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LIVE ENTERTAINMENT IN THE WESTERN BURBS !
THUR , AUG 08
THE BLACK MOODS
THE LONELY ONES
SAT , AUG 10
BEAR GHOST
FRI , AUG 16
WOE IS ME
FRI , AUG 30 TRIBUTES TO
NIRVANA PEARL JAM THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
WED , SEPT 04 SIGNS OF THE SWARM CANE HILL OV SULFUR 156 / SILENCE A WAKE IN PROVIDENCE
THUR , SEP 26
ENUFF ZNUFF
PRETTY BOY FLOYD
FRI , AUG 09
JONNY CRAIG
CALL ME KARIZMA
THUR , AUG 15
CROBOT
SAT , AUG 17
MERKULES
SUN , SEP 01
TAYLOR NATION
SAT , SEP 14 FROM ASHES TO EMBERS
FOOLS ’ BREW BURY YOUR PAST WINGS OF SEVERANCE MODIFIRE
FRI , SEPT 27
GALACTIC EMPIRE
PSYCHOSTICK POWERGLOVE DANIMAL CANNON
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PAUL WELLER 66
( Polydor )
At the height of the punk rock explosion of 1977 , when noisy masterpieces like Never Mind The Bollocks ( Sex Pistols ), Young , Loud & Snotty ( Dead Boys ), and Rocket To Russia ( Ramones ) all hocked a metaphorical loogie in the direction of bloated AOR rock albums like Hotel California ( Eagles ), Aja ( Steely Dan ) and Rumours ( Fleetwood Mac ), one band stood out like a sore thumb : The Jam . Wearing suit coats and skinny ties , their hair chopped short , Paul Weller and The Jam reveled in their “ mod ” fashion sense while still shocking audiences with their own unique brand of fast and loud punk rock . The songs had endless pop possibilities underneath the loud guitars and charging rhythms . Never standing still , Weller would quickly move on to the next idea , eventually ditching The Jam for a soulful foray into the sophisticated northern soul pop of his next group , The Style Council . When the ' 90s brought a new crop of British rock royalty , Oasis , Blur , Pulp , and Suede all heralded Weller ’ s sound as an important piece of their own DNA . His voice had grown into a mellow baritone while his cover model looks remained . With 1995 ’ s Stanley Road album , Weller had massive success all over the UK and Europe , taking the throne as the Godfather of the current crop of Britpop stars eventually mending the chasm between Blur and Oasis when he took the stage in 2013 to play Blur ’ s “ Tender ” with both Damon Albarn and his one-time nemesis Noel Gallagher . His 16th solo album , titled 66 after his current age , perhaps a nod to Adele , finds Weller crafting a succinct piece of roots-rock unconcerned with fitting in with the current musical landscape . His honey-sweetened croon has gained power in the years since his days with The Jam , at times even conjuring the road-weary pathos of later-period Frank Sinatra . The arrangements are challenging and dark , with Paul collaborating with members of Primal Scream , Madness , and The Blow Monkeys , as well as his longtime mate Noel Gallagher . There is nothing here that attempts to recreate the pop chart success of “ My Ever Changing Moods ,” “ Town Called
Malice ,” or “ That ’ s Entertainment ,” instead using the album format to create a mood that slowly unfurls over its relatively quick 41- minute run time . “ My Best Friend ’ s Coat ” features a dark chord pattern ripped straight out of the mid-90s while most of the material echoes the ' 70sAM radio lushness of “ Rise Up Singing ” complete with a gospel choir and strums on a harp . A few more moments to quell the mid-tempo haze of the album would have been nice but that is not where Weller ’ s head has been at for some time now . This album satisfies like a nicely prepared full English breakfast on an autumn Sunday morning . Appearing 9 / 15 at The Vic Theatre , Chicago .
-Andy Derer
7
DREAM EVIL Metal Gods
( Century Media )
Swedish power metal veterans Dream Evil possess a vibrant musical history . Formed in 1999 by Greek guitar god Gus G , guitarist / producer Fredrik Nordström , and former Hammerfall vocalist Niklas Isfeldt , the band has forged a sound that captures the complete essence of what European power metal is all about . Earlier albums such as Dragonslayer , Evilized , The Book of Heavy Metal , and United elevated the band into the upper echelon of the genre . However , after a sevenyear gap between albums , Dream Evil returns with its seventh full-length release Metal Gods . Throughout the 10 fist-pumping tracks , all of the band ’ s trademark traits are represented : razor-sharp riffs , fiery guitar solos , a pounding rhythm section , balancesContinued an ascending on page 8