Recent Articles
Photo Gallery: Alkaline Trio at Metro
With Matt Skiba moonlighting as an official member of Blink-182, for a minute there Chicago thought we had almost lost Alkaline Trio. With 3 sold-out shows at Metro, Skiba and crew proved that there’s still no place like home. Katie Hovland captured them live for IE on night 3.
Q&A and Gallery: Tedeschi Trucks Band
Florida’s legendary Tedeschi Trucks Band, led by married blues guitar greats Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, are in the midst of a 3-night run at the Chicago Theater. IE’s Ed Spinelli talked to Derek as he readied his all-star band for their stay on State Street. IE: How was your approach on (the new album) […]
Photo Gallery: The Tubes at Tailgaters
Like many IE readers the first time I ever saw Fee Waybill, he was dressed as a carnival barker in an early MTV video. The Tubes took the stage at Tailgaters with Waybill dressed in a black Zoot Suit, black hat, and white tie belting out the words to Chuck Berryâs âNever Can Tell.” Through […]
Stage Buzz: Tribute Weekend!
January usually means snow and cold in Chicago and reduced touring schedules for a lot of bigger bands. It also opens up tour dates, which means national tribute bands get to showcase their wares to fans. This weekend a couple of acclaimed tribute acts from opposite ends of the musical spectrum will hit the stage […]
Sweet Home: Ronnie Baker Brooks
Donât call it a comeback. Although itâs been an entire decade since Ronnie Baker Brooks has released an album, his presence in the blues industry during that time has been ubiquitous. âI produced Eddy Clearwaterâs album, West Side Strut, I did a compilation with Johnny Castro, I co-produced my dadâs last album and Iâve been […]
Spins: Rush, Frank Zappa Reissues
Rush 2112 â 40th Anniversary Edition (Universal Music Enterprises) Bassist Geddy Lee has described Rush as âthe worldâs biggest cult band.â Among the trioâs most devoted followers, youâll find fans claiming any one of the Canadian prog-rock powerhouseâs twenty albums as their favorite. To the world at large, however, it all comes down to 1976âs […]
Stage Buzz: U.D.O. at Concord Hall
Former Accept and current U.D.O. vocalist Udo Dirkschneider is saying farewell to his former bandâs material with his Dirkschneider bandâs live album, LIVE â Back To The Roots Tour. The album features 25 classic Accept tracks performed by his U.D.O. band in their native Deutschland on April 2nd, 2016. The live album and current Farewell […]
Feature: Bash & Pop
Say what you will about the record industry death harbinger known as Chinese Democracy — The New York Times once called it “the most expensive album never made” — the 2008 GN’R album without Slash and Duff that has somehow maintained its footing in the fickle populist rock vocabulary. Who would have guessed that Slash […]
Photo Gallery: Patti Smith at the Riviera Theatre
Photographing one of his most anticipated shows to close 2016, IE’s Ed Spinelli captured the poet of punk, Patti Smith Friday at the Riviera. On her birthday, performing her groundbreaking debut album Horses. Whoa. We’re going to need her wisdom more than ever in 2017. Here’s what he captured on night one of her two-night […]
Cover Story: AFI
Davey Havok would like to take a vacation. He really would. But at this point â as the AFI bandleader and latter-day Renaissance man grapples with one of the busiest schedules in show business â he very well might have forgotten how. Rest and recreation are for other rockers â not him. âTwo months off […]
Media: January 2017
2016 was a rough year. We lost some of our favorite musical and pop culture icons. But we also lost some beloved members and former members of Chicagoâs media community. I had the opportunity to interview a few of them, and for those I never met, I reached out to some of their former […]
Photo Gallery: Metallica at the Fox Theater
IE’s Gene Ambo couldn’t wait for Metallica to announce their anticipated Chicago 2017 tour date(s), so he went to them – capturing James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujilio at the legendary Fox Theatre in Oakland, California. On the heels of 2016’s biggest rock record â Hardwired…To Self Destruct, the boys from the […]
Photo Gallery – 5 Nights with Los Lobos
L.A.’s legendary Los Lobos has been an IE favorite since their days on Slash Records. Our SoCal soaked Tex Mex heroes spent 5 nights in Chicago commencing with City Winery and finishing up at SPACE in Evanston. Ed Spinelli captured the future HOF’ers.
Photo Gallery – Roger Hodgson at Arcada Theatre
IE’s Ed Spinelli captured Supertramp co-founder and classic rock radio staple, Hogdson at the historic Arcada Theater.
Spins: Reviewed – The Rolling Stones – “Blue and Lonesome”
“Britain’s oldest hitmakers” return to their blues roots. Instead of revisiting tired cliches, Jeff Elbel says they sound inspired and re-energized, in Spins.
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