By Dennis Polkow

“So much of my music has been joyous and celebratory,” admits composer, flautist and Black Earth Ensemble founder and leader Nicole Mitchell, “that I wanted to challenge myself to explore another side of the human experience.”

Above all, Mitchell hopes that her new nine-movement piece “Xenogenesis Project: Intergalactic Beings”—which will have its world premiere Friday night at the Museum of Contemporary Art and is based on the science-fiction writings of Octavia Butler—will be, like the works themselves, “disturbing,” Mitchell admits, with the high-pitched tittering giggle of a schoolgirl who is getting ready to pull off a huge prank. Read the rest of this entry »

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Years ago when I asked a former Chicago Symphony Orchestra manager why we didn’t hear more early music conductors leading the CSO, I was told that most had poor baton technique. Of course, given that the stand-up conductor with a baton was a late innovation during the eras that constitute early music, many early music conductors conducted—as was often true then—within the ensemble itself.

For Trevor Pinnock, the founder of the celebrated and pioneering British early music ensemble the English Concert, that often meant doing so from the harpsichord. There will be no harpsichord at this week’s CSO concerts, where Pinnock will make his long overdue CSO debut, though he has been to Chicago before with the English Concert and the experience was indeed a memorable one.

This Haydn-heavy program includes the Overture to his opera “The Desert Island” and the Cello Concerto, with Russian cellist Pavel Gomziakov also making his CSO debut, along with Fauré’s orchestral suite “Masques et bergamasques” and the monumental penultimate Mozart Symphony No. 40 in g minor, K. 550.  (Dennis Polkow)

April 29, 30, May 1 at 8pm; May 4, 7:30pm, Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan, (312) 294-3000.

The Chasm

“Everybody knows about Metal Haven, and everybody loves Mark [Weglarz],” says Brendan Joyce of Reggie’s Rock Club. And the way Joyce and Reggie’s owner, Robby Glick, talk it seems as obvious as pairing peanut butter with chocolate. Metal Haven, the long-standing record store, is closing its doors sometime in May, but it’s not going down quietly. “Those guys [Joyce and Glick] contacted me out of the blue and told me that some of my customers approached them about doing a benefit show for the store,” says Weglarz, owner of Metal Haven. “I was actually speechless.” The Metal Haven Farewell Show is now officially set for May 1 at Reggie’s, complete with seven bands. “We put our heads together, and I think we’re going to have a kick-ass show,” says Weglarz. “I want it not to be just a celebration of the store, but the whole scene.” Without citing specifics, Weglarz has hinted at some nice freebies and giveaways that will be going on at the show. It might be a little ironic celebrating the passing of yet another record store just weeks after National Record Store Day, but such has become the nature of the business. “Anyone that’s been in a band or is old enough to be influenced by going to the record store hates seeing what’s come of these stores,” says Glick. (Peter Cavanaugh)

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Chapterhouse never really got a fair shake. The Reading band, which formed and found its style amongst other early-nineties shoegaze acts like Slowdive, Ride and Moose, essentially stopped making music in 1993 as its members went their separate ways and the genre lost its battle with the skyrocketing popularity of grunge and hard rock. (Chapterhouse famously followed Nirvana’s set at the 1991 Reading Festival.) After My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless” and one or two of Slowdive’s records, Chapterhouse’s debut full-length, “Whirlpool,” long out-of-print until re-released a few years ago, stands as one of the great complete shoegaze records, doused in reverb (of course), vocals buried, guitars chiming and bracing. “Breather,” one of Chapterhouse’s most famous songs, stands the test of time as both a fantastic pop number and proof that a shoegaze song can make you move. The band reunited for a gig in November of last year with Ulrich Schnauss, and apparently decided to give it another go, as it added short tours for 2010. Fans of the genre and that early-nineties Reading scene shouldn’t miss this—maybe this will bring “Whirlpool” to the masses, where it should’ve gone all those years ago. Bonus: Schnauss plays as well. (Tom Lynch)

May 5 at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln, (773)525-2501, at 9pm. $16.

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In a scene littered with childish dance songs and simplistic lyrics, Pseudo Slang brings its crusade for honesty and authenticity in hip-hop to Quenchers. Tone Atlas and Emcee Sick’s first project, a compilation of unreleased tracks recorded between 1999 and 2004 called “The Catalogue,” earned the group international praise for its fresh approach to the genre. They signed with Fat Beats Records a year later and released the single “Broke & Copasetic” the next, along with a couple of mixtapes. It would be three years, though, until Pseudo Slang put together a debut studio album, releasing “We’ll Keep Looking” in spring 2009—a testament to the duo’s commitment to providing truth not heard in mainstream hip-hop. The show will be a homecoming for Tone Atlas, who said lyrics on the album were “steeped in reality.” The hometown crowd will definitely appreciate the hard work evident in the group’s sharp, intelligent lyrical content coupled with smooth, mellow, jazz-inflected beats. (Darrel Sangster)

April 30 at Quenchers, 2401 N. Western, (773)276-9730, at 9pm. $5.

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Since Quasi’s start in the mid-nineties, the two-headed monster of Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss has continually grown more political and, honestly, weirder. In the beginning, Coomes’ ruthless piano and distorted-keyboard playing spearheaded the duo’s attack, a sound so signature and unique that it managed to keep the band apart from Pacific Northwest peers like Built to Spill and other Up Records artists. Over the years, Coomes has faded out the keys and moved towards a heavy guitar sound, influenced by blues-rock and presumably a rising level of angst. While the newer records may not boast the memorable tracks of “Field Studies” or best-output “Featuring ‘Birds,’” Coomes and Weiss (along with bassist Joanna Bolme, on board since 2006) still hold the power to floor. Quasi’s new record, “American Gong,” kicks off with rocker “Repulsion,” a bold and expressive opener that features an elongated pronunciation of the title that brings a gleeful smile, even though it’s slightly ridiculous. Live, Janet Weiss has been one of the more entertaining drummers in indie rock, from her work in Sleater-Kinney to this band to her current gig as drummer in Stephen Malkmus’ band. It’s nice to know Quasi is always there. (Tom Lynch)

May 1 at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln, (773)525-2501, at 10pm. $12-$14.

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Warm, ear-tickling vinyl pops give way to ghetto and brimstone pulpit samples, then beautifully hypnotic Marimba harmonics just this side of Kaneda cruising Neo Tokyo in “Akira.” This is the sound of “Walk Tall,” the deceptively bumping leadoff track from Glimpse’s forthcoming album “Runner” (Crosstown Rebels). Already turning heads is the second track and advanced single “If I Was Your Girl,” a catchy, summery breath of soul-infused feelgood house which, along with “Walk Tall,” seems to set the mood for “Runner,” a solid exercise in house/techno/jazz/soul fusion. But before you write off Glimpse’s latest effort as just another attempt of a cold techno producer looking through Moby’s steaming compost pile for unused samples of yesteryear earsugar, understand that man-behind-the-moniker Chris Spero has always showcased his artistic progressions. His twelve-inch “Black” releases (2004-07) started with the skullfucking techno of “Dig This” (from “20% Black”), and morphed into minimal wonkiness (the “40% Black” and “60% Black” releases), and perhaps precursors of his more current soulful side surfacing in “Stealing Nina” (“80% Black”), and even beach-sunrise set material in “It The Living Things” (“100% Black”). Read the rest of this entry »

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Rockie Fresh has made real strides in his relatively short hip-hop career. Officially entering the game three years ago, Rockie already has a solid track record performing alongside notable acts like The Cool Kids, Rhymefest and Kidz in the Hall, culminating in a well-received set at this year’s SXSW. With his mixtape “Rockie’s Modern Life” downloaded more than 3,000 times within the first month of its release, and single “Fly Like This,” voted number one on WGCI 107.5′s GoiLL Radio show for several weeks, Rockie has emerged as one of the city’s more promising new artists, though he remains unsigned and relatively unknown outside of the Chicago area. But, as he proclaims on the track “Yo,” it’s time for people to see he’s the one. Influenced by acts ranging from The Beatles to Jay-Z, Rockie’s versatility has hip-hoppers comparing him to the likes of Kid Cudi, Wiz Khalifa and Drake—members of a growing generation of young emcees fed up with the staleness of mainstream rap. Able to smoothly transition between tricky, tongue-twisting cadences and a laid-backness that makes backpackers smile, Rockie has the potential to transcend the “underground” label with tracks like “Rockie Go Get Um” proving that he can accommodate club rats and create catchy party anthems with the best of them. (Darrel Sangster)

May 5 at Subterranean, 2011 W. North, (773)278-6799, 9:30pm, $7; May 8 at Subterranean, 10:30pm, $7-$10.

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Sultry songstress Corinne Bailey Rae brings her soulful sounds to the Vic Theatre to promote her sophomore album “The Sea.” The English sensation sprang onto the scene in 2006, winning multiple Grammy Awards for her self-titled debut. Now, after dealing with the unexpected death of her husband in 2008, the 31-year-old singer/songwriter hopes her second release builds on that early success, which drew comparisons to R&B icons like Billie Holiday and Nina Simone and generated hits like “Put Your Records On” and “Like A Star.”  Bailey takes fans on an emotionally charged ride with “The Sea”; venturing everywhere from the love she shared with her late husband on easygoing “Closer,” to the depression that came with her loss on the melancholy “Love’s On Its Way,” to reflections on the beauty of life on upbeat and catchy single “Paris Nights/New York Mornings.” Experiencing tremendous pain, but courageously fighting through and emerging stronger, the album’s immense emotional contrast displays incredible range and talent. (Darrel Sangster)

Corinne Bailey Rae plays the Vic Theatre,3145 N. Sheffield, (773)472-0449, victheatre.com, April 22 at8pm. $25.

Patrice Michaels with the Bach Week Orchestra Chorus

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There is a lot of early music going on this week, with the City of Chicago’s first-ever Early Music Festival, which also includes ticketed performances by “partner” venues as well as free performances by the Department of Cultural Affairs across city venues. Along with all of those events, the weekend of the end of that new festival brings with it the beginning of another early music event that already has a long history, the 37th annual Bach Week.

This year’s festival includes three concerts that will be exclusively devoted to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, with the exception of the Chicago premiere of the “Baroque Suite” for Brass, Timpani and Orchestra, composed by Richard Webster  (the festival’s music director since 1975), and which is Webster’s own homage to the music of Bach. Read the rest of this entry »