Illinois Entertainer November 2019 | Page 4

November 2019 • Volume 45, Number 12 • www.illinoisentertainer.com COVER STORY: SAM FENDER British rock newcomer Sam Fender and his bril- liant, one-in-a-million debut disc, “Hypersonic Missiles,” easily the best album of the year. Nothing can touch it, it’s so far ahead of the pack. But it’s also a moment where we can’t help but break with a few staid journalistic traditions and tell this story the way it has to be told, first person singular and through the often-gauzy filaments of time. I’m not sure if this Fender even understands the magnitude of his Hypersonic achievement. Like most of us rock critics, he just does what he does and hopes it communicates some spark to others. A little flame that can reignite even the most rusty pilot light. Hypersonic Missles is The Killer Album of the Year, 2019 edition. Its out there now, just waiting to change your life. Tom Lanham is a believer. 8 Page 22 - Sam Fender HELLO MY NAME IS TIM Thought you heard stirrings of small-town warmth, familial devo- tion, and three-musketeers bandmate allegiance in Keane’s last reflective magnum opus, Strangeland? Better think again, chuckles group song- writer and keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley a master of misdirection. “Because I think behind all that was this sense of wanderlust, and what I was really feeling was restlessness. It was about wanting to go on a journey — I think a lot of the songs I was writing at that point were about that. I was reading a lot of Jack Kerouac and books about people walking a long way. But that craving to travel, to move from where you are and go somewhere new, is just all part of the human condition.” But be careful what you wish for. That was seven long years ago, and the composer has only recently returned from the metaphorical wilderness, minus his no-longer-understanding wife but armed with a new album, Cause and Effect, detailing the experience that basically shut down Keane from 2014 to 2018. And again, more sleight of hand — tracks like “The Way I Feel and “Love Too Much” may chime with trademark Keane sunniness. But this is some of the darkest material Rice-Oxley has ever written, Tom Lanham reports. File T1 Fest invades the Forge. Cinemascopes Oscar tourney time. Sweet Home Toronzo Cannon bringing you better blues. Media Jenniffer Weigel braks the mold. Calendar Over 1500 shows to see, the best bands, at the best venues. Spins The Safes, The Kinks and more. Caught In A Mosh Waste on the way back. Classifieds You dumped your ex- wife's drummer, now you're looking for another. Studiophile Jennifer Hall at Rax Trax. Gear Heritage Relics. 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, Michael Obrecki, Greg Olma Arsenio Orteza, Rodney Pawlak, Bruce Pilato, Matthew Pollock, Jason Scales, Kelley Simms, Ed Spinelli, Tim Shockley, James Turano Contributing Editors Lori Vernon Tom Lanham Curt Baran Advertising Director Design Team Website Direction Notion Pool Dragon Design Vision Design Teknigram Graphics Notion Pool Classified Advertising Rosalind Cummings-Yeates - Sweet Home Rick Kaempfer - Media David Gedge Founder John Vernon Senior Columnists Kenneth L. Voss Kelley Simms - Caught In A Mosh Publisher Emeritis David C. Eldredge - East Coast David Roberts 4 illinoisentertainer.com november 2019 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 6 12 14 16 26 28 34 50 53 54 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 2019 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.