Monthly
Interview: Dum Dum Girls
What Dreams Are Made Of It’s easy to laugh at Dee Dee Penny’s current predicament. “There’s a lot of construction outside my apartment,” she says over the phone. “I can’t hear a thing. It’s awful.”
Around Hear: October 2011
Local Band Reviews After kicking off his career as a straight-forward singer/songwriter, Kyle Andrews turns toward the dancefloor (channeled from his bedroom studio) throughout Robot Learn Love. Mirroring the likes of Cut Copy or a subdued Shiny Toy Guns, expect plenty of groove-saturated indie rock over lyrics of romantic longing and arrangements that switch from […]
Caught In A Mosh: October 2011
There’s an old saying that goes “It’s better to have an unpopular opinion that’s popular than vice versa.” Actually, that’s not a saying at all. I’m not even sure it makes sense. It’s either cosmic or idiotic. I made it up while listening to Grand Magus (Iron Will!), drinking coffee, and writing this column one […]
Digital Divide: October 2011
There are certain touchstones in popular culture that demand attention whenever they become available in a new media form. Notably, back in the ’80s, the hype over The Beatles’ catalog being released on CD ensured that a few more millions would land in the pockets of the Fab Three (and estate of the Fab One).
Hello, My Name Is J.
Q&A with J. Cole IE: I know you were born overseas, but had you traveled much before the Rihanna tour? J. Cole: Oh yeah, on my own tours for two years at least. Growing up I was kind of a military brat. But after coming back from Germany as a kid, I never traveled much.
File: October 2011
Energizing Bunnies: The Windy City’s resurgence as a setting for motion pictures has spilled onto the small screen, notably with “Boss” and “The Playboy Club” hoping to outlast the since-canceled “Chicago Code.” These programs draw high numbers of Chicagoans, who no doubt sit close to their sets wearing loupes to pinpoint flaws.
Gear: October 2011
When Nevermind was released by Nirvana 20 years ago, a North Side guitar-store owner told me Kurt Cobain‘s Jaguar guitar was a piece of crap and Nirvana sucked.
Media: October 2011
Flying Saucers Rock ‘N’ Roll When someone is barely even mentioned anywhere on the Web, that’s when you know what obscure really means – and it’s amazing how much info has yet to make the billions of pages that Google looks through,” says author and “Chic-A-Go-Go” cofounder Jake Austen.
Sweet Home: October 2011
Blues Passages The last two months have packed powerful blows to the blues community, with the passing of David “Honeyboy” Edwards and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith. Both enjoyed significant careers that helped preserve the soaring legacy of the Delta blues. As elder statesmen who represented crucial decades of living blues history, they will both be […]
Cover Story: Tom Morello
International Man Of Solidarity Tom Morello is not getting Audioslave back together. We want to get that out of the way first, because just about every other project you could associate him with is live.
Interview: Erasure
Tomorrowland One of the synth-pop era’s most innovative, infectious, and flamboyant acts, Erasure has spanned two-and-a-half decades with constant rotation in the clubs, with the occasional, percolating radio smash.
Interview: The Horrors
Cat’s In The Cradle Horrors frontman Faris Badwan is eager to discuss Skying, his quintet’s sonically adventurous new third album – a record that’s just landed him squarely in the Top Five on the U.K. charts.
Backstage@Lollapalooza
Catching up with artists playing Lollapalooza was tougher than we thought. Even with some acts stuck in town after their sets in order to play afterparties, we came up against a wishlist of musicians with schedules more hardwired than the festival’s own rigid set times.
Around Hear: September 2011
Local Band Reviews Music-wise, Clara May‘s debut CD, Hush, is a bit all over the place – which is perhaps a reflection of its chief singer/songwriters being first and foremost a filmmaker/corporate executive/grad student and religious/equal-rights activist/author, respectively.
Caught In A Mosh: September 2011
Nouveau Sheet Music Remember last month when I conducted an interview with myself? Pretty awesome, yeah? To defend myself against accusations of narcissism, though, my reasoning for that column needs clarification: The originally planned feature with Swedish band Ghost never materialized.
Recent Comments