We’re kicking off our live music adventures this year by heading out to Schubas for a special record release party hosted by Chicago-based ensemble NIGHTS.
NIGHTS is a collaboration among several artists in the Chicago music community and tonight’s show will feature the entire ensemble performing their forthcoming debut album In This in its entirety.
I’ve had the chance to take a stroll through the album already. And I’m excited and curious to see how its mix of modern and timeless production feels like in a live setting at Schubas.
So far what I’ve enjoyed the most is how the NIGHTS celebrates and re-interprets Patsy Cline’s country classics, Ray Charles’ soul gems and Al Green’s gospel ballads, with a unique mix of catchy pop, indie-rock snarl, slow-burning jazz and blues.
The alluring vocals of lead singer Jennifer Hall pull you in too, as her soulful croons and gentle whispers weave together beauty, angst and pain to create an intimate listening experience that’s sublime enough to permeate your heart and mind at many points along the way.
In This is intriguing and mysterious because, as it wraps itself around your mind, its also secretly moving your body into motion with its sneaky, yet strong, undercurrent of righteous rhythms and genre-blending grooves laid down by Shawn Rios (drummer/producer) and Alex Sheyn (bass.)
All this considered, tonight should be a fun one as Hall and the rest of the savvy ensemble take us through an emotionally dynamic and spiritual journey that looks to rock, roar, purr — and promise a bright future for the new band.
To give you an idea of what you’ll experience tonight, here’s one of my favorite tracks from the album called “When We Were Good” and a video for “Green and Blue”.
Show Details:
Shubas
Also performing: Go Long Mule, Alison Breitman & Julia Klee
Show starts at 9pm
Tickets: $8 advance, $10 at door
21+
MP3: “When We Were Good”
[audio:http://christophercatania.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/03-When-We-Were-Good.mp3|titles=03- When We Were Good]