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CinemaScopes: September 2020
We’ve waited so long to see a movie on the big screen, and with about 65% of U.S. theaters now open, we finally get the chance – albeit with limited seating capacities, mandatory masks, and strict social distancing guidelines required. And as promised, Christopher Nolan’s long-awaited Tenet will be leading the way as the first […]
Cover Story: The Bobby Lees
Oddsmakers could never correctly assess it. Fortune tellers could never predict it. And even the shrewdest talent scout this side of Col. Tom Parker could never pinpoint with any historical accuracy exactly where, when, or how tomorrow’s Next Big Thing would be arriving in the music world. Rock stars — however carefully cultivated they might […]
Hello, My Name Is: Ian Gillan of Deep Purple
Ian Gillan admits that it’s a strange, surreal time to be releasing a new album. But the Deep Purple vocalist was justifiably proud of his band’s latest Whoosh! comeback, overseen by legendary, sound-effects-favoring producer Bob Ezrin, of Alice Cooper and Kiss Destroyer renown. “And Bob is the same age as us,” notes Gillan, who will […]
Media: September 2020
Fred Weintraub, co-host of The Hannah & Fred show on WCGO-AM 1590 and executive producer of sports at Weigel Broadcasting (WCIU-TV), lives a life that is very different from your average broadcaster. “I’m a Chicago-born and bred kid,” Fred says, “But for the last 13 years I’ve been living between London and Singapore and Chicago. […]
Stage Buzz: Livestream Buzz August 5th – 9th
REM will stream its 1999 Glastonbury headline set for the first time on August 6th. The show will be available to watch for 72 hours on the band’s YouTube page following its premiere at 2 PM. Godsmack’s charity livestream, “Life from the Living Room,” premieres Thursday, August 6th at 7 PM via Sully Erna’s YouTube Page. The event will feature performances by Godsmack, along […]
Q&A: Gin Whigmore – Glass Half Full
If there’s anything that our current claustrophobic coronavirus crisis has made clear, it’s this: One person’s shuttered, brain-clouding lockdown is another’s key to swinging the door open wide on an unexpected new creativity. Take New Zealand-bred R&B-rock chanteuse Gin Wigmore, for example. A few months ago, she had just given birth to her second son […]
Feature: Enuff Z’Nuff – Still Flyin’ High
Chicago power-pop rockers Enuff Z’Nuff’s fan base has always been incredibly loyal since its 1984 formation. Fast forward to 2020, and the band’s legacy is well intact on its new studio album Brainwashed Generation (released July 10 via Frontiers Music s.r.l.). However, while half of Enuff Z’Nuff’s fan base has gleefully accepted the current Chip […]
Media: August 2020
Andy Masur knows his new gig as radio play-by-play man (WGN Radio) for the White Sox is a great opportunity, but he also realizes who he is following. “There’s a little pressure because it’s not so easy to replace someone like Ed Farmer (who passed away a few months ago). I don’t ever feel you […]
Cover Story: The Go-Go’s – Document This!
Not that anyone should sink so deep into navel-gazing that they find fuzzy lint in these reflective post-pandemic times, but — as many folks are discovering — all this imposed downtime can lead to some eye-opening, perhaps life-changing introspection. The kind that might otherwise go unobserved back when we were all rushing through our hectic, […]
Spins: Taylor Swift – Folklore
Taylor SwiftFolklore(Taylor Swift) Taylor Swift surprised fans with her eighth studio album in late July, and as expected – many fans and this writer think it’s her best. Swift heavily strays away from her history of pop radio hits with her first alternative album, collaborating with Jack Antonoff, who has worked closely with the singer […]
Q&A: CeeLo Green
It’s not an idyllic color-blind utopia, by any means. But the modern music world has certainly become a comfortable place of artistic collaboration where just about anything goes — Ariana Grande could record a squawky duet with a great blue heron, theoretically, and a waiting audience would snap up every last 12” remix. And chances […]
Hello My Name is…Mike Peters of The Alarm
by Tom Lanham You can hand Mike Peters the sourest, acrid batch of lemons ever harvested and the scrappy Alarm bandleader will make a refreshing, ice-cold pitcher of tasty lemonade with it every single time. This Welshman has often endured more hardships in a single month than most so-called rock survivors endure in a lifetime, […]
Cover Story: Jehnny Beth
There are Renaissance women, dream-driven ladies who tirelessly toil their way to coveted career kudos like gaining elite EGOT status by winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards. There is even a further achievement to shoot for once that title is secured — the PEGOT, via the added plaudit of a Peabody Award, a category […]
Media: July 2020
When John Williams arrived at WGN in 1997, he was thrilled because he grew up listening to the station. “I grew up listening to Wally (Phillips) and Roy (Leonard) and Kathy (O’Malley) and Judy (Markey) and Bob (Collins). I thought Roy was one of the most capable interviewers I ever heard. Wally was one of the most seamless broadcasters I ever heard. Bob Collins had the most […]
Recap and Gallery: Local H Live at Harvest Moon Drive-In
“Is this weird for you guys? It’s weird for us, too.” This was Scott Lucas of Local H at the Harvest Moon Drive-In in Gibson City, Illinois, just a few songs into an epic 30-song set Thursday in east central Illinois. IE attended the first of two sold out shows that Local H played on […]
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