Weekly
The trouble with . . .
A quartet of acts traipsing through Chicago within the week all dangle their feet over the brink of Complete, Utter Mistake. Do Lost Lander, Scale The Summit, Wim, and Foxy Shazam survive?
Wow, what a game!
It hasn’t even started yet, but we know everyone’s thrilled to root for the guy who made a jerk of himself when he was drafted, versus the guy who’s already won it enough. New York against Boston! No one’s tired of that! Cleanse your spirit with Red Wanting Blue or Asteroids Galaxy Tour this week.
Lana Del Rey reviewed
There’s a scene near the beginning of Lana Del Rey‘s video for the title track of this, her debut album, where her expression momentarily collapses and then she reacts to keep the tears from falling. If it were part of a movie, you’d think it expertly acted
Feb’s debs
Firing some early February shows across your bow before we launch the new issue: the next CHIRP “First Time” recital, Swearwords’ record release, Stolen Silver’s residency, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Voices Of The Future . . . the future is Sunday!
Ronald McDonald House is hosting a youth-choir benefit this weekend, in order to raise funds for a new facility in Streeterville. The charity’s Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana chapter has organized the event at Harris Theater.
Glen Campbell’s farewell!
When an artist stages a farewell tour, it’s generally just a bluff to sell more tickets and they wind up coming through town for an endless parade of victory laps. (Cher and the Eagles come to mind.) But in the case of Glen Campbell, this really is his last hurrah,
CBB . . . Bye, BB!
Would, say, Lollapalooza be more enjoyable if it were scattered over a couple weekends? Obviously, tearing down and rebuilding the stages/leaving Grant Park blocked would be bad. But we like how Chicago Bluegrass & Blues takes a break and restarts.
Curtis Canino memorial
There’s a benefit/memorial show for Curtis “2C” Canino on the 28th at Bottom lounge. Canino was in Lygate and Death By Design, and had worked at Exit and other chicago venues. “This past summer, the Chicago music community was shocked and devastated by the senseless murder of Curtis “2C” Canino, a well-loved and respected musician […]
Camp’d Out
Sometimes a subtle shift is all a band needs to find rejuvenation. Los Campesinos haven’t pulled a Kid A or even an OK Computer, but they’ve pulled enough to get out of a rut. They’re in town, as are Cheyenne Marie Mize and David Nail.
All-Star Yawns
Converse has been canvassing the land for its new music series, “Rubber Meets The Road,” which follows independent bands on tour. The first episode features local fellows Yawn, who trek to Brooklyn for the shoe manufacturer’s Rubber Tracks recording studio. Click on!
Abba Mia!
If it seems like âMamma Mia!â tours through Chicago almost every year, thatâs because it usually does, if only for Abbaâs ongoing popularity and its single-stacked soundtrack.
Bluegrass & Blues!
CBGB in New York is a tourist attraction now. Never mind that it became a punk club. Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival might not be a haven for fundamentalists and zealots, but the first night, this Saturday, makes a case for the styles’ futures.
What to do, what to do . . .
Golden Globes: over. Mitt Romney: inevitable. Packers: safely packed away (though surely God won’t give Eli a second title, right?). Lana Del Rey: crashed and burned. Guess it’s Man Is Man, Martin Sexton, or Machine Head.
Classic Spins: John Lennon Collection
The John Lennon canon is now at the tipping point: with the release of the new 38-song Working Class Hero (Capitol) collection, there are now more posthumous album releases by the ex-Beatle than there are actual solo albums he recorded while still alive.
In case you missed it (we did!)
You may have noticed that we skip coverage of some pretty big-time releases each month. Sometimes, that’s because the artists hold on to music until the last second, at which point we’ve already planned the next issue.










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