The last we heard from Detroit’s The Hard Lessons, band members “Augie” and “Ko-Ko” had come up with a pretty clever concept: release four EPs, title it the “B&G Sides” and give each a short intro, a “boy” song and a “girl” song. Cute idea, it’s just too bad The Hard Lessons are to rock music what The Jonas Brothers are to rock music (sans the popularity). With wildly insipid guitar distortion and hooks that are tiresome by the second chorus, The Hard Lessons have—sadly—absolutely nothing going for them. Yet Augie and Ko-Ko insist on pushing this “Damn, we’re so rock ‘n’ roll!” attitude, like a couple of punk teenagers trying to pick a fight with Andre the Giant. “Hey Hey My My,” they sing, presumably just to rhyme the next line: “rock ‘n’ roll will never die”—this right before asking “Am I the story of Johnny Rotten?” (whatever that’s supposed to imply). Not surprisingly, The Hard Lessons sound best when they completely abandon this “Rahr! We’re from Detroit and we like our rock ‘n’ roll hot and loud!” façade. The “B&G” session’s best (read: least grating) song, “Everything Away,” is the sort of piano pop you’d expect from Vanessa Carlton. Why not drop the fake rock-star attitude, write some pop songs and make some money? It’s better for the both of us. (Andy Seifert)
March 5 at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, (773)525-2508, at 8pm. $10.
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
Cooling It: A Preview of Colleen Green at Cole’s Bar When Green strums power chords or chiming notes on top of her backing track, you might think you’re at Ramones karaoke night and Madonna is taking her turn.
For “Want” of a Change: A Preview of Rufus Wainwright at Ravinia Park Rufus Wainwright isn’t the first singer-songwriter to reinterpret earlier work through an orchestral lens. And much of Wainwright’s third and fourth albums, “Want One” and “Want Two”—whose twentieth anniversaries are the prompt for this new tour—is fully scored. But when Wainwright hits the Pavilion stage at Ravinia tonight, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be behind him.
The last we heard from Detroit’s The Hard Lessons, band members “Augie” and “Ko-Ko” had come up with a pretty clever concept: release four EPs, title it the “B&G Sides” and give each a short intro, a “boy” song and a “girl” song. Cute idea, it’s just too bad The Hard Lessons are to rock music what The Jonas Brothers are to rock music (sans the popularity). With wildly insipid guitar distortion and hooks that are tiresome by the second chorus, The Hard Lessons have—sadly—absolutely nothing going for them. Yet Augie and Ko-Ko insist on pushing this “Damn, we’re so rock ‘n’ roll!” attitude, like a couple of punk teenagers trying to pick a fight with Andre the Giant. “Hey Hey My My,” they sing, presumably just to rhyme the next line: “rock ‘n’ roll will never die”—this right before asking “Am I the story of Johnny Rotten?” (whatever that’s supposed to imply). Not surprisingly, The Hard Lessons sound best when they completely abandon this “Rahr! We’re from Detroit and we like our rock ‘n’ roll hot and loud!” façade. The “B&G” session’s best (read: least grating) song, “Everything Away,” is the sort of piano pop you’d expect from Vanessa Carlton. Why not drop the fake rock-star attitude, write some pop songs and make some money? It’s better for the both of us. (Andy Seifert)
