Features
Siderunners interview
Siderunners Keep Your Motor Running Joseph DeFily (Sappy, as he’s also known), the guitarist/lead vocalist of Siderunners, planned to lie low after returning to Chicago in November. He avoided going much of anywhere except work and Siderunners bassist Zack Schnieder’s house, his current residence. Yet here he is, sitting in a booth in the Double […]
Cover Story: The 25 Greatest Chicago Songs
Illinois Entertainer presents: The 25 Songs That Make Chicago Shake With the album declining due to the Internet, we’re here to help kick it out the door and celebrate the songs that gave them life. But not just any songs: Chicago songs. Good grief, was this difficult. First, don’t ask what the parameters were – […]
Of Course, Chicago Wouldn’t Be Great Without . . .
The 25 Greatest Chicago Songs Drawing the 25 Greatest Chicago Songs took some effort, and don’t think any of the following didn’t factor in. And to think, there’s so much more (metal, industrial, hip-hop, jazz) to be mined.
Shot Baker interview
Shot Baker You Aren’t Here Shot Baker frontman Tony Kovacs finds himself in the unusual position of hoping for continued economic distress. The passing of the presidency from George W. Bush to Barack Obama threatens to take the arts community, including Chicago-based punk bands like his, off its game. Appearing: Friday, March 6th at Reggie’s […]
Radio Hip-Hop
The Hip-Hop Project Connected It’s no secret commercial radio in Chicago has never been best buddies with hip-hop. It almost seems surreal to recall there was once heard an all-hip-hop station in the city – “Rap Radio” on WJPC-AM (950) – even if it didn’t last long. But where mainstream stations have failed to properly […]
Cover Story: Yes
Yes On The Road Again . . . Finally In theory, 2008 was supposed to be a banner year for Yes, with a 40th-anniversary tour (featuring the classic lineup of singer Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Steve Howe, drummer Alan White, and new keyboardist Oliver Wakeman assuming his father Rick’s role) booked. Though buzz […]
Flogging Molly interview
Flogging Molly Alchoholics Unanimous How does a songwriter know when a track he’s tinkering with has grown into a well-oiled, crowd-pleasing hit? If you live in the remote wilds of Ireland, like Flogging Molly frontman Dave King, the answer’s easy — just grab your guitar, saunter down to your local pub, get oiled on a […]
Everest interview
Everest Neil Before Them Neil Young’s seal of approval surely must bring a few perks . . . like a tour bus. Not so much for Everest. The Los Angeles-based band calls Young’s Vapor Records home, but the quartet will squeeze into a white van to criss-cross the country along with Young on his winter […]
Mike Mangione interview
Mike Mangione Simply Put In a time when AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, and Metallica are rearing their salt ‘n’ pepper head, and their progeny fill the airwaves, singer-songwriters like Mike Man-gione, whose music is deep in the roots, are becoming endangered species. Appearing: Wednesday, December 3rd at Double Door in Chicago.
Gift madness!
The 2008 Holiday Gift Guide Helping You Navigate An Avalanche Of Releases Don’t just give it to ’em hard this holiday season; give it to ’em hard and heavy! We all know those terrible (great) Time Life infomercials where they hawk ’80s hard-rockin’ collections or “monster” power ballads, right? Well now you can get the […]
Cover story: Mudvayne
Mudvayne Two Is Better Than One Though Mudvayne’s new album, The New Game, comes out November 18th, it actually could have been in fans’ hands last November 18th. See, a funny thing happened when vocalist Chad Gray, guitarist Greg Tribbett, bassist Ryan Martinie, and drummer Matt McDonough finished recording the album (with producer Dave Fortman) […]
Blitzen Trapper interview
Blitzen Trapper Werewolves Of Portland The Internet has cost musicians the ability to surprise. As soon as they record and upload anything worth hearing, their work goes viral. So by the time there’s an album’s worth of songs, the public has nothing but backlash. Not only have we stripped them of the power to change […]
The Chicago Promoter’s Ordinance
Pay To Play? The Chicago Promoter’s Ordinance In Progress No matter what side of the music industry one comes from (promoter, artist, record label, press, or fan), chances are rumblings of the “Event Promoter’s Ordinance” have trickled into conversation. Ever since pyrotechnics started by hair metal mavens Great White killed 100 at a Rhode Island […]
Tom Lanham’s Panic Attack
Tom Lanham’s Panic Attack By Tom Lanham It was one of those rare, what-the-fuck moments where you stumble upon something so incredibly odd, so completely unexpected and incongruous, that it simply stops you dead in your dumfounded tracks. And it’s a story that simply gets stranger with each retelling.
Cover Story: My Morning Jacket
My Morning Jacket: Urge Overkill? When My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James spoke to Illinois Entertainer in 2002, his point was drowned out by an enigmatic admission. Expressing the relationship between his band – having just released the wide-eyed, country psychedelia of At Dawn (Darla) – and their native Louisville, he casually offered “I think […]
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