As I’ve said before, while I really enjoy all of these mixes, I made all of these mix CDs to pass along to my Greek wife. (You can read more about it here!)
If you can see the mix CD cover? You’ll understand why I went this route. I am not a subtle designer! I believe it coincided with a summertime when there were a lot of Greek street festivals as — in Chicago — there are times where you can’t walk a few blocks without running into Greek dancers, but I could be misremembering.
Anyway. That alleyway? I believe I took that photo when we used to live in the Chicago neighborhood of Ravenswood. It was an alleyway along one of my least favorite rentals.
My wife and I lived in Ravenswood intermittently for a few years which, if you are familiar with Chicago? It’s one of the Chicago neighborhoods where a couple moves to from the Loop or a more single-centric district like Wrigleyville or — at the time — Wicker Park or Bucktown, then they adopt a dog to test their relationship and then live there with the dog until they come to an understanding that they can care for the dog so they can also care for kids.
They then have a kid and walk the kid around the neighborhood with a gigantic carriage that takes up most of Chicago’s narrow sidewalks, their forlorn dog by the side taking up the rest of the space, all while taking advantage of an adjacent culturally vibrant queer community — such as our long-lived neighborhood of Andersonville, a neighborhood I’d be happy dying in — without giving anything back.
When the kid is around three or four? They move to the north Chicago suburb of Evanston and slowly slide into a vastly different, oft-existentially depressing life.
It’s a tale as old as time. I have seen this occur to an absurd extent. I’m witnessing it in real-time with a nearby couple. I may sound bitter, but I have reason to be. These neighborhoods I’ve lived in aren’t meant to be transient launching pads for your 30s and to later say you were part of these communities when you actively were not. I’ve seen neighborhoods bled dry by these actions.
I did not expect to pen that much of a tirade. Apologies for too much information, and to anyone reading this who loves Ravenswood and/or moved to Evanston! You are awesome!
I’ll note that this is probably the one mix where I’ve seen almost all of the bands in-person: GOGOL BORDELLO? BEIRUT? DEVOTCHKA? THE PIPETTES? BISHOP ALLEN? EMILIE SIMON? IMOGEN HEAP? CONVERTER — we brought him to Chicago via a short-lived production group! — and there are more!
We were firing on all cylinders then. Props to fellow members Zoe and DJ KY and my wife, who put up with my hard head.
I like the above card I designed that we left at any place in Chicago that would allow it, but we did have issues because I didn’t allow for enough bleed. (We made it work.) Also? That’s the back, hence the lack of venue address. I don’t love the front enough to bother posting it. (Good, vibrant colors. Bad vector conversion regarding the primary photo though.)
And no, that URL no longer works.
I’ve veered wildly off-topic! I don’t love this CD mix cover. The leading sucks. The alleyway isn’t as striking as I’d hoped. It’s not terrible, but it doesn’t quite capture one’s attention.
Highlights? Most of those are about poignancy and melancholy, because maybe I was going through some shit at the time? CAMERA OBSCURA’s late 60s-early 70s throwback bop ‘Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken’. IMOGEN HEAP’s heartbreaking ‘Glittering Heap’. SHRAG’s ‘Hopelessly Wasted’ which feels like one of the most dispirited prom songs ever. Also, the extraordinary sad tale of living life over time via THE DIVINE COMEDY’s ‘Lady of a Certain Age’.
Anyway. Enjoy, despite the fact that I misspelled CONVERTER on the album cover. Sorry about that, CONVERTER! (Your live version of ‘Denogginizer’ is a banger!)
Track listing: (Artist / album / song)
- JUF / Gogol Bordello Vs. Tamir Muskat / Super Rifle [BALKAN EXPRESS TRAIN ROBBERY]
- BEIRUT / Gulag Orkestar / Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)
- Devotchka / Supermelodrama / Curse Your Little
- THE LONG BLONDES / Someone to Drive You Home / Separated By Motorways
- LOVE IS ALL / Nine Times the Same Song / Used Goods
- THE PIPETTES / We Are The Pipettes / Dirty Mind
- CAMERA OBSCURA / Let’s Get Out Of This Country / Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken
- THE BLOOD BROTHERS / Young Machetes / Spit Shine Your Black Clouds
- VALENTINOS / Kitsune Maison 3 / Kafka [Bag Raiders What Y’all Kno ‘Bout Seven] (Erroneously labeled above)
- JON SHEFFIELD / One Winter Is Notenuf / Air Supplies, Toothbrush, Etc.
- LULLABYE ARKESTRA / Ampgrave / Unite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- IMOGEN HEAP / Plague Songs / Glittering Cloud
- SHRAG / Shrag / Hopelessly Wasted
- BISHOP ALLEN / September EP / Like Castanets
- THE DIVINE COMEDY / Victory for the Comic Muse / A Lady of a Certain Age
- EMILIE SIMON / The Flower Book / Flowers
- GLOMAG / Pocket Calculator – Single / Pocket Calculator [Glomag Mega-Mix]
- CONVERTER / Broken Meat / Denogginizer [Live]
- SINNER DC / Mount Age / They Never Stay