Concert review: Elephant Gun, The Teenage Prayers, and Brother George at Morseland 9/4/09

Tucked away in Rogers Park, the Morseland has a mid-size pub/restaurant atmosphere with a decent number of live music offerings throughout the week, and there was a particularly choice show featuring three local and independent Americana/rock bands on the evening of September 4th.

The evening opened with Chicago-based quartet Brother George's set of old-timey vocal harmonies, folk/Americana influences, and plenty of instrument-swapping as various band members traded guitars, drums, and bass while taking lead vocals. One of the stand-out sounds from the songs in the set was often-doubled lead guitar and bass riffs. The hummable melodies and choir atmosphere gave the band's electric live sound (the band's studio recordings are acoustic) a friendly, collaborative feel.

Embarking that evening on a seven-city tour with Brother George, New York's The Teenage Prayers had a classic rock/Americana feel (at times during the set, one could compare their sound to The Band). Again, collaboration seemed to be the overriding vibe from the set; everybody onstage seemed to join in on the choruses of songs, and the band's welcoming sound drew you in to the fold.

The evening's headliners were Elephant Gun, a rather large rock/Americana outfit from Chicago, and honestly, with seven people on the stage and a big, lush live sound to match, there are very few contemporary acts in (or out of) the area that could have followed their performance Friday night. The songwriting is solid, the melodies are memorable, but a big part of the appeal of seeing this band perform live comes from the energetic and visually entertaining stage show; the way the members of this band play their instruments is entertaining on its own. It is obvious watching Elephant Gun that the musicians love what they are doing, and that there isn't any place they'd rather be, which infects the audience with the same energy. By the end of the night, they had gotten a lot of people up on their feet and dancing to their frenetic countrified rock. Elephant Gun's new album, Beartime Stories, is due out in October.


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This article also appears on Chicago Indie Rock Examiner and Windy City Rock.

Concert review: Free Energy, Old Fake, and Village at Schubas 9/2/09

Ex-Living Blue frontman Stephen Ucherek's new project, Village, has already produced some good material, as evinced by his solo set last Wednesday at Schubas. The new sound carries the psychedelic sound of The Living Blue's most recent album, Walk Talk Rhythm Roam, a bit farther, featuring reverb-heavy vocals and jangly guitar strum-riffs. Although there were definitely moments during the set that could have benefited from a full musical outfit, Ucherek's hypnotic solo appearance as Village was surprisingly rich.

Another promising new addition to Chicago's local music scene comes from Old Fake, whose live sound combined 60s pop songwriting forms with the bombastic flair of garage blues-rock. The set was loud and got the hump-day audience up on their feet and moving to the music.

Philadelphia's Free Energy had some tough acts to follow Wednesday night, and although the ex-Hockey Night band members looked like the most egregious victims of hipster fashion when they took the stage, they at least played an enjoyable set of 70s-inspired glam/prog rock. Highlights of their live set included the bell-like clarity of the frontman's vocals, sparkling guitar fills, and a downright bizarre Q-and-A session between the audience and the band while their bassist replaced a broken string in order to finish the set. It was worth sticking around for.


UPCOMING SHOWS:

Old Fake will be playing Sunday, September 20 with Wavves and Ganglians at The Empty Bottle.

Village will be playing downstate in Champaign-Urbana Friday, September 18 as part of the Pygmalion Music Festival.

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This article also appears on Chicago Indie Rock Music Examiner and Windy City Rock.

Concert review: Roman Candle, The Rikters, and Phonograph at Schubas 8/30/09

The indie rock offerings this past Sunday at Schubas Tavern lived up to the beloved Chicago venue's reputation for live music.

The evening started with two members of Brooklyn-based Phonograph playing a set with a pared-back texture of guitar and piano that still managed to have a rich (albeit mellow) sound. The songs were harmonically interesting with solid chord progressions, and frontman Matthew Welsh's soulful voice was well-suited to the mood of the songs. The band has a new album, OKNO, due out at the end of the month.

Chicago's own The Rikters have developed a solid following in the local music scene, and if last Sunday's lighthearted performance was typical of their live show, it's easy to see why. Although the band's mainstream alternative sound wasn't particularly well matched with the folk/Americana stylings of the other bands on the bill, nobody really seemed to mind. Fans in the audience danced to the songs and laughed with the band between songs.

Headliners Roman Candle were an absolute delight from start to finish, delivering a set full of frontman Skip Matheny's homey anecdotes and wry, life-embracing songs. The Chapel Hill band's rich sonic fabric can be likened to a patchwork quilt: familiar, comforting, and vibrant. I highly recommend seeing their next show in Chicago.


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This article also appears on Chicago Indie Rock Examiner and Windy City Rock.