On Friday, May 7, Moosebox presents Madonna vs. Kylie at Wild Pug, 4810 N. Broadway. The outfit previously had a fun-filled night of Erasure vs. Pet Shop Boys, whereby the playlist alternated between each duo's catalog.
A friend asked me which pop diva I preferred, but that is like picking a favorite child and then telling people about it. One night, insomnia got the best of me, so I came up with 16 different categories to rate the two stars, ranging from singles, covers, dancing, songwriting, collaborations, tours, vocals, videos, and acting ( Street Fighter or Swept Away, anyone? ) . Coincidentally, it came out to a perfect draw.
Minogue just announced on kylie.com that her eleventh album, Aphrodite, is due out early July. Warner Brothers recently issued the CD and DVD set of Madonna's The Sticky & Sweet Tour. Hopefully 51-year-old icon will be delivering the goods under her new contract with Live Nation soon.
Mothers are the unsung heroes, miracle workers and support team without whom none of us would be here. Whether recognizing your own mother, stepmom, children, sisters, grandma or even your drag mother, this Mother's Day let's salute the old lady through music.
When I first heard "Acapella" by Kelis, I wondered how she could come up with such an undying love song after her public divorce from Nas. The club hit is inspired by her son's birth. In the video, Kelis portrays a futuristic hunter. At the end of the clip, the "Milkshake" singer has her infant son in tow. Kelis' new album, Skin Tone, is due out July 6.
In 1986 Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer's mother was murdered by their father before he killed himself. On her latest, Crows, Moorer has the lullaby "The Stars & I ( Mama's Song ) ," where she knows that her mother is looking over her still, just from another realm. Crows is out now via Rykodisc.
The Spice Girls scored a hit overseas with "Mama." This pop gem reflects the imperfect relationships between parents and kids. But at the end of the day, a magical bond remains. "Mama" appears on the quintet's debut Spice and Greatest Hits.
Boy George wrote my favorite song "That's the Way ( I'm Only Trying to Help You ) ," an ode to a mom who is losing her son to drugs. This autobiographical piano-based ballad first came out on Culture Club's Colour by Numbers a few years before O'Dowd's public drug scandals. Although "That's the Way" is just an album track and the b-side to "Karma Chameleon," Boy George loves performing it live, especially since the number shows off his back up vocalist's pipes.
Singer-songwriter Carrie Rodriguez will be The Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln, with The Pines and Tim Easton Friday, May 14. The Austin, Texas, native just issued Love & Circumstance, a 10-track collection of covers. Here, she marries the worlds of folk, country and alternative on remakes of her father's "When I Heard Gypsy Davy Sing" and Lucinda Williams' "Steal Your Love." One of the album's many highlights is a melodic spin on Little Village's "Big Love." The album's tempo is picked up, as Rodriguez adds a dose of country to M. Ward's "Eyes on the Prize."
Still can't get your Rodriguez fix? She joins Doug Wamble for the duet "It May Be a Dream" on his self-titled album.
This summer Chicago is hosting Lollapalooza, Pitchfork and multiple street festivals. After peaking at the scheduled performers, I have to ask, "Where are the out and proud artists?" Enter The Alt Q Festival. Organizer Scott Free really has outdone himself with assembling an all queer line-up.
The Alt Q Festival
The 10th-anniversary "Best in Show" Alt Q Festival will take place at The Old Town School of Folk Music Saturday, May 15.
While on stage, Namoli Brennet reveals insights to her work and what inspires her usually dark material. Black Crow, released on Brennet's Flaming Dame Records, opens with the uplifting "Iowa." Here, the Tucson-based multi-instrumentalist sings, "To be free, I will be revealed in Iowa." Brennet is back to her melancholy ways on "Blink" and "Try ( Again ) ."
On Coyote Grace's latest, Ear to the Ground, Ingrid Elizabeth remarkably tells her vantage in a relationship with a transman on "Girls Like Me ( Summertime ) " and "Picture Frame." Coyote Grace's video to the beautifully shot "Guy Named Joe" is directed by the talented Joshua Klipp.
Wishing Chair's eighth outing is titled Stand Up 8, based on the Japanese proverb, "Fall down seven times, get up eight." Here, Kiya Heartwood recalls Amy Ray on "Fiddlin On" and "Washed Away." "Boston" stands out with the refrain "if I see a god, I will ask her." "Si Se Puede" has the Obama campaign slogan in Spanish and adds some Latin flair to the set.
On "Bowling Alley," Chicago's Actor Slash Model humorously revisits a bowling alley we all have been to. The accordion keeps a rendition of Hank Williams Sr.'s "Ramblin' Man" rolling, with its fitting chorus, "when the lord made me, he made a ramblin' man."
The duo's documentary, Riot Acts, covers gender variance in relation to performance and music. It is making the rounds in the film-festival circuit. Actor Slash Model collaborates with Riot Folk's Brenna Sahatjian on the newly released album Things You Can't Keep.
When Heat Birds performed at Alt Q last year, this was one of the act's first gigs. A cool hipster vibe combined with the essence of jazz greats like Dinah Washington and Ella Fitzgerald resulted in a standing ovation.
The Chicago-based group's debut EP opens with "Strumpet Strutt," which has a wistful whistle. Lead singer Stella has the knack for rhythm and impeccable timing here and on "Ballad of the Moon." Heat Birds will be taking to the stage at Milwaukee's Pridefest this year as well.
For more tickets and information on Alt Q Festival, please visit, altqfestival.com .
