Live Review: Ones to Watch Presents COIN and The Aces

This past Saturday night, The Aces and COIN took over The House of Blues Chicago to put on a stunning show to the sold out venue.

After only touring for the first time with Joywave at the end of 2017, The Aces returned to Chicago in a blaze of glory, with some new songs and old favorites. The four piece’s breakout single “Stuck” has racked up over five million Spotify streams, and it definitely acted as a set highlight, but the eager crowd was already singing along to The Aces’ brand new single “Lovin’ Is Bible,” which they had only released the day prior. The Aces’ music compliments certain elements of COIN’s music so well, so anybody that had yet to hear of the latter was quickly won over by their carefree, catchy riffs and sticky choruses. The band and audience bounced infectious energy off one another, starting the night on the right foot.

When the Nashville natives of COIN took the stage next, the energy of the crowd only amplified, and the crowd mimicked a surround sound speaker system, echoing the lyrics of COIN’s songs back to the stage. As the setlist weaved through different sections of COIN’s discography, featuring newest track “Growing Pains” and tracks like “I Don’t Wanna Dance” and “Talk Too Much” from 2017’s How Will You Know If You Never Try, the crowd remained relentless. They danced along with the pop-fused rock songs, causing the floor of the Downtown venue to act as a trampoline, propelling everyone to keep moving. The high spirits of the audience and the band themselves never wavered, and their intense production and lighting complimented the upbeat music.

The night ended with a roar of appreciation, not just for COIN, but The Aces too, and an ambitious and optimistic air clung to the concert-goers as they left the venue at the end of the night, knowing that they’d just witnessed a monumental moment. If you missed out on the show, check out our photo gallery of both bands for a look at evening!

 

This article was originally posted on ANCHR Magazine

Friday New Releases 2/23

  • The 24-Carat Black- Ghetto: Misfortune’s Wealth (1973) (180gram Reissue)
  • David Bowie- Heroes (1977) (180gram Remastered Pressing)
  • David Bowie- Lodger (1979) (180gram Remastered Pressing)
  • David Bowie- Low (1977) (180gram Remastered Pressing)
  • David Bowie- Scary Monsters (1980) (180gram Remastered Pressing)
  • David Bowie- Stage (Live Recordings From 1978 World Tour) (3LP 180gram Remastered Pressing)
  • Bjork- Blissing Me (12″ Single on Aqua Colored Vinyl)
  • Collective Soul- Live (2LP with Gatefold Jacket)
  • Dessa- Chime
  • Bill Evans Trio- At Shelly’s Manne-Hole, Hollywood California (1963) (Reissue)
  • Allen Ginsberg- Howl and Other Poems (Deluxe Edition on 180gram Red Vinyl with Book, Photo, and Replica Postcard of Original Howl Reading Invitation)
  • Isaac Hayes- Black Moses (1971) (2LP 180gram Remastered Reissue with Replica Fold-Out Cover)
  • Isaac Hayes- Hot Buttered Soul (1969) (180gram Remastered Reissue from Original Audio)
  • Jimi Hendrix- Lover Man / Foxy Lady (7″ Previously Unreleased Recordings)
  • Her- Totally Mild (Pink Vinyl)
  • Limbeck- S/T (10th Anniversary 180gram Remastered Pressing)
  • Lionlimb- Tape Recorder (Colored Vinyl)
  • Caroline Rose- Loner
  • Jason Sharp- Stand Above The Streams (180gram Audiophile Pressing)
  • Nina Simone- The Colpix Singles (Remastered Pressing)
  • Soundtrack/Carter Burwell- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Original Motion Picture)
  • Turnstile- Time & Space
  • Ty Dolla $ign- Beach House 3 (2LP Pressing)
  • Xiu Xiu (Covering ZZ Top)- Sharp Dressed Man / Gimme All Your Lovin’ ( 7″ Split Pink And Grey Vinyl)

 

 

 

Whitney’s Three Night Valentine’s Day Run at Thalia Hall

Chicago sweethearts Whitney took over Thalia Hall last week for not one, but three incredibly special shows in honor of Valentine’s Day. The three night stint featured a mix of different support acts, with music from all different pockets of genres and styles. Night one featured local buzzy hip hop artist Kweku Collins warming up the stage, while night two had duo Ohmme and the band Deeper, both also from Chicago. Closing out the run of three shows, Thursday night featured Baby Blue and Kevin Krautertaking the stage before Whitney.

Whitney’s setlist all three nights featured some special gems and rarities all around, and each night had its own special touch. For the first two nights, the band decided to split up their show into two parts. The first part featured some Whitney staples like “Polly” and “Dave’s Song” from their album Light Upon The Lake, as well as some covers like “Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can)” by Dolly Parton and “On the Way Home” by Neil Young. When the band left the stage and came back for part two, they were joined by a string section. The strings layering with Whitney’s usual horn section rounded out the sound, adding even more warmth to Whitney’s already rich live show.

Part two of the set featured the gentle “Light Upon the Lake” and a new, unnamed song in addition to a few covers. The beautiful set came to a peak each night, with an epic ending thanks to special guest and friend of the band, Aaron (known as finally_aaron on Instagram).  Aaron took the stage following the crowd favorite “No Woman” each night, giving the band a hand with their rendition of the classic “My Girl,” which was perfectly apt for the occasion. The Pilsen concert hall gave a standing ovation each night to Aaron and the band, who complimented each other perfectly. The energy only amplified when Aaron stayed to contribute his powerful and soulful vocals to Whitney’s final song, “Golden Days.”

Whitney has been one of Chicago’s most beloved bands for a while now, but these three magical nights just further solidified how much this city loves Whitney. If you missed out on all of sold out shows, relive some of the magic by checking out photos from the Valentine’s day extravaganza below!

Keep up with Whitney on social media and grab your copy of the demo versions of Light Upon The Lake here.

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

New Vinyl Releases 2/16/18

  • 2Pac – Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (Reissue)
  • American Nightmare – S/T
  • Laurie Anderson, Kronos Quartet – Landfall
  • Jack Black Polka Band – The Polka King
  • John Coltrane – Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary
  • Cannabis Corpse – Left Hand Pass (Yellow vinyl, Limited to 250!)
  • Carach Angren – This is No Fairytale (Clear, Transparent Green and Black vinyl, limited to 300!)
  • Miley Cyrus – Younger Now
  • Bob Dylan – Greatest Hits (Reissue)
  • Earth, Wind & Fire – All ‘N All (Gold vinyl Reissue)
  • The Good The Bad and The Zugly – Misanthropical House
  • Inquisition – Bloodshed Across The Empyrean Alter Beyond The Celestial Zenith (Silver with Black Marble 2LP, Limited to 500!)
  • Jinjer – Cloud Factory
  • Kendrick Lamar – DAMN. (Collector’s Edition on Clear vinyl)
  • Mansions – Deserter EP (Cloudy Clear with Black vinyl)
  • Napalm Death – Utopia Banished (Reissue)
  • Ought – Room Inside The World (Limited Edition White vinyl)
  • Pianos Become The Teeth – Wait for Love (Indie Exclusive Opaque White and Black vinyl)
  • Shannon and The Clams – Onion
  • Senses Fail – If There is Light, it Will Find You (Indie Exclusive on Baby Pink vinyl, limited to 500!)
  • Songs: Ohia – Travels in Constants (Indie Exclusive Orange or Black vinyl)
  • Superchunk – What a Time To Be Alive (Indie Exclusive on Pink-in-Clear vinyl)
  • Testament – Demonic (Reissue on White vinyl, Limited to 1000)
  • Testament – First Strike Still Deadly (Reissue on Green vinyl, Limited to 1000)
  • Testament – Live at Eindhoven (Reissue on Red vinyl, Limited to 1000)
  • Testament – Live at The Fillmore (Reissue on Blue vinyl, Limited to 1000)
  • Testament – The Gathering (Reissue on Yellow vinyl, Limited to 1000)
  • Robert Earl Thomas – Another Age
  • Voodoo Glow Skulls – Bank Geek Mafia (reissue on orange vinyl)
  • Walking Papers – WP2 (yellow vinyl)
  • Jim White – Waffles, Triangles & Jesus
  • Wild Beasts – Last Night All My Dreams Came True
  • Marlon Williams – Make Way For Love (White vinyl)
  • Windhind, Satan’s Satyrs – Split Lp

New Vinyl Releases 2/9/18

  • The Acid – The Bomb (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
  • Arcade Fire – Creature Comfort (12″ on white vinyl)
  • Jimmy Buffet – Buried Treasure, Volume One
  • Dr. John – Professor Bizarre’s Funknology
  • Danny Elfman – Justice League (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
  • Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers
  • Franz Ferdinand – Always Ascending (pink vinyl ‘Indie Exclusive’ and standard)
  • GoGo Penguin – A Humdrum Star
  • Hockey Dad – Blend Inn
  • Hovvdy – Cranberry (cloudy clear vinyl)
  • Johann Johannsson – The Mercy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
  • MGMT – Little Dark Age
  • The Offspring – S/T (Reissue)
  • Palm – Rock Island
  • Brigid Mae Power – The Two Worlds
  • Ramones – Live at The Roxy August 12, 1976 (Reissue)
  • Ramones – Leave Home (Reissue)
  • Ramones – S/T (Reissue)
  • Ramones – Rocket to Russia (Reissue)
  • Curtis Roush – Cosmic Campfire Music
  • Nina Simone – Mood Indigo: The Complete Bethlehem Singles
  • Twin Peaks – Sweet ’17 Singles