Hooking up media and clubs promotions and amusements for Boston acts Edo G., The Kreators, and Last Word, Oakland, Calif. and Hieroglyphics’ Souls of Mischief, and Chicagoland’s own Bronx and San Fernando Valley expatriate Akbar kept a writiholic spread too thin to crank this piece out last week. So in deference to the very folk who are the bread and butter for us music industry insiders, y’all get the expanded bonus version of this column, which is officially dubbed “Haymarket Riot.” The title is a reference to the 1886 bombing and ensuing chaos at a Chicago socialist labor rally in the West Loop that left greed-driven industrialists far less smug, painfully exposed
police brutality and judicial prejudice in spite of the often Victorian cop allegiance of the day, toppled an Illinois governor who saw through all enough to pardon the remaining men facing the gallows after a jury convicted them without a shred of evidence on conspiracy charges connected with the bombing, and dramatically mobilized the ranks of socially conscious activism that begot the color-blind Hull House, FDR’s New Deal, and Medicare under the White House’s “Camelot” period, more indigenous grassroots urban movements from the Black Panthers and Brown Berets to the Young Lords, and Johnson’s Great Society.
Indianapolis’ premier DJ-turntablist Top Speed (Alan Robert) has landed a gig at one of Nappy’s top commercial radio stations WHHH-FM (96.3), and he’s looking for all kinds of vinyl to spin for his listeners, especially straight underground. Snail mail him the goods at 816 S. Norfolk St., Indianapolis, IN 46241.
In case you’re one of Wisilliana’s multitude fiending for Akbar’s Caroline-distributed debut solo album Big Bang Boogie (Ill Boogie) scheduled to officially drop Jun. 26, don’t fret. Virgin Megastore-Chicago (540 N. Michigan Ave.) has ordered a shipment that’s expected to be in the store by Wednesday. Ak effectively flexed some B-boy star power last Thursday after his Virgin Free Radio interview with the store’s DJ Madrid, with Virgin brass, shoppers, and vinyl hunting DJ’s in his grille alike. Look for Ak to soon return to Jazz Child Record’s do-it-yourself indie lab with his turntabling partner in Mental Giants, P-Lee Fresh (aka DJ Parker Lee).
The Jackson’s hometown of Gary, Ind. to Chicago is like Newark, N.J. to New York City (during their Chicagoland visit, Edo G., The Kreators, and Souls of Mischief stayed last week at the relatively opulent Trump Hotel within walking distance of the riverboat casinos in the Hoosier metropolis). Gary and the rest of surrounding Northwest Indiana that includes Hammond, East Chicago, and Merrillville also boasts a fledgling hip-hop scene ranging from hoodcore to straight B-kid underground. Grab a taste of it at Garyrap.com, which features music, news, and concert information.
Independent hip-hop n the tristate Great Lakes region of Wisilliana received some expanded attention with a mic-controlling profile each for Akbar and Bay Area expatriate Thump for the 2001 Local Band Directory in the June issue of Chicagoland’s music monthly Illinois Entertainment (last year, it was merely one profile for the Filipino rap group Pacifics). The issue is among many IE efforts supporting indie music, including a May indie label issue featuring Twista’s Legit Ballin’ Records label in the hardcopy and online versions of the magazine. IE’s monthly helping hand to indie music is the monthly “Around Hear” column that appears in both versions of IE. Unlike music reviewed in the magazine’s “Spins” and “Spinimum” columns, “Around Hear” reviews are not numerically rated and contact information is provided for each (through links and email templates online). An online version of IE’s 2oo1 Local Band Directory is promised on its site at Illinoisentertainer.com.
Credited as Chicagoland’s longest running music conference, the Fifth Annual MOBfest (as in Music On Business Festival) will offer a day of music industry seminars Jun. 23 at Wrigleyville’s Metro (3730 N. Clark St.) and three days of urban music showcases at various Chicago clubs Jun. 21-23.
The industry panels will include the following:
- An A&R Q&A session moderated by attorney Peter Lewitt of the firm Shapiro, Davis & Lewitt and featuring representatives from Warner Bros., EMI, Arista, Roadrunner.
- A marketing promotions, and new media panel (subtitled “Go Tech Yourself”) featuring new media representatives from the likes of Arista, Streetteam.com, and Chicago-based entertainment marketing and promotions firm Jeff McClusky & Associates.
- A “demo-demolition” critique session (subtitled “Go Hang Yourself”) featuring representatives from Illinois Entertainer, Elektra, Warner Bros., Chicago rock station Q101, Maverick Records, EMI Publishing, and Metro talent buying.
Among the showcases’ hip-hop acts will be Wisilliana’s raza tokers Los Marijuanos at the Weed Street shopping and entertainment district’s Joe’s (940 W. Weed St.) Jun. 21. The mostly latino Molemen Inc. crew will give a special performance the same day for annual invitation only pre-MOBfest party with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres that Jeff McClusky & Associates is throwing at Metro’s basement sideclub Smart Bar (3730 N. Clark St.). JMA, incidentally, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Devotees of free music file swapping might want to check out Napster’s chief lord protectors The Rosenbergs Jun. 22 at Lincoln Park West’s Park West (322 W. Armitage Ave.).
All that goes for the price of a James Brown concert, $50. For general information or to find out how to register, phone (773) 282-7700 or visit www.mobfest.com.
If you’re finer than Renaissance statuary, well-spoken, a dazing songbird or mic-controller, and confident enough to epitomize a fledging urban magazine Barry Hankerson owns in the Middle South, you might qualify to become the male and female spokesmodel for Inferno magazine. In return for some negotiable pay, Inferno’s spokesmodels would be the magazine’s most accessible face and voice at its music conference in September and at events where Inferno wants to exert a presence. Perks would all-expense paid travel and hotel accommodations, a photo spread with Inferno, an opportunity for dazzling captive music industry movers and shakers at industry events with your vocal skills, and hookups to gigs with such events as the Indiana Black Expo in Indianapolis. Email your resume, an MP3 of work, and high definition jpeg flicks giving a first-glance idea of your face and body type—so folk can figure out what they’re working with—to editor-in-chief at Latasha Smith at lsmith@aye.net and lsmith@infernomag.com. A hardcopy version of that material and plus a cassette tape, CD, or videotape of your work, can be snail mailed to her at Inferno, 1604 Russell Lee Road, Louisville, KY 40211. Nude flicks for a clinical review or also acceptable. Be sure to include accessible daytime and evening phone numbers.
POLITRICKS TIP OF THE WEEK: Just because Hammond, Ind.-based Power 93 FM (92.3) is a Greater Chicagoland timeshare war with Chicago-based WGCI FM (107.5) doesn’t necessary mean that the Hoosier station is a friend of indie hip-hop. An urban entertainment promotions company spent $1,200 on advertising with Power 92 for a concert headlined by Edo G., The Kreators, and Souls of Mischief, and Akbar. Power 92 compelled that client to produce the commercial themselves and refused to air ticket giveaway promotions or interview the headlining acts on air after first requiring extensive proposals for both promotions some four weeks in advance. The reason—as with the case of WGCI, the major labels have forbid Power 92 to extend such
promotional opportunities to indie acts and labels.
MARK FITZGERALD ARMSTRONG
11706 SOUTH THROOP STREET
CHICAGO, IL 60643
markarmstrong62@aol.com
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