Last Minute Plans: Catch Pony at Subterranean on Friday Before They Get Huge
If you play a single Pony song, ANY song, you will immediately see why I am so head over heels with the band. I came across the band during the […]
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.
Preview: Scott Lucas Brings LIFERS to the Music Box, Local H Brings Whatever Happened To P.J. Soles to Metro
A few years ago I wrote a piece arguing that Local H was one of the hardest working and most consistent rock bands currently in existence. This remains very true. […]
Review: Tamar Berk Delivers Good Times On Her New Album
Just before the release of her fourth album in four years, Tamar Berk posed the reasonable question, “So in your opinion when is the right time for a ‘greatest hits’ […]
Quick Spins: Charly Bliss and Psymon Spine
Quick Spins takes a quick look at recently released albums to make certain you’re listening to all the quality music being released these days. Charly Bliss – FOREVER FOREVER by […]
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. […]
Preview: Matthew Sweet’s Bringing His Power-Pop Excellence to Metro
At one time Matthew Sweet was the face of early ’90s power-pop. And even if you didn’t know what “power-pop” was, his music had a universal yearning paired with hooks […]
Preview: Jesus Jones Brings Their Dance-Rock Back To Chicago
My history with Jesus Jones extends all the way back to the late ’80s when the cover of the Liquidizer cassette caught my eye at a Sound Warehouse. A minute […]
Review: Tamar Berk’s tiny injuries Is Worth Your Immediate Attention
If you want to throw a music critic into a real mental tizzy, ask them what they’re listening to or what they’d recommend. I know enough other critics that I […]
Last Minute Plans: Psymon Spine Brings Their Indie-Rock Dance Party to Color Club Tonight
Psymon Spine hails from NYC and traffics in the kind of basement dance-party indie rock pioneered by bands like LCD Soundsystem and the sounds familiar to the DFA label. OK, […]
Preview: The Return Of Woolworthy!
In 2005, Woolworthy played their “farewell” show at Double Door, and Chicago said goodbye to one of the more promising bands to emerge from the ’90s into early aughts scene. […]
On the Road: The Ballad of Blur, Wembley, Darren, and Me.
A brief history By the late ‘80s I had begun to omnivorously consume all the music I could. And I was growing fascinated by bands that were mixing rock structure […]
Preview: Farewell Captain Emerges With Amends
While many bands saw themselves stalled during the pandemic, others took the forced downtime to finish up a long-in-the-works album, and I am very happy to share that Farewell Captain […]