It’s gonna finally be warm outside today! So let’s break out some beach pop! I was digging through the bill VARSITY is playing on at The Empty Bottle for their record release […]
Believe It or Not, Beach Bunny’s Got Me Interested in “Sports!”
Jim Kopeny / Tankboy
Tankboy resides in the body of Jim Kopeny and lives in Mayfair with his wife, Pickle the Kitten, Sasha the Cat, 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.
The Darkness Brought Their Over-The-Top Show To Park West
The Darkness’ lead singer Justin Hawkins took a moment last Wednesday at Park West to share a bit of the band’s pre-show ritual with the crowd. He told us they all got […]
Fujiya & Miyagi Are Sublime Dance Rockers
So, the secret no one talks about is that some music reviewers write most reviews ahead of time and MadLib the particulars. So here’s what me and my concert photographer friend came […]
Hot Snakes at Thalia Hall: A Haiku
Each song furious. Place was full of dudes with beards. Froberg was wasted. — Hot Snakes’ sound is a blast of furious strumming and galloping drumming that was just what I needed […]
Sleigh Bells and Sunflower Bean Set To Crush at Metro Tonight
Sleigh Bell‘s mixture of schoolyard sing-song chanting and metallic guitars chords engineered to smash anything in their path sounds like an odd mix, but it absolutely works. And live, the duo of Guitarist […]
Partner to Bring Their Feel-Good Heavy Guitar Pop to the Empty Bottle This Friday
Imagine a world where Weezer was two girls from Canada, and they never lost that gleam that made their early work so timeless. If you can capture that image in your head, […]
Chance The Rapper and Jeremih Just Gave Everyone A Wonderful Holiday Gift
Last year, Chance the Rapper and Jeremih dropped a surprise holiday themed mixtape Merry Christmas L’il Mama. It was truly a joyous wonder, and brought some genuinely new holiday cheer into the […]
Twin Peaks Wraps Up ‘Sweet ’17 Singles’ Series, Announces Compilation Album
Over the latter half of this year, Chicago’s Twin Peaks has been releasing a single a month under the Sweet ’17 Singles moniker. Today the group released the final single of that series, “In […]
Taylor Swift Still Manages to Project Heart Through All the Sheen Glossing Over reputation
CAVEAT: This review doesn’t mention Taylor Swift’s celebrity, or the paparazzi, or her squad, or possible dodges of cultural appropriation, or the latest dude she’s dating because, c’mon, this is a music […]
Foo Fighters Sell Out Wrigley Field, So Let’s Add Another Date!
I keep having to remind myself the Foo Fighters are kind of a big deal. They probably own lots of leather-bound books and everything. But to me they will always be the […]
The Master of Horror John Carpenter Is Bringing His Massive Soundtrack Themes to the Aragon Ballroom
I understand if the notion of a tour featuring a 69-year-old band leader performing instrumental songs doesn’t exactly sound like a rocking good time, but the show director, screenwriter, and composer John […]
LCD Soundsystem Danced Everyone Clean During Their Chicago Return
You know it’s a good show when you leave a venue and your hair is three times as large due to the humidity of the sweat evaporating off people’s dancing bodies. And […]