Friday in Chicago at the Hideout, two of the best female-fronted bands in Trunk City will converge on the dingy watering hole for a hot night of tightly-wound pistil-bearing rock'n roll. The Dials have been bouncing around town for more than a few years, and with their newest lineup locking in their most solid sets to date, you can expect a keenly revved show of pure pop complete with the prerequisite seductive snarl. After releasing their CD Flex Time on Latest Flame Records in 2005, they overcame the tragic loss of their drummer and have risen above to continue to have fun playing the music they love. With great keyboard/vocal harmonies and hooks you already know by heart, don't get caught drinking beer in your living room and be sure to make it out early to catch the Dials hit the stage. Check out a few songs HERE. Next up is the staggeringly simple, yet sonically monolithic sound of Miss Alex White & The Red Orchestra, who have just finished up their second LP for In The Red called Space and Time. Due out later this Summer, it's no coincidence that their new album title is also one of the secrets of their impressive sound. How they manage to fill space within songs with lush and satisfyingly timed tones of rock'n roll's bleeding edge, in this age of constant desperation is a wonder to the ears. With all of Alex's lineup changes after the untimely passing of her primary band partner Chris Playboy in February 2004, the most recent addition of bass player Eric Villa, from the heavily Roxy Music-influenced Valentinos, really put this band on the map, musically and creatively. The songs have greater depth, timing, and inner frustration which extends itself through Wes' lurid and devilishly delicate guitar strangulation, and is balanced and anchored by the man who made the Clone Defects' rhythm section so amazing, Mr. "Fast" Eddie Altesleben. With such a concrete platform behind her onstage, Alex's energy is free to explode in every direction, yet keeping the raw simplicity and primal forces in focus are always her best attributes on any stage, at any time. Don't miss the show at the Hideout on Friday, check out a couple tracks off the new Miss Alex White and the Red Orchestra LP right HERE, and another right HERE, and keep an eye out for their first European tour dates in the upcoming weeks.
Check out a video clip for "On Time" off the upcoming new LP (shot at the Panic in Hamtramk Fest in 2006 posted by tearytearyteary) here:
