About a year ago, I caught up with local folk group The Giving Tree Band as they recorded their first ever green album, "Great Possessions." By green, I don't mean recycled packaging. The band went all out and traveled to the Aldo Leopold Center in Baraboo, Wisconsin - a facility that celebrates the finest in eco-friendly living. Here's a quick rundown of what the band went through to ensure their earthy cred:

- Used energy generated by Leopold Center to power any instruments and electronics needed for mixing.
- CD's produced using renewable wind power.
- Packaging created using 100% biodegradable materials.
- Guitars made from naturally fallen or reclaimed woods, with a non-toxic finish.
- The band camped each night and biked 10 miles to and from the Leopold Center each day.

The band will put on a free CD release show in Lincoln Park on Tuesday, September 15th at 6 p.m. in Lincoln Park at Clark & Armitage, in conjunction with the first annual Carbon Day. I profiled the band on "metromix" as they were finishing the album last October.....
Continue reading Music Tuesday: The Giving Tree Band releases Green Album »

Big props to Fry Cook On Venus, quickly becoming one of my favorite stops on the internet. Eclectic Method has put together and amazing, head-bop-inducing tribute to the king of 80's teen angst - the late John Hughes. A perfect way to start your weekend...

Eclectic Method - A John Hughes Production from Eclectic Method on Vimeo.

I simply recorded a gentleman dancing with a Flip Cam, and next thing you know, he's a superstar all over the world. My "Lollapalooza 2009: World's Best Dancer" video is quickly going viral on YouTube. Last night I started getting texts and comments that it was featured on G4's "Attack of the Show." After a little digging, here it is. Fast forward to 3:30 if you don't want to watch the whole thing....


How this quick-footed, fist-pumping legend was not ranked #1 is beyond me. Thanks to G4 and AOTS for the mention of this television station, but your complete ignorance when it comes to human gyrating ability at a music festival is astounding.

So that's it. Lollapalooza 2009 is over, I'm showered and sitting at my recently elongated cubicle back at the station. Wondering what an "elongated cubicle" looks like? You don't want to know.

Yesterday was a good day. For one, I was riding a high from one of the best wedding receptions I've been at. The Saturday night party was at the Brookfield Zoo, with the cocktail hour in the "Tropic World: Africa" monkey house. Might sound strange, but watching two gorillas play-fight while sipping a cold beverage and snacking on Beef Wellington turned out to be one of the most exciting hours of my weekend. Am I getting old or what?

Anyhow, Lollapalooza Sunday consisted of me walking around Grant Park and taking in some much needed music. It was a late start...

2:30 KAISER CHIEFS (above)

If you've ever seen The Kaiser Chiefs, you know they're a great way to wake up your day. They've also got a great sense of humor.

Shaking off the heat, lead singer Ricky Wilson commented on how sweaty the crowd looked.

"We need 50,000 beers out there right now," he said. "Anything but Bud."

They were playing on the Budweiser stage. They ripped through their hits and anything else that would make the crowd get in the air. Great show.

 
Continue reading Lolla 2009: My Sunday, with video! »

As Depeche Mode bellows out in the background, Lollapalooza Day 1 is nearing a close. Overall, it was a pretty average day for the Grant Park Lolla Saga. But a great picture is worth so much more than what I can tell you...re-live the day with the RedEye's photo gallery.

It was the first day the fest has seen large amounts of rain. The result? Let's just say I hope you're not in a softball league at Grant Park, it'd be like playing outfield at Woodstock '94. The field looks absolutely trashed. We'll see if this tremendous heatwave coming through will help dry things up.
Continue reading Lolla 2009: Day 1 Recap »

The title speaks for itself. I ran into this man at Perry's stage. Best. Dancer. Ever.
 

The Gaslight Anthem, out of New Jersey, are ripping up the Chicago 2016 stage as I write this. A crowd loaded with umbrellas, ponchos, and thousands of sopping wet people are getting their money's worth. In the middle of a set that's included cuts off their latest album, "The 59 Sound," singer Brian Fallon stopped to ask a question that's been on his mind since he hit the stage.

He wondered about the Congress Hotel, seen off in the distance. He heard that Al Capone did something crazy in it.

"That's kind of creepy," he said. "We don't have anything like that."

Yeah, there's nothing creepy about New Jersey at all, right? It's my first time seeing these guys live, and it's nice to see they're just as entertaining between songs. TGA is quickly becoming one of my favorite young bands. I'm scheduled to interview them later this afternoon. I'll post it as soon as it's ready.

You've seen him on Top Chef Masters, maybe you've been to his restaurant. Celebrity chef Graham Elliot Bowles is known to make a big impression on the plate. This weekend he's been giving his biggest task yet, cooking meals for a few of the headliners at this year's Lollapalooza.

It's a big honor for the chef. I caught him with my rain-covered Flip cam earlier, and we talked about how he's getting through the weekend, his life in music, and what all of those tattoos are about! Please excuse the poor quality, quite a bit of rain came down while I was walking the grounds!

 

Once you see Hockey, you never forget them. Especially if you were at Lollapalooza 2009. The power went out on the band not once, but twice. They managed to get through it with an improvised drum session which turned into a dance fest. Continue reading Lolla 2009: Hockey overcome power problems, wake up crowd »

Video coming shortly....

Hey Champ recently signed with Lupe Fiasco's new label, something the local guys were quick to point out during their set. Many of the fans stacked in front of the south stage were there to see them, while others were waiting on later acts. But by the end of their set, they were all bopping along in unison.

It's hard not to get into Hey Champ's funky, electronic beat. I'd love to see them in a later set with a bigger crowd. More people means more energy, but these guys made due with what they had. Definitely worth checking out if you get a chance sometime.

Sorry for the delay in posting here, as usual 100,000 people converging on one area swamps any broadband capabilities. Just east of the media tent is the Chicago 2016 stage, and as early as 11 a.m. this morning, hardcore Depeche Mode fans were lining up in the front row of the stage. I say early because DM is headlining! They'll be playing about 8 p.m. and most of these folks will be setting up shop in the pouring rain all day to see them.

I talked with a few of them and put together some video......

Lollapalooza 2009 has opened for business. I'll be roaming throughout the grounds all day long, shooting video and taking snapshots. I'm hanging out all day with my colleagues over at "metromix on CLTV"...we'll be interviewing bands throughout the day.

So keep refreshing, follow my updates on twitter.com/marcusleshock and at facebook.com/leshock. So far I've only overheard one person throwing up in a urinal, but hey, it's only 11:30 a.m., right?

When I walked into work this morning, a colleague asked what I was working on for today.

"I'm going to be LIVE at the Wizard World Comic-Con," I replied.

"You know," he responded. "You have a pretty cool job."

Little did I know that hours later, I would be challenging Lou "The Incredible Hulk" Ferrigno to an arm wrestling match. He let me win (I think), but it's a memory I'll keep forever. The Hulk was a favorite show as a kid, which is why thousands of people flock to these conventions and throw down $20 to get Big Lou to throw his autograph onto a 8x10" glossy.

But back to the matter at hand. The Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con is taking place this Friday-Saturday at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. The fest features thousands of comic books for sale, some so valuable they're pretty-much just there for show. Unless, of course, you have the coin to throw down to take home the first appearance of Spider-Man. You could buy a house out in Rockford instead.

Single day tickets are available. You can buy them at the Wizard World website here. Other celebs scheduled to make an appearance include Todd Bridges, Gary Coleman, Michelle Rodriguez, Ernie Hudson, Billy Dee Williams, Jake Busey, Margot Kidder, and a few more.

Oh, wait...talk about burrying the lead. There's also this wildly popular "Twilight: New Moon" movie opening this fall. Three stars of the film will be at the convention on Saturday - Alex Meraz (left), Christopher Heyerdahl, and Cameron Bright. Too bad those "Twilight" boys are totally overweight and not good looking at all, right?

I don't expect these three to draw the Rob Pattinson crowd, but you never know. Anything "Twilight" equals chaos. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE!

Wizard World has always been good to me. Covering it was one of my first assignments ever, back when I was just getting my TV feet wet with "metromix on CLTV." Adding a Lou Ferrigno arm wrestling battle cements the convo in my memory bank forever. I can't guarantee it'll do the same for you, but it might be worth the try.

Two big blows for Beastie Boys fans today.

First, Adam "MCA" Yauch posts a YouTube video saying he has cancer of his salivary gland.

Next, they announce they will be canceling all of their summer shows and postponing an upcoming album, including their headlining gig at Lollapalooza. And while this is a HUGE blow to an already thin Lolla lineup, let's remember that the important thing is for Yauch to focus on fighting his cancer, and to spend as much time as possible with his family and friends.

Life is short. Less Adam now hopefully means more Beastie Boys later. I'll be sure to post who fills into the Beastie Boys slot as that information becomes available.

I managed to catch local rockers Reverie attracting a big crowd over at the Best Buy stage. Here's their performance of "Carousel." You can see more of them at myspace.com/reverieone.

Uhhhhhh, no it's not, but all of your friends can try their hand at Rock Band all week long. And trust me, you're probably much better than these two....



My favorite part is the little kid drumming, staring in the opposite direction. I think we might be hearing about a "rock band breakup" soon. Hilarious.

The King is dead - a shocking end to an American Tragedy. Michael Jackson unexpectedly passed away today. Then again, I should never use the word "unexpected" with Michael Jackson, you should expect the unexpected. Whether it was child abuse charges, plastic surgery, backyard theme parks, or dangling his baby off the terrace, Jackson knew how to make headlines for the wrong reasons.

Some of my earliest memories of childhood are of my neighborhood friends and I sitting on my driveway, taking turns showing off our sorry "moonwalks." All of us thought we could do it. Then, we'd go inside and watch the videotape of the King "moonwalking," and we knew we'd never be able to come close.
Continue reading Michael Jackson: 1958-2009 »

The 3rd Annual Chicago Arabesque festival is back in Daley Plaza - celebrating the finest in Arabic music, cuisine, handicrafts, clothing and more! I'll be checking it out on tonight's WGN Evening news at 5:30. If you're wondering what kind of specific events you'll find at the festival, check out some of these highlights from the program guide....
Continue reading Chicago Arabesque festival hits Daley Plaza! »

Perry Farrell and company are hoping this year's three day Lollapalooza music festival (August 7-9, Grant Park) follows on the record breaking business brought in last year. We'll have eight stages dedicated to music this year, and it looks like no "comedy" or "mindfield" stage on the schedule. Every night features two headliners, where in year's past a single band has closed out at least one of the nights.

Single day tickets cost $80. To order tickets and see the full schedule, click here. As for the rest of my breakdown....
Continue reading Lollapalooza 2009 Schedule Breakdown! »

Happy gloomy Tuesday everybody. Hopefully some local music can cheer you up. I first met singer/songwriter Mer at Northern Illinois University, and I've been a fan ever since. He can tell you more about him in his own words.



Want to hear more? Here's another performance and some info about his upcoming shows.....


Continue reading Tuesday music 6/9: Mer »

It's another big (almost) summer weekend in Chicago. On tonight's WGN News at 5:30 p.m., we're breaking down the best things to get out of the house and do. First up, a music fest celebrating 25 years:

Chicago Gospel Music Festival
Millenium Park
Saturday and Sunday, 12-9:30 p.m.
50 artists on 3 stages
Free!
Full Lineup here.

Big shows have to be Donnie McClurkin closing out Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Also, you have Kirk Franklin headlining Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. Beforehand, look for American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, performing with her mother Diane. That goes down at 7:20 on Sunday.

But wait! There's more....
Continue reading Weekend Haps 6/5: Gospel Fest, Hyde Park Art Fair, Garage Sales and more! »

Matthew Santos is best known for his work with Lupe Fiasco on last year's hit "Superstar" - but I had to be "that guy" that sells his solo career short. Matthew actually spent some time at Columbia College, which is how he made his bond with Chicago native Lupe. He was at WGN News today performing on the afternoon program (more of that video later), and as I said on the 5:30 p.m. news, he's one of my favorite artists I've had the pleasure to feature. Matthew is the subject of my first ever "In the Green Room" segment (above) - I'll be trying to pin down as many celebrities as possible as they trickle into WGN Studios and ask them some hard-hitting questions. Rough job, but someone's got to do it!

Matthew will be performing a FREE show tonight at the LaSalle Power Company at 8 p.m. If you still haven't made up your mind, Matthew's performance on the afternoon news is right after the jump....


Continue reading In the Green Room with Matthew Santos! »

"metromix on CLTV" re-ran my segment with local hip-hoppers Yea Big + Kid Static this weekend. I love the sound of these guys, a rapper/lyricist and a producer who loves to kick around beats, riffing on everything from Mega Man to sandwiches. My interview is above, but you might want to check out their full video and album for yourself....
Continue reading Music Tuesday: Yea Big + Kid Static »