Recent Articles
Photo Gallery: Larkin Poe at The Vic Theatre ⢠Chicago
Larkin Poe The Vic Theatre May 17th, 2025 Chicago, IL Recap and photos by Curt Baran If youâre a musician with hereditary links to the dark poet Edgar Allen Poe, it would be safe to assume your music would have gothic leanings. Well, the music the Lovell sisters create certainly has DNA lineage, but itâs […]
Live Review: Benmont Tench at Garciaâs ⢠Chicago
Benmont Tench Garciaâs Chicago Thursday, May 15, 2025 Review by Jeff Elbel. Photos by Jim Snyder. To say Benmont Tench made a rare visit to Chicago on Thursday would be inaccurate. The keyboardist and songwriter has been here practically countless times in his pivotal role with American rock and roll band Tom Petty and […]
Live Review: Ministry at the Riviera Theatre ⢠Chicago
Ministry Riviera Theatre Chicago, IL May 9, 2025 Live Review by Ashley Perez Hollingsworth âAre you guys ready to take a trip down memory lane? Get in a hot tub time machine and forget thereâs all this turmoil?â asked Ministryâs Al Jourgensen decked out in an oversized fuzzy hat, heart-shaped glasses, and glittery blazer. […]
Stage Buzz: Mayday Parade, Ice Nine Kills, BeyoncĂŠ,
BeyoncĂŠ has dominated pop, soul, and R&B. Now, sheâs taking over country music. Showing that she canât be boxed in, BeyoncĂŠ is charting new territory with her latest album COWBOY CARTER. Now, the singer is bringing the chart topping record to Chicago for a three-night stint at Soldier Field. Catch the âTexas Hold âEmâ singer […]
Photo Gallery: Amyl and the Sniffers in Chicago
Amyl and the Sniffers The Salt Shed Chicago, IL May 8, 2025 Recap and photos by Curt Baran âIf someone gets knocked down, you pick them back up! We look out for each other!â Amy Taylor usually exclaims these words before every Amyl & The Sniffers show. It has come to represent a sort of […]
Stage Buzz: Ministry, Cradle of Filth, Brigette Calls Me Baby,
Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen has spent the past three decades rallying against the bandâs debut album, With Sympathy. He hated it so much that he even refused to sign copies of it unless someone coughed up $1000. Now, the unthinkable has happened. Jourgensen and crew are celebrating the album and Ministryâs early works on […]
CinemaScopes: UHF 35th Anniversary Edition
UHF 35th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory) Review by Jeff Elbel Itâs been 35 years since we were introduced to the Twinkie-wiener sandwich, and fans everywhere were encouraged to grab life by the lips and yank. Shout! Factory invites us once again to âturn up the volume, and yank of the knob.â All of that yanking […]
Photo Gallery: Japanese Breakfast
Japanese Breakfast The Salt Shed Chicago, IL April 30, 2025 Recap and photos by Curt Baran While not exactly the equivalent of securing an EGOT, at the very least, Michelle Zauner has established herself as a multi-hyphenate. Singer-songwriter-best-selling author is now her title to claim. Her book Crying In H Mart, a devastatingly emotional account […]
Live Review: Trivium with Bullet For My Valentine ⢠Aragon Ballroom ⢠Chicago
Trivium/Bullet For My Valentine Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL April 26, 2025 Live Review by Ashley Perez Hollingsworth Metal titans Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine delivered a night of chaos, nostalgia, and good fucking music to a sold-out Aragon Ballroom on Saturday night (April 26). Their co-headlining âThe Poisoned Ascendancy Tourâ celebrates two landmark albums, […]
Rock of Pages: The Ballad of the Lost Dogs of East Nashville ⢠by John J. Thompson
The Ballad of the Lost Dogs of East Nashville By John J. Thompson (Gyroscope) Review by Jeff Elbel Like a few of the central characters in this book, singer-songwriter John J. Thompson of alt-country/gospel band the Wayside may seem a bit tardy in offering his best gifts to the world. Heâs an experienced storyteller and […]
Media: May 2025 ⢠Triton College Radio Celebrates 50 Years
50 years ago, college radio was thriving. Every major college or university had a college radio station, and most universities had a radio/TV department. Those college radio stations were the breeding ground for the hugely popular radio industry, spawning radio stars, up-and-coming musical artists, and a whole generation of hitmakers. Sadly, across the country, college […]
Cover Story: May 2025 ⢠Crimson Glory Co-Headlines Reggiesâ Storied Legions of Metal Festival 2025
The Chicago metal festival tradition continues with the seventh annual Legions of Metal Festival triumphantly returning to hallowed ground at Reggies on Friday, May 2nd, and Saturday, May 3rd. Friday nightâs headliners are Portland, Oregonâs speed/thrash wrecking machine, Toxic Holocaust, preceded by Bostonâs symphonic power metal darlings, Seven Spires, as the co-headliners. Saturday nightâs lineup […]
Photo Gallery: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at The Salt Shed ⢠Chicago
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds The Salt Shed Chicago, IL April 28, 2025 Recap and Photos by Curt Baran Seeing Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds always feels ritualistic. Not unlike attending a church service albeit a baptism with music instead of holy water. But Cave has no script, no good book to follow […]
Stage Buzz: Wednesday 13, Machine Head, Unto Others, Vintage Blonde
For the past two decades, Wednesday 13 aka The Duke of Spook has been serving up spooky tricks and ghostly gags with his brand of horrorpunk. Now, the rocker is looking back on his horrific career on the âThereâs No Such Things as Monstersâ tour, which celebrates 20 years of his debut album, Transylvania 90210, […]
Stage Buzz: Jon Anderson, Bullet For My Valentine, Spiritbox, L.S. Dunes
In only a few short years Spiritbox became one of the most notable bands in metal. They breathe new life into the genre with their blend of metalcore, shoe-gaze, hard rock, and nu metal. Theyâve even dipped their toes into hip hop with unexpected collabs with Megan The Stallion. Their second album, Tsunami Sea, cements […]
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