The Fabulous Miss Wendy!

I forgot when I saw Ms Fab. It was late fall 2010, at Reggies. The Fabulous Miss Wendy is a crazy master guitarist. She has such effortless control of that instrument that she can, and does show off her prowess on it, she performs with it. The guitar is as much prop as it is instrument. So her music cannot help but be fully guitar driven. Her music is fun, catchy, but not syrupy sweet pop. It's fun in the punk, metal, garage rock type of way. Metal guitarists have their precision skills and Wendy has that, owns that. The sound and fun side of Punk is there, as well as the messiness of Garage. Punk is messy too right? Her very straight forward lyrics are a welcome breath of air, different than what I normally look for. A different animal she is indeed. By the way with all these styles of rock; garage, punk, metal, there is an inherent anger to them that Miss Wendy is fabulous to leave out. She's having fun! She's not angry with a chip on her shoulder. She likes boys without apology. A person like that really sticks out because it's hard to effectively filter out the anger in all them styles while still having that dominant impact, and straight-forwardness. Well, she's not giddy in all her songs. Cowboy-ish and brash Wendy is playful like Pat Benatar. A playful alpha-female. In control of her guitar, I mean she was dragging herself all over the place on her back going off on that guitar. The leader of the band. I'm sure she introduced the band but I don't remember. It's not to be cruel or cute. Ms Wendy just busts through that fourth wall between performer and audience,(it is fourth right?) I mean really on her back in the isles under the tables with that straight forward American-working class rock. It's not cloudy and introspective like shoe-gaze. I did not get that folk-rock, indy-rock feel from her. That's baggage that does not weigh down Ms Wendy. And can you believe she has played for the troops in Iraq. Wow! Ms Wendy is so well traveled. Oh, yeah. She's hot. I mean red hair. And it's like she marinated in pinkish glitter. She has "Fabulous" tattooed on her upper back. I know because she just contorts like that and you get a good look. Ms Wendy is Fabulous for many reasons. There's a story behind it. To be vague, Ms Wendy got it by accident, but she kind of super-owns it by now. It's in her stage presence. You don't ignore The Fabulous Ms Wendy.

Natalie Grace...again!

This one here is when Nat played Pancho's. It was my first time I saw her play guitar. She did not play guitar the first time I saw her with the full band at Reggies. Indeed she knows well how to play it. I did not see that coming. Her signature instrument was the keyboard...at least to me.
I have so many pictures of this girl, Natalie Grace Alford. These are from the very first performance I saw. Right after I asked if she had a CD, and she did! It was a demo CD. I don't think she just has them handy like that. So I feel grateful and fortunate. Also, I feel in a better position to write about her. Natalie's music has changed so much since these pictures.

Natalie Grace is playing Lincoln Hall this Wednesday 26th January! She is the opening act. This girl deserves all kinds of attention. She is opening for Nellie McKay. I'm less familiar with Ms Nellie. I saw a youtube video of her performing for Letterman. I was like wow! I'm excited for Natalie that she is opening for her. It's more exciting for me that Natalie is indeed performing and evolving each time. Lincoln Hall is huge. To open for Nellie McKay means exposure to all that like Ms Nellie. I think it's really a matter of exposure to the right set of fans for a performer to take off. Natalie can play for Letterman too.

Zig

Aleks/Eva

This first picture is from another performance in Bridgeport. Most of the time I've seen her were at Empty Bottle. It's not the only place to go to see this band. It's so rare to see cool bands like this in the south side of Chicago.
I took fewer pictures because I was dancing to this. This is already getting played in some local goth nights. Thanks Procession! You guys play this band in just the ideal context for me.


Aleks Eva played a Free Monday at Empty Bottle. I was already a fan since the Aleks And The Drummer days. The five songs on the EP I could not get enough. The EP is absolutely awesome as it is only a peek at what is to come. It was just one keyboard, one crazy drummer, one female operatic voice. That's it. On stage that was it. But what else? So you gotta do more theater, be more other-worldly, because that format is common enough. There are Kristeen Young, Dresden Dolls, and locally Post-Honeymoon. I like them all for their individual reasons. Aleks often dressed up in clothes that suggested that other-worldliness, like a post-punk faerie in casual wear. So I realize I use the ''faerie" a lot and to bands that have nothing to do with each other. In relation to Panda Riot it's in their sense of childlike wonder, songs of innocence. Aleks Eva is about the shadows in that same world; the danger of that wonder, songs of experience. She must have learned her piano skills from that same faerie world. Listen to the music and you know that it demands, evokes the costume. Remember how dramatic classical music sounded as children. It was a roller coaster ride. Every song on the EP is a scene in a movie that we have yet to see, but are dying to see, trailers that kind of stand alone as well. So at first it was mostly the five songs and then some new material. Slowly, the new material became the main thing, and now don't ask about the EP. At first she was locked behind her keyboard most of the time, and it seems that she would rather just go to the front of the stage. And the music just so compels you to move. It's exactly the kind of music that goth clubs play enthusiastically.....or at least should. That sounded terribly arrogant of me. But perhaps it's the context I see this band in, that I can't help but see it so. The new material is awesome. The songs are more elaborate with more instruments. If you are already a fan, you will stay that way. From you the Aleks /Eva subcultural capital will build. This band is our local answer to The Vanishing.

Ami Saraiya at Hideout

I've seen Ami And The Outcome play to some small crowds, but I think that's due to the nature of the places themselves, small and intimate taverns or cafes. These places don't necessarily fill out. I like that they can do small. 'Cause they can do big crowds like at The Hideout. Ami And The O have always commanded a good crowd at The Hideout. They played before Chaperone, and this band will do Subterranean I think this month with Julie Meckler. As venues go, Hideout is a small shrine of local subcultural scenes. It's out of the way but it's seen all kinds of action. You don't just wander in there. It's in the middle of an industrial zone on Wabansia. I still marvel at it's location. So Ami played The Hideout Friday 7 January. They have at least 3 new songs that they are playing regularly in their sets. "Cattle Prod-Hands" is one. They tap dance in another. If you are already a fan of Ami And The O then these songs are a further refinement of what you have come to like. It has that same post-ragtime period jazz swing, only without the piano. You got other instruments that give Ami that time-shift, like the accordion. In the old days they would stick you in the ethnic or world section of Tower Records...that's right. They use violin, cello, you know, weirdo instruments. To know this band is to be introduced to all the cultures that they draw inspiration from, like Bollywood. She will make you a fan of Bollywood. Well, at the very least you will become a fan of Ami And The Outcome, in part because of Bollywood. So this band is awesome to behold love as well as on CD. Live is where all the quirks come out. They got all kinds of shows coming up.

Zig

Panda Riot at Empty Bottle!

It feels good to say new things about familiar bands. The new things that evolve you see in a longer context. Seeing the music breathe is important. Imagine yourself a century ago. The live performance is all there was. Any way, so here is Panda Riot at Empty Bottle. Too routine you say? Why so many times? It has its perks. It means seeing them open for School Of Seven Bells, Warpaint, Magnetars. I always crave wanting to know the long view of a band that I like. You do that by "too many" times. They have this casual cheeriness. They don't over sell anything.
They don't get into costume or anything. They are the grown up adopted children of urban faeries. The music of urban magical realism. So Panda Riot played a new song not on either CD they have out. I think they called it "Valiant Unicorns" or was it "Valium Unicorns". I can be wrong about the Valium but do imagine it, a unicorn in rehab over a valium addiction.


Hilarious, it's like modernity finally brings down our mythological creatures. But once again I probably got the name wrong and I'm just going on about the hope that I am not. So I listened to this new song. I liked it. And it gets me real curious as to how they will continue to evolve with the next CD. Confuse it for one of their older songs I could not. It seems to sustain the slightly faster cardio of the "Far And Away" EP. They are not in a rut of sounding the same with each song. Anyway, I noticed they got a drummer as well as the drum machine. That one extra singer they had for a while was not there. I could have asked Rebecca about it, but I did not. I did want to, but I thought perhaps to ask would be intrusive. As a fan of Panda Riot the details begin to stick out and so you wonder but you still enjoy the show. The audience was big casual attentive. The band introduces themselves. That's normal, right? But it always seems to me as if they have to re-introduce themselves in a venue that has them all the time. So I wonder if they felt the audience was new for them. Faces were mostly turned toward the stage listening and all. I did not get the feeling that Panda Riot was being ignored. Some people even danced. I think they got the most attention out of any band that night including the headliner. I noticed how the entire band put one blue war paint on their faces. Again, I didn't ask. I left it between the band. And I was ok with the mystery of it.

Zig

Alright so I went overboard with the pictures. I post these of Panda Riot. They are playing Empty Bottle this Thursday 6th January. If you RSVP you get in for free. I post these in part because this is what I saw the day I came back from my cousin's wedding in New York. Panda Riot played The Whistler on a Sunday I believe. This is what is local and familiar to me. It was in a shoe gaze themed night when this band came to my attention. So that is how I tend to describe them. They do have that pillowy, cloudy guitar sound. But they don't take advantage of your short attention span and leave you hanging. You are guided along in their casual pace by Rebecca, seen hear in the record T-shirt. It's pleasant casual nature sneaks up on you and turns you into a tourist forever in awe of your casual day.
They are an awesome band to have in your ipod and all, but sweeter still will they sound after you see them with your own eyes.

Ami Saraiya

She and The Outcome play The Hideout this Friday 7th January. I normally don't like posting ahead to remind myself to go, 'cause what if I don't go. I got this to remind that I did not. And I do tend to feel it whenever I miss a show. Ami's way cool. I was really sold when I saw her cover a Pretenders song on an accordion. "Don't Get Me Wrong" I think it's called. So Ami Saraiya and The Outcome at The Hideout Friday 7th January.