Tag: featured
Studiophile: Remembering Steve Albini
Audio engineer, musician, and studio owner Steve Albini passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday night (May 7). His death is a terrible loss not only to his family, colleagues, and friends but also to so many studio engineers and music fans who loved his production and passion. His extensive recording resume included groundbreaking bands like Nirvana, […]
IE REWIND: The Sisters of Mercy • The Proud Villains • Appearing at Aragon Ballroom October 23 • Chicago
Like many of us over the past three COVID-constricted years, I — as both a journalist and a human being, in general — spent a great deal of time looking back, reflecting on past decisions, discoveries, and early drug-related derailments, and not always comfortably. I’ve made a few mistakes over my crazy, always-colorful 46-year career, […]
Cover Story: Jamey Jasta on Milwaukee Metal Fest, Solo Music and The Future
By Kelley Simms One of the country’s most nostalgic metal festivals was resurrected in 2023 and will, thankfully, return for a second straight year. Initially founded in 1987 by Jack Koshick (also the founder of March Metal Meltdown), the Milwaukee Metal Fest has a storied history and was once an annual global metal music tradition […]
Media: May 2024 • WXRT’s New Afternoon Host Andy Chanley
It’s not like changes are made every day to the daytime lineup at WXRT. When disc jockeys come to work at the station, they stay a decade or five. New WXRT afternoon man Andy Chanley was well aware of this when he took the job. “That was my biggest worry going into all this,” Chanley […]
Stage Buzz: Legions of Metal at Reggies • Chicago
Legions of Metal Festival Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4 Reggies Chicago, IL By Kelley Simms (Feature photo Hirax by Anne De Pena) A revered Chicago metal tradition continues to thrive under its new name with this year’s two-day/two-room (Reggies Rock Club and Music Joint) music festival. Legions of Metal originally began as Ragnarokkr […]
Stage Buzz: Judas Priest at Rosemont Theatre • Rosemont
After an impressive five-decades-long career, British heavy metal pioneers Judas Priest show no signs of slowing down with the release of their highly acclaimed 19th new studio album, Invincible Shield. On 14 super-charged tracks, Priest delivers the indisputable, classic heavy metal sound that hearkens back to the band’s heyday. While some legacy bands […]
IE 2024 Record Store Day Guide
Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners and employees as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1400 independently owned record stores in the US and thousands of similar stores internationally. The first Record Store Day took place on […]
Photo Gallery: Mannequin Pussy at Thalia Hall • Chicago
Mannequin Pussy Thalia Hall Chicago, IL April 10, 2024 Recap and photos by Curt Baran Mannequin Pussy is on an absolute tear! After more than a decade together that has yielded four albums and an EP, the Philadelphia four-piece is arguably peaking. Their 2024 release, I Got Heaven, and its subsequent tour, brought them to […]
Cover Story: Elbow • Love & Friendship
In Almost Famous, Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical film covering his early mid-‘70s music-scribe years, Philip Seymour Hoffman — channeling legendary rock critic Lester Bangs — has some sage advice for Patrick Fugit’s earnest teen hopeful William Miller. In the cold, cutthroat new world he’s entering of publicists, exotic junkets, free booze, and possibly drugs, it’s all […]
Live Review & Photo Gallery: Mitski at Auditorium Theatre • Chicago
Mitski Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL Review of Friday, March 22, 2024, show by Jeff Elbel Photos of Sunday, March 24, 2024, show by Curt Baran On Friday, Mitski performed the second in a series of four sold-out concerts at Chicago’s storied Auditorium Theatre. The run of shows launched a new leg of touring in support […]
Photo Gallery: Sleater-Kinney with Black Belt Eagle Scout at Riviera Theatre • Chicago
Sleater-Kinney Riviera Theatre Chicago, IL March 21, 2024 Recap and gallery by Curt Baran Loss loomed large during Sleater-Kinney’s performance at the Riviera Theatre in Uptown Thursday night. The Olympia, Washington duo (expanded into a quintet for touring purposes) are out promoting their tenth studio album (Little Road) and grief certainly seems to be riding […]
Photo Gallery: Olivia Rodrigo with Chappell Roan • United Center • Chicago
Olivia Rodrigo with Chappell Roan United Center Chicago, IL Tuesday, March 19 Recap by Riley Vernon. Gallery by Curt Baran. Pop-rock superstar Olivia Rodrigo arrived in Chicago on Tuesday night with much fanfare on Night One of two sold-out performances as part of her highly anticipated and critically acclaimed Guts World Tour. Rodrigo brought a […]
Stage Buzz: Chelsea Wolfe, Mitski, Health, Buried and Me
Singer/songwriter Chelsea Wolfe invents her own musical hybrids. Throughout her career, she has fused together folk, doom metal, goth rock, industrial, experimental music, and noise rock to create a sound that’s truly her own. But the one thing that never changes is how entrancing and haunting her songs are. See Wolfe in action at […]
Photo Gallery: Alkaline Trio • Aragon Ballroom • Chicago
Alkaline Trio Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL March 16, 2024 Recap and photos by Curt Baran Chicago’s favorite coffin chasers (and February IE cover stars), Alkaline Trio, brought their Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs tour to Uptown’s Aragon Ballroom for a much-anticipated hometown show. Hours before even a single note was played, the line to enter the […]
Recap and Photo Gallery: Mammoth WVH with Nita Stauss at The Forge • Joliet
Mammoth WVH The Forge Joliet, IL Saturday March 2, 2023 Recap and Photo Gallery by Edward Spinelli Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH treated fans to an intimate sold-out show at The Forge in Joliet on Saturday. After a stunning show at The Vic Theatre last Fall – WVH’s return to the Chicago area shows the […]
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