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The Beatles of Craft Beer Week
The irony of naming four beers to represent The Beatles during Chicago Craft Beer Week, is that they’re all much more enjoyable as solo acts than they are when you mix them together.
Summer Of Sam
Craft Beer Week continues: Samuel Adams’ reputation relies on history as much as its label. As one of the oldest craft breweries in America, and certainly the one longest in the national consciousness, its ability to experiment comes second to sustaining tradition.
A CSS/Sleigh Bells Chicago preview that’s a review of the Minny show!
There’s a particularly virulent strain of nostalgia permeating electronic dance music (see Cut Copy, Holy Ghost, Foster The People) that appeals to older audiences who immediately connect through reminiscing, as well as, hooking young hipsters who approach it with wide-eyed exuberance.
Craft Beer Week continues. . .
Minhas Simpler Times Pilsner Americans have been told that Miller Lite is a pilsner beer, and full marks go to those advertising gurus whose hysterical laughter cannot be heard through those ad campaigns.
Spring is here! Get inside and rock!
Next weekend, Memorial Day, typically kicks off outdoor season in Chicago (Belmont-Sheffield Fest) along with all the barbecues. The next weekend is Mayfest. Now’s the time to get your indoor ya-yas out.
Welcome to Beer Week!
Two Brothers Session Ale For the next week or so, we’ll be following Chicago Craft Beer Week with our own beer/band pairings. Click on for your first sample.
The Cars live!
In spite of not being one of the most prolific bands in history, The Cars are certainly among the most influential, especially when it comes to the power pop, synth rock, and new wave.
Speer’s head
The big tell on D. Charles Speer & The Helix‘s Leaving The Commonwealth (Thrill Jockey) is its combination of rusticity and variety. The music’s not necessarily indicative of New York, but they sure don’t do this in the South anymore.
A who’s who
By 1980, you needed to keep Major League Baseball’s official scorer’s guide to keep track of who was and wasn’t in UFO. Long associated with former guitarist Michael Schenker (whose main group, MSG, is also an anagram), it’s time to sort this out.
Twilight Singers live!
On record, Greg Dulli’s Twilight Singers operation can come across slightly docile at times, the group’s slow-building and subtle approach allowing for the mistaken impression of a sleepier production.
Bob Seger live!
Bob Seger recently turned 66, and readily admits he doesn’t like touring. With his hair and beard four-and-a-half-years greyer since the last road trip, and with his “newest” album released in 2006, one could expect a slower-paced, toned-down show. That didn’t happen.
The Dredg report
This much has always been known about Dredg: the band has long resisted the shackles ready to be attached to it. The phonetic spelling suggests nu-metal, use of interludes and segues exposes classical/art-rock tendencies, and Gavin Hayes’ vocal wanderings push the prog ends of emo. But few would have predicted what it has become. Its […]
Frosted Blake
Out of the bedroom and into the fire: the fact James Blake has chosen to tour America either speaks to a fealty to public demand or an actual need for cash, because otherwise it’s completely counterintuitive.
Neil Young live!
Neil Young strolled onto the stage at the Chicago Theatre on Friday night as casually as a man entering a friend’s living room. He patiently surveyed the sparse surroundings, almost as if he was taking inventory for his two-night residency. But, as soon as he slipped on an acoustic guitar, he was all business.
Fried as a Berger
When sibling duo The Fiery Furnaces first popped up a decade ago, local writers would automatically mention that though they were based in Brooklyn, they were originally from Oak Park. Not Chicago, or Chicagoland.
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