This band has gotten me through a lot of rough moments this year. And it's ironic it was at one of their shows I hit one of my lowest points. But they've helped keep me going. I can't recomm… Read More

I know most folks are off this week, so I don't have much to say. But I do know I'm not going to miss 2017 Read More

So here is a golden oldie of Pickle being adorable Read More

For the first time in my life I'm working for a company that is actually closed between Christmas and New Year's. Yay! Happy holidays! Read More

I am 100% with Amber on this one Read More

Like you, I have no idea what the future holds. But I do know there is no way 2018 could be worse than 2017, so there's that Read More

I literally know zero about Burkes aside than the fact they’re from Chicago, sent me their EP in October, and it took me until yesterday to finally listen to it. Sorry dudes!If you&rsq&hell…Read More

I know 99% know this as the theme to The Golden Girls, but man, the original full-length version is such a jam. My hat's off to Boing Boing for originally posting this so I had something lov… Read More

Photo by Johan BjörklundI was going through Ye Olde tankPHONE (which is getting slower by the day, so thanks for that Apple and iOS 11!) and came across this 7' from Swedish punk glam g… Read More

Check out this interactive job application and find out! Read More

I've always really enjoyed DJ Earworm's mash-ups, and while this year's "United States of Pop" isn't quite as awesome as previous years—let's face it, it was a pretty weak year for po… Read More

I was lucky enough to catch a screening of David Bowie: The Last Five Years when it played CIMMfest last November, and it is just as excellent and heart-breaking as you'd expect it to be.I c… Read More

Hannah DiamondPC Music popster Hannah Diamond just surprise released a new EP, Soon I won’t see you at all. It’s a lovely little glittering piece of pop that feels like a blast o… Read More

Photo by Patrick HoudekIt's been a rough year, and sometimes I start to doubt whether I really have much to say about the rock and/or roll anymore, but Sunday's show at Liar's Club reaffirme… Read More

I think Lemuria is one of those bands that's kind of just always been around that I never really got around to checking out. They're surprise releasing a new album, Recreational Hate, this w… Read More

There have been highs, there have been lows, and there's been much to think about. But the one thing I'm certain of is that I am ecstatic it's Friday! Read More

Joan Jett helps Debbie Harry out at the anchor desk in the new video for Blondie's "Doom Or Destiny" of this year's Pollinator. And it kicks so much ass!Also, if you haven't checked out… Read More

MAMA, photo by Amanda Olbrys from their Facebook pageA friend recommended I check out Chicago’s MAMA a few months ago and I went in without having checked out any of their music a… Read More

When I'm feeling blue, looking at this adorable photo of Sasha the Cat helps.Yeah, this was a miserable month for me. I'm pretty certain November 2017 will long be remembered as a personally… Read More

I've been on vacation since Thursday, and have avoided most things digital over that time. Since Chicagoist shuttered I've been feeling like maybe I don't have to be so plugged in all the ti… Read More

You can kill the website, but you can't kill Mich's events! Check out 20 things to do in Chicago for December!Huzzah! Read More

We still have another day to go, but my list of albums listened to in the month of November is looking pretty slim.Sadface Read More

The KickbackI keep meaning to write a proper review of The Kickback’s Weddings & Funerals, but each time I was going to try and tie it to one of their shows, said show would get ca… Read More

TelethonI don’t think it will surprise anyone that I’m only slowly starting to get back into the groove of listening to new music. After the events of November 2, it’s take… Read More

I’m noticing more groups are releasing holiday theme albums populated by original material, giving me hope that while folks will always love the “classics” perhaps the cano… Read More

Tove LoLet's brighten things up a bit today.I'm really enjoying Tove  Lo's new album, BLUE LIPS (lady wood phase II). It's smart and edgy pop,Her music is dirty, sexy stuff, mining… Read More

I am thankful for these goofballs.The year of 2017, in particular the month of November, has been pretty much awful. So as I read feeds full of posts about how thankful everyone is for every… Read More

Charlotte Gainsbourg's Rest is really helping be get through today. May favorite track is probably "Sylvia Says," but that doesn't seem to be a single (yet?), so here's another upbeat favori… Read More

Does it just seem like nothing is getting any better, anywhere? It's really starting to get to me. I was hoping after a year of this I'd finally be in a place where it felt like progress was… Read More

Truth Read More

I'm not looking forward to it Read More

Who knew Pickle was the Shadow Monster???!!! Read More

When I saw this promo last night on TV I had just finished writing yesterday's piece on Elton John and I immediately burst out laughing. Were Chicagoist still around, this would be appearing… Read More

Elton John, photo by Terry O'NeillSo the new mega-collection of Elton John music popped into my inbox, and I just sort of absent-mindedly put it on. Almost 4 hours later I ended up star… Read More

Sitting in judgement.Well, this was a tad delayed, huh.I was on a real listening tear in October, trying to get ahead of the 4th quarter flood of releases while also realizing that this year… Read More

It should be up soon, but here's a peek into my review of the new Taylor Swift album.To me this is Swift’s power—she is super famous but she is also just like us. To a point that… Read More

It's been quite a week and I just have zero juice in me, so instead this debut album from Warbly Jets Read More

Blame the guy on the left for "Tankboy" remaining my byline. Photo by Rachelle Bowden.It's been quite a week of personal loss for me. At the same time, there is only so much mourning you can… Read More

The Wrens in 2009, photo by meFrom our earliest years other periodicals constantly wrote Chicagoist off as a "news aggregation" site.* And then couldn't figure out how we kept slowly and ste… Read More

10th anniversary koozies. And yes we still have some in our house. Want one?A key takeaway in this New York Times piece, that almost every other piece has missed while focusing on the DNAinf… Read More

I need some time to gather my own thoughts about the sudden and unexpected shuttering of the website I dedicated the last 12+ years of my life writing for, but for now I recommend reading th… Read More

ZooLights image courtesy of Lincoln Park Zoo.I'm under the weather and don't feel like writing today, but luckily for you Mich has assembled a terrific list of 20 things to do in Chicago dur… Read More

The Struts, photo by me.Monday night's The Struts concert was really, really great. And a reminder you can be arena-worthy and still remain gracious entertainers and good people. Check out m… Read More

This Halloween has seemed much less festive than recent years. I don't know if it's the general social climate, or the fact that it's no longer a big drinking or partying holiday for me any… Read More

Jesus Jones Liquidizer (1990)Jane’s Addiction Nothing’s Shocking (1990)Walt Mink Miss Happiness (1992)Flaming Lips In A Priest Driven Ambulance (1990)Mercury Rev Yerself Is Steam… Read More

The ground work was laid so it was only a matter of time before my music collection began to grow exponentially with the crossing paths of college and my first credit card.It took me seven y… Read More

I, much like most other folks, really hit my musical stride in high school. In junior high there was this girl at the Catcholic School I went to named Mary Jo Gormley. She had hair dyed gold… Read More

Streets Of Fire (1984)Ghostbusters (1984)Footloose (1984)Top Gun (1986)I think the next major stage in my musical development must have come at the hands of the movie soundtrack explosion in… Read More

As the high and low-brow seem to decrease the expanse that divides the two and sentimentality begins to overtake ironic detachment I think the world is finally prepared for music writers, or… Read More

Before we dig into my deep musical past, let's celebrate Triple Fast Action's Cattlemen Don't, released 20 years ago this week Read More

So I uncovered a series of posts I did for Done Waiting back in (gasp!) 2004 that tracked my musical milestones from grade school through early college, and since that site has long since be… Read More

How is this the only time I recall actually seeing it, though?! Read More

God I'm getting old.It's hard to convey just how huge this album made INXS. And that they were kind of considered "underground" and edgy prior to their world domination. Listen Like Thieves… Read More

The new series of Embedded examines Donald Trump's past in hopes of shedding light on what to expect from his political future. At least I think that's what their goal is.Perhaps what's most… Read More

The Daily Show is in town taping four episodes in Chicago and Mich and I were lucky enough to get invited to tonight's taping. I should probably make the embarrassing admission that I realiz… Read More

Wand, photo by Sofia Arreguin. Which, I guess, makes this a sort of selfie?On Plum, Wand is less a psych band and more a classic rock band. This ends up delivering a solid album that, for me… Read More

Note: I just noticed this draft has been sitting around since the first half of this year! I think I remembered it primarily because I was listening to the Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack… Read More

Photo via Liam Gallagher's InstagramI know you think I'm kidding, but I'm not. First of all, Liam Gallagher's AMA was remarkably straightforward. There was some humor, to be sure, but he act… Read More

WATERS, photo by Cara RobbinsWow, I really sat on this one. You see, since I have long lists of albums to listen to, I often spin the ones that seem like they might be more "difficult"… Read More

I don't know if this will help you, but I've found it helps me. Here are a few tips on how to consume political news in a relatively responsible manner that may help you from constantly frea… Read More

Photo by Photo by Cara Robbins Photography from the Diane Coffee Facebook page.Diane Coffee's new 2 song release, Peel, is out later this month. It glam-tastic. And fabulous. And really… Read More

I really wish my dad were alive to see the Blade Runner sequel Read More

Mothership sounds exactly like this photo looks. Photo by James Villa via the band's Facebook page.Short, sweet and to the point today.Mothership, a Texas groovy power trio, bears a lot… Read More

On my way to Riot Fest a few weeks ago...2017 is really shaping up to be a pretty mediocre year, musically. At least based on my personal rating system and the hundreds of albums I&rsqu&hell…Read More

Photo by me.My earliest memories of Tom Petty were of his videos on constant rotation in the earlier days of MTV. I always thought the videos were inventive, but my pre-teen tastes ran more… Read More

Below is an incredibly useful guide for translating what is what in a breaking news story. Given the horrific events of the past couple of hours, and the non-stop media coverage that has fol… Read More

True story. I had this t-shirt on this morning because I freaking love White Reaper, and it's Friday, and I rarely wear t-shirts to the office anymore, so I was excited.Then, just before I l… Read More

In Chicago, when you hear the announcement, or see a message on one of the boards, that trains are delayed due to "a sick passenger" we all know it doesn't mean someone has a severe cold.We… Read More

One of my favorite movie soundtracks, and let's face it, great power pop albums, of all time was just released on vinyl! You can get it here.My only regret is that I didn't have enough money… Read More

Bad Bad HatsDid I really never write about Bad Bad Hats? That seems really odd, since I remember enjoying 2015's Psychic Reader quite a bit. I have no idea how it got lost in the shuffle.I h… Read More

You said it, Wyatt Read More

Oliver SippleThis week’s Radio Lab about the story around Walter Sipple is a must-listen. Sipple is the man who foiled an assassination attempt on Gerald Ford in 1975, and subsequently… Read More

In that case, I’m just gonna dive into this song and not come back up for a bit, if that’s OK with you.Mainly because every time I hear it I'm back at Lollapalooza watching Brand… Read More

It's actually even longer now, but I really love this photo.I think my hair officially identifies as "long" again. In fact I don't think it's been this long since, say, the late '90s. And wh… Read More

Deep State.Last night I went to go see a friend’s band, but of course I misjudged the time and completely missed their set. I satire around anyway, to catch Deep State, a band I didn't… Read More

Peaches prepares for a little crowd walking.I can't even go into how fun this weekend was, or how many great bands I saw, or just how ridiculously happy I was by the close of Sunday night.Bu… Read More

Getting amped up for the weekend with a little slice of new CRJ video goodness. Here we go! Read More

You never know who you'll run into at Riot Fest, photo by Tyler LaRiviereIt's almost time and the countdown clock is on to my favorite Chicago (anywhere in the world?) music festival!Here ar… Read More

Well, whaddya know! No sooner do I wonder what it would be like if all those bands from the pre-full digital age but post-label domination phase would start posting their work from that time… Read More

The Heavy Blinkers, photo courtesy of the band.I won’t pretend for one second that when The Heavy Blinkers came on my headphones as I was listening to my massive 2017 Albums To Review… Read More

I wrote the following this morning, and it's been poking at my brain through the day so I thought maybe it was worth sharing here as well.‪It's amazing how many things about us that mi… Read More

The National, photo by me.I won't go into it here, so read my review. Suffice to say after years of feeling pretty ambivalent, The National's new album Sleep Well Beast has finally made me a… Read More

I've known Brad Peterson a long time, and have always really enjoyed his music. He's sort of been off the scene for a couple of years, but he's finally returning with The Ellipsis Album, lat… Read More

Photo via the Lore Facebook pageIt's never too early for Halloween prep!So, I just recently stumbled across the Lore podcast to help get in the mood. All the episodes are pretty short, and t… Read More

August is usually a month of slow news everywhere but in the music community. Some of the bigger releases began rolling out over the month, and it’s a couple weeks that are also full o… Read More

The Cool Kids with Chance the Rapper, photo by Tyler LaRiviere for ChicagoistChance the Rapper came out on stage with The Cool Kids yesterday and it was pretty great. I was at the set becaus… Read More

Of course James Murphy looks tired, LCD Soundystem is a lot of work! Photo by Ruvan WijesooriyaLike 98% of the music loving population I took news of LCD Soundsystem's "reunion" with a bit o… Read More

Or maybe that's the only thing he understands? That is all Read More

I really love The Economist. I'm not completely politically aligned with all their editorial views, but their thoughtful coverage of current events is excellent. Unfortunately, since they're… Read More

Summer cold finally gone? Check.Back on a regular gym schedule? Check.All systems returned to 100% productivity? Check.Library of books unpacked? Check.Caught up on all my new music listenin… Read More

Photo by me. Lady Gaga knows how to make an entrance!I saw Lady Gaga at Wrigley Field on Friday and the show was great. And our seats were amazing.It was funny, many folks I see shooting sho… Read More

Who wouldn't want to front Green Day, even for a minute?! This was awesome. Photo by me.Check out my photos and review from last night's Green Day show at Wrigley Field!I've been thinking ab… Read More

One year ago today I made a big decision to try and improve my life. I know 2017 has been rough on everyone but, personally, 2016 was a far, darker year for me. It’s been a journey of… Read More

If you get a project do you ever find yourself emailing yourself idea snippets at 3 a.m., or taking a break from a group dinner to take down some notes before you forget? Or are you an &ldqu&hell…Read More

While unpacking, I found my Insights Discovery blocks from a previous job—they were big on the program—and the resulting order from "Yes, this is how I best communicate!" to "Thi… Read More

Come on, how AMAZING is this Arcadea promo shot? Photo by Jenny BishopAside from sharing that excellent new Varsity track on Wednesday, I fear my posts have been on a bit of a bummer run lat… Read More

Seriously, nice scarf dude. Marvel's The Defenders, photo by Sarah Shatz/NetflixThe DefendersJust about the right length, and I liked seeing Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and even Iro… Read More

I’m just so tired and sluggish so much of the time lately. Yes, part of it is a summer cold that won’t quit, but I’m beginning to think I’m starting to just grow wear… Read More

VARSITY, photo by Aleia + AlexI can’t remember how I got into Chicago’s VARSITY in the first place. It feels like I might have either stumbled into an opening set of the ban… Read More

I've been offline most of the day, home sick with a summer cold that just won't let go, and of course as soon as I logged on this evening I was met with this news. Not that I should have bee… Read More