Tag: featured
Cover Story – Liam Gallagher
What becomes a legend most? Itâs an old question when it comes to pop stars and celebrities in general. Not rhetorical at all, but a real procedural, albeit aesthetic conundrum whose answer â either flamboyant or conversely simplified â can often have disastrous long-term results on the career of the said performer. You’ll […]
Recap and Photo Gallery: Slayer, Ministry, Primus and Phillip H. Anselmo at Tax Slayer Center
Slayer/Ministry/Philip H. Anselmo And The Illegals TaxSlayer Center Moline, IL 11/14/2019 Slayer made the last “area” appearance ever (after their Riot Fest appearance in September), and the Quad Cities (Moline, IL) got the honors. They brought a “cast of thousands” with them, including Philip H. Anselmo And The Illegals, who started the evening with a […]
Photo Gallery: Angel Olsen at The Riviera Theatre
Former Chicago native Angel Olsen made the most of her recent homecoming. She’s hit the road in support of her acclaimed album All Mirrors, and her performance was a kaleidoscope of dramatic strings, ethereal synths and Area 51-worthy strobes. But even if you stripped away all the extracurricular aesthetic, you’d still be left with Olsenâs […]
Photo Gallery: FKA Twigs at The Riviera Theatre
Tahliah Debrett Barnett continues to blur the lines of what pop music can mean. Recording and performing under the moniker FKA twigs, Barnett is seamlessly merging performance art, dance and high concept approach with mainstream appeal. Nowhere was this more apparent than during her recent sold-out appearance at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre. She twirled, tap-danced, vogued, […]
Photo Gallery: Caamp at Thalia Hall
Caamp is riding a wave of propulsion that is certainly cresting. The Columbus, Ohio quartet just released their second album, By And By, and it promptly shot to the top of the Billboard Heatseekers albums chart. The record has also birthed the single âPeach Fuzzâ which has quickly become all but ubiquitous on both terrestrial […]
Photo Gallery: Lana Del Rey at Aragon Ballroom
Seduction arrived in Uptown this past weekend in the form of the âNorman Fucking Rockwell!â tour. Sharing a name with the recently released album by Lana Del Rey, the West Coast native cooed and purred her way through 18 career-spanning songs that also included guest appearances from evening openers Lucy Dacus and Best Coastâs Bethany […]
Live Review and Photo Gallery: Tool and Killing Joke at United Center
Tool has always conducted itself as an unconventional anomaly. From their cryptic videos and ambiguous album art, their image has always thrived in the dark spaces that leave almost every aspect of their aesthetic open to interpretation. Who else but this band could wait 13Â years between (arguably non-mainstream) records, knock Taylor Swift of the […]
Cover Story: Sam Fender
Ostensibly, this is an article about British rock newcomer Sam Fender and his brilliant, one-in-a-million debut disc, Hypersonic Missiles – easily the best album of the year. Nothing can touch it; itâs so far ahead of the pack. But itâs also a moment where we canât help but break with a few staid journalistic traditions […]
Stage Buzz: Michael Franti at Concord Music Hall
In this era of building walls, unsettled government and strife at the border, Michael Franti continues his message of positive vibes and bringing people together. Franti made his mark a decade ago with his massive hit “Say Hey (I Love You).” Mixing rock steady beats, ska, reggae, rock, hip-hop and electronica – Franti has […]
Spins: The Beatles “Abbey Road” 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Box Set Reviewed
The Beatles Abbey Road 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe box set (Apple/Universal) As with the 50th anniversary editions of Sgt. Pepperâs Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Beatles (aka The White Album), any fan could argue that this new mix of Abbey Road is unnecessary. Some may go as far as saying that tinkering with the […]
Live Review: Saga at Arcada Theatre
Saga Arcada Theatre, St. Charles, IL October 16, 2019 Review and photos by Jeff Elbel Wednesday nightâs concert at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles was impressive on multiple counts. Credit goes to promoter Ron Onesti for listening to patrons and taking the risk to book Sagaâs first standalone US show in ages. Although the […]
Photo Gallery: Sleater-Kinney at The Rivera Theatre
Even if Olympia, Washingtonâs Sleater-Kinney had remained on hiatus after their 2006 break, their legacy would have already been secured. But they came storming back in 2014 with their eight long player No Cities To Love, seemingly without missing a beat. Even the recent departure of long time drummed Janet Weiss hasnât diminished the remaining […]
Live Review: Madonna at The Chicago Theatre
Madame X Tour Chicago Theatre October 16, 2019 “Artists are here to disturb the peace.â One has to wonder if Madonna Louise Ciccone has accepted this James Baldwin quote as her lifeâs mantra. Letâs face it; the native Michigander has always had a reputation as a rabble-rouser. So, when it was announced that she would […]
Stage Buzz: Municipal Waste at Metro
Richmond, Virginia crossover party animals Municipal Waste return from a two-year recording hiatus with the raging four-track EP The Last Rager (released on Oct. 11 via Nuclear Blast). Featuring vocalist Tony Foresta, guitarists Ryan Waste and Nick Poulos, drummer Dave Witte and bassist LandPhil Hall, the retro-thrash quintet will be returning to Chicago on […]
Cover Story: Bastille
Dan Smith canât help it. Heâs one contemporary music artist that always finds himself thinking visually, like a Barry Sonnenfeld-edgy cinematographer, giddily filling every frame with kinetic action. So his British band Bastille isnât just one-dimensional â it can be appreciated on multiple sensory levels, all the way down to its carefully-situated album cover photos […]
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