Recent Articles
Cover Story: Green Day
On the most instinctual gut level, Billie Joe Armstrong gets it. No question. A la cinematic director Godfrey Reggioās 1983 visual masterpiece Koyaanisqatsi, life ā nationally and around the world ā has tipped completely, horribly, maybe irrevocably out of balance. On one recent day alone, the headlines said it all: Freakish, climate-change-spurred floods are swamping […]
Media – March 2020
How long has Pat Cassidy been delivering us the news on the radio by āthe dawnās early light?ā āThe alarm clock has gone off at 2:30 am for over 40 years,ā he says with a laugh. āI go to bed early. The bottom line is that I start going to bed around 6:30 or seven […]
Photo Gallery: Lamb of God at House of Vans
Acclaimed metal stalwarts Lamb of God performed a rare intimate show at House of Vans Friday night, commencing a promotional campaign for a new self-titled album and the single “Checkmate,” plus the band’s mega-tour that comes to Tinley Park later this summer. Lead vocalist Randy Blythe also treated fans to his personal photo and artwork […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery – Dirty Honey at Bottom Lounge
Dirty Honey Tuesday, February 11 Bottom Lounge, Chicago For the past year, some music industry folks have been working themselves into a piranha-like frenzy over L.A. blues-rock quartetĀ Dirty Honey. Formed in 2017, the band features singer Marc Labelle, guitarist John Notto, bassist Justin Smolian, and drummer Corey Coverstone. The buzz surrounding theĀ band is heightened in […]
Live Review: DeadMau5 at Navy Pier
Deadmau5 āCube V3ā Saturday, February 1 Navy Pier, Chicago From 2008 to 2015, Joel Zimmerman, aka Deadmau5, was the inescapable force in the world of electronic dance music, one of the most prominent and most easily recognizable names in the genre, putting out albums like Album Title Goes Here and While(1<2).Ā To many people, he […]
Live Review: Squirrel Nut Zippers at Arcada Theatre
Squirrel Nut Zippers Arcada Theatre January 26, 2020 Review by Jeff Elbel Photos by Luciano J. Bilotti In the Squirrel Nut Zippersā heyday, the bandās music offered a singular throwback to the freewheeling fun of gypsy swing and pre-war hot jazz. In 2020, the retooled and rejuvenated band does the same […]
Photo Gallery: Sons of The Apollo with Tony McAlpine at The Arcada Theatre
Ed Spinelli captured pro-metal supergroup Sons of The Apollo at The Arcada Theatre with guitar pioneer Tony McAlpine opening the show.
![Hello My Name Is…Steve Harris from Iron Maiden and British Lion [with Photo Gallery from The Forge of Joliet]](http://illinoisentertainer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/BL11-e1581299331927-150x150.jpg "Hello My Name Is…Steve Harris from Iron Maiden and British Lion [with Photo Gallery from The Forge of Joliet]")
Hello My Name Is…Steve Harris from Iron Maiden and British Lion [with Photo Gallery from The Forge of Joliet]
Liam Gallagher always said that there are only two ways for an English lad to break free from his grey, oppressive, working-class environment ā become a professional footballer or start a rock and roll band. Growing up in the London suburb of Leytonstone, Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris clearly remembers doing both. Quite well, […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery: EOB at Lincoln Center
Ed OāBrien (EOB) Lincoln Hall Saturday, February 8, 2020 Following in the footsteps of bandmates Thom Yorke, Colin Greenwood, and Phil Selway, guitarist and vocalist Ed OāBrien is stepping outside his role as a founding member of Radiohead and occasional high-profile sideman for other artists including Neil Finn. Performing under the name EOB, OāBrien […]
![Stage Buzz: Hey Nonny’s Winter Blues Summit [with added Photo Gallery]](http://illinoisentertainer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/13JimmyJohnson1-150x150.jpg "Stage Buzz: Hey Nonny’s Winter Blues Summit [with added Photo Gallery]")
Stage Buzz: Hey Nonny’s Winter Blues Summit [with added Photo Gallery]
Winter has traditionally been a slow season for music festivals in Chicagoland while folks recover from their holiday hangovers. Other than the TNK Festival in Chicago, a sturdy and dependable showcase of emerging talent, thereās not been the equivalent in the suburbs. The folks at Hey Nonny and Straight Arrow Productions are changing the […]
![Cover Story: Grace Potter [with added Photo Gallery from Riviera Theatre]](http://illinoisentertainer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/gp9-e1581298059207-150x150.jpeg "Cover Story: Grace Potter [with added Photo Gallery from Riviera Theatre]")
Cover Story: Grace Potter [with added Photo Gallery from Riviera Theatre]
In the DC Comics universe, Superman always had his Fortress of Solitude, a secluded palace on the frozen Arctic tundra where he could go to muse on his complex relationships with villains, the Justice League, and indeed his planetary protectorate, humankind itself. Not bad, as exotic getaways go. Vermont-bred folk-rocker Grace Potter, on the other […]
Media: February 2020
Scott Miller was a regular on the radio in Chicago for several decades (WJMK, WCKG, WGN, WDRV, News 101.1 FM, Oprah Radio). Still, a few years ago, after his stint at the Drive (97.1 FM) with Pete McMurray and Dan McNeil, Miller found himself out of work. Despite knowing just about everyone in town, he […]
Cover Story – Caroline Polachek
The relationship between art and its attendant inspiration has been analyzed countless times over the years. The French painter Henri Matisse, for instance, said that the main impetus for creativity was simply courage, while author Jack London believed that you had to hunt it down with a club. Renowned acting coach Stella Adler posited that […]
Photo Gallery: Heilung at The Riviera Theatre
Heilung Riviera Theatre 01/20/2020 Heilung (āhealingā in German), the Nordic folk mood makers arrived in North America for the first time and easily sold out the Riv on their short tour. Originally booked at the Vic Theatre, the show was to moved to the Riviera to meet ticket demand. Ed Spinelli captured their Nordic spectacle. […]
Photo Gallery: The Black Keys at Aragon Ballroom
Q101 WKQX, Chicagoās flagship and only Alt-Rock station, threw itself a birthday party, Thursday. More specifically, hosted one to celebrate the one year anniversary of the morning drive time trio known as Brian, Ali and Justin. And they did so in glorious style by inviting a sold out Aragon Ballroom audience to enjoy a live […]
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