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Media: June 2025 ⢠Swany Leaves 101.9FM The Mix
WTMX (The Mix) recently announced that midday personality Lisa Allen was leaving the station. The announcement added âalong with three other staffers.â When I read that, I had a bad feeling, so I called my old friend John âSwanyâ Swanson, my co-author of The Radio Producerâs Handbook, and asked him if he was one of […]
Stage Buzz: Push Puppets, Do Division Fest, The Weekend
The Weeknd may have built his career off hit songs like âI Canât Feel My Face,â âStarboy,â âThe Hills,â and âSave Your Tears,â but over the years, heâs proven himself to be a visual artist as well. With innovative technology, stunning light shows, high concepts, and striking costumes, The Weekndâs performances are indeed a spectacle […]
Live Review: Paul Simon at Symphony Center ⢠Chicago
Paul Simon Symphony Center Chicago Wednesday, May 22, 2025 Review by Jeff Elbel Paul Simonâs appearance in Chicago seven years ago at United Center wasnât quite the farewell it was purported to be at the time. Those who arrived on Wednesday for the first of Simonâs three-night stand at the comparatively intimate Symphony Center, however, […]
Stage Buzz: AC/DC, Post Malone, Youth Code
Is Post Malone a rapper? Country superstar? A sensitive rocker? Heâs all of the above. From hip hop to hard rock, Post Malone has spanned multiple genres and shows no sign of stopping. Refusing to be pigeonholed, he breaks the rules of genre to create music thatâs soul-bearing, heartfelt, and provocative. Post Malone will perform […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Photo Gallery: The Linda Lindas at Metro ⢠Chicago
The Linda Lindas April 13, 2025 Metro Chicago Recap and photos by Curt Baran The web and social media have become a quasi-American Idol lottery. It has created a portal for musicians to get their music exposed, but the traffic and sheer volume of products make it nearly impossible to break through. In 2021, The Linda Lindas, […]
Live Review: Stereophonics at The Vic Theatre ⢠Chicago
Stereophonics The Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL Sunday, March 30, 2025 Live review and photos by Jeff Elbel Welsh rock heroes, Stereophonics reunited with a sold-out roomful of Chicago-based fans to close the weekend at the Vic Theatre. Sundayâs setlist was loaded with European hit singles and favorites of the bandâs devoted local cult. In addition […]
Cover Story: Peter Murphy ⢠Return of the Lion
As an Artist matures, amasses a tangible catalog of work, and inches â or even hurtles â toward their careerâs coda, many arrive at moments of insightful, illuminating wisdom that effectively encapsulate their achievements for posterity. For example, Picasso noted that âInspiration does exist, but it must find you working,â while Thoreau insisted that âItâs […]
Media: April 2025 ⢠Road to Rock Class of ’24 and ’25
If you were wondering what happened to the 2024 Class of the Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which was supposed to be inducted on March 30th, the answers were revealed last month. The Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 has rescheduled its annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to Sunday, […]
CinemaScopes: April 2025 ⢠20 Years of The Revenge of the Sith
If you somehow lived under a rock or were not old enough (or born enough) to see this in theaters, Disney is re-releasing Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, the final film in the prequel trilogy, in celebration of the 20th Anniversary. Starting April 25th, the film will be shown in select theaters […]
IE 2025 Record Store Day Guide
Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners and employees as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1400 independently owned record stores in the US and thousands of similar stores internationally. The first Record Store Day took place on April […]
Live Review: Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve ⢠Park West ⢠Chicago
Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve Park West, Chicago, IL Saturday, March 15, 2025 Review and live photo by Jeff Elbel, profile photo by Mark Seliger While the streets of Chicago teemed with revelers getting an early start on St. Patrickâs Day, a full house celebrated the holiday with Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve on […]
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