Columns
The Morning After
For WKQK-FM 101.1 listeners, the morning drive is now an awful lot like the afternoon drive. On August 11th, the former afternoon team of Brian Sherman and Steve Tingle took over the morning slot after Alan Cox and Jim Lynam‘s “The Morning Fix” was given the ax.
Spin Me Round
ION TTUSB Turntable If you plan to purchase a turntable to play records several hours a week, you could find better models in the Technics, Sony, or Stanton lines. But if you’re looking to convert your vinyl to digital, Ion, one of the early pioneers of USB turntables, should be at the top of your […]
Hell Of A Box Set?
Not to say “told you so,” but it’s right there in my July ’07 Black Sabbath The Dio Years CD review: “The Dio Years would make more sense as a box set with remastered versions of each album.” As much as I’d like to think Rhino read my review and realized the error of its […]
Local CD Reviews
“Around Hear” is a monthly feature where a stable of IE writers review albums sent to us by local musicians. If you are interested in having your CD (must have a minimum of three songs) reviewed and are Illinois-based, mail it and any other media materials to 657 A W. Lake St., Chicago IL, 60661. […]
Around Hear Page 2
While there’s no denying the sincerity or songwriting talents of singer Thomas Pace, his fourth self-released album, New American Way, leaves a bit to be desired. Sweet, tuneful tracks such as “60 Seconds Wasted” and “The Damage Is Done” are just a couple of the extremely well-crafted songs here, but overall, the end product is […]
Hello, My Name Is Scott
Hello, My Name Is Scott Q&A with “Rebel Radio”‘s Scott Davidson IE: You’ve done “Rebel Radio” for 14 years, you book shows, you do a TV Show [“Rebel Access”], you play in five bands, how much of your time on any given day is devoted to heavy metal? Scott Davidson: Probably the whole day except […]
File: August 2008
Metal Issue II In November 2006, we dropped our first true metal issue since the days IE used to pump out its CAMM sister publication (Chicago Area Metal Monthly). We aren’t looking to make it an annual date, but sometimes, like Trevor Fisher says on his festival-preview page, the time picks us.
DVD Zone: August 2008
The Bank Job Lionsgate Swinging London of the late ’60s/early ’70s found itself at the center of the cultural universe. Music, fashion, literature . . . it was all happening there. The town also found itself at the center of the crime world in 1971 with the “Baker Street Bank Raid.”
Local CD Reviews
“Around Hear” is a monthly feature where a stable of IE writers review albums sent to us by local musicians. If you are interested in having your CD (must have a minimum of three songs) reviewed and are Illinois-based, mail it and any other media materials to 657 A W. Lake St., Chicago IL, 60661. […]
Around Hear Page 2
Even after listening to all 10 tracks on Kindasorta, it’s hard to figure out just who in the hell Matt Mercado (ex-Mindbomb and Supermercado) is these days. Maybe he has no clue himself. The disc opens with the acoustic pop tune “I Found It,” which sounds like it was pulled right from a recent Bon […]
Mmm . . . Fu Manchu
Metal Haven is undoubtedly the most metal establishment in Chicagoland. They’re just missing one thing: Really fucking good burgers. Burgers like the Black Sabbath (blackening spice, chili, pepper jack, and red onion), the Iron Maiden (smoked gouda, bacon, roasted red peppers, and roasted garlic mayo), the High On Fire (Sriracha hot chili sauce, prosciutto, roasted […]
Despite All His Rage
Fender Guitars Billy Corgan Stratocaster Fender‘s new Billy Corgan Stratocaster was co-designed by the company and Corgan to accommodate the head Pumpkin’s need for a versatile Strat. “My greatest go-to guitar got stolen at a Pumpkins club date in 1991 or something like that [Club Avalon on Belmont?], and I’ve never seen it since,” Corgan […]
College Stations: Terrastrial Radio’s Last Frontier
Down at the left end of the dial, sprinkled among the non-commercial religious and public-radio stations, is where you’ll find the most subversive sounds on the radio. That’s the domain of college radio – where students and community DJs often play (and say) anything, and with its focus on the local and offbeat, college radio […]
Chicagoland Studio Happenings
At BOTA STUDIOS in Lake In The Hills, old-school thrashers Vicious worked on a full-length due out this month. BOTA also recently joined forced with Recording Artists Workshop (RAW) and have a new Web site at www.botastudio.com. At PARAGON RECORDING STUDIO in Chicago, local modern rock act 72 Hours tracked and mixed their next LP […]
A Skin Deep Preview
By the time you read this, Chicago’s premier axe man, Buddy Guy, will have received the first annual Great Performer Of Illinois Award on July 20th at Millennium Park. He will have hosted a record-release party at Legends on the same night, and, two days later, will have officially released his new album, Skin Deep […]










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