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Cover Story: Summer Festivals
Avicii, Taking Back Sunday, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, The Afghan Whigs, Cloud Nothings, and A Lull give us a peak into Lollapalooza, Warped, Brothers Of The Sun, and Pitchfork.
Interview: Michael Kiwanuka
Michael Kiwanuka‘s heart remains unharmed by some pretty little thing. If the soulful British singer ever experienced the devastating blow of rejection, or worse, indifference at the neatly manicured hands of a foxy coed, his full-length debut,
Interview: Garbage
In retrospect, it was an ideal thing for her to do, chuckles Scottish chanteuse Shirley Manson with obvious delight – “morphing out of a urinal and killing a guy who had underestimated me. It was really subversive and really dangerous, and I loved it!”
Caught In A Mosh: July 2012
Five years ago on the day Nachtmystium signed its original North American publishing deal with Century Media, vocalist/guitarist Blake Judd planned his final escape from black metal. At his then home in suburban St. Charles, the frontman
Mayday! Mayday!
May’s going down! Before it all ends and we head into the unknown — has anyone named the next month yet, for God’s sake???!!! — live every day like your rockin’ last with Big Science, Emeli Sandé, Patrick Watson, and Machine Gun Kelly.
Switchfoot live!
North Central College’s barely-3-year-old venue simply named the Recreation Center/Residence Hall (picture a really big high-school gym) hosted its first concert ever on Sunday night, when San Diego’s Switchfoot came to Naperville.
Connventional war
If Bobby Conn were as big as Oprah, the national association of mac-and-cheese producers would be lining up to fight him. His home release show is Friday, as are the first TopGolf “Let’s Play” party, ALO, and Haley Reinhart’s post-“Idol” blitz.
Post script
That schoolchildren aren’t mandated to learn cursive has the irrational class believing that the art of letter-writing will disappear with it. Keeping faint hopes alive, PS I Love You are in town, as are Shovels & Rope.
The Beach Boys live!
So many incarnations of The Beach Boys have hit the road over the years, that it’s often tricky to keep track of who’s in the band. But considering 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of summer’s supreme act,
Polyphonic Spree live!
Sic The Polyphonic Spree on those rambunctious NATO protestors and the need for a mile-long line of police officers outfitted in riot gear would disappear. One look at Tim DeLaughter and his band of merry pranksters would either send the chanting mass exercising their First Amendment rights running off in fear or persuade them to […]
NATO! Run!
Gridlock downtown! Restrictions on commuter trains! Riot gear! (Thanks to considerate Loop employers, less traffic on Foster this morning.) Only Jennifer Herrema, ex-Royal Trux, would do a show this weekend! Ane Brun waits a day or two.
Down in the country
As with any genre, many aren’t shy about their opinions of what country music should be. Admittedly, we’re glad it’s not all about heartache and crops drying up and tears in beer: Jason Boland & The Stragglers, however, like to keep things serious. Also in town: Rocky Votolato and Here We Go Magic.
Eric Church live!
When Eric Church, sporting his trademark sunglasses finally evolved onto the stage at 9:32 on Friday night, engoulphed in a thick cloud of smoke, there was a feeling of the unknown.
Shure National Open Mic
On any given weeknight, Chicago music venues host dozens of open mic nights, letting novice musicians and open mic “jobbers” hone their chops in front of friends and a few foes. Niles-based Shure, Inc. — best known for word-class microphones and earphones — is ramping up the open-mic night this coming week (the 23rd and […]
Click to win Cassian or Buckwheat Zydeco tix!
Click on to enter and win Cassian (3/15 at Berlin) or Buckwheat Zydeco (3/10 at McAninch) tickets!










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