Chicago Acoustic Underground Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 437 - Lucrezio celebrating the release of "Storybook" Sep 07, 2012

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Episode 436 - Ted Wulfers Birthday Bash Aug 25, 2012

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Happy Birthday Ted Wulfers In the six years that I have been recording this show, Ted is without a doubt the real deal. He has been true to his path regardless of what has been thrown at him. I am proud to count him a friend. Ted's new album "Lucky 7", released today, his Birthday is available in a very special way. Go to his project page on Pledge Music and you will have the opportunity to purchase his release in a very unique way. You can "Save Rock and Roll, fight Cancer, and support original independant music". I urge you to do so.

Episode 435 - Ian Leith Aug 23, 2012

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Ian Leith, born in West Texas, raised in Southern Illinois, seasoned in California and currently calling Chicago home, Ian Leith is on a "quest of endless possibilities with these here fingers." Chicago based musician. Actively composing for all media. Plays every 4th Tuesday at the Friendly Tap in Berwyn, Il and host of Molly Malone's Sunday Night Open Mic in Forest Park, Il.

Episode 434 - The Flips Aug 21, 2012

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The Flips is a Chicago based indie-rock band that kicks ass. They came into the studio and rocked my World. Be sure to catch them August 31st at The Nite Cap here in Chicago. It's going to be a rocking good night. To view all The Flips videos and all other CAU Podcast videos go to the CAU Video Channel

Episode 433 - Grapheme Aug 19, 2012

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Grapheme, this six month old band (when they came in the studio) mesmerized me with their spiritual blending of many musical types. Later, I get a phone call from the engineer Barrett Tasky, who is in the middle of mixing this show absolutely raving about this band. I have a hunch that you will also.

Episode 432 - Jonas Friddle and the Majority Aug 15, 2012

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Here is a band Jonas Friddle and the Majority that recorded a most amazing show last summer and I have only myself to blame that it is so late in being posted. Somehow I misplaced the show and I apologize to all. I absolutley love this group and I am certain that you will also. These guys and gals all work at the Old Town School of Music. This should give you an idea of what's in store for you.

Episode 431 - Ian Wilson Aug 12, 2012

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This is Ian's second appearance on Chicago Acoustic Underground. This guy continually blows me away. Watching him perform is like watching a five piece band wrapped up in one man. Please join me and the CAU crew at Hamburger Mary's this coming Thursday night and catch Ian and a bunch of great musicians.Folktronica musician Ian Wilson belongs to a new class of singer-songwriters who have exchanged backup bands for loop pedals. Using a combination of keyboard instruments and synthesizers, Ian builds complex, atmospheric layers around deeply personal songwriting. And despite defecting from the classical genre years ago, Ian's piano has never quite lost the accent-you can tell by the sound of it, it's not from around here. His debut solo LP, This is Water, was released in May 2012. This is Water isn't really about water. Like the David Foster Wallace speech that the title alludes to, water is simply a medium for more elusive messages. The lyrics fixate more on migration, travel, and change—apt themes for an album in which Ian leaves behind the acoustic anchoring of 2008's The Crater EP for full-on electronic integration. In The Crater's deft piano and wordplay, the influences of queer music icons Tori Amos or the Magnetic Fields are easily heard. With This is Water, Ian reshapes his songwriting with backbeats and layering, inspired by other classically-trained loop artists like Owen Pallett and Zoe Keating. The new is grafted to the old in the "magnetic guts" of the album, a tall wooden ship with a self-destruct button. Ian's earlier work in The Crater EP introduced him to Chicago's tight-knit community of queer musicians, keeping him busy with its numerous performance series, including the 2011 Alt-Q Festival at Old Town School of Folk Music and Gay Chicago TV's Out Rock. Soon after The Crater's release, Ian began a two year stint with orchestral-pop band Canasta—a baptism by fire into the city's non-stop indie music scene via countless shows around the Midwest, a slot at the CMJ Music Marathon, and live performances on WBEZ's Eight-Forty Eight and WTTW's Chicago Tonight. Ian's eclectic keyboard palette helped shape the burlier version of ork-pop heard on the band's sophomore album, The Fakeout, the Tease and the Breather. The album was released in 2010 to a wave of critical superlatives including "one of the best Chicago albums of the year" (RedEye) and "so perfect…that you'll swear you've heard it before" (Chicago Reader). Ian won early recognition for This is Water with the Albert P. Weisman Award at Columbia College Chicago, where Ian is earning his Master's in music and arts management. He keeps his wits sharp teaching songwriting, keyboards, and voice at School of Rock Chicago, the nation's premiere educational institution for the corruption of well-mannered and quiet children.Follow this link to see all his videos on the CAU Channel.

Episode 430 - Jeremiah Higgens Aug 02, 2012

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Jeremiah Higgens is a duo coming out of Naperville, Illinois. They came in in April and they were an absolute joy. Ryan Jeffrey rounds out the Duo and between the two of them, we recorded some beautiful tracks that I am certain you will enjoy.

Episode 429 - Mundelein Aug 01, 2012

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Mundelein is one of the newest most exciting bands in the folk rock scene in Chicago and are on the rise with plenty of material for a riveting, fun show. Whether you want to laugh, ponder the world, or just sit back and enjoy their pop-esque melodies, Mundelein delivers. At the beginning, three roommates who had played music separately for a while decided to team up and blend their styles into a powerhouse of sound. Alex De Zeeuw brings the rock, Peter John brings the folk, and Thano Davelis adds the right amount of Greek to give Mundelein a bit of a world feel. It didn't take long for the three to bring bassist Jack Holland on board. Holland has been in one band or another since the age of 3, playing anything a song asks for. In a recent interview about joining the group Holland said, "life is a rhythm and that is music to my ears. I felt compelled to join the group because I've known these boys for awhile now and think their music is groovy." Finally to drive everything home, Alex Neitzke was asked to join on drums. Having played for years at Loyola University Chicago's Division I sporting events, Neitzke has built a reputation around bringing crowds to life with unparalleled energy. Look for their debut album to drop in 2012!

Episode 428 - Nine Miles West Jul 26, 2012

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After a three-year hiatus, Nine Miles West, originally a 5-piece rock 'n blue outfit, regrouped in late 2011 as an acoustic duo. Original members Jean Iversen (lead vocals) and Gino Sigismondi (guitars), who have collectively played in over a dozen bands, from Shelivade to Hack to One-Eyed Jacks, may have pared down the arrangements, but manage to deliver each song with more intensity than ever. While the original band drew mostly from Iversen's influences, the new, stripped-down Nine Miles West is a blend of the duo's background, which spans from grunge to Americana to hard rock and punk. The result is a fresh, dynamic sound that marries Iversen's gritty vocals with Sigismondi's earthy acoustic chops. Nine Miles West does a blend of originals and covers. Never predictable, the band may do a soulful version of Mindi Smith's "Come to Jesus" then rip into an old Soundgarden song. Or jump from Adele's rousing "Rolling in the Deep" to the Beatles' intimate "Blackbird." The duo started writing together recently, producing such cuts as the tortured "World Gone Mad" and the surprisingly plaintive "Fly." A reworking of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" has also crept into their set. Expect more surprises in the future from this powerful duo.

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