Casualties of the Chicago scene

Why don't they all cover "Another One Bites the Dust?"

Chicago rock band June have called it quits after six years of melodic barnburners.

The split was amicable, and the band has implied that economic factors led to the breakup.

"It really does make us sad when we start sitting and reminiscing about all of the incredible shows we've played, the people we've met, the parties and places we went to everywhere in the US... It was all just amazing. However, it also becomes a harsh reality when you really start having to look at your own life and really building to have a successful career," drummer Mark Sutor said in a letter on the band's blog.

"Unfortunately, the music industry, as awesome as it is to be apart [sic] of, is a tough place to really set yourself up for a stable setting in the future," Sutor wrote.

June are the latest Illinois-based Victory Records band to throw in the musical towel, following Spitalfield in December and The Junior Varsity in fall 2007.

Meanwhile, Chicago pop-rock outfit The Elation have bounced back from break up rumors this week.

The band announced that their Feb. 22nd show at Mojoe's Rock House would be their last, but hope now remains.

After a rather acrimonious split of their drummer, bassist, and a guitarist, brothers Spencer (lead vocals and guitar), 19, and Ross (keyboards) Birkner, 18, have vowed to continue their work as one of the most promising outfits on the Chicago scene.

"Theres [sic] no point in talking about what happened. What matters is that this is not the end for The Elation. We are going to continue on making music," the band said in a statement on their MySpace. "There are going to be a lot of changes. The next time any of you see The Elation, it won't be anything like the one you saw before."

While the brothers Birkner continue their search for replacements for their departed partners, their Feb. 22nd show at Mojoe's Rockhouse is tentatively cancelled.



*By Jessica, who is rooting for the Giants because they aren't the Patriots.

New year, New dilemas etc

I love travelling, even if it’s just from my flat to the shops, I love it. Any time I can switch some music on and have a good old think to myself I love, so as I write you this little UK instalment it’s coming to you direct from the Forth road bridge, enveloped in the misty countryside of Scotland whilst retreating to my small cosy city flat. I have been sitting thinking about everything that has happened in the last month or so, and even though I may not have done too much apart from study, I’ve really figured out a lot of things.

Firstly I will say my farewells to Spitalfield from this side of the world. Rolling into Glasgow on a freezing December evening I caught their last Scottish performance. Opening for them however were my ‘tip for 2008’, Tellison which was an altogether bonus on my part. On their last tour, Tellison (WWW.MYSPACE.COM/TELLISON) played to crowds of no more than a handful of people but you wouldn’t think that this evening. The most instruments, voices and strange noises you can include in one song make this one of the most interesting and joyful acts to rise form the UK for a while and with people knowing the words….I think the hype is beginning to spread.
Anyway, back to the matter in hand, Spitalfield. Churning out their best from the past ten years you could see the passion still in them and the faces of the (what should have been more) dedicated fans. These guys still managed to make people half way around the world lose their minds to their music for 90 minutes and it amazes me. If I can ever make someone like what I do that much, even one person, I can’t even put into words how happy that would make me. So as the farewell speeches and thank you sentiments were announced, I couldn’t have clapped harder. These bands who put their music before anything and everything in their lives mean every thank you they give to people and that really hit home at this show in particular. And to top it off, to still play a show with as much energy as your first ten years down the line, that deserves the biggest respect. Thanks Spitalfield.

I think this people appreciating what you do business ties in nicely to the inward argument I have been having with myself for months. Education.
Do you need education to succeed? That question seems dumb because obviously you don’t but does having all these qualifications make someone a better more reliable person at their chosen subject? I’m in the middle of deciding about carrying on studying or going it on my own to really do what I want and I’m not sure what to do? Considering I like to surround myself with self made people who, instead of going to college for four years have built up their own companies and lives from scratch there is a heavy influence to go it alone. Has anyone had this dilemma before? Can they help me? I have a plan but I do not know if I am brave enough to go for it or stay on the safe ground of education. Hell, Maybe I’ll do some research and contact some people for a chat and make a PV article about it because I don’t think I have been the only one in this situation. If you have any advice or a story (band members, leaving college to do music, that decision, company owners, anything!) please email me and I can put something together!

Just passed the sign for Edinburgh so thankfully for any poor soul reading I really do have to wrap this up. So!
BANDS TO LISTEN TO (based on my Itunes shuffle from this journey!)

Explosions in the sky – What do you go home to?
The Stranglers six – Back to the start
Anthony Green – Meet me on Montauk
Nine black Alps – future wife
Cauterize (who never made it to the UK RIP!) – Love in the attic

Love
Gina!
xo
PS – THANK YOU FOR THE RETURN OR PRISON BREAK AMERICA, FOR THIS I LOVE YOU!

Out with the old, in with the new.

The end of 2007 brought about the end of two great bands. Spitalfield and The Junior Varsity, both of Illinois and Victory Records, called it quits towards the latter half of the year, each after releasing their best, most mature work to date.

While that does indeed suck, and while I did indeed pout quite a bit (though that might have just been my lips looking enormous on their own), both have brought great new opportunities for members of each band.

Mark Rose, Spitalfield's frontman, is embarking on solo work. "It's gonna be more poppy, more jazzy," Rose told me at their farewell show. "I might do some touring in the spring--I'm not sure if it'll just be me acoustic, or if I'll assemble a trio or something along those lines, but it will happen."

Meanwhile, you can check out The Junior Varsity's Andy Wildrick in his new gig as a member of The Dear Hunter--who released one of the year's best albums, by the by.

To tide you over until they both tour later on in this bright, shiny new year, here are some mediocre-quality videos from Spitalfield's Curtain Call at the School of Rock last month. It was the first time I realized my digital camera had a video recording function, so please bear with the lack of videographic skill--I am but a humble beginner, just like 2008.

"I Loved the Way She Said 'L.A.'" (full song):




"In the Same Lifetime" (encore--full band portion/end):




*By Jessica, who resolved to stop procrastinating last night, but probably won't actually start for another week or so.

Diary of a Spitalfield Chauffeur, via my cellular phone records

9:42 am, Sat April 21
I hop out of the shower and receive a text message from "Markalfield" saying that Spitalfield's ride from Newark Airport to the Skate or Die Fest in Flanders, NJ is a no-go, and asking if I'd be available around noon.

9:47 am, Sat April 21
Flight information is confirmed, as is my picking the boys up.

9:51 am, Sat April 21
I leave Sara Holzinger a frantic, frenzied voicemail telling her to call me as soon as is humanly possible, because I do not want to drive alone to the airport.

Roughly 10:45,I leave for the airport, stopping at a fruit market on the way to appease my Granny Smith apple craving.

11:12 am, Sat April 21
Nigel's engine stops in the middle of Route 18.  I shake like a salt shaker and call my dad in a panic.  He calmly instructs me to shut up, put the van in park, and start it again, and explains that because we don't use it all that much that the transmission gets "sticky" if stopped for too long at first.  This works.  I relax and continue on my way.

11:37 am, Sat April 21
Sara calls me back while I'm on the Turnpike.  I tell her about the engine issue, and we fret briefly, until I reach my destination.

12:00 pm, Sat April 21
Text message from Markalfield:  "The bird has landed...  Over n out."

12:25 pm, Sat April 21
Call from Markalfield describing the boys' location in relation to my own, using latitudes and longitudes in the form of "Okay, I'm between 109 and 110 in the parking lot, near those big poles with the red things.."  I ask a friendly security-crossing guard hybrid outside how on Earth to get to terminal A to wait without paying for parking or being ticketed.  He says I have a nice smile and to just drive up and it'll be fine.  I thank him, blow him a kiss, and drive off to find the gents.



Roughly 12:30, we take off, using directions from Mitch, to Route 78 East for the show.

Roughly 1:00 (after TJ used his supreme map reading skills), we realize that Mitch is, in fact, pretty idiotic, and that we were supposed to have taken 78 West.  We turn around near the Holland Tunnel.  I pray a lot.

From roughly 1:00-2:00, we sing songs to pass the time in the hideous traffic mess. Our playlist:

"Little Red Corvette" - Prince
"Hyperspace" - Nada Surf
"Come Into My World" - Kylie Minogue
"See You Around" - Jesse Camp and the 8th Street Kids
"Kiss Me, Diss Me" - Homegrown
"Bells" - Hey Mercedes
"Mad World" - Gary Jules
"Here's to You" - Diffuser
"Change" - The Deftones
"Drive" - The Cars
"Chasing Cars" - Snow Patrol
"Shade" - Silverchair
"Big Empty" - Stone Temple Pilots
"If It's Here When We Get Back, It's Ours" - Texas is the Reason
All of Alkaline Trio's Crimson album

Roughly 2:15, we finally travel a whopping four miles.  Yes, traffic was that horrific.

Roughly 3:30, we get excited to hit Route 206.

Roughly 3:50, we finally get to the show.  I nearly rear-end a minivan in front of us, asking, "Holy shit, Mark, did I hit him?"
"No, almost!"
Susanne, a sweetheart, tells me to drop the guys and their gear off, and to park in the lot down the street and take a shuttle to the show.  A security guard leads me to the back band lot to drop off the equipment, where we all decide that I'm not taking a fucking shuttle bus after driving the headlining act to the show.  TJ gets out of the van and coaches my parking, making sure I pull far enough up to be out of the way.









Roughly 4:00, Mark comes with my meal ticket (a real, literal one--so awesome) and wristbands.  Susanne asks where they found me and tells me I'm a Godsend.  I am reminded of that creepy De Niro movie of that title.  I go watch some band fronted by a chick with questionable taste in belts, but a good stage presence.  Sara arrives soon with her friend who looks like Baelynn and visibly enjoys male attention.

I spend most of the day alternating between hanging out with Sara and sitting on the grass reading The Tempest.  I use my meal ticket on the best cheeseburger I've ever had.

Roughly 4:30, Jeff needs my help because Nigel went all Beyonce on him and rang his alarm.

Roughly 5:30, Mark needs the keys to tune his guitar from the van.  I give the keys to Jeff to hold on to in case they have trouble tracking me down.

7:36 pm, Sat April 21 Mark put in a call and Nigel again rang the alarm.

Roughly 8:15 pm, the boys finally go on.  They call the winning raffle ticket number for an autographed skateboard, which goes to a very happy lil' sk8r boi (please note that typing "sk8r boi" makes me want to kill myself).






  Their set is magnificent. 





















Mark plays a solo cover of Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T."  Life is worth living. 



A blonde adolescent behind me keeps glaring at me.  I mutter for her to die in a fire, smile, and go about my business.

Roughly 9:45 pm, we begin to load out; Jeff, TJ, and JD are amazed by my knowledge of Jay-Z lyrics as I recite "Public Service Announcement" along with the van across from ours blasting it. We head for the hotel.

Roughly 10:30 pm, we arrive at the hotel and I send them off.




Roughly 10:31 pm, I begin to miss them.

*By Jess, who thinks of her pal Carlo whenever she hears "I Loved the Way She Said 'L.A.'"

What I've been pondering this week:

1. Why in God's (or Allah's, or Brahman's, or whichever tickles your fancy) name is Route 18 still under construction?
Seriously. What is the objective and when will it be reached? Getting to South Jersey is absolutely horrifying, and while Joelle will probably say that it's like that with my driving regardless (I really am not that bad), when lanes are barely wider than my hips (okay, bad example), let alone my fucking car, it's really, really, nervewracking. My knuckles looked like fat little snowflakes on my steering wheel last night when I went to see two bands you should check out--Dear Ulysses and The Peasantry (they even share members, isn't that precious?). They have the hardest working manager in the biz, too. I was glad to say that they were well worth the trek to Long Branch. The show was definitely more killer than the drive there, and well, that's a lot of killing. That's like Jack the Ripper (hi Spitalfield reference!) meets the Zodiac meets Catherine of friggin' Bathory, dude.

2. How cool would it be if it actually rained men?
This actually crossed my mind as I was driving and singing along to the sequel to this song (because everything on radio around here sucks more than a hundred Hoovers and Kirby's--except this guy, who owns your face), which features a cameo by RuPaul--amazing. But really--I would turn my umbrella upside down for sure. And I already jump in puddles, so this would be even more enjoyable. But how would they fall? Would they start out as little droplets and then grow upon hitting ground or what? Because if one is clumsy, this could be really dangerous and messy, too. A chance I'm willing to take, mind you. I'll pray for rises in humidity and drops in barometric pressure for as long as it takes... And invest in a really big bucket to keep outside, one which wouldn't attract West Nile and mosquitoes when left out overnight.

3. Why does the Court Tavern staff insist on keeping that hundred year old dirtbag at the door?
What a douche, seriously. I've encountered plenty of rude, bitter people in my life, but none that get paid to be as such (Elizabeth Hasselbeck not withstanding). Luckily, being a youngin', I didn't have to deal with him much when I went to see the Love Trilogy for drummer Ahmed's birthday. They had cool lighting effects and do one mean "Voodoo Chile" cover--and they're in Brunswick all the time, so check them out when you can. Also fun was getting a Big Bird cupcake shoved in my face that subsequently fell a bit further South. I was still picking yellow sprinkles out of my cleavage the next morning. All in a day's work.

4. How long is it going to take you to realize that this is my way of band product placement?
Wink wink, nudge nudge.


*By Jess, who reads propaganda like it's pulp fiction.

Help our friends out!

Vote for Spitalfield here!
http://www.mtvu.com/music/freshmen/
They really deserve this and you can vote as many times as you want.


AND! Vote for the Jets here (or whoever, it's for charity so I won't get too mad at you):
http://chunky.com/clickforcansvote.aspx


*By Jess, who had a dream about the Junior Varsity last night and is looking forward to seeing them this weekend

Spitalove

Spitalfield are longtime fans of Planet Verge, and I am a longtime fan of Spitalfield. Mark loves us so much, I caught him playing with our latest print issue.




I want to commend New Jersey for showing them a more than satisfactory amount of love last night after the extremely lackluster Vintage Vinyl attendance last week.

They are nice boys. Talented boys. And cute to boot.
A common Spitalfield fan progression is as follows:
1. Buy their records.
2. See their shows.
3. Fall in love.

Oh, and if you don't believe me about the third step--you will. Oh, you will.


*By Jess, who rather enjoys the company of men from Chicago

Two things wrong with music:

The first one being that Spitalfield essentially played a private show for me last weekend because everyone around Woodbridge was scared of some stupid afternoon rain. You guys pansies all missed a helluva show--acoustic and lovely. Mark played with their new guitarist, Jeff Meilander, who looks like a much more attractive Kurt Cobain: and they were absolutely splendid, as per the usual. They performed a lot of songs from their new album, Better Than Knowing Where You Are, along with old favorites like "I Loved the Way She Said 'L.A.'" And they also treated me to a late lunch/early dinner afterward. Such class acts, those boys. Spitalfield deserve a lot more recognition and kudos than they're getting, but I think they're well on their way--and I'm looking forward to seeing them with Valencia this weekend. Kick ass.

Oh, and the other thing wrong with music?
Meatloaf. Covering a song originally performed by Celine Dion.
If I weren't so excited for the weekend, I think I'd have killed myself by now.


*Jess, who should stop eating Halloween candy before she has to be burned out of the house