Recent Articles
Cover Story – Liam Gallagher
What becomes a legend most? Itâs an old question when it comes to pop stars and celebrities in general. Not rhetorical at all, but a real procedural, albeit aesthetic conundrum whose answer â either flamboyant or conversely simplified â can often have disastrous long-term results on the career of the said performer. You’ll […]
Media – December 2019
The Chicago media community lost several greats this year. Among them, WLS Channel 7âs long-time reporter Russ Ewing, WLS disc jockey Jim Dunbar, and WGN-TVâs Marshall Brodine. All of them were giants in this town that left lasting legacies, but two others passed away in 2019 that were personal friends of mine, and I wanted […]
Recap and Photo Gallery: Slayer, Ministry, Primus and Phillip H. Anselmo at Tax Slayer Center
Slayer/Ministry/Philip H. Anselmo And The Illegals TaxSlayer Center Moline, IL 11/14/2019 Slayer made the last “area” appearance ever (after their Riot Fest appearance in September), and the Quad Cities (Moline, IL) got the honors. They brought a “cast of thousands” with them, including Philip H. Anselmo And The Illegals, who started the evening with a […]
Photo Gallery: Angel Olsen at The Riviera Theatre
Former Chicago native Angel Olsen made the most of her recent homecoming. She’s hit the road in support of her acclaimed album All Mirrors, and her performance was a kaleidoscope of dramatic strings, ethereal synths and Area 51-worthy strobes. But even if you stripped away all the extracurricular aesthetic, you’d still be left with Olsenâs […]
Photo Gallery: FKA Twigs at The Riviera Theatre
Tahliah Debrett Barnett continues to blur the lines of what pop music can mean. Recording and performing under the moniker FKA twigs, Barnett is seamlessly merging performance art, dance and high concept approach with mainstream appeal. Nowhere was this more apparent than during her recent sold-out appearance at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre. She twirled, tap-danced, vogued, […]
Photo Gallery: Caamp at Thalia Hall
Caamp is riding a wave of propulsion that is certainly cresting. The Columbus, Ohio quartet just released their second album, By And By, and it promptly shot to the top of the Billboard Heatseekers albums chart. The record has also birthed the single âPeach Fuzzâ which has quickly become all but ubiquitous on both terrestrial […]
Stage Buzz: Kris Kristofferson at The Chicago Theatre
It’s like seeing Muddy Waters or Merle Haggard on the back forty of their final farewell tours (even Dylan, The Stones, and Paul McCartney are on those âwhat ifâ touring jaunts these days). Kris Kristofferson is a household name, but it may be as much for his film resume as for his music. True music […]
Photo Gallery: Lana Del Rey at Aragon Ballroom
Seduction arrived in Uptown this past weekend in the form of the âNorman Fucking Rockwell!â tour. Sharing a name with the recently released album by Lana Del Rey, the West Coast native cooed and purred her way through 18 career-spanning songs that also included guest appearances from evening openers Lucy Dacus and Best Coastâs Bethany […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery: Tool and Killing Joke at United Center
Tool has always conducted itself as an unconventional anomaly. From their cryptic videos and ambiguous album art, their image has always thrived in the dark spaces that leave almost every aspect of their aesthetic open to interpretation. Who else but this band could wait 13Â years between (arguably non-mainstream) records, knock Taylor Swift of the […]
Photo Gallery: Widespread Panic at Riverside Theatre
Widespread Panic Riverside Theatre Milwaukee, WI October 26, 2019 Widespread Panic returned to the Cream City for three nights at the Riverside Theatre last week. These shows were the band’s 33rd, 34th and 35th performances at Milwaukee’s historic venue. In recent years, the band have held off on big tours but have kept Milwaukee weekend […]
Live Review & Photo Gallery: Swervedriver at Bottom Lounge
Swervedriver Bottom Lounge, Chicago, IL October 28, 2019 Following a ten-year absence, â90s alt-rock groundbreakers Swervedriver unparked in 2008. By the time of 2015âs I Wasnât Born to Lose You – the Oxford quartetâs first album in 17 years – it was clear that frontman Adam Franklin and co-guitarist Jimmy Hartridge werenât dabbling. The […]
Live Review: Bob Dylan at Credit Union 1 Arena
Bob Dylan Credit Union 1 Arena, Chicago, IL October 30, 2019 After several local visits promoting his excursions through standards from the Great American Songbook and Frank Sinatraâs repertoire, Bob Dylan returned to Chicago with a show focused on his own celebrated catalog of original material. Fans entered Credit Union 1 Arena (formerly UIC Pavilion) […]
Media: November 2019
For seven months, Jenniffer Weigel occupied a co-host chair in Mancowâs studio at WLS. She already knew him socially but was impressed by seeing Mancow work firsthand. âHe works very hard on his show,â she says. âHeâs the first one there every morning. Watching him run the board is like watching someone with ADD fly […]
Cover Story: Sam Fender
Ostensibly, this is an article about British rock newcomer Sam Fender and his brilliant, one-in-a-million debut disc, Hypersonic Missiles – easily the best album of the year. Nothing can touch it; itâs so far ahead of the pack. But itâs also a moment where we canât help but break with a few staid journalistic traditions […]
Stage Buzz and Gallery: The Hu at House of Vans
The Hu Vans Chicago October 31, 2019 Nothing says âHappy Halloweenâ like a morin khuur solo, am I right? What the hell is a morin khuur you ask? Exactly! Anyone who attended the 2019 version of Riot Fest may have encountered such an instrument if they caught the much talked about set from The Hu. […]
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