Califone in Chicago

After missing their last few Chicago shows, I finally got to see a stripped down Califone on Sunday with Tim and Ben in somebody's cool attic space. Tim broke a lot of guitar strings and Ben did an admirable job keeping up with Tim's unexpected left turns.

Here's the link to the entire set.

 

saki's Movie Night in the Examiner!

The Examiner did a nice little write-up about our first saki Movie Night coming up on Wednesday! We'll be screening Tim Rutili's (Califone, Red Red Meat, Ugly Casanova) All My Friends Are Funeral Singers for FREE. Popcorn will be provided, which I'm pretty sure covers all your major food groups, so need to eat dinner beforehand folks! BYOB and an ID!

Nov. 17th: All My Singers are Funeral Friends

Come watch Califone's "All My Friends are Funeral Singers," in fullness and completeness on Wednesday November 17th for Free. Why not enjoy some Free popcorn while you are at it?

The show is scheduled to start at 6 PM, and promises to be quite enjoyable.

Synopsis (from IMDB):

Zel is a fortune teller. She lives and works in an old house at the edge of the woods. The house is crowded with ghosts (including a priest, a bride, a mute child, some washed up vaudevillians and a noisy, sight-impaired group of musicians among others) that have been there for as long as she can remember. When a mysterious light appears in the woods the ghosts realize that they are trapped and begin to rebel. Zel is forced to come to terms with the origins of these spirits and letting go of the only family she has ever known.

Califone Perform saki In-store 2pm Today!!

Catch Califone perform live today at 2pm - we have AC!! Bring me some chocolate ice cream and I'll be extra happy

New Califone Film & Record!

New album "All My Friends Are Funeral Singers" will be out October 6 on Dead Oceans, and Califone's Tim Rutili has also directed a film that will screen as they play during the upcoming tour. Its not the first time Califone has taken the mixed media approach to its artistic vision (Deceleration One & Two) but this will be a feature film and will be submitted to film festivals in 2010. Narrative involves a psychic whose Indiana home is haunted by members of The Bitter Tears. Or something like that, check it out here:


All My Friends Are Funeral Singers Trailer from Califone on Vimeo.
Here is the whole tour itinerary thus far, courtesy of Pitchfork:

10-10 Chicago, IL - Museum of Contemporary Art #
10-11 Chicago, IL - Museum of Contemporary Art #
10-13 Pittsburgh, PA - Andy Warhol Museum #
10-14 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom #
10-15 Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place
10-16 Ithaca, NY - Cornell Cinema #
10-17 Montreal, Quebec - Ukrainian Federation #
10-20 Northampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall #
10-21 Portland, ME - Space #
10-22 Cambridge, MA - Brattle Theater #
10-23 New York, NY - 92Y Tribeca #
10-24 Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
10-25 Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
10-26 Charlottesville, VA - The Southern #
10-27 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
10-28 Birmingham, AL - WorkPlay Theatre #
10-30 Bloomington, IN - Bear's Place #

# Film performance

Friends of Red Red Meat

Nice post from awesome Chicago photographer Jim Newberry about the sudden mid-90's musical renaissance going on here, with Liz Phair, Urge Overkill and RED RED MEAT
all playing within a week of each other. A RRM reunion is huge news for many of us. Urge Overkill not so much. Been wishing them away since their second album and, like ring wraithes, it only seems to make them stronger. Working to confirm that Liz did in fact have to reunite with herself.

So, GO SEE this rare performance by RED RED MEAT at The Hideout on Thursday July 11. It's a warm up for their big slot at the SubPop 20th Anniversary Party in Seattle this weekend—a chance for them to kick off the twelve ten year old rust and see a bunch of old friends in one place. The entire SP20 festival is a huge benefit concert, and RRM have benevolently decided to donate their money to the Accelerated Cure Project, a group aggressively working on finding a cure for multiple sclerosis.

Califone grew directly out of the demise of RRM, so if you dig their wonderful craziness, time to find out the roots!

And speaking of mid-90's Chicago rock, MANTIS are also reuniting for a gig on Thursday, July 17 at Ronnie's, currently the local club most closely resembling their original stomping ground The Czar Bar, in all of it's Algrenesque glory. Rock on Gene, Dave, and Rian!

Trivia: In 1993, The Coctails held their record release party at the Division Street jazz club The Bop Shop. Who played the opening set for The Coctails at this coming out party for their genre bending, critic confounding, garage jazz album "Long Sound?" First correct answer in Comments gets a free copy of "Popcorn Box" mailed to their home. (CT employees and band members not eligible.)