Columns
Sweet Home: February 2010
At The Threshold There was a time when Grammy-winning, blues harp master Sugar Blue believed there were only certain types of music appropriate for a blues musician to play. He came up listening to and being molded by icons like Memphis Slim, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, and Junior Wells. By the time he was in […]
Media: February 2010
Satellite Of Love Late last year I got fed up with mechanics and bought my first-ever new car. It came with satellite radio, and in no time I was hooked — even though it didn’t get Howard Stern.
Digital Divide: February 2010
Hey, look! The column’s called something different now. Why? Well, we decided it was time to begin a serious relationship with the 21st century, thanks for asking.
Gear: February 2010
Gibson Keb’ Mo’ Blues Master Guitar It’s really profitable, so Gibson continues to add to its limited-edition guitar roster with the acoustic Keb’ Mo’ Blues Master model, honoring the multiple Grammy winner. Taking its cues from vintage Gibsons from the 1920s and ’30s, the guitar is a flat-top acoustic made in the tradition of the […]
Andy Argyrakis’ Top Albums Of ’09
1) Yeah Yeah Yeahs It’s Blitz! (Interscope) Karen O and company deliver their most accessible punk-tipped offering to date, complete with a new found dance-floor sensibility. But even with the widening of their sonic palette, the group retain their gustsy charisma and raucous overtones.
2009 Top 10 “Forstnegers”
Late in the year, I asked our contributors for year-end Top 10 lists on anything they chose. Patrick Conlan, sick bastard he is, spent the year compiling his favorite “Forstnegers.” Each month, I, Editor Steve Forstneger, compile a list of the albums received at the office, attaching brief descriptions to help the writers pick what […]
Media: January 2010
Three Years Of ‘Outside The Loop’ Mike Stephen and Andy Hermann launched “Outside The Loop” radio on September 28th, 2006 as a way to “create an independent program that featured stories and discussions about local issues that weren’t always getting media attention,” says Stephen. At the time, they were producers at WGN, and launched the […]
Caught In A Mosh: January 2010
On To 2010 Below are Top Five Heavy Albums Of ’09 lists compiled from all walks of the Chicago heavy-music scene. It’s self-explanatory, so why waste intro space?
Sweet Home: January 2010
Flaunting The Blues The blues flows through Fernando Jones‘ veins just as thickly as blood and, given the innate rhythms that stream from his Telecaster, perhaps more smoothly. Growing up on the South Side with Mississippi-born parents and a blues-playing brother, he was driven to pick up his sibling’s guitar and pluck a few blues […]
DVD Zone: January 2010
Public Enemies Universal We Chicagoans always get so stoked whenever Hollywood comes a-callin’ to shoot one of those fancy moving pictures in our hoods. Forget for a moment that in the early days Chicago was the center of the film-production universe before the industry packed up their toys and moved out west. We still harbor […]
The Best Of 2009
Last year was technically the end of a decade, the one beginning 2000. But the decades began with the year 1, so we won’t indulge our 10-year wrapups until January 2011. It gives us time to fully exploit our favorites from 2009, meaning albums, songs, concerts, reissues, and local bands. Stay tuned for more updates […]
Around Hear: January 2010
Local Band Reviews January 2010 There’s a lot to like in the mostly straightforward, rockin’ R&B-esque boogie a la Aerosmith/Bad Company on Blue Moon Revue‘s self-titled, eight-song CD. But when opener “Hot Flavor” launches into a totally unexpected banjo solo you really take notice and understand why BMR has become the local, opening-band-of-choice for much […]
Hello, My Name Is Oderus
Q&A with Oderus Urungus of Gwar IE: Hello? Oderus Urungus: Hi. Sorry for being late. I’m just offering pleasantries. You humans are all about appearances. I don’t know much about you — I’m assuming you’re like all the others and giving you the benefit of the doubt. I’m keeping this nice and civil. I’ve been […]
File: December 2009
A Nation In Crisis This is a tough position in which to be. It’s natural for any Northerner to sit back and laugh at Southerners as they grapple with the definition of what is country music and what isn’t.
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