I can't believe I'm this nervous about an election, again Read More

I can't believe I'm this nervous about an election, again Read More

I can't believe I'm this nervous about an election, again Read More

I can't believe I'm this nervous about an election, again Read More

I can't believe I'm this nervous about an election, again Read More

I can't believe I'm this nervous about an election, again Read More

I can't believe I'm this nervous about an election, again Read More

I can't believe I'm this nervous about an election, again Read More

I can't believe I'm this nervous about an election, again Read More

I love this photo.My dad would have been 72 today. This will be his first birthday since he passed away that I won't be toasting his memory with Jim Beam—from what I recall one of his… Read More

The Cubs know who's boss.Wow. Wow. Wow.I wrote something about the Cubs last year and it still holds true, only now the fans' story has a happy ending!And here's something I wrote about the… Read More

I did a quick interview with Kay Hanley of Letters T Cleo in advance of their Chicago shows this weekend. Read all about it.Their new EP is really good. And if you want to hear Hanley talk a… Read More

In the past I would treat anxiety by feeding it with even more anxiety. Now I treat anxiety by attacking the root of whatever is causing the anxiety and moving on.It's something so simple, y… Read More

That title is a true story.Learn more about it in my look back at Wilco's Being There. The album turned 20 over the weekend and I still think it's an amazing piece of work that was completel… Read More

Usually it's me teasing younger co-workers about not being aware of music everyone should know. Today it was my turn to be on the receiving end of that teasing when they discovered I had nev… Read More

I was looking for some music to pep up my evening and realized that even searching for a song was too exhausting an endeavor. Instead, here is a picture I took.Adorable, ain't she? Read More

I have never worn tie-dye in my life. Ever. Thank god it didn't make me break into hives or projectile vomit the second it touched my skin.The things I'll do for the company holiday video wh… Read More

So busy around these parts. SO BUSY. I keep waiting to catch a breathe and I know one must be coming soon. I long for a vacation, I think. I've been out of town a couple times recently but t… Read More

31 songs? Check. Well over two hours play time? Check. Pretty much every hit and deep cut you might want to hear? Check! Amazing set? Check, check, check!See my photos and read my review on… Read More

I saw Heyrocco play a couple of songs Wednesday night. I had to miss part of their set because the band went on 40 minutes late, which wasn't their fault at all. I should have known that a s… Read More

The last couple days (wait, has it only been two?!) has seen an alarming uptick in the disturbing trend of me pouring cups of coffee, going to sip from them a few minutes later then discover… Read More

Mich shared these with me this morning.We're seeing a spike for both 'ombre' and 'hombre'. Not the same thing. https://t.co/O2o9C3gTja #debatenight— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) O… Read More

Photo by meIt's been two back-to-back weekends of travel, but the last few days were quite lovely as Mich and I attended our friends Sam and Scott's nuptials in rural Pennsylvania.We need mo… Read More

I made a remarkable discovery upon the eve of my 50th day sans alcohol: yesterday I was eating some potato chips and they were exploding in my mouth. Little daggers of salt and pepper felt a… Read More

Franz Ferdinand breaks their recording silence with this brand new track, part of Shepard Fairey's 30 Days 30, Songs project.Dig the print above that's inspired by the song? Buy it and… Read More

Today has been an exercise in learning bad news and rolling with it. In the past this would have probably set off an internal tantrum or grousing or some other sort of negative reaction, but… Read More

25 years ago today Nirvana played the Metro, Kurt and Courtney started dating, Dave smashed his drum set, and it sounds like everyone involved kept the party going way into the night.I wrote… Read More

Was out of town for the weekend attending a gathering with Mich's family. But there's been a lot of activity around these parts and it's all very exciting if a tad overwhelming! More on this… Read More

Last night's debate was dismal. Thanks to Nell for finding this—it doesn't change anything but it makes me dream of an alternate reality where the candidates work in harmony to build… Read More

That's all I can really say. But I think these rilly big things are also rilly good things. So cross your fingers and help me think good thoughts.Also, I am up rilly early because I can't st… Read More

A Giant Dog, photo by Sean DaigleI saw A Giant Dog a few months ago on a weeknight at The Empty Bottle. It was one of those times I didn't even make the connection that I'd listened to their… Read More

Letters To Cleo is back, y'all! they have a new EP coming out soon (which is fabulous, trust me) and leading up to it they're offering up a tune from it, alongside some odds and ends from th… Read More

This is prettier on Twitter, but the video above tells the whole story as well Read More

Sigur Rós, photo by me.I saw Sigur Rós on Friday and it was lovely. Their albums have given me feels in the past, but I have to admit the couple of times I've seen the band I d… Read More

I've been listening to the new Saint Motel album coming out next month. Their Lollapalooza set was a joy to behold and while the album doesn't quite capture that lightning it's still pretty… Read More

The amount of positive vibes and public and private messages of support related to yesterday's post have truly stunned and humbled me. Thank you Read More

Today marks the longest time I've gone without an alcoholic beverage in 30 days since 1995. Tomorrow will mark the longest time I've gone without a drink since the late '80s (!).I decided a… Read More

Lester Holt was a longtime Chicago reporter before his well deserved leap to the national media stage. I thought he did a great job last night of moderating in a firm yet fair manner during… Read More

I learned two things listening to tonight's debate over the radio:Hillary has what it takes to be a good president. The end. Vote for her.Donald Trump seems to believe that repeating a lie o… Read More

Read my short piece and listen to the new album from Pamphlateers and that title will make all the sense in the world Read More

I am simply perplexed. Vote Hillary. The end. Are you a liberal who simply doesn't like Hillary so you'll cast your vote for a third party candidate? Now is not the time to "take a stand." I… Read More

Not new by any stretch—I've been digging the single since it dropped months ago—but I finally got around to listening to the rest of Cassius' Ibifornia and it reminded me just wh… Read More

Some guy totally ruined my excellent selfie!Riot Fest was a blast this year. There were the usual naysayers who griped and grumbled about some things, but my personal experience was great. H… Read More

If there's one thing I can count on, it's that I will often catch a terrible summer cold / flu after any music festival. I used to think it was because I'd abuse my body for too many days in… Read More

Day one of Riot Fest is over and my feet are broken. Seriously. I'm hobbling around like an old man! The forecast called for rain so I wore my boots, which are on their last legs (oof, no pu… Read More

Riot Fest kicks off tomorrow!Check out my preview to help you plan your weekend if you are going (or watching the livestream)! Read More

This has been making the rounds again, so I'm sharing it for those who might have missed it. It could've easily been titled When Grunge Ruled The World™ if it weren't for the fact this… Read More

Tele Novella's new album is a nice like slice of catchy, old school indie rock, and "Heavy Balloon" is my favorite trackoff it. So I'm pleased to see they chose it for their first video!If y… Read More

I hit up three shows in three days over this weekend, and they were all good.* But the biggest surprise was Cheerleader's opening set at last night's Caveman show at Schubas.** Prior to a co… Read More

Donny McCaslin's jazz combo backed David Bowie on his final album  a.k.a. Blackstar, and the band just released a mid-period Bowie cover of Warszawa. They take the song's gently sw… Read More

Figure 1, keeping me groundedI'm glad you asked. It stands for "Associate Creative Director," which coincidentally is my new job title. That's right kids, little Tankboy got a promotion! Tha… Read More

Notice that the only person sexualized in these opening credits is Lorenzo Lama. Presumably because Lorenzo didn't want anyone else to seem sexier than him.Please be careful watching this si… Read More

...because I don't feel like laboring on Labor Day. I've actually been up and busy since 6 a.m. so it's not like I'm completely work free today, but I think I can skip a post that requires t… Read More

I love that Marvel has a sense of humor, but I love even more that Chris Hemsworth pulls this off while still remaining convincingly in character.Bonus points for the extra Avenger cameo Read More

The office is nearly empty.I think I'm the only left who actually has any work to do.And we are all counting down the seconds until the clock strikes three and we are free, free, FREE for th… Read More

I'm down almost 20 pounds over the last three months. And I expect I'll drop anther 10 to 15 in the next three. The first half of this weight decrease was probably driven by unhealthy habits… Read More

Up until today it had been a bit of a week. Well, weeks. I haven't been feeling well and a bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff has kept me incredibly occupied. I can't go into all the details h… Read More

I'm not really familiar with K. Flay but I got sent a copy of her new EP, and while it's O.K. (not really knocking me out on every level) the lead off track "Blood In The Cut" is quite nice… Read More

I know I don't usually post inscrutable stuff here, so for once indulge me and let me write this for myself. Big steps are being made starting today that will have far reaching impact and a… Read More

Photo by Epic FireworksThat a lot of posts! I mean, maybe not to folks who are required to kick out 5-8 posts (or more) a day for their job. But for a little website I quietly started in May… Read More

Excellent presentation at work. Excellent fried chicken for lunch. Excellent progress in my James Bond movie watching. Excellent Read More

Photo by Laura CrostaYou should listen to it. Also I managed to get my hands on the new album and it is amazing. I can't wait to write about it closer to its release date Read More

Lately I've been spending a lot of time on my porch. I get home from work, make some dinner and listen to podcasts. And after the sun goes down I break out the iHome and listen to some tunes… Read More

This summer can bite me Read More

This summer can bite me Read More

At the last second I ended up seeing Wilco at Millennium Park last night and I'm glad I did. It was one of the best shows I've ever seen them play and I've been following the band since the… Read More

It's been a year. But I'm finally committed to taking steps to fix the stuff that has gone wrong over the past few months. It's both scary and freeing because I feel like I've finally turned… Read More

I know you're probably allergic to the concept of a punk rock concept album but this one is so, so good. Also, the last time I saw Direct Hit! I think I got a concussion. Or broke my cheek b… Read More

I've hit the point where my incredibly talented musician friends literally just make music for themselves. Lizz sent me these tracks a while ago and I only recently got a chance to listen to… Read More

I watched the Olympics for the first time tonight and 1) sat in awe and 2) realized that when you fall, or stumble, or fuck something up that the best thing to do is learn from your mistake… Read More

Another track often used to fight my Bummer Summer™ mood is this one. It has one of the most epic, perfect sounding choruses and it always makes me feel triumphant and happy Read More

I just celebrated my third anniversary at my 9-to-5. And I still really like my job. I’ve been lucky to move around quite a bit over the last couple of years and have touched pretty mu… Read More

It's been quite a few months, and aside from festivals and friends this summer has been rough. So I've listened to this song a lot. It is one of the most perfect pieces of pop and so sunny a… Read More

It took a while at the Apple Store but I have a new phone! Thank god I paid for AppleCare+. Being untethered for almost three days was a little refreshing though Read More

:(OK, not "cellphone free" in the good way. My phone decided to go for a swim Saturday afternoon so I've been without one since then. It's loss meant I wasn't getting any texts so my Sunday… Read More

Navy Gangs, photo via their Facebook pageMy serotonin levels feel low today so I need to amp things up with music.While digging through my playlist of albums sent to me for review considerat… Read More

My company's holiday party is today and a call for song requests went out, and I was trying to think of contemporary tunes that are dominating summer this year—and there aren't any. So… Read More

By far one of my favorite Lollapalooza moments this year Read More

I danced myself clean, for sure.I was fortunate enough to be able to score last minute tickets to the intimate LCD Soundsystem show at Metro last Saturday. It was the second night of a two-n… Read More

True love is giving your wife your C3 wristband.Over the last four days I've racked up quite an impressive number of stats!Miles walked: 47.02Air-conditioned bathrooms used: 2Portapotties us… Read More

Apparently this years Lolla uniform is no shirts for dudes and teeny tiny shorts and half-shirts (bras?) for girls. It makes me feel ancient Read More

Four days of Lollapalooza. Will I survive? Not drinking will certainly help but OH MY GOD WHY FOUR DAYS?! Read More

Photo by Annie LesserYou are welcome Read More

Lollapalooza. For four days. Will Tankboy survive? Read More

Winona Ryder in Stranger Things, and no, she's not an axe murderer.I've been trying to keep myself occupied and not going out, so I've been gorging myself on movies and television shows for… Read More

The Blake Babies! And they chatted with me ahead of their show so check that out! Read More

When I look through the early years of this site everything seems so exciting and dramatic. As one would expect the person over a decade older looks at that other guy with a bit of wonder. F… Read More

After so much writing last weekend I realized how little I’ve been writing lately, compared to my past. One of the reasons is physical, but the other has to do with my general motivati… Read More

Carly Rae Jepsen, photo by Annie LesserI admit I went into Pitchfork this year a little unsure of the bill, but I ended up really enjoying the bands. Read all my coverage!Pitchfork Day 1: St… Read More

I made it through my first festival in decades while staying sober! Holy makerel! Read More

Kicks off today! Read More

A photo I took at a long, long ago Pitchfork Music Festival.My preview is live over at Chicagoist! This is the first year I handled the whole thing solo, and it's also the longest preview we… Read More

I'm gonna see these cats play over the weekend and I really hope the tune above is in their set Read More

Another dead end.So the chiropractor could do nothing for my right arm, back and shoulder. After months of diligent efforts on his part he finally had to throw n the towel. I appreciated his… Read More

Jamie xx, photo by Flavien PrioreauHere's a fun little collection of all the samples used in Jamie xx's In Colour, an album that has been slowly growing on me.I mean "Gosh" is an immediate m… Read More

"Is this thing on?" Read More

It's getting to the point where I just don't want to leave the house or read the news any longer Read More

I'm officially middle-aged. I think I need to figure out what I want the second half (well, hopefully a little longer) of my life to look like. There are things in my world that are going we… Read More

It's been a rough couple of days, so here's a picture of the cake my co-workers got me for my birthday last week. It never fails to make me smile Read More

Photo by me. I had a great seat!It did not suck. Axl, Slash and Duff actually looked like they were having fun together!UPDATE: My review of the show is live! Read More