This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Signal to Noise magazine’s fall 2008 issue. I Shot a Man in Reno By Graeme Thomson (Continuum) A few years ago, the Mekons’ Jon Langford told me about his fascination with old-time folk and country songs about death. He lamented the dearth of death songs on today’s charts. “And… Continue reading Book review: ‘I Shot a Man in Reno’
Category: Music
A Conservatory, a Zoo, and 12,000 Corpses
Chicago Reader, May 15, 2008 — One day in the 1970s, when Pamela Bannos was a teenager, she was riding in the back of her father’s car as he turned off Lake Shore Drive onto LaSalle Street. Looking out the window, she noticed an old stone structure standing in Lincoln Park. Surrounded by a chain-link fence… Continue reading A Conservatory, a Zoo, and 12,000 Corpses
Record review: Portishead, ‘Third’
This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press on March 2, 2008. Portishead Third ***½ The two albums that Portishead released in 1994 and 1997 still sound otherworldly, no matter how many times we’ve heard then. After a long hiatus, the British trio has returned, sounding stranger than ever. As forlorn and heartbroken… Continue reading Record review: Portishead, ‘Third’
Baby Dee profile
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Signal to Noise magazine’s Spring 2008 issue. Baby Dee talks about the old German folk tale of the Erlkönig as if it really happened to her—back when she was still a boy, growing up in Cleveland. The Erlkönig, a king with a beard and a flowing cloak,… Continue reading Baby Dee profile
Cat Power: 2008 concert review
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in The Daily Southtown on February 11, 2008. Cat Power, the singer also known as Chan Marshall, was once notorious for abandoning songs or entire concerts before she was halfway through finishing them. When she played at Chicago’s Vic Theatre two years ago, she gave an erratic performance,… Continue reading Cat Power: 2008 concert review
Bettye LaVette Q&A
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press on December 5, 2007. Four decades after she began making records, Detroit R&B singer Bettye LaVette finally broke through to national acclaim last year with her album, “I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise.” Praised by many critics as one of 2005’s best records, it… Continue reading Bettye LaVette Q&A
Grace Slick Q&A
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press on September 6, 2007. Grace Slick hasn’t sung on a stage since 1989. These days, the former vocalist for Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship spends her time drawing and painting. Slick will make appearances Sept. 8 and 9 at the Wentworth Gallery in Schaumburg’s Woodfield… Continue reading Grace Slick Q&A
Windy City drone
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Signal to Noise magazine’s fall 2007 issue. As a steady hum rose from the ten musicians in the loose ensemble known as DRMWPN, a flickering glow filled Chicago’s Empty Bottle. The “Dreamachine” was on. Invented in 1959 by artist Brion Gysin and scientist Ian Sommerville, the Dreamachine is… Continue reading Windy City drone
Wanda Jackson Q&A
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press on May 9, 2007. Fifty years after she first hit the country and rock charts, singer Wanda Jackson is winning over a whole new generation of fans. Jackson played alongside Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis in the 1950s, arguably becoming the first woman to… Continue reading Wanda Jackson Q&A
When the Who came to town
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press on March 1, 2007. Once upon a time, a brash young rock band from England descended on Chicago’s northwest suburbs, smashing guitars and making a loud and rebellious racket. Forty years later, fans vividly remember when The Who came to town. The surviving members of… Continue reading When the Who came to town