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Live Review: Brokeback at Epiphany for the Arts Center • Chicago
Brokeback Epiphany Center for the Arts, Chicago, IL Saturday, July 26, 2025 Review and photos by Jeff Elbel Chicago-based instrumental quartet Brokeback appeared in the upper Sanctuary hall at Epiphany Center on Friday to perform new material, while also celebrating the release of Long Days, Pleasant Nights by their friends in Dark Canyon. When completed, […]
Stage Buzz: Dinosaur Jr., Ghost, TLC, Lollapalooza
Dinosaur Jr. may be one of the most influential alternative bands of the 80s, but don’t call them a legacy act. The band behind alternative mainstays like “Feel the Pain,” “The Wagon,” “Freak Scene,” and “Start Choppin,” keeps on going with their latest album, Sweep it Into Space, released in 2021. Hear their latest and […]
Live Review: Hung Up on a Dream documentary with Colin Blunstone and Robert Schwartzman • Thalia Hall • Chicago
Hung Up on a Dream documentary with Colin Blunstone and Robert Schwartzman Thalia Hall, Chicago, IL Tuesday, July 15, 2025 Review and photos by Jeff Elbel Rooney frontman Robert Schwartzman welcomed a crowd of Zombies fans to Thalia Hall on Tuesday evening, declaring his own enduring passion for the band. The British Invasion quintet is […]
Live Review: Robin Trower at Copernicus Center • Chicago
Robin Trower Copernicus Center Chicago Friday, July 11, 2025 Review by Jeff Elbel. Photo by Stacey Katsis. Rock and roll survivor Robin Trower may look his age, but he certainly doesn’t behave or play like he’s past his prime. Fit and wiry at 80 years, the guitarist appeared on Friday with his trio at the […]
Spins: Robin Trower • For Earth Below 50th Anniversary Edition
Robin Trower For Earth Below 50th Anniversary Edition (Chrysalis) Following the 1974 landmark sophomore effort, Bridge of Sighs, Procol Harum veteran Robin Trower returned in 1975 to prove his staying power as a solo act with For Earth Below. The gold-selling album was the third under Trower’s name. Like its predecessor, For Earth Below is steeped in […]
Stage Buzz: Robin Trower at The Copernicus Center • Chicago
Robin Trower Copernicus Center Chicago, IL Friday, July 11, 2025 By Kelley Simms As a newly minted octogenarian, British blues-rock guitar legend Robin Trower continues to dazzle audiences with his signature Fender Stratocaster. From his musical beginnings in Procol Harum in the late ’60s to a successful solo career in the early ’70s (followed […]
Cover Story: Push Puppets • Risk Takers
Erich Specht is a risk taker. Whether it’s using homemade backstage passes to meet one of his idols or adding a spicy horn section to his song, he believes in taking chances. That’s part of what drives his band, Push Puppets. The project began as a musical outlet for Specht, where he played […]
Media: July 2025 • 40 Years of Steve Bertrand
A few weeks ago, WGN Newsman Steve Bertrand celebrated his 40th anniversary at WGN Radio. He was kind enough to sit down and chat with me about his tremendous career. IE: 40 years. I don’t want to say that’s a long time, but they were filming “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” on your first […]
Stage Buzz: Less Than Jake, Mark Farner, Prairie Fest, Tyler The Creator
Florida’s Less Than Jake proves that ska punk isn’t dead. Though the band has dabbled in other genres, like pop punk and skate punk, they can’t shake their ska roots. This summer, they’ll be celebrating the beloved genre with veteran ska bands Fishbones and The Suicide Machines on their “Summer Circus” tour. The trek pulls […]
Hello My Name Is … Jim Kerr of Simple Minds + Photo Gallery • Friday, June 20: Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island • Chicago
Although Scottish art-rockers Simple Minds enjoyed massive support in Europe and elsewhere, mainstream success in the United States remained elusive through the early ‘80s. The band had gained a modest foothold with college radio airplay for songs like the shimmering “Promised You a Miracle” from 1982’s New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) and the anthemic homage to […]
Stage Buzz: Barenaked Ladies, Bonobo, Taste of Randolph
I’m It’s been more than one week since we’ve seen the Barenaked Ladies, but fear not! The beloved Canadian rock band is returning this year with their Last Summer On Earth Tour. Featuring special guests Guster and Fastball, it’s sure to be a night of groovy tunes, non-stop fun, and lots of dancing. Barenaked Ladies […]
Cover Story: The Feelies • Be Kind, Rewind
The Feelies (photo by Doug Seymour) When most rock bands release a new album, it’s usually the hard-won result of weeks, months, sometimes even years of careful consideration and execution. But New Jersey quintet The Feelies recently stumbled on a new, more reckless method of adding a new volume to its […]
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 “along with three other staffers.” When I read that, I had a bad feeling, so I called my old friend John “Swany” Swanson, my co-author of The Radio Producer’s 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 “I Can’t Feel My Face,” “Starboy,” “The Hills,” and “Save Your Tears,” but over the years, he’s proven himself to be a visual artist as well. With innovative technology, stunning light shows, high concepts, and striking costumes, The Weeknd’s 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 Simon’s appearance in Chicago seven years ago at United Center wasn’t quite the farewell it was purported to be at the time. Those who arrived on Wednesday for the first of Simon’s three-night stand at the comparatively intimate Symphony Center, however, […]
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