Monthly
Photo Gallery: Jack Johnson at Huntington Bank Pavilion • Chicago
Jack Johnson Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island Chicago, IL July 11th, 2026 Recap and photos by Curt Baran They don’t make ‘em much more laid-back than Jack Johnson. As a teenager, he was well on his way to becoming an elite surfer, having grown up near Hawaii’s renowned North Shore. However, a horrific accident […]
Photo Gallery: Muse at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre • Tinley Park
Muse Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre Tinley Park, IL July 10th, 2026 Recap and photos by Curt Baran Bombast. That’s what Muse delivered when their “The WOW! Signal Tour” touched down in Tinley Park on a perfect summer evening to hear live music outdoors. Every available inch of the stage seemed to be stacked with fog […]
File: Remembering Bonnie Tyler
In February 2020, just as the pandemic was beginning to take hold, my IE Green Day interview could have been my last as we weathered the early days of the COVID-19 storm. By March, as Lockdown tightened its stranglehold on the world, I toyed with the idea of quitting, just walking away from writing to […]
Cover Story: The Church • A Warm Cocoon
The Church “True humility does not know that it is humble. If it did, it would be proud of the contemplation of so fine a virtue,” once observed German theologian Martin Luther. At 71, songwriter/painter/poet/novelist Steve Kilbey can easily relate. As much fun as it’s always been for the bandleader of Australia’s psychedelic-jangle combo, […]
Media: July 2026 • Fred Winston – Hall of Famer
Fred Winston is part of the 2026 class of Radio Hall of Fame inductees, although it didn’t happen without a bit of drama. “I found out I was nominated via phone call from one of the board members, Lon Helton, who is a former Chicago radio guy, who’s now in Nashville. We worked together briefly […]
Photo Gallery: Godsmack at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre • Tinley Park
Godsmack Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre Tinley Park, IL June 20th, 2026 Recap and photos by Curt Baran Since their inception in 1995, Godsmack has arguably better navigated the blurred lines between hard rock and what would come to be known as the Grunge movement. With a collection of Grammy nominations and chart success, which included […]
Live Review: Amy Grant at City Winery • Chicago
Amy Grant City Winery, Chicago, IL Monday, June 15, 2026 Review and live photo by Jeff Elbel “I just love songs that start conversations,” said singer-songwriter Amy Grant when introducing “The 6th of January (Yasgur’s Farm)” to an attentive, sold-out room at City Winery Chicago on Monday. Known for clean-cut and uplifting radio hits […]
Photo Gallery: Mumford & Sons at Wrigley Field • Chicago
Mumford & Sons Wrigley Field Chicago, IL June 11, 2026 Recap and Photos by Curt Baran Ah, the perils of an outdoor concert during a Chicago summer. For those assembled to see Mumford & Sons at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on Thursday night, well, Ma Nature threw ‘em a curveball. Freakishly weird weather blew through the […]
Hello My Name Is…Michael Marcagi
Write what you know, goes the old Mark Twain-attributed creative imperative. It’s wisdom not lost on singer-songwriter Michael Marcagi, who once felt that his humdrum hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, was no great shakes in the inspiration department. So how could he possibly ever hope to compete with edgier streetwise artists from New York or […]
Hello My Name is…Gary Klebe of Shoes
As Shoes guitarist/vocalist Gary Klebe remembers it, he never really entertained the notion of cutting his first solo disc at the seasoned age of 73, as he’s just done with the shimmering new Out Loud set, issued on the band’s longtime personal imprint, Black Vinyl Records. In fact, whenever he would stop to review […]
Cover Story: Ike Reilly featuring Shane Reilly • Flaws and Hope in Every Song
Annual Take Your Child to Work Day usually occurs on the third Thursday in April. But rasp-throated, political-minded rocker Ike Reilly and his son Shane have inadvertently wound up celebrating it, every single day. 25 years ago, this scrappy Libertyville, IL native found his musical calling rather late in life when he released his […]
Media: June 2026 • When Landecker Met Travolta
50 years ago, John Records Landecker (then on WLS) and John Travolta (then starring in Welcome Back, Kotter) shared a moment they will both remember forever. “Travolta had a single out on RCA Records,” John recalls, “and my show was really popular with kids who bought records, so RCA brought him into the WLS […]
Photo Gallery: Dance Hall Crashers with Fishbone • House of Blues • Chicago
Dance Hall Crashers with Fishboone House of Blues April 18, 2026 Chicago, IL Recap and photos by Curt Baran The Ska genre has seen itself move through several different stages, or “waves.” Originally, the ska style was derived from reggae or rocksteady in the 1950s. It was popular in Jamaica, but stateside remained mostly unknown. […]
Photo Gallery: Nessa Barrett at Thalia Hall • Chicago
Nessa Barrett Thalia Hall April 7, 2026 Chicago, IL Recap and photos by Curt Baran On her Tuesday return to Chicago, Nessa Barrett chose to host a black-tie affair. As guests assembled for her performance at Thalia Hall, the Pilsen venue greeted arrivals with an air of sophistication. Gentlemen clad in black tuxedos and white […]
Media: April 2026 • 100 Years of Sirens In The Loop
The journalism business has obviously changed dramatically over the past few decades. The latest book about the history of the Chicago News Bureau (Sirens in the Loop), written by Paul Zimbrakos and Jim Elsener, really shines a spotlight on just how much it has changed. The City News Bureau was a news cooperative, meaning […]
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