Review: Brian Dunne Survives a Rental Car Horror Story to Rock Beat Kitchen
Brian Dunne is a talented musician and a gem of a human being. I knew from our conversation last week that he had great taste in music and seemed like […]
Review: Wry Witticism and Backbreaking Sincerity—Geese and the Shape of Rock to Come
“You don’t have to waste your time/Hiking up a hundred hills/You don’t have to, but I will”-“Husbands” “When I went deaf I used my eyes/They stood me in line ‘til […]
Review: Ear Taxi Festival Hosts Scott Speck and the Chicago Philharmonic for an Evening of Premieres
Ear Taxi Festival 2025 continued its run of excellence with an Anchor Performance by the Chicago Philharmonic at Harris Theater on Saturday night. Under the direction of Scott Speck, Marta […]
Review: Klaus Mäkelä, Antoine Tamestit, and the CSO Perform Hector Berlioz in a Dramatic and Exciting Way
With Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä at the podium, an expanded Chicago Symphony Orchestra gave dramatic and exciting performances of two symphonic gems by French composer Hector Berlioz on Thursday […]
Review: Music of the Baroque Gives an Interesting But Incomplete Performance of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos
With Nicholas Kraemer directing from the harpsichord, Music of the Baroque gave an interesting if incomplete performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos at Harris Theater on Monday night. It […]
Review: Ear Taxi Festival Delivers a Concert Not to Be Missed at DePaul
Ear Taxi Festival 2025 delivered another excellent concert on Saturday night, this one an Anchor Performance at Gannon Hall in DePaul University’s Holtschneider Performance Center. There, the William Ferris Chorale, […]
Review: Ear Taxi Festival Continues with the KAIA String Quartet and Soloists Performing New Commisssions from Chicago Composers
Hosted by the Ear Taxi Festival, the KAIA String Quartet and several vocalists presented six new works by Chicago composers, five of which were world premieres at Music Institute of […]
Review: Ear Taxi Festival Hosts Lovely Vocal and Chamber Music in the Logan Square Neighborhood
The Ear Taxi Festival convened an enjoyable evening of piano, vocal, and chamber music at the Elastic Arts Studio near Logan Square on Wednesday evening. Sponsored by New Music Chicago, […]
Review: Destroyer Boogies with Thalia Hall
There are few shows as completely entrancing as a Destroyer show. There is just something about Dan Bejar, founding member and lead vocalist, that grabs hold of you before he […]
Review: Composers and New Music in the Spotlight at Ear Taxi Festival in Hyde Park
Something about Hyde Park is inspirational. It is a vibrant cultural hub with welcoming spaces that foster the growth of artists and their craft. My first dive into the Ear […]
Review: Evanston Makes Space for the Incredible Cat Ridgeway
Back in May, I had the privilege to chat with the infectiously joyful Cat Ridgeway and see her incredible live show, so when I learned she was returning to the […]
Review: Water From Your Eyes Embrace a More Rocking Vibe at Sleeping Village
It’s probably a weird year for an indie-rock band to be declaring “It’s a Beautiful Place.” But the duo behind Water From Your Eyes aren’t exactly known for making explicit […]