This Saturday night at Lincoln Hall, reissue label Numero Group presents its Eccentric Soul Revue. In anticipation of this rare event, we invited Syl Johnson of Twinight Records fame into the TOC studios for a conversation and live performance. Syl, a prolific and oft-sampled singer and producer of Chicago soul, has a lot of great stories, so we let him do his thing—as for the conversation, it might start a bit quiet, but hang in there, it gets louder and richer. Revelations? Johnson popularized the phrase “sock it to me,” used Minnie Ripperton’s laugh on a record and hangs out with the Wu Tang Clan. If you love this, check out the video of Syl’s performance.

This week we got together with Fruit Bats frontman Eric Johnson, who was kind enough to drop in between a pair of tour-closing dates at Schubas. Johnson’s local roots run deep, having grown up in “Chicagoland,” working at the Old Town School of Folk Music and playing in local groups like Califone and the Paulina Hollers before shipping off to the west coast a few years back. Still, Johnson assembled a largely Chicago-based lineup to record Fruit Bats’ fourth album, The Ruminant Band, a gorgeous collection calling back to the California canyon rock highs of the ’70s. We picked his brain about the pacific northwest scene and in the process learned why Portland, Oregon is effectively a retirement community for bands. We also discussed the fading four-track phenomenon, and learned why he’ll never throw away his old Tascam.

Fruit Bats’ The Ruminant Band is out now on Sub Pop. Read more about the band in our Music section.

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Last night Fruit Bats closed out a two-night stand at Schubas with a barnstorming set that included a cover of the INXS ballad “Never Tear Us Apart.” Bat man Eric Johnson was kind enough to swing by our office yesterday afternoon for a special edition of the Infinite Loop. In advance of the proper podcast (due later this week), which includes an interview running down the Portland scene among other Pacific Northwest highlights, we’re pleased to present a video preview of Johnson, strumming solo through “Beautiful Morning Light” from the band’s fantastic new album, The Ruminant Band.

This week we sat down with singer-pianist Abraham Levitan of the local trio Baby Teeth, whose creative vision bucks passing fads in favor of a unique synthesis fusing the aesthetic of Björn Borg with the sounds of Huey Lewis and the News. In addition to sounding off on a number of subjects, including the disparity between Weird Al and Randy Newman, Levitan opened up about his songwriting blog, 52 Teeth, where the songs for the new Hustle Beach came from. We also asked Levitan to weigh in on the loaded Sugar Ray vs. Smash Mouth debate. On a final note, later this week we will debut live video from the session courtesy of our producer and web guru John Dugan.

Baby Teeth plays Schubas Sat 1. Read more about the band in this week’s Music section.

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This week we sit down with scene veterans Janet Bean and Jim Elkington of the Horse’s Ha, who recently released a stunning debut, Of the Cathmawr Yards. Familiar to many Chicagoans for her work with indie mainstays Freakwater and Eleventh Dream Day, Bean’s been on the local circuit since the mid-’80s, and Elkington’s track record isn’t too shabby either—fronting the Zincs and more recently working solo. Though the two initially rallied around the idea of playing cover tunes at swanky local wine bars, those profitable aspirations have since fallen by the wayside as they’ve assembled a gorgeous repertoire of elegant chamber-folk. Bean and Elkington were kind enough to squeeze into our cozy confines for an exclusive interview and recording, where we learned why a future Genesis tribute isn’t completely beyond the realm of possibility.

The Horse’s Ha plays Schubas Friday 3. Read more about the band in this week’s Music section.

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This week we sit down with songwriter and viola abuser Anni Rossi, who has just issued a debut album on the venerable independent record label 4AD. Rossi hails from the Twin Cities but spent some time in California soaking up the arty scene around a venue known as the Smell. Now, she’s back in the heartland, but don’t expect to see her around the bars too often. She’s touring constantly, as of late. We managed to find a free day to drag her to our plush recording facilities and we couldn’t be more thrilled.

Anni Rossi plays Schubas Saturday 6—her boyfriend Rollin Hunt opens the show. Read more about her in this week’s Music section.

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This week we sit down with songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Azita Youssefi, whose first album in five years, How Will You?, hits the street next Tuesday, February 17. No stranger to the Chicago scene, the Iranian-American musician first came to our attention in the ’90s as a member of the Scissor Girls and Bride of No No. Since releasing her last full-length album, 2004’s Life on the Fly, Youssefi’s juggled a variety of projects, composing music for the play Detail from the Mountainside and touring as part of Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s band. In our interview, Azita—an eccentric personality and unique conversationalist—explains why she can’t teach Beyoncé or Tool to her piano students, and why anyone analyzing her lyrics ought to “smoke some weed or something.”

Azita plays a free record release show Monday, March 2 at Empty Bottle. Read more about her in this week’s story.

To listen to this week’s podcast, click the player below.

To subscribe to an RSS feed of past and future Infinite Loop podcasts here.

You can also subscribe to the Infinite Loop podcasts via iTunes here.

Infinite Loop image: Nadine Nakanishi