I’ve been listening to Ben for a while now and unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to see him perform live. But this is no longer the case since I saw him play TWICE in ONE day. Yup. That’s right. The craziness began when Ben and drummer Jordan Ellis arrived at Shure to play an afternoon show in the SN Shure Theater. The moment Ben opened his mouth for sound check I was instantly captivated. Now I already knew he had a powerful voice, but I had no idea he would be so mesmerizing live. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better… it did. Once he began playing his cello my ears died and went to music heaven. Between watching Ben’s fingers dance with the strings, Jordan’s sticks beating the drums, and taking in the greatness of it all, it was difficult for me to float back down to reality when the final applause ended. But I did so willingly knowing there was more to come.

A few hours later, I arrived to Lincoln Hall with Cory Lorentz. We walked in as Ben and Jordan were starting their second sound check of the day. To say I was glad to be back around them would be an understatement. Not only is Ben an unbelievable artist, but he also has a down to earth calmness about him. (I mean the guy takes his cello and rides his bike to most of his shows… I don’t think it gets much cooler than that.)

After killing some time eating dinner at Lincoln Hall, Cory and I found a spot at the top of the stairs as we waited for Ben to play once again. He began with one of my personal favorites “Prettiest Tree on the Mountain”. WOW. I kid you not when I say he was even better the second time around. Just like earlier in the day, I immediately became absorbed by his voice. The way Ben and Jordan commanded the stage was incredible. Throughout the show, everyone’s attention was focused on them whether Ben’s voice softly found its way through the crowd or when the sounds of his cello and Jordan’s drums boomed loudly off the walls. It was a performance I will never forget.

So if you haven’t figured it out by now, Ben Sollee is one artist you need to have in your iTunes library. His voice will make your ears smile… I promise.

-Alexandria

Oh, how I wished there was a comma there.

I went to visit Shure endorsers Heartless Bastards in the early evening before their show.  It also happened to be the day they released their new album, Arrow.   This latest release was the band’s fourth, but the first to be done with the current band line-up.  Having been involved each step of the way, everyone was feeling really great about the material.

The band had been out already for a time.  Mark Nathan (guitars) remarked that it had been a bit of a rough schedule, pointing out that they were often doing one or two press or in-store appearances and/or performances on show dates.  Despite the rigorous schedule the band seemed in great spirits.

I would have suspected that it would be huge relief to have the album out, finally.  But the vibe I got from talking with everyone was that they’ve been living this since going out on this run.  There was no need to treat this as an exceptional working day.  They’ve got their heads down and are charging forward.  We’re glad to be along for the ride.

Check out this video interview we did with Erika and Mark in July of 2010.

Richard

October 14, 2011

Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL

We recently welcomed Neon Indian to our Artist Endorser Family and although I have been a fan of Alan Palomo since his solo project known as Vega, and even more so after listening to Neon Indian’s Psychic Chasms released in 2009, I never had the pleasure of checking out his futuristic show live. As a child of the eighties and a fan of electro synth pop, I was excited to finally get a chance to check it out as well as hear songs off their recently released album Era Extraña, which was recorded in Helsinki, Finland. What?

I drove up to Lincoln Hall early to meet with Dana Wachs, Neon Indian’s sound engineer, and deliver some gear during their sound check. She was super busy getting ready to record a video for blog site For No One which records bands playing an intimate show without a crowd. It’s a pretty neat concept and the band really rocked out as if it was a packed room.  Can’t wait to see the finished result…

After they were finished, I was invited backstage to meet everyone in the band. As expected, they were super cool and down to earth. Then Dana and I had a great conversation about music and audio while the band got their ear impressions made for custom molds for their SE425 earphones that they use with their PSM 900′s. While backstage I was also introduced to opening acts Com Truise and Purity Ring, which went on to have really great sets later in the night. Keep them on your radar if they aren’t already.

It was about midnight when Neon Indian finally hit the stage and their contagious energy spread amongst the sardinesque crowd very quickly. “Polish Girl” set the crowd off and drove the band to pulsate on stage as if the synth driven melodies vibrated through their bodies. Palomo’s airy vocals came through a Beta 57A and flew through the hall like a cool fall wind. The crowd danced and sang all morning until the music stopped and Palomo thanked them and stated how much they “really love Chicago”.

For more info on Neon Indian including videos, photos and tour dates visit http://neonindian.com/

Nelson

October 14, 2011

Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL

We recently welcomed Neon Indian to our Artist Endorser Family and although I have been a fan of Alan Palomo since his solo project known as Vega, and even more so after listening to Neon Indian’s Psychic Chasms released in 2009, I never had the pleasure of checking out his futuristic show live. As a child of the eighties and a fan of electro synth pop, I was excited to finally get a chance to check it out as well as hear songs off their recently released album Era Extraña, which was recorded in Helsinki, Finland. What?

I drove up to Lincoln Hall early to meet with Dana Wachs, Neon Indian’s sound engineer, and deliver some gear during their sound check. She was super busy getting ready to record a video for blog site For No One which records bands playing an intimate show without a crowd. It’s a pretty neat concept and the band really rocked out as if it was a packed room.  Can’t wait to see the finished result…

After they were finished, I was invited backstage to meet everyone in the band. As expected, they were super cool and down to earth. Then Dana and I had a great conversation about music and audio while the band got their ear impressions made for custom molds for their SE425 earphones that they use with their PSM 900′s. While backstage I was also introduced to opening acts Com Truise and Purity Ring, which went on to have really great sets later in the night. Keep them on your radar if they aren’t already.

It was about midnight when Neon Indian finally hit the stage and their contagious energy spread amongst the sardinesque crowd very quickly. “Polish Girl” set the crowd off and drove the band to pulsate on stage as if the synth driven melodies vibrated through their bodies. Palomo’s airy vocals came through a Beta 57A and flew through the hall like a cool fall wind. The crowd danced and sang all morning until the music stopped and Palomo thanked them and stated how much they “really love Chicago”.

For more info on Neon Indian including videos, photos and tour dates visit http://neonindian.com/

Nelson

Walking into the bar/dining room of the building, the music of Pains was pouring through the music hall’s closed doors while the band worked through hits like “Heart In Your Heartbreak” and “The Body,” while front of house engineer Al Harle got the mix just right.

After everything was in its right place, I got a chance to meet the New York based quintet, talk microphones and ear monitors, and have legendary photographer Paul Natkin take some magazine cover worthy shots.

The Pains took the stage later that night for their second sold out performance at Lincoln Hall, and the masses packed it in. Kip and Peggy from the band capture vocals using Shure’s Beta 87A and PSM 200 in ear personal monitors to hear it all back.

Be sure to catch Pains the next time they’re in your town. I know they’re playing Lollapalooza in Chicago this year, but hopefully I won’t have to wait that long to see them again!

To continue my journey, Paul and I headed over to the Vic Theatre to meet up with Christina Perri who was in town to open up for James Blunt. Driving past the venue in search of a parking spot, the masses were already lined up to get in and jockey for position. The closest spot available put us a few blocks away, right outside of the Groovin’ High record store (that’s a place that sells vinyl discs that have music on them, they have CDs too), a rare gem as record stores go. Paul knew the place and the owner and told me to take  a look at the sign in the window…

The place was closed, it was 5:50pm on a Thursday in a bustling north-side Chicago neighborhood. An old man behind me had mentioned that he has been coming by the store several times that week to make a purchase and the place was locked up. I guess the whenever I feel like it hours were in effect this week.

Anyway, we made our way to the Vic and down below the stage area to the dressing rooms where we were greeted by Christina’s tour manager who mentioned that once the line went down, she would escort Ms. Perri off of the bus and into the building.

About fifteen minutes later, Christina Perri was introduced to us and she thanked us for coming to see her and check out the show. She seemed really excited to be playing Chicago (it was her first time), in support of her debut album Lovestrong which releases May 10th here in the states. She was cool, calm and confident as she spoke to us about her upbringing in Philly and her new life in LA, upcoming tour, and being on the road so far with James Blunt. After politely posing for a few shots with Paul, we left her to do her vocal warm-ups in her dressing room. Once the door was closed, you could hear varying frequencies of bleeps and blurps and vocal climbs as Christina Perri readied herself for the crowd waiting upstairs.

Shortly after our backstage visit, Christina took the stage and immediately engaged the crowd as she ran through the songs from Lovestrong, including the hit “Jar of Hearts,” which most of the crowd connected with at the first note. The girl has got some pipes on her, nothing that her SM58 can’t handle, but man she can sing! Oh yeah, she plays guitar and piano, too. The show sounded amazing, thanks to the FOH skills of Adam Jackson (Owl City), and Christina’s band kept things in the pocket while she put her talent on display. Christina will be back in Chicago this summer, so go check her out and be sure to pick up the new album next week!

Talk to all very soon, it’s a busy month for the Chicago music scene. I will lots more to share in the weeks to come. Stay tuned…

ROCK OUT!

-Cory

Walking into the bar/dining room of the building, the music of Pains was pouring through the music hall’s closed doors while the band worked through hits like “Heart In Your Heartbreak” and “The Body,” while front of house engineer Al Harle got the mix just right.

After everything was in its right place, I got a chance to meet the New York based quintet, talk microphones and ear monitors, and have legendary photographer Paul Natkin take some magazine cover worthy shots. 

The Pains took the stage later that night for their second sold out performance at Lincoln Hall, and the masses packed it in. Kip and Peggy from the band capture vocals using Shure’s Beta 87A and PSM 200 in ear personal monitors to hear it all back.

Be sure to catch Pains the next time they’re in your town. I know they’re playing Lollapalooza in Chicago this year, but hopefully I won’t have to wait that long to see them again!

To continue my journey, Paul and I headed over to the Vic Theatre to meet up with Christina Perri who was in town to open up for James Blunt. Driving past the venue in search of a parking spot, the masses were already lined up to get in and jockey for position. The closest spot available put us a few blocks away, right outside of the Groovin’ High record store (that’s a place that sells vinyl discs that have music on them, they have CDs too), a rare gem as record stores go. Paul knew the place and the owner and told me to take  a look at the sign in the window…

The place was closed, it was 5:50pm on a Thursday in a bustling north-side Chicago neighborhood. An old man behind me had mentioned that he has been coming by the store several times that week to make a purchase and the place was locked up. I guess the whenever I feel like it hours were in effect this week.

Anyway, we made our way to the Vic and down below the stage area to the dressing rooms where we were greeted by Christina’s tour manager who mentioned that once the line went down, she would escort Ms. Perri off of the bus and into the building.

About fifteen minutes later, Christina Perri was introduced to us and she thanked us for coming to see her and check out the show. She seemed really excited to be playing Chicago (it was her first time), in support of her debut album Lovestrong which releases May 10th here in the states. She was cool, calm and confident as she spoke to us about her upbringing in Philly and her new life in LA, upcoming tour, and being on the road so far with James Blunt. After politely posing for a few shots with Paul, we left her to do her vocal warm-ups in her dressing room. Once the door was closed, you could hear varying frequencies of bleeps and blurps and vocal climbs as Christina Perri readied herself for the crowd waiting upstairs.

Shortly after our backstage visit, Christina took the stage and immediately engaged the crowd as she ran through the songs from Lovestrong, including the hit “Jar of Hearts,” which most of the crowd connected with at the first note. The girl has got some pipes on her, nothing that her SM58 can’t handle, but man she can sing! Oh yeah, she plays guitar and piano, too. The show sounded amazing, thanks to the FOH skills of Adam Jackson (Owl City), and Christina’s band kept things in the pocket while she put her talent on display. Christina will be back in Chicago this summer, so go check her out and be sure to pick up the new album next week!

Talk to all very soon, it’s a busy month for the Chicago music scene. I will lots more to share in the weeks to come. Stay tuned…

ROCK OUT!

-Cory