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

Good Bye Summer 2006

Lollapalooza was this past weekend, and I had such a wonderful time. All weekend I was feeling so happy in the moment, how much I love the music, the festival itself, my friends, and the city of Chicago. I would just look back at the skyline and think to my self how much I love it here and how lucky I feel to have great times such as this. This weekend also felt like the close of a wonderful summer, sort of a finale. I was just looking at all my 2006 photos and remembering all the fun times I had, all the crazy things Ive done, all the fabulous places I went, and remembering how happy I was in each of them. This has truly been a wonderful summer, but I am not sad for it to end. Im actually pretty exhausted, I am looking forward to some time to relax. I am sure that the fun times will continue, this is just the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. This is a year with moments I will remember forever. I love my life, I love taking a moment to stop and look around and savor it.