Sunday, May 29, 2011

A photo to summarize the weekend : Shellshag. 4AM last night.

New gear : Photo #1.

Shellshag. A Marked Men aftershow that started at 2AM. This was...oh...4AM? :



Some has arrived. I've shipped some stuff. Be on the lookout! I think I found out how to not dick around with AVCHD. Thank you, again. I think you'll find your time spent here from now on will be much, much more enjoyable. New site...this year. heh.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Names Divine - Live at Mortville - Chicago - 2011




Here's the full set of the Mortville CD Release show with CMI, Ryley Walker, The Speers, CJ Boyd, Teaadora, Three Brained Robot, Charles Joseph Smith.

It's a pity we couldn't get there to see Teaadora. I thought of it as a great night. I've heard some interesting stories that made me try to piece more memories together. Didn't really work. Enjoy! :



"Scenic. Conservative. Secure. Free.

Names Divine, inspired by Blake’s use of the words, is a 10 piece National Act, from Chicago, IL and touring the USA. Names Divine, once known as “Call Me on the Allophone, Names Divine”, a conceptual hybrid, became whole and free as the singular entity “Names Divine” in early 2009 with the addition of its first second and now-retired member, Morgan Krauss. Since then, the band has instated an open door lock n’ load drawlin’ policy, multiplying itself 5, 6, and 7 times before settling on the divine numbers 1 and 0, “divided for love’s sake” and featured as such":

Kendra Calhoun (Manhattan Raid) – guitar, harmonica, vocals
Jillian Musielak (Manhattan Raid) – Drums, Birdflute
Ike Floor – Vocals, Violin, Mandolin
Nicole Miller (Piss Piss Piss Moan Moan Moan) – Theremin
Marcus Kirby – Guitar
Justin Cheng (Panda Riot, Joywheels) – Bass
Joe Dummitt (CMI) – Bottles, Trumpet
Lukas Wolever (RRRainbow Family, Nude Sunrise, Sunshine 9, Purple Chong) – Drums
Lara Bourbon (RRRainbow Family) – Musical Saw, Percussion
Kalina Malyszko – Clarinet

Retired Members:
Jon Ziemba (Manhattan Raid, Suckling Pigs, Coughs) – Drums
Brooks Johnson (Manhattan Raid, El is a Sound of Joy) – Drums
Right Eye Rita – Bass
Morgan Krauss – Flute


-

www.namesdivine.com

Hozac's BLACKOUT FEST begins TODAY!!!




"From 2001-2006, the Chicago Blackout Festival was the first purely Midwest rock & roll festival, celebrating the yearly release of Horizontal Action Magazine. We (Empty Bottle) decided it's been too long so we asked HoZac, now a dynamic independent label that's released 80 records in their first four years of operation, to curate a fest for 2011.

Purchasing a Golden Ticket allows buyers access to BOTH days of the Chicago Blackout Festival. This purchase also includes guaranteed access to Thursday's exhibition preview and party."

Thursday 5/26: FREE Art Show/Blackout Opening Party

Friday 5/27:
The Spits
The Brides
K-Holes
TV Ghost
The Happy Thoughts (debut LP available at the show!)
Mickey (debut LP available at the show!)
Squish

Saturday 5/28:
Nervous Eaters (the original mid-70s Boston punk band!)
Nobunny
Tutu & the Pirates (Chicago's 1st recorded punk band from '77 : Gizmos meets The Damned)
Timmy's Organism
Puffy Areolas
Idle Times
Reading Rainbow
People's Temple
Heavy Times
Radar Eyes
Outer Minds
Nones

Grab your tickets now!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Listen to Rabble Rabble's 7" Release Show tonight at Empty Bottle...



We arrive to the Rabble Rabble 7" Release Show at Empty Bottle to find a line. It was 11:30, when they were scheduled to go on. Distractions and We are Hex played earlier.

10 minutes later...




Sold out. Everyone threw beer all over each other.


Rabble Rabble band dot com

Cover art / poster / design by Zissou of Fug Screens

Listen to SNACKS full set at the Treasure Town BBQ 2011.

The Mutiny show was REALLY fun.

Such a great line-up. Great turn-out. Thank you!

Best show I will throw in a long, long time.

on top of it....

Treasure Town had the first BBQ of hopefully many. It's line-up?

QUINGO
CHRISTMAS BRIDE
BUOYANT SEA
SUNGLASSES
HOLLOWS
BRAIN IDEA
BRET KOONTZ
SNACKS

... We were there for 8 hours.

Snacks. SNACKS. Do you know them now? A crazy talented group of super nice people. They played my benefit show. They have another band called CLOSE HITS who just played the victory show. Equally great. Better? Go see them both and decide for yourself.

These fine fellows were not to be missed. Arrival at 6 o' clock they said. Snacks (the band) at 7! Given the amount of bands, I obliged, knewing it would be just as entertaining to hang out for a bit, regardless of start time.

After cutting and squeezing some limes for Ms. Litteral, tequila shots, good conversations, I realized it was going to be a long night. The show itself was diverse enough to satisfy any sort of musical urge you could dream up.

Snacks took the stage at, oh...9:30?

Keep an eye on that Bandcamp page. More coming. Listen to CAVE, OBITS and LIGHTNING BOLT while you're there.

This was how the huge night kicked off. Enjoy :



SNAXXXX

CLOSE HITZ

Friday, May 20, 2011

Victory Party TONIGHT! Magic Milk! Tyler Jon Tyler! Close Hits! The Brothers Gross!

Please join us, and a slew of really great bands, in celebration of a successful fundraiser.

Tonight at the Mutiny.

2428 N Western Avenue.

9pm.

Magic Milk
Tyler Jon Tyler
The Brothers Gross
Close Hits

Close Hits go on first, and that is something you don't want to miss, so come early!

See you tonight!

Monday, May 16, 2011

THANK YOU. Some words following a successful Indiegogo campaign...



I would like to thank you, again.

Indiegogo and Kickstarter were brought to my attention. I didn't use Indiegogo because I didn't have faith it would get funded. Kickstarter told me I could not donate 100% of the funds above the goal to CHIRP RADIO. Simple as that. People told me I should do it. I was a little apprehensive, so I asked around. I asked Rebecca from Tyler Jon Tyler. She said "GO FOR IT!" so I asked her if her band would play a show. She said yes. Tyler Jon Tyler is not only one of my favorite Chicago bands, but one of my favorite bands in general. I'm a sucker for pop-hooks, and their minimal approach just hits me in the right way.

So, if I could get one of my favorite bands to play, why not three? I asked my friends Close Hits and Magic Milk too, they all shared similar shit-eating grins, and said yes immediately.

So began the windfall of support that lead to a rabid victory.

Lincoln Hall, Schubas, Hideout, Reggies Rock Club, the CEO of Threadless!...

Every single person that I asked for help said yes. They did so without elbowing. They did so with grins and hugs. High fives.

So, I closed my eyes, and hit the launch button. Upon pacing my house for the first 48 hours, I was blown away to have hundreds of dollars in donations within the first few days. I slept very little. I then went on tour with Tyler Jon Tyler, an exhausting, amazing endeavor that had me sleeping even less. I tried to do live, or even daily updates, and was unsuccessful. It's amazing in cities with wi-fi everywhere, how difficult it is to actually sit down and collect yourself for an hour while on the road.

I also did not expect such kind words, and arm-open support for major media outlets :

One Kind Radio - Having covered local music from Chicago for over 20 years with One Kind Radio and know how hard it was to cover a handful of shows a month for the site…. I have yet to find a person more dedicated to covering the Chicago music scene than John Yingling.

The Vinyl District - "As you hopefully already know, Chicago has been blessed with one the most active and exciting independent music scenes in the world. John Yingling, the man behind Gonzo Chicago, has taken it upon himself to document our vibrant scene, filming nearly 500 performances over the last four years."

Gossip Wolf "Four years ago blogger and filmmaker JOHN YINGLING, who runs the site GONZO CHICAGO, moved here from Appleton, Wisconsin, because he was so in love with our ol' music scene...all donors get free admission to a summer show with TYLER JON TYLER, CLOSE HITS, and MAGIC MILK...."

Chicago Reader "I'm generally a little wary of people going online to beg for money, but having seen Yingling at a genuinely impressive number of shows over the past year or so, filming and generally just going completely buck, I feel all right vouching for the guy"

Onion A.V. Club "Videographer John Yingling started Gonzo Chicago with a simple mission: to bring fans closer to their favorite bands with in-depth pics, videos, and interviews"

Chicago Garage We all know what a great music scene we have here in Chicago. Every weekend there’s multiple quality shows to choose from at multiple quality venues. This is not just because of the musicians who entertain us, but also because of the people who tirelessly cover the scene for little or no pay (in many cases, at a cost to them.) One such person is John Yingling. John’s been documenting Chicago’s music scene for 3 years with his own shoddy equipment, and he needs your help to give these great bands the exposure they need.

Loud Loop Press embedded the WIDGET on the side of their own site!!!

...countless others showed support.

One thing I didn't really mention, is that I had a TERRIBLE cold while doing this video! I was already a week behind, so I had to do it! I put that stupid "Hackers" quote in the end there, but I really meant it. I needed an army, and an army was what I got.

Such vehemently kind words still have me giddy this morning, and it's really tough to convey in words just how much this all means to me.

If one needs proof of how spectacular a city Chicago is, I really think you can just look at this campaign.

People told me I should throw a benefit show. I was leaving on tour in a week and a half. I called Robby at Reggie's Live, and asked him if he was into it. He immediately agreed to host a show in his record store, Record Breakers.

So I asked some dear friends Alejandro Morales, Nicole Miller (of Piss Piss Piss, Moan Moan Moan) Dan Rico, and Ian Wiznieski (of Snacks / Close Hits) if they could play. They both, seriously, said "HELL YES"

Later the next day, I asked Alejandro if he knew of one or two more bands that could play. He said "Homie, let me make a phone call". Later that night, at a show at Drone City, he came up to me and said "Lechuguillas and a band from Vancouver called Yellow Thief are in..."

...and so began the show that would be PPPMMM / SNACKS / LECHUGUILLAS / and due to an infection, YT's other member had to fly back to vancouver, so Dan Rico, Nicole Miller, and Poib from the great Yellow Thief on drums played an improv set.

It was a blast! Chicago's music community came out! Battleship was there! CHIRP was there handing out t-shirts! Liz volunteered her time to come. We've become friends.

Not one, two, but SEVEN local bands have donated their time, gas, energy, and music to play TWO FREE SHOWS for me. For this crazy idea.

Myself, a kid from Wisconsin, with a crazy idea that I really didn't know if people would go for. Really! I knew it would be popular with my friends, but the outpouring of generous support, kind words, and HUGE donations from people I don't even know...

I know them now.

Everyone came out of the woodwork. It was a collaborative effort. It really means a lot to me.

It hit home. It left me speechless. I am forever grateful.

I will get these "perks" out. Some I will mail. Some I will hand deliver. Some of you will pick them up and have beers. Some of them will be done over the summer.

I am blown away the $200 custom short films sold out. People e-mailed me asking if I'd still do one! I LOVE that!

We raised over a hundred dollars for CHIRP Radio!!

I'm throwing some of my own money in to supplement some of this gear. The final list :

Canon Vixia HFS21
Canon 7D
Lenses
Macbook Pro
Mics , Memory Cards, Batteries.

It takes a week or two to get the final funds. Indiegogo takes 4%, and Paypal takes another 3%, and after shipping, I will likely end up with something around $3,200.

I have some amazing people willing to help me film a whole slew of things over the summer.

I hope you're all ready for a SERIOUS jump in quality.

I'm amazed at how many people have told me they really like this site. They check it every day. They're honored to have media posted. It's a far cry from the one-sentence + video updates I used to do. I didn't realize people were so into it. I will work on making it even better.

If you saw the equipment and computers I was using before, you would laugh. You'd shake your head.

I will try my best to launch a serious website in the summer months.

I've been asked if you can still donate, and the answer is YES, ABSOLUTELY!! Anything would help defray the fees and shipping costs. You can Paypal : hotmetaldobermans@gmail.com , or contact me directly!

It is really tough for me to convey just how blown away I am at all of this. Your support, the things people have said and done. The community rallied for this. A battle-cry for Chicago, a victory for the city, myself, your ears and eyes...

Thank You. Come out on Friday. It's free. The bands are great.

- John Yingling

Benefit show for Justin Boyer - TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Justin Boyer has been a part of the Chicago music scene for about 9 years as frontman for Yarn and The Fair Moans, and is also Edgewater's most beloved bartender. On his way home from work he was assaulted by some asshole with a knife, and for a while was in pretty bad shape."

So Bryan Mcclaran and some friends are hosting a benefit show for him.

Benefit for Justin Boyer
Featuring:
Absolutely Not
Hammer No More The Fingers
The Velikovski Affair


There will be a raffle, we are taking any donations that are given, and 100% of the $$ that hasn't come from food and drink goes to help Justin.

730pm, MONDAY May 16 (that's tonight) at Reggie's Music Joint (2106 S. State)

Please go and show your support. It's a goddamn shame such shitty things happen in this city, but if we have a chance to help, we should take it!

Friday, May 13, 2011

WE DID IT!!!!! Victory party @ MUTINY - Friday 5/20 - 9PM!!!!




WE DID IT!!!!!

You guys are amazing. I am speechless. Huge thanks to Deborah Jackson and Paul Hadfield for the donation that brought it over.

12 hours left, and your donation goes directly to CHIRP Radio!

We've already raised $130 for them!!!

I have been e-mailed asking if you can still contribute, and the answer is YES, ABSOLUTELY!!! You can Paypal : hotmetaldobermans@gmail.com, or e-mail me for arrangements. Anything would help defray the fees Indiegogo takes, shipping, etc. Thank You!

VICTORY PARTY :

MUTINY
2428 North Western Ave
9PM
21+ (sorry to the underagers, it had to be that way!)

**Magic Milk**
http://www.myspace.com/magicmilk

**Tyler Jon Tyler**
http://www.myspace.com/tylerjontyler

**The Brothers Gross**
http://www.myspace.com/thebrothersgross

**Close Hits**
http://www.close-hits.com/

ENDLESS THANK YOU to everyone who donated, shared, wrote articles, and helped with this fundraiser, and the businesses in Chicago who showed their support from the beginning :

Lincoln Hall
Hideout
Schubas
Reggie's Live
Threadless

We got some really wonderful, touching comments, amazing thoughts, and press. Thanks to A.V. Club, Chicago Reader, Vinyl District, Chicago Garage, One Kind Radio, Loud Loop Press (who had the fucking WIDGET EMBEDDED ON THE SIDE OF THEIR OWN SITE) ....and so, so many others! That helped immensely, was unexpected, and really appreciated!

I don't think there was a single corner of the internet that wasn't blanketed by this thing. Truly amazing.

Come celebrate with us Friday, May 20th! WE DID IT!!!!

Friday, May 6, 2011

New Tyler Jon Tyler : "Pacific Daylight Time" + Fundraiser Update!

Tyler Jon Tyler's East Coast tour was a huge success. They NAILED WFMU!!! So proud of them. A ton of media coming from that, but for now, here's a new jam called "Pacific Daylight Time"

Super good :



Fundraiser Update :

We're SO CLOSE to $3,000!!!

HUGE thank you to some huge donors of the last fews days :

Nathan Christ (director of the spectacular Austin music documentary "Echotone")
Danielle Elise
Emil Ceric
Seth Sil
...and Anonymous donors!

HUGE!!!

We're going to do this!

The victory show has a venue, and a date, and will be revealed after we hit the goal!!!!!

Thank you guys, so much for making this a reality!!!!

John Yingling