Tag: rock

December Shows

As school rolls into finals week and my teaching duties lighten up going into the holidays, I have some time to reflect on the wild year I’ve had so far. Interestingly, my “Spotify Wrapped” playlist consists almost entirely of music that I’ve had to learn for a gig or class, and so it provides a good overview of my music making this year.

At the top of the list you can find the fascinating collection of Studies in African Rhythm that I learned for an international-themed classical piano recital. There’s also plenty of other classical piano pieces, along with other classical works I had to teach in school, hard rock (Ricky Liontones), smooth R&B (Smooth Tuba Tuesday), and a host of other popular hits that I played with cover bands and jazz standards from combo gigs. Highlights of the music that I didn’t have to learn for a gig include Mdou Moctar, Hiatus Kaiyote, Arooj Aftab, Brittany Howard, and Kim Gordon (look them up if you don’t know them).

I have a couple of shows to announce today, with more very exciting things to come. First, on December 13, I’ll be playing with Ricky Liontones at Liar’s Club for the millionth time this year, this time opening for Masonic Wave. We’ll also be paying tribute to Ricky’s original band from a decade ago, Polite Machines, with music from their catalog.

Next, on December 20, we’ll be a part of a major event happening at The Piazza in Aurora. Put on by Rock 95.5 in Chicago, “Holiday Havoc” will feature a slew of major rock artists, including Anberlin and Eve 6, and yes, us! What’s more, I’ve been told that you can save $5 on your ticket if you buy them online using this link and the code “ricky” at checkout!

Shows this week and next

I’ve got a couple of shows to announce— the first one is tomorrow night! I’ll be playing bass with Ricky Liontones as we perform the first Queens of the Stone Age album in its entirety, an homage to the 25th anniversary of the record’s original release. But that’s not all… There will also be a tribute to the Violent Femmes’ eponymous debut on its 40th anniversary, and a big band (!) performance of the Led Zeppelin classic “Houses of the Holy”, in full, by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Players, in celebration of that record’s 50th anniversary. This is all part of Ian’s Classic Albums Night, a regular staple of the vast musical empire that Reggies has created in Chicago. It’s going to be a very full night with a wide variety of styles, so come by at 7 and enjoy the evening!

After some private engagements over the weekend, the next official show to announce is on Wednesday, October 4, at Bookclub. This time, the Ricky Liontones Revue hits the stage with Kansas City rockers The Sounds Of Many, as well as Chicago’s own Lost Pyramids. Shoot me a message if you’re interested in catching this awesome show and I’ll give you the address 🤙

As always, stay tuned for future announcements!

More shows in September and October!

We played a sweet show at Boat Drinks in Chicago this Tuesday!

I’ve been hard at work performing for the good folks of Chicago and beyond. In addition to playing bass at Boat Drinks and other bars, I’ve also been playing plenty of tuba and keys (check out the latest Smooth Tuba Tuesday!).

Chicago has such a great diversity of musical opportunities—I’ve even had the chance to play rock, blues, jazz, and classical sets all in the same week! Even with everything I’m already doing, I’m still striving to acquire new skills as a musician, and seeking new creative outlets for musical performance.

If you’re interested in supporting my music in its various forms, you can come see me at these shows over the next few weeks:

Saturday 9/24 – Taylor Street Organ Trio @ One Allegiance Brewing (Chicago Ridge)

Friday 9/30 – Ricky Liontones Trio @ Honky Tonk BBQ (Pilsen)

Saturday 10/8 – Ricky Liontones Revue @ Metal Monkey Brewing (Romeoville)

Sunday 10/9 – Taylor Street Organ Trio @ Mockingbird Bar & Garden (East Dundee)

I have more shows to announce soon, including some exciting tour dates in October and November, so stay tuned for those announcements!

Tonight Alive – Underworld

My first thought when cracking open this album was, “since when did Underworld play rock?” Indeed, had I realized that Underworld was the name of the album and not the artist, I probably wouldn’t have listened. That’s no diss to *double-checks artist name* Tonight Alive, it just means that I have my listening predilections just like anyone else. This is exactly why I listen to as much music as I do—it often forces me into strange new corners that lie outside of my musical comfort zone.

My second impression was that this was a pretty decent Christian rock band (wrong again). The hyper-slick production quality, conventional song forms, square riffing, and vague lyrics about love and spirituality all seemed to point to one of the world’s most despised genres. Again, I need to temper this by saying that I myself don’t mind Christian rock, it’s just that those who don’t like it seem to hate it passionately. Once religion gets added to a musical idea, it opens a whole can of worms that incites opinions far beyond the music. I personally respect people who use music as a vehicle of praise and worship.

This, however, is not Christian rock. Somehow, knowing that a band sounds like this and doesn’t even have a divine mission is especially disappointing.

Jeff Rosenstock – Post-

Post-

For music nerds, the album title couldn’t be any more evocative. No matter what comes after that hyphen, it’s surely something that Jeff Rosenstock is has had enough of already. This isn’t exactly post-punk, or post-pop, or post-rock. It’s just post-. Well, even that title implies a bit of post-modern, and you hear that especially while listening through the long repeated sections in “USA” and “Let Them Win.” What with the chanting about being tired and poor. No matter about being poor though, this man is offering downloads for this surprise album for any price on his site.

This album went by quickly, only 9 tracks. There’s a 6-second intro featuring his best friend, breaking the fourth wall right out of the gate. This is, after all, an album that’s being made by a human being, not just a product made by a machine. The process is more important than the product in this “post-“ kind of thought, and Jeff Rosenstock buys into that philosophy. From the beginning to the end of this listen, he is here just to let us know that he is here for us, and any excess that would distract us from that is cast off in favor of a clean instrumental attack. This runs contrary to the progressive ambitions of other post-genres, or even the simpler repetitive forms like post-rock or post-bop. So it’s really not post-anything. It’s just post-.