Monthly
Scandinavian Sleaze
This month I’ll give you a rundown on some new records and try to whittle down the ever-increasing stack on my desk. But first, the debut of the new “Caught In A Mosh” feature, My F’n Playlist. It’s pretty simple. A person of my choosing is given the hypothetical scenario one of his favorite band’s […]
Alive & Amplified
Crate V-Series Tube Amplifiers Crate have come a long way from their humble beginnings in the late ’70s, and their acclaimed and newly freshened V-Series tube amplifier series is a prime example of their progress.
Bong Hits 4 Freedom
At first glance it’s a story of a high-school kid versus his principal in a quirky schoolyard First Amendment stand. A student fought for his right to hold up a sign that read “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” during what may or may not have been a school fieldtrip.
Studio Happenings
At BLUE ROOM STUDIO in Chicago, producer/engineer Edgars Legzdins finished his band Plane‘s new record, I See Love In The Future; the release date is set for October 9th . . . Legzdins also recorded a song with the Musical Outfits for their new album and worked with Pretty Good Dance Moves, techno/experimental/pop tunes that […]
Day In The Life Of Chicago Blues
In July, while Eric Clapton’s Crossroads guitar extravaganza kicked off at Toyota Park, the annual Taste Of Lincoln Avenue was revving up its 24th year with performances by a wide-ranging group of artists. Of particular interest to “Sweet Home” was the stage at Lincoln and Altgeld sponsored by the club B.L.U.E.S.
Cover Story: The Shins
The Shins When You Wince Upon A Star When Shins frontman James Mercer tells you he has taken up gardening, you wait for a chuckle that never comes while repressing a laugh of your own. It’s not that Mercer doesn’t have the right to garden, could be poorly equipped, or might be making a euphemism […]
Beatallica (They’re So Heavy)
Not many people have realized the headbanging possibilities in The Beatles catalog, but a few clever fellas from Milwaukee did.
Against Me! interview
Against Me! The Thankless Existence Every time Against Me! frontman Tom Gabel releases an album, he’s in the unique position of having to rebuild his fanbase. Every time. Appearing: August 3rd at Lollapalooza in Chicago.
The Polyphonic Spree interview
The Polyphonic Spree Trouble In Paradise Darting out of a youth orchestra performance at the Louisiana Children’s Museum on a Tuesday afternoon to speak with IE, Julie Doyle gives off the air of any other mom taking her kids (four to be exact, ranging from 6-months to 8-years-old) on a summer vacation outing. Except, of […]
Rufus Wainwright interview
Rufus Wainwright Out And Kraut The sleeve photographs certainly tell the Teutonic tale. The kitschy gnome-peopled toy Futterhaus that beckons “Willkomen.” The closeup details of the Pergamon Altar from the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. And lastly, candid snapshots of the artist himself — cabaret-cool crooner Rufus Wainwright — decked out in traditional “RW”-embroidered lederhosen and […]
Airiel interview
Airiel The 10-Year Itch “I think it’s a great home for bands, because, it’s a very livable city, like you can actually work a job and be in a band and not go broke, y’know? You’re not paying a million dollars a month for rent like you would in New York; we don’t have to […]
Tomahawk interview
Tomahawk The Living Past Rock ‘n’ roll has never treated the past very kindly. In 1965 The Who looked at their elders and snarked, “I hope I die before I get old.” Sex Pistols took the sentiment one step further. In 1977 they cried, “No future for me,” and quickly got what they wanted. By […]
Hello, My Name Is Bob
Hello, My Name Is Bob Q&A with the Old Town School Of Folk Music’s Bob Medich. IE: Old Town School Of Folk Music Songbook Volume Two & Three’s liner notes credit you as the executive producer — so what does that mean? Bob Medich: I’m not the . . . I’m definitely not the producer. […]
File: August 2007
Can We Still Call Him Maurice? He may have been born in Milwaukee, but Steve Miller is a Chicago boy at heart. Though the leader of the eponymously titled band moved around a lot as a little one and even had some guitar training from his father’s pal Les Paul, the hopeful found the firmest […]
DVD Zone: August 2007
Factory Girl The Weinstein Company Call her the prototype. Call her the mold from which today’s crop of celebutards — your Hiltons, Ritchies, et al — sprung. Call her the first person famous for just being famous. Just remember, she did have a ringside seat and a heavy hand in the most revolutionary movement of […]
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