Feature: The Return of Fig Dish!
In the second wave of label signings as the music industry descended on Chicago in the mid-’90s, Fig Dish stood out as particularly resistant to playing the major label game. […]
Dispatch: On Blues Fest Day Three, Women Rule the Day as the Queen of the Blues Is Celebrated
On Saturday, it was proclaimed to be Dinah Washington Day in Chicago. June 8 would have been her centennial. She had been declared Queen of the Blues in her day, […]
Dispatch: Day Two of the 40th Chicago Blues Festival Is a Celebration of the Mississippi-to-Chicago Connection
The Mississippi Delta is considered the cradle of the Blues. This treasure sprang up in the state where cotton was king. It was born of the sweat from grueling work […]
Dispatch: The 40th Chicago Blues Festival Kicks Off at the Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport
I wondered what the audience at the Ramova Theatre for the opening night of the Chicago Blues Festival would think about the second-generation lineup of blues artists. Shemekia Copeland and […]
Review: Only a Single Raincloud in Sight for Burr Oak’s Release Show at Schubas
I’ve been a big fan of Burr Oak and their debut album Late Bloomer since I saw them perform at the Metro with a slew of other local bands celebrating […]
Review: Knocked Loose, Blind in Their “Thirst,” Deliver the Most Brutal of Nights at the Salt Shed
The Salt Shed isn’t well known for being an old haunt of metal and/or hardcore bands, but that doesn’t mean they don’t partake in the dark arts from time to […]
Review: At the World’s Edge Festival Entertains Chicago
Organizers from the At the World’s Edge Festival entertained a sold-out audience at Guarneri Hall on Wednesday evening. Led by artistic director Benjamin Baker and festival director Justine Cormack, AWE […]
Review: Freddie Gibbs Celebrates a Decade of Piñata at the Salt Shed
It doesn’t seem like 10 years since Madlib and Freddie Gibbs collaborated on Piñata, but given this short tour and that pesky thing called reality, it’s true. Madlib has a […]
Dialogs: Feminist Punk Kathleen Hanna at the Chicago Humanities Festival’s Illinois Tech Day
Kathleen Hanna, founding Riot Grrrl, Bikini Kill frontwoman and the person who told Kurt Cobain that he smelled like teen spirit, is currently on tour to promote her memoir Rebel […]
Album Review: Finom Finds Another Version of Themselves with Not God
If there is any constant in this world, it’s Macie Stewart and Sima Cunningham’s ability to evolve. It’s something I’ve noted in every review of their experimental band Finom‘s albums. […]
Review: Hermanos Gutiérrez Bring Their Dreamy Soundscapes to Thalia Hall
Alejandro and Estevan Gutiérrez are the vessels for the celestial Latin-western instrumental band, Hermanos Gutiérrez. Chicago was fortunate enough to spend two sold-out evenings with the duo, and Monday night’s […]
Review: Grossman Ensemble Ends the Season Memorably
The Grossman Ensemble ended their 2023/2024 season in a memorable way at Logan Center for Performing Arts in Hyde Park on Friday night. Under the direction of conductor Jeffery Meyer, […]