Recent Articles
Bodies Of Water preview
Bodies Of Water Schubas, Chicago Thursday, August 7, 2008 Call them a darker, more sinister companion to England’s the Magic Numbers, minus the whole brother/sister pairing, sunshine-on-your-shoulders attitude masking deeper scars.
Rue Royale preview
Rue Royale Schubas, Chicago Friday, August 8, 2008 Well Chicago, Rue Royale is leaving. Yep, less than a year after releasing its breathtaking debut full-length, the group bids farewell with this Schubas gig. But in all fairness, it was never really “ours,” anyway.
Amos Lee preview
Amos Lee Park West, Chicago Monday, August 11, 2008 Though it’s a prevalent theme on his newest record, Last Days At The Lodge, struggle hasn’t been much of factor in Amos Lee’s musical career so far. That’s not to trash talk Lee or brand him a dislikable silver spooner, only to say if he doesn’t […]
Cover Story: Judas Priest
Judas Priest Nostradamus: Priest’s Prophetic Project Who could have predicted a band who’ve been around since the beginning of time (more precisely, since the inception of heavy metal) would produce such an audaciously ambitious project? Judas Priest’s Nostradamus is a 23-track, double-CD concept album. Unlike the central figures in other such releases like Pink Floyd’s […]
Coldplay live!
Coldplay United Center, Chicago Wednesday, July 23, 2008 “I was there” means so much more when whatever’s happening isn’t choreographed. Coldplay’s constant reminder that they were recording Wednesday’s performance for a DVD completely hijacked any notion of spontaneity, leaving the impression the crowd was already watching the video.
Neil Diamond live!
Neil Diamond United Center, Chicago Saturday, July 26, 2008 There are two distinct sides to Neil Diamond’s musical personality — the legitimate singer-songwriter or the ham-fisted Vegas crooner — and usually his latest album hints at what vibe will be predominant on tour. Thankfully 2008’s Home Before Dark leans in the much more astute direction […]
Dokken preview
Dokken First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park Sunday, August 3, 2008 Because it’s protocol for some rock critics to hate, or pretend to hate, anything associated with ’80s metal, some of you will surely accuse us of ripping on Dokken’s Lightning Strikes Again (Rhino) simply because of their hair metal roots. The IE editorial staff, […]
Cross Examination preview
Cross Examination Reggie’s Rock Club, Chicago Monday, August 4, 2008 Ironically, the tour calling itself Thrash And Burn that stops at the Pearl Room in Mokena Monday night is not be the thrashiest show in Chicagoland that evening.
Bryan Adams preview
Bryan Adams Sears Centre, Hoffman Estates Tuesday, August 5, 2008 The joke at the IE office focuses on the fantasy that if only Sting made an appearance at the Rod Stewart/Bryan Adams double-bill next week, the ad hoc trio could perform “All For Love” from the 1993 Kiefer Sutherland film, The Three Musketeers.
Tilly And The Wall preview
Tilly And The Wall Abbey Pub, Chicago Wednesday, August 6, 2008 Garth Algar, standing over our shoulder while we read the newest Tilly And The Wall press release, declared, as he once did on the set of “Wayne’s World”: “We fear change.” He needn’t.
Trouble In The Pumpkin Patch
Pumpkins Watch: D’Arcy Lives! Blah blah blah Smashing Pumpkins . . . lawsuit . . . blah blah royalties . . . garbldee garbledee goo . . . Iha . . . D’Arcy Wretzky?
Dead Heart Bloom reviewed
Dead Heart Bloom Fall In (KEI) Kicking off a series of three (presumably free, as this one is) 2008 EPs, Fall In slides through tastes more succinctly than Dead Heart Bloom’s two albums did.
Taylor Hollingsworth reviewed
Taylor Hollingsworth Bad Little Kitty (Mass) To smoke, or not to smoke: That was the question before Taylor Hollingsworth. He smoked.
Trouble interview
Trouble Unlucky Number Seven By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work — Genesis 2:2 It’s a story that should be familiar to readers of hard rock and heavy metal news: Eighties legends kick off their big reunion twice […]
Lair Of The Minotaur interview
Lair Of The Minotaur Reign In Blood At 11 p.m. July 5th, while rowdy teenagers shot off their remaining fireworks, Lair Of The Minotaur frontman/guitarist Steve Rathbone sat indoors with family. The violent flashes they sought were to be found in the premiere of his band’s video for “War Metal Battle Master,” the title track […]
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