Monthly
Spins: Jeff + Ping • The Threefinger Opera
Jeff Elbel + Ping The Threefinger Opera (Marathon Records) A few years ago, Chicago-area musician Jeff Elbel experienced a crushed nerve ending that denied him the use of two fingers on his left hand. This is bad news for someone who not only fronts his own band, the expansive Jeff Elbel + Ping but sits […]
Stage Buzz: Lollapalooza 2021 • Day One Photo Gallery
Live music has returned! Lollapalooza celebrated its 30th Anniversary by returning to Chicago’s front yard. There was, however, a palpable mix of emotions that filled Grant Park with the specter of COVID still very much lurking. Proof of vaccination and/or negative test results were required for entry. Those who couldn’t provide either were required to […]
Stage Buzz: Lollapalooza 2021 • Day Two Photo Gallery
Day Two of Lollapalooza 2021 was greeted with what was, arguably, the greatest weather the festival has ever seen. Overnight storms not only tramped the dust down but also shoved the previous day’s suffocating humidity to places unknown. This blank meteorological canvass got splashed by aural brushstrokes from Oston, Rookie, Mob Rich, Tai Verdes, Black […]
Stage Buzz: Lollapalooza 2021 • Day Three Photo Gallery
It’s Day Three, and Lolla keeps rolling on. Tonight’s total head-scratcher has Post Malone and Journey headlining on separate ends of Grant Park. Yep…not a typo. Let’s also toss in a recently revived Limp Bizkit to really keep it weird. But hey, there was no shortage of contemporaries like Cannons, Jessia, Porches, Michigander, Rence, BIA, […]
Stage Buzz: Lollapalooza 2021 • Day Four Photo Gallery
The curtains are now drawn closed on yet another Lollapalooza. Don’t call it a comeback. The final day featured great sets from The Aquadolls, Brooke Alexx, Sir Chloe, Sofia Valdes, RMR, Princess Nokia, Sarah Barrios, MXMTOON, Brittany Howard, The Front Bottoms, Rico Nasty, Modest Mouse, and Band of Horses. Until next summer… -Curt Baran […]
Hello My Name is… John Doe of X
To calm, cool, and collected X anchor John Doe, it’s all about how you see the world these days. Some artists may have dreaded all that enforced 2020 lockdown time as a curse, but, homebound apart from his bandmates in Austin, he viewed it as a blessing, a creative windfall, even though X had […]
Media: August 2021 • “New Sports Radio Economy”
Jon Zaghloul, the host of the show Sports Talk Chicago (which airs locally on WCKG, AM 1530), was born and raised in Tinley Park, is a graduate of Andrew High School, and currently attends the University of Chicago. You read that correctly. Currently attends. He’s 21 years old. He was born in the 21stcentury “I’m […]
Stage Buzz: Live Review and Photo Gallery – James Taylor and His All-Star Band and Jackson Browne • United Center
James Taylor and His All-Star Band, Jackson Browne Thursday, July 29, 2021 United Center, Chicago, IL The third time’s the charm. Originally scheduled for the summer of 2020, the long-anticipated tour by James Taylor and His All-Star Band featuring Jackson Browne’s opening set was bumped to June of this year by the pandemic. Opening […]
Stage Buzz: Photo Gallery • Sammy Hagar and The Circle • RiverEdge Park
Sammy Hagar and The Circle (featuring Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham and Vic Johnson) July 18, 2021 RiverEdge Park Aurora, IL RiverEdge Park in Aurora hosted Hagar and friends on a near-perfect July summer evening. The set-list was stacked with Van Halen (Sammy era faves naturally), and Hagar’s solo hits. Van Halen’s “Right Now” […]
Photo Gallery: R.E.O. Speedwagon and Head East at RiverEdge Park Aurora
While the pandemic continues to affect indoor attendance to some degree, outdoor events are returning with gusto. Aurora Mayor Richard Ervin kicked off RiverEdge Park’s outdoor concert season last Thursday, welcoming “the pride of Champaign,” R.E.O. Speedwagon to the venue with fellow prairie state alums, Head East as openers. As expected, an evening of massive […]
Hello My Name Is…Billy
You’ve got to hand it to storied Cult guitarist Billy Duffy — he doesn’t bury the lede when it comes to late-breaking news stories. Only a minute into a recent phone call to discuss Coloursound — the ephemeral side project he and Alarm vocalist Mike Peters launched, then abandoned with a single album back in […]
Media: July 2021 • “Radio Joan”
Joan Esposito was known to Chicago audiences as a television reporter and anchor after her many years at Channel 5 & 7. Still, when she accepted the job as afternoon host at Progressive Talk WCPT (820 AM), it was not her first job in the medium. “When I first got into broadcasting, I got a […]
Photo Gallery: Corey Taylor and Cherry Bombs at The Forge of Joliet
IE’s Ed Spinelli captured Corey Taylor on night two of his three sold-out shows at The Forge. Taylor’s setlist served up primarily solo and Stone Sour material, as well as a stellar acoustic version of Slipknot’s “Snuff,” alone worth the price of admission. Other surprises in his set included deep-cut covers like “Lunatic Fringe” (Red […]
Spins: George Porter Jr. and Runnin’ Pardners • Crying for Hope
George Porter Jr. and Runnin’ Pardners Crying for Hope (Controlled Substance Sound Labs) Bassist George Porter Jr.is widely recognized as a prime mover of funk and soul music, and an ambassador of New Orleans’ treasured musical heritage since the formation of the Meters in 1965. Crying for Hope is Porter’s first album with his crew of […]
Spins: Colin Hay • Going Somewhere – 20th Anniversary Reissue
Colin Hay Going Somewhere (Compass) The collapse of Men at Work was the end of stadium-level stardom for Colin Hay, but it left an open door. Hay stepped through that door and persevered through hard times to rebuild his brand as a respected guitarist, master storyteller, and unparalleled songsmith. True, Hay’s career as a New […]
Recent Comments