In 2011, multi-disciplinary artist Ai Weiwei was detained by the Chinese government, held captive for 81 days in an unknown place without any explanation, threatened with 11 years of imprisonment, and eventually released without being charged. The government captured his…
Cemeteries remind us this is a city of change in multiple ways. Not just the impermanence and fragility of life, but in the ways the landscape of the city shifts with growth. In a new book, Larry Broutman documents many…
On those days when the world seems like an anxiety-ridden, dumpster fire, that not even the “This is fine” dog could anticipate, it can be hard to want to add to the noise and confusion. In such a worrisome world, Cafe…
As half of the dream-pop duo Desert Liminal and a few other music and non-music related projects, one wonders how Sarah Q has the time to write songs, record, and play shows seemingly every other week, in addition to her…
If you pay any attention at all to the local music scene, you’ve probably seen the name Dehd (formerly known as Dream Eagle Heavy Dreams) pop up more and more and more over the past year. The trio is made…
Over the summer, I attended a show in a Humboldt Park backyard. The headliner of the evening was an artist called Fran. I was drawn in immediately to the melancholy-pop of the trio which reminded me a bit of Angel…
North Coast Music Festival: Summer’s Last Stand has finally arrived! The eclectic festival started out their Labor Day weekend stay at Union Park with a nice mix of EDM, funk, soul, and hip hop. It took a little while for…
New Douglas, Illinois, doesn’t sound like a place where a lot of noise is made. It sounds like the setting out of a John Hughes film. The town’s population in 2010 was 319. It’s about a 45-minute drive northwest from…
I first stumbled onto Horse Lords at a fourth-floor loft space in Lakeview a couple years ago. The dual drummers were hypnotizing and the saxophone bursts reminded me of all the no-wave favorites that have found a resurgence lately. Since…
I don’t know the first time I heard Sondre Lerche. I do remember having the pre-conceived notion that he was a Norwegian guitarist inspired by bossa nova music. That was an oversimplification then and nowhere near describes what Lerche has been producing…
James Tadd Adcox’s new novella is available in paperback and ebook on Cobalt Press. He will be reading at the Sunday Salon at the Riverview Tavern (1958 W Roscoe) on Sunday January 29th at 7 PM. Adcox is reading with Aleksandar Hemon,…
To begin, an embarrassing admission: this was my first ever Ian’s Party. I’ve seen the stacked lineups every year for this Ian’s Party, a weekend festival that showcases the best of Chicago’s underground. The festival has taken place at venues…
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