Rock
and roll, in its conventional hard-rock form, seems to have all but
disappeared. Who practices this archaic type of musical expression,
with its earnest guitar-bass-drums-vocals format and no
acknowledgment of irony or speed metal, alt country, world music, hip
hop, emo, or any other musical fashion of the past 20 years except
grunge? Pearl Jam seems the last vestige of this noble tradition with
both credibility and market presence.
Trend-chasing is less prevalent at the local level, of course, and Kewanee's Drunk Dead Gorgeous - playing at Penguin's Comedy Club on March 16 - creates unapologetic guitar rock that's heartfelt and played with passion. With its emphasis on acoustic guitars, the band's new-ish album, The Great Disillusion, sounds a lot like a collection of power ballads.
It's
no surprise that Jen Chapin was pulled in several directions.
With all due respect to The Departed, the actual best picture of 2006 was one that didn't come to a theatre near you ... or, for that matter, to a theatre near anyone else.
He
has the magisterial licks and unbound ambition of Billy Corgan
without the self-seriousness. He has the expressive, expansive
palette of Andrew Bird but with an arena-rock heart. He's an
insatiable omnivore like Mike Patton, stirring everything together
into a sometimes-ugly stew, but without the aggressiveness and with
most of the rougher edges buffed off. He has a fascination with twee
'60s pop, and with muscular prog rock.
Showcasing
acts from around the United States (including a number of Quad
Cities-area contributors), Hello
Future? is the latest
compilation from Radical Turf, the label of local musician and
producer Jeff Konrad. Touted as a "grab bag" of
electronic-oriented music, Hello
Future? is just that: There
are some treats that are keepers and some that will stay in the
bottom of the bag.
Keyboardist
Robert Irving III, Miles Davis' musical director for most of the
1980s, will be performing a concert and leading a workshop on Sunday,
February 18, at Davenport's River Music Experience.
Imagine if you will: You're six years old. You've been playing the violin for six months. And you're about to make your professional debut on live television.
The
third record from the Quad Cities' Minus Six, Hidden
Deep in the Green, has the
vibe of a musical-theatre soundtrack. If the idea of a pop record
that invokes Broadway makes you recoil in horror, then you're wise
to avoid this. If you're intrigued, you're likely to be carried
away by singer/songwriter Kevin Carton and his band.
