Todd Rundgren did not fail to please at the Park West last week. Leading off with “I Saw the Light,” he then launched into “Love of the Common Man” and kept them coming, including “Open My Eyes,” “Sometimes I Don’t Know What to Feel,” “Black and White,” “Bang the Drum All Day, “Compassion,” “Drive,” “Lysistrata,” “Soothe,” “I’m So Proud/Ooh Baby Baby,” “Determination,” “Love in Action,” “Couldn’t I Just Tell You,” “Hello It’s Me,” and “A Dream Goes on Forever.” Fuzzy pic, incredible evening!
Chicago
Chicago Crane
I took this one at work yesterday.
Todd Rundgren at Park West
Todd Rundgren at Park West in Chicago on January 26, 2016. Great show!
Can Spring Be Far Behind?
“O wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?” ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley
More Dandy Warhols at Thalia Hall
Here are some more pics from The Dandy Warhols’ show at Thalia Hall last month.
Dandy Warhols at Thalia Hall
The Dandy Warhols at Thalia Hall in Chicago, November 19, 2015. Great show!
Mayor of Jefferson Park Farmers Market
My parents must be really proud.
AxBox Cigar Box Guitars
At the Renegade Craft Fair in Wicker Park yesterday, I got to play some of the fine instruments made by Kimmer Olesak, founder of AxBox Cigar Box Guitars. “Handcrafted from found objects and the highest quality custom materials,” each instrument was unique and had something irresistible about it. Kimmer invited me to plug into the small amplifier he had in the booth, and I took him up on it. I was impressed by the sound of these instruments and by the craftsmanship it had taken to build them.
Not only did these three- and four-stringed instruments sound great, but many had that little “chime,” or sweet spot—whatever you’d like to call it—that you get when you play a nice instrument. Kimmer (below left, with yours truly) also makes cigar box ukuleles, and in the end, it was a Don Tomas uke that would not let me leave without it. I’ll be sure to post a pic if I can stop playing it long enough.
Be sure to check out the AxBox Cigar Box Guitars website for more on these quality cigar box guitars and ukuleles.
Streeterville
Streeterville as seen from the twelfth floor of the Hyatt Regency in Chicago.
Go White Sox!
Beautiful weekend for a Sox-Yankees series. Go Sox!