As Tall As Lions Prey On Chicago

After 12 years of touring in support of other bands, soul-indie rockers As Tall As Lions embark on their first headlining tour next week—and they’re kicking it off in Chicago tomorrow night (4/6/10) at The Bottom Lounge.

“We have played Chicago probably eight times or so, and we love coming back,” singer/guitarist Dan Nigro told RedEye. “The venues are great, and the crowds get bigger every time.”

The New York band has toured relentlessly, opening for such acts as Cage The Elephant, Mute Math and Minus the Bear. Now, with a more mature sound, they will visit 23 cities in support of their latest album, “You Can’t Take It With You,” which was released last fall on Triple Crown Records.

Nigro talked more about the new album, what he loves about Chicago and the band’s upcoming debut appearance at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival.

“You Can’t Take It With You” has been described as a “Tour de France” of soundscapes. Was there a plan to make a larger sounding album?

“To be honest, I think the record came out the way it did because of a lack of focus. With the first record we had the plan of making ten groove heavy pop songs, but with “You Can’t Take It With You” we weren’t sure where we wanted to push ourselves so it was more about experimenting which lead to adding more texture and layers and making things more ethereal and spacey. I wouldn’t say it was a conscience effort of “okay we’re going to make it sound like this” because when it came out we were like “oh, it’s done…cool. I wasn’t expecting this, but I like it.”

There is a lot of heavy subject matter throughout the new album, what inspired the band to write such an in depth collection of songs?

“I think it was more about just experiencing certain things…I think we were all feeling a certain amount of pressure coming out of touring off the first record. We were all very young when we started recording, so when we came home after two years of touring we had experienced a couple of heavy things and reality kind of set in that we are growing up a little bit—anxiety attacks of “what are you doing with your life”, and it became a little bit more real. The first album had more of an innocent perspective on life.”

You guys are about to start your first headlining tour…what does this mean for the band?

“It’s a really exciting moment for us because when we opened for other bands we were kind of restricting ourselves. You start out saying “well screw the audience we are going to play whatever we want to play” and then a few days in to the tour we always end up switching it up because the audience isn’t picking up on certain songs. You may start out playing some of your fans songs, but 85% of the audience who doesn’t know you are looking at you like “why are you playing a six minute ballad right now?”

So there’s more freedom when you headline a tour?

“Exactly! The people coming to the show know your music and you’re able to get away with much more and feel much more confident in playing songs that you wouldn’t feel as confident playing as an opener.”

The tour kicks off in Chicago, what makes your live show great?

It’s all about the chemistry that’s formed on stage and I think the fans can say that the music is much better in concert than it is on CD. We’re proud of what’s on the CD, but when someone tells you it’s ten times better live, that means a lot more to us.”

What’s your favorite part about Chicago?

I love the Wicker Park area. I always find myself hanging out around there and checking out all the clothing shops and finding a nice little place to get lunch. Definitely one of my favorite hang out spots.

So what’s the craziest thing to happen to the band?

“You know people have asked that question every once in a while and I say literally there’s something crazy that happens to us everyday in our lives. Being on the road is an alternate universe and you cant explain the things that happen—you have to go on tour with the band for a few days just to see how much its not a reality.

In addition to Chicago, another big stop for the band is the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Are you guys pumped?

“Yeah for sure…we have done smaller fests, but nothing on such a grand scale. I mean, I went to Coachella six years ago when I first got to L.A. I got to see Radiohead and The Flaming Lips; so to actually be a part of it is surreal.

Any bands that you want to check out while you’re there?

“Yeah… Gorillaz are one of my favorite bands so the fact that I will finally get to see them is really amazing!”

So do you expect it to be completely insane?

“Yeah I guess [Laughs]…the thing about festivals is that by the end of the day you’re exhausted so its not the most amazing thing in the world, but at least we have a place to sleep so that’s a good thing [Laughs].

A Weekend With Anathallo & Bloc Party!

So last Friday night i was chillaxin' at my brother's place when i discovered the melodramatic Chicago ensemble Anathallo (“to renew, refresh, or bloom again”). As i listened to their tunes via Myspace, it was clear to me that Sufjan Stevens and The Arcade Fire had a love child--and Anathallo was its name!

I then scrolled down to some of their live videos which impressed me even more. Each member of the band, which can range from 7-9 members depending upon the night, sang in unison all the while trading instruments between songs. I thought to myself "what a great show this would be...i wonder when they will be back in Chicago?" Turns out they were playing that same night at The Bottom Lounge located at 1375 W Lake St. So we finished our drinks and made our way to the venue.

For $13 we gained entry to the Bottom Lounge which is a swanky rock 'n' roll venue i had never been to before. The show, to say the least, was absolutely amazing. Using a wide variety of instruments ranging from the usual guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards to over sized marching band drums, wood blocks, flugelhorn, and the ever so popular glockenspiel. Anathallo is definitely a collection of well trained musicians and not just a band. In 2007 they were invited to play California's Coachella Music Festival, and later that year, they released their sophmore effort Canopy Glow which they recorded in a local Chicago church.

Anathallo will be back in Chicago April 20th performing in North Park University's Anderson Chapel at 7 PM. Tickets are $10 and can most likely be purchased at the door. See ya there!

Saturday night we hit the Aragon Ballroom to get our face melted by East London art-rockers Bloc Party. If you're not familiar with Bloc Party's sound think of it as The Killers with a little bit of The Cure mixed in...pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty good! This was the third time i have seen Bloc Party, and it seemed to be louder than ever.

Bloc Party broke out onto the scene in 2005 with their first album Silent Alarm which was released on Vice records. Since then, they have released two others, A Weekend in The City, and their latest, Intimacy. The later two are very similar with only a year and half in between their release dates. Their newer music has more of a electronic rock sound to it, but the result is innovative and fresh.

The show itself was great. Bloc Party is one of those bands that sounds even better live than on the cd/iPod. We got to the show just as they were going on, so the crowd was in full effect and at max capacity. We decided to hang in the back, which was a blessing in disguise because we ran into our old friend PC, who i haven't seen since he launched himself into the seedy underworld of male modeling. What a beef cake! Anyway we proceeded up to the balcony level to meet up with the rest of his party and to catch a better glimpse of the action. Although all the members of the band exude great energy and stage presence, PC and I agreed that we could not stop staring at the drummer. A petite Asian man with hands so fast you'll freak...its just an awesome sight.

Bloc Party played a chaotic hour and half set and left us wanting more. After the show we went out to a few bars in the area to blow off some steam ending our night at the Kinetic Playground across the street from the Aragon. As we walked to the back of the bar i instantly recognized the DJ Kele Okereke....better known as the front man of...get ready, drum roll....Bloc Party! Kele kept the tunes pumping till about 3AM before he made his get away.

All and all, i had a great musical experience this past weekend. i discovered a new band which is always a plus, rocked out hard with Bloc Party, connected with an old friend, and stumbled in what turned out to be a sweet after party with a guest rock star DJ. Not too shabby!