Weekly
Daphne Willis preview
Lincoln Hall, Chicago Wednesday, January 27, 2010 One more youngster with a voice that “belies their years” and we’ll start raiding their lockers for HGH like BALCO and Barry Bonds. Chicagoan Daphne Willis is 22, sounds 22, and writes about 22-centric things.
Andrew Belle reviewed
The Ladder (1L) Of the nickel advice we dole out to young bands, a stalwart is “if you’re going to release music, you better be able to handle people not liking it.” A lot of people might end up enjoying Andrew Belle’s The Ladder, but an equal number will look to light up message boards […]
Lady Gaga live!
Rosemont Theatre, Rosemont Friday, January 8, 2010 It was a good indication of the energy inside the Rosemont Theatre Friday night, when a pre-show video PSA, featuring Lady Gaga speaking out about the trials of abused and homeless gay and lesbian teens, was met with frenzied cheers from a barely teenage crowd oblivious to the […]
Tomorrow Never Knows festival preview
Schubas/Lincoln Hall, Chicago January 13 – 17, 2010 Schubas’ annual January to-do in Lakeview has expanded to 40 bands with the inclusion of Lincoln Hall. Strangely, the two rooms aren’t much further apart than the two most distant stages at Lollapalooza.
Jookabox preview
Empty Bottle, Chicago Sunday, January 17, 2010 Nearly everything written about Jookabox (formerly Grampall Jookabox) more than touches on Indianapolis. It’s customary to acknowledge a band or artist’s origins, but in this context it illuminates the music.
John Legend live!
The Venue, Hammond, IN Wednesday, December 30, 2009 In just five years, John Legend’s ascended from an underground neo-soul sensation to a full-fledged R&B star with a steadily expanding stable of introspective piano ballads and club romps. On a touring level, he has no trouble selling out sizeable theaters, which in the case of the […]
Treaty Of Paris preview
Metro, Chicago Saturday, January 9, 2010 Well it’s good to have Treaty Of Paris back home and safe. Last we knew, the Chicago band had been abducted by a pack of fuzzy Flaming Lips companions and forced to play in forests.
Anvil preview
House Of Blues, Chicago Sunday, January 10, 2010 Anvil are fit for the age of Facebook — an old classmate appears before your eyes just the same as they were before (if swelled), giving you a chance to rehash the good times. But the existential crisis is this: Once someone rotates out of your life, […]
Rise Against live!
Metro, Chicago Friday, December 18, 2009 It’s weird to think about now, but there was a time before Rise Against was one of Chicago’s biggest rock acts. Once upon a time, the group plied their trade for indie label Fat Wreck Chords, and overturned venues like Knights Of Columbus in Arlington Heights. The band’s early […]
Metric live!
Cubby Bear, Chicago Thursday, December 17, 2009 It was about 12:15 a.m. when Canadian alt-rockers Metric took the Cubby Bear stage as part of the “Q101 Twisted After-Show” — much to the surprise of a sold-out crowd that had been told 9 p.m.
Mulatu Astatke reviewed
New York – Addis – London (Strut) Fans of Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers might know Mulatu Astatke’s spy jazz for the way it soundtracked Bill Murray’s hunt.
R. Kelly reviewed
Untitled (Jive) Whatever its artistic merits, Untitled is Weird Al-proof, an utterly ridiculous R&B spoof with its creator an amalgam of Luther Vandross, Luther Campbell, and Steve Stiffler.
Michael Londra gets festive
Beyond The Star (Celt Productions) Locally based Irish native Michael Londra has taken the logical step and made a holiday album — and, like he told the Sun-Times, he doesn’t rock the house.
Cool Kids, Bun B live!
Reggie’s, Chicago Thursday, December 10, 2009 In their rise to indie-rap fame, part of The Cool Kids’ image has been about a certain swagger, topped with an air of nonchalance. But live, especially at this capacity Reggie’s show, Chuck Inglish and Mikey Rocks were actually having fun.
The Flaming Lips live!
Allstate Arena, Rosemont Friday, December 11, 2009 The Flaming Lips live for the moment, and the Fearless Freaks’ live shows treat each song as if it is the main event. They amplify the emotion as much as possible so that there is a more-than-usual lull between each song as if the band have to […]
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