Stephen Merritt and his Fields play six shows in Chicago. - Oh My Rockness

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Stephen Merritt and his Fields play six shows in Chicago.

March 4, 2008
The Magnetic Fields are playing six shows (two per night) at the Old Town School of Folk Music starting Friday, March 14th. They're probably all sold-out, so if you don't have tickets, you'll have to find a will and a way to see one of the great bands of the last decade.

Stephen Merritt is the driving force behind The Magnetic Fields. Though a full-fledged band, it is Merritt who writes, produces and sings most of the material, creating pure indie pop.

With The Magnetic Fields, Merritt crafts a product that is far greater than the sum of its parts. One wouldn't suspect his monotonous, under-confident voice and clever wordplay over lo-fi synth arrangements would be enough to father one of the most beloved indie bands of the last 15 years. But then again, who knew that a sprawling 3-CD mega-album entirely devoted to love (69 Love Songs) would not only succeed but would be destined to become a classic?

The ever-prolific Merritt keeps us guessing, whether utilizing his scathing wit or his transcendent sensitivity, to create his own pop formula that never sounds tired. And lately, the guy has been dipping his toes into rock 'n roll. The Magnetic Fields latest album Distortion features, well, distortion. Putting your pedal to the metal doesn't exactly scream indie-pop, but Merritt has always done his own thing.

With so many bands ripping each other off, Merritt's original versatility is nothing short of amazing. The Magnetic Fields will be around forever.

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The Magnetic Fields play six shows (two per night) at the Old Town School of Folk Music, from Friday, March 14th, to Sunday, March 16th.

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