In Tall Buildings - The Way to a Monster's Lair

blink. is a Chicago-based musical collective steeped in jazz, rock, electronica, and free improvisation featuring bassist Jeff Greene, drummer Quin Kirchner, guitarist Dave Miller, and saxophonist Greg Ward. Individually, their compositions have been commissioned and performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble, the Peoria Ballet Company, and have received awards from the Illinois Arts Council. Their debut, The Epidemic of Ideas (2008), emphasized improvisation and was the result of countless hours of rehearsals, performances, and studio time. Their sophomore album, The Architects, comes from a different place. As the album title suggests, it’s an intricately constructed statement and the product of extensive composing and rehearsing. It features a narrative arc punctuated by numerous recurring themes which include melodies and chord progressions that unfold over the course of the album. Longtime fans of blink. will be pleased to discover that Jeff Greene’s new compositions still leave room for – and are balanced by – the group’s supreme improvisational skills.

Highlights include: “Protect from Light”, parts I and II, which bookend the album and feature looped electronic samples and a reprise of the central melodic theme. “Align Your Planets” is an energetic (and, at times, unhinged) song that features the guitar and saxophone playfully exchanging riffs, only to be reeled in by the rhythm section before building into a noisy, no wave-y climax. “How to Rest in Peace” follows and closes out the first side. It is a dreamy piece of ambient-jazz with sparse vocals that hint at what’s to come. Side B opens with “The Secret Life of Quiz Shows”, a song that features an ethereal choir of voices and stands out as a decidedly non-“jazz” track – in fact, it could easily be at home on a Greg Davis or Stars of the Lid album. “I Will Save the Day (II)” briefly returns to no wave territory before coming full circle when its looping bass line reappears deep in the mix. The Architects is an adventurous album that, like it’s predecessor, features a band with no shortage of ideas.

blink. is Jeff Greene (basses, samples, compositions), Quin Kirchner (drums, cymbals, percussion), Dave Miller (guitar, keys), and Greg Ward (alto saxophone, keys). The choir is Sean Archer, Leslie Beukelman, Amanda Crumley, Carl Glick, and Mariama Torruella. Engineered by Manny Sanchez at the I.V. Lab, Chicago, IL. Mixed by Manny Sanchez, Chris Harden, and Jeff Greene. Additional engineering by Rollin Weary and Shane Hendrickson. Mastered by Ed Tinley. Cover artwork by Matt Maxwell. All compositions written and published by Jeff Greene © 2011 My Secret Weapon Music.

blink. - Protect From Light (I)

blink. is a Chicago-based musical collective steeped in jazz, rock, electronica, and free improvisation featuring bassist Jeff Greene, drummer Quin Kirchner, guitarist Dave Miller, and saxophonist Greg Ward. Individually, their compositions have been commissioned and performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble, the Peoria Ballet Company, and have received awards from the Illinois Arts Council. Their debut, The Epidemic of Ideas (2008), emphasized improvisation and was the result of countless hours of rehearsals, performances, and studio time. Their sophomore album, The Architects, comes from a different place. As the album title suggests, it’s an intricately constructed statement and the product of extensive composing and rehearsing. It features a narrative arc punctuated by numerous recurring themes which include melodies and chord progressions that unfold over the course of the album. Longtime fans of blink. will be pleased to discover that Jeff Greene’s new compositions still leave room for – and are balanced by – the group’s supreme improvisational skills.

Highlights include: “Protect from Light”, parts I and II, which bookend the album and feature looped electronic samples and a reprise of the central melodic theme. “Align Your Planets” is an energetic (and, at times, unhinged) song that features the guitar and saxophone playfully exchanging riffs, only to be reeled in by the rhythm section before building into a noisy, no wave-y climax. “How to Rest in Peace” follows and closes out the first side. It is a dreamy piece of ambient-jazz with sparse vocals that hint at what’s to come. Side B opens with “The Secret Life of Quiz Shows”, a song that features an ethereal choir of voices and stands out as a decidedly non-“jazz” track – in fact, it could easily be at home on a Greg Davis or Stars of the Lid album. “I Will Save the Day (II)” briefly returns to no wave territory before coming full circle when its looping bass line reappears deep in the mix. The Architects is an adventurous album that, like it’s predecessor, features a band with no shortage of ideas.


blink. is Jeff Greene (basses, samples, compositions), Quin Kirchner (drums, cymbals, percussion), Dave Miller (guitar, keys), and Greg Ward (alto saxophone, keys). The choir is Sean Archer, Leslie Beukelman, Amanda Crumley, Carl Glick, and Mariama Torruella. Engineered by Manny Sanchez at the I.V. Lab, Chicago, IL. Mixed by Manny Sanchez, Chris Harden, and Jeff Greene. Additional engineering by Rollin Weary and Shane Hendrickson. Mastered by Ed Tinley. Cover artwork by Matt Maxwell. All compositions written and published by Jeff Greene © 2011 My Secret Weapon Music.

blink. - Align Your Planets

This limited edition 7-inch is being released in celebration of Record Store Day and features “Mädchen”, the lead single from the forthcoming debut album by Chicago’s This is Cinema. The band lives – and records – in a Logan Square coach house, where studio experimentation and analog tape machines are central to the songwriting process. As a result, This is Cinema’s music is lush and organic. Furthermore, the band exhibits a maturity that belies their young age (3/4’s of the band is just 21).

“Mädchen” (German for girls) is a sunny and joyous pop song, however the lyrics are cryptic. Beneath the jangly guitars and singer Ben Babbitt’s crooning voice, the band attempts to imitate drum machines by using analog tape manipulation and heavily processed acoustic drum recordings. The effect is striking: “Mädchen” is both beautiful and ugly, euphoric and sad. B-side “Gloom Cookie” is a non-album track that the band revived from an abandoned song pile. It’s This is Cinema’s idea of a full on rock song: a 4/4 beat with surreal lyrics and (why not?) a choir of tuned wine glasses, which are played on a home-made mellotron that was originally created by engineer/multi-instrumentalist Theo Karon for a cover of Bjork’s “Where Is the Line?”.

All music by This is Cinema, lyrics by Ben Babbitt, recorded and mixed by Theo Karon. A-side “Mädchen” was performed by Ben Babbitt (vocals, guitar, keyboard, tape loops), Theo Karon (keyboards, percussion, tape loops), Bob Buckstaff (bass), Marcin Sulewski (samples, percussion), Alex Babbitt (alien whale voice in the bridge), and Emily Cross (additional vocals). B-side “Gloom Cookie” was performed by Ben Babbitt (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Theo Karon (keyboards, wine glass choir), Bob Buckstaff (bass, guitar), and Marcin Sulewski (drums).

This is Cinema - Gloom Cookie

blink. - The Secret Life of Quiz Shows

From the album "A Man Can't Ride on One" by Stirrup

"Onstage, Stirrup have always multiplied the energy of their studio recordings, so it seems fitting that the long-running instrumental trio would get around to releasing a live effort. Tonight’s concert celebrates A Man Can’t Ride on One (Whistler), on which cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm puts his effects pedals through a workout to produce a sometimes lush, sometimes strident sound that celebrates churning melody. Maybe it sounds cliched, but the way he manipulates pulsating long tones, descending fillips, and brusque asides reminds me of the way Jimi Hendrix sculpted tuneful wonders from raw feedback. The group is propelled by bassist Nick Macri and drummer Charles Rumback, who embroider brisk rhythms with endless displacements and sideways accents. On three of the album’s pieces the trio are joined by muscular Milwaukee trumpeter Russ Johnson, who pushes the vibe more toward jazz, albeit with a wonderfully thick and viscous foundation—a number like “Jittery,” for instance, quotes from Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz.” " —Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader

https://www.facebook.com/stirrupchicago

Stirrup is Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello, tenor guitar), Nick Macri (bass), and Charles Rumback (drums). Formed in Chicago in 2009, the trio is a true collective with all three musicians writing and arranging with an emphasis on a unique, genre defiant group sound. Exploratory, deep bass ostinatos, moody harmonies, strings shape-shifting from lyrical to noise, extended structures, and a dynamic rhythmic pulse are all jumping off points for the group with a wide range influences as varied as the list of bands and musicians Stirrup’s members have worked with including Ken Vandermark, Anthony Braxton, Laetitia Sadier (of Stereolab), Wilco, Via Tania, Mark Eitzel, Nina Nastasia, Hector Zazou, Jeremy Enigk, L’Altra, Boxhead Ensemble and Peter Brötzmann. 

Stirrup’s debut album on 482 Records, Sewn, was met to critical acclaim upon release receiving favorable reviews in DownBeat, All About Jazz, TimeOut Chicago, Dusted, The Chicago Reader and more earning the band some invitations to notable festivals including the 35th International Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2014 in Austria and Over the Pavement: A Festival of Art Music in Detroit. 

Stirrup’s second album A Man Can't Ride On One, is a live recording from the band’s residency at the venerable Chicago venue and gallery, The Whistler. The title is a reference to an old saying when offered a second drink as well as a response to Joe McPhee’s call of "A bird can't fly on one wing”. Half the tracks feature jazz trumpet great Russ Johnson as a special guest. The dynamic performance was recorded by Alex Inglizian and mixed at Experimental Sound Studio by Alex and Fred. 

Stirrup — Curry Brush

Chicago-based guitarists Bill MacKay and Ryley Walker first met in January 2014 at a friend’s birthday party where they discovered a mutual admiration for Albert King, Laura Nyro, Nick Drake, Bert Jansch, Ali Akbar Khan and Jimi Hendrix. They soon began meeting at Bill’s southwest Chicago home to write and improvise together on their lived-in dreadnought 6-string guitars, with Ryley's 12-string and Bill's requinto making frequent appearances as the year wore on. The duo quickly developed their own musical vocabulary and the resulting sounds drew on traditional folk music from Appalachia to Northern India, as well as jazz and blues. Over the course of the year, an impressive repertoire of new songs and ideas coalesced.

In January 2015, Bill and Ryley took up a month-long, Friday night residency at The Whistler, a live music venue/gallery/record label in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. The overall spirit of the residency was that of a creative workshop producing music that ran in directions as wide as the duo’s interests. Each week, songs took on new shapes, while others were written and added to the always-evolving set list. Alex Inglizian of Experimental Sound Studios recorded the final two shows of the residency and Erik Hall (In Tall Buildings, Wild Belle) mixed the seven tracks that comprise Land of Plenty.

Land of Plenty is completely instrumental and falls somewhere between Ryley Walker’s acclaimed new album, Primrose Green (Dead Oceans), and Bill MacKay’s highly melodic work in Darts & Arrows. Songs run the gamut from fingerstyle ballads to psychedelic waltzes and raga-inspired blues. Guitar tone was a key element when selecting the tracks that made the cut. Like their live set up, Bill’s guitar can be heard on the left of the stereo picture and Ryley’s on the right. Although recorded in a bar in front of a capacity crowd, it’s not until the album’s final seconds that the fourth wall is dropped and the listener can hear the crowd’s raucous applause.

Bill MacKay & Ryley Walker — Land of Plenty

from the album "Eidetic" (release date: April 1, 2016)

On this thrilling new live recording, Cincinnati-based saxophonist/composer Dave McDonnell rips through the workhorses in the songbook he’s been developing over the years with his Chicago ensemble. Defaulting to the gut impulses of his virtuosic cast — featuring Jason Adasiewicz on vibraphone, Joshua Abrams on bass, and Quin Kirchner on drums —the group reinterprets McDonnell’s songs by embracing an Occam’s Razor-like approach, opting for the most direct method of channeling his music through the ensemble. This performance was all about the foursome interacting with one another and focusing on the flow of the music, rather than working through thorny arrangements, and as a result, the takes heard on Eidetic are the most robust and energetic versions of these tunes to date.

On the album’s opener “The Three Castles”, the rhythm section swings with fire and immediacy as Adasiewicz’s unmistakable vibraphone lends McDonnell’s saxophone melody an exotic, new harmonic persona. “Geranium” blooms with a remarkable urgency, climaxing in a searing solo by McDonnell; and by the album’s centerpiece, “Painter of Tigers”, the band is burning through syncopated gestural rhythms at a surprisingly comfortable speed. The suite’s only “new” tune, “Eubaldo’s Rainbow”, shifts gears with a strutting blues walk that bolsters McDonnell’s most spot-on Jackie McLean-channeling since his last Herculaneum outing. Eidetic closes with one of McDonnell’s most notable compositions, “Æthelstan”, but here the song’s original guitar part is replaced by airy vibraphone tones that brilliantly counter-balance McDonnell’s muscular performance on the saxophone.

“The changes in my life the past four years (having kids, teaching college) have made me realize that in order to continue to be creative and spend time inside my imagination, I have to work more efficiently than I ever thought I was capable of," says McDonnell. "I’ve learned to be honest with myself about what aspects of my work/writing/playing are most important to me and make artistic decisions that I might have been afraid to make before… So basically there’s no more bullshit.”

Dave McDonnell Group — Painter Of Tigers

http://whistlerchicago.com/records/cains-abels
http://cainsandabels.tumblr.com/
http://www.facebook.com/CainsandAbels

It’s easy to forget that not too long ago, listening to Rock & Roll was a teenage act of rebellion. For Cains & Abels frontman David Sampson, Rock & Roll records remained contraband; they could only be listened to in the quiet of night. Chalk it all up to a strict religious upbringing in which, according to Sampson, “only very specific classical and folk music were allowed in the house. For a kid down the street, it wasn’t rebellious at all, but for me, listening to the Beatles had the same charge that it would have in the 60’s.”
 
The name of the band calls to that very specific kind of rebellion. Conjuring the Old Testament sons of Adam, one evil and one good, Cains & Abels’ name represents about the juxtaposition and co-existance of good and bad, of pleasure and rebellion. “We’re all good people and we’re all evil,” Sampson says, “in the same actions, and we can’t help it.”
 
Although they’ve regularly been compared to certain lovesick folksingers, Cains & Abels lack any of the helplessness so often present in the classic folk rock oeuvre. Sampson writes songs that are indeed heartbroken—for lack of money, love, communication—but they’re also hopeful and aware of their own strength. Like the ballads born out of the mountains in the Appalachians, Cains & Abels songs tell stories using rich imagery and narrative. Sampson, however, doesn’t tell his tale over an acoustic guitar. This is rock and roll that recalls the sounds that lived inside Sampson’s teenage boom box: from classic soul and Elvis to more modern players like Neutral Milk Hotel and Will Oldham.
 
Sampson has a galloping, powerful voice, and it glides over the rich, warm guitar chords and spare drum beats of the bands emotive songs like a sermon and, sometimes, like a plea. The songs themselves present that opposition at times. They can be quiet and introspective, and then, at the next turn, booming and bursting with universal themes. Their new album, My Life Is Easy, begins with a soft harmony and a nearly tribal beat, with Sampson’s big voice filling the space with a plea for communication. On paper, this need is simple, something solved by a tiny phone call, but for a Cains & Abels song, the tiny call becomes a battle cry.



Cains & Abels — Stay Home Tonight

My Life is Easy — in stores March 27th, 2012

Although they’ve been compared to certain lovesick folksingers, Cains & Abels lack any of the helplessness so often present in the classic folk-rock oeuvre. David Sampson writes songs that are indeed heartbroken—for lack of money, love, communication—but they’re also hopeful and aware of their own strength. Sampson has a powerful voice that glides over layered guitar riffs and spare drum beats, much like a sermon or a plea. The songs themselves present that opposition. They can be quiet and introspective, while the next moment booming and bursting with universal themes. Their new album, My Life Is Easy, is out now on Whistler Records. Also available is a limited edition, Record Store Day 7" featuring "Stay Home Tonight" b/w "Turn On Your Radio (Harry Nilsson cover)".


Cains & Abels — Money

from This Is Cinema's forthcoming "Cycles" EP
Release date: July 31, 2012

Also available as a 7" record:
http://thewhistler.bigcartel.com/product/this-is-cinema-madchen-7



This Is Cinema — Mädchen

"I am a fan of composing shorter pieces that leave a lot of room for exploration," explains Greg Ward. "During the time of this recording, I was beginning to work a bit with the great Marvin Tate, an incredible poet, singer, and artist. Marvin can be heard on this track performing excerpts of his work including: Density and Destiny, Pain, My Life to the Present, and Insomnia in NYC."

Greg Ward: alto sax, compositions
Dave Miller: guitar, effects
Matt Gold: guitar, effects
Matt Ulery: electric bass, acoustic bass
Quin Kirchner: drums
Marvin Tate: words

Recorded by Todd Carter
Mixed by Erik Hall
Mastered by Anthony Gravino

Live at The Whistler

The 4th Reverie (Featuring Marvin Tate)

from "Glad Cloud Ambient Music Series, Volume One"

Sam Wagster — Same Size, Same Age

The Whistler's in-house record label.

BILL MACKAY + RYLEY WALKER, IN TALL BUILDINGS, DAVE McDONNELL GROUP, STIRRUP, WHITE MYSTERY, KARL BLAU, THE HOOD INTERNET x KID STATIC, ANGELA JAMES

Whistler Records

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