Archive for Steve Albini

Scratch Acid, Big Black, Man … Or Astro-Man? Give Chicago Hope At Touch And Go Bash

Posted in Concert Reviews, Reviews with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 02/20/2023 by korzeck

… And here’s my review of the Touch and Go Records’ three-day anniversary concert from September 2006.

(Go here to read interviews with Steve Albini, David Yow, Rob Crow and other indie-rock immortals ahead of the legendary event.)

CHICAGO — Touch and Go’s three-day anniversary bash wasn’t just a lesson in the history of the seminal record label. It was a Cliff’s Notes-like recap of the last 25 years of indie rock itself.

Underground granddaddies Big Black, Scratch Acid and Killdozer spit forth a lethal dose of abrasive, confrontational brutality, while !!!, Ted Leo and Enon courted the crowd with dance-rock appeal. And therein lied the clear distinction between the challenging approach taken by yesterday’s bands and the sheer accessibility of their successors.

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Looking Back: Steve Albini, David Yow, Rob Crow Chat About Touch and Go’s 25th Anniversary

Posted in Concert Reviews, Reviews with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on 02/20/2023 by korzeck

Now here’s a blast from the past. A blast from the past from the past, actually.

Touch and Go Records 4 eva.

(Go here to read my review of the Touch and Go’s legendary, three-day 25th anniversary bash in Chicago in 2006.)

Before Fall Out Boy, before the Academy Is … — hell, even before the Smashing Pumpkins — there was Touch and Go Records. Like those bands, the trailblazing record label’s reach has extended far beyond its Chicago base of operations, but come September, it’ll be enshrining its 25 years of influence with a massive anniversary gala designed to dazzle indie rock’s shrewdest scholars.

Scratch Acid, Big Black, Man … or Astro-man?, Killdozer — while they’re not exactly household names, the underground goons that shattered eardrums and tore punk rock a new one decades ago will be wreaking havoc once again in commemoration of the label that sustained them. Think of it as “A Mighty Wind” for the indie-rock masses.

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Pete Yorn On Musicforthemorningafter: ‘It’s Too Clean’

Posted in Interviews with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 10/07/2010 by korzeck

Night owls can expect to see Pete Yorn performing on Jimmy Fallon’s show tonight in support of the self-titled album he squeezed out last week. Seems like an opportune time to roll out this vintage, never-before-online interview I conducted with him on March 9, 2003. Continue reading

Cheap Trick’s Bun E. Carlos On Recording With Steve Albini, Why Band Re-Cut In Color

Posted in Interviews with tags , , , , , on 06/15/2010 by korzeck

Naturally, yesterday’s post about Geronimo! – a new band out of Rockford, Illinois – brought back fond memories of the city’s principal rock export: Cheap Trick. Seems like a good-enough time to dust off a years-old interview with Bun E. Carlos. Continue reading

Jesus Lizard’s Duane Denison: ‘I Can’t Imagine Ever Doing A Reunion Tour’

Posted in Interviews with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 12/30/2009 by korzeck

These are three hard-working men. One is bald, diminutive (around 5 feet tall) and brandishes a wrinkled, menacing smirk. This man has been arrested on numerous occasions for public exposure and enjoys his occupation, which involves howling, salivating, urinating and wrestling with complete strangers. Continue reading

Nirvana’s In Utero: Un Vínculo Progresivo Entre Los Mundos Del Rock Mainstream Y Rock Independiente

Posted in Essays, Features with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 12/30/2009 by korzeck

Eleven years ago, I studied for five months in Santiago, Chile. As part of my education regiment, I chose a class on the history of rock and roll. You might think that’s as much as a cop-out as taking a class in bowling or frisbee golf. But as someone who had mostly shunned classic rock till that point, I actually learned a lot. My teacher was obsessed with Deep Purple and Cream, and explained to us how Ozzy Osbourne was rock’s first psicótico.

I like to think I returned him the favor by teaching him a bit about Nirvana, of whom he wasn’t much aware, in my final paper. The self-generated topic: How Nirvana ushered indie-rock, rougher production values and anti-corporate attitudes into the mainstream with In Utero. El profesor told me I worked harder than any of his Chilean students in the class, and that I nailed the exam (70 out of 70), too.

These days, my Spanish is a bit rusty, so I couldn’t tell you what most of the paper means. But here it is for your archival viewing pleasure. PDFs are included in case the images are too taxing on yer eyes:

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