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Colin Smith

ARTICLES: 76
Music, Reviews

Review: The Marías Cast a Spell on Us at Thalia Hall

The Marías invited us to join their cult last Friday at Thalia Hall. To give you a glimpse: During the encore, drummer Josh Conway lured the entire audience to get […]

Colin S. Smith /
Music, Reviews

Review: Slow Pulp, Paul Cherry, and Vundabar Thawed Wicker Park

A drunk man close to me leaned his body over the Subterranean’s upper balcony to shout “LET’S FUCKING ROCK AND ROLL!” to the Boston trio Vundabar. He did yell incomprehensibly, which […]

Colin S. Smith /
Music, Reviews

Review: ANCHR Magazine Celebrates Second Birthday at Schubas

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When OHMME’s Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart joined V.V. Lightbody on stage at Schubas last week, 2019 officially started. The Friday night was atypically mild and warm for a Chicago […]

Colin S. Smith /
Music, Reviews

Review: Parquet Courts Made The Vic Wide Awake

In what many publications are calling one of the year’s best records, Parquet Courts channeled angst into optimism on their fifth full-length album, Wide Awake. Their recent record almost reads […]

Colin S. Smith /
Music, Reviews

Review: Khruangbin Doesn’t Need Words to Sell Out the Vic

Khruangbin isn’t a band that puts out singles. They don’t have a singer. Most of their songs can’t be distinguished from each other. They are hardly any words to sing […]

Colin S. Smith /
Music, Previews

Preview: The Psychedelic Sam Evian to Electrify Evanston’s SPACE

Sam Evian’s mantra is “this is you, forever.” He chants this on the title track of his last album, You, Forever, which indie label Saddle Creek released this summer. The […]

Colin S. Smith /
Events, Lit, Live Lit, Stages

Third Coast Audio Festival Puts Chicago at the Center of Podcasting for Two Weeks

Long before the podcast, there was Third Coast International Audio Festival. Since 2000, Third Coast has been a leader in audio storytelling, paving the way for this craft back when […]

Colin S. Smith /
Festivals, Music, Reviews

Pitchfork Music Festival 2018: Day 3 in Review

It’s not a true Pitchfork Festival unless it rains (or gets hot and humid). But the festival didn’t ever get rained out, and the acts didn’t disappoint. (There was a […]

Colin S. Smith /
Festivals, Music, Reviews

Pitchfork Music Festival 2018: Day 2 in Review

After a slightly rainy Friday made use of all the Lyft ponchos that were being handed out at one corner of Pitchfork Music Festival, Saturday felt a lot nicer. The […]

Colin S. Smith /
Festivals, Music, Reviews

Pitchfork Music Festival 2018: Day 1 in Review

If you live in Chicago long enough the annual Pitchfork Music Festival feels like one big backyard barbecue. Fortunately, unlike my last one, we didn’t see much rain and the […]

Colin S. Smith /
Festivals, Music, Previews

Who We’re Excited to See at Pitchfork Music Festival 2018!

It’s finally here! Pitchfork Music Festival is this weekend and they’ve curated quite the show. There has always been an emphasis on music that just this side of mainstream, acting […]

Colin S. Smith /
Music, Reviews

Review: Chicago Celebrates Deeper’s Album Release at the Empty Bottle

The Empty Bottle saw a lot of bottles emptied last Friday. The night wasn’t just a concert; it was a celebration. Local DIY band staple Deeper played their debut album […]

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