Recent Articles
Rhymefest reviewed
Rhymefest Man In The Mirror mixtape (self-released free download) Who knows what kind of megalomaniacal festivities we’re in for with the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s Thriller this year (there’s already a masturbatorial video tribute on his homepage) — maybe Neverland Ranch will transform into a spaceship and finally take Jacko home. Chicago rapper Rhymefest, […]
T. Duggins preview
T. Duggins, Nate Van Allen Beat Kitchen, Chicago Friday, January 18, 2008 The Tossers will officially celebrate St. Patty’s Day with a hometown blowout at Metro on March 14th, but fans should consider frontman Tony Duggins’ solo gig Friday night for a sampling of the band’s past and present.
A Verse Unsung preview
A Verse Unsung DePaul University, Chicago Sunday, January 20, 2008 Some kids spend their senior year of high school applying to colleges and the following summer gearing up for the big move/life change that inevitably comes with heading off to a university setting. The fellas in A Verse Unsung did, in fact, experience some life-changing […]
Wu-Tang reviewed
Wu-Tang Clan 8 Diagrams (Wu Music/Universal Motown) Fourteen years removed from their debut, Wu-Tang Clan’s fifth album was undercut upon release by protestations within the band about 8 Diagrams‘ direction and the false-alarm announcement it contained a cleared sample of The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Thomas Ian Nicholas reviewed
Thomas Ian Nicholas Without Warning (self-released) The fact Thomas Ian Nicholas played “Kevin Myers” in the American Pie movies shouldn’t lead you to disparage his music. (He was also in Radio Flyer, Halloween: Resurrection, and some “Party Of Five” episodes if you think you need extra help forming your opinion.) The songs themselves are ammo […]
The Dresden Dolls live!
The Dresden Dolls Vic Theatre, Chicago Saturday, January 5, 2008 When you describe your music as “Brechtian punk cabaret,” like The Dresden Dolls do, you very well might be relegating yourself to underground, or cult status, for the length of your career. But something weird is happening with The Dolls: More and more people are […]
Lacona preview
Lacona Empty Bottle, Chicago Thursday, January 10, 2008 Since releasing two not-so-telling singles back in May, local outfit Lacona finally have a full-length release in hand. And the results curiously span a spectrum from glossy numbers akin to fellow area Ashlee Simpson-courting groups (minus the bombast, of course) to D.I.Y.-ethos barn burners.
Tomorrow Never Knows preview
Tomorrow Never Knows Festival Schubas, Chicago January 16 – 20, 2008 Schubas’ annual “January sucks” festival might be its deepest yet, featuring headliners John Vanderslice, Bobby Conn, The Redwalls, White Williams, and The Walkmen.
Lupe Fiasco reviewed
Lupe Fiasco Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool (Atlantic) It would be hasty to call Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool a sophomore slump, yet the second album from the righteous hometown rhymer isn’t as sonically satisfying as his 2006 debut.
Leigh Marble reviewed
Leigh Marble Red Tornado (Laughing Stock) Rootsy Portland singer-songwriter Leigh Marble has a crossbow full of rusty arrows ready for his second album, though its bookends have to duke it out with a soggy middle.
Cover Story: Lurrie Bell
Lurrie Bell The Power Of Love Chicago bluesman Lurrie Bell, 50, is currently riding the crest of a transglobal wave to promote his critically acclaimed new CD, Let’s Talk About Love (Aria BG). Love is Bell’s musical tribute to his guiding lights: Susan Greenberg, his life partner and the mother of their daughter Aria, and […]
Best Of Around Hear – 2007
Each January, we dedicate part of “Around Hear” to those low-profile local artists who are our favorites from the passing year – the results of our staff and freelancers combing clubs and stacks of CDs for more than the booze and adulation we normally receive. This is by no means an attempt to make a […]
Madina Lake interview
Madina Lake Through And Through Alternative rockers Madina Lake were on the road nearly all of 2007. The Roadrunner Records band began with a headlining tour plugging the spring street date behind From Them, Through Us, To You, followed by a full summer run on Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution Tour, then a whirlwind trek to […]
The Academy Is interview
The Academy Is Practicing Santi-Ria When The Academy Is started cranking out its sugary sweet pop punk recipe during the early 2000s, its goals didn’t include the grandeur of a record deal, touring world arenas, or collaborations with musical heroes. Though each scenario would eventually come to pass anyway, the suburbanites’ humble dream was simply […]
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