Editor's Note
Hey there Surfers! Welcome to issue #36, approaching the end of the year with all the speed we can handle! This week we hit up Nnamdi Ogbonnaya and Sen Morimoto at Empty Bottle; as well as  Dirty Projectors with one of the last Wei Zhongle sets at Sleeping Village. There were plenty of releases last week including local acts Laura Jane Grace’s solo record, psych pop from J. Fernandez, surf punk rockers Bleach Party, and rappers CupcakKe and Smino. It was a massive release week for Chicago!  Next week will be an abbreviated issue coming out on Tuesday morning. Keep on the lookout! Happy gearing up for the Turkey Day surfers. The end of the year is nearly here!

Keep Seeing Live Music!

KPL & JCB

Nnamdi Ogbonnaya / all photos by KPL
 

Going to see a trio of some of Chicago’s most fresh acts was the perfect way to spend a cold ass night last Friday at The Empty Bottle. The sold out warmth permeated the classic venue, as Nnamdi Ogbonnaya returned home after a fall nationwide tour. After making a splash at Pitchfork this summer, it was a joy to once again take in his genre bending rock, which had fans clambering each time he leaped into the crowd during his incendiary set. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

First came the raunchy, irreverent hip hop queens Glitter Moneyyy. The Chicago duo of Queen Trashley and TayyySlayyy have been banging stages around town for a couple years, and it’s easy to tell what draws fans back. These two are never afraid to take it too far. From insisting they have relationships with their suction cup dildo in “SCD,” to lauding their love of weed in “Smoke Until You Die,” their easily chanted chorus and bopping beats made for a dancing scream of audience participation. By the end of their rowdy set they had made many new fans, all of us yelling along to the chorus of “I’m Fucking Pissed.” You can check out their irreverentes here.

Onto something completely different, as Sen Morimoto’s trio took the stage.  The producer/saxophonist/vocalist/rapper made a splash this May with his debut full length Cannonball!, and accompanied Nnamdi on the last leg of his tour. The label jazz-rap has been slapped onto his music, but it really is so much more than that. Born in Japan and raised in Massachusetts, he now considers Chicago home. Over the years, he has developed into a fantastic solo artist who, just last year signed to, and now helps run, local imprint Sooper Records. Bounding onstage with his signature long hair in top buns and wearing baby blue coveralls, the slight musician was joined by Ryan Person drummer and bassist Dejon Crockran, who were a perfect fit for the stop and start jams that Morimoto lays down. By mid-set the hair was down, and he was laying out his smooth rhymes right into the front row. With a glance around, it was clear he had us all in the palm of his hand. The end came far too soon, but he does only have one record, so eventually he would have run out of tunes. Regardless, we believe he probably could have gone on all night. Check out Cannonball!

By the time half the crowd came back in from their freezing nicotine fill, we were all packed into the front in preparation for Obgonnaya to begin. For nearly a decade he has been a part of the local music scene, and boasts being a member or former member of over twelve acts. If nothing else the man is prolific, as a busy musician, founding Sooper Records in 2016, and being everywhere (seriously, we spot this dude a couple times a month just biking around town). His soulful genre less rap R&B style is at once intense and funkified. He raps and sings over some mathy rock funk madness that had us all moving up front. By the time he took his first jump into the crowd we all were in for the duration. Ending on hit “let gO Of my egO” he made one last jump into the audience as they made room for him to dance around with them to the frenetic beats. Check out his catalog here. It will not disappoint.

-KPL

Dirty Projectors / all photos by KPL unless otherwise noted

“Damn, that’s a ton of instruments on a tiny stage” was our first impression when entering Sleeping Village’s venue space for the first of three sold out nights of the Dirty Projectors. With both the Projectors, and the much smaller local openers Wei Zhongle respective set ups, the stage was jam packed. Enough to spark a comment from Rob Jacobs, Wei Zhongle’s frontman, mid set: “We’re packed in like four shrimps up here.” In any case, it was a bittersweet opening set, as it was the first in the last run of Wei Zhongle shows. Deciding this was their last run together, they played the entire unreleased final album Magic Eye, and it was an experience indeed (they played their other two albums on the subsequent nights). Jacobs’ vocals float on top of the killer beat laid down by Ryan Packard on drums, and Alex Perkolup on bass. The odd time signatures and bursty style were perfect for Curt Oren to lay down some crazy sax licks on top of it all. It’s a shame that they have to call it quits, but the multiple lineup changes over seven years must have founder Jacobs needing a break from these quirky and quality tunes.

As Wei Zhongle and crew cleared the stage, and the large amount of Dirty Projectors’ instruments was line tested, the anticipation grew as the band finally took the stage after a poem from Chicago music scene institution Thax Douglas. They launched into their mind blowing set dominated by newer material like “That’s A Lifestyle” and “Break-thru” off newest record Lamp Lit Prose. One thing David Longstreth, the mind behind Dirty Projectors, knows how to do is structure a performance. He even weaved his tuning in so the music never really stopped unless he wanted, and each female member of the band (Felicia Douglass, Maia Friedman, and Kristin Slipp) had their moment at the mic, subbing in for guests on the album versions, former members, or their own moments from the records, with seamless perfection. When all three harmonized with Baldwin on “I Feel Energy” and that calypso beat dropped it was impossible not to get your hips moving. He didn’t entirely shy away from the old material getting into good versions of the old classics which just made the evolution of this act all the more interesting.  After getting back on the road this year their chops are through the roof; Sleeping Village was a great venue for a three night run by these preeminent indie rockers and we hope they host more events like this in the future.

-KPL

ALBUM REVIEWS

WHAT WE'RE JAMMING TO THIS WEEK

THIS WEEK'S RECOMMENDED NEW RELEASES

MORE NOTABLE RELEASES

Rhett Miller / The Messenger / ATO

The Old 97s frontman is coming by SPACE on his solo tour December 20th. Tix are $25 - $45.

Steve Akoi / Neon Future III / Ultra

Njomza / Vacation / SinceThe80’s , Motown , UMG

Objekt / Cocoon Crush / PAN

Kodie Shane / Young HeartThrob / Epic , Sony

Vessel / Queen of Golden Dogs / Tri-Angle

Jon Bellion / Glory Sound Prep / Capitol

Mon Laferte / Norma / Universal (Mexico)

Jimi Hendrix / Electric Ladyland (50th Anniversary Edition)

NOTES & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Holy Shit, Surfers! Pitchfork and The Art Institute of Chicago just announced Midwinter Fest. A specially curated fest meant to mix art with music. It sounds like there will be performances all over the museum amid the classic and modern art they have on display. Some surprise guests are promised but the lineup already released is utterly ridiculous. Tickets go on sale Friday!

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(There are tons of SOLD OUT shows this week that we did not include on this calendar)

See you at the show Chicago!