WEEK OF 1/24/20

Tomorrow Never Knows (TNK) proves Chicago can roll with winter. Over five days in mid-January, the annual club fest spreads across the North Side, with Schubas, Lincoln Hall, Sleeping Village, The Hideout, and Metro all participating in the festivities. We caught a few shows a night, in order to highlight the excellent local artists the fest was featuring and the incredible talent the fest brought in for the 15th iteration of the winter classic.

If you want to scope out what the whole fest had to offer check out our official preview.

All links go to Bandcamp or Soundcloud: open up your hearts and your wallets and support these amazing artists.

WEDNESDAY

What a way to kick off 2020 TNK than with Chicago soul funk master Wyatt Waddell. The bassist/vocalist made the most of his set after his instrument went down during the first tune. Shuffling his band, making up a call and response on the fly, and keeping the crowd amped until a new bass showed up. Bass in hand, he led an insane final jam. As it reached a fantastic peak, it’s no wonder his guitarist let us all know what he thought with a primal scream, as the band scorched through the last tune. We’ll all get to experience Wadell again, but he would have stolen the show if not for lady luck. 

We ran across CJ Run opening for Sir Babygirl at the Bottle back in November but nothing could have prepared us for their scorcher of a set. The local emcee may have been born in Germany and raised in the UK but they represent everything this city has become. With their smooth flow and addicting rhymes they captured the crowd and absolutely destroyed with closer “I’d Like To Know”.

Take a little spoon of Prince, a pinch of Janelle Monae, a dash of Hendrix, a cup of sexy pop sheen and you’ve got the recipe for Harriet Brown. The Los Angeles based artist showed how a one man band should function, as he danced, grooved, crooned, and shredded his way to musical epiphany. His latest record Mall of Fortune is revelatory and should be consumed regularly for proper brainwave function. 

A producer by nature, Taylor McFerrin’s set was all over the board, from improvising a solo on the Rhodes the venue provided, to showing off his latest remix of Emily King and then vamping a live remix of the remix, to showing off his impressive beatboxing, to featuring a few tunes from last year’s excellent Love’s Last Chance, he did it all. An eclectic talent from an impressive stock; but while Madison takes after their father with her vocal stylings and Jevon has Broadway stardom in his grasp, Taylor seems most content behind the mixer, the most comfortable as he dialed in the dance beats. 

What a night, with four distinct and glorious artists. A perfect start to TNK 2020.     
-Kyle Land 

Catch Wyatt Waddell at Thalia Hall on April 24th opening for The Dip. Tix $18-$26.

An eager crowd showed up early to get close to the stage and stand in devotion for their queen, Caroline Polachek. Even so, they were fairly receptive to Desert Liminal’s calming energy. The instrumentation was primarily keys, synths, and electronic based instruments, except for Mallory Linehan on the violin. The violin had layers of spacious reverb, warping effects, and looping to the point that it blended perfectly with the electronic elements. Likewise the vocals by Sarah Jane Quillin were obscured with a tinny echo, taking it to a space that was otherworldly. 

Born Days had more movement to her electronic music. Sometimes slow and floating, sometimes a faster dance tempo, but there was always a momentum pushing us through the music. This was enhanced by the projections, which were constantly evolving. There were visual themes which would return, flickering anew and gone again. 

Musician Blu DeTiger came out first, smiling knowingly at the hoots as she manned the tracks and bass and effects. That was nothing compared to the thrill and screams that reverberated as Caroline Polachek took the stage. As she started singing the audience sang along, trying but not coming close to her vocal runs, when they failed to hit a note, they squealed. And some of those notes were only-a-dog-could-hear-it high. As she sang she moved sharply extending her arms and legs with the hits of the music, which were plentiful. 

 -Tina Mead 

THursday

The most anticipated show of TNK for any local music fan had to be the team up set between Sooper Records mavens NNAMDÏ and Sen Morimoto and Lala Lala’s Lillie West. An air of anticipation was palpable in the front rows of Sleeping Village, Chicago’s hippest new venue, as L U C Y took the stage by storm with his homemade beats, unique lyrical flow, and frenetic moves. 

Why? Records is taking 2020 by the horns with two appearances at TNK 2020 and a slew of shows on the horizon. Davis The Dorchester Bully opened up his set with fellow Why? conspirator Ruby Watson on the mix, but welcomed Udababy partner Joshua Virtue to the stage for a few old ones and a new banger before the fourth member of the Why? Footclan, Malci, joined for a full taste of the power of Why?.  It’s a wonder Davis was able to fit in most of the best tracks off last years mind bending Green Parakeet Suite. 

A main event of epic proportions commenced as Lala Lala drummer Abby Black joined the three talents onstage to run through what is sure to be one of the sets of the year.  Featuring a couple covers and a few songs from each performer, including NNAMDÏ’s new single “Waste” from the upcoming BRAT; a Radiohead joint that brought the house down; an excellent “Destroyer” with Lillie hitting a perfect stride; and a cover, turned crowd singalong, of Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” finished what was a fantastically memorable, and possibly once in a lifetime set.  

-Kyle Land 

Friday

This show had a one two punch of the touring headliner cancelling and a blizzard hitting. It sent some people reeling, but Chicagoans are a hearty bunch. Those that withstood the blows were giddy with that braving the elements bravado. So maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that this night developed into one of the most fun of the fest. Claude played solo with her guitar. It was a gentle strumming way to start, her voice breathy and skimming over the top of the music. The Ophelias came on next. They brought a full band sound that warmed up the audience. A happy relaxed vibe, with a powerful drummer propelling the music and giving us a bit of a charge. V.V. Lightbody picked up that energy and charged it with power chords. She played a dose of new music (album coming v. soon!) along with my ol' favorites. 

As we waited those last few, it's almost midnight, minutes for the headliner, the house played "Lazy Nina" by Greg Phillinganes at top volume, and a dance party broke out. Lincoln Hall picked up on the vibe and before we knew it, they had dance lights pulsing around the room. When Paul Cherry’s band came out one at a time nodding or dancing, we were all hooting and excited to keep the party going. Cherry and friends happily obliged, proving why he can bring in a crowd even on the blustery blizzard kind of Chicago night. Smooth psych with deep soul that made our hips swing. Double the percussion, undulating layers of keys, bending guitar, and slapping bass made sure we kept moving until we had no choice but to go home.

-Tina Mead 

Claude will be at Sleeping Village on Feb 5 in support of J Fernandez. 

Chicago glam garage punks CB Radio Gorgeous opened up the blizzard fueled night with a rambunctious energy that fit their tight, quick jams. With a new record coming soon, they showed off a few fresh ones and closed fist punch full of hits off 2018’s Plays CB Radio Gorgeous. Containing members of some of the local scenes best punk and noise outfits, CB Radio Gorgeous is a supergroup on a mission: to blow your ears into your skull with utmost precision.

Post punk rippers Stuck blew the doors off the snow encased Sleeping Village with a scorching set sure to get the heart rate up to 130.  With only a few recorded tunes available it was pure pleasure to take in a full set of rippers from these hard nosed rockers. Greg Obis’ vocals are brimming with disdainful passion the impressively compact riffs drove it all home through their solid set. 

Nov3L takes a meat grinder to your post music expectations with a solid dose of new wave synth and sax thrown in to combine with the jangle guitar and syncopated drums one comes to expect. Half synth pop, half experimental instrumental, the quintet from Vancouver doesn’t shy away from the unexpected. Their debut self titled LP is incendiary and the life experience left little to desire as they shredded their way through the cold night into the warm inner reaches of all of our hearts and minds.         

-Kyle Land 

Saturday

Oddly enough, I’ve never been to a TNK show. Not for any particular reason - just always seem to miss the shows. So not only was I glad to make my first trip to the continuously rising multi-venue fest, it was a night of music right up my alley. I’ve written occasionally about my love of jazz, but I rarely shoot any shows of the genre. After checking my memory card after the show - I get why. I was having too much fun to shoot more than the few shots I had in my head. So, rather than use your eyes, go listen to these bands as soon as possible.

Luke Titus is a multi-instrumentalist from Chicago that has done quite a few rounds in the city, but now focuses primarily on his own tunes. He’s spent time drumming for Blue Man Group and the jazz-psych group, Woo Park, so you’d be correct in assuming that the solo outing is genre-bending to say the least. What you might not assume is that the dude is one hell of a drummer, and has a great set of pipes on him to boot. 

Valebol is a duo comprised of Dos Santos’ Daniel Villarreal-Carrillo and V.V. Lightbody’s Vivian McConnell. Both artists are extremely well known in the Chicago scene, but I wouldn’t have guessed from their main work that I’d see a collab at any point. To my surprise, the band admitted that they hadn’t performed many times together - in fact, the keyboard Vivian used was borrowed and, at one point, she needed the owner’s assistance to operate it. Blending the latter’s synth pop stylings with the former’s Latin drumming was a perfect interlude between jazz infused sets, and if anyone can pull off a Kylie Minogue cover with bongos - they’re in my good graces for sure.

I’m not sure if a band like Resavoir would have existed in a limelight like this ten years ago. Back then, jazz, and more specifically experimental, electronic, jazz-funk, would have been relegated to niche clubs and slim radio play. Thanks to a resurgence of the genre by pioneers of hip-hop, trumpeter Will Miller has been able to parlay a few key stage slots into one of the best records of 2019, made by no less than 18 artists. Another surprise for me was that the music didn’t crumble under the weight of such mass, but with 9 people on stage easing back and forth to let the indie-rock inspired jazz breathe - I got lost in a sea of tranquility. Honestly, I feel kind of silly writing that sentence but a never ending calm is exactly the right phrase. I’ll admit that my description of the genre above is eye-rolling, but I truly believe this is a band everyone can enjoy

 -John Barnard

This was the most varied lineup I saw during TNK. What a joy to have four bands bring their unique sounds and have the crowd feel surprised by the resulting ride. Even though I had listened to each of them before the show, it still felt revelatory to see how the energies of the bands melded and ricocheted over the course of the night. 

Fauvely is undeniably centered around Sophie Brochu’s voice. It is big and tremulous and heart wrenching. She looked at the audience with a cutting stare that was alternately intimidating and entrancing. The music swirled around her voice with dark undertones, but the fuzz and vocal harmonies provided glistening edges to their music. 

The extended jam that was Garcia Peoples’ set, transitioned but never stopped. They began with drums and bass chugging along and the three guitarists plucking out notes that bobbed and weaved around the beat. The wooden flute added a layer that was melodic and almost voice like. That instrumental section lasted about 10 minutes before they transitioned to a more traditionally guitar fueled rock. Throughout their set they maintained a kind of chaotic beauty that showed off their individual personalities as musicians. When they finally broke into a unison power chord, the thrust of it almost bowled me over. 

Fran’s voice has captured the hearts of many, so clear and soaring, it is undeniably beautiful. When she performs live, her band harnesses that power into music that wanders from folk, to grunge, to country, to pysch, and back again. They started the set with “(I Don’t Want You To Think) I’ve Moved On” and when she took that pause after “You” she held it, keeping the silence hanging until the audience was completely in her hands. It was truly breathtaking and kept a rapt crowd for the rest of her set. 

Hand Habits is at first flush a singer-songwriter centered band. Meg Duffy writes music that rolls and emotes. The tight trio is connected to the music, feeling each note and word. To witness them play is to have their music swirl around you and be swept up by it. Part of that is the killer guitar playing by Duffy. The best moments was watching Duffy shred, putting all the things they were singing in that magic wordless clarity of music.

 -Tina Mead 

Fauvely will be at Sleeping Village on Feb 18

Fran will be playing with Pool Holograph at Empty Bottle on Feb 8

Sunday

Something like TNK is a great boon to the live music scene in Chicago. It promotes local bands and these great venues, getting people out to shows. For me and the people I saw at many of the same shows, it is like an endurance challenge. And a chance to have a more intensive shared experience. By the fifth night in a row, we were talking about who went to what and discussing best performances. Debating whether it is more fun to have a lineup that varies or has genre cohesion. This last show was definitely an argument for the latter. All of these bands had an angular jangly guitar sound. What was truly fascinating about this kind of show is that the nuanced differences between bands became sharper because of those similarities. 

The Hecks kicked off the night with their signature synth turbo charging the dance beat laid out by the drums. The guitarists bended notes, which added a swivel to the music, demonstrated by lead singer Andy Mosiman’s smooth moves. I will never get enough of the way he cyclones his guitar as he plays. Or of their body moving music. 

Corridor moved bodies in a different way. It started with a cacophony which resolved into a hard thrashing kind of angular guitar rock. With two percussionists, it is impossible to not feel the beat, but theirs was a psychedelic kind of ride. 

Deeper turned that cerebral approach up a notch. Even when they were at their most jangly and syncopated, there is still something that made me feel a kind of wandering meditation as I listen to their music. True atmospheric music can lull you into a kind of half sleep. Personally, I tend to opt for music that has a good driving beat, which Deeper had in spades, but there was still a kind of droning essence. A perfect combination for me to feel energized as I spaced out, letting the music take me where it will. The perfect balance of ending my TNK fest strong.

 -Tina Mead 

The Hecks will be playing at Empty Bottle’s Music Frozen Dancing on February 22

Solo projects were a loose theme for the final night of TNK as Buck Meek (Big Thief) and Twain (the Low Anthem) headlined a stacked Schubas lineup, Sleeping Village played host to Francis Quinlan (Hop Along), whose solo debut drops January 31st. A packed house was on hand to witness the indie darlings first Chicago solo show, and opener Indigo De Souza warmed up with their dark themed indie rock that could calm to a pin drop and open up like a flower of jam filled grunge. De Souza is a born performer who let her talents come through as the set progressed, and the final build brought out the best in her band. 

As intimate a performance as was witnessed all weekend, Quinlan donned her guitar center stage and braved the crowd utterly alone, with just a laptop at her side. Used to being backed by what she referred to as “three tall dudes who know what they’re doing,” it takes plenty of guts to branch out on your own, and Quinlan has a plethora. As she ran through quite a few tracks off upcoming record Likewise, a few old ones, a cover, and a Hop Along encore that produced the sing along many were anticipating, it was clear she has everything it takes to stand on her own. As Quinlan left stage, a smile stretched from ear to ear, it took minutes for the applause to die out. A testament to her powerful artistry. 

-Kyle Land 

See You at Next Year’s TNK