Review: Baby Teeth Triumphantly Returns to Carry On Regardless
Rarely has growing old sounded so goldanged catchy, but Baby Teeth‘s return to the music scene after their breakup in 2012 finds the group packaging the aches and pains of […]
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.
Review: Placebo Brings an Intimate Arena Mentality to the Salt Shed
Placebo formed in 1994 and made a distinctive mark early in their career as a heavy guitar pop act with a true glam rock edge, alongside a daring-for-its-time fluid sexuality […]
Review: Triple Fast Action Are “Kickin’ Up A Rattle” Ahead of Their Triple-LP Release
Chicago’s Triple Fast Action was active between 1993 and 1998, and were part of the burst of major label signings in the wake of the seismic shifts in popular music […]
Last-Minute Plans: Sloan Returns To Chicago Tonight!
I first saw Sloan in the mid-‘90s, and have seen most every tour they’ve played since then. The most remarkable thing about the band is that they haven’t picked up […]
Premier: LOTEC’s Driving “Won’t You” From Their First New Album Since 2001!
LOTEC began their existence as Land Of The El Caminos, and remained active through the late ’90s and into the aughts. They garnered acclaim for their hard-charging sound, grafting Fanelli’s […]
Review: The Lemonheads Bring A Swaggering It’s A Shame About Ray to The Metro
I was introduced to The Lemonheads right around 1990, since someone at my college record store was clearly a fan and kept the Taang! releases in stock and prominently displayed. […]
Review: The Backseat Lovers Are Barely Old Enough To Drive, But Are Talented Well Beyond Their Years
The Backseat Lovers‘ Major label debut Waiting To Spill dropped into my inbox a few months ago and I was immediately struck by two things: a) how had I never […]
Last Minute Plans: Dan Ozzi Is A “Sellout” At Gman Tavern
Music critic Dan Ozzi is well known for his sharp insight and even sharper wit in his writing. So I was excited about his decision to tackle a topic largely […]
Musicians Come From Across the World to Celebrate Joe Cassidy’s Life at Metro This Weekend
We lost many talented artists unexpectedly over the last few years of the pandemic without the ability to actually come together as a larger group and celebrate their lives. To […]
Preview: Local H Is an Excellent Reason to Finally Leave the House (If You’re Ready) Tonight
This current era we’re in has been quite an adjustment for a person like me who spent decades seeing hundreds of bands play every year. As of today, the only […]
Review: The Handcuffs Release the Best Album of Their Career (So Far) With Burn The Rails
The Handcuffs are one of those bands who will play live shows relatively frequently, but feel no rush to release their albums. I think part of this is grounded in […]
Preview: Blunt Bangs Brings Their Buzzy, Bash-y, Boppy Pop to Chicago Tonight
Blunt Bangs describes themselves as an “indie-supergroup” in their description of their new album Proper Smoker, and that is not incorrect. Especially if your view of “indie” is rooted in […]