Indie Rockers Take On "Large, Sophisticated" Companies

For the past few days we've been hearing all about the drama involving Rolling Stone, Camel Cigarettes, and the "Indie Rock Universe". What started as a shady attempt at an advertisement resulted in Camel pulling "The Farm" promotion, indie bands demanding an apology, and has now led to a full blown lawsuit. Turns out you can't run an advertisement veiled as support for independent labels and artists if you don't tell them you're going to use their names first.


In the recent 40th anniversary issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, they featured a four page fold out section from Camel toted "The Farm: Free Range Music" saying they're "committed to supporting and promoting independent record labels." The cartoon inside the fold out lists the names of artists listed under cheesy subcategories that we guess are part of the "universe" Camel created. Several Chicago based musicians were mentioned in the ad, including Andrew Bird and Fall Out Boy, along with many Touch 'n Go Record's artists. See the ad here. Artists and labels are angry because their names were used without permission, worse yet, they didn't even know about the ad. Um, maybe they wouldn't want to endorse a product that gives people cancer.


So, it's official. Xiu Xiu and Fucked Up have filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of 186 musical artists against Camel cigarettes' parent company R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, Rolling Stone, and their parent company Wenner Media. The complaint claims "unauthorized use of artists' names; unauthorized use of artist names for commercial advantage (right of publicity); and unfair business practices." Camel is already in trouble with several states because the ad violates the 1998 settlement that says tobacco companies can not pitch to minors, including using cartoons in advertisements. (remember Joe Camel?)


We're glad to see Xiu Xiu and Fucked Up sticking up for themselves. It's a sad thing to see a corporate giant take advantage of the little guy. We will be interested to see how this one unfolds. Who knows, maybe they will win a settlement big enough to feed themselves for more than a year.

O’Hare... I hate you.

I'm sitting at the airport, Chicago O'Hare, angry and alone - well, traveling alone, there are tens of other people sitting around me, not on either side of me though (thank goodness). Our flight has been delayed an hour. Not too bad as far as delays go, but it is hard to accept when it is a beautiful sunny day in September, temps in the 70s, not a cloud in the sky. I have plans tonight, well had plans. Once I arrive in St. Louis I am supposed to drive to Mizzou to go out with my sister for her 21st birthday. My flight was supposed to arrive at 7:10pm, now I wont get there til after 8, then exit the airport, get picked up by Dad, ride to my parents house, pick up a car and drive myself the hour and a half to Columbia. So I wont get there til after 10. And that doesnt include any time primping to look half way cute for going out to the bars. So, its really not worth it. So I'm probably going to stay in St. Louis tonight and drive there in the morning. So I spent $ and sat in airports for hours to spend one night going to bars in my former college town. BUT this is for my sister's birthday and it is important to her, so I am doing it. I keep telling myself I'm not going to fly anymore, but I keep doing it. The alternatives aren't great either: rent car ($, gas $, and have to be driving for six hours - but at least I would be moving, making some progress toward my destination), the train - which is cheaper, but still takes six hours and could be (usually is) delayed too. So we fly.

Its getting dark outside now. A woman just walked by in platform red heels. What in the world is she thinking? Not appropiate shoes for traveling, there is a lot of walking in the airport... Anyway - gate change - H11A, have to move now. ugh.

No seats over here, so Im sitting on the ground in the concourse, leaning on a newspaper box. This sucks bad enough having to be in this crowded mess and now I have to be in it longer. No more traveling, its not fun anymore.

I've changed gates three times since I got here and now Im back at the one I started at. I swear Im going to get run over sitting here - woman in wheelchair, man running pushing baggage cart, omg trash can on wheels! Get me on this plane! Shouldn't we be boarding by now? How is this plane supposed to leave the gate in ten minutes?! Omg 7:35 now?!?! Oh - theres the text message informing me of the time change. Thanks for the reminder. Another girl in heels. WTF? Sure, you look cute, everyone in the airport is very impressed. Okay a man just knocked MY suitcase into my head. Asshole!!! I'm texting with my dad. I'm glad he finds this humorous. "Sit in the front of the plane," he says, "you'll get here sooner. LOL." Dad must have just learned LOL, its in every message. I'm so glad I left work early today. I wonder if pilots dread flying into O'Hare as much as people hate flying in or out. Omg - people are entering the gate!! We are boarding!

I'm in my seat now. 7:40pm. I am in row 10. My carry-on is in row 19. So I am sure I will have to wait for everyone to de-plane before I can walk back there to get my bag. I love saving time by not checking my bag. At least there are no screaming children on here, its actually very quiet.

Okay, if I would have driven, say a Zip-car, (im not sure how that compares in price to car rental) plus price of gas (which keeps going up, but thats a whole 'nother story) but if I left at 3pm I could have made it to Columbia around 9, depending on city traffic. (And, how would all that compare to the price of my plane ticket??) But instead, I am arriving at Lambert Ariport at about the same time. Does that mean I actually lost ground in some way?? Well, I certainly lost a few hours, but we did get this fun little story.

I'm surprised theres not more unruly drunk people on planes. Make them sit and wait in a crowded terminal for hours and keep extending the wait a little bit at a time, just enough to make them angry, and what else is there to do but drink?

8:05pm. Still sitting on the runway waiting to take off. My god - I'll be surprised if I get there by Christmas! Oh - wait, wait, we're moving... take-off! We are in the air, circling around the airport, but we're in the air!

You may now use approved electronic devices. Ahhh... iPod and Skymall, recline your seat and relax for the 45 minutes of airtime to St. Louis.

Is it ever going to stop raining?

The strangest things have been happening all week, and I wonder if it is ever going to stop. Usually when strange things happen, its just one thing (that usually doesnt really affect your life that much) and you go back to your normal routine. Lately though, it seems to be one thing after another. Can the stormy weather influence strange things to happen? It started with the murder, or perhaps the violent storm the night of. Granted, this murder did not affect my life directly, but it affected people close to me, and hit too close. Its the kind of mystery you see on Dateline or 48 Hours, that leaves you wondering why or how someone could do something so inhumane, but goes away as soon as you turn off the television. Other smaller, less signifigant things have happened since, that could be qualified more as odd than strange, but in the light of everything else, hits harder. The sun came out for a little bit yesterday, I almost forgot what it looked like. And then the storm rolled in. Ive never seen anything like the black cloud that engulfed our building within seconds. Our office is on the 19th floor overlooking Oak Street Beach, we were all in the conference room sitting by the window when it hit. The wind was so strong the windows were bowing in and out. It looked like one big circle around us, rain and hail going up, debris flying in circles, I half expected to see the wicked witch flying by. And more storms are expected today. The rain stops occasionally, but not even long enough for the sidewalks to completely dry, and then it starts to sprinkle again. Hopefully the rain will end soon and things will return to normal, or at least make more sense.

Is the CTA biased?

I recently moved from Chicago's cushy Lincoln Park to the more "hip" Wicker Park neighborhood. It used to take me about 20 minutes to get to work (door-to-door) traveling 17 blocks. Now, traveling 15 blocks, it takes me about 45 minutes. Some of this can be attributed to heavier traffic on Division Street, but it's the time spent waiting for the bus that is taking me longer. For instance, this morning I spent 20 minutes waiting for the bus. I left my house 5 minutes later than normal, and I got to work a half-hour late. At first I thought it was my imagination since there was only one bus-route running on my new commute and there are four different routes that stopped at my old bus stop, so I actually saw more busses over there. And there were more people waiting at the old bus stop with me, maybe being the only person at my new bus stop made the wait feel longer.

Then I was brought to the question: Is the CTA biased? There is no disputing that the bus routes that run north and south along Lake Shore Drive carry more upper-class, white-collar (mostly white) people. The routes running east-west carry mostly - lets face it – lower-class minority. The east-west routes run less often and usually less efficiently – I cant tell you how many times I have waited what felt like forever, seeing 4 or 5 busses come in the other direction, and when mine comes, there are two more right behind it. It's not just the Division route, though. A couple of years ago I dated a guy who lived on North Avenue in Wicker Park, and I always had the same experience when commuting from his place.


I couldn't help but think this morning, that most of the people on the Division bus with me probably worked at hourly jobs where it matters if they are late, and since you can't rely on the CTA to be there at the same time every day, you get to work at different times every day, making them look unreliable. The bus driver even said something to me this morning about all the people on the bus trying to get to work, school or just want to get home.


So, does the CTA strive to serve its upper-class customers while neglecting the western customers? Maybe it's all in my head and I'm just pissed that my commute is longer than before (or maybe I shouldn't bitch about having to take public transit). There are surely a greater number of people traveling along the lake during rush-hour creating the need for all those routes (and for them to run on time). Honestly, I think its just that the CTA sucks in general. I could go on with a laundry-list of reasons why, but just ask any Chicagoian and I'm sure they will give you their two-cents (more likely twenty dollars) worth.

Review: Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?

Has Kevin Barnes traded in his playful story-telling days for a gloomy auto-biography? Welcome to Kevin's year spent in Norway with his wife and daughter, and the near demise of his marriage upon their return to the states. It's unusual for Kevin to write an album so personal, but it works, and it may be his most outstanding effort to date. Instead of vaudevillian short stories, Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer? (along with companion EP Icons, Abstract Thee) is like an epic novel. Listen to the lyrics and you'll hear the words of an extremely troubled man sinking into the depths of depression. You have to listen closely though, because those sad songs hide behind upbeat poppy melodies that Of Montreal is known for. Only Kevin Barnes could make being "on the verge of a total breakdown" or wanting to "destroy" yourself sound so fun.


The first half of Hissing Fauna follows Kevin as he battles falling into depression while trying to keep his family together. The first track, "Suffer for Fashion", alludes right away: "if we've got to burn out let's do it together, let's all melt down together". In "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse" he pleads with the chemicals in his mind to help his mood "switch back to good again". Barnes makes the trips the mind takes under its own chemical imbalance sound a lot like the trips of mind-altering drugs. "Grolandic Edit" finds the family back in Athens, GA, tensions still running high, and "A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger" recounts his time spent in Norway "on the verge of a total breakdown".


The album's turning point comes in the heart-shattering "The Past is a Grotesque Animal". In this twelve minute epic, Kevin candidly describes the breaking point of his marriage, right down to the violence and emotion of a couples quarrel: "I've been dodging lamps and vegetables, throw it all in my face I don't care".


After the breakdown, the album slips into a strange sexual escape from reality, likely a coping mechanism. Kevin's she-male alter-ego Georgie Fruit even makes an appearance in "Labyrinthan Pomp". The standout track from the second half, "Faberge Falls For Shuggie", is filled with sexual innuendos: "be careful how you touch me, my body is an earthquake, ready to receive you". The funky baseline and falsetto vocals are the grooviest Of Montreal has ever been.


Follow-up EP Icons, Abstract Thee continues on the same path, hitting rock-bottom in the closing song "No Conclusion". He appears to be trapped in his own head, but manically detached by talking to himself ("Don't worry Kevin"). It's also dripping with revealing self-deprecating statements: "I'm killing myself / but my friends will never know because I've never been honest with anyone." Wow.


And that's where the tale abruptly ends. Thankfully, Kevin and his wife have since reconciled. We just hope that he retains the creative juices that came with his despair.

Catch Of Montreal live at Pitchfork Music Festival July 15 in Chicago

What is wrong with people?

Yesterday was the worst shooting massacre in American history. A man went through a Virginia Tech dormitory and academic building and murdered 32 people and injured more than 50, and then killed himself. It begs me to ask the question – "What is wrong with people?" What could this person have possibly have been thinking, what happened to in this persons own life that ultimately ended the lives of 32 others and affected the lives of hundreds of others?

There are several incidents in American history, in my lifetime, that beg the question "why?", the ones you will always remember where you were when you heard the news. The columbine high school shooting, 9-11, even the Oklahoma City bombing. It is these events that I can relate to, everyday lifestyles similar to mine, interrupted. Its not always terrorists, which we have become so afraid of, it could just be one troubled or mentally unstable person whose troubles ultimately become troubles for so many other people.


I do not have answers, only the question that never seems to go away - "Why?"


I am truly sorry for those who have lost loved ones or had to witness this tragedy. I can only imagine the grief that you are feeling.

Now I remember why I love this city

I was walking to the bus this morning, on my way to work, and I could actually look around and appreciate the surroundings of the beautiful park. It was like I hadn't seen this place in months, but I make this walk every day. This is the first warm day of spring, and I know that this is the beginning of many months of beautiful weather and fun.

Winter in Chicago is tough to say the least. It is great to finally go outside without the burden of a winter coat, hat, gloves, scarf. Theres a short feeling that youre forgetting something when you walk out the door or see others on their way to work without their coat and things.

You can see everyone kind of peek their heads out, its like we haven't seen sunshine in months. Its like weve been hibernating, and now its finally time to take a look outside, but you don't run outside, you peek out first, stick a foot out, rub your eyes and realize that its okay to step all the way outside. No more bracing cringing when you open the door to the outside. Although you will still find yourself doing this a few times before you get used to it not being painful to walk outside.

There is a Bloc Party this "Weekend In The City"!

People who like Bloc Party really love Bloc Party. Is it the intense melodies? Is it the infectious vocals of Kele Okerke? Is it the heavy drums and guitar? To their biggest fans, it's all of the above that have made Bloc Party a favorite among the indie crowd. Their new wave rock has been compared to The Cure, Gang of Four, Sonic Youth and Joy Division, but the band would say they have made a sound all their own.


At Intonation Music Festival last July, Chicago got a taste of some new tracks from their sophomore album A Weekend In The City. After that preview, it felt like forever waiting for the album's February release. Fans were not disappointed. A Weekend In The City is a little slower and darker as a whole than Silent Alarm, but it also has a more mature, emotional sound. "The Prayer" exemplifies the dark guitar rock that is classic Bloc Party, but there are more eerily romantic songs this time around, including "Waiting for the 7:18" and "Sunday". AWITC also has a more encompassing sound. You can just imagine the ending of "SRXT" filling an arena.


Bloc Party hit the scene first in the UK in 2005 with the release of their first studio album, Silent Alarm. "So Here We Are", "Banquet" and "Helicopter" all quickly hit the singles charts. While Bloc Party celebrated success in the Europe and Japan, they never had a single reach the US charts. Their popularity is growing, however, with AWITC hitting number 12 on the Billboard album chart, compared with Silent Alarm's peak at 114. You can occasionally hear a Bloc Party song on a television commercial; I even heard one on a tournament basketball game break.


Like I said, Bloc Party fans love Bloc Party. Many were disappointed to miss them on tour in late 2006 with Panic! At The Disco. They were forced to drop out of the tour early because drummer Matt Tong suffered a collapsed lung. Now everyone is healthy and ready to rock. Okerke always leads an energizing live show, and Friday will be no exception, if you're lucky enough to already have tickets… this show is sold out.


Bloc Party
Congress Theater, Friday 3/23
Sold Out