Local musician and filmmaker Thomas Comerford’s latest film, The Indian Boundary Line, is back by popular demand at the Gene Siskel Film Center on April 22 at 6:00pm. The previous screening sold out so plan accordingly.

The film is an exposition of the 1816 St. Louis Treaty which separated the US territory from Indian tribe territory. The line now exists as Rogers Ave in Chicago. I haven’t seen the film, but I’ve been hearing good things. See it if you can! There’s more history in this city than you can shake a stick at.

For more info and tickets: http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/node/497

Chicago purveyors of technically dense and rhythmically fulfilling math rock, Maps & Atlases have signed a deal with Barsuk, who will be releasing the band’s new album, Perch Patchwork. Barsuk are known as the band who helped break Death Cab For Cutie among other notable acts, so this is an exciting opportunity for the group. A US tour will preface the release.

Download new track: “Solid Ground” (MP3)

www.myspace.com/mapsandatlases

Perch Patchwork tracklist:

Will
The Charm
Living Decorations
Solid Ground
Is
Israeli Caves
Banished Be Cavalier
Carrying The Wet Wood
Pigeon
If This Is
Was
Perch Patchwork

Tour dates:

4/10 – Huckleberry’s Pizza Parlor (Rock Island, IL)^
4/11 – The Basement (Columbus, OH)*
4/12 – The Rex (Pittsburgh, PA)&
4/13 – The Space (Hamden, CT) *
4/14 – Great Scott (Boston, MA)*
4/15 – Maxwells (Hoboken, NJ)*
4/17 – SUNY Purchase (Purchase, NY)
4/18 – Clementines (Harrisonburg, VA)*
4/19 – Musica (Akron, OH)*
4/24 – Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA)
4/25 – Cats Cradle (Carrborro, NC)#
4/27 – Black Cat (Washington, DC)#
4/28 – Webster Hall (New York, NY)#
4/29 – Paradise (Boston, MA)#
4/30 – First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, PA)#
5/1 – Pearl Street (Northampton, MA)#
5/3 – Petit Campus (Montreal, QC)#
5/4 – Opera House (Toronto, ONT)#
5/5 – Grog Shop (Cleveland, OH)#
5/6 – Southgate House (Newport, KY)#
5/7 – The Old Rock House (St Louis, MI) #
5/8 – Metro (Chicago, IL)#
5/9 – Pabst Theatre (Milwaukee, WI)#
5/10 – Varsity Theatre (Minneapolis, MN)#
5/12 – Bluebird Theatre (Denver, CO)#
5/13 – Urban Lounge (Salt Lake City, UT)#
5/15 – Bitmore Cabaret (Vancouver, BC)#
5/16 – Neumos (Seattle, WA)#
5/17 – Berbati’s Pan (Portland, OR)#
5/19 – The Fillmore (San Francisco, CA)#
5/22 – Casbah (San Diego, CA)#

^ w/Dark Dark Dark
& w/Vieux Farka Toure
* w/Drink Up Buttercup
# w/Frightened Rabbit

Owl City’s album went platinum.

Here are some shows that I’d recommend checking out.

Seabear @ Schubas, Apr 2 (Icelandic indie-folk)

The Antlers @ Lincoln Hall, Apr 22

Jason Collett @ Schubas, Apr 7

Charlotte Gainsbourg @ Park West, Apr 21

Stars @ Lincoln Hall, Jun 9

White Rabbits @ Metro, Apr 25

Will Benoit of the band Constants recently started fulfilling a lifelong dream of creating the first solar powered / eco friendly recording studio in New England. Benoit owns a 2000 sq ft barn which is already outfitted with the solar panels needed to generate the power. Now he’s looking to raise $12,500 via a Kickstarter fundraiser in order to insulate, build and equip using, renewable, recycled and used materials.

As with any Kickstarter program, backers get rewarded. For $100 pledges you (or your favorite band) will receive a day of recording time in the studio.

This is really awesome. I don’t know much about Constants or Benoit, so I can’t attest to his production/engineering skills, but $100 a day for recording is a pretty sweet deal. And that environment thing is pretty neat as well.

Visit Benoit’s Kickstarter page here. There’s already been over $500 pledged and the deadline for the fundraiser is June 7th. Remember – if the $12,500 goal isn’t met then no money will be collected. That’s the Kickstarter way. Who wants to pledge $1000 for 10 days of recording time when Benoit won’t have enough money to buy microphones?

We’ve lost another super talented artist in Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous, who committed suicide this weekend. It’s a tragedy, but not an unforeseen tragedy, unfortunately. Linkous was quite a troubled soul who overdosed on pills and alcohol in 1996 while on tour with Radiohead. The situation left him wheelchair bound for six months.

Watch Sparklehorse – “Saturday”

It’s actually hauntingly poignant as Linkous took his life on a Saturday…

You are a car
You are a hospital
I’d walk to hell and back
To see you smile
On Saturday

You are a star
You are a sea of air
I play great keyboards
Of horses’ teeth
On Saturday
On Saturday

I’d like to tell you
How I feel
I’ll probably keep it
’til Saturday
Oh Saturday, Saturday

(via Pitchfork / Rolling Stone)

I’ve been hearing good things about locals, Coltrane Motion & We Love You. They’re playing a FREE show at the Double Door on March 25 with Pop Empire (Cincinnati, OH).

Actually, I just watched Coltrane Motion do a session with this new live video sesh crew, Small Chicago. Check it out and submit your band.

www.myspace.com/motion

Shape Note are an atmospheric indie-folkish foursome from Chicago (new drummer not pictured). They’re working on their debut EP at the moment and have a couple early mixes up on their Myspace page. If you like shuffling pop songs with lots of reverb and haunting vocals then turn your attention to this band post-haste.

They played the Elbo Room last night and I feel like a jerk for forgetting to post this before the show. Please befriend them and follow them on the ’space and I’ll let you know when they have new shows or songs to post. They’re definitely a band to keep an eye on in the coming months. I’ll be keeping two.

www.myspace.com/shapenote

I just read this really funny item on Pitchfork. Apparently, Terry Gilliam (Monty Python, Brazil) introduced Johnny Depp (Sexiest Man Alive) to Sunset Rubdown (Canadians). In turn, Depp apparently used some of their songs as inspiration for his latest character, The Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. Hilarious. It’s a better time than ever to be gay for Johnny Depp.

(Pitchfork)