Theresa Andersson, Go!

Anyone else catch Theresa Andersson on the Craig Ferguson show last night?



Originally hailing from Sweden, multi-instrumentalist Andersson moved to New Orleans in 1990. While she cites New Orleans as having a big influence on her sound, it wasn't until she saw a one-man puppet show in Chicago that she was inspired to perform as a one-woman band. She builds layers of sound through the use of looping effects pedals, which capture snippets of sound and play them back in an infinite loop.

Her latest recording, Hummingbird, Go!, was released last fall on Basin Street Records. More information, along with tour dates and links to her Facebook page, can be found at her webpage. You can check out more videos here.

Le Tigre BACK! With Christina Aguilera...?

I know this sounds like the punchline to a hilarious riot grrl joke*, but it's actually true! Not only is Le Tigre off of their "hiatus", as hinted this spring in a blog post from Kathleen Hannah, they are working with Christina Aguilera on her new album. I can't imagine what a Le Tigre-Christina Aguilera collaboration will sound like, but Christina has also tapped Goldfrapp and Ladytron to assist with this album, so it is a safe bet that its going to be one hell of a party record. I'm more interested in the rumored DVD documentary of Le Tigre that the band has been workin on, as well as any possiblity of a new album. Perhaps Christina will inspire them... or maybe this outfit from her last Rolling Stone cover will? C'mon Le Tigre, we need some economic stimulus, and a new album would sell like hotcakes - do it for America!

* Actual hilarious feminist joke -  Q:  "How many radical feminists does it take to screw in a light bulb?"
A:  "The collective will discuss it and get back to you within a month with their consensus,
unless the self-criticism session takes longer or someone
unexpectedly hitch-hikes to San Francisco."

Sita Sings the Blues

Breaking up, as the song goes, is hard to do. Some people find solace in the music and literature of those who have come before, others exorcise anger through their own art and writing. Nina Paley, the filmmaker behind the brilliant Sita Sings the Blues, did both.

Sita Sings the Blues is a modern retelling of the Ramayana, a classic epic poem from India. Paley focuses primarily on the relationship between Prince Rama and his wife Sita, and tells it from a distinctly feminine perspective. The film relates Sita's devotion to her husband, his doubts regarding her purity after she is kidnapped by a rival, and the anguish this rejection causes her. Sita, however, is given a contemporary (and dare we say, feminist?) twist by Paley's use of a soundtrack by American torch singer Annette Hanshaw. The narration, provided by a chatty trio of traditional Indian shadow puppets, further serves to both modernize and humanize the characters of this ancient text. Woven throughout and supported by Sita's tale is Paley's own story of a distant spouse and a doomed relationship, bringing the Ramayana fully up to date for today's audience.

Oh, and did I mention that the entire film is animated? Gorgeously, lushly, intricately, animated?

Unfortunately, upon completion of the film, Paley ran into copyright issues with the Annette Hanshaw recordings. The songs were public domain when Paley started work on the film, but apparently the composition of those songs, as well as the lyrics themselves, are still protected by copyright. (Since the main character is drawn singing the songs, the film was found to be in violation.) After much deliberation and negotiation with the copyright holders, Paley borrowed $50,000 to license the rights and decriminalize the songs for use in the film. She has since released Sita Sings the Blues under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License, and is distributing freely through the Sita website.

For more information, as well as links to download the film, please visit sitasingstheblues.com. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer:

Free St. Vincent Tickets - Millenium Park TONIGHT

We just found out from Metro's Twitter feed that there's some wristbands for reserved seating for tonight's show with St. Vincent at Millennium Park. We spoke last week about how much we love St. Vincent, so if you're free tonight, follow the instructions from the tweet -

@MetroChicago FREE wristbands for @St_Vincent at Mil Pk 2night. Stop by Metro b4 5pm, 1st come 1st served, limit 4, show @ 6pm sharp.

FYI, Metro is located at 3730 North Clark Street. Go get your tickets now!

Video Fridays: Queen of the Blues

"Wang Dang Doodle" was Koko Taylor's first hit on Chess Records in 1966. Check out this live version from 1967, featuring Little Walter on harmonica.

She Was A Woman - R.I.P. Koko Taylor

Sad news tonight as we learn that Chicagoan and Queen of the Blues Koko Taylor has died at the age of 80 from complications from a gastrointestial surgery. The daughter of Tennessee sharecroppers who both died before she was 11 years old, Taylor was entranced by gospel music at church, as well as blues DJs on her radio at a young age. She and her five brothers and sisters made homemade instruments and starting singing the blues. After she was married, Koko and her husband traveled to Chicago where he found work at a packing company and she cleaned houses. The young couple would often visit the blues clubs on Chicago's south side, and her husband "Pops" Taylor encouraged Koko to sit in with the musicians. There, she was discovered by Willie Dixon, who was intrigued by her voice and eager to have a woman be a blues band leader. He landed her a contract with the famous Chess Records in Chicago, where she released many Grammy nominated albums, including the hits "Wang Dang Doodle" and "I'm A Woman". Taylor traveled the world, becoming the first high profile woman to sing the blues, and earning her nickname of "Queen of the Blues". After Chess Records went out of business, Koko moved to another Chicago label, Alligator Records, where she enjoyed continued success. Her many awards from the city of Chicago as well as national and international music organizations included the Blues Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. Even at age 80, Koko was still going strong. She was scheduled to perform in Spain next week, and recently performed at The Kennedy Honors in Washington DC in honor of Morgan Freeman. She sang "I'm A Woman" for that appearance, and was she ever. Go in peace Koko... Chicago thanks you, for everything.

St. Vincent - Neither A Saint, Nor Named Vincent, Just Great Music

My favorite album of the spring is Actor, by St. Vincent, a new-ish musical group that I just happened to come across about a month ago. St. Vincent is actually the stage name for Annie Clark, a sometimes member of the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Steven's touring band. She released her debut album in 2007, Marry Me, to fairly rave reviews from critics as diverse as Pitchfork and the New York Times. Now, as she returns with Actor, her star continues to shine. With, one assumes, influences from touring pals Sufjan and the Polyphonic Spree, as well as the darker sounds of her own imagination, St. Vincent is back with another winner. After playing her album several times through on a recent road trip, I've concluded that this is an artist who has true songwriting diversity, and staying power... her songs are sometimes light and airy, boardering on Spree-like uplifting sounds, while others are weirder, orchestral, cinematic. Simply put, this lady can write a song, not to mention sing them, and if she keeps it up, this is just the beginning. St. Vincent will play an all ages show this Sunday, June 6 at Metro, so if you want to see the woman behind the music, don't miss it!