Recent Articles
Jane’s Addiction live!
The record industry loves to gauge success by numbers. How many units did it move? At what spot did it debut? How many weeks did it stay on the charts? But you never see the intangibles on the spread sheet, specifically influence.
Father’s day
You can picture Neil Finn walking past son Liam’s bedroom and wondering, “Where did we go wrong?” The younger Finn, They Might Be Giants, and Peter Hook close our weekend preview.
The Right stuff?
There’d seem little to bind Fox News and Chris Brown. We examine the connection prior to Brown’s concert this weekend, along with Ani DiFranco, Laura Marling, local stars packing a local benefit, New Villager, and Toddla T.
Lindsey Buckingham live!
Lindsey Buckingham‘s a great, albeit underrated, guitarist and he knows it. Perhaps that’s why he opened the Chicago stop of his Seeds We Sow tour with a one-man acoustic set that amply showcased his nimble (though occasionally self-indulgent) frethand and well-persevered vocal pitch.
Erasure live!
Touring before a CD drops is generally a challenge, and though Erasure swung through Chicago more than two weeks before Tomorrow’s World (Mute) bows, the material previewed during the first of two shows was so infectious, it was impossible not to dance along. Rather than treading the nostalgic route, Andy Bell and Vince Clarke were […]
Jacket required
In honor of the near 35-year wait Chicago has endured to lay eyes on them, we’ve waited ’til the weekend to preview The Raincoats’ appearance on Monday.
Cold wind blowin’
It seems cruel to talk outdoor music festivals on the coldest day since May, but we believe the heat will rise this weekend for Brilliant Corners Of Popular Amusements, Bash On Wabash, Edgewater Lounge’s block party, Uproar Festival, and the beginning of the week-long Chicago World Music Festival.
All the hues that are fit to print
Treat the rest of your week to a sampling of Marissa Nadler, Gold Motel starring at a Grammy U event, Tommy Keene, Active Child, Sick Of Sarah, Young Man, and Sleeping In The Aviary.
American band
As the election cycle amps up, we’re in line for some more hopelessly partisan bickering, a lot of which will shamelessly exploit the 9/11 anniversary. There are ways to get around the politics of it all — this weekend has Grand Funk Railroad at the Honor Flight fundraiser in Woodstock.
The little continent that could
With colorful exports such as Kylie Minogue, Nick Cave, and Cut Copy, it’s easy to forget the gritty side of Australia. Paul Kelly arrives in town next week, as do non-compatriots John Hiatt, The Jim Jones Revue, Adam Levy, Painted Palms, and The Dirt Daubers.
Blondie live!
Unlike several veteran bands that cling to a repertoire of old hits, Blondie entertained a capacity crowd at House Of Blues Wednesday night with several tracks from its latest release, Panic Of Girls.
Pearl Jam 20 review!
As career choices go, rock ‘n’ roll isn’t exactly the most reliable path. Failure is the rule not the exception. So any time a band reaches any sort of recognizable milestone, it’s usually cause for celebration. When that benchmark is two decades, well, a simple Hallmark card isn’t going to do it.
Guster and Jack’s Mannequin live!
Between the constant rain, empty spots in the pavilion and lawn, and complete mid-set power outage, Chicagoland’s famed outdoor venue Ravinia wasn’t real kind to Guster and Jack’s Mannequin on Saturday night, as both bands played their debut show there. Fortunately, neither group let those challenges affect their sets.
Fruits of Labor
Labor Day traditionally represents the spiritual end of summer — oh yes, it has spirit, how ’bout you? — but don’t tell ANR, Fruit Bats, Male Bonding, Robert Earl Keen, or Motopony, all in town this week.
RIP Honeyboy Edwards
Bluesman David “Honeyboy” Edwards died last Monday aged 96, a dyed-in-the-wool Delta bluesman whose final decade would be his most prolific.
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