The Hitmaker presents The 21st Annual St. Nicholas Markos Xmas Revue, at Chief O'Neill's in Chicago, on Saturday, 23 December 2017.

The music will start at 8:00, and we recommend calling Chief O'Neill's at (773) 583-3066 to make a reservation if you're coming with a group and want to be assured of seating (though there will be plenty of room to stand, dance, etc.). 

We'll have the return of wizard Georgie K on the guitar, as well as Howard Windmiller, BA, Victor Salazar, The Eau Claire horns, and more. 

Come on, feel the noise.

The 21st Annual St. Nicholas Markos Xmas Revue
Saturday, 23 December 2017 :: 8:00pm
Chief O'Neill's :: Chicago :: 3471 N Elston

My current favorite record of the year is Picture Show by Neon Trees, which came out shortly after I got hip to their previous album, Habits.


My first exposure to Neon Trees was when I saw them open for Duran Duran in December 2011 at the Chicago Theatre. They had some hooks that reached me, even though I had never heard any of the songs before.


Following up after the show, I got into "1983" and "Your Surrender," both great pop songs. Then I found their appearance of Daryl Hall's Live From Daryl's House, where, in addition to solid versions of the two songs I just mentioned, they also did a lovely reading of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams," and totally burned up a relatively obscure Hall & Oates track called "Head Above Water," as well as Hall & Oates' "Adult Education" (a song I don't generally care for). I was sold.


Neon Trees write just the kind of retro-80s-epic-romantic pop anthems that I live for; songs that make me feel 17 again--the kind of pop anthems that engender hope and foster dreams of grandeur. These are the kind of songs that make me feel like something great could happen at any moment, that a transcendent love is around the corner, and that there's time for me to be great. That's what music is all about for me. That's what got me truly excited about listening to music as a tween, and that's what made learning to play an instrument and write songs so magical.


You know that feeling when you think you've heard everything that's going to be new and great, that there's no undiscovered gems left out there? And then you do discover something new that gets you excited and hungry for more? That's what these folks are doing for me. When the lead single "Everybody Talks" came out in advance of the Picture Show album, I was genuinely excited to hear the album and eagerly awaiting the release. And it did not disappoint.


In addition to "Everybody Talks" (listened to it repeatedly), there are a generous handful of great songs. "Weekend" is an energetic jam; it has a cool, unexpectedly funky verse and a pre-chorus that perfectly sets up the wide-open chorus, which kicks into an extra gear after the main hook--the "Outside the night's as young as us . . ." part opens the big chorus even further. Great bridge, and then into "oh-oh . . . na na na" business, then the "Nobody knows . . . " variation of the chorus . . . forget about it! This is pop gold. The composition and construction of this is masterful. If you don't like this, you don't like hooks.


Speaking of construction, producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen should be lauded for his work on this record. Of course, nobody really knows what role a particular "producer" played on a particular project, and it can be anything from a person who hired the session players and the songwriters, to someone who was really involved in shaping the song arrangements, sounds, and even writing. So, I don't know exactly what this cat did on this record, but the arrangements, sounds, and song structures are all stellar, so he certainly deserves some solid credit.


"I Am the DJ" is another uptempo track with monster hooks and a great lyrical premise.
"Still Young" has an epic yearning sound, complete with a The Edge/Cure-style chiming guitar siren. Great bass playing/sound on this one, too--smooth and snakey with just the right amount of syncopation, then laying it down with 8th-notes in the chorus.


The totally 80s, sweet-and-catchy "Mad Love" is a wonderful pop song. I was about to call it a "pop confection," but that might come across as patronizing or somehow diminishing, whereas I am a firm believer that concentrating ideas into this sort of focused, ultra-hooky composition is actually one of the hardest things to do in writing and producing. Also, Elaine (the drummer, who is a wonderful singer) gets a little bit of lead-vocal time on this one--really sweet.


"Close to You" is another great track--more of a haunting (in a 80s-synth way) track, but lovely. Tyler Glenn's more intimate singing in a lower register (and a bit of falsetto) is great, as well being a nice change of pace from his higher-register belting, which by the way, is great. Dude has the chops and the tone across his range--love it.


There are a few tracks that are so-so, but the standout tracks on the record are really great. Neon Trees is what Shiny Toy Guns could have been. This band is great and seems to really have the goods in terms of songwriting and having a solid sense of their sound.


This has turned into a "review" of the record, but I wanted to unpack some of the specific reasons I think the record is great, rather than just saying, "It's great." But the point is that not only is it great, it made me really excited about listening to music, about writing songs, and about producing recordings. And that is great, and something for which I am very grateful. So, to Tyler, Elaine, Branden, and Chris (@neontrees), I want to say thank you. Keep doing your thing--I'm inspired.
​

Some people write music to be written about.
I write music to be listened to. To be felt, to be danced to, to lift you up.

The Hitmaker presents The 20th Annual St. Nicholas Markos Xmas Revue, at Chief O'Neill's in Chicago, on Friday, 23 December 2016.

The music will start at 8:00, and we recommend calling Chief O'Neill's at (773) 583-3066 to make a reservation if you're coming with a group and want to be assured of seating (though there will be plenty of room to stand, dance, etc.). 

We'll have the triumphant return of Georgie K on the guitar, as well as Scott Robbin, Howard Windmiller, Biche, Howie Kantoff, BA, Victor Salazar, The Eau Claire horns, and more. 

Come feel the holiday vibes.

The 20th Annual St. Nicholas Markos Xmas Revue
Friday, 23 December 2016 :: 8:00pm
Chief O'Neill's :: Chicago :: 3471 N Elston

I was at the game last night (22 October 2016) that sent the Cubs to the World Series for the first time since 1945. Thinking about it late last night and early this morning, I decided to jot down my thoughts:

My grandfather was a Cubs fan.

Born in October 1892 in the small village of Methoni, Greece, my grandfather lived in a 12x12 hut with 4 other people until he was a teenager, when he left Greece on a boat for America, never to return.

As an immigrant, he fully embraced his new country and dedicated himself to it. Becoming an American citizen, he joined the United States Army and served in France in World War I as a member of the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion. After the war, he returned to his work as a partner in the Sheridan Restaurant (he was Greek, after all) in Chicago, which was located at 3946 N. Sheridan Rd., about 3 blocks north of the center-field scoreboard of Wrigley Field. The Cubs were an integral part of my grandfather becoming an American. They were his portal into this country’s culture, a way for him to assimilate and share in something with other Americans.

In those days, players were not in the socio-economic realm they are now, and some of the Cubs would come into the restaurant (or, often, the bar area) with some frequency. My grandfather told me a story of how, in 1945, he had tickets to a World Series game, but he gave them to a regular customer at the restaurant who had been lamenting that he didn’t have tickets. Shortly before game time, my grandfather thought to himself, “What have I done? I may not get another chance like this for a long time!” So he walked down to the park, and one of the police officers working the gate also happened to be a regular at the restaurant, and—hearing the story—walked my grandfather into the park so he could watch the game from a standing area.

The restaurant closed in 1969, but my grandfather remained a devoted Cubs fan. My earliest memory of spending time with him with sitting in the back room of his apartment watching the Cubs (probably the summer of 1972; I was 4 years old) on his color TV set. His hearing was starting to fail back then, so he would either crank up the sound, or plug some headphones into the TV so that he could hear the call by Jack Brickhouse. I didn’t understand what I was watching, but I remember the look of the field and the players running around. And I specifically remember the look of Jose Cardenal’s cap perched atop all that hair.

Many a visit with him involved watching the Cubs, and the love of the game and of the Cubs got into my system, too. I watched the games, tracked the statistics, cried over losses, and dreamed of being a player one day, like many kids of my generation.

My grandfather lived to be 101, and thankfully that police officer walked him into that game in 1945, because the Cubs never did make it back to the World Series in his lifetime.

But they’ve made it in mine.

Every time I go to a Cubs game, I pass the site of his restaurant, and I think about him, how hard he worked, and how much he loved his family, this country, and this baseball team.

Irrespective of commercialization, transience, etc., sports can be something special. When performed so well, at the right time and in the right atmosphere, a game can be transcendent and an art form—like music, dance, etc.—and it can resonate with people like other arts, tapping into aspirations, nostalgia, and a longing for community. It can connect us.

I’m grateful for this team and this moment. It’s something special. I think of my grandfather and all the people like him—people who have followed and loved the Cubs, deriving joy and enduring heartache—those still alive and those who aren’t. It is a love that connects us, and it’s a common thread. We can all use a bit more of those things, and they are to be celebrated.

Go, Cubs.

That voice, that opening lines, and the delivery:
Are you still in love with me
Like the way you used to be
Or is it changing?
Holy Biche.
And in the second verse, listen to the delivery of the last line:
...has the weight of all the years left you hollow?

By the time he gets to the chorus, you could crush me with a feather.
I generally try to avoid sad songs, because while they can be cathartic, they can also be quicksand. But this song is so compelling, I just have to marvel at it. It's like looking over a cliff. Beautiful and terrifying.

The Space Shuttles' Dream Machine, the new kids-music record produced by The Hitmaker, received a wonderful review on Ghost Track. The nice folks at Ghost Track said, "it’s a redefining work in a field of music that is both stagnant and unexplored for the depth it has to offer, and hopefully The Space Shuttles are hopefully just scratching the surface."
Pretty cool stuff.

The Hitmaker will be playing live onstage with friends @SRobbin, Howard Windmiller, The Warden, and David Singer, on Saturday at 5:00pm at the Hot Doug's "Dog Dayz of Summer" Festival.
Eat, drink, and be rocked.

People love to issue lists of "Bests," "Worsts," etc. It's a big thing on the interweb these days.
I like lists, too, and I occasionally get sucked into the almost-inevitable arguing that follows them, but I feel like that's a fool's errand. And I feel like lists are often used as a tool of provocation. So, we're going to go a different route (for now), and just occasionally post a little bit about a song we like. If anyone is even out there reading.... anyway.

I've listened to this song thousands of times. The whole record (Hats) is wonderful. This track has a pulse and atmosphere that is subtle but transporting. Maybe it will take you somewhere, too.

You should be able to listen in one of these spots (do yourself a favor and don't watch the video--just listen):

• Spotify
• YouTube

Side Note: The Blue Nile--and the Hats album specifically--were a huge influence on our epic-synthpop outfit Jordan.