Dance Party Changes
Posted December 24, 2006 by mark
The chicago tribune covered a story worth tracking.
Dance parties let hipsters go `buck wild' on the cheap | Chicago Tribune
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Dance parties let hipsters go `buck wild' on the cheap
By Jessica Hopper
Special to the Tribune
Published December 15, 2006
"If you are our age and going to some posh dance club for a good time, you are a dork," says Curt Cameruci, 24, whose nom de turntables is DJ Autobot. Along with his deejaying partner, J2K (nee Josh Young) the two are known for their joint venture, Flosstradamus, which is the name of their duo and their monthly dance party.
""
Dance parties let hipsters go `buck wild' on the cheap
By Jessica Hopper
Special to the Tribune
Published December 15, 2006
"If you are our age and going to some posh dance club for a good time, you are a dork," says Curt Cameruci, 24, whose nom de turntables is DJ Autobot. Along with his deejaying partner, J2K (nee Josh Young) the two are known for their joint venture, Flosstradamus, which is the name of their duo and their monthly dance party.
This tandem is hot on the heels of the of the well-established dance-punk trend, which spawned hugely successful monthly sets in New York, Philadelphia and L.A., frequented by art-school kids and hip-hop heads who otherwise wouldn't be caught dead on the dance floor of a conventional night club.
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In recent months, Flosstradamus has become synonymous with sweaty, thumping bounce-fests that don't stop until last call.
In the 13 months it has been in existence here, the Flosstradamus party, held the third week of every month at the micro-size Town Hall Pub, has become the dance party in town.
Flosstradamus' diverse attack has hip-hop as the foundation, mixed with juke house, classic techno, dance rock and party favorites via a 3-turntable, 2-laptop set up. An appearance in Urb Magazine's "next 100 to watch" in 2006 seemed prescient, and the Chicago episode of MTV's "My Block" featured their club night alongside mentions for Kanye West, Common and Lupe Fiasco.
Young and Cameruci credit their success not to ultra-slick technique, but rather an audience that wants to drink and dance for cheap.
"Who wants to spend a bunch of money going to some bourgeois club?" asks Young. "At our nights, people can get buck-wild for $2."
Their achievement is not something you can engineer, says Nick Barat, assistant editor at New York-based culture magazine The Fader. "You can flier all you want, but dance parties only become successful through word of mouth. It's happening for Flosstradamus because they know what they are doing. They have the acumen."
Though Chicago has had decidedly un-club parties with dedicated followings in the past, it's been a long dry season since Deadly Dragon Soundsystem's mid-'90s era at the Empty Bottle, or since deejay Tommie Sunshine departed for New York.
In the last 18 months, owing largely to the mainstreaming of new wave and dance punk--more local nights have sprung up. Other monthly parties such as Dark Wave Disco (at Sonotheque) and Life During Wartime ( at The Hideout) also are booming.
Greg Corner, the bassist for Kill Hannah and one of the promoters of Dark Wave Disco, now in its second year, says that even though they're based in a night club, they concentrate on keeping an informal party atmosphere.
"Clubs now are about bottle service, `hotties' and cocaine," Corner says disdainfully. "Our primary aim ... is to make it be about the music."
Life During Wartime, a deejay cabal comprised of Metro talent buyer Chris Baroner, Flosstradamus' J2K and Chess Hubbard (a.k.a. Mother Hubbard), maintains its monthly set at The Hideout, where the wood-paneled walls and strings of Christmas lights are more like grandma's bridge club than crunk club. While LDW spin in pairs at trendy bars and at benefits all over the city, their heart belongs to that rag-tag, North Side neighborhood joint, even as things have moved from 50 people a night to an all-night-long queue for admittance.
"There are plenty of clubs in town people can go if they want Top 40 or hip-hop or New Wave all night, but that's not what we or our audience want," says Baroner. "What we are doing is about community. We have regulars now--and they aren't even people we know."
Flosstradamus
When: 9 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Town Hall Pub, 3340 N. Halsted St.
Price: $2 (21+); 773-472-4405
Life During Wartime
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia St.
Price: $8 before the bands, $5 after; 312-227-4433
Dark Wave Disco
When: 9 p.m. Dec. 22
Where: Sonotheque, 1444 W. Chicago Ave.
Price: TBA; 312-226-3700
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Indy Online Distribution Alliance
Posted May 02, 2006 by mark
AN INDEPENDENT'S GUIDE TO DIGITAL MUSIC
http://www.iodalliance.com/how_it_works.php
Digital music is a complicated and confusing world, made up of advanced technologies, confusing rights issues and legislation, pirates and thieves, lawyers and geeks. What does it mean to the independent artist or label?
Digital download services such as Apple's iTunes Store are proving that independents can make money and increase exposure in the digital music space. This guide gives a broad overview of the digital music landscape today and what it means to independent rightsholders—the labels, musicians, and songwriters of the independent music community—who control the sound recording and composition copyrights embodied in every song they create.
Play the Field
Posted July 14, 2004 by mark
Come PLAY OUTSIDE at The Field Museum with MICHAEL MCDERMOTT, THE WACO BROS. and a night OUTSIDE in the FORBIDDEN CITY!
93XRT, The Field Museum and Big Creek Productions present “PLAY THE FIELD” SUMMER OUTDOOR SERIES - THURSDAY, JULY 22, 6-11p.m.
Click Below for More Info!
“PLAY” OUTSIDE in beautiful downtown Chicago - An outdoor festival on Chicago’s lakefront under the sun and stars! This is a great way to enjoy the Field Museum and Chicago’s amazing lakefront and skyline…“Play The Field!” Mix culture with cocktails. Enjoy great live music at Chicago’s most magnificent OUTDOOR venue, the Field Museum Terrace. Explore exciting exhibits INSIDE the Field, like “The Forbidden City”.
Performing LIVE:
MICHAEL MCDERMOTT – Chicago’s favorite son, who you’ve been hearing all over XRT with his new smash hit “Hold Back a River”! You’ve seen him on MTV and heard him on the radio, Michael has been wowing Chicago and national audiences for years with powerful shows, sounding somewhere between U2 and Bruce Springsteen and often better! Don’t miss this great show supporting his new album “Ashes”!
WACO BROTHERS – By far one of Chicago’s BEST and MOST ENTERTAINING live bands, these guys are guaranteed to get you dancin’ and drinkin’! A little rock, a little country and a whole lotta fun, don’t EVER miss a live Waco Bros. show!
Tristen – An ultra-talented young DePaul student who’s gaining a lot of attention with her personal brand of rock, folk and country. This girl is going to be big!
FEATURED EXHIBITS: Spend an evening in the Forbidden City! Explore the incredible new exhibit “Splendors of China’s Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong” and experience the secret world of China’s greatest Emperor! See the largest exhibition of treasures from China's Imperial Palace ever to be shown outside The Forbidden City.
Enjoy Sam Adams and Sam Adams Light beer, Trinchero wines, summer cocktails with Izze sparkling fruit drinks, plus food by Corner Bakery.
Ticket price includes a complimentary beverage! Advance Tickets $15 available through www.fieldmuseum.org or call 866-FIELD-03. $20 at the door. 21 & over only. All proceeds benefit The Field Museum.
Information & Tickets: www.bigcreekevents.com
Punk and Indie Rock Site
Posted February 26, 2004 by mark
In the Periphery appears to have lots of punk and indie rock info on it, several authors?
Check it out!
from their site:
""This site is dedicated to the
punk and indie rock community
in (and around) Chicago, the shows,
this place that we live, and the 'scene'
...much of the time, but not always- mostly
it's about the music we love...
For being such a large city with so many great
bands, there just isn't enough being written
about what happens around here. We do CD
and show reviews on this site, plus we have the main page which is meant to be a sort of sounding board for just about any topic related to music (even if it's really only on a tangent).""
