Preview: Of Montreal at the Metro
Robotic voices, arena rock guitar lines, and keyboard bleeps à la Beck’s Midnite Vultures: this is Of Montreal’s 14th album release in a nutshell. On Innocence Reaches, Kevin Barnes returned to the high-sugar […]
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.
Pitchfork: Sunday in Review
[soliloquy id=”5984″] The sun god answered our prayers on Sunday. Union Park was cooler than Saturday and sunnier than Friday, and it stormed long after Oneohtrix Point Never ended […]
Pitchfork: Saturday in Review
[soliloquy id=”5921″] Saturday at the Pitchfork Music Festival felt like a different place from Friday. Unlike the previous cloudy and slightly rainy day, the sun warmed Union Park and […]
Pitchfork: Friday in Review
[soliloquy id=”5891″] This year’s Pitchfork Music Festival features a rich lineup of new up-and-comers, maturing indie rockers and songwriters, and a few reunions. Unlike many previous years, this weekend is […]
Pitchfork Preview: Who We’re Excited to See
The Pitchfork Music Festival was our first alternative to Lollapalooza. It’s smaller, less expensive, and the lineups pretty much reflect the publication’s “Best New Albums” list with the addition of […]
Somewhere Between a Dream and a Dance: Tame Impala @ UIC Pavilion
[soliloquy id=”5389″] As Kevin Parker donned his signature Rickenbacker guitar, the band opened their set at the UIC Pavilion with the wobbling pulse of “Nangs.” Tie-dye colored lights projected […]
Preview: The Dirty Nil to Kick Out the Jams on May 21 at the Beat Kitchen
When three shaggy-haired teenagers bonded over their Iron Maiden t-shirts and their shared love for all things rock ’n’ roll, they decided to do the only logical thing: They formed […]
Chicago Zine Fest Emphasizes the Community and the Creative Process
Papers, pamphlets, and publishers filled the auditorium of the Plumbers Union Hall last weekend. Writers, artists, and readers celebrated the community and spirit of self-publishing at the seventh annual Chicago […]
Doing It Yourself But Meeting Together: Chicago Zine Fest Celebrates Self-Publishing
Celebrate the art of self-publishing this weekend at Chicago Zine Fest. It’s one of the city’s largest independent festivals. The seventh annual festival is happening this Friday and Saturday. All-ages […]
Sound Criticism in the Noise of Opinions: A. O. Scott Speaks at Seminary Coop
Everyone’s a critic, and yet no one seems to know what a critic’s good for. Or at least this is how New York Times film critic A. O. Scott started […]
Howardian: Bedroom Music by a Garage Band
The veteran rocker Ian Vanek places a small drum kit at the front of the stage: bass drum, snare, ride cymbal, floor tom, and another tom. Though a minimal kit, […]
Preview: Ian Vanek (Japanther) and Howardian Tomorrow @ Subterranean
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGlsP_kZyYo&w=560&h=315] Ian Vanek started Howardian with his brother in 1993. He was 12 years old. Still, his early experiences seeing Nirvana perform and having the members of Mudhoney talk […]