperial                                       Vancouver, BC *            July 25                        The Bartlett                                        Spokane, WA *               Sept 6-8                      LouFest                                               St. Louis, MO                         Oct. 3-5                      Austin City Limits                             Austin, TX     Oct. 10-12                   Austin City Limits                             Austin, TX    * With The Chain Gang of 1974    http://weareempires.com http://www.youtube.com/weareempires  https://www.facebook.com/weareempires https://twitter.com/weareempires https://soundcloud.com/weareempires

Blackhawks & LZ2-- The Blackhawks (Immigrant) Song #originalvideo #Blackhawks #LZ2

Worlds collide alert!   Here are two of our local favorites, Led Zeppelin 2 and The Chicago Blackhawks.   ChiIL Live Shows caught LZ2 at Chicago HOB the day after the Hawks broke the Ducks 06-07 "16 non loss in regulation" record for best season opening streak.   Little did we know then that The Blackhawks would continue to kick butt and increase their non-loss streak to a whopping TWENTY FOUR!

Sure, ya can't win all the time, but we back you Blackhawks.   We came to games when you had one of the worst records in the NHL, and when you won the Stanley Cup.   We still proudly wore our jerseys during both strikes.   We had sweet Bank of America box seats with a TV crew we were shooting with, and I've shot Blackhawks training camp from the front row.   We've also had SRO tickets at the top of the Madhouse on Madison, where the view sucked, but the enthusiastic fans more than made up for the ant sized action.   We've honestly had more fun with fun people at the raucous back of the house, standing or rockin' the cheap seats more times than I can count. We'll be watching you!!

Aloft Aerial Arts-Under the Gaslight Show (photo filled recap)

Under the Gaslight, Aloft's student show on February 25th, was truly impressive.   Check out our original show shots above.   It's exciting to see aerial acts within a larger story line or plot, rather than just an exhibition of skills.  We were especially excited that they chose to explore the subjective elements of mental illness.  

  

Gaslighting, by definition, is a term for psychological abuse where the victim is led to doubt their own memory and perception.   Here's the Wikipedia definition:

Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse in which false information is presented with the intent of making a victim doubt his or her own memory and perception. It may simply be the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents ever occurred, or it could be the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim.

The term "gaslighting" comes from the play Gas Light and its film adaptations. In those works a character uses a variety of tricks to convince his spouse that she is crazy, so that she won't be believed when she reports strange things that are genuinely occuring, including the dimming of the gas lamps in the house (which happens when her husband turns on the normally unused gas lamps in the attic to conduct clandestine activities there). Since then, it has become a colloquial expression that is now also used in clinical and research literature. 

Earlier that night, I was shooting Emilie Autumn's amazing show at The House of Blues.   It was an eerily appropriate pairing, as Emilie's concerts are a music/ performance art hybrid that take place in a Victorian era asylum!   She even performed a song entitled...you guessed it, Gaslight!   Our photo filled recap is coming soon.

Here's Aloft's show premise:

Under the Gaslight

The Aloft Loft
Chicago, IL

The Aloft Student Ensemble Performance group presents a full length contemporary circus show exploring the line between sane and "crazy". Aloft's signature style of using traditional circus apparatus in new and surprising ways, and spinning clear narrative through movement and risk come alive again through this group of 10 up-coming acrobats, studying at the Aloft Loft, the Midwest's premiere contemporary circus school. Trained by some of the top instructors in the country, and directed by Aloft's Artistic Director, Shayna Swanson, the performers have created a show based in consensus building which questions weather mental illness is just one tragedy away from everyone.

All proceeds from the seat reservation fee for this show will go into a new scholarship fund to assist current Aloft Loft students who lose their incomes due to the economy in continuing their acrobatic training. Some money will also be directed into mirco-grants to help professional artists-in-residence at the Aloft Loft develop new work.

We were back there tonight to shoot El Circo Cheapo and celebrate Du-Jay's 11th birthday with family.   They've been doing the show for 3 years and sell out every show!   Some of their talented performers also work as teachers at CircEsteem, so the kids were extra stoked to see folks they know perform.   We caught El Circo Cheapo back at Brilliant Corners Fest and were thoroughly entertained.    They run a fabulous, monthly circus at Aloft's space, on the first Saturday of every month for just $10 floor seats & $15 for a chair.   Tickets tend to be in high demand and sell out, so plan ahead.    Check out Aloft's main site here for more details.

El Circo Cheapo!

“The only thing cheap is the admission!”-Santa Fe Reporter

Like circus? Like awesome things that are crazy cheap? Then have we got just the thing for you. El Circo Cheapo Cabaret is an amazing circus show like nothing you have ever seen. An ever changing cast of some of the world’s most talented circus performers, as well as other performance artists, ensures no two shows are ever the same…and seat reservation fees are low!

Make your seat reservation for El Circo Cheapo Cabaret now by heading here.

*The 7 PM show is family friendly. The 10 PM is 18+.   Both are BYOB.   We'll have our family friendly photos up from tonight 3/3 in the very near future!

Full Service Opens for Badfish-House of Blues-Chicago (photos)

Here are ChiIL Live Shows original shots from The House of Blues-Chicago show on 2/4/2012.    It was our great pleasure to see Badfish and Scotty Don't live.    Local favorites, Midwest Hype, opened and we enjoyed a first listen to Full Service, pictured above.

It may still be winter in Chi-Town but all 4 bands made us want to dance barefoot and welcome the summer festival season in with a vengeance.    We had a chance to check out Full Service's self titled CD,  released in 2011, with 10 fun tracks including Lately, Coconuts, Hi Ho, Gymnasium, Ramona, Tasteless Gravy, Rocketships (LIVE), Hotter in the House, Trumpets & Hallways.    It may just make you wanna pack up the tent in a micro bus and hit the road!   Keep an ear out for these boys on the summer circuit.    They put on a sweet, live show.


Give them a listen at their main site, Full Service Music, here.

They're currently rockin' Austin, TX (their current home base) and just premiered their documentary, "TAKEOVER!", about their unique, determined underdog style of co-opting tours and scrambling their way up from the parking lot scene to the main stage!.   Check out the details on their Takeover!  Facebook page and website.


Home is Where The Yard Is Vol 1 is now available, too.   

ChiIL Live Shows will have HD videos from that night, from all 3 bands, coming soon.   So check back like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.   See you out there.

Badfish & Scotty Don't Rock House of Blues Chicago 2/4/2012 (photos)

Badfish and Scotty Don't rocked House of Blues Chicago, February 4th, 2012.    Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL....early and often.   We've got show video footage and CD reviews coming soon!

Midwest Hype Opens for Badfish at HOB 2/4/12 (live show photos)

We have a review of Midwest Hype's new CD and show videos soon to come.   So check in with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.

Led Zeppelin 2 at House of Blues Chicago 1-14-12 (live show photos)

Here's a full set of ChiIL Live Shows' pit photos from Saturday's sold out Led Zeppelin 2 show at House of Blues Chicago 1-14-12.   Double click the slideshow for SmugMug and more settings, including easy share options.   We'll be putting up a "best of" much smaller set from this show as well, but these guys were so much fun to shoot and we got so many sweet shots, we didn't want to decimate it down to just a few pictures.   Enjoy!



Here's a video from their recent Ft. Lauderdale, Florida shows and Stairway to Heaven below, so you can get a taste of their live shows.   Check out their Zep2 YouTube Channel for more.

Win Free Tickets to Badfish & Midwest Hype at House of Blues 1/4/12!

ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows are giving away a pair of FREE tickets (17+) to see Badfish break out the Sublime and Midwest Hype funk it up at House of Blues THIS Saturday.    If you've never seen Badfish and/or Scotty Don't live, you are in for a show!   Enter at the bottom of this post.

 

© 2012 all rights reserved: photo credit Kenaz-Mara ChiILLiveShows.com/ChiILMama.com 

Double click on the slide show for more photo viewing/sharing options from SmugMug.    Non profit reposting with proper attribution is approved.

We just shot local boys, Midwest Hype's sold out CD release party at Schubas on the 5th and it was definitely a party!    They've got a compelling blend of jazz, rock, hip hop and....sweet horns.

Here's the bio off their site:

Midwest Hype defines urban garage jazz. Hip-hop flow, unforgettable vocal melodies, punching horn lines, immaculate jazz improvisation, dance floor mayhem, tight pocketed compositions, a spectrum of all colors, a refreshing youthful breath in today's digital world. A celebration and motivation to create a better life, make the day glow.

Midwest Hype has had a string of successes recently.  Starting with a slot at Summer Camp 2010 they have played the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Fest, the Indianapolis 500, Green Music Festival, opened for the Wailers and GIRL TALK, and performed at this year's North Coast Music Festival with Thievery Corporation, Wiz Kalifa, David Guetta and more. 


ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows also had a string of successes recently, scoring press passes to shoot Summer Camp Music Fest, Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Fest and North Coast the past two years (and Lollapalooza/Kidzapalooza).  We plan to be there with camera in hand, again in 2012.   

I don't play an instrument myself, but I love live shows.   I got the writing and photography/art genes instead.  My sister and Grandfather both played sax and of all the genre's I cover, write up and shoot, punk or metal with sax is my hands down fav.   I've always had a soft spot for sax with a hard, fast edge.  Can't wait to see these guys tear it up Saturday.

 

*speaking of killer sax........we have some amazing shots of Yakuza front man, Bruce Lamont, sans sax, as Robert Plant--in LZ2 at House of Blues from earlier this month.  We'll have a full set of show shots and a "best of" up soon.   



We got some sweet crowd shots, too.    The fans even got into the whole 1975 retro vibe and held up lighters, old school style, instead of a sea of cell phones.   Loved it! 







For more about this Saturday's Badfish/Scotty Don't/Full Service/Midwest Hype show, check out the bands' sites or follow them on FB and Twitter.
Badfish 
Midwest Hype 

Check out The House of Blues main site for complete show info.

We highly recommend getting your tickets in advance.   When we shot Led Zeppelin 2's sold out show at HOB earlier this month, there were a lot of people turned away at the door, wishing they hadn't waited on tickets.   

Saturday 02/04/2012
Doors: 07:00 PM
Show: 08:00 PM
Prices:
$23.00 - GA - Advanced
$25.00 - GA - Day Of
Ages: 17+

House of Blues Chicago
329 N. Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 923-2000

Headlining Artist:

Badfish - A Tribute to Sublime

Other Artists at this Event:

    •    Scotty Don't
    •    Full Service
    •    Midwest Hype


*Wait for Rafflecopter to load up right here (if you've gone through RSS feed or are scrolling down the blog and don't see it, click on the actual page title and it should pop right up).   Entries are easy.   Winning rocks!   

*This contest is over.   Congrats to our ticket winner-Monica A., Chicago

Led Zeppelin 2 Rocks House of Blues This Friday and Saturday (17+)

 

Double click the slide show to alter speed/play full screen/other options

 
 Considering it was just Jimmy Page's birthday, yesterday, it's the perfect time to let you in on the fun shows going down this weekend at House of Blues.   We shot these guys at Do Division back in the summer and didn't even realize who was Mr. Robert Plant, incognito!   Any guesses?

These talented and prolific musicians, in their own right, not only dress the part for Zeppelin 2, but take on the mannerisms and persona of the band as well.   This lethal combo of sincere tribute, excellent musicianship and campy parody, makes for a killer show.   Zep 2 is serious musicians, playing seriously legendary tunes, who don't take themselves too seriously.   Come down and check 'em out.

 

Led Zeppelin 2
CHICAGO


JAN 13, 2012 House of Blues "1971 Set" 

JAN 14, 2012 House of Blues "1975 Set"

Friday 01/13/2012
Saturday 01/14/2012
Doors: 07:30 PM


Show: 09:00 PM 


Prices: 
$21.50 - GA - Advanced


$25.00 - GA - Day Of


Ages: 17+ 


House of Blues Chicago 


329 N. Dearborn


Chicago, IL 60654


(312) 923-2000

We plan to shoot their show Sat. and should have more, fun, live show shots shortly on ChiIL Live Shows and ChiILMama.com.

LED ZEPPELIN 2 ... THE LIVE EXPERIENCE brings you the excitement 
of Led Zeppelin "In Concert" by re-enacting the live improvisation & onstage interaction that earned Led Zeppelin their legendary status for performing. LZ2 has played major venues across the US in 2010 and 2011 and drawn rave reviews for a "spot-on" Zeppelin show, playing deep cuts and classic tracks from the entire catalog, and occasionally entire Zeppelin shows from specific dates.

BRUCE LAMONT


The Chicago Southsider is no stranger to the city's rock scene. Bruce has been the frontman for the critically acclaimed avant-metal group Yakuza for the past decade, touring all over the world. In addition to Led Zeppelin 2, Yakuza, and his solo works, Lamont performs with other projects including Circle of Animals, and Bloodiest, and previously with Dyslexic Apaches. Lamont's solo album "Feral Songs for The Epic Decline" was recently selected Top 20 Metal Recordings by SPIN  

IAN LEE


Canadian-born Drummer Ian Lee's dad was a well-known folk musician (the satirical and occasionally controversial Brothers-In-Law) Starting drums at age 8, Ian moved to US to join Bad Oskar, opening for Ted Nugent and national acts. In Chicago, Ian drummed for Woolworthy, Not Rebecca, and with members of Cheap Trick, Veruca Salt, Ministry, and Urge Overkill. Currently from Arizona, Lee runs the www.thebestdrummerintheworld.com website, and was recently featured in Asylum magazine "How to Be John Bonham -- A Drummer's Guide".  

 
MATTHEW LONGBONS 

After winning Downbeat awards on jazz trumpet in high school, Matthew picked up bass. In 2001 Matthew joined Chicago-based Ghettobillies, playing upwards of 200 gigs a year, including shows with Alice Cooper and The Allman Brothers, and numerous European tours. Matthew was voted best un-signed bassist in America at the 2004 National Emergenza battle of the bands. and has played with Pete Special (The Band), Umphree’s McGee, Nyco (Ted Atkatz of CSO), Underwater People, Matt Walker (Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, Morrisey). Matthew handles bass, keys, and mandolin in Led Zep 2.

PAUL KAMP

By age 12 Paul was playing lead guitar in bands on Chicago's southwest side. Kamp is recognized for his work with Busker Soundcheck, a Chicago trio known for inventive, interactive rock songs, including bowed-guitar and a range of electric and acoustic styles, a staple of the 1990's Chicago music scene. Busker Soundcheck was a touring machine, with studio recordings hailed on several prominent critics' "Best Of" lists. Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune, called Kamp "one of the most accomplished guitar players in the Midwest" and he earned a nomination as "best guitarist" in the Illinois Entertainer magazine. 

For more info, check out the band's main site right here.