UK rock band Young Guns didn’t have the biggest expectations for its first substantial trek across the pond. “We were kind of thinking, ‘We are first ones on, from England, and no one is going to give a shit,’” singer Gustav Woods said. “It’s been fantastic, though. We were hungry. It’s so great to come […]
tickets
Posted inArts & Culture
Groove for good
Issues of human rights have become increasingly prevalent in today’s political discourse. Yet throughout this ever-fervent election season — one where finger-pointing has a tendency to overshadow more practical approaches to civil liberties — it’s a discussion that often finds itself lost in the bickering and politicking that frequently inhabits the campaign trail. As Groovefest […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Sleepwalk with Me
Early in Sleepwalk with Me, protagonist Matt Pandamiglio (comedian Mike Birbiglia, more or less playing himself) addresses via narration the feelings his character holds for his live-in girlfriend, Abby (Lauren Ambrose, Wanderlust) with the lines, “I think falling in love for the first time is such a transcendent feeling. It’s like pizza-flavored ice cream: Your […]
Posted inMusic
Map quest
Having formed at a Chicago art school, alternative-rock outfit Maps & Atlases has never shied away from lofty goals or pushing itself creatively. In the early days, that meant making math rock fun. Now, it means channeling the members’ inner Marty McFly. “It’s tough to make an album that exists out of time,” singer and […]
Posted inMusic
Still whipped
Photo: Joshua Dalsimer The planet is heating up, running out of fossil fuel and getting stingy with clean air and water. World nations seem chronically on the verge of global economic collapse. Crazed gunmen and suicide bombers make daily headlines. Literacy is down, obesity is up and Kim Kardashian is a household name. Humanity, meet […]
Posted inMusic
Hank airin’
Politics and social justice have never been too far from the mind of punk legend Henry Rollins, and the world of the Black Flag front man turned spoken-word artist plunges more and more into that realm as we approach Election Day on Nov. 6. Naturally, it’s become a chief point of discussion during this tour, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Just Blue it
The Georgia native is one-third of the Blue Man Group’s North America tour, which will stage five shows Friday through Sunday at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker. The theatrical multimedia troupe is known worldwide for its energetic shows, absence of dialogue and, above all, bald heads covered in blue greasepaint. “The anonymity is […]
Posted inMusic
Red-hot rock
Photo: Jason Tanaka Blaney When Ohio rock act Red Wanting Blue got booked to play Norman Music Festival this past spring, the band members worried about whether they’d be able to impress the crowd. “These people have seen everything,” lead singer Scott Terry said. “I’ve never been close to a tornado, but most of these […]
Posted inArts & Culture
For a Good Time, Call …
If you bet that means a lot of one-liners about penises and vaginas, and maybe some sight gags involving zeppelin-sized dildos, I congratulate you on your clairvoyance. But there are surprises here, too, particularly how sweet-natured this film actually is, and how winning are its two stars. Lauren (Lauren Anne Miller, 50/50), the straitlaced product […]
Posted inMusic
Blondie has more fun
Blondie co-founder Chris Stein hears traces of his band in a lot of contemporary rock and pop, from Garbage to Lady Gaga. It’s an impressive range of influence for an outfit once considered the ugly duckling of New Wave acts toiling in the sweaty, steamy environs of New York’s CBGB back in the 1970s. “Assuming […]