Illinois Entertainer August 2017 | Page 4

August 2017 • Volume 43, Number 10 • www.illinoisentertainer.com COVER STORY: DEPECHE MODE At 56, Depeche Mode bandleader Martin Gore no longer feels the need to pull any lyrical punch- es. So he gets right to the prickly, political point on the band’s latest Spirit set, starting with its click- ety-clacking rhetorical question of a lead single “Where’s the Revolution.” Some naysayers might describe the record as unequivocally pessimistic, but he respectfully disagrees. By naming it Spirit, I’m hoping that it gets people to think, and maybe somehow rediscover that sense of spirit that we once had, but now seem to have lost.” Gore and Andy Fletcher explain to Tom Lanham that the new album is a call to action. HELLO MY NAME IS...MICK JONES 06 There’s no mistaking the important career milestone that clas- sic rock band Foreigner is celebrating this year. Founding guitarist Mick Jones is currently taking his group on a comprehensive 40th Anniversary Tour, bolstered by Rhino’s recent box-set remastering of its entire Atlantic catalog, 1977 to 1991, plus a best-of anthology, aptly dubbed 40 – 40 Hits From 40 Years. And some of Foreigner’s singles – like “Hot Blooded,” “Cold as Ice,” “Feels Like the First Time,” and the definitive anthem “I Want To Know What Love Is” -- are so firmly embedded in the pop-cultural zeitgeist, they’ve recently amassed over one billion plays on streaming service Pandora. But Jones tells Tom Lanham he’s heard them all over the world, and in weird places he never could have imagined. Page 22: Depeche Mode Sweet Home 6 14 16 18 Calendar 24 File Lolla photos and the end of the Nano. Cinema Scopes Return of the King. Media $everance, ten years later. ROYAL BLOOD 20 No artist can accurately predict just how successful its upcom- ing album will be. Especially if you’ve thrown out the aesthetic rulebook, like Royal Blood anchors Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher who – three years ago – had grown so disgusted with the conven- tional quartet format they stripped everything down to a primal duo. In a post-Britpop era when rock and roll wasn’t selling, their sonic barrage of an eponymous bow for Warner Brothers not only caught on in their native Britain, its debut became the fastest-sell- ing one in three years and eventually won the Brighton duo a 2015 Brit Award for Best British Group, presented to them by Jimmy Page. Tom Lanham discusses the backstory on their impressive follow-up. The blues are caught in a hard-place between black and white. Over 1300 shows and 2500 bands to see in August! Spins Damian Marley, Barb Wire Dolls, Laura Nyro. Caught In A Mosh Big In Japan. Classifieds You dumped your boyfriend's guitarist, now you're looking for another. Studiophile What's going on at Ambush Recordings. Gear Invest in a Eagle Guitar. 28 34 50 52 54 Page 28: Damian Marley Publisher Advertising Sales Contributors: John Vernon 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, Brian Ormiston, Greg Olma Arsenio Orteza, Rodney Pawlak, Bruce Pilato, Matthew Pollock, Jessi Roti Jason Scales, Kelley Simms, Ed Spinelli, Tim Shockley, James Turano Contributing Editors Curt Baran Tom Lanham Mike Meyer Lori Vernon 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 Bruce Pilato - East Coast Classified Advertising Publisher Emeritis David Roberts 4 illinoisentertainer.com august 2017 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 illinoisentertainer.tumblr.com twitter.com @ie_entertainer Address All Correspondence to: Illinois Entertainer 4223 W. Lake St., Suite 490 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 2017 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.