This edition of Sound Citizen Radio (at the bottom of this post) is all about summertime. As such, we present four bands with songs that should fit nicely into your summer playlists, and three of them have outdoor Chicago concerts coming up.
It’s summer concert season in Chicago, so stay tuned for future episodes of Sound Citizen Radio to make sure you don’t miss out. Don’t forget to subscribe to Sound Citizen Radio in iTunes, where you can also catch up on back episodes. And if you like what you hear, please don’t hesitate to give a “thumbs up” at the top left of this page.
This week’s lineup:
Love Language, “Heart to Tell”
June 20, Taste of Randolph, Chicago, 4pm.
Ben Keeler and The 500 Club, “Water, Water”
June 17, Abbey Pub, Chicago
June 20, I Am Fest, Chicago
July 10, Folk and Roots Festival, Chicago
The Thermals, “Now We Can See”
July 5, Millennium Park, Chicago, FREE
Thao and The Get Down Stay Down, “Bag of Hammers”
June 28, Lincoln Hall, Chicago (with Mirah and The Most of All)
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Welcome to another edition of Sound Citizen Radio. This week we celebrate three of our favorite Chicago music venues in The Hideout, Beat Kitchen and Lincoln Hall.
The past two weeks on SoundCitizen.com we reviewed Local Natives, interviewed and reviewed Clem Snide and made some Austin City Limits recommendations. Check them out after listening to the podcast!
And GO BLACKHAWKS!
This week’s lineup:
Jonny Rumble, “BRZRKR”
June 25, Beat Kitchen, Chicago
Visqueen, “Jimmy vs. James”
May 31, The Hideout, Chicago
Gold Motel, “We’re on the Run”
June 11, Lincoln Hall
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Time for more Sound Citizen Radio! Once again we’ve outdone ourselves with not three, but FOUR great songs from FOUR great bands (at the bottom of this post.)
We’ve had a great couple of weeks here, including a trip down to Memphis for the Beale St. Music Festival. You can read about Memphis in May right here.
This week a few of us are headed to see a new favorite in Local Natives and an old soul in Clem Snide. You can hear Clem Snide on Sound Citizen Radio 9.
Thanks for listening and if you like what you hear, go ahead and share it with your Facebook friends by clicking the thumbs up at top left. As always, please send any suggestions, thoughts or music for an upcoming episode to soundcitizenmike@gmail.com.
This week’s lineup:
Besnard Lakes, Montreal, Canada. “Albatross”
Pritzker Pavillion, Millenium Park, Chicago (FREE), May 24
Dexateens, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. “Down Low”
Schubas, Chicago, May 20
Love of Everything, Chicago. “It Feels So Good to Be Alive”
Empty Bottle, Chicago, CORRECTION: May 18
Morning Benders (playing with Broken Bells), San Francisco/New York. “Excuses”
The Vic, Chicago, May 31
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Last Wednesday was one of those times when you stumble into a show you won’t soon forget. You usually stumble out, too.
As it were, we hit up the Tonic Room on Chicago’s north side to see little-known but soon-to-be-famous JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound. And we couldn’t have had better timing. JC and the crew are breaking out. They’ve been on the scene just a year or so but have managed to capture soul, funk, R&B and even rock in their sound. And it’s all Chicago, as it should be. But don’t expect these cats to pull up stakes and leave if they hit it big. As guitarist Billy Bungeroth told Centerstage Chicago’s Jeff Minn:
A lot of people think Chicago is the step on the road to another destination. It’s not. Chicago is the destination. We live in the greatest city on Earth. Mind it, support it. If you dig music and you like to dance and you like heart-drenched ballads and funky post-punk workouts then there’s a dude named Mr. JC Brooks in Chicago I think you ought to go and see.
JC is a student of soul music, but he started in an indie-rock band. That should give you an idea of the versatility of the sound. Need further proof? In the video below, you’ll hear King Floyd’s “Groove me Baby,” and “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” a Wilco cover that has become JC’s most popular song.
It was a good night for Chicago music – a rising star with soul, in a small venue with an eclectic crowd.
These guys can bring it.
Below is some video from the show at the Tonic Room. Watch it. Also check out this photo gallery from Wednesday night.
Hear more JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound.
