SXSW Blues

Feeling left out of the fun? Everyone you know down in Austin and you're stuck in Chicago? These can be trying times. Luckily, if you're up for the challenge there is plethora of good shows happening between now and by the time your friends get back to keep you busy and afoot. Don't let your friends have all the bragging rights.

Here's your schedule (my preferences in bold):

Thursday, March 15:
Of Montreal w/ Walter Meego and Grand Buffet at the Metro
Dean and Britta at Schubas

Friday, March 16:
Dean and Britta at Schubas
The Slip w/ Brighton, MA at the Double Door

Saturday, March 17:
Baby Teeth w/ Baby Dayliner and the Bitter Tears at Schubas
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone w/ BARR at Beat Kitchen

Sunday, March 18:
The Panda Band w/ Dave Fischoff and Slings & Arrows at Martyr's
Loney, Dear w/Doleful Lions at Schubas

Monday, March 19:
Booka Shade at the Funky Buddha
All Smiles w/ Dappled Cities Fly at Schubas
Datarock at the Empty Bottle

Tuesday, March 20:
Palomar w/ Satellite 66 and Winterpills at Schubas
Menomena w/ Field Music and Land of Talk at the Empty Bottle

See you on the floor!

One more thing to keep you in the loop, check out this massive SXSW torrent
(3 gigs of showcasing artists.)

The Panda Band @ Martyrs' March 18th

On Sunday, March 18th, The Panda Band will make their way from SXSW to Chicago to headline a show at Martyrs' curated by the Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. This will be The Panda Band's first Chicago stop before heading to NY and then on to an Australian tour with Gomez. They have drawn comparisons to The Flaming Lips, Arcade Fire, The Beatles and their music is quite infectious. Also, playing will be Chicago's own Slings & Arrows, whose recent EP Animal Grammar includes some of best songs of the year. Solo artist, Dave Fischoff, the electronic cut and paste mastermind akin to The Postal Service will open up the night backed by a full band! All this for only $10! Show starts at 9PM and is a 21 and over event.
Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co is a non-profit theatre that has been a staple of the Chicago theater scene since 1986, best known for their gritty, stellar ensemble acting and daring staging. Each year they celebrate the spirit of Woodstock with their annual Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins festival, a three-day virtually non-stop marathon of theatre, music, performance art, and spontaneity.

THE PANDA BAND: "A surreal, swirling and eclectic mix of instrumentation and melodies. Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse eccentricity blended with the classic harmonies and quirk of Sgt Peppers-era Beatles". (Rolling Stone Magazine named as #1 in Top 10 Artists to Watch)
RFC Interview with The Panda Band!
Download: The Panda Band - "Eyelashes"

SLINGS & ARROWS: "Weaving sweeping dramatic gestures with quiet, delicately composed moments of tranquility, there's something stately and mannered about their precision. Warped, blurry guitars nestle in a dreamy, psychedelic haze, and the layered instruments swirl together with Henry Brown's low-slung drawl." (IE)
RFC Podcast with Slings & Arrows Here!
Download: Slings & Arrows - "My Amelia"

DAVE FISCHOFF: "Indie solo acts tossing around electronica samples can seem like a dime a dozen, but thankfully, Chicago's Dave Fischoff reels in a fresh catch on The Crawl. Fischoff fashions a hefty musical composite, drawing upon the likes of the Beach Boys and Burt Bacharach, whose bouncy '60s pop sounds fuel Fischoff's imagination into fluttering melodies. Add a splash of some of the Postal Service's chunkier electronica elements, and you've found yourself in Fischoff's whimsical world." - (Spin.com)

Preview Dave Fischoff's The Crawl here
Download: Dave Fischoff - "Landscape Skin"

Video: The Veils - Advice For Young Mothers To Be

This song is spectacular.
Find out what happens when metaphorically birthed babies take over your video set. Is it nap time yet?

Check 'em Out: Baby Teeth

Chicago's friendly melody makers, Baby Teeth are releasing a new album tomorrow, March 13th on Lujo Records. They have an upcoming CD Release party at Schubas on March 17th. In the spirit of this celebration, they are giving away a free MP3 Only EP entitled We Live Here. Check it Out in it's entirety:


Download:
1. Baby Teeth - Bad Weather [featuring Kelly Hogan]
2. Baby Teeth - Saint James Infirmary/Six Foot One
3. Baby Teeth - Fool For You
4. Baby Teeth - Sarah [featuring Bobby Conn]

Video: I Was A Cub Scout - "Pink Squares"

Fun with Construction paper.

Check 'em Out: Dave Fischoff

Dave Fischoff is an immensely creative composer of electronic, hip hop fused pop symphonies, armed with an arsenal of various audio clips culled from the Chicago Public Library. His inventive compositions pull influences from Boards of Canada, Postal Service with the pop sensibilities of the Beach Boys and the Girl Talk cut-n-paste method of sonic layering. His recent release The Crawl has received much deserved praise and is available now on Secretly Canadian. You can stream his whole album on his website. You can check him out live at Martyrs' on March 18th.


Download: Dave Fischoff - "Landscape Skin"
Download: Dave Fischoff -"Ghost of an Afternoon"