I've lived in Chicago for almost 4 years. For most of that time, I've known , my good friend who is leaving for Los Angeles next month. For a lil while I'd had plans to eulogize Conor here on the Steamroller, but I don't think that would be fair to him because Conor leaving Chicago to bigger and better things is nothing but a positive thing. He is moving on to do things he's always wanted to do, and I am sincerely proud of him.
Read MoreSean Rose likes Music Videos: a column by Sean Rose
Hello there everyone. Sean here. I'm not usually one to plug my shows in this column, but there's one coming up that I want ALL OF YOU to attend: CHRISTMAS EDITION: A Very Special Collector's Edition Holiday Show, Party and Fundraiser. It's gonna be at the Upstairs Gallery this Friday, December 13th, at 8pm. And as the title suggests, not only are you gonna get a wonderful Collector's Edition Christmas Special full of wonderful Holiday's Cheer, but there's an actual for-real Christmas party afterwards at the Upstairs Gallery itself! It's going to be oh so wonderful. You've gotta go to this one. I promise that your Christmas will be INCOMPLETE without it.
Read MoreExclusive track premiere: "1500s (Takes 1 & 2)" by The Shock T's
The Shock T's are probably the most loved musical comedy act currently working in Chicago, and for good reason; their cheerful tone and openhearted smiles mask a dark, sarcastic wit and an eye for detail that can cut to the bone.
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A Few Words on the B4-4 Song "Get Down" and its Accompanying Music Video by Sean Rose
Sean Rose is a comedian/writer type guy a real ass passion for teen pop that transcends the typical halfhearted modern poptimism most music writers dip their toes into once in a while. He gives the 33 1/3rd treatment to forgotten nuggets (some of them deservedly so) and undeniable classics from the bygone boy band era on his totally vital teen pop blog, Digital Get Down.
It's refreshing to see someone write as passionately about anything as Sean does about M2M, a group probably best remembered by you and I as the baby-voiced duo . Check out a recent entry from Digital Get Down, and don't miss the next edition of Sean's excellent live pop music essay show show, , July 31st at the Upstairs Gallery.
Read MoreCollector's Edition's guide to 90's Prince!
Hi, I’m Rick. I’m part of . We have a show coming up about cultural scapegoats in pop music, and I’d like to share a wonderful song written by one of the great misunderstood geniuses of our time: 90’s Prince.
Read MoreSean Rose is writing a One Direction movie
of the mighty , a live essay show about pop culture and music and most importantly FEELINGS, is a huge, unironic fan of One Direction. You can listen to Sean and fellow CE member Rick Joyce talk about modern boy bands, specifically 1D on the Collector's Edition podcast. In advance of tonight's edition of Collectors Edition () Sean sent over this proposition to the boys in One Direction.
Read MoreLive Review: Eve 6 & Everclear
The Steamroller's live music correspondent Conor Sullivan (of & Collectors Edition) saw Eve 6 and Everclear last weekend. I'm on a bunch of mailing lists for PR companies that represent bands both big-time and small (mostly small). A lot of the time, these messages get ignored, but when I received a press release highlighting an upcoming tour featuring coheadliners Eve 6 and Everclear, with a stop in nearby Joliet, something clicked. I knew Conor to be long-time, unironic fan of both bands and thought this would be a nice opportunity to check in with few bands most folks haven't given a second thought to in years. Check out the full review after the jump!
Read MoreCollectors Edition presents: Alt-Rock Video Roundup
Hullo!
My name's , and I am a writer-performer guy based out of Chicago. Tonight, (Wednesday, October 24th) at 8PM, my fellow writer-performer buds Richard Joyce and will be putting on a show at the called . It's a live essay show based on pop music, featuring monologues and singalongs and some serious deep emotional moments from all three of us. Tears. Feelings. Love.
We're putting on this show because we all love popular music more than anything. We are bona-fide pop-rock obsessives who will end almost every rehearsal with a 20-minute exploration of our favorite Foo Fighters album tracks. We are deeply in love with popular music and Collector's Edition is a direct product of that love. It is an outpouring of affection straight outta our hearts and hopefully into yours.
We also like exploring the strange and neat corners of pop music history. In past shows we've tackled the weird trend of Justin Bieber hatred and dug deep into the history of doomed pop music program Total Request Live. For this upcoming show we're gonna chart the rise and tragic fall of alternative rock radio, a subject that hits us particularly hard. The three of us were kids when Nirvana knocked Michael Jackson off the top of the charts, so we've witnessed the birth and death of alternative rock firsthand. The phenomena of underground alt-rock radio made the mainstream success of bands like Pearl Jam, Green Day, and the Smashing Pumpkins a possibility, making it all the more tragic when it was swallowed up and spit out by corporate masterforce Clear Channel at the end of the 1990s.
So we wonder: what was so important about alt-rock radio? What did we lose when it faded away? Is it still alive today, and if not, could it ever rise again? Tough questions that we will answer, without a doubt, tonight.
But hey! Why don't we take a quick look at facet of alternative rock we won't be covering at the show: music videos! Man, I love me some alt-rock music videos. Check out a few of my favorites after the jump!
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