You might know Mike Lust as the frontman for Tight Phantomz, whose Silk Prison still stands as an impressive entry into the battle of the double albums over the decades. But most […]
Mike Lust Emerges with a Slice of Dark Pop Ahead of His Solo Debut
Jim Kopeny / Tankboy
Tankboy resides in the body of Jim Kopeny and lives in Mayfair with Pickle the Kitten and a beagle named Betty (RIP) who may actually be slightly more famous than most of the musicians slogging through the local scene. He's written about music for much longer than most bands you hear on the radio have even existed. He also swears that it wasn't him who did that and has learned that "deny everything" is a basic tenet of existence.
“Oh Oh,” AWEFUL Is Back With A New Video!
It’s been a while since I last wrote about AWEFUL, but the Chicago power trio hasn’t been sitting idle. They may not be able to play live or tour right now, but […]
Triple Fast Action Reissues One of the Best ’90s Albums You May Have Never Heard
On the occasion of its 20th anniversary a few years ago, I did a long piece on Triple Fast Action’s sophomore album Cattlemen Don’t, making the argument it is a largely undiscovered […]
Chicago’s Slow Pulp Takes You to the ‘Moveys’ on Their Long-Awaited Debut
The buzz on Slow Pulp reached me via friends before their traditional publicity push, and the snippets I heard excited me, but none of that could have prepared me for how excellent […]
Miranda Winters of Melkbelly Steps Into the Spotlight on Her Latest Single
Melkbelly, the somewhat genre-less and thrilling Chicago-based band that Miranda Winters sings and plays guitar with, is truly a monster of the local scene (in all the good ways). So when I […]
The Looming Near Extinction of Live Music in Chicago Is Very Real and Very Terrifying
Chicago Independent Venue League (CIVL) is a coalition of more than 20 Chicago music venues who initially banded together to fight developers threatening the scene with corporate venues, and have redirected their […]
Will Lollapalooza Be Canceled This Year?
Yesterday Governor Pritzker shared his viewpoint that all summer events should be canceled, though Mayor Lightfoot is less comfortable making that call … yet. My personal history with Lollapalooza goes back to […]
ROOKIE Comes Up With Their Own Sound To Span The Ages
ROOKIE is the latest Chicago act to emerge from our house party / DIY scene as real contenders for the rock and/or roll crown that seems up for grabs lately. I’ve mentioned […]
Preview: of Montreal Believes ‘UR FUN’
On his latest album, Kevin Barnes returns of Montreal to its one-man-band roots on UR FUN, yet still manages to create a Technicolor thrill ride making the most of his experience manipulating a […]
Cupcakes Return, Finally!
Cupcakes formed in the mid-’90s and seemed destined for superstardom. They were signed to DreamWorks near the tail end of the initial label feeding frenzy that swept through Chicago during that period, […]
Preview: Ratboys Deliver A Stunner With Printer’s Row
It is a really good time to be a fan of Chicago music right now. Our scene is always vibrant, but we appear to be in another of those mini-movements (that I […]
Preview: Catch Stonefield’s Stoner-Pop-Rock At Sleeping Village Tonight
Stonefield’s Bent was written primarily while the Australian quartet was touring America last year. It’s the group’s fourth album since 2013, though I’ll forgive you if you’ve never heard of them before. […]
