THE DANDY WARHOLS
Why You So Crazy
AFTERMATH
Eyes of Tomorrow
(Zoid)
Twenty-five years after its break-
through debut album, Eyes of Tomorrow,
Chicago thrashers Aftermath have finally
released its follow-up, There is Something
Wrong. This band has experienced more
drama than any group should have to go
through during a 30-year career. From the
band’s initial 1996 breakup to their record
label folding, to a legal battle with rapper
Dr. Dre over the Aftermath moniker, to its
name change to Mother God Moviestar
and a long hiatus, and finally to their 2014
reunion, Aftermath is the blueprint of per-
severance. On 11 maniacal tracks, the
foursome takes you on one wild ride with
a politically-charged concept album as the
intro, interludes, and outro serve as story-
lines that propel the narrative of the con-
cept throughout its 48-minute run time.
The maddening 45-second intro “Can You
Feel It” kicks things off, followed by the
frantic anthem “False Flag Flying.” From
there, chaos reigns with the fierce, full-
force attack of “Diethanasia,” the alt-funk
metal-laden “Gaslight” and the crossover
thrash/punk-influenced “Smash Reset
Control,” while the knuckle-dragging
“Scientists and Priests” takes on a muscu-
lar ’80s thrash vibe. Although Aftermath
2019 is much different from its early days,
There is Something Wrong is pure, chaotic
energy.
– Kelley Simms
7
THE ROLLING STONES
Honk
(Universal)
The Rolling Stones reliably produce
compilation sets aligned with their globe-
trotting tours. If history holds true, the
contents of Honk may provide clues to the
material that the band will perform on its
2019 North American tour (the one with a
pair of June dates in Chicago that was
delayed to allow singer Mick Jagger time
to recuperate from successful heart sur-
gery this spring). Honk, however, has a
twist. The selections begin with 1971’s
Sticky Fingers, omitting the Stones’ British
Invasion era, flirtations with psychedelia,
and many of its best-known chart hits.
There’s no “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,”
“Let's Spend the Night Together,”
“Jumping Jack Flash,” “Gimme Shelter,”
or “Honky Tonk Women.” Ample atten-
tion, however, is given to the band’s most
recent fare, making Honk a worthy catch-
up for those who only know the Stones
from those heavyweight hits. While Honk
doesn’t necessarily tell the story of how
the band earned its reputation as the
World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band, it
demonstrates the staying power that has
allowed them to keep the crown firmly
grasped in their bony fingers for 57 stag-
gering years. This is the type of collection
to argue for the value of lesser-but-
durable songs like Steel Wheels Mixed
Emotions,” and Bridges to Babylon’s “Saint
of Me.” With 36 songs spanning 15
albums, opportunities for armchair quar-
terbacking abound. The group’s con-
tentious and oft-maligned **Dirty Work
LP is represented by the slow groove of its
cover of “Harlem Shuffle” rather than the
band’s own slashing rocker “One Hit to
the Body.” "Emotional Rescue” waves
the flag for its eponymous 1980 album,
even without the inclusion of “She’s So
Cold.” Some Girls’ disco stomper “Miss
You” is present, but “Shattered” is omit-
ted in deference to “Respectable.” Honk
also gathers non-album tracks from prior
compilations in the spirited “Doom and
Gloom” and less memorable “One More
Shot” from 2012’s GRRR!, and “Don’t
Stop” from Forty Licks. Tracks from 2005’s
overlooked A Bigger Bang like the lusty
“Rough Justice” are worthy of reassess-
ment, but songs like “Love is Strong” and
the Stones-by-numbers “You Got Me
Rocking” from 1994’s Voodoo Lounge still
fall somewhat flat. Songs like Buddy
Johnson’s “Just Your Fool” and Little
Walter’s “Hate to See You Go” from 2016’s
Blue and Lonesome are acknowledged suc-
cesses that prove the Rolling Stones retain
the power to be a great band drawing
from more than five decades of devotion
to their roots in Chicago blues. Diehard
fans who already own all of the Stones
albums will be interested in the set’s third
disc, featuring ten live tracks from 2013-
2017. Ed Sheeran guests on “Beast of
Burden,” recorded in Kansas during the
band’s Zip Code Tour in 2015. Foo
Fighters frontman Dave Grohl joins the
Stones for “Bitch,” from 2013’s 50 &
Counting Tour. Florence Welch of
Florence & the Machine is featured on
“Wild Horses” from the band’s ongoing
No Filter Tour, and country star Brad
Paisley clearly revels in his chance to play
roots-rock gem “Dead Flowers” (another
from 2013)
– Jeff Elbel
7
24 illinoisentertainer.com april 2019
(Dine Alone)
Why You So Crazy finds Courtney
Taylor-Taylor and his free-spirited com-
panions indulging divergent whims. The
brief opener “Fred N Ginger” is an early
20th-century crooner and hazy daydream.
The mood turns darker for the Krautrock
pulse of “Terraform,” before Zia McCabe
leads a hybrid electro-country rave-up
with the loopy “Highlife.” The spectral
“Forever” is Crazy’s standout, its eerie
harpsichord and plucked strings primed
for a modernized take on the ballroom
scene at Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion.
Throughout the album, Taylor-Taylor’s
hushed voice is mixed just behind the
band, while Brent DeBoer’s perfectly
shambolic groove leads the way on songs
like “Thee Elegant Burn.” “Small Town
Girls” is a slacker-pop answer to John
Mellencamp’s “Small Town,” featuring
Peter Holmström’s dingy guitar. A reluc-
tant but accommodating messiah asks to
be brought down from his cross during the
folksy “Sins Are Forgiven.” “Your sins they
are forgiven,” sings Taylor-Taylor. “Let me
down.”
Appearing 5/11 at Metro, Chicago.
– Jeff Elbel
7
GANGSTAGRASS
Pocket Full of Fire
(Rench Audio)
Just dissect this band’s name to imagine
the bizarre but beautiful culture clash
unleashed on Pocket Full of Fire.
“Barnburning” leads the fray, introduced
with an earth-shaking hip-hop loop and
the hollow voice of R-Son the Voice of
Reason – soon followed by the Dan
Whitener’s relentlessly tumbling clock-
work banjo. The fusion of gangsta rap and
bluegrass may seem like some bleary-eyed
guitarist’s 3 AM joke after too many beers,
only to meet the sunrise thinking, “It’s so
crazy that it just - might - work.” But that’s
the thing; it does work, as Gangstagrass has
proven for 13 years. Lil Nas X may have
struck gold with his recent country-rap
chart-topper “Old Town Road,” but
Gangstagrass were mining and refining the
style long before. The vibrant sound stands
up song after song on Pocket Full of Fire.
The band is renowned for its buzzing ener-
gy in the live setting, and this album of
concert recordings from the quintet’s
March 2018 Midwest tour captures twelve
songs at peak flame. The single “You Can
Never Go Home Again” was performed
locally at Evanston’s SPACE. Guitarist
Rench begins with a plaintive Appalachian
melody in character as a melancholy jail-
bird facing punishment for his misdeeds.
The energy is amplified with street-level
urgency and rapid-fire confessionals from
the rappers. “Led a life by the sword,
forced to fall upon it,” says Dolio the
Sleuth. The equally grim “Nowhere to
Run” was also recorded at Space, height-
ened by the gliding dobro and tremulous
soprano
of
Landry
McMeans.
“Gunslinging Rambler” from 2012’s
Rappalachia features the juxtaposition of
nimble yodeling with tongue-twisting
rhymes that namecheck Led Zeppelin
against carefree bluegrass instrumentation.
Rounding out the band’s Space selections
is an imaginative take on bluegrass Gospel
standard “Will the Circle Is Unbroken.”
McMeans’ airy melody soars above rich
bass harmony, and trades verses with roof-
raising raps and shimmering instrumental
solos. The title of the band’s 2010 album
Lightning on the Strings, Thunder on the
Mic still offers an apt summation of
Gangstagrass’ unique appeal. Get Pocket
Full of Fire as a primer of band’s prowess
through a collection of its best songs, but
don’t miss a chance to see Gangstagrass in
person. (gangstagrass.com)
Appearing 5/12 at SPACE, Evanston.
– Jeff Elbel
7
BEDLEM
Back To Bedlem
(SYFTS)
Local groove-rockers Bedlem — led by
ex-Trivium drummer and Chicago native
Paul Wandtke — has an interesting back-
story. After leaving Trivium in 2017,
Wandtke formed Bedlem by reconnecting
with his grade school buddies and former
bandmates — guitarist Joey Trace Brassal
(ex-Fashion Bomb) and bassist Brian
Ahern. They then recruited talented vocal-
ist Mike Petrasek, also a childhood friend.
Now reunited, the foursome recently
released its dynamic debut album Back to
Bedlem. The 12 tracks (minus acoustic
bonus version of “Triumph”) are injected
with groove-laden rhythms, edgy guitar
riffs, and soaring vocal harmonies. Opener
“Epidemic” combines all these elements
and more to create a modern, radio-friend-
ly rocker that kicks the album off in fine
fashion. The aggressiveness picks up with
some growling vocals and double-kick pat-
terns toward the end of the four-plus
minute track with more evil growls pop-
ping up on “Avarice” and “Praxis,” which
will appeal to fans of heavier music.
Bedlem’s perfect blend of melodic com-
mercial rock with aggressive modern metal
elements will resonate with fans of
Shinedown,
Godsmack,
Disturbed,
Trivium, and Sevendust.
Appearing 6/5 at Beat Kitchen, Chicago.
– Kelley Simms
8