25 May 14

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen ...welcome to the carnival..." ~ Mr. Agitator

 

 

Villains, Superheroes, and Goths ...oh my!?

 

Yes, blogspot readers, besides being a hot bed of sports activity, Chicago surrendered itself to Villains and Superheroes for the C2E2 and Goths for Convergence 20. Oh, what's a reviewer like SouthSide do? Well ...need to worry - she did both! First, she made a quick appearance at Bottom Lounge to say "hi" and welcome the lovely guests visiting town for Convergence 20 before making that mad CTA dash to Hard Rock Café for the Fallon Flynn Farewell party featuring Mr. Agitator, Vex, The Pulse, Fallon Flynn ...and a new Villain rockin' the stage as V Is For Villains. What a fantastic weekend happening around town...

 

Fallon Flynn - he will be sorely missed.

 

Recently, Fallon Flynn (real identity withheld) made a tough yet difficult decision to (temporarily) withdraw from the band known as V Is For Villains to trade-in his mask for one as a *gasp* family man. Yep, there's a little Villain or Villainess on the way, blogspot readers for this Villain guitarist and girlfriend which means the Villain nation will be short one vital person to support Mr. Agitator's planned villainy to rule the world! However ...all is not lost for this rockin' band of "evil" cohorts! There's a new Villain member stepping in Fallon's shoes for the time being. But before he could join the "normal" world as a regular person, Villains everywhere converged recently at Hard Rock Café to give this fearless guitarist the BIGGEST farewell bash ever thus making it a night no villain would not forget.

 

This was no ordinary V Is For Villains show, blogpot readers! It was the stage performance of their lifetime as our heroes (looking ever so snazzy in their costumes of villainy) opened the show with such intense fierceness during "Downright Arrogant". They were fired up ...energized ...pumping their "evil" villainy to the fullest that Eva Trixx believes it might have frightened a few of the Hard Rock Café patrons little. As Minister of Misinformation, let Eva be the first to tell you - WAKE UP, world! V Is For Villains will take over ...so either "Evolve or Die" ...resistance is futile. Okay back to the review. It was that energized momentum which had many crowding the stage singing along with the Villains leader, Mr. Agitator, song after song. Never had this villainess seen him so vigorously, passionately pumped on stage before ...not even when performing a couple of months ago at Bottom Lounge. It was that intense that Mr. Agitator was stripping off his costume ...down to his shirt and pants. Tonight, it was villainy at the purest form.

 

Performing songs like "Black Swan" (a Villains love ballad), "Everybody Hates Me", and "Broken Doll", this band rocked the stage with a bit of demented sexiness while performing the Nine Inch Nails cover "Closer". There was a sense of erotic sexiness wafting around the venue, blogspot readers, that could be felt as well as heard. Yet, this villainized song also had its moments of creepiness but it felt so sadistically good down to the very last piano rhythm drops (by the lovely Vex). Still this was Fallon's party ...so there were plenty of playful banter and antics between villain brothers especially when Mr. Agitator took a moment to express his heartfelt thanks to Fallon for all that he has done for and with the band during the last 3 years (wow - has it been that long?!). Fallon did promise to return. "Rise Above" and accept your inner villain person, blogspot readers! Yes, everyone's a "Sinner" and wants to be "Popular".

 

As for the new villain guy taking over Fallon's place as cohort and co-leader to Mr. Agitator ...those are mighty HUGE shoes he has to fill. Yet in Eva Trixx's opinion, he does fit in nicely with the Villains stage presence and guitar work (but needs to work on the costume a little) especially when rockin' the fan favorite "Pink Elephants". He may not be Fallon Flynn but he does execute the intense guitar riffs and sound needed to vitalize this band's energy to its full potential ...he doesn't miss a beat either when it comes to adding a bit of his own personality into each song played. The new guitarist (whose identity remains a secret for now) does have the "evil" chops to support Mr. Agitator's goal of ruling the world with one new villain convert at a time. Eva highly recommends every villain within the Villain nation to welcome the Villains new guitarist when attending the next V Is For Villains show.

 

For more information about V Is For Villains, visit http://www.visforvillains.com.

 

 

Until next time, support your local scene,

SouthSide

 



Convergence 20 Chicago First & Last & Always update

Hey, blogspot readers, it's nearly 4 months until Convergence 20 Chicago rocks this town! SouthSide has just received the following announcements from the Convergence committee. 

Congratulations to all who were chosen!

The Convergence 20 Chicago Art Show will feature the work of talented amateurs and seasoned professionals alike. Attendees may look forward to viewing the dark artwork of many internationally well-known artists, side-by-side with talented newcomers whose work may be debuting at C20. We are proud to announce the first list of artists whose work will be displayed:

Nathan Judah
Alexander Dean
Karl Jahnke
Dawn Brennan
Dana Day
Eliza Stockfisch
Geo Alderson
G. Edwin Taylor
Brittany Hanks
Jennifer Anne Buckley
Chad Savage
Chrystyne
Jim Sorfleet / SnS Photos
Scott Jackson
Faith Betinis

Additional artists may be added. Further information on the artists will be added to the C20 Chicago website soon!

As with the band submissions, we had a *ton* of entries from DJs wanting to spin at C20 Chicago. Choosing a small number out of such a wealth of talent is never easy, and we thank each & every one who was interested in the event. We are still awaiting final confirmation from a few, but other than them, here is our official DJ line-up!

Fross (London, UK)
Peroxide (Chicago)
Skeletal (St. Louis)
Rickbats (San Antonio, TX)
Mike Voodoo (Hollywood, CA)
Arcanus (Boston)
Cadaverine (Chicago)
DirtNap (Chicago)
DirtyMessiah (Green Bay, WI)
End: The DJ (San Diego)
Wormwood Star (Austin)
Dave Bats (Los Angeles)
Schadenfreude (New Orleans)
Garz (Milwaukee)
Carrie Monster (Chicago)
The Pirate Twins (Chicago)


Further info on the DJs & the genres of music they'll be playing will be posted soon!

The Convergence 20 Chicago committee is pleased to announce the line-up of designers who will take part in the C20 fashion show:

Azrael's Accomplice Designs (Dallas/Ft. Worth)
Silversärk (Milwaukee)
Calla Corsets (NYC)
Ick by Industrialkitty (Chicago)
Devoid and Deveil (Chicago)
Morrigan New York (NYC)
Kinki Kitty (Detroit)

Detailed information on the designers will be added to the C20 Chicago website soon.

In the end, there were nearly 50 bands who submitted to play at Convergence 20 Chicago and only 8 slots to fill! This wasn’t an easy task and it took months to decide. If possible, we easily could have turned C20 from a 3-night event into a week-long array of bands, bands, bands! We believe we've made a great selection from those who submitted who will represent the spirit of Convergence & the subculture surrounding it, put on a fantastic live performance, and be entertaining even for those who may be as-of-yet unfamiliar with their music. 

Many thanks to *all* of the bands who submitted! As stated above, there were *many* who would have also been great choices, and we wish you all the very best!!!

Detailed bios & links for all the bands will be up soon, but without further ado:

Sunshine Blind (San Francisco)
Pretentious, Moi? (London, UK)
Arch Visceral Parlor (Chicago)
The Gothsicles (Chicago)
EVC - Ending The Vicious Cycle (Dallas/Ft. Worth)
Peeling Grey (Los Angeles)
I:Scintilla (Chicago)
(*There is still one band left we are waiting on for confirmation.TBA soon!)

As soon as SouthSide receives the announcement about the vendors chosen, she will post it on the blog, blogspot readers.

Until next times, support your local scene,

SouthSide

From the Desk of SouthSide

Hey, blogspot readers, here's some news that you can use...

1.  Vendors, listen up! If you want to participate in the C20 Chicago Bizarre Bazaar, the time is now to sign up. From Saturday 23 November 2013 to Thursday 23 January 2014, interested vendors must send an email with the subject title "C20 Chicago Vendor" to C20Chicago@gmail.com. Merchants must include the following - their name, the name of their company, links to pertinent websites with photos of items to be offered and a brief introduction/description. Shortly all interested vendors will be receiving an email reply containing all pertinent information (size of booth per vendor, cost per vendor, set up/tear down times, lighting, electrical, etc). "...We will endeavor to answer all questions a vendor might have in that email but are happy to provide answers for anything further..."

The final line up of vendors to be included in the C20 Chicago Bizarre Bazaar will be made no later than Thursday 30 January 2014.

2. Recently, JBTV released 29 years of live music performances on ArchLive TV, blogspot readers.  View classic modern rock performances never seen before in their entirety in full HD as well as interviews and RARE classic shows. New content is added every week. Watch today online on your computer or iPad for $3.99/month which unlocks all content like liner notes and selectable set lists.

Go to JBTV on ArchLive TV - http://www.archlive.tv/channel/jbtv

Enjoy!

3.

50th Anniversary of Beatles' Arrival In America To Be Celebrated At 2014 "Fest For Beatles Fans" The initial details for the 2014 Fest For Beatles Fans has been announced by Mark Lapidos, President and Founder of the event.  Celebrating the landmark 50th anniversary of the Beatles' first arrival in America, the Fest will take place on February 7, 8, and 9, 2014 - the exact dates the Fab Four landed at JFK Airport, and made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.  That TV show - on February 9th, 1964 - garnered the largest US viewing audience in history, snagging 45% of the total population, a statistic that still stands today.  The 2014 Fest will also celebrate the 40th year Lapidos has been producing this event.  The 2014 Fest will be held in NYC at the Grand Hyatt Hotel next to Grand Central Station (42nd St. and Lexington Ave.).  The celebration begins on Friday (7) from 5pm through midnight and goes through Saturday (8) and Sunday (9) from 10:30am to midnight.  Among the festivities planned are live concerts by superstar artists of the British Invasion period, newsreel and fan films of the Beatles, the world's largest Beatles memorabilia marketplace, meet &  greet opportunities, a fashion show, Q+A panels, dance parties, performances by some of the top new emerging indie bands and sponsorships with top national music magazine and radio stations. Full details are expected to be revealed within days. A newly designed website for The Fest For Beatles Fans is slated to be unveiled in early November at www.TheFest.com.