Tag: featured
Featured: Q&A with Peter Case
During the pandemic, we all sought small bastions of sanity wherever we could find them. Especially visually, locked in at home with so many relatively new streaming services available like Netflix â you could latch onto an uplifting movie like âEurovision Song Contest â the Story of Fire Sagaâ and dodge the doldrums, […]
Hello My Name is Ville Valo ⢠Live Recap: House of Blues ⢠Chicago
The last time Ville Valo performed at Chicagoâs House of Blues he was reaching the end of a lengthy chapter in his life. HIM, the band he fronted for 25 years, was calling it quits. It was the last time theyâd be on that stage together; a stage Valo wasnât sure heâd ever return to. […]
Stage Buzz: QueensrĂżche, Blockchain Coalition, Snarky Puppy, Rise Against
Chicago alt-punk rockers Rise Against have come a long way from their humble beginnings as a local underground band. Because of their furious sound and their unwavering political commentary, it didnât take long for the rest of the world to take notice. Now, theyâre a staple of the punk rock world. To help celebrate […]
Live Review: The Church at Thalia Hall ⢠Chicago
The Church Thalia Hall, Chicago, IL Sunday, March 26, 2023 Review by Jeff Elbel Australian psychedelic rockers The Church returned to Chicago following a five-year absence, playing to a full house at the Pilsen neighborhoodâs Thalia Hall on Sunday. A selection of captivating new songs honored the bandâs beloved sound while carrying it […]
File: In The Face Of Loss – A GoFundMe for The Empty PocketsÂ
Over St. Patrick’s Day weekend, Chicago’s Empty Pockets returned home from a string of tour dates. As was their usual routine, they had secured the trailer in their studio lot in the city. Monday morning, they were alerted their trailer had been stolen. This was a massive blow, and the band was devastated. After […]
Photo Gallery: Maya Hawke at Metro ⢠Chicago
Maya Hawke Metro Chicago, IL March 18, 2023 Recap and photos by Curt Baran Maya Hawke is well on her way to becoming multi-hyphenated. Sheâs best known for her acting roles, specifically her character Robin on the hugely successful  Netflix television series Stranger Things. As the daughter of actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, one […]
Stage Buzz: Fozzy, Quasi, Wilco, Yo La Tengo
Believe it or not, New Edition has been delivering smooth R&B jams for 45 years. With such a long career, the band has experienced its share of highs, lows, breakups, and reunions. New Edition celebrates its legacy with the appropriately named âLegacy Tourâ with Keith Swear and Guy. The tour rolls into Rosemontâs United […]
Live Review & Photo Gallery: Winery Dogs at Arcada Theatre ⢠St. Charles`
The Winery Dogs The Arcada Theatre, St. Charles, IL Friday, March 10, 2023 Review by Jeff Elbel. Photos by Ed Spinelli. On Friday night, the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles welcomed a full house of faithful hard rockers. Fans were on their feet from the moment that supergroup The Winery Dogs walked onstage. The celebratory […]
Feature: Circa Waves
âKeep calm and carry onâ was a mass-produced British poster from 1939 intended to help rally spirits in the face of a looming WWII and its attendant Blitz-strafing air raids. But itâs since become a much larger metaphor for the traditionally stoic, unflappable English constitution, in general, the type of personality that remains virtually […]
Cover Story: Betty Who
As Australian-born pop composer Betty Who recalls it, the only things missing from her recent spine-tingling trip into the supernatural were Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, and their trusty old VeeDubs Mystery Machine with which to beat a hasty retreat. Because Zoinks! The three specters she encountered were all too real and not engineered by some local huckster […]
Live Review: Remain In Light : Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew at The Vic Theatre ⢠Chicago
The Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL Saturday, February 25, 2023 Review and photos by Jeff Elbel Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads and the bandâs veteran sideman Adrian Belew brought a tour celebrating their work on 1980âs influential Remain in Light album to Chicagoâs Vic Theatre on Saturday. The pair were accompanied by seven-piece funk/jam/rock band Cool Cool Cool, […]
Photo Gallery: Viagra Boys at The Salt Shed ⢠Chicago
Viagra Boys Salt Shed Chicago, IL February 24, 2023 Recap and photos by Curt Baran âHe says he donât believe in science/He thinks that all the news is fake/And late at night he sits at his computer/And writes about the things he hates.â If you need a sense as to where the left-leaning Viagra Boys […]
Stage Buzz Q&A: Tim Burgess of The Charlatans ⢠Vic Theatre February 7 ⢠Chicago
English band the Charlatans (aka The Charlatans U.K.) came of age with 1990âs Some Friendly. The album featured the organ-fueled alternative rock hit âThe Only One I Know,â which nodded to classics by the Byrds and Deep Purple. The quintetâs sound was bundled into the eraâs Madchester scene, with danceable house rhythms, R&B grooves, […]
Cover Story: The Church
Sometimes, great art can become something like a snowball as it tumbles downhill after its initial creation, colliding with â then absorbing â many other diverse mediums, expressions, and even creators themselves as it goes. Take, for example, Australian author Jane Harperâs riveting mystery novel from 2016, The Dry. It lures you in from the […]
Hello My Name is Sam from The Bobby Lees
Sam Quartin knows she might resemble a misanthrope. But the powerhouse Bobby Lees front-woman simply despises modern technology and all of its cold, clinical trappings. Donât ask her about any currently popular memes, viral videos, or TikTok influencers â sheâs never online to see them, she swears, and sheâs proud to note that she has […]
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