Inspired by this column detailing giving a country a superheroic history based on it's own published characters, I'm looking to do the same for my own settings. I know I can Google and search Wikipedia myself, but I also wanted to ask the crowd here at the Think Tank if they know any non-American superheroes or comic book characters worth using or basing expies off of? For the record, I'm looking for examples like Darna, but also non-superhero comics characters like Tintin, since the latter can provide a pulp-esque flavor I'm also fond of. I assume that the Atlas of Earth-Prime will be providing plenty of useful Freedomverse characters, but I'm looking for the originals to create my own homages.
I suggest to you Kaliman" wich is a comic hero from México.
There's also Captain Barbell a captain marvel expy who is also created by the creator of Darna.
The only other famous foreign comic I know of is the french Asterix.
Oh in that case i'll go with Japan. now at first glance these two don't look all that superheroish, but I put analogues for both into my mainstream superhero universe without having to change any of the underlying aspects & they fit the genre perfectly.
Cutie Honey (Live action show): A Japanese school girl with the ability to transform into a leather costumed superheroine, who fights the evil criminal cabal known as Panther Claw, with the help of a device that transmutes practically anything... An then it turns out that she has a mysterious past & a pair of colour co-ordinated "sisters" who also have special powers & a mysterious past.
Guyver: An alien battle suit, a secret identity, a plucky sidekick, an alien invasion, super powered fights on the roof tops over Tokyo.
Well, its not based off of any single country, but there's always The 99. A team of Islamic themed super heroes. The team is pretty cosmopolitan, but most of the members come from Middle Eastern countries.And the Publisher is based in Kuwait.
Crinos wrote: And the Publisher is based in Kuwait.
Where there is an amusement park based on the 99.
Oh, they finally got that open huh? Good for them.
I'm actually not entirely sure if they are still publishing the comic. The last issue of it came out a few months ago, and it seemed to end on a rather final note (Well not really, but there was a big spread showing all of the 99 introduced so far who were on the team).
Which would be a shame if it did end, it may not have been the best comic I ever read, but it was a fun little thing with interesting characters.
Crinos wrote: Oh, they finally got that open huh? Good for them.
Actually I'm more disappointed in the fact that its circulation is so low outside of the area that I can't get a copy of it in English without resorting to comixology, something I will not do (due to my moral stance on the DRM model of digital media currently being used). Heck its not even pirate-able, which is really saying something.
Oooh! A chance to break out my copy of The Leather Nun and other incredibly strange comics, a quick guide to some really weird characters. I keep intending to do something with it but never do..
Super Shamou (Inuit, very different cultural standards but still technically US)- looks like a paragon, was used in comics and movies to try to lead kids away from sniffing glue, evidently a major social problem when it was published.
Octoborina- published as a intellectual rebellion in Communist Russia, really a doctoring of an adventure series from the Czech republic. David Bowie was even going to do a movie based on her.
Oh so many really off beat characters in the book.
Oooh and I really wanted do something with Bazooka Jules (British).
Also, although its not from different countries, a few years ago DC did a mini event called "Planet DC", which featured heroes from different countries teaming up with DC mainline heroes in their annuals.
*Jannissary: A mystic and weapon wielder from Turkey who teamed up with the JLA to fight an army of Jinn.
*Iman, El Muerto and Arcata: A trio of Mexican heroes who teamed up with Superman to fight environmentalist cultists. Iman was an armor suit wearer, El Muerto was an immortal Zombie, and Arcata was... I don't think they ever fully defined her powers, I think she teleports through shadows, an has a penchant for quoting famous philosophers.
Salamanca and a whole team of heroes from Argentina: A magic user from Argentina whose apparently on par with Zatanna. The flash saved her and her teammates from an evil mystic and his army of Peteys (A race of killed puffballs which are supposedly from Argentinian folklore, but I can't find a trace of them online). Salamanca had an entire team consisting of seven other characters (Including a winged bird guy, a guy in a jaguar costume, and a horse man.) But they didn't really do anything in the planet DC story (I don't think they were even named), and IIRC they were killed off later.... and it turns out I was wrong, as they do all get named and have powers. and it seems like they weren't killed off, must have been thinking of some other people.
Other nations featured in the Planet DC event include Tunsia, Japan, England, Greece, and India.
saint_matthew wrote: Oh in that case i'll go with Japan. now at first glance these two don't look all that superheroish, but I put analogues for both into my mainstream superhero universe without having to change any of the underlying aspects & they fit the genre perfectly.
Well, if you're on the subject of Japan, don't forget about one of the classics: Astro Boy!
Tokusatsu heroes like Kamen Rider, Ultraman and Super Sentai (better known in the west as the Power Rangers) also spring to mind.
While the two titular character are pretty average kids who happen to regularly go on all sorts of crazy adventures (often through time) several of the recurring side characters wouldn't feel out of place in a superhero story.
The first one to spring to mind is Jerom, who's basically a thawed-out caveman with super strength. In some stories his power level's pretty close to golden age Superman as he can deflect bullets with his chest and run at superhuman speeds. He even had his own comic for a while in which he became an actual superhero, calling himself the Golden Stuntman. In this incarnation he also had a flying motorcycle.
Another character that would fit into a superhero story is Professor Barabas, who's basically a genius inventor. He's the one who created the time-machine that the two kids regularly use to travel through time.
I know you're primarily looking for superheroes, but a recurring bad guy in the series, by the name of Zorglub, would make a great supervillain if you ask me. He's an evil genius who rules his own country with an iron fist and has an army of super-loyal, brainwashed soldiers that all talk backwards.
He's one of my favorite characters in the series and a pretty good over the top evil dictator/mad scientist character.
saint_matthew wrote: I know you're primarily looking for superheroes, but a recurring bad guy in the series, by the name of Zorglub, would make a great supervillain if you ask me. He's an evil genius who rules his own country with an iron fist and has an army of super-loyal, brainwashed soldiers that all talk backwards.
He's Doctor Doom in a three piece suit? I can dig that.


text:
Batman: Arkham City, Batman: Arkham City Items, Items,
Nightwing's Gadget
Batman: Arkham Origins Multiplayer
The Disruptor is a gadget used by Batman and Nightwing during the events that took place in Batman: Arkham City. It was originally used to override the stolen Freeze Gun from Penguin and could override normal Weapons, from Shotguns to Mines.
In the GCPD Building, an officer interrogated Ricky "Loose Lips" Leblanc about a weapon until Batman snuck up and took the officer out. Batman then interrogated Ricky about the location of the "Disruptor" and learned that it could jam firearms and override security jammers. The Dark Knight then headed to the Evidence Locker to retrieve the Disruptor in order to gain access to the GCPD Server Room. After Batman left the GCPD, Barbara contacted him and asked him to use the Disruptor on Penguin's arms crates in Gotham City.
Batman, using the Disruptor on Penguin in Arkham City.
After Batman rescued Mr. Freeze, who was kidnapped by Penguin and then locked in a special "cell" in the War Room at the Museum, he asked Freeze on how to get the Freeze Gun away from Penguin as the latter was using the gun to defend himself. Freeze initially refused to disclose this information, but when Batman threatened to remove the cryochemical that was keeping Freeze's core temperature from overheating, Freeze told him to go get the security override chip from his suit as he made it to prevent anyone from using his weapons against him. After he arrived in the Armory, Batman took the override chip from Freeze's suit and went to the Iceberg Lounge to confront Penguin. Batman then approached Penguin and used the Disruptor to override his weapon, which allowed Batman to take him out.
Batman later went back to the Iceberg Lounge again to receive an upgrade for the Disruptor that was used to detonate mines from undercover GCPD Officer, Elvis Jones.
Batman received a new Disruptor from Nightwing, this time in the style of a rifle with a collapsible stock that was designed by Lucius Fox during the invasion of Scarecrow's Army. This one fired shots of electrical pulses that had a variety of effects. The Disruptor caused weapon crates to let out incapacitating shocks when they attempted to open, caused guns to be disabled or shock the user on firing, knocked out Medics in an attempt to resuscitate someone else, knocked out the user of a Detective Mode scanner on attempting to use it, sabotaged a "Boa" drone to attack its handler and then explode, sabotaged Stun Batons to knock out their user when an attempt was made to attack, rendered a Detective Mode Jammer useless, detonated a drone, prematurely detonated placed mines, detonated a Sentry Gun dispenser when it was attempted to be used, or disabled Optic Deflection Armor to make the users visible to Detective Mode and sabotage firearms two times when they pull the trigger, causing firearms to explode, knocking them out.
While the item normally had three shots that needed to recharge, an upgrade could be made to allow for up to four shots.
Unlike prior models, this one required the device to be aimed directly at the targeted item, rather than at a random place on the person's body.
The player had a limited amount of times that he/she could activate the Disruptor (up to two times, three with an upgrade in Arkham Origins), which could be equipped by holding L1/LT/RMB (PS3/XBOX360/PC) and activated by pressing R1/RT/LMB (PS3/XBOX360/PC). Unlike other gadgets, the Disruptor was one of the few who couldn't activate a "Quick" mode.
When using the Disruptor to disable Freeze's Freeze Gun, the player must do so at close range.
Batman acquiring the Disruptor in the Evidence Locker at the GCPD in Arkham Origins.
The Disruptor in Arkham Origins.
Disruptor Concept Art Arkham Origins.
A more detailed concept for the Disruptor in Arkham Origins
The Freeze Override for the Disruptor in Arkham City.
Batman using the Freeze Gun Override at the Iceberg Lounge in Arkham City.
The Disruptor in Arkham Knight.
Batman likely gave the Disruptor he "confiscated" to Lucius Fox; the device could be upgraded to allow it a more versatile range of abilities. It seems Batman was using a prototype in City, as it was simply a remote that could only disable guns (and the Freeze gun once). Elvis Jones later gave Batman a chip to upgrade it to detonate mines Riddler used to guard his tests.
If you let henchmen try to shoot you while their weapons were jammed, they wondered why their weapons weren't working and discarded them. Afterwards, they would either try to get a new weapon from the ground or a weapons box, or simply try to punch Batman.
The Disruptor could also detonate mines with a certain upgrade that was acquired at the Iceberg Lounge later in Arkham City. This upgrade was not installed by default on the upgraded model, and required a WayneTech Upgrade.
The Disruptor could be used in the Mr. Freeze boss battle, but you could only use it once as he would upgrade his gun to make it immune to its effects.
The Disruptor also appeared in Batman: Arkham Origins and was much larger and could be upgraded to have an extra ammo slot. Batman later modified the weapon in a more practical and portable size. The main difference between the Origins and City versions was the fact that in Origins, a direct line of sight was required, as the disruptive signal was a tiny ball of energy that needed to actually hit the target in order to work.
Interestingly, new The Disruptor in Batman: Arkham Knight had a gun-like design just like The Disruptor in Arkham Origins, albeit less-bulkier and more portable than the original. The Arkham Knight Disruptor was designed by Lucius Fox. It is unknown why Lucius altered it back to a gun-like design instead of the portable one from Arkham City, given its greater versatility, although it is likely that Fox returned it back to a larger (yet collapsible and less-bulkier than the original) Disruptor to enhance its capabilities as well as increase the number of uses back to three (same as the original Disruptor after it was upgraded), which could be increased to a maximum of four following an upgrade. Basically, the Disruptor in Knight has the original's gun-like design and function, while maintaining the portability of the one from City, thanks to its collapsible design.
The larger size could also be caused by the fact that it now also stored physical tracking ammunition.
The Disruptor in Batman: Arkham Origins resembled the EMP Rifle in The Dark Knight Rises.
Retrieved from "https://arkhamcity.fandom.com/wiki/Disruptor?oldid=86635"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Neighboring with The Roads to its East, Little Havana to the North and Silver Bluff to the South, Shenandoah is a historic- rich residential community founded in 1919 by developers from Virginia.
It is a safe and peaceful neighborhood, with a strong sense of community. Public Schools, parks and a library within the area are walkable from the home, and a strong factor on bringing the community together. The maturity of many street trees makes it a pleasure to walk around even during the hot summer days.


text:
Oliver Nature Park (ONP)
Welcome to Oliver Nature Park
Elmer W. Oliver Nature Park
1650 Matlock Rd.
Open Monday -Friday
March through Oct. 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Nov. through Feb. 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
For your safety and the enjoyment of all visitors, please observe the following park rules:
For your safety please stay on the trails
Professional photography is allowed at ONP. Please follow these guidelines and be respectful of other visitors and the environment.
ONP is not available for rent or event usage of any kind. Please see this list of Mansfield Parks that have rentable pavilions.
Golfing and horseback riding are prohibited.
Firearms are prohibited except as authorized by law.
Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the trail or in the park.
Parking is allowed in designated area only.
Inline skates, roller skates and bicycles are permitted on concrete trails only
Dogs welcomed on leashes per City Ordinance 90.09.
Please clean up after pets per City Ordinance 90.12.
Alcoholic beverages and glass containers are prohibited per City Ordinance 96.05.
Overnight camping is prohibited per City Ordinance 96.20.
Do not attempt to touch, befriend, feed or help any wild animal you encounter while in the park.
The unauthorized removal of plants, animals or other natural resources is prohibited.
Picnics are permitted in designated picnic areas only.
Please deposit litter in appropriate receptacles.
Park hours: Daily 5 a.m. - 9 p.m. March – October, 5 a.m. - 6 a.m. November – February.
Elmer W. Oliver was born Sept. 13, 1898, in Natchitoches Parrish, Louisiana. After the World War I veteran came to work in North Texas, he fell in love with a Mansfield girl, and they chose a 200-acre plot along Walnut Creek to raise their growing family. Over the years the family sold off portions of the property, leaving about 60 acres on the north side of Walnut Creek for their retirement homestead.
The fields of wildflowers and prairie grass shaded by large pecan trees became a wonderful gathering place for the family during holidays and special celebrations. Mr. Oliver loved the property and tended to it himself, mowing the acreage on his tractor and trimming each tree by hand. The beautiful property he loved became what Elmer Oliver envisioned when he first saw the land in the early 1960s - "This is where roamings end." Elmer Oliver died in November 1977 at the age of 79. Myrtle Oliver died in 1989 at age 92. Their Mansfield property was left to their daughters.
In 1994 the Mansfield Park Facilities Development Corporation accepted a 13-acre land donation for use as a linear park from a residential developer building on the south side Walnut Creek and adjacent to the Williams property. In 1999 the City acquired seven acres of the Williams property to widen Matlock Road as well as create a detention pond and linear park trail connection.
Although Mansfield was growing around their property, the family wished for the land their father held so dear to remain untouched. They approached the City of Mansfield about purchasing the property for a park where the beauty of the natural space would be maintained and education, appreciation and preservation would be the principal goals driving its development. The sale was finalized in 2004. The property in this sale, as well as the 20 acres previously acquired by the City, comprises the 80-acre Elmer W. Oliver Nature Park.
The nature park was named for Elmer W. Oliver at the request of the family, to honor the man who first walked among the trees nestled by the creek bank and realized that this is where his "roamings end."
A master plan to develop the property was formally adopted in 2011, and the park opened in January 2014.
Oliver Nature Park
1650 Matlock Road
Email Staff
March - Oct.
Nov. - Feb.
Upcoming Programs & Events
Bridge Statement
ONP Home Page
Activities Center
Mansfield Activities Center


Update: Here is the full schedule of all championship series games. For some reason MLB and the TV networks are being coy about game times. Nobody seems to know beyond the first day, or else they're just not telling.
Game 1 of the National League Division Series starts at 3:37 p.m. Friday, with Game 2 set for 6:37 p.m. Saturday.
Fox Sports 1 will televise Game 1; MLB Network will televise Game 2. Both games will be aired on ESPN Radio and KLAC AM 570.
I assume those are Pacific time.
Update: Pacific Time it is.
The Tigers clinched the division with a 3-0 win over the Twins. Detroit will play Baltimore in the American League Division Series, with Game 1 at Camden Yards scheduled for Thursday on TBS.
The Royals, meanwhile, will host the AL Wild Card game against the A's on Tuesday at 8:07 p.m. ET on TBS. The winner will head to Los Angeles to play Game 1 of the ALDS against the Angels on Thursday on TBS.
The Cardinals clinched the division before they even took the field in Arizona because the Reds beat the Pirates, 4-1. St. Louis will face the Dodgers in the National League Division Series, with Game 1 at Dodger Stadium set for Friday on Fox Sports 1.
The Pirates will host the Giants in the NL Wild Card Game on Wednesday at 8:07 p.m. on ESPN. The winner will face the Nationals in the NLDS. Game 1 of that series will be on Friday in Washington on Fox Sports 1.
The A's clinched a playoff berth with a 4-0 victory over the Rangers to claim the second Wild Card. Oakland will head to Kansas City to take on the Royals in the AL Wild Card Game on Tuesday night at 8:07 p.m. on TBS.
Greinke's on the hill for four or five innings as a tuneup. Uribe's managing. Kershaw's the pitching coach. Ryu may be the bullpen coach "if he can get him to understand when he calls down," Mattingly said.
The Rockies send out rookie Christian Bergman, who's 3-4 with a 5.29 ERA in nine starts this season and coming off a win against the D-Backs in which he gave up two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Ryu is throwing bullpen today and Kershaw will throw a couple of innings in a simulated game. The Dodgers are feeling pretty hopeful that Ryu will be able to start Game Three of the NLDS on October 6.
If you're interested in what has happened or is still happening elsewhere, here's MLB's live blog of the events in Cincinnati between the Pirates and Reds, in Texas between the As and Rangers, in Seattle between the Angels and Mariners, in Chicago between the Royals and White Sox, and in Detroit between the Tigers and Twins. What's the big deal? Well, there's a chance that there might be three, three! Game 163 tiebreakers required to settle the playoff seedings and even some of the participants. The possibilities are laid out in mind-numbing detail in that post.


Preheat your oven to 160℃ (320℉) for Conventional Ovens. Fan forced and convection oven heats may vary.
In a food processor, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder and butter, until you have a fine crumb. Add wet ingredients, and mix until a dough forms.
Remove mixture from mixer (it will be really really crumbly), and knead until it comes together and is smooth.
Roll out to desired thickness, and refrigerate until firm. This is the secret of perfect cookies. Always chill your dough before cutting it out, and bake while still cold.
Can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week.
Great with Royal Icing or Modelling Chocolate!
An Interview with.. Shawna McGreevy!


We make creative websites. We use clean coding and code it responsive, so it works best with desktop and mobile devices.
We always make sure that the website we make works with both desktop and mobile devices.
Our Perfect CSS codes make the website load faster and thus helping you in search engine rankings.
All the websites are handcrafted by our experienced designers and coders.
CONTACT OUR SALES OT TECHNICAL SUPPORT TEAM FOR ANY OF YOUR QUERIES. YOU WILL GET INSTANT RESPONSE FROM OUR AWARD WINNING SUPPORT TEAM.
Thanks for contacting us! We will check your message and get back to you soon.


Thermohair is the original maker of mohair socks in North America. Produced in Ontario, Canada since 1992, the socks are made of 75/25 kid mohair/nylon yarn. Kid mohair, from Angora goats, is hair sheared from the kids, during their first year of life. ***The goats are not harmed in this process.*** It is the finest, softest, most luxurious of the mohair grades. Only 1 million pounds of this grade of fibre is produced worldwide per year, and is called the "diamond" fibre because of its strength and rarity.
As soft and comfy as cashmere, yet extremely durable.
Minimal friction on your feet - ideal for blister free trekking!
Very insulating, protecting your feet from the cold and sub-zero outdoor weather.
Ideal for those working in steel toed boots or playing in the cold outdoors or for those who suffer from cold feet due to health issues.
Mohair wicks away moisture and can hold water many times its weight without your foot feeling wet.
Made from renewable fibre; the goats efficiently convert plants from non-agricultural lands to fibre that grows an inch per month.


text:
Social Media Submenu
Edit Profile | Logout
Tales of Murder
MurderWiki
Novelettes
OR, The Old Hypnotist's Crime
by Old Ironnerve, Jr.
read time: 3 hr and 47 min
When master detective, Foster King, is called in to investigate peculiar events at the Central-Midland Bank, he finds more than simple embezzlement, he finds a mind capable of controlling others and forcing them to do his bidding. Can Old Ironnerve outwit this mysterious hypnotist and bring a murderer to justice?
Read Sample …
LUV-IT GUARANTEE: Either you'll love this book or you don't pay!
If you don't thoroughly love this book, just email support and I'll refund 100% of your money. Guaranteed!
~ FREE SAMPLE ~
A Mysterious Complication
The Murder of Banker Butterfield
The Robbery of the Central-Midland
Old Ironnerve Makes a Discover
The Hypnotist's Victim
Foster's Desperate Struggle With a Madman
"You Are Doomed to Die, Foster King"
The Package in the Panel
Old Ironnerve's Clever Strategy
The Blow of a Slung-Shot
"Old Ironnerve, As I live!"
The Mysterious Cabinet and the "Ghost"
In the Cistern
An Unfortunate Accident
Burt and Petie To the Rescue
The Voice from the Wall
Petie's Discovery
"You're First Victim, Old Ironnerve"
Preparing For the Execution
An Awful Experience
Old Ironnerve Speaks
The Last Act In the Drama
"Mr. King, you cannot fail. Will you take the case?"
"I do not think I fully understand you, Mr. Butterfield. Do you say that the books have been tampered with?"
"I said that some fraud has been perpetrated, but as to its exact nature we are in serious doubt."
"How long has this man, Paul, been in your employ?"
"He has been with the house for nearly twenty years," replied the banker as he knit his brows thoughtfully. "Twenty years ago last month since he began work as a clerk in the bank, and in all that time he has ever been considered one of the most trustworthy men connected with the institution."
"You say that the deficit amounts to about sixty or seventy thousand dollars?"
"As near as we can determine — yes."
"How long has he been your cashier?" asked Old Ironnerve, as he made a mental note of the apparent freedom with which Banker Butterfield referred to the particulars of the case.
The Central-Midland Bank of New York had been for years considered one of the most conservative and skill-fully managed banking institutions in the city, and now, for the first time in its history, a dark shadow had fallen over the usually brilliant pathway of the directors, for they had suddenly made the startling discovery that they were being systematically robbed of their funds.
President Butterfield, who was himself an expert accountant, having served many years at the desk as a clerk before successful ventures in Wall Street had placed him among the leading capitalists of the city, had made the surprising discovery.
A number of entries had been made upon the ledger of the bank, which so altered the balances that more than sixty thousand dollars had been surreptitiously entered upon the debit side of the accounts in order to equalize the trial balance, and it was clear that fraud had been practiced to an extent which an investigation alone could determine.
Thoroughly determined to sift the matter to the bottom, the old banker had called upon the famous detective, and requested him to undertake the unraveling of the mystery.
"I will give the matter a little thought and see you in the morning," said Foster, after a moment. "In the meantime please do not say a word about this matter to any one, for it will be much better to go to work as the case stands now than to have other bars set up by the schemer, whoever he may be."
"I am glad you will take the case for me "began the banker, as he rubbed his hands warmly together, and his face took on an expression of pleasure while he spoke.
"Remember, I only told you that I would think about it," interrupted Foster, and at the same time bending his piercing gaze fully upon the banker's face, for be detected a slight start, and for an instant the man's face grew pale.
"But I will pay you well!" exclaimed Butterfield, as he half rose from the chair in which he had previously been sitting.
"I do not doubt that, sir," was the calm reply, "but I am a very busy man just at this time, and in order to do this work I must be compelled to leave other duties in which I am already engaged."
"Nevertheless, nothing can be of more importance than running down the man who is at this moment bleeding me and my bank."
"Pray be calm, Mr. Butterfield, for I assure you that if it lies in my power to get to work at once upon this matter, I will be only too glad to do so, but as I said before, I can hardly call my time my own."
"Well, take it up at once for me, and I will see you handsomely rewarded," replied the banker, as he rose to go. "I assure you that I am almost upset by the discovery which I made by the merest chance."
"How did you first discover the books had been tampered with?" asked Old Ironnerve.
The detective's gray eyes twinkled with a strange light, as he leaned back in his chair, and listened to the statement from the excited banker's lips.
"You see I have a friend in Boston who entrusts to me the handling of a bunch of securities here, and he sent me a sum of money "
"How much, please?" interrupting.
For an instant Butterfield paused and bent his head as if in deep thought.
"There were twenty-eight thousand dollars in this month's consignment," came the reply.
"Yes, you received it when?"
"On Thursday, at about three o'clock — they were late with the express, and we did not get the funds until the close of banking hours."
"Who received the money, if I may ask? You will pardon the questions, many of which may seem entirely foreign to the matter in hand, but they are essential, if I am to have a thorough understanding of the case."
"My cashier, Mr. Paul, received the package this time, although it is my usual custom to attend to that matter personally; but as it was late, and I had an important engagement for that afternoon, I entrusted him with the charge. In fact he waited expressly for the money."
"You say this was unusual?'
"It was, for I always intended to give this matter my attention, because it was more of a personal matter than anything else."
"Then these Boston funds were sent to you personally, if I understand you correctly?"
"They were," answered Butterfield.
Although the banker answered Old Ironnerve's questions without hesitation, yet Foster fancied that he detected a slight uneasiness in the old man's manner as he spoke.
"Was the bank responsible for your investment?"
"I do not think I fully understand you, Mr. King."
"What security did you give your Boston customer for the funds which he sent you for investment?"
"My personal note — "
For the first time the banker hesitated.
Old Ironnerve looked him squarely in the eye.
He plainly saw that Butterfield was trying to withhold something from him, and he determined to know just what that something was.
"Pray be frank, Mr. Butterfield," he said in a calm tone. "You cannot expect me to go to work understandingly unless you see fit to give me all the information in your power, for even the slightest thing may add an altogether new phase to the case, from the standpoint from which I am expected to view it.
"True enough, Mr. King," was the reply, "and I have no reason to withhold anything from you, but it is a matter which I have never confided to the other directors of the institution, and in that perhaps I have been wrong; but the funds that I have received from this Boston party have been secured through the bank upon my own personal paper."
"Very well, Mr. Butterfield; you are perhaps justified in feeling ill at ease in the matter, for if you should chance to lose your fortune, and your friend should want his money suddenly, there would be a considerable shaking up in the Central-Midland."
"But, King, I have got three or four million!"
"I do not for a moment doubt that, but if it is invested as much of the funds of banks in general is to-day, you may not be so sure that you will have one million on the morrow."
"No, that is so, but I will risk it yet a few days, for if nothing happens I am going to make a deal next week, and then I am going to get out of the business entirely, for it is too much of a lottery for a man of my age — "
"Well, to interrupt you and get down to business once more, what was the first intimation you had that the bank had been robbed?"
"On Friday night I was called to attend to some matters for an aged widow, a friend of the family's, and I found her upon her death-bed. I had, some two years previous, taken, on deposit, some securities which she did not dare to intrust to strangers, for fear of losing them. You know how eccentric women are sometimes? Well, I found that she was determined to secure those papers before she died, and, in fact, she told me she wanted to die with them in her hands, and what could I do but go to the bank and get them for her? as I realized that she had but a few hours more to live, and the physician told me that perhaps it would alleviate her mental suffering, and make her last hour easier upon earth.
"I jumped into a carriage and drove down-town to the bank, and entering the side door, I went at once to the private vault, where all of my books and accounts were kept.
"I opened the door and took out the ledger, for the purpose of ascertaining the exact date upon which she had placed the securities in my hands, as well as to see what was the balance of interest due her upon account.
"It chanced that when I opened at the index, my finger turned involuntarily to the name of my Boston friend, and out of pure curiosity I turned to his account first.
"I glanced at the balances for the last month, and I could not believe my own eyes, for there, in black and white, were the figures which were supposed to show our exact standing, but I knew that those figures were not correct, and that some blunder had been made.
"I hardly knew what to do. I turned from the page, and before I could find the name of the dying widow I became thoroughly puzzled over what I had seen at a glance.
"Again I turned to the long account, and once more I was as fully satisfied that some big mistake had been made, for instead of owing him, as I was perfectly confident that I did, some hundred and fifty thousand, I found that I was only owing him, as by that book, about one hundred and five thousand dollars.
"What did it mean?
"I could only see one of two possible chances out of it, and that was if Paul had made an error and failed to enter the transactions between us upon their proper account he had doubtless entered them elsewhere, and thus balanced, as every trial for months had been right to the cent."
"Did you investigate at once?" asked Foster.
"I did. After returning to the dying widow and pacifying her mind with the securities and accrued interest, I went directly to the bank, and for over four hours I went carefully through the books, although not a sign of an error could I discover.
"But suddenly I paused in my search. I know that I came near fainting, for I got so cold that my hands felt like ice to myself.
"I stumbled upon a discovery which nearly upset me. Money had been entered directly upon the ledger to balance accounts, and no mention whatever was made of it upon the cash-book. We were being ingeniously and shrewdly swindled.
"I called Paul to account next day, which was yesterday, but he firmly denied every charge, so that now I have come to you."
[2]{.chapternumber} [The Murder Of Banker Butterfield]{.chaptertitle}
When the aged banker had finished his conversation with Old Ironnerve he rose and left the detective's house.
He appeared in better spirits than when he had arrived at the celebrated man-hunter's office, and Foster felt that the man's mind had been relieved by his assurance that an effort would be made to find the source of the alleged fraud.
The banker descended the steps, and entered his carriage which had been in waiting at the door.
As the vehicle rolled away, Old Ironnerve from a window in the upper hallway, observed a dark form clinging to the baggage frame behind.
The detective started.
What did that mean? Was the old banker being shadowed?
He resolved to know.
With a quick movement he reached the door of his den. Snatching a package from the table nearby, he descended the broad stairs three at a bound.
Before his feet had struck the lower landing, Foster was well disguised with the articles of apparel that he had hastily snatched from the package, and, opening the door, he sprang into the street, to all appearances a man of fifty years with a full beard and somewhat rheumatic gait.
By the merest chance a hack was passing at the moment. It was going in the same direction as the one taken by the banker, and Old Ironnerve quickly hailed it.
"Hello, Cabby! Are you after a fare?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm at liberty just now," came the reply, and the driver of the hack quickly drew rein, and turned his horses's heads toward the curb.
Old Ironnerve met him halfway.
"I guess I will sit up beside you, for I feel kind of squeamish like, and perhaps the air will do me good," exclaimed the gray-whiskered old chap, and he climbed upon the box with an agility which seemed to puzzle the driver.
"You are pretty nimble for a man of your age," said the Jehu, and he cracked his whip as the carriage rolled away.
"Well, how old do you think I am?" asked Foster.
"I don't know. Gray hairs are deceitful sometimes. You might be sixty, and you might be eighty for all that I can tell."
"Then how do you know that I am ' kinky ' for a man of my age?"
"Well, I don't; but most of my fares want me to hold the skirts of their coats while they boost themselves into the hack, but you didn't seem to have much trouble at climbing up here."
"Well, no, I am not dead yet, by any means," and Foster tendered the driver a cigar.
Accepting with thanks the proffered weed, the genial cabby was quickly impressed with the sporty blood of his fare, and a moment later he had made a remark that caused Old Ironnerve to start.
"Do you know old Butterfield, of the Central-Midland Bank?" be asked.
"I have heard of him," answered Foster, as he paused in the act of lighting a cigar. "Why?"
"Well, I was just into Tom McCollum's saloon, and I heard a chap say that the banker lost a good pile to-day in speculations in 'the street.'"
"Wonder what in — did he say?"
"Sugar, and May wheat, I believe."
"Who was the fellow, any one who knew?"
"Well, I guess he was, for he is said to be a heavy speculator in stocks, and spends most of his time around the down-town bucket shops."
"Did you know the chap?"
"Are you sure he said it was Butterfield?" asked Old Ironnerve, his curiosity aroused.
"Yes, I am, for I stood not three feet from him when he spoke, and he was talking in an ordinary tone of voice — in fact, he spoke so distinctly that others beside myself heard what he said."
"To whom was he talking, did you know?"
"No, I didn't know the other chap; but he was a young man, and I should think be might be some kind of a clerk, from the style of his dress."
The hack had been for some moments rumbling quietly along over the macadamized street, which at that point was very smooth, and Foster\'s eyes had been riveted upon the dark object in advance, which he knew to be the carriage containing the old banker.
Presently the leading vehicle turned abruptly to the right, and entered a broad street upon the east side of the avenue.
When Foster's driver reached the corner, the detective directed him to follow in the wake of the advance carriage, and this he did.
They had scarcely turned the corner when Old Ironnerve grasped the hackman's arm.
"Pull up," he whispered, for scarcely thirty feet away was the vehicle which they had been so quietly shadowing.
As the carriage stopped, Foster sprang lightly to the ground.
"Wait for me here," he said, and he started forward toward the spot where the carriage stood, when he was suddenly startled by a wild shout from the driver of the banker's carriage.
"Help! Murder!" came the cry, as the hackman spiang back from the open door of the vehicle, and hastily snatched the side light from its socket.
In a moment the famous detective was by his side.
"What is the matter here?" asked Foster in a stern voice, as he leaned forward and peered into the semi-darkness of the hack.
"Look and see!" exclaimed the trembling driver as he threw the light upon the cushions inside the vehicle.
A startling sight met the detective's gaze.
The interior of the carriage was covered with great splashes of blood, and the cushions were piled in confusion upon the body of the aged banker who lay in a heap upon the floor, a wicked looking knife plunged into his breast.
His pale, upturned face was contorted with agony, and his half-parted lips presented a frightful spectacle, for they were covered with clots of foaming blood, which still oozed from between his teeth.
"My God! What a crime!" gasped the driver, as he surveyed the gory spectacle, and even Old Ironnerve shuddered as he contemplated the scene.
The inmates of the house had been aroused by the outcries of the hackman, and at that instant came hastening down the steps.
"What is it, sir?" asked a beautiful young woman, as she reached the driver's side.
Old Ironnerve glanced at the questioner, and then he turned and interposed his body between the door of the carriage and her range of vision.
"There is nothing you can do, my young lady," he said; and he took her gently but firmly by the arm. "Please return to the house and the entire truth will be made known to you very soon."
"Who are you, sir?" she asked, as she drew proudly back from the grasp of the detective.
Old Ironnerve leaned forward and whispered something in the young woman's ear.
She started as though she had been stung.
Her eyes flashed like jets of fire as she fixed her gaze upon the detective.
"Why are you here?" she cried in a tone of anger. "There is no need of a detective here."
The driver heard and comprehended the meaning of her excited words.
He little realized that the man who stood by his side was the very man whom he had driven the aged banker to visit, and a look of bewilderment filled his eyes as he glanced at the man whom Annette Butterfield had chosen to style a detective.
But Old Ironnerve was not the man to be argued with.
He knew that a dark crime had been committed, and that be was at that instant in the presence of death, and so he determined to carry a firm hand with the young woman.
"Miss, you will return to the house at once," he said, almost sternly.
But the haughty young woman was fully as determined as he, and she quickly manifested her spirit of firmness.
"I am not in the habit of obeying the orders of others," she replied, in a lofty tone. "You cannot dictate to me, sir."
"Indeed, but you will do as I request, Miss Butterfield?" said Old Ironnerve, sternly. "This is a matter in which you can be of no help whatever — "
Foster's words were interrupted at that instant by the mellow voice of an elderly woman who had descended the steps to the young woman's side.
"Annette, you will certainly do as the gentleman requests," she said, and she grasped the maiden's arm firmly as she uttered the words.
"Why should I go Into the house?" almost whimpered the girl, as Foster turned to survey the newcomer.
Old Ironnerve beheld a woman of rare and impressive beauty. She was apparently about fifty years of age, and to all appearances had been at one time a picture of grace and refinement.
But the ravages of time had begun to plow furrows of care upon her still handsome brow, and her silvery locks attested the inroads of encroaching years.
Her eyes met those of the detective, and for an instant Foster fancied that he saw an involuntary start.
She seemed to shrink from him as though she held him in mortal fear, and yet she did not appear to move; the strange contraction of the muscles of her body alone signifying the nature of her emotion.
Foster wondered if she knew him, for he did not recall her face, but almost instantly she had regained her self-possession.
"What is the trouble, sir?" she asked, as she gently forced the younger woman toward the door of the mansion, and herself stepped closer to the side of the carriage.
As the rays of light from the lamp in the hands of the driver fell upon the pale, upturned face of the murdered man within the hack, the lady paused.
Her face grew ashy white, and with a loud cry she threw up her hands and plunged forward toward the pavement.
"Cyrus! My husband!" she cried, and she would have fallen had not the powerful arms of Old Ironnerve held her up.
Foster instantly saw that the woman had fainted, and he quickly beckoned to the second driver to approach.
In a moment the cab drew up to the curb, and the driver sprang to the sidewalk.
"Has she fainted?" asked the man as he saw the limp form lying in Old Ironnerve's arms.
"Yes, and you will help bear her into the house," answered Foster.
The cabby started, for the voice of his fare had changed from the wheezy tones of a rheumatic old man to those of the well-known man-hunter.
"Old Ironnerve, as I live!" he muttered, as he stooped to assist the detective. "I wonder what is In the wind now, for he would not be here if something wasn't up."
This was indeed true, and when, a moment after the two men had returned from the mansion, having carried the stricken woman into the library, the hackman saw the awful evidences of a crime, he came near yielding to the horrible faintness which such a sight might induce in even the strongest of men.
"What does it mean?" he gasped as he gazed at the wonderful detective, and thought how lucky it was that Foster chanced to have hailed him, and ridden directly toward the scene of the crime.
"It means murder!" exclaimed the hackman, who had driven the old banker's carriage, for upon this particular occasion the vehicle in question was not owned by the banker, but was, instead, hired for the trip from his place of business, as was generally the aged millionaire's custom when he was late in the transaction of some of his various business affairs down-town.
"Then some one ought to call the police," answered the second, but Foster placed a restraining hand upon his arm.
"Do not be so swift," he said. "When I want them I will attend to that side of the business. For the moment I want to see what we can find."
As the two hackmen gazed upon the figure of the celebrated sleuth, that individual seemed not to note their presence, but went about his task as though be alone was in the presence of the dead.
Foster's keen eyes took in every phase of the surroundings, and they suddenly lit up with a gleam of satisfaction as he stooped and plucked a shining object from the floor of the hack.
"I will find the fiend who struck that blow if it takes the remainder of my days to accomplish the task," he muttered as he turned and directed one of the cabmen to hasten and find a patrolman.
Old Ironnerve little dreamed of the dangers that were in his path, and that the task before him was to prove the most difficult that he had ever undertaken.
END OF SAMPLE
MBIN No: 5678
Length: ~ 109 pages (depending on ereader font and font size)
Original Publication: Old Cap Collier Library | April 6, 1895 | No. 590
Republication Date: Aug 20, 2018
Copyright 2014 — 2019 Tales of Murder Press, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy


nokia c6-01 with clear black display better than nokia n8 display... But both just look amazing n working prety well to me till now.
doom you can do download software from Ovi store.
i am using this set for last 6 months...this phone is really great..ousum perfomance..screen clarity is its biggest asset...videos can make u wild...games workin perfectly...supports hd videos avi mp4 flv mkv xvid...go for it..
Doom, 20 Apr 2012Can I record the in coming calls from this phoneYes of couse ... I think this phone is best bUT ONLY COST IS HIGH.?..
Can it support all software such as maze lock , finger print , talking tom .
Ajay from Mauritius, 13 Apr 2012Hello every one , my wife want me to buy nokia c6-01, c7, 701 or n8 for her, but can anyone te... moreif she begs u anything then tell her that "sold me and buy any thing for ur needs"
this phone really is driving me wild!! so small yet so alive. it has everything you need and doesn't have anything that you don't need. its very handy. heavy but so comfortable. one thing i love about this phone is its screen clarity. there is no other phone with such amazing clarity!! photographs and videos are come alive with such accurate colors that u cant take your eyes off of them.. all of this for such a small price..
this phone is really great using it frm one year widout..hanging once also...!!
AnonD-24288, 07 Apr 2012Hello Guys ! The LED light at bottom of Nokia C6-01 is not glowing as sharply as it was before... morethe people in your local nokia care center will be always there to answer your questions.


text:
Peel St Tavern
Local Amenities in Brisbane
Top Picks to See at QPAC This September
Posted in Local Area & Events @ Jul 8th 2018 7:26pm - By Administrator
Queensland Ballet's Cinderella
The magic of famous fairytale Cinderella is captured perfectly on stage in the Queensland Ballet's brand new ballet adaptation. Featuring mesmerising costumes, a beautiful score, and amazing ballet choreography from one of Australia's premier ballet companies, the Queensland Ballet's Cinderella is a moving production for all ages, which closely follows the heartwarming fairytale of Cinderella. Follow Cinderella's footsteps to the Royal Ball in this unmissable ballet adaptation this spring, which will enjoy a week-long run at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre from September 7 to September 15.
Featuring original Dire Straits member Chris White, The Dire Straits Experience is the best Dire Straits show in the world right now. Dire Straits formed in 1977 and are one of the most well-known rock bands to come out of the UK. Altogether they've sold over 100-million records worldwide, which include big hits "Sultans of Swing", "Walk of Life", "Money for Nothing", "Brothers in Arms", "Romeo and Juliet", "So Far Away", and more. If you're a fan of Dire Straits, The Dire Straits Experience is a show that's not to be ignored. See them performing at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre this September 26.
Experience terror on stage in Jakop Ahlbom's Horror, a haunting production that features tense and ominous scares with acrobatics, illusions, and blood-curdling special effects. The story takes place in a deserted mansion, where a young woman and her friends become the victims of a terrible and vengeful spirit. Before it takes a turn for the worse, the young woman must unravel the chilling truth that lies with her cruel parents and strange sister. Horror comes to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre from September 26 to September 29 as part of Brisbane Festival 2018, and will have you clinging to your seat from start to finish.
Don't miss these world-class shows coming to QPAC this September near our Brisbane Southbank apartments. Book a memorable stay in Brisbane with South Central today at https://southcentral.etourism.net.au
Image Source : Oz Comic-Con
0 Blog Entry
7 Blog Entries
Top 5 Most Relaxing Locations in Brisban
Sometimes a change of pace is all that's needed! Among Brisbane's urba...
See Gipsy Kings + More This April at Bri
See The Gipsy Kings + Exciting QPAC Shows This April April has never b...
The Best Family Brisbane Events This Aut
Best Family Brisbane Events This Autumn 2020 Visit Brisbane this autum...
43 Peel Street (Cnr of Peel & Merivale Street) South Brisbane, Brisbane QLD 4101
Copyright © 2015 South Central Apartments


Best Finishing, Inc. is dedicated to your Metal Finishing Processes. We provide expert application/process development services, as well as the most complete line of metal finishing supplies at the most economical costs.
Licensed, bonded and insured commercial contractor. All interior, exterior painting, drywall and stucco repairs, epoxy floor coatings, cool deck coatings, cabinet painting, all coatings and staining. Overpasses and bridge painting a specialty division.
Custom made windows and doors, in wood, U-PVC, Aluminum or Aluminum Clad Wood. Spezialized in historic renovation, security windows from burglarproof to bullet resistant and oversize openings. Awnings, Retractable Awnings, Window Awnings and Sun Screens.


Appex Gym & Fitness World is in Nikol area of Ahmedabad having monthly subscription of about 700 rupees for a month. The facilities provided by them are gym, exercise, floor exercise.
For any further queries regarding Contact number, Book Gym Classes, FAQ's, Reviews, Facilities Offered, Monthly Fees of Appex Gym & Fitness World. Kindly visit www.365doctor.in.


text:
Underground Bee
Robert Loerzel's blog on music and the arts
Tag: PHOTOS
Farewell, Centro-matic
After 17 years, 11 albums and numerous concerts, the venerable Denton, Texas, band Centro-matic is calling it quits. I'm sad to see them go. At least, we'll still have the records, including classics like 2003's Love You Just the Same. And we'll surely be hearing more from the band's singer-songwriter-guitarist, Will Johnson, as well as the other musicians who have been playing in Centro for all these years: drummer Matt Pence, keyboardist-bassist Scott Danbom and bassist-guitarist Mark Hedman. But for the foreseeable future, we won't get another chance to see this band live.
Centro-matic's farewell tour included a stop at Schubas on Monday, Dec. 15. Johnson told the audience that Chicago has always been one of the cities where Centro-matic felt the most welcome on its tours, ever since the band starting hitting the road in 1998. For one last time, Centro-matic delivered charged versions of its greatest "hits." Near the end of the show — I believe it was during "Fidgeting Wildly," a song from the first Centro-matic album, 1997's Redo the Stacks — the band dug hard into the final chords. As Johnson kicked up a leg and Pence pounded hard on the drums, it seemed like the whole stage was shaking. A glorious moment it was. So long, Centro-matic.
Opening band Telegraph Canyon
Angel Olsen at Thalia Hall
After introducing the musicians in her band, Angel Olsen omitted her own name, remarking, "I'm still learning about who I am." Maybe that's true (as it is for most of us), but Olsen sounded completely confident in her musical identity as she performed Saturday night, Nov. 29, at Thalia Hall. As always, her voice was a wonder to behold, commanding everyone's attention even when it was just a whisper. There's nothing fussy or affected about the way she sings — it seems like that remarkable sound just naturally comes out of her. Her vocal style is cool, but it isn't cold; there's plenty of emotion pushing to break through even when her singing seems to be placid on the surface.
Her singing also has a timeless quality, with echoes of traditional English folk music and old-timey Americana as well as contemporary indie rock. As a result, Olsen's performance on Saturday — featuring many songs from her great album from earlier this year, Burn Your Fire For No Witness — transcended genre. She played a couple of songs solo, bringing back memories of similarly intimate performances she gave a few years ago at Saki and the Burlington, back when she was still residing in Chicago.
But for most of the night, Olsen's songs were shaped into subtle rock songs by her band: guitarist Stewart Bronaugh, bassist Emily Elhaj and drummer Josh Jaeger. For the first time, the band played a delightfully jangly cover of Jackie Deshannon's classic 1963 song "When You Walk in the Room," which was a hit for the Searchers in 1964. Commenting on how much she's come to love playing with this group, Olsen said, "Basically, we're all in a relationship now."
The show also featured strong opening sets by the atmospheric indie-rockers Lionlimb (a band featured two members of Olsen's group, Bronaugh and Jaeger) and the hard-riffing roots-rockers State Champion.
State Champion
Lionlimb
Lydia Loveless at Lincoln Hall
Bloodshot Records artist Lydia Loveless joked around in between her songs on Friday, Nov. 28, at Lincoln Hall, but she set aside her goofy playfulness when she was in the full throes of performing her music, including many songs from her outstanding 2014 album Somewhere Else. Sometimes, she took her hands off her guitar and held them to her head, gesturing like someone in pain or shouting in anger. And then at the end of the night — after a deep set of riveting, twangy country-rock with her band and a few "off-script" solo songs — she ended up sitting on the stage with her legs sprawled out as the band kept on rocking. In the final moments, she covered up her face, and then, as the song ended, slipped off the stage without a word. She'd just said good-night with the exclamation point of her music.
Bassist Benjamin Lamb
Guitarist Todd May
Before Loveless took the stage, her sister Jessica played a lively set of shaggy but upbeat rock with her own band, the Girls. Lydia joined in for one song and one sibling hug.
Lydia Loveless with the Girls
Opening act Baby Money
Thee Oh Sees at the Empty Bottle
Late last year, it was reported that Thee Oh Sees — a fantastic and very prolific rock band — was taking a "hiatus." It didn't turn out to be much of a hiatus, or anything that most musicians would even call a break. Thee Oh Sees leader John Dwyer moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles and promptly released yet another great record, Drop. And he came to Chicago for shows this week at the Empty Bottle on Tuesday and Wednesday. I was at Tuesday's concert.
But this wasn't the same Thee Oh Sees. Other than Dwyer, the entire lineup of the group has changed. It's now just a trio of guitar, bass and drums. Dwyer was as intense as ever, ripping through one piercing guitar riff and solo after another as he sang his catchy melodies in a floating falsetto, adding a trippy, Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd vibe to his rampaging garage rock tunes. The new rhythm section was tight and hard-hitting. I did miss some elements of the old Thee Oh Sees lineup, especially Brigid Dawson's keyboard and vocals — she used to blend her voice with Dwyer's on practically every word of every song, a compelling and sometimes spooky part of the group's performances. That's gone now, but Dwyer and his new bandmates are one hell of a live act.
Opening act Running
Opening act Jack Name
My Brightest Diamond at Lincoln Hall
My Brightest Diamond, the musician also known as Shara Worden, is a crossover artist in the best sense of the term. She easily dances between the realms of rock, classical music, cabaret and art songs. She knows how to use her lovely voice as an operatic instrument, but when she plays her electric guitar and rocks, she doesn't sound like an opera house diva trying to be a pop star. This past summer, My Brightest Diamond played a free concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, but it was called off after a few songs because of a torrential rainstorm. She was back in Chicago on Thursday, Nov. 13, playing a concert at Lincoln Hall, which she called a "rain date."
Like the Millennium Park concert, this one featured the Chicago marching band Mucca Pazza in a prominent cameo role. After the opening set of pulsing electronic squiggles by Dosh & Ghostband, a blast of brass came from the balcony, where the members of Mucca Pazza had assembled. The band marched downstairs and played on the floor in the midst of the crowd, then came onto the stage, joining with Worden and her rhythm section in a rambunctiously fun opening number.
The rest of the concert featured just the core My Brightest Diamond trio, as Worden played several songs from her recent album, This Is My Hand, as well as songs from throughout her career. One highlight was the quiet ballad that Worden wrote for her infant son, "I Have Never Loved Someone the Way I Love You," from her 2011 album All Things Will Unwind, which she performed solo, softly crooning the lullaby as she strummed the chords on her electric guitar. For the last song of the night, she sang a faithful rendition of Peggy Lee's hit "Fever," a fine demonstration of her wide-ranging interests and remarkable talent.
Dosh & Ghostband
The Flat Five: Interviews with Scott Ligon and Kelly Hogan
The Flat Five are a supergroup of the Chicago music scene, combining five terrific talents: Kelly Hogan, Nora O'Connor, Scott Ligon, Casey McDonough and Alex Hall. The group plays a delightfully diverse range of cover songs, and it's working on its first album, a collection of songs written by Ligon's brother, Chris Ligon (longtime co-host of the Chris & Heather calendar shows at FitzGerald's with his wife, cartoonist Heather McAdams). The Flat Five is halfway through a series of four Thursday-night shows at the Hideout. You have two more chances to catch them during this residency: Nov. 13 and 20. (I included these Flat Five shows on a list of this season's recommended pop concerts in the Nov. 3 issue of Crain's Chicago Business.)
Last week, the group performed on the floor of the Hideout in front of the stage, focusing on quieter songs, while the audience included people sitting on the stage. After a 90-minute set, the Flat Five took a break and then came back with a jar full of songs requested by the crowd, playing some of those for the next hour and a half.
Last month, I interviewed two members of the Flat Five, Scott Ligon and Kelly Hogan. Here's an edited transcript of those conversations, interspersed with my photos from last week's show.
SCOTT LIGON
Q: How would you explain the concept of the Flat Five?
A: We're a bunch of friends that have played together over the years in different incarnations. And the Flat Five is an opportunity for us to all do things that we would otherwise never do in any other band. It gives us a chance to explore music that we couldn't really do in any other band. But more than anything, it just gives us a chance to sing together, and that's what we love to do.
When I first moved to Chicago, I came up here because I'd struck up a relationship with Kelly. The first time we ever sang together, we just had this magical experience. It was almost like we're separated at birth or something. I actually have a recording of our first gig, which we only had one rehearsal for. It's a show that my brother Chris and Heather were putting on at FitzGerald's, and Kelly was supposed to do a short set with her friend Andy Hopkins. And Andy Hopkins wasn't going to be able to make the show. And so she was thinking she wasn't going to be able to make the show. And she was actually telling my brother Chris this while I was at his house. I had seen Kelly sing maybe one time, and I volunteered — I said, "Hey, you know what? I'll do a set with Kelly."
And we just started discussing some things on the phone, and discovered we had a lot of music in common. We got together the night before the show and sang together. And I swear, there's no difference between the way we sang that night and the way we sing together now, over 10 years later. I have a recording of that night, and it sounds like we'd been singing together for years. So we did have this sort of magical connection right away.
I had been thinking about moving to New York. I was living in Peoria at the time. And my connection with Kelly made up my mind about not moving to New York and sticking with Chicago. I'd been here once before. So, I came up here and immediately started doing Thursday nights with Kelly at the Hideout and working the door on other nights. We were just doing duets at the Hideout.
At some point, she said, "I have this wonderful friend Nora who's a fantastic singer. We should have her out some night." And Nora just came out and sat in, and it was the same thing — it was like this magic that happened the very first time that the three of us all sang together. We all knew exactly what to do, you know? We all knew what part to take on any given song, and so then we started doing a trio thing. We had been offered a gig opening for the Blind Boys of Alabama, which seemed like an odd thing for us to do. So we decided to do some — sort of the opposite side of the coin. We decided to do some white gospel and country gospel music. None of us are particularly religious, but we like a lot of music. (Laughs.) So we were doing that for a while under the name the Lamentations. We were doing that for a little while and peppering the set with just little country music and some other oddities.
While this was going on, I had been getting to know this guy, Casey McDonough — who I was discovering I also had this strange connection with, almost separated-at-birth kind of thing. We found out that we had met one another maybe 20 years earlier, when we were kids. We were in our teens and we met at BeatleFest, apparently. So we had this Beatle connection. Casey started working with me in my country and western band, the Western Elstons. And we start developing a duet style together. And I thought, "Man, he would be perfect for this thing with me and Kelly and Nora." So, he joined that band, and then all of a sudden we had all of this music to draw from. Because Kelly and I had our list of songs that we were performing. And we had a complete selection of tunes we were doing with Nora. And Casey and I had this whole other bag that we were doing. And we just decided to put it all together in one group and not be concerned about style, but to just be concerned about substance. And so was born the Flat Five.
Q: And you had Gerald Dowd on drums originally, and now Alex Hall.
A: Yes, Gerald Dowd was with us for two or three years. We played so infrequently. There were some conflicts when Gerald couldn't do it, so we started using Alex. Casey and Alex and myself had developed a little trio called the Letter 3. I was playing piano, and we were mostly doing jazz and rhythm and blues and stuff like that. So it seemed to make sense to bring Alex into the band. Once again, we had a whole other group's worth of material to add to the Flat Five's set. So, the Flat Five is comprised of maybe five different bands, actually.
Q: How do you describe the range of music that you guys play? Is there a common thread?
A: I don't think that musically there's necessarily a common thread. I think the common thread is just that these songs are fantasy songs for us — songs that maybe in the past we fantasized that we wish we could do someday in a band. It gives us an opportunity. Because of the range of the band — because we're able to cover so many different styles and we have so many singers — we are able to do things we wouldn't be able to do in any other band. Recently we've been doing this song, it's a musical version of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven," which I heard 30 years ago on an old Buddy Morrow record called "Poe for Moderns." It's a big band arrangement of "The Raven," and it's just this really odd little song that I doubt any of my friends had ever heard, but it's something that stuck with me for decades.
Q: When I was trying to figure out one of your set lists and I was Googling the various songs, I think that was the one that I couldn't identify. Where did this come from? And part of the problem was that if you search for "The Raven," you get all sorts of stuff about Edgar Allan Poe.
A: It's wonderful to be able to stump the Internet. And we don't do these things to be — we don't do anything because people aren't aware of it.
Q: You're not being deliberately obscure?
A: No, I'm not. I don't mean to speak for the others. To me, that's just being cute, you know? That song really meant something to me.
Q: It's jazzy, with a Manhattan Transfer or Swingle Singers sort of harmony.
A: The music itself is very challenging, and that's part of what's really fun. Because none of us are classically trained or anything like that. So, it gives us an opportunity to really stretch. It's one thing to appreciate a piece of work that's done in five-part harmony. It's another thing to figure out how it's done. And then figure out how to do it.
Q: So you guys are figuring this out by ear by hearing the records?
A: Exactly. That's how we do everything. And none of us is a trained arranger. It's just all for the love of the songs that we choose to perform.
Q: I think it's interesting how you could step into a Flat Five gig and you guys would be doing vocal harmonies on a Hoagy Carmichael song. And at that moment, I'll think this is a concert that jazz fans or fans of the Great American Songbook would love. And then a minute later, you're wailing on a guitar solo and it's suddenly more of a rock concert. And five minutes after that, now you're doing country music. I appreciate all of that. But I wonder: Are there people here who like only one of these kinds of music — and what do they think about the rest of the show?
A: You know, that's the thing. I'm sure you're aware of the fact that I'm currently a member of NRBQ. That band — and some other rock 'n' roll bands in the past were unafraid to do any kind of music. The Beatles did whatever kind of music they wanted to. And nobody said, "Oh, they're doing all these different kinds—" It was just under the umbrella of the Beatles. Now, I'm not comparing us to the Beatles or anything like that. But NRBQ works in the same tradition. Music is music, and if it moves you, it moves you, and that's what it's all about. It's about being connected to the spirit of this music. Classifying, I think, is troublesome. Because I get just as much joy out of listening to an old Hoagy Carmichael record as I do listening to the Ramones. Most of my friends, most of my musical friends, they're the same way, you know? But people think you have to do something in order to be successful, you know? If you have to present something in a certain way in order to be successful, I don't really want to be part of it. I just want to play music because I love it. And that's what we do. We're unconcerned about categories.
Q: The article in the Chicago Reader several years ago portrayed you as this great musician who wasn't putting out a lot of recordings. And I've often though the same thing about Nora and Kelly — at least Kelly had a record come out on Anti- last year, but it took 10 years where she was doing all kinds of stuff: touring with Neko, playing shows at the Hideout. And the Western Elstons are playing at Simon's. So you guys are all very busy, but if I look you guys up on allmusic.com and look at your discographies, you look like you're not doing much. For you, is the focus just doing music in a live setting? Or have the opportunities to make records just not come along as often as they do for some people?
A: I think it's a combination of things. First of all, I'm not going to work a regular job. I've been making a living playing music for 20 years now, and it's not easy. It's not easy to keep yourself booked all the time. It's also not easy to make a living playing music and to continue to do things that you really love to do. Now, it's taken me some time to get to the point where I'm comfortable with all of the different projects that I'm involved in. Currently, I'm not doing anything that I don't really enjoy. Which is a great thing. But it takes up a lot of your time. And also, I think you could also say that maybe we're a little lazy.
Q: But you're keeping busy playing live shows, which isn't a sign of laziness.
A: I don't want to speak for Kelly and the others concerning this particular topic. But you know, I've had some kind of strange goals in life. All I ever wanted to do was play music and enjoy it. That's all I ever cared about. And then you come into this thing where — well, the music business, they sort of define success for you. Well, I'm not going to let anybody define my own success for me. I'm going to do things. I've always been very stubborn about the way I want to live my life and the way I want to spend my time. I had sort of been chasing this (NRBQ) thing around for a long time. I saw them for the first time when I was 18, and it just changed my life. I just knew that I was somehow supposed to be connected — I was connected to this group. I was busy trying to make a living in bands, but I always had this NRBQ thing hanging around in my consciousness. Twenty years of thinking about it and feeling as though I was supposed to be involved in it — 20 years later, I ended up being in the band.
Q: That's kind of remarkable, isn't it?
A: It is a crazy story. I mean, it really is. It literally is a dream come true. I used to have dreams, actual dreams, that I was — "Oh my God, I'm up onstage playing in this band." Or: "Oh my God. (NRBQ leader) Terry Adams just walked into the room while I'm playing." Just things like that. I was pretty geeked out about that band. And it did come true. And the strange thing is, it's not like I was really actively pursuing it, but I just always had some strange feeling about it. So, like I said, who's to define success? In my mind, I kind of got what I wanted.
In high school, I remember counselors saying — I think they all thought I wanted to be famous. They didn't get it. All I ever cared about was just playing good music. Because I started from a really young age, and it just got in me. I just knew from the time that I was in sixth or seventh grade that this is what I'm going to be doing. And I'm very fortunate to be able to do it and to be able to pay my bills.
Q: And now Casey has joined NRBQ, too.
A: He's in every band that I'm in. (Laughs.)
Q: Obviously that takes up a portion of your time. But you have a pretty good balance of doing that and other things like the Flat Five and the Western Elstons?
A: It takes some doing to give each one of those things their space. But yeah, it's all that I do. You're constantly juggling all of these different things. And Kelly's doing the same thing: Working with Neko and doing all of the different projects that she's involved in. But we've always had this soft spot in our hearts for the Flat Five. For a time, we were doing it once year and then maybe twice a year.
Q: Was that mostly because of scheduling issues?
A: Pretty much. People were so busy. I think at the time, the Neko thing was really taking off, and Kelly is very devoted to Neko. And at the same time, the thing with NRBQ was taking off for me. So we needed that space to be able to cultivate these things.
Q: So, as you do this residency at the Hideout, you're preparing to do an album of all covers of your brother's songs?
A: Yeah, that's what we're proposing. Sort of a tribute to my brother's music.
Q: Why don't you describe what your brother is all about, musically?
A: I can't describe what my brother is all about. I really can't. To me, that music is completely singular. There's just nothing like Chris Ligon. There's nothing like what it is that he does.
Q: How old are you, and how old is he?
A: Well, he's 12 years older than me. I'm 44. I grew up with his music in the house. It was great, because he always involved me in his music, from the time that he started making these weird recordings in the basement. The very first song that I ever remember him working on that he asked me to be a part of was a song called, "Your Cheeks Are Redder As Hell." (Laughs.) And I think I might have played vacuum cleaner on that song. And he had some other really bizarre songs early on. One called, "I Guess They Call Me Butter Fingers."
He's a fabuloulsy original creative songwriter. He has the ability to make — he can create a song that is based on a form that is familiar. He also has the ability, I think, to create new music, which is really hard to do.
Q: You mean, new in a way that it's different from anything else?
A: Where it's literally not based on anything you've ever heard before. And that's almost impossible. And it takes a really special person to be able to do that.
Q: If you go ahead with these plans for an album, when is that likely to happen?
A: Well, we have started. The great thing is, we're doing this on our own time and our own money.
Q: No label involved at this point?
A: No, not at this point. So, we're our own boss. And we'll just do it as time allows. But it's really exciting, because one of the things that was happening over the last couple of years was this feeling of: God, like, are we crazy? Why are we only doing this once a year? You know? It just became this thing where we're going to be sorry if we don't do something about this band, if we don't document some of what we're capable of. And you know, we really love each other. It's a really fun thing to do. We're hoping to be able to try to do it more often. We've begun doing it sort of more quarterly. Maybe four times a year instead of twice.
KELLY HOGAN
Q: What's your summary of what the Flat Five is all about?
A: I was trying to explain it to my mom, because I was playing her some of our stuff we've been recording. I don't know. We're unapologetically groovy. We like it so much. It's almost like it doesn't matter if anybody shows up. We're junkies, man. We just love that harmony, and, like, the harder the arrangement, the more we like it. It's joy. All our inner-band emails, the word "joy" comes up all the time. And "groovy." This morning, we were writing each other. I was like, "Yall, let's just go ahead and be weird. 'Cause you know we're already weird. Let's be as weird as we want to be."
Q: Is there a common thread in all of the songs that you guys do?
A: Joy? Curiosity and joy. Just trying it on. Trying on all the clothes. All the crayons. We just start throwing songs at each other. Like: "This is one I've always wanted to do." And we'll always try everybody's baby, at least once. Some songs jibe and some don't. Everybody brings their faves to the table.
Q: With some of these songs, are you creating three-, four- or even five-part harmonies that weren't in the original recordings?
A: Oh, yeah, most definitely. We do that, like when we covered the Dan Wilson song, "All Kinds." Because everybody — especially Alex, Casey and Scott — they can do everything. They play everything. Alex, our drummer, sings like a dream. So we just want to show him off. He has a nice bass voice. That's the joy — that vibration. The harmony thing is really what's our glue. So, why make Alex miss out? We'll find a part for Alex. We've got to give him a piece of the frosting on it, too. We can't be hoggin' all the sugar.
Q: Scott traced the whole thing back to the first time he sang with you, as a duo. The way he remembers it, the minute he started singing with you, he could tell it was going to be a great thing having these two voices blend together — that it was very natural. Is that how you remember it?
A: It was amazing. Yeah. I know where I was sitting in my living room when we sort of looked at each other across the coffee table and were like, "Uh-huh. All right. Yeah." Scott and I talked for, like, 10 minutes on the phone, just about what we were going to do. I got off the phone and turned to my roommate at the time and said, "Oh my God." I looked at the set list Scott and I had made. I said, "Every band that we're covering ends in Brothers or Sisters." The Everly Brothers, the Davis Sisters, the Wilburn Brothers. For someone you've never sung with before, this is going to have to click or it's going to be a disaster. Everything we were about to sing was super-close intuitive, blood-relation harmony. I wasn't thinking about it when we were talking but then I was like, "Oh boy. It's going to crash and burn."
But then Scott came over, and as soon as we started singing together — and then, I think I mentioned Georgie Fame, and we bonded over Georgie Fame and Lou Rawls. It's just that thing where I could start singing the first line of a song and Scott would just join in. And that's what happens in Flat Five practices all the time. We have a hard time sometimes getting to the actual song we're supposed to be practicing, because all of a sudden we're doing the Guess Who. Somebody just starts humming a song, and all these guys, they just know how to do it. It's this intuitive thing. We're eating and sleeping and breathing music. It's very organic.
Q: Do you feel like you have a harmony relationship with each of the different people you sing with? When you sing with Neko, there's one thing happening, but with you sing with Scott, there's a different thing?
A: Oh, yeah. Definitely, definitely. There's different ways of singing. As a harmony singer, there's this way that you — have you ever laid tile? Where you score the putty? It's almost like you fit into it. Like it's a different way of scoring and texturizing your voice against somewhere else's. And that can vary from song to song. There are different colors. What's fun with Nora and Scott and all these guys, is we can have the whole box of crayons. We can do all different types, from country harmonizing — rough, the bluegrass types of chords and intervals — and then get to the Free Design, and it's all (sings in bright tones), "Ba Ba Ba." Then it's all groovy again. We can't say no.
Q: You went for a period where you were playing one show per year. Now it's a little more than that. Has it just come together scheduling-wise, that you're able to do more?
A: Yeah. Well, we've made more of an effort. Once Scott and Casey got with NRBQ, it was even more difficult to do even the once a year. So we've really made a concerted effort, because we really like it. When you play once a year and you practice, you don't want to do the same songs all the time. But everybody's so busy. So we've made a concerted effort to expand our repertoire, which already has like 85 songs in it. Then, we've bandied the idea of doing the Chris Ligon catalogue. Scott and I have mentioned to each other for years, and then we were like: "We need to do this. We need to do this." So we made our plan and everybody's made their sacrifices, schedule-wise. I mean, I have to drive in from Wisconsin, so I do a lot of couch surfing and stuff. But it's so worth it.
Q: So for people who don't know Chris Ligon's music: Who is he and what's his music all about?
A: (Laughs.) Oh my God. It's sophisticated, weird and twisted, dark and light at the same time, you know? With that sort of wry sense of humor. I don't know. He's loose and tight. I don't know. I don't know what's happening in there. I just can't get enough of it. Freestyle. A feral kind of thing. But very sophisticated musicality. And like, Dr. Demento's going to have the biggest boner. That kind of thing.
Q: What do you have planned for the last two shows of the residency at the Hideout?
A: The last week (of the Hideout residency) on the 20th, Chris and Heather are going to be our co-stars. Chris Ligon is going to do his own set, Heather is going to show films. Nov. 13 is called Flat Five and Friends. Max Crawford is going to come join us and there may or may not be an entire Beach Boys album done in order.
Day of the Dowd
Gerald Dowd has drummed for with a lot of different Chicago musicians over the years, rarely taking the spotlight himself. Saturday was his day, and what a remarkable feat it was. FitzGerald's hosted daylong festival called "Day of the Dowd," featuring 17 bands playing over the course of 13 1/2 hours. Dowd played drums for the first 16 of these bands, barely taking any breaks longer than a few minutes. And then for the finale, Dowd stepped up to the microphone with an acoustic guitar, singing and playing tuneful alt-country songs from his first album as a solo artist, Home Now.
I showed up halfway through the day, arriving in time to catch a rare performance by the great Chicago power-pop band Frisbie — which was so good that it made me hope Frisbie starts playing more shows and recording music again. The rest of an evening was a who's who of Chicago's alt-country and related genres. Here's the full list of bands that played starting at 11 a.m.: Justin Roberts and the Not Ready For Naptime Players, Dave Sills, Brian Ohern's Model Citizens Big Band, Electric Dirt, Samba Bamba, the Regulators, Nora O'Connor, the Hoyle Brothers, EXO, Dave Ramont, Frisbie, Jive Council, Kelly Hogan, Lush Budgett, Chris Mills, Robbie Fulks and Gerald Dowd and his Moral Minority.
All of these musicians gave their time to play at this event, celebrating the release of Dowd's new album and all that he's done for them over the years. The event also raised money for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Some singers and musicians kept turning up on the stage, performing with various groups over the course of the marathon.
Dowd started his own set with his 14-year-old son standing next to him and playing guitar. Various other musicians joined Dowd over the course of that final hour, but then it was just him standing alone on the stage for the encore, playing a beautiful acoustic ballad from Home Now. I sensed something especially heartfelt in the applause. It was astounding to think what this man had just put himself through. He was still standing as the show ended around 12:40 a.m., remarking that he was looking forward to a day without any drumming on Sunday.
Dave Ramont and Gerald Dowd
Scott Ligon (playing with Kelly Hogan)
Lush Budgett
Chris Mills
Kelly Hogan gives Dowd a back rub.
Robbie Fulks
Grant Tye, Kelly Hogan and Robbie Fulks
Gerald Dowd with his son.
Grant Tye, Dave Sills and Gerald Dowd
Musee Mecanique at the Empty Bottle
My photos of Musee Mecanique from the band's performance on Oct. 29 at the Empty Bottle. The Portland, Ore., band released a great record of dreamy folk rock called Hold this Ghost in 2008, and now it has another fine album, From Shores of Sleep. The trio's tapestry of sounds was lovely in concert, including the closing cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Only Living Boy in New York."
Nude Beach, Vamos and Sueves at Subterranean
My photos of Nude Beach, Vamos and Sueves from their performances on Oct. 27 at Subterranean.
Check out Nude Beach's recent double album of jangly power pop, 77.
Sueves
White Fence, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and Ultimate Painting
My photos of White Fence, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard and Ultimate Painting from their performances on Oct. 18 at Subterranean. Cate LeBon performed as a touring member of White Fence.
Check out their recent records: White Fence's For the Recently Found Innocent, Ultimate Painting's self-titled debut and I'm in Your Mind Fuzz.
White Fence
Ultimate Painting
Skygreen Leopards and Jennifer Castle at the Hideout
Photos of the Skygreen Leopards and Jennifer Castle from their performances on Sept. 15 at the Hideout.
Check out their recent records: Jennifer Castle's Pink City and the Skygreen Leopards' Family Crimes.
The Skygreen Leopards
Jennifer Castle
Photos of Ex Hex at the Empty Bottle
Opening act Speedy Ortiz
Favorite concert photos of 2013
I've posted my favorites of the concert photos I took in 2013 on Flickr (just a few of which you can see below…)
These are my favorites out of the photos I took at concerts in 2011.
SCREAMING FEMALES Jan. 14 at Lincoln Hall
HANDSOME FURS Jan. 15 at Lincoln Hall
LITTLE DRAGON Jan. 16 at Lincoln Hall
KINGS GO FORTH Jan. 21 at the Double Door
BUDDY GUY Jan. 23 at Buddy Guy's Legends
YO LA TENGO Feb. 4 at Metro
THE DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS Feb. 26 at the Vic
RON SEXSMITH March 22 at Schubas
WHITE HILLS March 23 at the Empty Bottle
GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR March 26 at Metro
SKULL DEFEKTS March 31 at the Hideout
SILVER ABUSE April 16 at Permanent Records
LOW April 21 at Lincoln Hall
ELEVENTH DREAM DAY April 22 at Lincoln Hall
THE SPITS May 27 at the HoZac Blackout Festival
NONES May 28 at the HoZac Blackout Festival
EARTH June 8 at Mayne Stage
GRUFF RHYS June 9 at Schubas
HANGGAI June 9 at the Pritzker Pavilion
SWORD HEAVEN June 11 in the Neon Marshmallow Fest at the Empty Bottle
CENTRO-MATIC July 3 at Schubas
EMA July 15 at the Pitchfork Music Festival
TUNE-YARDS July 15 at the Pitchfork Music Festival
GUIDED BY VOICES July 15 at the Pitchfork Music Festival
NEKO CASE July 15 at the Pitchfork Music Festival
ZOLA JESUS July 16 at the Pitchfork Music Festival
OFF! July 16 at the Pitchfork Music Festival
KURT VILE July 17 at the Pitchfork Music Festival
ODD FUTURE July 17 at the Pitchfork Music Festival
ODD FUTURE audience July 17 at the Pitchfork Music Festival
ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI July 17 at the Pitchfork Music Festival
HEALTH July 17 at the Pitchfork Music Festival
GILLIAN WELCH July 22 at the Vic
WILD FLAG July 23 at Wicker Park Fest
FOOTBALL July 24 at the Illinois Centennial Monument
THEE OH SEES July 24 at the Illinois Centennial Monument
ANATOMY OF HABIT Aug. 7 at the Empty Bottle
MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND Aug. 8 at the Pritzker Pavilion
MAGIC KEY Aug. 21 at the Illinois Centennial Monument
TERRY ADAMS with NRBQ Aug. 27 at FitzGerald's
SCOTT LIGON with NRBQ Aug. 27 at FitzGerald's
SOUL TRAIN CONCERT Sept. 5 at the Pritzker Pavilion
THE EMOTIONS Sept. 5 at the Pritzker Pavilion
BILL CALLAHAN Sept. 16 at Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements
CHARLES BRADLEY Sept. 17 at Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements
WHITE MYSTERY Sept. 24 at the Hideout Block Party
BOOKER T. JONES Sept. 24 at the Hideout Block Party
MAVIS STAPLES Sept. 24 at the Hideout Block Party
LE BUTCHERETTES Nov. 4 at Subterranean
ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS Dec. 7 at the Empty Bottle
ALABAMA SHAKES Dec. 15 at the Hideout
The Photo Pit page in this week's Chicago Reader features my pictures from the concert last Sunday (Aug. 29) by Iggy & the Stooges at the Riviera. Click on the image below to see the online version.
After guitarist Ron Asheton died last year, I figured that would be the end of the Stooges reunion. But the band found a suitable way of carrying on, recruiting James Williamson, the guitarist who played with the Stooges on their final album, 1973's Raw Power — and who co-wrote all of the great songs on that record with Iggy Pop. Williamson dropped out of music after that and spent 30 years in the computer business. If you Google him, one of the top photos that comes up is this one showing him in his business attire:
For the current tour with Iggy & the Stooges, Williamson strapped on his electric guitar once again, and that businessman returned to his roots as a protopunk rocker. Sounded great, too. Williamson was fairly staid as he cranked out that cool guitar riffs. The one "new" guy in the band — venerable ex-Minutmen bassist Mike Watts — was more animated, puffing out his cheeks and occasionally jabbing his bass into his amp.
Iggy Pop showed no signs of slowing down. It's hard to believe the guy is 63. What energy! He's still one of the greatest live performers in rock music, and on Sunday night he barely let up for an hour and a half. The Riviera Theatre (where the concert was moved after apparently slow tickets sales for the larger Aragon Ballroom) was crowded, hot and sweaty — slightly uncomfortable, but really, isn't that the perfect environment for a jolt of raw power?
… Looking back on what I wrote about seeing a SXSW interview with Iggy Pop and Ron and Scott Asheton in 2007, here's a nugget: Iggy said his stage antics were inspired by the dancing he saw in Chicago clubs when he was gigging as a blues drummer. "I had never seen such raw sexuality than I saw in the blues dancing," he said, adding that he was also inspired by Big Bird.
And click here to see my photos of Iggy & the Stooges (with Ron Asheton) at Lollapalooza 2007.
Andre Williams and Dirty Diamonds
The current issue of the Chicago Reader (the June 4, 2010, edition) has my photos of Andre Williams and Dirty Diamonds playing May 29 at Schubas on the Photo Pit page.
I've posted additional pictures from the concert here on my blog
It was a fun show, with Williams in good form, singing his raunchy blues-soul songs. My only complaint was that I wish he'd played more music off his new CD, the Bloodshot release That's All I Need.
www.bloodshotrecords.com/artist/andre-williams
Local group the Dirty Diamond got the show off to a good start, with a fun mash-up of Girl Group vocals, a bit of soul and dance, laptop percussion and electric guitars. The group was missing one of its three regular singers, but the performance still came off well. www.myspace.com/pumpthedirtydiamonds
Favorite Albums of 2020
Chad VanGaalen at the Empty Bottle
Jon Langford's Four Lost Souls at the Hideout
Hideout Block Party 2017
Cropped Out 2017
Freakons at the Hideout and the Shitty Barn
Steve Dawson's Hideout residency
Youssou N'Dour at Millennium Park
Amadou and Mariam plus Frank Waln at the Pritzker Pavilion
Jason Molina tribute at the Hideout
Drive-By Truckers at the Pritzker Pavilion
Pitchfork Music Festival 2017
Pitchfork Music Festival 2017: Day 3 Photos
Solid Sound Festival 2017
Negative Scanner and Sweet Cobra at Bric-a-Brac
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds at Detroit's Masonic Temple
Arbouretum and Brokeback at Schubas
Jambinai at the Empty Bottle
Erwin Helfer at the Hungry Brain
Big Ears Festival 2017
Big Ears: Photos of Nils Økland
beylikdüzü escort Kartal Escort Denizli Escort İzmit escort Denizli Escort İzmit Escort Maltepe Escort Kurtköy Escort Ataşehir Escort Görükle Escort Ataşehir Escort