Email Author Christian Schaeffer

2009 Stories by Christian Schaeffer

• Homespun: Heroes of the Kingdom

  published April 22, 2009

  For Heroes of the Kingdom, patience is a virtue: The quartet is in no hurry to blaze through these songs and instead chooses to let the... More >>

• Robin Thicke/ Jennifer Hudson

  published April 22, 2009

  That Robin Thicke could become a top name in R&B is proof anything's possible in the magical world of pop music. A clean-cut white boy... More >>

• And One Ring to Mock Them

  published April 22, 2009

  Even the most die-hard Tolkien fans will admit that the Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings series is a bit overlong. The Magic Smoking... More >>

• Hump Day Slow Jam of the Week: The Delfonics, "Ready or Not Here I Come"

  published Apr 15, 2009

  The Singers: Along with the Stylistics, the Spinners and Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes, the Delfonics were one of the premier Philly soul acts of the '60s and '70s. Hit-making producer Thom Bell h... More >>

• Homespun: Beth Bombara & the Robotic Foundation

  published April 15, 2009

  Last year, singer-songwriter Beth Bombara released Abandon Ship, a tidy EP of mostly acoustic songs that paired understated sonics with... More >>

• Karma Chameleon: Celia Shacklett is a one-woman musical renaissance

  published April 15, 2009

  To call local singer-songwriter Celia Shacklett a musical evangelist might be an understatement. When she's not leading Celia's Big Rock Band,... More >>

• All in the Family: The Loyal Family educates, entertains and remains eco-friendly

  published April 15, 2009

  Joshua Grigaitis isn't one for titles. He calls himself the founder of Loyal Family, a local events and promotions group, but it's clear that... More >>

• Hump Day Slow Jam of the Week: Kool & the Gang, "Joanna"

  published Apr 08, 2009

  The Singers: Founded by brothers Robert and Ronald "Kool" Bell, Kool & the Gang was one of the most successful funk acts of the '70s and '80s. Best remembered for dance-club hits like "Jungle Boog... More >>

• City in Bloom

  published April 8, 2009

  As spring begins to bloom around town, we start to see the city in a different light: The blossoms on the trees and the gradual greening of lawns... More >>

• Homespun: The Orbz

  published April 8, 2009

  The issue with Stop! The Reporters Will See isn't so much its quality as it is a lack of variety. The album's ten tracks follow a... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Show Review + Photos + Setlist: The Hold Steady at the Gargoyle, April 6

  published Apr 07, 2009

  Even before the show began, the boys in the Hold Steady had a challenge set before them. The celebrated Brooklyn group, widely considered to be one of the best working bands in indie rock or anywhere ... More >>

• Hump Day Slow Jam of the Week: Marvin Gaye, "Let's Get It On"

  published Apr 01, 2009

  The Singer: We're covered Marvin Gaye in this space before (with "Sexual Healing"), but we're giving him another airing for this sad and special day: Today marks the 25th anniversary of Marvin Gaye's ... More >>

• Homespun: Uvee Hayes

  published April 1, 2009

  Singer Uvee Hayes has mastered the easy cadences and vocal seductions of the blues. But Play Something Pretty showcases her abilities as... More >>

• We're Now a Four-Sport Town

  published April 1, 2009

  Soccer evangelists are a tireless lot. Supporters of the sport carry a fervent belief that soccer will one day take this country by storm, as it... More >>

• Ten Out of Tenn Tour

  published April 1, 2009

  Unlike the winged lion that shares his name, Griffin House is no mythological creature. He's just the opposite, in fact — a nice... More >>

• The Rosebuds

  published April 1, 2009

  In Annie Hall Woody Allen's character Alvy Singer notes that a romantic relationship is like a shark: It has to keep moving forward, or... More >>

• Hump Day Slow Jam of the Week: Bill Withers, "Use Me"

  published Mar 25, 2009

  The Singer: Bill Withers is an odd success story in the annals of soul music. His singing style is affecting but often understated, the instrumentation in his songs was often minimal, and his persona ... More >>

• Homespun: Bob Reuter's Alley Ghost

  published March 25, 2009

  You could staff an entire basketball league with the amount of local rock and folk musicians who have accompanied Bob Reuter over the years. In... More >>

• Scotland Yard Gospel Choir/Bowerbirds

  published March 25, 2009

  Although it was once just a gaggle of Belle & Sebastian acolytes, Chicago's Scotland Yard Gospel Choir made its own kind of pop magic on... More >>

• Whispertown 2000/Theodore

  published March 25, 2009

  The two gals and two guys in the Whispertown 2000 are too cutesy to be considered freak-folk and too roughshod for indie-pop. Instead,... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Show Review + Photos: Andrew Bird and the Heartless Bastards at the Pageant, March 15, 2009

  published Mar 16, 2009

  Andrew Bird concerts don't follow the normal dynamics of a rock & roll show. The singer, guitarist and violinist takes time to create layers of loops with his battery of effects pedals, and most s... More >>

• Little Brazil

  published March 18, 2009

  Omaha native Landon Hedges amassed quite a résumé at a young age: The guitarist played with Desaparecidos, Conor Oberst's... More >>

• Hello, Newman: B-Sides examines A.C. Newman's power-pop talent.

  published March 18, 2009

  A.C. Newman may be his generation's best power-pop songwriter, a title he's defended through four albums as leader of the (mostly)... More >>

• Hump Day Slow Jam of the Week: Heatwave, "Always and Forever"

  published Mar 11, 2009

  The Singers: Heatwave was helmed by brothers Keith Wilder and Johnnie Wilder, Jr., but the band's secret weapon was organist and songwriter Rod Temperton. The Englishman wrote all the songs on Heatwav... More >>

• Homespun: Glass Teeth

  published March 11, 2009

  Glass Teeth formed about a year ago, but the quintet has already gained some acclaim for its live shows, during which singer Jeff Robtoy... More >>