Three years after releasing their first record with new guitarist Brandon Ellis, the Billboard-charting Nightbringers, the Black Dahlia Murder have returned with their ninth studio album, Verminous. It turns out the Detroit five-piece have been trying out some new tricks and angles in their fervent death metal, making this release arguably their most diverse and varied yet. Front man and songwriter Trevor Strnad (one of two remaining original members, along with guitarist Brian Esbach) is more intuitive than technical, and takes a literary approach to his tales of vampires, serial killers, plagues (timely), and Things That Should Not Be. On “The Wereworm’s Feast” he provides especially potent nightmare fuel: “I am the wriggling horror / Inching through your cold insides / Nesting in your death / And I brought friends / We’ll multiply in time.” The title track and “Removal of the Oaken Stake” are actually slightly hooky (hardly something you can count on in death metal), and the riff that opens “How Very Dead” wouldn’t sound out of place on a classic Slayer record. The Black Dahlia Murder sound utterly in control, creating exactly the effects they intend, and they pace themselves by balancing face-ripping speeds with gnarly midtempo grooves that dig deep. Death metal is always about catharsis, about weaving unacceptable impulses and fear of the void into a ritualized celebration. On Verminous the Black Dahlia Murder use melodic beauty more effectively than perhaps they ever have before, and in the process give the void even more of a siren song. v
For decades, percussionist Hamid Drake and reedist Ken Vandermark have sustained a partnership founded upon a deep engagement with the history of free jazz. Both within and outside the DKV Trio, their long-running ensemble with bassist Kent Kessler, their improvisations often arise from rhythmic foundations. But they’re also restless explorers, and on Open Border a pair of Italian musicians helps them move into new territory. Neither Gianni Trovalusci nor Luigi Ceccarelli has much background in jazz. The former is a classically trained flutist who plays ancient and contemporary repertoire, while the latter is a composer and electronic musician; each has contributed to experimental theater and dance performances. Over the course of a 35-minute improvisation recorded live in 2018 at the festival Forli Open Music, the quartet delves into an unstable sound environment where Drake, Trovalusci, and Vandermark can never be sure just what Ceccarelli’s sound processing might do to their instrumental voices. The taps of key pads blow up like soft explosions, and parts of Drake’s drum kit seem to freeze while others flow freely through the open spaces between the two woodwind players. Their darting gestures coalesce and disperse like a flock of birds infiltrated by tiny avian robots. v
Ever since COVID-19 seeped into every detail of our everyday lives, I’ve struggled to articulate the mental gymnastics I go through just to remember to brush my teeth twice a day. Thank goodness for Chicago rapper Joshua Virtue, who does it for me on his new solo album, Jackie’s House (Why?). On “Fenti Face,” Virtue (aka Alex Singleton) captures the surreal mishmash of tension, anxiety, and confusion that passed through him as Illinois skidded toward its current state of limbo; his poised, serene performance collides with the distressing subject to give the song an emotional slipperiness that captures this moment’s specific feeling. Virtue wrote and recorded Jackie’s House during the first couple weeks of Governor Pritzker’s shelter-in-place order, and though he vents plenty of frustration and anger (at the way COVID-19 disproportionately harms the most vulnerable, and at the capitalists exploiting it to fill their coffers), he ultimately fuels this music with love. The album is an homage to his mother, the titular Jackie; Virtue has pledged to give her all proceeds from the Bandcamp-only release while she looks after his sister and grandmother in her Florida home (the Jackie’s House Bandcamp page also includes Venmo and Cash App handles for Virtue’s mom, in case folks want to give more). Jackie’s House is an act of kindness–the joy Virtue expresses here can help people find ways to heal themselves during an ongoing tragedy–as well as a reminder of what can be lost. Virtue’s anger is likewise an act of empowerment: when Ruby Watson and Malci join him to tear into our corrupt political and economic systems on “12 Billion Wulong!,” they wield their serrated barbs on behalf of the people they love. v
Chicagoan Frank Zango possesses something like magic: under the name Zango the Third, he’s able to create oddly soothing, stylistically scrambled outsider-soul songs fast enough to fill several full-lengths a year. In early April, he self-released his second album of 2020, Aunt Ida’s Asteroid Mixtape, where he continues to stretch to the outer edges of his pop proclivities; on “They Ain’t Heavy, That’s My Devil” he warps his warmhearted voice into a high-pitched chirp, and on “Woo! Han Solo” he builds an entire melody around a wordless two-syllable vocal loop that sounds like he’s gasping for air after a long, intense workout. Zango punctuates Aunt Ida’s Asteroid Mixtape with absurdist lyrics, audio pranks (a surreal sketch called “Zeitgeist Radio”), and an unexpectedly vulnerable soliloquy (“Dear Aunt Ida. Goodnight Goji”), all of which lend the album an intimate, diaristic quality. Zango frequently builds his songs atop kitschy synth parts reminiscent of 1960s lounge instrumentals, and they bolster his most vivacious pop hooks–the quasi-tropical “My Clothes Will Burn Too,” for instance, uses a fluttering keyboard to shadow the glum, bluesy singing that gives the song its strange gravitas. Had Zango put out Aunt Ida’s Asteroid Mixtape as a limited-run LP in the 1970s, fanatical modern-day collectors of private-press records would surely canonize it; fortunately, it’s just one easily accessible piece in the catalog of a fascinating player who continues to enrich Chicago’s underground. v
Could the XFL kickoff be coming to college football?
The XFL didn’t make it through its reboot season, but could its legacy live on in college football?
The league officially ceased operations April 10; some would say by falling TV ratings while others would argue it was a victim of the coronavirus pandemic. No matter the reason, the XFL may have provided the NCAA with a model to alter its own rules to provide for a safer, yet still exciting kickoff.
According to its own guidelines, XFL kickoffs featured the place-kicker alone at his own 30-yard line, from where touchbacks are less likely. The coverage and blocking teams line up across from each other between the returning team’s 30- and 35-yard lines, an alignment that minimizes high-speed collisions. The average drive after a kickoff return has started at the 30-yard line, five yards ahead of the 2019 NFL average.
A February ESPN story by Kevin Seifert noted the effort to increase the number of kickoff and punt returns, compared to recent NFL averages, had been largely successful.
Through the first eight games of the XFL’s 40-game season, 90.1% of kickoffs and 63.4% of punts were returned. Last season in the NFL, 34.1% of kickoffs and 36.2% of punts were returned.
While those numbers are arguably a small sample size and the XFL folded just five weeks into its season, it certainly is food for thought for the NCAA rules committee.
Prairie State Pigskin sought the opinions of FCS coaches from around the state.
Adam Cushing, Eastern Illinois
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see continued alterations of the kickoff rules, especially for the health and safety of the game. The NFL has studied this in depth and there is a disproportionate number of injuries on kickoffs.
“I can see in the next x number of years, certainly single digits, that you’ll see the rules committee take a really hard look and continue to make the game safer. At our head coaches’ meetings, they continue to talk about it. Last year they eliminated wedge blocks, so two-person, shoulder-to-shoulder double teams. This year they’re discussing, though nothing has gone through, eliminating all double teams (on kickoffs). I think we’re going to continue to see, in a very positive way, things get safer on that play.
“Any time you can see a model that is in action and working, it’s going to be particularly salient to what we’re talking about. The XFL had to go out on a limb to make up the rule, but college football has the opportunity to look at it and say, ‘boy, look at the statistics there.’ I think it has the chance to be really causative.
“It’s an interesting discussion. We could sit here and talk about it for quite awhile . . . while that becomes safer for the guy covering kicks, it’s now alternatively not as safe for the guy catching the kick because he has less protection from the (coverage) player running full speed.
“Is the XFL model the right one? It will be interesting to see statistics at year’s end on injuries with that play. It’s an alternative moving forward. It’s not just the guys covering the kick, it’s everybody in general. Sometimes the unintended consequences for a rule change are good for Team A, but what about Team B?”
Jared Elliott, Western Illinois
“When you look at just the last five years, there’s been so much change, almost annually with kickoffs. The wedge was eliminated. They’re constantly exploring the different ways that we can make that play in football safer but yet still be exciting and not take away from the tradition of the game.
“There’s no question that that one play in football is the play that can cause the most physical and violent collisions. You’ve got two opposite players running full speed with a great distance and green grass between them. They’re building up a lot of force and power.
“What the XFL did set another lightbulb off for a lot of people. This is a creative way to still keep the tradition of the game, the importance of that play in terms of field position and trying to find ways of creating explosion on special teams and the strategy behind it. This [XFL] model maintains that and is also creating a much safer play.
“I do think it will be looked at. I have not seen anything come across yet from our league that it’s being considered, but I do think it’s made a lot of people think about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t see that trickle down to college football at some point.
“Personally, I thought it was a great idea. It’s still a fun play to watch, it’s unique and there’s still strategy involved. I even saw St. Louis return one for a touchdown, so it’s not a play that favors one side or the other. It’s still a fun and very critical play of a game. But it creates a much safer situation for the players.”
Brock Spack, Illinois State
“I liked it. I really, really liked it. After seeing it the first week [of the XFL], I told my staff that I could really see this being adapted in college football. That’s probably one of the most dangerous plays in football. I’d like to see what their [XFL] injury rate was.
“We kind of practice the kickoff that way. Sometimes we don’t run through the kickoff completely. We work on those different phases so we don’t run 60 yards and have those big collisions. Obviously there are points during preseason where you have to work on it live and cross your fingers [that no one gets hurt].
“I thought it had some merit. Our staff thought it was pretty cool. As the [XFL] weeks went by, I watched how people were attacking the coverage. What kind of blocking schemes they could use within that alignment. It looked to me like running inside or outside zones on offense, the leverages people were using. How far you had to reach. It was very interesting. I could absolutely see college football wanting something like that.”
Khenon Hall, ISU running backs coach
“I think it would be good for our level. With all the rules in place right now, it would be good to go to that format. It would definitely save some hits and stay with [the] safety first [concept].
“I think it’s gonna happen, I don’t know when, but I think it’s going to happen. With this time off, that’s more time for them [rules committee] to look at it. . . I like it. It’s still entertaining, but with the safety factor, it’s better for football.”
Blog co-authors Barry Bottino and Dan Verdun bring years of experience covering collegiate athletics. Barry has covered college athletes for more than two decades in his “On Campus” column, which is published weekly by Shaw Media. Dan has written four books about the state’s football programs–“NIU Huskies Football” (released in 2013), “EIU Panthers Football (2014), “ISU Redbirds” (2016) and “SIU Salukis Football” (2017).
Sad news out of Highland Park this morning. Ravinia has canceled its entire 2020 season due to the Covid pandemic.
The festival which is a rite of summer for thousands has operated continually since its 1904 opening except for 1932–1935, when the park was silenced by the Great Depression.
Ravinia made the decision to cancel the entire season, that was set to run from June 12 through September 16, unlike the approach that the City of Chicago has been taking whereas canceling early summer festivals such as Gospel Fest and Blues Fest while holding out hope for other festivals coming in July, August and September.
Anyone who purchased tickets can receive refunds or vouchers for future performances, or they can convert those funds into tax-deductible donations.
Ravinia explained its decision in a release sent to the media saying the decision was made to protect health and safety of Ravinia’s audiences, artists, staff, and neighbors during what they called a national calamity.
Here’s the release:
HIGHLAND PARK, IL – In response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Ravinia, the oldest music festival in the country, has been forced to cancel its 2020 season. Ravinia has operated continually since its 1904 opening except for 1932–1935, when the park was silenced by the Great Depression. The not-for-profit festival was to have presented more than 120 events from June 12 through September 16, including the annual summer residency of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The festival’s summer conservatory, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, will also be closed this summer.
Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman, who late last year announced that 2020 would be his final season at the helm, explained that factors driving this decision prioritized the health and safety of Ravinia’s artists, audiences, staff, and neighbors, and follows similar cancellations of other summer festivals, along with their training programs.
Since February, Ravinia has been working with its guest artists—some of whom have already canceled their entire 2020 summer tours—to determine how best to proceed, including opportunities to rebook these performers into future seasons. Ravinia’s leadership has also been closely monitoring the evolving warnings of local, state, and national authorities to avoid large gatherings.
“Ravinia benefits from an informed and responsible Board of Trustees and engaged family of volunteers, and our lengthy and thorough discourse on this topic has brought us to the conclusion that it is impossible to move ahead with the season,” Kauffman said.
Anyone who purchased tickets can receive refunds or vouchers for future performances, or they can convert those funds into much-needed tax-deductible donations.
In addition to online concert footage and interviews in support of the May 15 national PBS broadcast premiere of Bernstein’s Mass filmed last summer, Kauffman emphasized that he and the Ravinia staff are developing ideas to give the festival a “from home” presence across social platforms, including “virtual” opportunities for lectures, master classes, and rehearsals for the Lake and Cook County elementary school students who participate in Reach Teach Play, as well as for the young professionals who won acceptance to RSMI this year.
“The lives of these young students have been thrown in total disarray, so it is important that Ravinia helps where it can to provide the structure of these virtual classrooms. Our programs give young people a means of expression and connection with each other and their own quarantined families. We teach them that music is their superpower, and what better time than now to have a superpower?” Kauffman said.
“The crisis created by the Covid pandemic has impacted so much of our lives in dramatic ways. Ravinia will do its part in helping the nation recover,” said Ravinia Board Chairman Don Civgin, “and we will celebrate that recovery with music under the stars next summer.”
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It was two weeks ago yesterday. Fifteen days ago. April 16, 2020. At one of of his usually loony coronavirus update press briefings, Donald Trump showed the people and states of America what they needed to do so they could safely reopen for business. It was a three part plan that even with Trump explaining it, sounded sane. It was something our country needed.
It lasted less than one entire day!
Remember the following day when Trump went on a Twitter spree? Yeah, I know, that’s every day, but that Friday was special.
LIBERATE!!!
Yep, that was the word our leader used to try to get the country moving again. So much for safety. So much for sanity.
One state took him at his one word. Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp liberated spas, tattoo parlors, beauty salons and bowling alleys. Sure, the virus is spreading there like a California wildfire, but liberate the people who need a haircut and some ink.
By the end of next week, most states will be at least partially reopening. Yeah, there are a lot of restrictions, but the Governors want to put their people back to work. Some do it save their economy. Others like the Governors in Iowa and Nebraska want to get their residents off of the unemployment rolls, even at the cost of more illness and death.
However, not one state has achieved level one of the president’s guidelines for opening a state. NOT A SINGLE ONE!!
Stage one was easy to understand. You needed to have fourteen consecutive days of decreased cases of coronavirus. No one in the USA has reached that. In fact, most states are showing increased cases.
All of this concerns Dr. Anthony Fauci. He’s concerned that if we go too far too soon, we’ll take a step or more backwards and the number of cases will spike, as will the death toll. In an interview with the Today show, he urged states to move slow.
“We will get blips…there’s no doubt. When you pull back there will be cases, and what we need to do is make sure states have the capability of identifying, isolating and contact tracing individuals. You can’t just leap over things and get into a situation where you’re really tempting a rebound. That’s the thing I get concerned about.”
Hmmm…he doesn’t sound all that optimistic, does he? Certainly not as much as Jared Kushner, who predicted that by July the country will be “really rocking again.” Certainly not as much as Jared’s father-in-law, who envisions full stadiums and packed restaurants, sooner than later.
Listen, I’m all for getting us moving again. I realize how exhausting it is to be in a quarantined state. I empathize with the millions of jobless Americans, who desperately need to get back to work to keep their families afloat. I’m ready for the United States to be really rocking again! But it has to be done in a safe manner. We can not put people at risk to do this. I certainly am not willing to have anyone risk anything so Donald Trump can say he saved the country’s economy and campaign for a second term on that….not a chance in Hell!
So Don….I do have one single question for you? What did happen to those guidelines for reopening the country?
My so called friends think it’s time to edit this section. After four years, they may be right, but don’t tell them that. I’ll deny it until they die!
I can’t believe I’ve been writing this blog for four years.
It started as a health/wellness thing and over the years has morphed to include so many things that I don’t know how to describe it anymore.
I really thought this was going to be the final year of the blog but then Donald Trump came along. It looks like we’re good for four more years..God help us all!
Oh yeah…the biographical stuff. I’m not 60 anymore. The rest you can read about in the blog.
1810 N. Hudson Ave. in Chicago: $4,250,000 | Listed on April 29, 2019
This 6,300-square-foot Old Town Triangle home has six bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms and was designed by Elizabeth Taich. The kitchen includes an island and appliances by Wolf, Subzero and Asko. Two walk-in closets can be found in the master bedroom. A third floor great room, wine cellar, exercise room, walk-out terrace and rooftop terrace with skyline views complete the east facing home.
Sweet Pea and Pappy are one-year-old active and talkative male Zebra Finches looking for a loving guardian.
Similar to parakeets, Zebra finches are originally from Australia and are the most popular domesticated finch species. In fact, these colorful birds have been kept as pets for over 100 years.
The Zebra Finch gets its name from the zebra-like stripes across its neck, chest, and especially from its black and white barred tail. Their sound is happy and squeaky, like tiny miniature car beeps.
Sweet Pea and Pappy’s guardian was moving to an apartment that did not welcome pets.
Their adoption fee of $100 including their cage, food, toys, perches and treats benefits the Friends of Petraits Rescue. Their cage is 26” long by 20” high by 15” wide.
They are currently being fostered in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood. To meet and adopt Sweet Pea and Pappy, please contact [email protected].
With most sports around the world on pause, revisit iconic sports moments from the past to help fill that void.
Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan crossed paths long ago. During Bryant’s ascension into one of the best basketball players ever, the two became even more similar.
The late Bryant will make an appearance on this weekend’s episodes of “The Last Dance” — bringing the two legends together again.
On Feb. 27, 2012, Bryant passed Michael Jordan for most points scored in NBA All-Star Game history.
