July 2008
The Archives
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07.29.08ruth
July 2008
The Archives
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07.27.08David Vandervelde in Chicago tonight
Oh shit, I just now noticed that former Chicagoan David Vandervelde is playing at Schuba’s tonight. Actually if you head over there now, you should be able to catch him. And hopefully you won’t miss the manly and talented Danny Black.
Here’s a portrait of Vandervelde I shot in 2006 for Magnet magazine.
Photo: Jim Newberry
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07.22.08Superwoman, Superman spotted in Chicago
Photo: Jim Newberry
A couple months ago I had the great pleasure of bumping into Superwoman and Superman, on Damen Avenue in Chicago. Seeing as it was nowhere near Halloween, I wondered WTF.
Me: If you don’t mind my asking, what are you guys up to?
Superman: Fighting crime and keeping the streets clean.I guess that was a pretty dumb question…
Photo: Jim Newberry
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07.20.08$2 haircuts at Pitchfork 2008
Photo: Jim Newberry
No, you idiot, that wasn’t Bonnie Prince Billy at the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago yesterday. As far as I know Mr. Billy has yet to receive his cosmetology license, and I’m sure he would charge a lot more than $2 to introduce the business end of his scissors to the sweaty heads of Sebadoh fans.
I don’t know who that maniacal barber is, but he sure was fun to watch.
UPDATE: Thanks to eagle-eyed, highly informed readers (see comments), I now know that the barber in question is Tim Harrington, singer of Les Savvy Fav, who apparently also was generously administering massages at the festival. Major dude!
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07.20.08Partying like it’s 1993: follow up
OK, one more ’90s post and then back to the 21st century. A lot of you are probably wondering how I could write about Chicago music in 1993 without mentioning Mantis. For the love of god I have no idea how this seminal alternative band eluded me. Anyhow, they reunited for a scorching set at Ronny’s last Thursday. Mantis and Pavement both started their careers with singles on the Drag City label. Where’s Pavement in 2008? Nowhere. Mantis wins.
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07.08.08In Chicago we’re partying like it’s 1993
Chicago music fans: remember the early nineties, when music industry douches decided Wicker Park was “one of the more buzz-oriented cities,” and Billboard magazine published a map of the neighborhood on their cover, dubbing it “Cutting Edge’s New Capital?” When Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville and Urge Overkill’s Saturation were released? When Sub Pop put out Red Red Meat’s second album, Jimmywine Majestic? In a 1994 NYT article on the indie rock “alternative” rock mecca that was said to be Wicker Park, Red Red Meat’s Tim Rutili succinctly put things in perspective:
“Everybody is worried about Wicker Park being made out to be some kind of Disneyland, when it’s just a dumb neighborhood with a lot of bad artists.”
Mr. Rutili said: “This is not Paris in the 20′s. It’s really not.”
I can’t remember, did Steve Albini have an opinion on any of this?
Anyhow, for you young kids that missed 1993 the first time, it’s back! You had your chance to see Phair perform the entire Exile album live in Chicago last week; this Thursday Red Red Meat is reuniting (!!) at The Hideout; and Saturday, Urge Overkill has a gig at the Bottom Lounge.
In this post I reminisced about the first concert I shot–a Sly Stone show. My first record cover was UO’s Lineman single, their first release on Touch and Go.
Here’s a snapshot of a chrome I shot of Red Red Meat in 1996.
Here’s a publicity shot I took of Ms. Phair, made while she was recording Whitechocolatespaceegg:
I sure miss the Busy Bee!
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07.06.08Architectural Lighting: color grid
For the April/May 2008 issue of Architectural Lighting magazine, I had fun shooting at the Chicago offices of Schuler Shook, designers of really cool performance and architectural lighting. In the lighting lab at Schuler Shook, I shot a color changing light fixture they were testing. The lab shots didn’t make it into the article (they used other shots I took), so I thought I’d arrange them into a grid and post it here:
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