The Hood Internet, Lagwagon, The Presets, Sigur Ros

THE HOOD INTERNET
If mash-ups are your forte, The Hood Internet is a group you’ll want to familiarize yourself with. Self-described mixers of dirty South rap, Canadian indie rock, French touch electro, and “pretty much whatever else you’ve got”, The Hood Internet offers songs for every taste. The Chicago group is made up of Aaron Brink (a.k.a. ABX) and Steve Reidell (a.k.a. STV SLV) who met on the internet and, surprisingly, were huge rivals at one point during their careers. In spring of 2007 all rivalries were set aside when the two bought www.thehoodinternet.com and began posting their mash-ups online with glossy pics. Some of their offerings include Rick Ross w/ CSS, Ghostface Killah w/ Spoon, Flo Rida w/ Hot Chip, and other unlikely yet complimentary combos. A bona fide internet phenomenon, it wasn’t long before people were requesting performances by The Hood Internet.and the rest is history. (Appearing with Kidz in the Hall and Hollywood Holt at Metro on Sept. 7) –text: Elizabeth Aguirre–photo: Rob Warner

LAGWAGON
There’s a built-in audience for pop punk, which is both the genre’s biggest asset and its biggest obstacle. There always will be angry teenagers, and a fresh crop of them turn over every few years – discovering power chords, hating curfew, having their hearts broken for the first time, and ultimately being the types of pissed-off kids that the music was created for. But having this revolving listenership can also serve as a crutch and prevent bands from branching too far away from that tried-and-true formula, ultimately fueling the ever-present criticism that punk lacks variety. For almost 20 years, Southern California’s Lagwagon has reaped the benefits of their catchy tunes en route to becoming one of Fat Wreck Chords’ longest-running acts. The title of their new EP (and 12th release on the label), I Think My Older Brother Used to Listen to Lagwagon, shows that the band is quite aware of this phenomenon as well as their place in the rock lexicon. And they don’t seem to give a shit. How punk. (Appearing with MXPX and Only Crime at Metro on Sept. 20) –text: Derek Wright

THE PRESETS
Some people undoubtedly view dance music as a happy, shiny prism that refracts its own ecstasy-induced euphoria in a wave of bright light bouncing from one end of the room to the other. I don’t entirely disagree, but if there’s any electronic duo out there that can make darkness visible to dance fans, it’s probably The Presets. And that’s not just based on the title of their latest effort, Apocalypso. Songs from it, as well as those from the twosome’s 2005 debut album Beams, are infectiously melodic – in the way that music derived from ’80s dance greats like Gary Numan can be. However there’s more going on here than mere party jams, considering that the refrain of “My People” can serve as both a crowded dance floor anthem and as a rousing sympathy-cry for immigrants in Australian detention facilities. Regardless of what you take away from The Presets’ music, their live show can be counted on as a barnburner. (Appearing with Cut Copy at Metro on Sept. 17) –text: Jon Graef

SIGUR ROS
Iceland isn’t the most populated place on Earth, yet the country has somehow managed to export the musical geniuses of both Bjork and Sigur Ros to the rest of the world. Sigur formed in 1994 and named itself after one of its member’s sister. Roughly translated, it means “Victory Rose.” The quartet released its first record in 1997 entitled Von. Sigur broke through with Ágætis Byrjun and followed it up with ( ) (otherwise known as “the untitled record.”) The band’s latest is this year’s Me su í eyrum vi spilum endalaust. Yeah, we can’t pronounce it either, or sing along to it, but damn it sounds good. On its records, the band sings in a made-up language called Vonlenska or Hopelandic. Lead singer Jonsi Birgisson’s unique vocal delivery combined with the band’s ethereal and cinematic hymns has propelled Sigur into becoming one of the world’s most sought-after live acts. (Appearing at the Chicago Theatre on Sept. 24) –text: Garin Pirnia

Calexico, My Bloody Valentine, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, World/Inferno Friendship Society

CALEXICO
Apparently, being America’s preeminent surf-jazz, alt-country, Mariachi-flavored indie rock band also qualifies you for a headlining gig at Chicago’s World Music Festival. Based out of Tucson, Arizona, Calexico doesn’t sound as much like they’re from another country as they do from another dimension – somewhere between Day For Night and A Fistful of Dollars. The band’s long-time centerpieces, singer/guitarist Joey Burns and percussionist John Convertino, have also somewhat quietly developed their own stellar catalog over the past 12 years while still finding time to back up the likes of Howe Gelb, Iron & Wine, and Neko Case. In recent years, the Calexico sound has shifted into more traditional indie-pop territory, a trend expected to continue on their forthcoming album, Carried to Dust. At the World Music Fest, however, expect the band to be at its most Morriconean. A must-see, and it’s free. (Appearing as part of the World Music Festival with Mariachi Luz de Luna and Salvador Duran in Millennium Park on Sept. 25) –text: Andrew Clayman

MY BLOODY VALENTINE
For all the backslapping and grandstanding during this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival, its “Don’t Look Back” segment – featuring veteran bands each playing one of their classic albums from front to back – missed two obvious performers. The occasionally re-united Dismemberment Plan could have rocked Emergency and I, but even more glaringly absent was the recently-reformed My Bloody Valentine, whose masterpiece Loveless was once deemed as the “best album of the 1990s” by Pitchfork itself. (Although they later recanted that claim and republished the countdown with Radiohead’s OK Computer in the top slot). As it stands, the mind-bending shoe-gazer quartet would have served as a perfect backdrop to the festival, with the group’s legendary volume from that 1991 LP swaying through a sticky Chicago summer night. The oversight’s silver lining might be that anyone lucky enough to catch the ever-elusive Kevin Shields & Co. this time around will get to do so in a slightly more intimate setting. (Appearing at the Aragon on Sept. 27) –text: Derek Wright

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds bring the dark, distorted tunes of their 14th release Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! – alongside various other musical treasures from throughout their 20-some-odd year career – to the Riviera this month. It’s a show sure to delight fans, at least in the way those who adore Cave and his troupe of Bad Seeds can be delighted. Released earlier this year, the album explores more abstract emotional themes, tying together struggles of the Biblical, the philosophical and the modern into moody rock-n-roll delivered via angular, guitar-heavy melodies and Cave’s devil-may-care vocals. The groovy vibe of the title track alone makes Dig!!! worth the listen. Though fans can’t help but compare it to 2004′s much-acclaimed Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus double disc or Cave’s blues-rock side project Grinderman, there’s no comparison. Though Cave & the Bad Seeds were never dead, Dig!!! resurrects them. (Appearing at The Riviera on Sept. 28 & 29) –text: Jen Fischer–photo: Polly Borland

WORLD/INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY
The first time I saw World/Inferno Friendship Society, Jack Terricloth – the man who serves as vocalist and ringleader of this expansive group of circus punks – set the ceiling of the Fireside Bowl ablaze. While they’ve since dropped the fire-breathing from their act after being banned from too many venues across the country, their shows are still explosive. More akin to a carnival or a church revival than a punk show, their set features Mr. Terricloth acting and looking the part of a fire-and-brimstone Southern Baptist with his collective of misfits tearing through a wild mix of gospel, klezmer, and ska alongside cabaret songs about Wiccans, hobos, years gone by, and love in autonomous zones. Fans of Gogol Bordello, Dresden Dolls, and the state of New Jersey will have a new favorite band. (Appearing at Subterranean on Sept. 26) –text: ELR

Deadmau5, The Graduate, Restaurant, Sons & Daughters

DEADMAU5
Two self-incriminating facts about Joel Zimmerman, a.k.a. white-hot tech/house DJ Deadmau5: (1) His creative laboratory is called the “Deadmau5 Disco Den of Despair and Inequity”, and (2), he first dove into music as the co-producer of the radio program “The Party Revolution” in his hometown of Niagara Falls. If your interest is already piqued, do yourself a favor and seek him out live. In just three short years as an artist, Deadmau5 is beloved as a producer and DJ by colleagues and in mega-clubs around the world. Pete Tong brought Deadmau5 to a global audience with the track “Faxing Berlin”, and for good reason: a hearing monitor effect on the track speeds to a fatal pace (nearly paranoia-inducing) before releasing itself into a nasty beat drop. Deadmau5′s productions and remixes are an incredibly dance-friendly combo of trance, techno and house. Scour U.K. club and dance scene compilations like Mixmag’s Tech-Trance-Electro-Madness or In Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza for more. (Appearing at House of Blues on Sept. 5) –text: Justine Reisinger

THE GRADUATE
Hailing from Springfield, Illinois, The Graduate formed in 2005 and garnered attention after releasing their Horror Show EP two years ago. Last spring saw the release of the quintet’s full-length debut, Anhedonia, and they’ve been furiously touring the nation in support of the record ever since. Named after a disorder for loss of joy, the album title is apropos to the topics the band embodies. Not all of their power-pop/emo songs are about despair, however, with the song “I Survived” (about leaving town and starting anew) notably more optimistic. Their press release describes their music as, “laced with bold rhythms interspersed with flourishing progressions and macabre beats that support the delicate beauty of the band’s shimmering guitars.” While that statement could describe hundreds of bands, The Graduate’s nostalgic lyrics and catchy rhythms propel them to the next class. (Appearing with Holiday Parade and Thieves & Villains at Subterranean on Sept. 6) –text: Garin Pirnia–photo: Jesse Barrera

RESTAURANT
Most readily noted as “that digital hillbilly rock screaming duo from Victoria, Texas” (although the members of Restaurant have since relocated to L.A.), the band’s only actual performance inside the Lone Star State border was at this year’s SXSW. Offering a uniquely digital garage-punk-meets-redneck-rock sound, complete with a stage decorated with old license plates and various trash dump offerings (that also function as essential instrumentation alongside guitars, banjos and screaming vocals), Troy Murrah and Jonathan Case have deservedly found themselves a huge fan base in California – playing everywhere from Venice to L.A.’s elite hideouts. Restaurant has recently released their full-length debut on Narnack Records after a last-minute scraping of the title Restaurant Returns to the refurbished tribute Returns to the Tomb of Guiliano Medidici, named after a 14th century co-ruler of Florence who died after being stabbed 19 times and whose illegitimate son later became Pope Clement VII. (Appearing with Team Rockit at Empty Bottle on Sept. 4) –text: Jyn Radakovits

SONS & DAUGHTERS
Scotland might be on the brink of a musical civil war.or at least a slight rethinking of the country’s sonic landscape. Although the famed Glastonbury Festival has long been a rock ‘n’ roll staple, the European host nation has for just as long also served as a hotbed for delicate twee pop a la Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obscura. But with the noteworthy rock ranks growing during the past few years to include acts such as Franz Ferdinand, there soon might be another shift in the balance of power. And this year’s outstanding Sons and Daughters’ release, This Gift, certainly isn’t going to hurt the guitar-slingers’ cause. The bouncy, blistering LP packs a dozen tunes full of Adele Bethel’s sassy vocals. And her backing band compliments the captivating frontwoman with unadulterated hard-hitting rhythms that prove the antithesis to their country’s longstanding reputation for fragile pop music. (Appearing with Apteka at Double Door on Sept. 6) –text: Derek Wright–photo: Danielle St. Laurent

Jenny Lewis

The more I write, the less I know about myself. It’s supposed to be the opposite, but it just confuses me. I’m not any closer to understanding.

story by Garin Pirnia

Simply put, Jenny Lewis is a rad chick. This is not because she was a child actor. Or because she fronts the charming group Rilo Kiley. Or because she looks good in hot pants. Or because she loves beer. Or because she’s recorded with Ben Gibbard. Or because she’s weathered the spotlight with style and grace for two decades. Or because she’s a genuine singer/songwriter who’s not afraid to unveil her vulnerabilities. It’s because of all of the above that Jenny Lewis, for lack of a better word, rocks.

Chicago Innerview recently had the opportunity to speak with the lovely Ms. Lewis from her abode in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. “I think L.A. is a very specific place in that you can truly be invisible if you choose,” remarks Lewis about her hometown. “You can fall asleep by the pool and wake up five years later.” Yet there will be no slumbering for Lewis anytime soon as her sophomore solo album, Acid Tongue, drops this month via Rilo’s label Warner Bros. It’s the follow-up to Lewis’ gospel/folk-tinged solo debut Rabbit Fur Coat, which was released in 2006 on Conor Oberst’s indie imprint Team Love and also featured backing vocals from The Watson Twins.

A short history: after hitting puberty, Lewis traded acting for a music career. Rilo Kiley formed in 1998 and it’s been, for the most part, steady success for both the band and Lewis ever since. Lewis grew up on a healthy diet of country music attributed to her parents’ touring lounge act. She especially was inspired by their sparkly ‘70s costumes. She also was instantly drawn towards the strong female presence found in country music, which is often lacking in other genres. Lewis further mentions that she was “born to tour.” But unlike a lot of touring acts, she finds time to write on the road whether she’s alone or in front of a group of people. Her love of touring is another thing she inherited from her upbringing. “I enjoy the new start of waking up in a new city every day,” says Lewis. “You don’t have to worry about all the mistakes you made the night before.”

Acid Tongue sounds more like a soul record than her previous solo endeavor. It also features a pedigree of guest performers including Elvis Costello, Zooey Deschanel and her sister and father. “It’s always more fun to rock out on tour than put people to sleep with your weepy ballads,” states Lewis. “I think we also just wanted to have a live feeling to the record where it felt energetic and passionate and in the moment…Vibe is king.” While “The Next Messiah” and “Jack Kills Mom” totally rock out, the album’s closer “Sing a Song” nicely fills the album’s ballad slot.

“I’m a nervous wreck in my personal life. I’m a huge doubter and worrier and all those things that go along with it,” says Lewis. “I think this record wasn’t about my total freak-outs. But because the vibe was so right and I was surrounded by my friends, I was able to express myself freely.” Going it alone for the first time can be daunting, but Lewis has eased into her new skin. To her, it was a natural progression. “I’d written a bunch of songs for Rilo Kiley on my own,” she says. “Due to the subject matter within the songs that I put on that record, they just seemed more personal and it seemed appropriate for me to be the sole storyteller.”

During her live performances, Lewis tries to feed off the audience’s energy. “I think songs take on a new life in a live context,” she says. “I think they always get better when you play them on the road.” As for the future, at some point Lewis says she’d like to make it to Australia, but in the meantime she’s just trying to figure it all out like the rest of us. “The more I write, the less I know about myself,” Lewis says. “It’s supposed to be the opposite, but it just confuses me. I’m not any closer to understanding.”

Jenny Lewis :: Church of the Epiphany :: Sept. 19.