I have to admit that music is one of my favorite arts, unfortunately I can only enjoy it as a bystander – I can’t really play any instrument with any mastery. Perhaps this is why I may be considered a music snob. My tastes are admittedly selective. So, when I find a band that I can enjoy watching every time I see them play, I get a bit excited. Dorian Taj is such a band.

Dorian Taj has been around the Chicago scene for ten years and no matter what the venue they always put on a fantastic show. And when I say a fantastic show, I mean they not only play well, but also play to the crowd, use witty commentary. Lyrically, Dorian Taj’s work is intelligent and clever while not pretentiously cerebral and musically they rock. And when I say they rock, I’m not speaking of just plain old rock ‘n’ roll music, they manage to be both deceptively simple and complex at the same time. Their sound is unique and for lack of a better term almost scruffy. All of the musicians in the band are obviously very talented, but clean and pure is not the sound they are looking for, rather Dorian Taj has a slightly gritty feel.

Last week on Western and Fullerton, in a delightful bar called Quenchers, Dorian Taj played an awesome two-set show. The first set was filled with many of their older songs that when playing single-sets and with less time they very rarely play. This set a precedent for the show that they were out to play an unpredictable, challenging, exciting and fun show. The second set consisted of their more well known songs and requests from the crowd. At such a small (and free) venue, they were able to literally talk to the crowd, take any and all requests and generally just be silly and entertaining. If you have the good fortune to see these fine gentlemen perform at any venue, I highly recommend stopping by and seeing what it’s all about.

Posted by: Conci N.

Technorati Tags: Chicago, IL, Chicago Music, Chicago Night Life, Quenchers, Dorian Taj

It has come to my attention that there is a proliferation of terrible drivers out on the streets of Chicago. And while I understand that not everyone can be as law-abiding as I am when sitting behind the wheel, I at least hope that people will try to improve their skills with experience and time. This never really seems to be the case. In fact, it seems to me that the worst drivers out on these city streets are generally those who have municipal cars. (While it may be unfair, I am lumping cabbies in with that group.)

Generally speaking, I just expect cab drivers to cut me off or do incredibly stupid driving maneuvers. When you learn to drive in the city you start to just accept cabbies as an environmental variable – kind of like ambulances or fire trucks. While ambulances may not always be zipping down the street trying to save lives, a driver has to know what to do when an ambulance is coming…the same is true with dealing with the stupidity of cab drivers.

But, apparently when your car actually belongs to the city, there is a type of authority that rises in the driver and allows them to do whatever they want when driving. This has always been true of police cars – sirens on or off you let them have the right of way. So, I suppose by default it should be (and is) true about the drivers of unmarked cop cars. I can even accept that the drivers of emergency vehicles are so used to having the right of way that they just assume they have it even when they’re not heading towards an emergency call.

So, I’ve been able to rationalize the bad driving behaviors of almost every municipal driving group, with one exception – buses. As far as I’m concerned, buses have no excuse for driving poorly, they have no rationale for sliding through red lights when they get tired of waiting – it’s a bus! Buses are supposed to be slow, they’re like the turtle of public transportation – slow and steady, but it will get you where you’re going…eventually. So, why is the turtle getting all aggressive and cutting me off?

Posted by: Conci N.

Technorati Tags: Chicago, Illinois, Chicago municipal drivers, Chicago Public Transportation, the CTA

It sounds like a good idea at first. When the summer weather hits, you want to be outside at all times. To soak up the rays, frolic like a good beach bunny and knock back the beers while you plan out if it’s feasible to have a barbecue every single weekend of the summer makes the 9-5 grind a little easier to bear. Thus, the idea of belonging to an intramural sports’ league seems like it’d be good fun. As soon as a friend asked whether I wanted to join her softball team, I flashed back to when I was in little league in the summer. Sure, it led to a broken arm at age 10 and a broken nose at age 12, but it led to so many other pleasant memories, I’d be a sucker if I said, “No thanks.”

Unfortunately, I have discovered that playing on a team with a collection of slackers isn’t as enjoyable or as joke-filled when every other team in the league both practices on a weekly basis and have been teammates for years. Now a source of stress rather than a momentary lapse into relaxing goofiness, I am praying for the season to end. Yes, Holstein Park is a surprisingly laid back place. It’s actually more hysterical to see the kids who have signed up for summer camp there on the sidelines of the field, sniggering behind their palms, at my team’s wide range of ineptitude. Maybe if I pay more attention to what they’re laughing at, I could find some sort of much-needed thrill. Otherwise, this summer will equal the previously conceived worry of office life and I’ll be looking forward more to the frozen tundra of the corporate world than my weekly dip in the dust bowl of the softball one.

Michelle A. Patterson

Technorati Tags: Summer Sports League, Chicago Summer Events

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