TCR Mixtape No. 12: Thanksgiving Tranquility
Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season, which means spending a lot of time in a confined space with a lot of drunk family members. Throughout the season’s various dinners and […]
Colin Smith thinks that Chicago right now is the place to be for music. He works for Illinois Humanities, is a freelance writer, and plays psychedelic-pop songs with his band.
Trevor Noah on His Mother and Donald Trump in Discussion at the Music Box
The last day of the Chicago Humanities Festival ended at the Music Box Theatre with a discussion between the “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah and the editor of his memoir, Chris Jackson. […]
A Three-Part Suite with Philip Glass at the Chicago Humanities Festival
When Philip Glass sat down at the piano bench at the Symphony Center’s Orchestra Hall, he began playing “Metamorphosis II.” His repetitive yet meditative playing placed the audience under his […]
Dark Matter Opens First Coffee Shop Downtown with Meddle
Dark Matter Coffee sees itself akin to a rock ’n’ roll band. They just release concept cafes instead of albums. But don’t take this from me. Take this from the […]
Hip-Hop is American Art: A Talk with a Critic, an Audio Engineer and a Rapper at Chicago Ideas Week
When names like Drake or Kanye West become household names, it marks a time in our culture when mainstream America widely embraces hip-hop as an original art form. Teachers and […]
Preview: Deerhunter Friday at the Metro
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7PAacr7LJc] Deerhunter will be performing at the Metro this Friday 10/21 in support of their excellent album Fading Frontier from last year. Unlike their last tour, frontman Bradford Cox […]
Third Coast Mixtape No. 7: The Avantist’s Picks
For this week’s playlist, we’re mixing it up. Since the four brother act The Avantist is physically releasing their full-length debut album tonight at Township—a record that even features the Mars […]
Preview: Cymbals Eat Guitars this Tuesday (10/11) at the Empty Bottle
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPAQe5brCjc] Cymbals Eat Guitars has been around for nearly a decade. And it might just be me, but the time between 1996 and 2006 seems like a longer time […]
Rock ’n’ Roll Isn’t Dead: A Giant Dog Talks to Us and Opens for Titus Andronicus Tonight at the Bottom Lounge
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dBvZLehlNs] “I’m too old to die young,” frontwoman Sabrina Ellis of A Giant Dog belts out on “Sex & Drugs.” These lyrics, along with lines like “you’ve been told […]
Discotheque in Drag: Of Montreal at the Metro
[soliloquy id=”6909″] A red satanic pentagram beamed in front of us as a group of men in black cloaks walked across the stage. This, of course, meant time for dancing. […]
Rhapsody in Normcore: A Review of Mild High Club at the Empty Bottle
[soliloquy id=”6844″] It’s as if a hazy cloud filled the Empty Bottle last Friday. 12-string guitars, crystalized synthesizers, and vocals that floated softly above the band all created a relaxed […]
Preview: Mild High Club this Friday (9/16) at the Empty Bottle
Thanks to Mac DeMarco, his disheveled friends can happily explore the many A-sides and B-sides of ’70s AM rock tunes in a puff of hazy smoke. And due to Mac’s […]