How does one even write about Lollapalooza nowadays? I’ve been going to the festival since its inception in 1991, and have only missed a couple, during the fest’s darker years between 1996 […]
Let’s Talk About Lollapalooza 2018, Shall We?
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.
The Phonographs Fight to Resurrect Power Pop
O.K., I’ll admit upfront that headline is a bit histrionic. But The Phonographs don’t shy away from hyperbole. Anyone who drops Big Star and The Redwalls in their pitch to listen to […]
Craig Wedren Brings ‘Adult Desire’ to Beat Kitchen Saturday
Craig Wedren made his name in the influential Shudder To Think, a band whose distinctive and sometimes knotty sound still sounds fresh and new today. Over the years, though, he proved to […]
Chicago’s Sonny Falls Have an Excellent New Album Coming Out and Here’s a Taste
Hoagie sent me the unmastered version of the album a few months ago, but the new Sonny Falls LP is finally officially coming out next month! I’ve written about the band a […]
Sloan Is Bringing Their Arena-Sized Feel-Good Rock to Bottom Lounge This Weekend
Sloan is a band closing in on three decades of being together. In that time they’ve released 12 albums, flirted with stardom, and despite missing the industry-approved brass ring of massive mainstream […]
Gorillaz are Coming! Gorillaz are Coming!
It’s highly unusual for Gorillaz to put out two albums within a year of each other, but it’s unheard of for them to have tour stops in Chicago two years in a […]
Believe It or Not, Beach Bunny’s Got Me Interested in “Sports!”
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 […]
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, […]
