Blacklisted!: An Afternoon of Songs “Joe McCarthy Didn’t Want You to Hear”
Making your living as an artist has never been an easy path, but it was particularly difficult in America from the late 1940s to the early 1960s during the Second […]
From Dawn to Dusk: Music of the Baroque Offers Lively Interpretations of the Day
In an imaginative whim of programming, Jane Glover and the Music of the Baroque orchestra mined Haydn’s very early career and Mozart’s maturing phase to cobble together “From Dawn to […]
PLAY it Forward at The Elbo Room
The Elbo Room has one last chance at helping boost your confidence. With low attendance at its live shows and insufficient funds, The Elbo Room asks that you donate a […]
After the Show is the After Party…My Evening at Soho House Chicago
Tucked away in the seemingly top secret, instrument adorned “music room” of Soho House Chicago, Eryn Allen Kane hosted an after show following her first ever solo and, might I […]
Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials Made Me Forget About The Bleakness Of Reality
The blues are an inherently paradoxical art form when they make a public appearance—misery with the travails of life transmuted into joyful music. Last night at Rosa’s Lounge, Lil’ Ed […]
Eleanor Friedberger Bringing a New View to Empty Bottle
It’s been quite a while since The Fiery Furnaces released an album, but that hasn’t slowed down Eleanor Friedberger’s musical output. Since she and her brother Mathew put the project […]
Diet Cig: A Blazing Ball Of Energy at Subterranean
They say the best cure for cold is moving around. If that’s the case, the Diet Cig show last night at Subterranean was probably the healthiest thing that’s happened in […]
MCA’s Prime Time: ⌘R Lived Up to Its Refreshing Promise
Whenever music finds itself in less than typical venues, the result are often spectacular. I’ve seen ethereal sounds under the greenery of Garfield Park Conservatory and tender indie rock at […]
Comfortably Rich Jones
A couple of weeks ago, Chicago emcee Rich Jones dropped by The Dojo, an arguably secretive DIY spot in Pilsen. The January chill had slowly set in on that Saturday […]
The Young Wise Life of Andrew St. James
Before the age of 10, Andrew St. James sang and toured for the San Francisco Opera. It was his first job, but it couldn’t last forever. “My voice dropped, and […]
Grizfolk Gave Me Everything I Wanted At Lincoln Hall
When I interviewed Grizfolk for a feature in Paste Magazine last month, they were gearing up for their first headlining tour. I asked them what they had learned opening for bands […]
02.03.59: The Day the Music Didn’t Die
It was 57 years ago, early in the morning of Sunday, Feb. 3, 1959, when a small plane crashed in a snowstorm soon after taking off from Clear Lake, Iowa. […]