First: Sorry I've been absent Nanowrimo ate my soul. Two more days and I'll be normal again
A few things:
1. How many, if any, of you would want a mobile version of the blog?
2. There's gonna be a bit of a facelift. More content, some rants et. Any thing you'd like to see as my readers? Comments/ criticism. If you don't want to figure out how to comment on the blog, email me at my business email over on the sidebar.
3. I may be jumping ship to a real website in the next year. Any recommendations?
November 29, 2011
November 12, 2011
Patrick stump with Rockie Fresh and Mark Rose ( not reviewed) at The Metro (chicago)
Venue, The Metro(4/6):
The Metro is one of the faded glories of the Chicago music scene. In its day it was a wonderful venue. You’d made it in Chicago if you played the Metro even two years ago. It is a great venue; don’t get me wrong. It is very intimate-- maximum of 1000 people, two tiers, and a cheap bar. The bathrooms are even decent for a bar/concert venue. However, you can see it fading. It is sad in a way, as that place has a lot of sentimental value for the music scene in Chicago. I still love it there; one of my first big shows in Chicago was there. However, the sound system is probably older than the venue itself and dying. The building itself is falling apart in minor ways-- it could stand to have fresh coat of paint and have the floors redone as they are mostly that odd cardboard like stuff that many dance floors are covered in and lots of gaff tape.
However, it is one of the few places that you can still get a 20oz water for 3$ and it still draws good music. The small size also makes the crowds more manageable.
The Crowd (3/6): The one thing I dislike about the music crowds I tend to run in is a certain flavor of audience member. Stop me if you’ve seen this person. Loud voice, that just gets louder when the music starts, often stands facing his friend rather than the stage, thus running into the person in back of him constantly. He is completely unaware of his body, usually bitching about something regarding the act on stage. If you think the artist sucks either leave or don’t come in the first place.
If you’re not there to watch/listen to your artist, then get the fuck out of my way. Especially if your over six feet tall and standing in front of a five foot tall fan of the artist on stage.
We had at least three of those in our row alone. I was ready to pull out my metal elbows and start a throw down.
Luckily, I’m a shrimp.
The show:
Rockie Fresh (2/6) I will add a caveat here, I’m not as familiar with hip-hop/rap as a genre, so its sometimes tricky for me to judge quality versus something I’m not used to. I should also add that this particular artist caters to a flavor of hip-hop that I don’t care for. I try to put my personal genre biases aside when reviewing, however, and focus on the technical talent and overall quality. I also acknowledge that one of the things that makes hip-hop so innovative is the use of sampling to change the way a song sounds. I like that.
It is however, a genre that relies on a persons sense of beat being razor sharp and vocal talent to being articulate and precise.
I found that Rockie Fresh lacked the edge needed to make his vocals stand out. I also found his music too busy. There is a line between well-layered music-- a common thing in hip-hop-- and cacophony. I find his work comparable to the young musicians that, rather than specializing, learn to play multiple instruments, but not very well. While innovation is one of the keys to success in the music industry, without that foundation, any diversification becomes noise, rather than style. If he simplified his work and really honed his vocals, I think he could have a shot at success in the club scene.
Patrick Stump(4/6):
Patrick Stump has a distinctive, clear voice that is a pleasure to listen to. He is a fun, talented artist with a striking look and energy in spades.
Stump is also playful on stage and constantly bouncing, flailing and bolting from one side to the other of the stage. He has a wonderful smile both in his face and in his sound. He is very much riding the high of being able to finally do what he wants instead of having to fight with band mates.
What Stump lacks, however, is structure and a foundation. I find him very chaotic and uncoordinated in both his sound and his presence. I feel like he is used to having something to rein in his raw energy and direct it and now that he is no longer in Fall out boy, he doesn’t have any direction and structure. It is as though he’s gone back to the beginning, but maintained some of his popularity from Fall Out Boy. He’s still struggling to find exactly what he wasn’t to sound like and how he wants to present himself as an artist. I’m willing to give him a couple years, however,I do not know if the fan-base is. During the show I saw more than a few people leave. On the other hand the fans that stayed were intensely loyal and very vocal. If stump is going to succeed I feel like he needs to recognize that he is not as big as he used to be and really work on honing himself as an artist.
He also needs a better backup band, I didn’t find any of them particularly talented.
In short, Stump is a nice Midwestern boy who needs to gain a little of the big city edge to succeed on his own.
The Metro is one of the faded glories of the Chicago music scene. In its day it was a wonderful venue. You’d made it in Chicago if you played the Metro even two years ago. It is a great venue; don’t get me wrong. It is very intimate-- maximum of 1000 people, two tiers, and a cheap bar. The bathrooms are even decent for a bar/concert venue. However, you can see it fading. It is sad in a way, as that place has a lot of sentimental value for the music scene in Chicago. I still love it there; one of my first big shows in Chicago was there. However, the sound system is probably older than the venue itself and dying. The building itself is falling apart in minor ways-- it could stand to have fresh coat of paint and have the floors redone as they are mostly that odd cardboard like stuff that many dance floors are covered in and lots of gaff tape.
However, it is one of the few places that you can still get a 20oz water for 3$ and it still draws good music. The small size also makes the crowds more manageable.
The Crowd (3/6): The one thing I dislike about the music crowds I tend to run in is a certain flavor of audience member. Stop me if you’ve seen this person. Loud voice, that just gets louder when the music starts, often stands facing his friend rather than the stage, thus running into the person in back of him constantly. He is completely unaware of his body, usually bitching about something regarding the act on stage. If you think the artist sucks either leave or don’t come in the first place.
If you’re not there to watch/listen to your artist, then get the fuck out of my way. Especially if your over six feet tall and standing in front of a five foot tall fan of the artist on stage.
We had at least three of those in our row alone. I was ready to pull out my metal elbows and start a throw down.
Luckily, I’m a shrimp.
The show:
Rockie Fresh (2/6) I will add a caveat here, I’m not as familiar with hip-hop/rap as a genre, so its sometimes tricky for me to judge quality versus something I’m not used to. I should also add that this particular artist caters to a flavor of hip-hop that I don’t care for. I try to put my personal genre biases aside when reviewing, however, and focus on the technical talent and overall quality. I also acknowledge that one of the things that makes hip-hop so innovative is the use of sampling to change the way a song sounds. I like that.
It is however, a genre that relies on a persons sense of beat being razor sharp and vocal talent to being articulate and precise.
I found that Rockie Fresh lacked the edge needed to make his vocals stand out. I also found his music too busy. There is a line between well-layered music-- a common thing in hip-hop-- and cacophony. I find his work comparable to the young musicians that, rather than specializing, learn to play multiple instruments, but not very well. While innovation is one of the keys to success in the music industry, without that foundation, any diversification becomes noise, rather than style. If he simplified his work and really honed his vocals, I think he could have a shot at success in the club scene.
Patrick Stump(4/6):
Patrick Stump has a distinctive, clear voice that is a pleasure to listen to. He is a fun, talented artist with a striking look and energy in spades.
Stump is also playful on stage and constantly bouncing, flailing and bolting from one side to the other of the stage. He has a wonderful smile both in his face and in his sound. He is very much riding the high of being able to finally do what he wants instead of having to fight with band mates.
What Stump lacks, however, is structure and a foundation. I find him very chaotic and uncoordinated in both his sound and his presence. I feel like he is used to having something to rein in his raw energy and direct it and now that he is no longer in Fall out boy, he doesn’t have any direction and structure. It is as though he’s gone back to the beginning, but maintained some of his popularity from Fall Out Boy. He’s still struggling to find exactly what he wasn’t to sound like and how he wants to present himself as an artist. I’m willing to give him a couple years, however,I do not know if the fan-base is. During the show I saw more than a few people leave. On the other hand the fans that stayed were intensely loyal and very vocal. If stump is going to succeed I feel like he needs to recognize that he is not as big as he used to be and really work on honing himself as an artist.
He also needs a better backup band, I didn’t find any of them particularly talented.
In short, Stump is a nice Midwestern boy who needs to gain a little of the big city edge to succeed on his own.
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