In December Gossip Wolf caught up with local guitarist and soul singer Isaiah Sharkey, who mentioned he was working on Love Is the Key (The Cancerian Theme), which “reflects funk, jazz, classic R&B, hip-hop, and other genres that’ve influenced me throughout my journey.” The album dropped Friday, June 21, and Sharkey wasn’t exaggerating about its kaleidoscopic sound! This wolf especially digs the string-laden “Love Is the Key,” which recalls early-70s Curtis Mayfield, and the wah-wah pyrotechnics of “Amen.” On Saturday, July 6, Sharkey opens for Michael McDonald & Chaka Khan at Ravinia. Hit those lawn seats early!
If you’ve ever watched a Marvel movie and thought, “This would be cooler with a black-metal song on the soundtrack,” then you should listen to Annihilus right now! Reader contributor Luca Cimarusti recently launched this solo project, taking the name Annihilus from a main antagonist of the Fantastic Four, a flying armored alien from the Negative Zone who’s hell-bent on eradicating humanity—”Pretty freaky dude, I’d say,” Cimarusti told Occult Black Metal Zine in May. Ukrainian label Depressive Illusions just dropped the Annihilus cassette Fire & Life, which pairs a new EP with the April demo originally released by UK label Corpse Torture.
When Frank Rosaly packed his drums and moved to Amsterdam in 2016, one of the many fine ensembles he left on hiatus was the Nick Mazzarella Trio, which includes two Chicagoans, saxophonist Mazzarella and bassist Anton Hatwich. During a Rosaly visit in January 2018, the trio recorded six new Mazzarella compositions live at Co-Prosperity Sphere. Last week, local label Spacetone (run by drummer Quin Kirchner) and Texas label Astral Spirits released them as the LP Counterbalance, and on Saturday, July 6, the trio celebrates at the Hideout. Kirchner will fill in for Rosaly; Tim Daisy opens with a solo set, and Damon Locks DJs. v
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