Illinois

I was going to take the day off from posting today. The weather’s great in Chicago if you like 90+ degrees. And I thought I’d get out and enjoy it. But thanks to Crossbill Records I’ve got to stay in and blog about Silver Darling. Crossbill Records is a great, small California label with a roster that is growing. The label is headed by Michael Leahy who you also may know as host of the Cool As Folk radio show on KDVS. I’ve written about their artist Matt Bauer and now they’ve sent me new music from the Davis based trio Silver Darling. This is an advance preview as the record doesn’t come out til October and even if you did want to buy it now you wouldn’t be able to. (Read the full post about ‘“Your Ghost Fits My Skin” from Silver Darling (Crossbill Records, October)’…)

Shit there’s a lot going on. I can barely keep up. I guess the summer doldrums are coming to an end and the fall season is upon us. I don’t have the time or the space to comment extensively on these three releases but I’ll try to link to bio material when appropriate so you can get the whole scoop. ——————— Todd Snider has an 8 track ep coming out in August, it’ll actually be available as a free download on his site for one week in August. The record is called Peace Queer and features material that is more stridently political than previous Snider stuff. But from the song titles, cover art, and the song below you can hear that his wry sense of humor hasn’t left him. (Read the full post about ‘Wow! New Music From Giant Sand, Todd Snider, and (sort of new stuff from) J Tillman’…)

I meant to have this done a month ago, so me finishing it just before the end of July is pretty much consistent with the way I’ve been hitting other deadlines this year.

So here’s a list of some of my favorite albums so far in 2008, with a couple of caveats:

(1) This list, as always, reflects only MY taste. I lay no claim to these being the best albums anyone’s made.
(2) I haven’t, can’t and won’t listen to everything. As I was pulling this together, I saw at least a half-dozen albums that might be good enough, but I haven’t listened to them enough yet, and another couple dozen that I haven’t even cracked yet.

Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments.

(Read the full post about ‘Best of 2008 - so far’…)

Every once in a while, discussion in the comments area of this blog and in e-mails I receive and in conversation about film turns to whether more films or fewer are being released now.

My gut tells me more films are being produced now than any time since the 1960s. (My brief research shows no such proof, but doesn’t contradict that assumption either.) Like 45 or 50 years ago, there are tons of independent features being made, and even if they don’t get into theaters all over the country, they can earn a life on home video.

More documentaries are being made now as well, and if the success of reality television shows is part of the reason viewers are more receptive to that form (as documentarian Morgan Spurlock has suggested), then we should probably say “Thank you, ‘Survivor’.”

More interesting to me, however, is how quickly some of these films get in and out of the theater.

(Read the full post about ‘Getting smarter’…)

LUDLOW – The Ludlow Cooperative Elevator Co.

(Read the full post about ‘Grain companies plan merger’…)

VILLA GROVE – The owners of a controversial dirt bike track in Villa Grove are taking their fight to have the property rezoned to court. Nichelle and Brad Drew have filed a lawsuit in Douglas County court that claims Villa Grove city officials acted beyond their legal authority in refusing to allow a zoning amendment. The Drews insist that the lawsuit is against the October 2007 denial of their request to have a majority of their property rezoned from residential to agricultural and not just the use of the dirt bike track. “The main issue for us is that we need the property zoned to (agriculture) for lots of reasons,” Nichelle Drew said. (Read the full post about ‘Suit filed over controversial dirt bike track in Villa Grove’…)

MATTOON – First Mid-Illinois Bancshares saw its second-quarter net income jump 12 percent from a year ago.

The Mattoon-based bank holding company on Friday reported net income of $2.694 million for the quarter that ended June 30, compared with $2.407 million for the same quarter a year ago.

For the first six months of 2008, the company reported net income of $5.616 million, up from $5.001 million for the first six months of 2007.

That translated to basic earnings of 90 cents a share for the first six months of 2008, up from 78 cents a share for the same months in 2007.

Diluted earnings – the earnings if all convertible securities were exercised – were 88 cents per share, up from 77 cents per share a year ago.

William S.

(Read the full post about ‘First Mid-Illinois Bancshares’ net income rises 12 percent’…)

by Cal Skinner Tomorrow is the big parade in Algonquin. Republicans are being asked to meet at the school on the east side of the river on Route 62 (Algonquin Road, don’t you know?) well before the kick-off at 11. So, if you would like to help McHenry County Republicans and have nothing better to do, drive on over and join the parade. Tee shirts of an incumbent will be provided, I assume. Yesterday, I emphasized Democrats in the McHenry Fiesta Days Parade last weekend. What I am trying to do in looking at the entries allowed by McHenry parade organizers is to see which ones would make the cut in Algonquin’s Founders Day Parade and which would not. (Read the full post about ‘Casting Call for GOPers Near Algonquin’…)

Illinois Right to Life Committee announced in their most recent newsletter that after twenty years of faithful service, their longtime president Mary Ann Hackett is passing the leadership torch to a new leader, Mary Ann’s daughter Rosemary.  Illinois Review salutes Mary Ann for her years of faithful service to the cause of the unborn.  IRLC has faithfully worked over the past twenty years to educate the public about the tragedy of abortion and the value of human life.  Mrs. Hackett leaves with these words: "It is my belief that Roe v. (Read the full post about ‘The IRLC baton is passed’…)

If you think you smell grilling pork steaks coming from your laptop, you’re probably near Americans for Prosperity-IL’s brand new blog, where the flame’s been turned up on Illinois pork. 

Maybe you’re as frustrated as we are with skyrocketing sales taxes, real estate reassessments and those irritating add-’em-up fee increases. If you are, you need to see where some of your money’s going to get you ready to send a message to lawmakers this fall. 

Fewer things are more powerful at the ballot box than pocketbook issues, and Americans for Prosperity - IL is barbecuing irresponsible, out-of-control spending.

(Read the full post about ‘Pork Report snouts out budget fat’…)