AVANT/CHICAGO

Groove With Family And Good Company

FGC in Chicago Saturday at the Abbey Pub. Simple flow, fine jams, hella tight music. Wish we could. You should.

Future Of Film Viewing

The New Movie Theatre is here and it looks supa-fly. Much better then getting gum stuck on your shoes in a place decorated like your Grandma's place. Hopefully tickets are not too tax.

The Rest Of Our Journey With Lotus in the Midwest

First there was St. Louis, then we kind of filled you in on Wisco and an off day in Chicago. After a busy day at Purdue we headed through a minor monsoon down to the quaint town of Bloomington for the last Lotus show we'd be able to hit in the Midwest. The show was at a little spot and the weather was a little icky, but the crowd was super amped. There was a gang of old friends around, so hanging with them was nice. After drinking wine and good micro-brew on the bus, the guys were leaving by 5am, so we took over one of their rooms at this neat B & B in the heart of Bloomington. It was sort of an organic kind of spot, mixed in with some yoga studios and apartments. Super sweet. It was a really nice weather down in Southern Indiana when we awoke in the morning and grabbed a bagel at a cafe in the heart of town and made the trip back to Chicago. Pix from the excursion are going to have to be put off until next week. A couple items to tide you over - pic of goofing on bus and cell phone vid from Turner Hall.

Fairly Stout Weekend of Art Openings

There are a healthy handful of really good openings this Friday. One of the tops is Death Party at Monument2. For a list of more, check here.

We Can Dance If We Want To

Basement Jaxx, MSTRKRFT, Modeselektor at Congress this Friday. Serious, deep dance party. Plenty of other DJs in the mix too. Lock this one in for sure.

A Few Bands Worth Checking Out - Dream-Pop/Fresh-Folk

• Skygreen Leopards
• Kings of Convience
• Six Organs of Admittance
• Vetiver
• Kingsbury Manx

Good ones if you haven't tuned in already.

How To Look Sexy With Ease

Awhile back we opened up a Cafepress store. It has all sorts of generic goods for the Moho set to sport around the city.  Take a peek at hats, mugs, stickers, buttons and clothes.  This isn't haute couture for sure, but trust us you'll look crush no matter what in some A/C threads.

Getting Old A Thing Of The Past

Aubrey de Grey says we can avoid aging (Video) Cambridge researcher Aubrey de Grey argues that aging is merely a disease -- and a curable one at that. Humans age in seven basic ways, he says, all of which can be averted.

Nicaragua Surf Town Builds Home Out of Tires

In the San Juan Del Sur region of Nicaragua, the famed Earthship crew, along with 13 Nicaraguans from the local community, created the start of what will be entirely off-grid, sustainable community, titled Casa Llanta ("Tire House"). (From Treehugger)

Eating Healthy And Clean

Organic In Chicago is a nice little site for good eating in the city. A resource for information, ideas, and thoughts on how eating organic foods can do good for your body and mind. Not updated as frequently as you might like, but plenty to look in to. (via)

Get Hip To Ha Ha Tonka

Once upon a time we loved this band, then they slipped our mind. Now they've put out a Daytrotter Session. (Ha Ha Tonka). We remember why we like them. You will too.  

Twitter Updates Worth Your Time

• Check out the Wilco Loft in Irving Park
• Van Ghost Chicago show announced
• New Lennon Film Trailer
• New Basement Jaxx Video [ft. Lightspeed Champion]
• Purdue campus in Fall (Phone pic)

Denim Merlot Or Acid-Washed Chardonnay

Jean Company making wine for public. For the first time ever, Renzo Rosso, main man of Diesel, opens the doors of Diesel Farm Vineyards and Olive Groves, located at the family estate in Venice, Italy

Miranda Lee Richards - Light of X

This is an amazing album. Here is what we wrote about this album in Feburary - Her voice is like a colorful Fall maple tree, leaves simply floating to the ground.  Titles of her songs describe her music - Hideaway, Last Days of Summer, Breathless - pretty right on. Check her out here to hear the album.

Three Tweets for the Web

Small cultural bits—written words, music, video—have never been easier to record, store, organize, and search, and thus they are a growing part of our enjoyment and education. Read more in this article.

Visual Trance

Turned On (2009) Video by Mark Charles Brown. Very unique and tripped out vid.

Brian Eno, Peter Schmidt, and Cybernetics

Cybernetics is one of the most widely misunderstood concepts. The word itself seems sinister and futuristic. But at its heart, cybernetics is simply the study of systems The work of Eno's late friend, the British artist Peter Schmidt, who died in 1980, goes strangely underrecognized in the story of cybernetics and the arts. Very interesting read - Brian Eno, Peter Schmidt, and Cybernetics.

It's Been Blurry And Somehow It's Jim Gaffigan's Fault

Since last Tuesday it's been a non-stop trip for us. We told you about the St. Louis excursion. This weekend we went up to Milwaukee for another Lotus show, passed out on the bus, woke up in Chicago and spent the whole day in the parking lot behind Kinetic Playground watching sports, eating and drinking one too many Point Pale Ales. (free from the venue) We also wandered the area on a bright Sunday. And we are trucking on. We spent all day Monday working on PhD program work and in the night watched some rough edits for Welcome To Gentle Waters. Then we had/have school yesterday/tomorrow and just returned from down in Bloomington for Lotus once more. Keep up with us on Twitter as things might wane here for a couple days.

Our Works Of Old

A few years back we wrote a novel.  It was a stream-of-consciousness deal very much inspired by Kerouac. (And yes I wrote it over the course of a month, highly influenced by speed, vodka and 'other' intoxicants)  The final product was a mash-up ranging from literary genius  to confusing drivel.  Fast forward to the present.  We're searching for a photo of the cover and come across the book on Amazon.  While they provide the same descriptions and author info we wrote for the publisher, some of their tags are interesting.  Really unimportant mentions like Gentle Wind, Kansas City and Nine Miles make the list.  But the real interesting info on the book's page is the sales rank.  Look out Nicholas Sparks, And Yet It Moves ranks an impressive 2,405,674 on the sales chart.  Nice.  So if you want to help get the book up in the top million, buy a copy or hey get a hold of me, I got some for ya on the cheap. 

From the A/C Archive

Dear Major Rock Music Magazine/Blog,

Allow meto reintroduce myself. My name is Chicago. I am America's second largest city. (Los Angeles is really not a city) You know me from past endeavors such as the Sears Tower, various sports teams or possibly my middle-American cuisine. Since your publication focuses on music you are familiar with the blues sound I help explode worldwide, the genre of house music which was invented in my basement or more currently artists like Kayne West, Common, R. Kelly and Wilco, all of whom call me home.

Without a doubt I respect your magazine. You have shown love to many artists that I have produced. I know that in the past few months you have said great things about my offspring - The Office, Cool Kids, Catfish Haven, Flosstradamus and many others. You even come to visit me, albeit infrequently, for festivals and New Year's Eve shows. That is why writing this letter was a decision that I struggled with for some time. But in the end I felt strongly enough that something had to be said.

When it comes to music I play second fiddle to no one. I have sat idle over the past decade as you have declared new musical hotbeds across the country. First there was Seattle, then San Francisco, followed by Brooklyn. I was not upset quite yet. I still appreciated the subtle accolades you bestowed upon me often in the early and mid-Nineties in the alternative and post-rock genres. But after Brooklyn you pointed to Portland, then Montreal and more recently I have seen such names as Philadelphia and Austin thrown around. This is where I had to draw the line.

Dear Major Rock Music Magazine/Blog,

Allow meto reintroduce myself. My name is Chicago. I am America's second largest city. (Los Angeles is really not a city) You know me from past endeavors such as the Sears Tower, various sports teams or possibly my middle-American cuisine. Since your publication focuses on music you are familiar with the blues sound I help explode worldwide, the genre of house music which was invented in my basement or more currently artists like Kayne West, Common, R. Kelly and Wilco, all of whom call me home.

Without a doubt I respect your magazine. You have shown love to many artists that I have produced. I know that in the past few months you have said great things about my offspring - The Office, Cool Kids, Catfish Haven, Flosstradamus and many others. You even come to visit me, albeit infrequently, for festivals and New Year's Eve shows. That is why writing this letter was a decision that I struggled with for some time. But in the end I felt strongly enough that something had to be said.

When it comes to music I play second fiddle to no one. I have sat idle over the past decade as you have declared new musical hotbeds across the country. First there was Seattle, then San Francisco, followed by Brooklyn. I was not upset quite yet. I still appreciated the subtle accolades you bestowed upon me often in the early and mid-Nineties in the alternative and post-rock genres. But after Brooklyn you pointed to Portland, then Montreal and more recently I have seen such names as Philadelphia and Austin thrown around. This is where I had to draw the line.

No Need For Technophobia

The debate rolls on. It may seem as if we have entered a nightmarish attention-deficit culture, but the situation is not nearly as gloomy as you have been told. Our culture of the short bit is making human minds more rather than less powerful. Great article - Three Tweets for the Web.

Game On - 2013 Foosball

We are a huge foosball player and fan. This table - '11' The Game - is about the freshest table design since the 90s. Stunning.

New Video From Van Ghost

You may remember that after we finished with the Rothbury shoots for Lotus, we did some extra filming for our buddies in Van Ghost.  While we're still fine tuning the edits, they have a nice little rooftop jam for you to watch. Check out Heartbroken On The Wrong Day.

A Week Of Shows, Bros, College And Mileage

 We made a jaunt down to St. Louis for our first Lotus show of this tour. At a mid-sized spot nestled among the warehouses on the Southside, the Old Rock House was swarming and a mad dance party for sure. Coming off a weekend show in Denver to over 2000  the band was still buzzing, so dropping down to play for 500 is certainly a difference. They didn't hold back though and put on a ferocious couple sets. We arrived plenty early to check out the latest tour bus, hang out with the crew a little and see the sound check. We also got to catch up with one of our regular summer party buddies, who is managing The Egg, who open for Lotus this leg of the tour. (no pix for us because no photo pit, no side stage, small stage) After the show ended and we said goodbyes to dozens of folks, we hit the road for West Lafayette and our classes just hours away. Across the dark Illinois night and into sunrise as we hit Indiana. Nice sight. It was a long day at Purdue to say the least. This weekend the fun continues, Friday = lots of school work, Saturday = wedding and Lotus in Brewer City, Sunday = off day for Lotus in Chicago,  Monday = prepare school presentation and Tuesday more school and then Lotus in Bloomington. (Hoosiers baby!) We'll be on the go, so as always keep up with us on Twitter. More goodies after the jump.

Twitter, Facebook and Being a Creep

All these social "networking" sites are fun.  Not only can you keep in touch with people you'd probably not communicate with too much one-on-one, but they allow everyone an on-line personality.  Another aspect of these site, especially Facebook, is the photos section.  Many people have literally thousands of photos linked from their site for the world to see.  So why is it so awkward when you talk to people (or the actual person) about photos you saw on a page? Example - I was talking with this girl at school, she mentions something about a party she was at, I nod and say, "oh right i saw that," and then she drops into this uncomfortable silence.  But that's what these sites are for right? You put up the pictures for us all to see. Is it my fault that as I browse through the photos that you put up a pic of you drunk-passed-out, with your thong hanging out for the world to see? (not related to said girl above)  The point being, these sites are an extension of yourself, and depending on how detailed you want be, a peek into your life.  Remember that and be prepared for people to take a look. 

From The A/C Archives (Feb. '07)

Another Day, Another Burrito

One of the more recent suprises on the our Burrito Quest came up last week at Logan Square joint - Sol Del Sur. Sort of a non-descript place that appears more like a fast food spot, then a Taquería, the burrito was very solid. 8/10.   Check out the map of all our burrito adventures here.

Classic Photo - Aleks and Deets

One of our winners of Aleks and Deets from the Bottle circa '07. Consider this another from the A/C archive post.

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia

We caught this Doc film at the underground Film Fest a few weeks back and it's a head-shaker, but a gem. Produced by Johnny Knoxville's film company and MTV and directed Julien Nitzberg, the film takes a hard look at a family of hillbilly ruffians buried deep in the mining culture of coal field WVA. The film will make you laugh uncomfortably at the families drug-fueled escapades and uneducated observations. But through the framing of the story we begin to relate to the family, their troubles in capitalist, conservative society. A quick view of the trailer will set the stage for you. Worth your dollar if it comes around here again.

Three Film Rewatches

Here are some Twitter reviews on 3 films we watched again for our paper in American Studies for our PhD.

Deadman -  Jarmusch, Depp, Farmer star in this Acid Western classic. Literary, deep in metaphor and entrancing. Neil Young's soundtrack is haunting.

Unforgiven - Highly regarded but on our second viewing nothing special. Eastwood is standard, Glover too, but in the end its just another text-book Western.

The Assasination of Jesse James - Pitt plays himself again, but Affleck and Rockwell do it right. Excellent cinematography in a stylish, moody film

BYOB Ain't For Suckas

Dr. Vino.com, a site committed to giving you more information than you'd ever want to know about your pesky fermented grape addiction, has just made it even easier for you and your friends to grab a bottle of wine and head out to your local BYOB restaurant here in Chicago.

From the A/C Archives