Illinois Entertainer April 2018 | Page 4

April 2018 • Volume 44, Number 06 • www.illinoisentertainer.com COVER STORY: JUDAS PRIEST After a sometimes tumultuous five-decades long career, British heavy metal pioneers Judas Priest show no signs of slowing down after the release of their explosive 18th full-length studio album Firepower. On 14 tracks, Priest delivers their indisputable, classic heavy metal sound that hear- kens back to the band’s heyday. The first single “Lightning Strike” has created quite a buzz in the heavy metal community, reassuring the band’s hardcore fan base that the Priest was back and bet- ter than ever. Led by pioneering vocalist Rob Halford, original bassist Ian Hill, drummer Scott Travis, guitarist Ritchie Faulkner, and guitarist Andy Sneap — who is filling in for original gui- tarist Glenn Tipton on the current Firepower tour — the band seems ready to conquer the world all over again, Kelly Simms talked to Halford. 6 20 Page 22 - Judas Priest HELLO MY NAME IS ANDREW Andrew VanWyngarden and his MGMT chum Ben Goldwasser display their work ethic on their new fourth effort, Little Dark Age – after breaking big with its eccentric synth-pop debut disc Oracular Spectacular in 2007, and feel-good hits like “Kids,” “Electric Feel,” and “Time to Pretend,” the duo released two esoteric experiments (2010’s Congratulations and MGMT in 2013) perfectly calibrated to toss all but the most devoted fans straight off the bandwagon. But now it’s returned to doing what it does best – sneaking up on listeners with oblique hooks and grim tongue-in-cheek wordplay on inven- tive morsels like “When You Die,” “When You’re Small,” and the delectably dissonant “She Works Out Too Much. But if they didn’t play any recognizable songs? Well, that’s not really want I want out of my live music.” Tom Lanham spoke to VanWyngarden. Media 6 12 16 Sweet Home 18 File Gibson in trouble? Halfway to Halloween in Berwyn. Cinemascopes Avengers are back. Remembering the FM and AM Loop. Blues albums reviewed. Calendar JAMES BAY Over 1300 showsto see the best bands at the best venues. James Bay, now 27, had created a certain profile for himself in his overnight stardom – that of a hippie-ish, raspy-throated hip- ster sporting a signature floppy-brimmed hat and shoulder- length locks, who relied on affable acoustic guitar to get his poet- ic points across. But now he’s ditched the Hoss Cartwright Stetson, trimmed his hair into a sleek James Dean pompadour, -- with an electric guitar and learned how to make it talk. Tom Lanham talked to the Topman. Caught In A Mosh Prong for the long-run. Classifieds You dumped your boyfriend's bassist, now you're looking for another. Studiophile Ranger Studios and more. 40 RECORD STORE DAY 2018 Gear Record Store Day, the annual feast of exclusive vinyl delights served-up on hot stacks of wax on the third Saturday in April, is back for its eleventh year. IE is happy to feature the complete and official Record Store Day list of vinyl titles realeased in 2018 (in print) as well as cool stores that are participating in RSD April 21st events. We've also listed a few vinyl stores not participating that we think you should check it out as well. Have at, vinyl fans! Mother Moog. Advertising Sales Contributors: Scott Assmann Mike Engel Andy Argyrakis, Guy Arnston, Penelope Biver, Patrick Conlan, Deena Dasein, Jaime de'Medici, Jeff Elbel Terrence Flamm, Steve Forstneger Michael Gallucci, Michael C. Harris, Max Herman, Tom Lanham, Carter Moss, Michael Obrecki, Greg Olma Arsenio Orteza, Rodney Pawlak, Bruce Pilato, Matthew Pollock, Jason Scales, Kelley Simms, Ed Spinelli, Tim Shockley, James Turano Advertising Director Design Team Notion Pool Notion Pool Dragon Design Vision Design Teknigram Graphics Senior Columnists John Vernon Website Direction David Gedge Rosalind Cummings-Yeates - Sweet Home Rick Kaempfer - Media Founder Kelley Simms - Caught In A Mosh Kenneth L. Voss David C. Eldredge - East Coast Classified Advertising Publisher Emeritis David Roberts 4 illinoisentertainer.com april 2018 50 53 55 Spins John Vernon Curt Baran Mike Meyer Tom Lanham Lori Vernon 49 WIill return next month Publisher Contributing Editors 36 SUBSCRIPTIONS: $35 per year (first class). Material for insertion must reach our office by the First Of The Month preceding publication. We cannot assume responsibility for unsolicit- ed manuscripts or photographs. Follow us online at: facebook.com/ieentertainer instagram: illinoisentertainermagazine twitter.com/ie_entertainer Address All Correspondence to: Illinois Entertainer 4223 W. Lake St., Suite 201 Chicago, IL 60624 [phone] - Chicago/North Sub [phone] - West/South Suburbs [phone] - Fax email us at: Editorial: [email protected] Advertising: [email protected] The ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER is published monthly by Roberts Publishing, Inc, All materials copyright 2018 by Roberts Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from Roberts Publishing, Inc. Current and back issues of the IE are $10.00 postpaid.