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Words by Hillary Hedstrom | Photos by Curt Baran + Daniel Boczarski  Photo by Curt Baran The final show of the House of Vans House Parties season was curated by Converge. It was a show to end all shows. As it was a perfect day to wait outside, the line wrapped around the building. As people began to filter inside, the art presentation started. Lights and sound lit up quotes on the walls from House of Vans alumni from all over the world. These quotes were what drew the artists to the punk music scene. Why they chose to pursue that path. The floor was even covered in art. Photos by Daniel Boczarski Sipping on free Goose Island, patrons enjoyed the art exhibit. Burlesque of North America was screenprinting live. The blank wall filled up with prints as the night progressed. In addition to the Burlesque of North America prints, Jake Bannon of Converge and Thomas Hooper were also working on prints. Photos by Curt Baran  Photo by Daniel Boczarski Djunah, pronounced like June-ah, was the first band up. This Chicago-based band consists of Donna Diane on guitar, bass, and vocals, and Nick Smalkowski on drums. Diane plays the guitar and bass simultaneously, the latter being played by her feet. This noise rock duo is releasing their debut EP November 1st, 2019.  Photo by Daniel Boczarski Djunah finished their set and were immediately replaced with Cloud Nothings, who were setting up. The indie garage rock band captivated the audience. Dylan Baldi, the lead singer, said that it was his 28th birthday. The foundation was set for a pit, but one didn’t break out until the very end.  Photo by Curt Baran There was no pushing to the front after Cloud Nothings left. Instead, a space opened up. People went to get last minute refills of beer, bottles of water. Anything to hydrate before what was coming up. It was time. Converge got up on stage and mayhem ensued. Goose Island was getting thrown everywhere. It was impossible to tell where the barrier of the pit was because it was so big and so dark.  Photo by Curt Baran Everyone was screaming along to the lyrics, getting beat up in the pit, getting soaked by sweat, water, and beer.  Photo by Curt Baran The chaotic movement of the pit went on the entire show. Although it was a mess, everyone was still friendly. Helping people as they slipped on the now-wet floor, making sure people found their phone or glasses even if they were destroyed.  Photo by Daniel Boczarski The pit consisted of mostly men, with a handful of women joining in. It was a very welcoming environment. If you wanted to get beat up in the pit, you could.  Photo by Daniel Boczarski As the last notes rang out, everyone left sweaty and bruised. It was a great end to the House of Vans House Parties season.  Photo by Curt Baran Photos by Curt Baran
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Words by Hillary Hedstrom | Photos by Bobby Talamine  A group of unsuspecting women, one with a guitar, buzzed up to the JBTV studio using the building’s front door. What the passerby didn’t know was the utter starpower they were walking past: Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes with her mentee Lion. When they entered the studio, both introduced themselves to everyone working. Lion, using her given name Beth.  Linda is an alum of JBTV, having played both solo and with 4 Non Blondes, but has only been in the old studio. She was very interested in touring the new location, wanting to know what went on in every room.  Lion was more interested in what was on the walls. While she was looking at the posters, a performance by Jeff Buckley came on and she was starstruck. Immediately needing to know if she was about to perform on the same stage as her “husband,” as she referred to him, she took off to get an answer.  A decent sized crowd came out at 1pm on a Wednesday afternoon to see Lion’s performance. Although it was just her and her guitar in a stripped down set, it wasn’t an acoustic performance. Lion’s electric guitar was plugged in.  Linda Perry gave Lion’s introduction. Perry signed Lion and has been mentoring her. After the introduction, Lion came out. Boxed water in one hand, tea in the other. She set down her beverages and picked up her guitar and started.   Without the background of a large band, her vocals took center stage. Dramatic shifts from soft to loud. Her voice alone was captivating. Lion has an amazing stage presence. Standing there with her guitar and singing, it was impossible to tear your eyes away. It was hypnotic.  That’s exactly what Linda Perry saw the first time she met Lion. Perry’s manager had quit, and all her calender said was “Beth, U.K.” Perry had no other details about who was coming in. When Beth came in, Perry was honest and said she had no music, no details, nothing. Beth offered to play demos, but Perry wanted to hear her live. Lion was nervous about that first meeting. She expected it to go differently, with Perry having already heard her music and wanting to make an album.  Jerry noted that Lion has elements of Linda Perry. They have a similar stage presence. Perry and Lion had just found out that they have the exact same signature. It’s an L with a squiggle and then a little heart.  They wrote some of Lion’s songs together. Perry’s favorite song is “Wolf.” Lion was having a bit of a meltdown in the studio, and out of that came a stadium hit. Perry is huge on mentoring young artists. She said that if she had been like other managers, she would’ve hit Lion and changed her sound. Instead, she’s creating a safe space for Lion to create. She misses the days where labels would work with new artists and help them grow.  It was a day full of firsts for Lion. From her first poster signing to her first television performance in the USA. It was also her first time in Chicago. “It doesn’t seem real. It’s like a movie set,” she noted. Lion will definitely be back to Chicago. She and Linda Perry want to come back to JBTV with a full band and do a fully plugged in set. Words + Photos by Bobby Talamine  Frontman of Slipknot Corey Taylor performing at Tinley Park, IL on Aug 11th. A packed crowd at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre awaited the return of Slipknot, who brought a galvanizing and barn burning show. Billed as Knotfest, Slipknot hit the road with an eclectic bill of metal stalwarts--Volbeat from Denmark, the technical prowess and might of Gojira hailing from France, and the brutal extreme metal from Polish metal band Behemoth. Think about this for a moment, four bands that are equally important in their genres of metal, appearing together for a festival of the ages. All trailblazers, all deserving to be headliners, which says a lot about the boys in Slipknot, who are uncompromising in their production and aren’t afraid of showcasing such great supporting acts.  Sid Wilson of Slipknot being unpredictable onstage. Bottom line, Slipknot still delivers. It’s only fitting that Knotfest in Tinley Park coincided with their sixth studio album release We Are Not Your Kind. Slipknot’s first album since the firing of longtime member Chris Fehn. Regarding Fehn’s termination, Slipknot have made it clear they'd rather not talk on the issue and move on. Only two songs from their new album made the cut for their setlist. "Unsainted," a blistering and unrelenting song worthy of stature in the band’s canon, and "Solway Firth," which made its live debut at Tinley Park. The set started off hard and heavy, with a foot stomp statement of "People = Shit," then into "(sic)," followed by "Get This." The beginning of Slipknot’s set was the definition of intensity, and we haven't even started with the vertical pyrotechnics. The three- tiered stage set up was perfect for the members of Slipknot, since there's so many of them, to equally lay waste to a normal rock n' roll show, having audience members’ eyes ping-ponging from one musician to another, watching the uncontrolled antics of Slipknot acting like gremlins to the tenth degree. I say this with positivity and genuine appreciation.  Slipknot staple Shawn Crahan roaming around the chaos he helped curate. A lot of thought has gone into this stage design, courtesy of founding member Shawn Crahan, otherwise known as "Clown" aka #6. Clown has his hands in everything Slipknot, from stage production, music videos, and songwriting. There were giant panelled video walls, air vent windmills below Jay Weinberg's drum kit, and a small treadmill below Sid Wilson's mixing table. Wilson’s mixing table set up added to the chaos by having an elevated percussion kits 20 feet up. Sid Wilson cemented his place in music as a genuine and unpredictable performer.  Corey Taylor headbanging with an energetic crowd. Of course, ringleader Corey Taylor was lively as all get out. From heavy and gnarly vocals to his costume and new mask, Taylor was as wicked as wicked comes. You can't keep your eyes off him. An A+ show from Slipknot. These metal legends brought a setlist that was unrelenting from beginning to end in all things heavy. Being Midwesterns themselves, Slipknot’s from Des Moines Iowa, they made it known time and time again how important Chicago and the Midwest region has been to the band’s success over the years.
Each act of this Knotfest roadshow brought something different, something unique, something fresh. Even with the sun shining brightly, openers Behemoth did not disappoint. With Nergal front and center, with his nasty, trademark corpse paint and unique headpieces on full display, was surrounded by a band that knows the definition of uncompromising punishment. Same holds true for Gojira and Joe Duplantier, with patrons in the main GA pit in the center of the main floor thrashing about in unison to the band's plentiful set of heavy on top of heavy songs. Furious in approach and furious in might, Gojira have continued to develop into an inspired live act with lots and lots of touring in the states, and a polished set of songs that leave you drained and your ears buzzing for days on end.  Volbeat lead singer Michael Poulson performing. After the two downright heavy openers, we were entertained by Copenhagen, Denmark's Volbeat. Led by frontman Michael Poulson, who was jovial and energetic, looked like a rockabilly rocker who's fixated on early Elvis, but has a passion for dark speed metal. Lots of wah wah riffing heavy guitars throughout, with a snippet from Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" before tearing into "Sad Man's Tongue," with over the top heavy guitar playing from Rob Caggiano, who is super underrated in guitar playing. A high energy performance from these dudes, before headliner's Slipknot took the stage. A remarkable show from four awesome bands, and no loose ends in the line up. |
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