RECAP: Black Flag Kids' Show at Reggie's Guest Post by Mr. Singer

Here at ChiIL Mama we know kids and parents rock. Your craving for live music and your concert lovin' life doesn't end, just 'cause you create a life. So, we were super stoked when Black Flag announced an early, all ages show for kids (not teens... little punk kin with parents) before their adult gig at Reggies Rock Club in Chicago a few weeks back! We promoted it for months, then as luck would have it, we were out of town on a travel shoot when the show went down. Happily, we have a guest post by Neil Firstenleit (AKA: Mr. Singer, a well loved Chicago kindie musician and former long haired punk). Here's his sweet recap.

WHAT?!?! A free Black Flag show 

for kids, awesome!

by N. Firstenleit

A few weeks back, at this time, I was psyched up, standing in line at Chicago’s south-side rock club Reggie’s to see Black Flag for my first time. I have been rocking out to Black Flag since I was in grade school thanks to my older brothers and Greg Ginn’s unique style of fast, raw riffage makes him one of my favorite guitarist! Crazy thing is, this was a kids’ show! I went with a couple friends, Lilli 5 years old and her dad Jef, the Sharp Cookies’ Videographer.

The line consisted of mostly tattooed grownups and their youngsters. It was an interesting line to be in. The kid in front of us was entertaining us with a funny face puckering sound he called “fish fats”. These kids were sharing an authentic rock experience with their folks. Adults without children were being turned away until the later show. The doorman let me in with Lilli and Jef. Several families made it to the show, I was expecting it to reach capacity being a free Black Flag show and all, but it ended up being a very comfortable turn out. 

The bar had free hotdogs & pop for the kids before the show. While Lilli had a bite, I checked out the concert Ts. Most of the art was from their album covers by artist Raymond Pettibon. MY WAR has a knife in the hand of a puppeteer, SLIP IT IN has a nun hanging on to a hairy leg and JEALOUS AGAIN has a pistol-toting cheerleader. I got Everything Went Black, a menacing image of hedge clippers in a pair of clenched hands, the most kid friendly one they had. 

The band hit the stage and everyone was ready to rock! They played the sing-a-long classics: Rise Above, Louie Louie, Six Pack (singer said it was about baby formula) and TV Party (the kids added their favorite shows: Sponge Bob, Adventure Time and Uncle Grandpa). Greg leaned over and reminded singer Mike V not to say F*%& and he didn’t.

The volume was definitely kid friendly, which was great for the kids, but it left me wanting to hear them cranked up! The vocalist and the drummer seemed to be holding back, which is cool for the eardrums, but not for the raw power. Greg Ginn’s guitar (and theremin) playing was still pretty awesome to see live at whatever volume! I guess that’s why people pay for the later show. If I had, I would have also seen Robby Krieger of the Doors jamming with Black Flag! Would have been worth the $20 for sure.

After the show the band came out and talked with the kids. When I asked Greg Ginn about the choice to do a kids’ show and he said Reggie’s asked them to do it and they thought, why not? It was his first time playing a kids' show and he wished his 7 & 9 year old children would have been there. Lilli, Jef and I were definitely glad we were there!

Miss 'em at Reggies or just can't get enough?!

Check 'em out LIVE 7/18 at Brauerhouse in Lombard, IL. for $14 (this one's 18+).

ChiIL Out With ChiIL Mama's Sunday North Coast Music Fest Recap #Photo Filled Feature #NCMF @northcoastfest

Here are ChiIL Live Shows' Shots of Sunday at North Coast Music Festival 2012. 







Sunday highlights were Chi-town's own Mathien, pictured below.

Mathien even got the "shreddy shirt boy" sighting  seal of approval!

We really dug seeing Rebirth Brass Band from New Orleans again this year (we also shot them opening for Dumpstaphunk at the after party at Bottom Lounge Sunday night).  

Official NCMF After Party Rebirth Brass Band, Dumpstaphunk, Lou Dooben, DJ RC

Even security got in on the squirt gun fun

We also checked out the vendors including the Chevy street team.   I told them I'd just won a week loan of an Inferno Orange Camaro SS and they said, "What are you doing HERE, girl?!   You should be out driving that convertible!!!!!"

We did see a number of families and kids Sunday.

More highlights were Van Ghost, Big Boi and Pretty Lights.













The Van Ghost girls, and Jennifer Hartswick (Trey Anastasio Band) in particular, just killed it with their stellar vocals and horns.    

And of course the creative, costumed crowd.

 

 We wanna see a band named SLUTHAT next year.....   Whose with me?!

It was great to see familiar faces from the music industry/press world/blogosphere like Michael Berge, Michael Raspatello, Amy Ravit Korin (AKA:  Interactive Amy) and August Forte!

We hit the fest early Sunday afternoon with the plan to shoot most of Mathien's 2:30 set, then hit IndigoSky.   Unfortunately the media/photo pass SNAFU screwed up our shoot schedule again.    With no separate press entrance, I had to wait behind hundreds of festival goers to even get in, and then security gave me a hassle again about bringing in my gear.    

Year 1 we had lanyards/all access.   Year two we had a photo pit wrist band which wasn't ideal, but passable.   This year, we were approved for two media credentials, but someone had the brilliant idea that GA tickets would suffice.

We were unable to shoot Friday at all, since security wouldn't let me in with my pro-camera gear and I had nothing to prove I really had press clearance.    I tried for over an hour to get someone on the walkie to get me in with my gear, and finally left in disgust.  I'd taken the el down and couldn't very well just ditch thousands of dollars in cameras outside the gate.   We were bummed not to catch King Khan & the Shrines,  Knife Party and STS9.

Later that night I e-mailed all my contacts on the fest production end and they assured me I had clearance to bring in a camera as press and that the gate fiasco was a mistake.   Yet we had the same issue again Sunday with security and were held up at the gate so long we missed shooting all of IndigoSky and just caught Mathian's final song after literally running across to the far side of the fest.

Saturday went smoothly, aside from wasting shoot time in a mass of GA at the main gate and long lines for basics like portalets and water.  Every other major music fest we cover has a press area with free water and uncrowded toilets so press can work more efficiently.  It's a no brainer really.  Lollapalooza's press lounge is great, with a plentiful water and iced tea, private toilets, chairs for interviews, a free happy hour, swag, and more.    Unless things change for the better, this may be the last time we take the time to cover North Coast.   They seemed bent on making it as hard as possible for me to do my job and get good coverage for our readers!

Sunday I was fortunate enough to run into friends I shoot and review loads of shows for year round, who were able to escort me back stage to get some shots.    

Then I ran into one of the NCMF producers I've known for years, who FINALLY kicked me a guest wristband.    I still couldn't get any pit photos like we usually run here, but it was a big improvement over nothing.     Check out our extensive NCMF 2011 coverage where I shot pit photos from dawn to dusk every day of the fest.



That said, we'll be shooting stills again and catching Mathian's whole  at Reggies Rock Club this Saturday.   Come on out and check 'em out.   They're excellent.   Mathien's on at 7pm sharp, so come early.   ALL AGES.

Here's the scoop:

SAT SEP 08, 20126:30pm Doors/ All Ages/ $13 - $15 dos Click here for Reggies main site and more info

TRIBAL SEEDS
From San Diego, California, award-winning reggae group Tribal Seeds have become known for their spiritually driven, refreshing rock vibe they have infused with the roots style of reggae music.         BALLYHOO!
A rock band with punk energy and pop, reggae grooves, Baltimore’s BALLYHOO! are a fun, fan-loving powerhouse.  MATHIEN  Till next year NCMF....

Play Locally-April Highlights: Theatre Openings, Music and Giveaways

It's an eventful, event filled April in Chi-Town. 

Scroll All The Way Down For A Month Full of Adult & Family Friendly Highlights Below Including 21+ punk & metal shows, Ticket Give Aways, original video interviews, live kids' show footage, Beat Kitchen Concerts for Kids, Bloodiest vinyl release, C2E2, CIMMfest 2012, Human Nature The Motown Show, 20 FREE copies of Just Kids book by Patti Smith, Prong, recommended bands at Cobra Lounge & Empty Bottle, Reggies, Schubas, & Sub-T, Theatre openings, CD releases, and more:

FAMILY FUN: 


Sunday 4/15   Beat Kitchen's Concerts for Kids features The Boogers (Ramones style punk for the punk kin) at noon.   ChiIL Mama's stoked to sponsor the series aimed at birth through 10 year olds with parents.   Infants are free.   Everyone else is just $6!   Win 4 free tickets right here, to see The Boogers.   We pick new winners weekly and have 4 free tickets to all kids' shows at Beat Kitchen and many other venues throughout Chicago.   Then check out ChiIL Mama's YouTube Channel for loads of live Boogers show footage and our exclusive video interview with the band.

*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!   

(show photos/metal) Macabre-Yakuza-Novembers Doom-A Corporate Death

It was a happy headbanger happening as Holiday of Horrors rocked Reggie's Rock Club December 23rd.   Unfortunately my lens broke during the first band, and we tweaked it enough to shoot, but I had to replace it right after that.   Good thing Santa came the next night and had me on the good list.   The bands were all a lot of fun.   Yakuza, in particular, has been one of our favorites for years.   And it was interesting to check out A Corporate Death-also Bruce Lamont.    

We had another bonus.  We grabbed a table on the 2nd floor, while trying to fix my lens, and ended up meeting the wife and 8 year old daughter of the lead singer of Novembers Doom.   His daughter's in 3rd grade, like Sagezilla, and couldn't have been more excited to see her Dad sing!   We're hoping to catch up with the whole fam for a video interview soon.

O'MY'S LIVE at Reggie's Monday, Dec. 19 (photo filled feature)

We've heard all the buzz, but had to see it to believe it.   All we can say is oh my...indeed.   The O'My's rocked Reggie's Monday night with a sold out show.   



We've covered a number of musicians at Reggie's and we've never seen a line around the block like this one.  These young musicians were fantastic live and are certainly ones to watch.  Check out our prior O'My's coverage and their first music video by clicking here.

  
Not crazy about the fans with the backward ball caps.   Every other show we've shot for years, from jazz to metal to punk, people have been cool and made space for the camera.  Not here.  The ball cap boys shoved in front, then thrashed around and stuck their hat heads into the middle of a ton of what would have been great shots.  Ah well.  Things were crazy at the door, too.  Two different door men went to check the press list for me and neither one came back.  After being stuck at the door a half hour while the band I was planning to shoot nearly finished, I finally made it in.   

 


To their credit, the door staff weren't complete petty tyrants.  They did let the bass player's dad in, when he pleaded that he was on the guest list and missing his son's set.   And there was a fair amount of legit drama going on, like an underager getting kicked out for sipping his 21+ girlfriend's beer.   It just sucks when one person doing their job prevents someone else from doing theirs!   We've shot a lot of shows at Reggie's and NEVER had trouble at the door before.   All's well that ends well.   I got there in time to catch their last few songs and get my shots.

Nevertheless, Reggie's is still one of our favorite small venues.   The sound is great and what's not to love about a club with Wesley Willis' giant mug on the wall and an inexplicable sewer grate mid stage.   Makes for some of the most unique shoe shots.   They also have a great selection of both cheap beer and tasty craft brews for those who dig quality or quantity.

We were elated to finally catch the O'My's live, even if it was short and sweet.   We had another gig and couldn't stick around past their opening set, but they backed many of the later bands.  Rumor is, their trumpet player is just 17, and lives, eats and breathes music.  All the horns were amazing, and I though the keyboard player was going to overturn his instrument in addition to the mic!   His fingers were practically on fire.  With strong lead vocals and a flexible line up that ranges from 2-10 members, the O'My's are forging a well deserved name for themselves on the Chicago scene.

Shows On Our Radar-The Buddies Tonight at Empty Bottle & Yakuza Tomorrow at Reggies

 21+
Come on out to The Empty Bottle and empty a few tonight.   Check out our prior coverage by clicking here.
THU . 12/22/11 ( 9:00pm , RSVP is closed; $8) 

The Buddies
Dirty Pigeons
The Canoes
Ed Jurken

Empty Bottle says:  THE BUDDIES’ debut LP, F*@# The Buddies is an effort stacked with reverb-soaked stompers that have led the outfit to be dubbed “a southern rock version of THE CLASH,” by Music. Defined. Boozy, shambling, sweetly grungy tracks that make you feel like you should be singing along, we’re excited to hear how the tracks translate to our boozy, grungy stage. The recording project of BRIAN MORRISSEY, THE DIRTY PIGEONS combine rock songs, folk ballads, quiet strumming and squealing guitars into a mélange of sounds unified by MORRISSEY’s uniquely world-weary vocals. Live he’s backed by a full band, catapulting his intimate songs onto the stage.
 

 

17+

Friday, December 23 • 8:00 PM
mPshows.com presents TAKE THE REGGIES BUS FROM PANCHOS, Pancho's party starts at 6, bus leaves at 7:45!

MACABRE
Macabre blends elements of true crime, math rock, nursery rhymes, punk, thrash, folk melodies, death metal, jazz fusion, black metal and more into an energetic, catchy and unmistakable amalgam. 

YAKUZA
Yakuza is an avant-garde metal band, formed in Chicago in 1999. Current members are James Staffel, Matt McClelland, Bruce Lamont, and Ivan Cruz.

New Yakuza album out!

NOVEMBERS DOOM
In 2006, Novembers Doom once again entered the studio to record the follow up to 2005's "The Pale Haunt Departure." The philosophy was simple... If it isn't broken, don't fix it. Sessions for "The Novella Reservoir" began with Chris Djuricic once again engineering and co-producing, also taking up the recording of the Bass guitar. Mixed by the highly respected Dan Swano, and mastered again by legendary James Murphy, "The Novella Reservoir" was completed, becoming the bands greatest audible onslaught yet. Taking their musical direction to the next logical step in their evolution, Novembers Doom has broken free from their past genre labels, to create a modern dark metal CD influenced heavily by their Chicago 90's death metal roots. "The Novella Reservoir" is easily the bands most aggressive CD to date, and will, without a doubt concrete them as one of the top bands of their genre.

A CORPORATE DEATH
Bruce Lamont improvised jam.

PRIMAL LORE
4 friends having a good time,ups and downs and all arounds. Tellin Stories of animalistic legends lycan thropic of Primal Lore.

O'MY'S Debut Video & LIVE at Reggie's Monday, Dec. 19 (18+)

Here's another local band you'll wanna check out, if you haven't discovered them already.   This is their debut music video "My House" above!

 

Then come check 'em out live at Reggie's

Monday, December 19 • 9:00 PM • Ages 18+ • $17.00 

The COOL KIDS (backed by THE O'MY'S)
Chicago's own hip hop the way they like it.Chuck Inglish & Sir Michael Rocks with VIPJ and The O'my's backing them up.

ASHER ROTH (backed by THE O'MY'S )
Before "Asleep in the Bread Aisle" dropped on 4/20, there wasn't much to base an opinion on besides a catchy party song and the first white boy rendition of a Gangsta Grillz tape, "The Greenhouse Effect" hosted by DJ Don Cannon himself.
 
SIR MICHAEL ROCKS
GLC
BOLDY JAMES

O'MY'S
The O' My's, a group which was haphazardly conceived in the summer of 2007, have since become one of the most adored young bands from Chicago. The O'My's make music that garners comparisons to the soul and blues of Chicago's past, yet the essence of the music is beyond pretension and their sound is far from contrived. 

Guitarist Maceo Vidal-Haymes and Pianist Nick Hennessey (who share songwriting and vocal duties) are the beating heart of The O'My's. The band can consist of anywhere from 4-10 members with Haymes and Hennessy being the only constant contributors.

Supersuckers LIVE at Reggie's Rock Club-Photo Filled Recap

Dbl click slide show for full screen and other options

I saw The Supersuckers a number of times back in BC--that would be before children--and their shows were always a rockin' good time.   Kiss might have been "The Hottest Band in the Land" but The Supersuckers are the unabashedly self declared "Greatest Rock-n-Roll Band in the World".   Welcome back boys.  

Excerpt from frontman/bass player, Eddie, on The Supersuckers main page:

My son Quattro says the next thing they will invent for phones will be the ability to teleport yourself anywhere you want to be. Now THAT would rule! No more long drives for me - I'd be at home every night, sleeping in my own bed, waking up with my kids and having a day at home before heading off to "work" at night. Just think of the havoc that would reign down upon the travel industries! No more airlines! No more cars! Ah, I can't wait... That's gonna be fantastic.

Parents rock and rockers parent.   I know my own punk kin would love to see a teleportation phone invented, too!

 

Here's the story of The Supersucker's start: 

  

Our story is almost impossible to believe. This band is literally a human cartoon. We all grew up among the dead-ends and cactus needles of Tucson, Arizona and have known each other since grade school. We graduated from the same high school together at the same time (a school immortalized in our song “Santa Rita High”) and we chose to play in a band together because we liked to hang out together, not because we were great musicians or anything. I truly believe that a band is defined by their limitations, that what they can’t (or won’t) do is just as important as what they can do. I guess that, in this era of pre-fabricated, put-together-to-have-a-hit bands, we’re kind of an aberration and I gotta tell ya that that makes us smile a little every day.

We formed the band in 1988 and we were initially a five piece called The Black Supersuckers ( a name found in some quality “adult literature” we had laying around in our impeccably clean band house!), with me on bass, Dan “Thunder” Bolton and Rontrose Heathman on guitars, Dancing Eagle on drums and a lead singer by the name of Eric Martin. After firmly proving ourselves to be the best band in town we decided it was time to get out of Tucson and try our luck somewhere else. So we tossed a coin with heads as New Orleans and tails as Seattle. Tails it was and in May of “89 we packed up and went north.

We had no idea that Seattle was about to become “Rock Mecca USA”, we just wanted to go somewhere where we could wear our leather jackets a little more often. It was exciting and encouraging to see all of the great bands there, doing their own thing and making some kick-ass, aggressive rock-n-roll that we could relate to, so we started recording immediately. After some classic “creative differences” with our lead singer, we decided to try it as a four piece with yours truly as the singer (I was the only one who knew all the words) and The Supersuckers, as you may or may not know them today, were born.

 

Check out Supersuckers official website here for show dates, tunes and more.

Nashville Pussy LIVE at Reggie's Rock Club-Photo Filled Recap

Double click slide show for full screen and other options

Despite a cold downpour and a Monday night slot, fans came out in droves to see Nashville Pussy and The Supersuckers do their thing, LIVE at Reggie's Rock Club this week.   These accomplished musicians all bring it, live.    And we love bands with a sense of humor.   Husband/ wife team, Blaine and Ruyter, have an undeniable chemistry on stage, despite copious flirting with the audience.

Karen Cuda at Bottom Lounge, Chicago

We missed their bass player, Karen Cuda, and wish her speedy recovery.    She's out with an arm injury.   The good news was, Supersucker's own frontman/ bass player, Eddie Spaghetti, jumped in to fill the void.   Yeah, OK, he's not as hot as Karen, but that boy can play.

Back when Nashville Pussy opened for The Dwarves at Bottom Lounge in August, ChiIL Mama snagged their latest release to review and one for our readers.   One lucky fan got the Dwarves DVD/CD and NP's new CD, From Hell to Texas.   We highly recommend it for catchy riffs, and amusing lyrics.    That said, this is not the CD you want little Logan and Madison belting out in preschool!    As you can see from the set list, their tunes are not for the kindie kin.   Save it for your teens or your alone time.    I crank it in the car after elementary school drop off.   

We'll be reviewing and giving away a zillion new alt-punk-rock-folk-funk CDs for the way underagers leading up to the holidays (and X and New York Dolls DVDs for the rest of you).   But, From Hell to Texas is some good ol' raunchy, kid inappropriate fun.   From our experience, no one needs that more than people who spend their days with dependents who are...well, dependent...on you.   At the show I was front and center with a couple parents of an 8 year old, enjoying a night out.   We also ran into our friend Dan, who has been with Spin Magazine for years, and is a Chi-Town Dad of 3 young boys.   And I'm sure we were not the only ones.    We're big fans of "life doesn't end with birth".   Parents get to have a life, too.   

Here's Nashville Pussy's bio from their site:

True rock n' roll doesn't require definition. It's self-explanatory based on a gut feeling and the unconditional devotion to the musical genre. Nashville Pussy have celebrated their brand of genuine rock n' roll for more than a decade, in classic style at times, surprising at others, but always earthy, raw and unadulterated. 

Band mastermind Blaine Cartwright (vocals, guitar), his wife Ruyter Suys (guitar), Karen Cuda (bass) and Jeremy Thompson (drums) poured their heart and soul into the latest rock release, entitled From Hell To Texas, which saw the band hone their most impressive recording to date alongside the non stop touring, from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Japan, and almost a year straight with the Reverend Horton Heat, "We allowed ourselves this time to give the songs the chance to turn out as perfect as possible," Cartwright explains. "We kept playing the new tracks at our rehearsal room until they really clicked. I feel they're heavier and grittier than previous releases. The whole creative process took three long years, but the result has been worth the trouble."

Their songs are mostly about fun and good times, but occasionally – as in the case of 'Late Great USA' – they also stick the finger into an open wound. "Although Blaine's comical and satyrical themes mostly prevail on From Hell To Texas, there are two or three numbers which deal with more serious subjects. 'Late Great USA' is a political song, we simply had to vent our anger at certain grievances in this country."

For some big kid, AKA:  adult fun, check out Nashville Pussy's main site here for CD and tour info and Check out our very own sister site, ChiIL Live Shows for all our live show shot archives including Nashville Pussy's August show.