Tag: featured
Cover Story: Green Day
On the most instinctual gut level, Billie Joe Armstrong gets it. No question. A la cinematic director Godfrey Reggio’s 1983 visual masterpiece Koyaanisqatsi, life — nationally and around the world — has tipped completely, horribly, maybe irrevocably out of balance. On one recent day alone, the headlines said it all: Freakish, climate-change-spurred floods are swamping […]
Photo Gallery: Lamb of God at House of Vans
Acclaimed metal stalwarts Lamb of God performed a rare intimate show at House of Vans Friday night, commencing a promotional campaign for a new self-titled album and the single “Checkmate,” plus the band’s mega-tour that comes to Tinley Park later this summer. Lead vocalist Randy Blythe also treated fans to his personal photo and artwork […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery – Dirty Honey at Bottom Lounge
Dirty Honey Tuesday, February 11 Bottom Lounge, Chicago For the past year, some music industry folks have been working themselves into a piranha-like frenzy over L.A. blues-rock quartet Dirty Honey. Formed in 2017, the band features singer Marc Labelle, guitarist John Notto, bassist Justin Smolian, and drummer Corey Coverstone. The buzz surrounding the band is heightened in […]
Live Review: DeadMau5 at Navy Pier
Deadmau5 “Cube V3” Saturday, February 1 Navy Pier, Chicago From 2008 to 2015, Joel Zimmerman, aka Deadmau5, was the inescapable force in the world of electronic dance music, one of the most prominent and most easily recognizable names in the genre, putting out albums like Album Title Goes Here and While(1<2). To many people, he […]
Hello My Name Is…Steve Harris from Iron Maiden and British Lion [with Photo Gallery from The Forge of Joliet]
Liam Gallagher always said that there are only two ways for an English lad to break free from his grey, oppressive, working-class environment — become a professional footballer or start a rock and roll band. Growing up in the London suburb of Leytonstone, Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris clearly remembers doing both. Quite well, […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery: EOB at Lincoln Center
Ed O’Brien (EOB) Lincoln Hall Saturday, February 8, 2020 Following in the footsteps of bandmates Thom Yorke, Colin Greenwood, and Phil Selway, guitarist and vocalist Ed O’Brien is stepping outside his role as a founding member of Radiohead and occasional high-profile sideman for other artists including Neil Finn. Performing under the name EOB, O’Brien […]
Stage Buzz: Hey Nonny’s Winter Blues Summit [with added Photo Gallery]
Winter has traditionally been a slow season for music festivals in Chicagoland while folks recover from their holiday hangovers. Other than the TNK Festival in Chicago, a sturdy and dependable showcase of emerging talent, there’s not been the equivalent in the suburbs. The folks at Hey Nonny and Straight Arrow Productions are changing the […]
Cover Story: Grace Potter [with added Photo Gallery from Riviera Theatre]
In the DC Comics universe, Superman always had his Fortress of Solitude, a secluded palace on the frozen Arctic tundra where he could go to muse on his complex relationships with villains, the Justice League, and indeed his planetary protectorate, humankind itself. Not bad, as exotic getaways go. Vermont-bred folk-rocker Grace Potter, on the other […]
Cover Story – Caroline Polachek
The relationship between art and its attendant inspiration has been analyzed countless times over the years. The French painter Henri Matisse, for instance, said that the main impetus for creativity was simply courage, while author Jack London believed that you had to hunt it down with a club. Renowned acting coach Stella Adler posited that […]
Photo Gallery: Heilung at The Riviera Theatre
Heilung Riviera Theatre 01/20/2020 Heilung (‘healing’ in German), the Nordic folk mood makers arrived in North America for the first time and easily sold out the Riv on their short tour. Originally booked at the Vic Theatre, the show was to moved to the Riviera to meet ticket demand. Ed Spinelli captured their Nordic spectacle. […]
Photo Gallery: The Black Keys at Aragon Ballroom
Q101 WKQX, Chicago’s flagship and only Alt-Rock station, threw itself a birthday party, Thursday. More specifically, hosted one to celebrate the one year anniversary of the morning drive time trio known as Brian, Ali and Justin. And they did so in glorious style by inviting a sold out Aragon Ballroom audience to enjoy a live […]
Stage Buzz: Tedeschi Trucks at Chicago Theatre [Updated with Photo Gallery]
Florida’s legendary Tedeschi Trucks Band, led by married blues guitarists Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, return to the Chicago Theatre for a 4-night run beginning this weekend. TTB has redefined blues and soul over their decade together, powered and defined best by the debut album Revelator. IE’s Ed Spinelli talked with Derek Trucks as he […]
Stage Buzz: Signal The Launch at House of Blues
The members of the Chicago power trio Signal the Launch share a strong musical bond. The Lane Tech College Prep and Rolling Meadows High School graduates — brothers Mariusz (guitars/vocals) and Dan Owczarczak (bass), and Kevin Karpa (drums) — formed the band in 2016 after a life-altering incident that happened to Mariusz while driving […]
Holiday Hangover at House of Blues Chicago
House of Blues Chicago is kicking off the 2019 Holiday Season with their first-ever Holiday Hangover – ten days of top national tribute bands along with a roster of Chicago’s best tributes. The format has been a blast at other HOB locations across the country, and the talent buyers at the Windy City location […]










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