28 Jun 18 - SummerFest

Hey, blogspot readers, it's time for SouthSide to hit the road!

She's leaving Chicago for an overnight stay in Milwaukee, WI to attend Summerfest 2018! But first, she had to sit in traffic for a while due to a certain dislike president visiting Racine on the same day she's traveling. Luckily, the bus driver was willing to take the scenic route to avoid the nightmare on I-94 to arrive in Milwaukee just in time for her to rock with her friends The Crystal Method. However, this reviewer wasn't there just to see them. She walked around the large than life festival grounds listening to music by Alien Ant Farm to a singer-songwriter from Nashville named Claire Kelly to Dr. B and his funkadelic opening act before Sugar Hill Gang rocked out a HUGE crowd. 

SouthSide highly recommends checking out Claire Kelly. This musician entertained the audience with vivid imagery popping out of her lyrics while singing from the heart ...true stories like the one warning women not to fall in love with cowboys unless they want to be a verse in a country song (Be Careful When You Kiss In Nashville) and "The Art of Letting Go", a tender emotional piece. What really wowed this reviewer was her strong vocal tribute to Whitney Houston's "Wanna Dance With Somebody" but not done in a fast pop song however it was more emotional with her vocals popping out the want and need found in the lyrics. Also SouthSide hightly recommends getting your metal on with Living Several Deaths (from Milwaukee, WI). It was a metal experience to which her ears were blown off and her soul trembled under the wizard's rhythms.

Whew, blogspot readers, that was simply a tiny sample of what SouthSide saw and heard during her afternoon at Summerfest... 

The Crystal Method

Alien Ant Farm

Living Several Deaths

The enemy aka Packers

Claire Kelly at Tiki Hut stage

Dr. B

Sugar Hill Gang

One last thing, blogspot readers, a HUGE shout out to Carolyn and Jack, nice people who gave SouthSide a quick ride to her hotel after getting off the bus. Yes, Cubs and Sox fans can be friends!

Until next time, support your local scene,

SouthSide

04 Jul 14 - The Crystal Method

Now, a little peek into SouthSide’s past ...over 20 years ago, she was heavily into Chicago’s club scene being a regular at Excalibur (now known as The Castle).

Fast forward to the present, she’s about to make her return into that scene tonight...

Wait a minute ...hold up, SouthSide ...in a nightclub?!

No way!

Yes, blogspot readers, she made her official return back to the club circuit by attending The Mid’s The Crystal Method one-night only DJ set performance before heading northward to Milwaukee for their appearance at Summerfest.

Currently celebrating a 20 year music career/partnership, the duo, Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland as musicians, DJs and producers have culminated an extensive list of hit tracks like “(Can’t You)Trip Like I Do” (a collaboration with Filter for the movie Spawn), “Get Busy Child”, “High Roller”. “Born Too Slow”, “Drown in the Now” (another collaboration with Matisyahu) and many, many more. Their music and compositions have been featured in movies, television shows, video games and/or commercials like Fox’s Almost Human, Resident Evil: Extinction (featuring vocals by Milla Jovovich on the track “I Know It’s You”). X Games 3D: The Movie, Fast & Furious 6, Malcolm In The Middle, Bones ...just to name a few with the duo’s name attached to the music credits.

TCM recently released their latest album – The Crystal Method featuring the two hit singles “Emulator” and “Over It” with guest appearances like LeAnn Rhimes (on “Grace”), Le Castle Vania (on “Storm The Castle” and Afrobeta (on “After Hours”). To be honest, blogspot readers, SouthSide was quite nervous (and excited at the same time) about seeing The Crystal Method due to the fact she’s a longtime admirer of their music (especially her favorites “[Can’t You] Trip Like I Do” and “High Roller”). So, this reviewer felt honored attending their special DJ set as she stood on the balcony of the VIP area observing the action crowding all around the main floor below her.

Inside this River West club, The Mid was already crowded (especially on the main floor) with fashionably dressed clubsters, blogspot readers, beneath the dazzling spectacle of the neon lights and smoke machines (with a few bursts of confetti in between). Yet when The Crystal Method took over control of the DJ booth (after opening sets by Zebo and Mayhem), the entire club floor instantly swelled with more dancing patrons ...thus bursting to life amidst cheers and bouncing electronic rhythms. Everyone (SouthSide included) were excitedly grooving to the beat as these EDM masters thrilled the packed house with continuous dance party mixes (most of them off their current release) for nearly two hours. The “performance” itself featured rounds of intensified hardcore sound that rocked the ears with gradual crescendo rises before popping with those vibrant falls of electronic melodies.

As an admirer of The Crystal Method, she could see why many artists/bands want to collaborate with them due to the fact their music can be cutting edge like their French counterparts, Daft Punk, and crossover with other genres from hip hop to rock. For example, there was one track that featured a bit of technologic/robotic rhythms creating an industrial vibe before moving straight into a boppin’ dub step groove. It’s such music that kept this party crowd hopping track after track, blogspot readers. Still, it was more than just being excited for TCM’s music. It was a wild scene ...sometimes a little chaotic below SouthSide. Getting lost amidst the rhythmic flow of EDM, there was also neon lighting running in sync with the duo’s music as well as blasts of fog/smoke and confetti swirling around the crowd. Merely watching TCM interact and connect with their adoring fans was intriguing and exhausting at the same time especially when they said they love Chicago, its people and food before ending the night with “Get Busy Child”.

Ah ...what a fantastic night ...and week of music for this busy reviewer, blogspot readers. If you have the extreme chance, she highly recommends checking out The Crystal Method live and up close as they tour promoting their new album “The Crystal Method”. For more information, visit http://www.thecrystalmethod.com.

 

Until next time, support your local scene,

SouthSide