THE WHISTLER

New video from Golden Birthday. We haven’t heard much from these guys recently, but there’s reason to be excited. According to the their label, Rainbow Body Records:

Precious few sounds have escaped the vaults of Chicago’s Golden Birthday since their 2008 debut full-length, Infinite Leagues. But as anybody close to the inner workings of the band can attest, appearances can be deceiving. Far from content to gather dust, Golden Birthday have masked themselves in the perceived silence while steadily working to build a dense body of new material, weaving the warbled new-wave of their debut with a panorama of influences new and old, musical and otherwise.

Golden Birthday’s new album, Blue Island, is coming June 26 via Rainbow Body.

—Billy

Showing at the Whistler tomorrow at 7:00pm is the Italian crime giallo, “Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man” (NSFW trailer above).

Referenced in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 2, Uomini Si Nasce Poliziotti Si Muore (1976, Italy) opens with an insane motorcycle chase that was filmed in rush hour in downtown Rome with no permission from the local authorities. To top it off, this is one of the most violent and unconventional Italian action films of its time. The credit goes to the director, Ruggero Deodato, best known for his infamous and censored film Cannibal Holocaust, and the scriptwriter Fernando Di Leo, author and director of some of the best Italian gangster films from the 1970s such as Caliber 9, The Boss and The Italian Connection. Never before in film history have we seen such nihilistic and pathological behavior from protagonists, who in this film happen to be two policeman: Alfredo (Marc Porel) and Antonio (Ray Lovelock), members of an anti-crime squad who shoot down their assailants even before they have committed a crime.

Following the featured movie we’ll screen a few more Italian crime giallos—Hail Mafia, The Italian Connection, and Contraband—while the Impala Sound Champion DJs do their thing on the turntables.

—Billy

The Arrigo Park is back on our menu. Made with Rittenhouse Bonded Rye Whiskey, Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth, Cynar, and Cucumber, this summery, “brown and stirred” cocktail holds a special place in my heart because it was the first drink I created that made it onto our menu. In the early days of the Whistler, I’d often make myself a Boulevardier to sip on at closing time, but I’d sub Cynar for Campari. Cynar was my favorite ingredient at the time and one day—half joking, really—I threw a slice of cucumber into the drink, figuring the artichoke in Cynar needed a veggie friend to keep it company. Well, that little cucumber proved to be the ingredient that made this drink snap. We put it on the menu soon after and it became one of our most popular drinks. Time Out Chicago even named it as one of the best drinks of 2009 (although they credited it to the wrong Whistler bartender… c’est la vie). So with the return of the warm weather, we see the return of the Arrigo Park. I hope you enjoy it as much as I still do.

—Billy

Yours Truly just posted this clip from their recent session with Lee Fields and co. “Still Hanging On” is from Fields’ latest, Faithful Man.

—Billy

Whistler Records News

This is Cinema

Coming in July from Whistler Records is the much-anticipated, debut album by This is Cinema. This local duo employs a dizzying array of electronics and instruments to create a sound that ranges from electro-inspired freakouts to ambient and ethereal, all the while maintaining a focus on tight, pop songwriting. This is Cinema will be appearing live at the Whistler tomorrow—Wednesday, May 23rd—and at Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival on Friday, July 20th. The band will then be touring the eastern United States and Canada in support of their new album. If you’d like to help set up a show for these guys on the east coast in late-July/August, please email booking@whistlerchicago.com.

ITB

We just did a second pressing of In Tall Buildings debut album, which you can pick up here. Bandleader Erik Hall will be a busy guy this summer. He’s working on the next In Tall Buildings record in his spare time between tours with ITB and his other two bands, NOMO and Wild Belle (who, by the way, just signed with EMI last week). In Tall Buildings will also be appearing at the Do Division Street Fest on Saturday, June 2nd, and will be adding a second Chicago street festival appearance later this summer — stay tuned for details on that one.

Cains & Abels

Cains & Abels new album, My Life Is Easy, just came out on Whistler Records a few weeks ago and so far the response has been great. The band also has a lathe cut 7” and music video for their single “Stay Home Tonight”, plus another 7” on the way for “Money”. Cains & Abels are performing at the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival on Saturday, July 21st and are planning a short tour and residency later this summer.

And last but not least: Look for instrumental noise-mongers Relay Beken to drop their debut album via Whistler Records later this summer.

—Billy

Whistler

The Whistler is hiring bar server, barback, and door positions. If interested, drop off your resume on one of the following dates:

  • Tuesday, May 22nd, 2:00-4:00pm
  • Wednesday, May 23rd, 1:30-3:30pm

Note: Resumes submitted outside of these times will not be considered.

Thanks!

Tonight at the Whistler, the Glad Cloud Ambient Music Series welcomes the Volcano Choir’s Jim Schoenecker and Jim Dorling, formerly of DRMWPN and Town & Country.

Glad Cloud is a monthly series that celebrates the rich landscape of Chicago musicians working with ambient music. It provides an opportunity for ambient musicians to color the air, walls, and liquids of the Whistler in a deliberately non-intrusive manner. Visitors can enjoy their cocktails and companions while the music envelops the room around them.

—Billy

Check out Bonnie “Prince” Billy dancing through the streets of Glasgow with a couple Chicago friends in this remake of 1999’s “I See A Darkness”. The song is featured on his upcoming EP, Now Here’s My Plan, which is out June 24th via Drag City.

—Billy

Summer Girlfriends have a fun, new video for “Shockwaves”, the first single off their debut album, coming June 5th on Addenda Records. You can catch Summer Girlfriends live at Summer Sessions on July 28th.

—Billy

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Serengeti

—Amnesia

via Pitchfork:

Chicago rapper/producer Serengeti already released a gonzo EP this year, Kenny Dennis; on July 31, he’ll put out a new long-player called C.A.R. (that’s “Classic American Rap”). The thing’s coming out on Anticon, and it features contributions from folks in that world like WHY?’s Yoni Wolf, Odd Nosdam, and Jel. “Amnesia” is the fourth track on the album.

Hey Chicago folks, save the date: On June 23rd, Serengeti is headlining a FREE show at the Logan Square monument. Summer Sessions on the Square is a monthly concert series presented by CHIRP Radio and the Whistler that runs from June through September. Bring your own food and drink, kick back on the grass, and enjoy live music on Saturday, June 23rd by Serengeti, The Sweats, and Las Guitarras de España. Visit the Whistler website for more info.

—Billy