Favre trade the best outcome for the Bears

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By MATT MEDVED

After a ludicrous soap opera that may have filled more sports news cycles than last summer’s Vick Watch, Brett is finally a Jet.

And the Bears are breathing a hefty sigh of relief.

Although there was speculation that Number Four could land in Soldier Field, Green Bay’s decision to ship Brett Favre cross-conference may actually be the best result for Chicago.

Although his stellar 2007 campaign may have been a fluke, Favre has been the bane of the Bears’ defense for more than 15 years. Favre sports a 22-10 record all-time against the Bears and is 12-3 in Soldier Field. So much for homefield advantage.

Perhaps even more importantly, Favre was denied his wish to go to the rival Minnesota Vikings who are a quarterback away from making a serious playoff push. Adrian Peterson and the Viking defense are scary enough for the Bears to face twice a year without worrying about Favre’s token fourth quarter heroics.

Now that the NFC North is Favre free, the Bears’ quarterback quandary suddenly doesn’t look as woeful compared to the rest of the division. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn have a combined zero NFL starts. Minnesota’s Tarvaris Jackson is unproven. And how many good seasons does Jon Kitna have left in him for a Lions team that cannot protect him? Should Grossman or Orton prove to be at least somewhat decent, the Bears have a fighting chance this year to make a dent in the division.

As a Bills fan, I’m less than pleased to see Favre land in the AFC East. But the question still remains of which Favre will don the green and white in 2008. Will it be the 28 touchdown gunslinger of 2007 or the turnover machine that threw 29 interceptions in 2005?

Likely to be somewhere in between, but I’m still not sure the Jets are a playoff team with Favre onboard. There’s no doubt he’s an upgrade over the soon-to-be-released Chad Pennington and third year pro Kellen Clemens.Their receivers are iffy and although they made substantial investments in their offensive line this offseason, much will depend on how well it gels. The 38-year-old Favre will revert to his mistake prone ways if opposing defenses can get consistent pressure on him.

But the Bears don’t care about any of this. For the first time in fifteen years they don’t have to see Brett Favre at all unless both teams make the Super Bowl. And there’s an even smaller chance of that happening than there was of Favre staying retired in the first place.

The Bulls win the lottery

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By MATT MEDVED

Hey Chicago. Long time, no see.

I’ve been MIA for awhile, trying to launch my DJ side career (judge for yourself at my inevitable shameless plug: www.myspace.com/djsicarii). But I’m back, and what a time it is to be back here. The Cubs have the best record in baseball, the Bulls have the number-one draft pick and Cedric Benson is now being as useless off the field as he was on it.

Chicago Wins the Lottery: I don’t think anyone saw this one coming. With a longshot 1.7% chance of landing the top pick, the Bulls jumped up from a projected 9th selection spot to snag the NBA lottery losers’ most coveted prize. Maybe this nightmare of a season will pay off yet.

Like last year’s Oden-Durant dilemma, the Bulls now have the enviable task of choosing between two star freshman prospects: Kansas State’s Michael Beasley and Memphis’ Derrick Rose. Beasley, a talented power forward, would provide the low post scoring that Chicago has desperately needed as well as size and a consistent double-double presence. Rose has drawn comparisons to fellow point guards Deron Williams and Chris Paul and has leadership intangibles that suggest he could be the better player as he develops further.

Despite being far less flashy than Heat rep Dwayne Wade, Chicago’s VP of business operations Steve Schanwald had the Midas touch. It’s already clear which player the Miami Heat, who landed the second pick despite only winning 15 games last season, desire. The front office has already sent out signals that should the Bills select Rose, they would be open to trading the pick in lieu of snagging Beasley.

It’s a debate that will rage in Chi-Town until June 26th, but I’m already feeling conflicted. My first instinct was to grab Beasley and put Chicago’s low post phantoms to rest. But watching the playoffs, it’s clear how key the position of point guard has become to raising the play of teammates on the court. If you think for a minute that the Hornets and the Jazz would have made it nearly as far as they did without Paul and Williams, you’re kidding yourself. Steve Nash is the lynchpin of the Suns’ high octane offense and the Spurs have relied on Tony Parker plenty of times. Talented point guards do not grow on trees, and now that the Bulls have the chance to select one that new Knicks coach (and eternal betrayer of the Bulls) Mike D’Antoni described as “Jason Kidd with a jump shot,” it’s hard to see them passing Rose up. (Must be hard for D’Antoni to believe he passed up the Bulls job; the Knicks landed the 6th pick). This would leave Hinrich the odd man out. Would Paxson pull a trade trigger?

Then again, the teams that have made it to the conference finals also have big men complementing their point guards. Parker has his Tim Duncan, Rajon Rondo/Sam Cassell have their Kevin Garnett. One concern about Beasley is that his relatively smaller size could keep him from reaching their levels of play, but can the Bulls afford to neglect addressing the position?

Whatever the choice, the undeserving Bulls have landed an equally unexpected bounty that will help put the miserable 2007-2008 season behind them. Now they just need a coach…

Benson Tries to Leave Blunders Behind: When Bears running back Cedric Benson arrived for the team’s first organized team activities, he had to know he would field more questions about his drunken joyride on Lake Travis than the rest of his offseason workouts.

A slimmed down Benson at least said the right things at practice. He said he intended to meet with Bears GM Jerry Angelo and did not take his starting job for granted.

“I would hope I’d have to do something to keep [my job],” Benson said. “Nobody wants to be given anything.”

There’s little chance he will be. The boating incident, during which Benson was pepper-sprayed for allegedly resisting arrest, came only a week after the Bears drafted Tulane’s Matt Forte in the second round. The move should come as a wake-up call for the underachieving former Texas star, who has failed to live up to expectations after the Bears drafted him 4th overall in 2005.

Should be an interesting training camp at running back for the Bears. Lord knows they need some drama alongside the yawnfest that the Grossman-Orton quarterback derby will no doubt prove to be. Just as it was last year. And the year before that.

Flyin’ under the radar: The Wrens still have their day jobs – and a sizeable indie following

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By MATT MEDVED

It took seven years of record label limbo and working day jobs before New Jersey rockers the Wrens could release their critically acclaimed third album, The Meadowlands, in 2003.

And although they still have their day jobs, you won’t sense any bitterness onstage when the Wrens play Norris University Center’s Louis Room Friday, Feb. 10 as part of a Niteskool production.

“Once we got to the point where we just looked at each other and realized, ‘This is all bullshit. Let’s not worry about anything and try and make a record that we like and go out and play shows the way we want to play them and just have fun again,’” says guitarist Greg Whelan. “Then all of a sudden things completely turned around. So now for us, this is the greatest thing.”

The quirky indie quartet seemed to be on the brink of widespread success after releasing their sophomore effort Secaucus in 1996 to excellent reviews. However, halfway into the following tour, the Wrens were told by their label Grass Records, under the new ownership of Alan Melzter, that they would have to sign a million-dollar contract and make their music more radio friendly or promotion for Secaucus would cease.

“(Melzter) was looking for the next big thing,” Whelan says. “He wanted to make it in the record industry, so obviously he needed a pop kind of format to get onto the radio because he had a lot of money to put behind it.”

The Wrens – consisting of guitarist/vocalist Charles Bissell, bassist/vocalist Kevin Whelan, drummer Jerry MacDonnell and Whelan – chose not to re-sign, and Grass Records eventually became Wind-Up Records, later home to the platinum-selling band Creed.

“We did re-record a couple tunes for him and they came out absolutely atrocious,” Whelan says. “Plus (Melzter) had never run a record label before. We didn’t want to sign away the rest of our lives to see if he could do it or if he would just give up after a year or whatever. That’s the risk you take in signing.”

The positive feedback that Secaucus garnered caused considerable interest in the band among other record labels, but it was difficult to find a successful fit.

“That’s when the A&R dogs, you know, they just come out flocking,” Whelan says. “So for one whole tour they were at every single show. I think by the time we got home, they had completely forgotten about us anyways. It just goes like that – whatever appears to be the flavor of the day. They’ll do anything for a quick fix.”

The Wrens began recording The Meadowlands on their own in 1999 and were in a position to be signed by then fledgling Drive-Thru Records, which had been started by two friends. But delays in finishing the album doomed the prospective deal when Drive-Thru became very successful catering to the pop-punk community.

“At that time we didn’t really know if the kind of music we were writing would fit with their label per se,” Whelan says. “I can’t really see some of our tunes playing to kids like, skating in a half pipe at Warped Tour.”

Putting their major label woes behind them, the Wrens decided on Absolutely Kosher Records, a label run by longtime friend Cory Brown, for The Meadowlands’ release.

“We’d always joked about him starting a label and doing a record with him,” Whelan says. “So for us it was just a good thing. We’re friends. It’s business, but it’s a really cool deal, and it works well for us and it makes sense. I mean, he doesn’t have Alan Melzter’s money, but it works.”

The album quickly received high accolades, including a scintillating review by Pitchfork Media, which gave it some of the highest marks of the year. Since the release, Whelan says that he has noticed a diversity of age groups at the band’s notoriously high-energy live shows.

“We have young kids who come to the shows who are into the records,” Whelan says. “Then we have the people who we knew throughout the years who will come. And then you’ve got older people. The fact of us being older. The drummer’s got kids. We’ve all got shitty day jobs. I think a lot of people our age can actually kind of relate to us. We kind of enjoy the fact that we’re kind of like them but we’re doing this. Different age groups have been able to pick up different things on it, which has been really cool and really weird.”

A documentary produced by Little Quill Productions is on the way, as well as a U.K. tour and a new album. Whelan hints they will stick with Absolutely Kosher for the new release.

“Everything seems to be going really cool right now. So we’ll probably just continue doing what we’re doing,” Whelan says. “First we’re trying to concentrate on finishing the damn thing.”

Whelan says that although they could quit their day jobs, the band is holding on a while longer at this stage in their lives and still manages to tour every weekend.

“For us, it’s not all of our eggs in one basket any longer,” Whelan says. “We can do all kinds of things and just have fun with it. There’s not that ridiculous pressure you put on yourself, like, ‘Put it out there. Can we do this? Can we do that?’ Just go out there and play music. It’s not like we’re curing cancer or something.”

Spring into June: Alumni band returns to city

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By MATT MEDVED

Meet June’s Arrival … reloaded.

Or so bassist and Northwestern alum Lucas Lin likes to jokingly call it.

The rock quartet is playing its biggest show, since its November 2004 resurrection on May 14 at The Metro, 3730 N. Clark St., with Blackout and the Lovehammers, which invited them to open last month.

“This is a huge deal for us,” says vocalist and guitarist Eric Bleile. “Its not like we’ve made it or anything like that, but it’s every band here’s original goal to make it to The Metro.”

The show will be the band’s third with the Lovehammers and the third since adding new drummer Anom Lane and guitarist Michael Young. Lin, Weinberg, ‘00, is eager to plug in his bass following a March acoustic show at Joe’s Sports Bar.

“They wanted us to play acoustic, not scare away the crowd or anything,” Lin says. “Our new song ‘Loverhead’ went over really well with the crowd. But with acoustic, everything sounds different. We’re looking forward to rocking out at The Metro.”

But one year ago today, the possibilities of June’s Arrival playing any gig seemed remote. Lin and Bleile were forced to pick up the pieces when lead guitarist Mark Alaimo and drummer Jake Hyzny left the band after a show in April of last year.

“It was tough,” Lin says. “We were set to play some cool outdoor festivals in the summer. We had pretty good momentum going until the show. It just came out of nowhere.”

Following what Lin and Bleile refer to as a sub-par performance in July 2004 with stand-in musicians for a charity show, the two began a seven-month search for permanent replacements for Alaimo and Hyzny.

“We spent a long time looking for new people,” Bleile says. “We were pretty picky about it because we knew what kind of sound we wanted. We knew we needed people energetic about the music, people that had stage presence and gear.”

Lin remembers the long cycle of e-mails and auditions that culminated in finding Lane and Young.

“The hardest thing was just being patient, because you know the other members that you’re looking for are out there,” Lin says. “(But) just how are you gonna find them?”

This isn’t the first time Lin’s patience has paid off. Lin started playing guitar after his 18th birthday and spent his four years at NU honing his skills before ever setting foot onstage.

“I had one really good roommate in Allison who played guitar, and I practiced religiously,” Lin says. “At that point I wasn’t ready to play in a band but I knew that once I got out of school it was something I really wanted to pursue and jammed with people here and there. Once I got out I felt it was time to find the right people and make something happen.”

June’s Arrival began to coalesce in February 2002, when Lin and Hyzny auditioned Bleile. The band officially formed in April 2002 with new guitarist Gene Scharf and Lin’s transition from guitar to bass.

“I’m still learning bass as we go, although I guess I’ve technically been playing for three years,” Lin says.

After Scharf’s departure in July 2002, the band added Alaimo and began playing numerous gigs throughout the Chicago scene. In December 2003, the members recorded their second demo EP, an upbeat offering of catchy hooks and modern rock.

Bleile credits the changes in lineup and songwriting approach with the evolution of the band’s sound, which he describes as “high-energy hard rock” and likens to bands like Foo Fighters and 3 Doors Down.

“I think we’re moving on from the ballad-y or bluesier stuff to more of an ‘in your face rock’ presence,” Bleile says. “I’d rather be really into it and running and jumping around and singing than standing there with an acoustic guitar and making out with a microphone and not moving.”

Power Chords: Fans come to aid of NU alum, helping her finance new album

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By MATT MEDVED

Fans of singer/songwriter Kat Parsons wanted her to record a new album so badly they financed it themselves.

More than 400 fans of the Northwestern alum (Communication ‘99) donated more than $18,000 toward the recording and production of her second full-length album, “No Will Power,” which was released in March. Parsons, who embarked on a 13-date tour to support the album’s release, arrives April 30 at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport Ave., for her final show of the tour.

“It’s incredible — it’s a win-win situation,” Parsons says. “Fans feel like they are part of the album. It’s a great synergy and partnership.”

It appears to have been a good investment.

On the album, Parsons’ lilting vocals and melodic guitar and piano work to document a story, self-described as the “unraveling of a romantic relationship at its every stage, but not necessarily in chronological order.”

The album opens with the seductive title track, punctuated by its energetic chorus, which Parsons describes as “mischievous” in its frustration while attempting to stay away from an ex-lover.

And on “Standing Still,” an infectious song she wrote as a college senior, her excitement and uncertainty at embarking on life after college meld in a polished rock package that exhibits her wide vocal range.

“It’s like going along a river which opens up into an ocean with no bank in sight,” Parsons says. “The possibilities are limitless, but you have no idea which would get you anywhere.”

Parsons says recording her sophomore album was a “much more involved process” than her first album, “Framing Caroline,” which she recorded in just one day during her senior year in 1999.

“They were the first songs I’d ever written,” Parsons says. “After playing so many shows, I wanted to get one written and recorded.”

Parsons is often pegged as a folk-rock singer, but she says she feels the label is inaccurate for her new music, which is more along the pop-rock vein.

“I think that it’s just grown as I’ve grown,” Parsons says of her music. “I have more of a message now. I’m not just sitting there singing, I’m sensibly telling a story.”

Just like her life now, the story of Parsons’ upbringing is full of music. Parsons was born in Vienna, Austria, where her father was an acclaimed opera singer and her mother was a singer/songwriter. Both her parents and her brother have accompanied her onstage, and she credits them as her greatest influences, beating out other favorites such as Patty Griffin and Bruce Springsteen.

“Growing up, there was always music playing, always someone singing,” Parsons says. “I’m lucky to have parents that can relate to how good it feels to have a good show and how bad it feels to have a crappy one.”

Before getting to the point where she could headline her own shows, Parsons was a theatre major at NU and a member of a cappella group Melodious Thunk. But she began to feel more comfortable expressing herself in a personal way.

“(Kat) had the heart of an artist, a performer, but not necessarily an actor,” says David Downs, Parsons’ former instructor and an associate professor in the Theatre Department. “I was thrilled when I found out about her love of writing and performing music.”

Parsons began exploring her own musical expression during her sophomore year with an impromptu show at Allison Hall’s “munchies,” where plans of a cover song set fell through when her co-musician cancelled. Unfazed, Parsons managed to distract students from their food long enough to make an impression.

“I barely knew how to play, only three chords, but I played my own songs,” Parsons says. “I’ve never been one to worry about being prepared. I’m not a shy person when it comes to giving it a shot.”

After her unexpected solo debut, Parsons began playing shows on campus, performing at events including Dance Marathon, Suitcase Party and Greek coffeehouses. She then branched out to venues like Unicorn Café and, as an upperclassman, even landed a few professional gigs in Chicago.

Parsons credits NU for providing a positive environment for her musical development.

“It was a very nurturing environment and was a small sphere for me to embark upon my career, as opposed to going straight to the city where I didn’t know people, and they didn’t know me,” Parsons says. “I knew it was instrumental in my growth.”

After graduating from NU, Parsons toured constantly and began receiving hundreds of requests from fans for a second album, a prospect that appealed to her creativity, but not her wallet.

Ever the innovator, Parsons set up a preordering system whereby fans could pledge money in exchange for bonus rewards. A $20 pledge got fans an autographed copy of the new album, $55 netted fans three autographed copies, $500 earned fans signed posters, tickets and a song dedication, and $1000 earned fans a lunch date with Parsons and an inclusion in the album’s liner notes. The strong response defied her expectations.

“The work she has done in the last several years suggests that music is what does this for her,” Downs says. “I can’t wait to see what she does next.”