Every time I think things can’t get any worse, that the U.S. must have finally hit bottom bottom, I am proven horrifically wrong.I don’t even know what to say Read More

You should buy it now.I mean, I am certain I will spill a couple hundred words on it within the next few days but trust me when I say this is definitely worth your hard-earned cash. You won'… Read More

Partner, photo by Colin MedleyOh my god oh my god oh my god file this debut by Partner under one of those albums you happen to play as soon as you get it and it totally makes your day and po… Read More

Oh, I didn't? Well, I did.Also, in case you’re wondering, I shot this without being that annoying guy at the show holding his phone above his head and blocking everyone’s view. I… Read More

From Thursday through Monday most of my digital activity was in the realm of producing content via both my personal social channels and public articles on Chicagoist. One side effect of Loll… Read More

Time to go home, until next year, *sniff, sniff*Arcade Fire was great. Lollapalooza was great. It was my 18th Lolla, and Mich's 13th. I know, WHAT??Check out the wrap-up of Sunday's music an… Read More

I like this photo of Chance I took. Little Chance flanked by two BIG Chances!Finally! We got awesome weather!Oh yeah, and the music was good too. Read all about Saturday's Lolla goings on at… Read More

At least Mich looks badass!I feel like Goldilocks testing out the bears' porridge by this point!Check our recap of Friday at Lollapalooza on Chicagoist Read More

For once the title is literal. Bracing for rain today. Is Lollapalooza a Lollapalooza if there isn't some sort of crazy weather warning going into it? I would like to think, one year, the an… Read More

Before the rains came...Read the whole review of Thursday's kickoff to Lollapalooza weekend on Chicagoist. By boots are still soaked Read More

This anxiety-inducing photo is courtesy of Soaring Badger Productions. It’s not as scary from ground level, I promise.Four days of music, parties, afterparties, writing, more writing… Read More

"Hey, what're you listening to?"Huh, judging by the numbers, July was truly the cruelest month. I definitely found myself digging more into back catalogs of favorite artists as the more rece… Read More

Needles//PinsSometimes my immediate notes in my spreadsheet where I track everything I listen to, tell you everything about a band you really need to immediately know. Case in point these mu… Read More

Arcade Fire photo by Guy ArochThe new Arcade Fire album is fun. Some people appear turned off by that in fear the band has traded their authentic intensity for marketability—listen to… Read More

I am bonkers busy today so I'll keep this short.Waltham are masters of the power power-pop genre, and it's been far too long since their last musical outing, 2014's Wicked Waltham EP. Hopefu… Read More

Photo by mePink Floyd is one of my favorite bands of all time,  and was one of the groups that not only got me through high school but sent me firmly down the road of music collecting a… Read More

Photo by meI've seen Paul McCartney three times over the past few years, and each time I keep expecting him to start coasting on the nostalgia and phone it in, and every time he only puts on… Read More

I still can't believe I happened across this and was able to snap a photo on my way in Saturday night. The Metro is celebrating it’s 35th anniversary this year, and last weekend w… Read More

One of the major downsides to the new way of releasing music, to avoid digital leaks, is that music writers ten to have zero time to process any substantial thoughts as they race each other… Read More

I'm going to see Kesha for the first time since 2009 on Friday, attend a neighborhood block party on my new neighborhood block party Saturday afternoon, then attend and speak at the Metro 35… Read More

My love for The Struts runs deep. They craft the perfect kind of big ol’ fashioned rock and/or roll that makes boys fall in love with boys and girls fall in love with girls and everyon… Read More

Erik Jensen's channeling of Lester Bangs is both eye-opening and mind-blowing.No, this isn't an entry of how to be a rock critic, but rather to recommend you see the play How To Be A Rock Cr… Read More

This was perhaps one of the mellowest, most pleasant Pitchfork Music Festivals I've ever experienced. I am sore as heck from all the standing and walking, but the corwds, music, and overall… Read More

Let's get magical, photo from last year's P4K by Annie Lesser for ChicagoistI'm excite by this year's Pitchfork Music Festival bill, and am looking forward to seeing some old favorites and m… Read More

Today we move into our new house. I am SO EXCITED. And terrified. But mostly excited Read More

Carly Rae Jepsen played a small show last night, and Mich and I were lucky enough to attend. And it turned out to be the first time she's ever performed "Cut To The Feeling Live" so it's lik… Read More

Amidst all the insanity of moving and such, this evening will provide a musical bright spot when I get the chance to see Carly Rae Jepsen play a small, private show in Chicago. And afterward… Read More

Photo by me.These days, I don't often get truly nervous about getting on a guest list or not. I figure I make a request, and if it's accepted that's great and if not, that's O.K. too. But an… Read More

These stairs used to be covered in carpet!That title up there is pretty tongue in cheek, since there wasn't a whole lotta resting and relaxing going on this week.* What there was a lot of wa… Read More

The headline pretty much says all you need to know, huh?But here's a smidge more background for you: the tune is by Dublin's Tiny Magnetic Pets and appears on their new LP Deluxe / Debris, o… Read More

A drenched but happy post-Tom Petty concert June photo.A few days late, but the breakdown is in—I picked up the pace in June and was rewarded with an unusually high number of pretty me… Read More

I've gotta say, Keitel and Roth are still lookin' pretty fine.The movie starring a bunch of the guys in the photo above, gathered in a reunion shot to celebrate said film, just came on the c… Read More

Fast Romantics photo by Jen SquiresToronto's Fast Romantics have been around a while, but they're new to me. I played a game with Mich to see if she had the same reaction to the opening… Read More

Fig. 1First of all, I would like to thank Jay-Z for dropping his new album, the first of his I actually think is worth all the hype that's usually showered on him, on my birthday so I could… Read More

Here’s an unexpected little gem from French artist Matt Springfield that popped up in my mailbox today. “Poplife! (Single Mix)” is a musical tweaking of a track that origin… Read More

You’re faced with what feels like a million decisions all at once, and no answer feels right because this is YOUR FUTURE you’re deciding on. Everything from changing locks to rep… Read More

After listening to the Baby Driver soundtrack, it's obvious Edgar Wright has taken the mantle of Master Movie Mixtape Maker™ from Quentin Tarantino. Not a clunker in the lot, If you've… Read More

Everything is still upended by Friday's big purchase so please enjoy this relatively new video from one of my favorite bands of 2017.Like the song in the video? Then download it for free in… Read More

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!Still in a bit of shock. And got pulled into work over the weekend so I haven't had time to properly process everything that happened this morning. But I promise more pictur… Read More

This time tomorrow, I will be a homeowner.It's aiming to be one of the most exciting, thrilling, terrifying, paralyzing, euphoric, confusing, confounding, transformative moments in my life.I… Read More

Photo via San Cisco's Facebook pageI knew very little about Australia's San Cisco before yesterday. Aside from their new album The Water showing up in my inbox a while ago, the only oth… Read More

I got hip to Green Day just a titch too late to have seen them in any basements, though I had plenty of friends who did. I love how this video weaves grainy, early 924 Gilman Street fo… Read More

Photo by veronika_kI'm almost done with Simon Reynolds' Shock And Awe: Glam Rock and Its Legacy, from the Seventies to the Twenty-First Century, which has taken me longer than I anticipated… Read More

I chatted with Pricetitution's creator on Chicagoist.The game beat it's Kickstarter goal of $10,000 hours before kicking off and now they're hoping to hit $20,000 with a week still to go. He… Read More

The History Of Colour TV, photo by Tanja PippiThe History Of Color TV is based in Germany but led by British singer/guitarist Jaike Stambach. So the head-on slam of styles between austere ga… Read More

MINKASometimes the opening line of a press bio actually does nail what you can expect from a band:MINKA is a dance band. They live, breathe, and procreate in Philadelphia. They will play you… Read More

Photo by Alysse GafkjenSo I admit that I’d been avoiding listening to the new Dan Auerbach album. I don’t have anything personal against the dude, but I’d grown a little ti… Read More

Do you suffer from the same malady of missed mid-day meals? Read More

The Atomic Numbers operated out of Detroit in the late '90s and is one of those bands that I remember seeing for the first time and thinking "oh my god they are in my head how do they know t… Read More

A while ago someone asked me why they haven’t read a review from me slamming this band or that in a very long time. And the obvious reason is that today, unless it’s a really big… Read More

In no particular order, and these all rank for just being, you know, just satisfying and perfect. Resolution need not apply:NewhartBreaking BadThe LeftoversM*A*S*HMad MenBattlestar Gallactic… Read More

Boss Hog, photo by Jeri LampertI was supposed to see Boss Hog last weekend but life and work got in the way. I haven’t seen the band since they played The Metro in the late &lsquo&hell…Read More

...and this is one of the smaller pieces! Photo by me.As alluded to Friday, I went to the amazing press preview for Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg at the MCA in Chicago… Read More

Mind. Blown.Look for a full report and photos I took on Chicagoist next week! Read More

I know. The hair's getting out of control.Hm, May seemed pretty below average, music-wise. I listened to less albums, and most of the ones I did scored on the lower end of the spectrum. I do… Read More

I mentioned Arlo got a lot of play over the last week or so, but I was just traipsing through my Last.fm account and realized the Direct Hit! got A LOT of play over just the last weekend.Her… Read More

Image via The Beatles' Facebook pageI’m not even gonna dip my toe into the never-ending argument over the merits of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band versus other records in… Read More

I'm coming down with something again. For a guy who was always pretty hale and hearty, the fact I've been ill so often in the last year or so really has me starting to doubt my immortality! Read More

My friend Bernie kew the guys in Arlo and took me to a few of their shows. I was an instant convert to their wild performances, full of crackling energy and undeniable power-pop hooks.Stab… Read More

The Harringtons are a power trio out of the U.K. Yeah, blah blah blah, so what?Here's what.They are a trio of teenagers channeling explosive hooks with straight roots to the family tree The… Read More

Regular readers should be familiar with these characters from over the years.Huh, the month of May seems to be rife with digital anniversaries for me. On May 24, 2002, the very first post ap… Read More

Elf Power, photo by Sandra RekElf Power, the Elephant 6 affiliated ensemble, has been going strong for over two decades, and while I haven’t really kept tabs on them as much in recent… Read More

There are plenty of hot takes and think pieces out there covering the first couple episodes of Twin Peaks: The Return, so I won’t ad to the pile. I’m really just enjoying allowin… Read More

From an actual 2009 Chicagoist post. No kidding.Twelve years ago today I started writing for Chicagoist.Twelve years.I can still remember sending Scott Smith my first email answering the cal… Read More

I shit you not, stomping around a friend's kitchen in 1991, long hair flailing, un-ironic flannels, boys and girls blending together, me DJing with cassette tape and blasting "Searching With… Read More

Remember when the news cycle at least started to slow down after 5 p.m. most days? Read More

Did you used to gather in a friends dorm room to watch each new episode of Twin Peaks in college? I did. It is, of just about any TV show, is impossible to convey just what a true aberration… Read More

Tonight's Hall And Oates show was pretty great. It flagged a little in the middle—definitely the longest set I've seen them turn in the numerous times I've caught them live—but I… Read More

Threw in the towel. Took the day off work. And while I still worked half a day—time waits for no one—I still managed to also sleep for the other half of the day. And it was exact… Read More

Do you ever look at your unlistened-to podcast feed and feel filled with anxiety?Oh, that's just me being a weirdo?Never mind, Carry on Read More

But I never got more than 30 seconds into a song. Not because they weren't good, but because I was so busy.THAT SAID the snippets I heard were weird, wild, and not what I expected. So, tomor… Read More

I feel like this building looks. Another sad demolition in Bucktown. I should have called in sick to work yesterday.I definitely should have called into work today.But I couldn’t… Read More

Is it as instant winning as the first Guardians Of The Galaxy? I don’t think it could be. But it’s still wildly entertaining, and unafraid to pick in plenty of ephemera to please… Read More

It's no secret that White Reaper's The World's Best America Band is one of my favorite records this year. And tonight I will have a chance to finally catch them live. I am so excited! I feel… Read More

Since I was out of town earlier this week, and Mich is out of town this weekend, tonight is date night!We really need to schedule more of these ahead of time. It’s funny how much less… Read More

I'm in New Orleans for a client meeting and had a lucky chance to get out and show a co-worker a brief glimpse of the city outside our hotel. We ate beignets, drank chicory coffee and took i… Read More

Looks like April was a little slower as far as plowing through the new music queue. I was on vacation for part of the month, and spent most of that time reading instead of listening. I&rsquo&hell…Read More

Gorillaz in Chicago in 2010, photo by me.My review of the first new Gorillaz album in 7 years is on Chicagoist! Read it! Read More

Ryan Leas’ 33 1/3 tome examining LCD Soundsystem’s Sound Of Silver ended up being a  really satisfying read.I won't delve deeply into the generational disassociation I initi… Read More

Perhaps I should adopt the mantra, "Be like the Pickle."I’ve been seriously considering if I need to change my relationship to how I listen to music. I’ve grown so used to search… Read More

Photo from the Cheap Trick website by Ethan GillikinThink about it.Cheap Trick's first three albums are nigh perfect yet if it wasn't for a fluke live album of a Japanese concert they m… Read More

Stumbled across this and it felt like a lovely Monday morning eye-opener Read More

Charly Bliss, photo by Jacqueline HarrietI mentioned Charly Bliss a while ago, and their length debut Guppy is finally out today. It is easily one of my favorite albums of 2017, and if… Read More

Riding the CTA is now a time to relax instead of get steadily more angry about the quality of the commute. Driving in traffic has turned into something far more tranquil. Even the cable goin… Read More

I still organize music as if I'm DJing, though I admit that the days I moved from CDs ti tankPODs probably marked the beginning of the end for me. Sure it was way easier to travel with a ton… Read More

Photo by me.As usual they pretty great. Not as per usual, I actually got to see them play their own concert instead of in a festival slot, and that's something I haven't had the chance to do… Read More

Not a bad view for a Saturday afternoonA post shared by Tankboy (@jkopeny) on Apr 15, 2017 at 3:00pm PDTWe spent the weekend in lovely St. Joseph, MI at one of our favorite B&Bs. It was… Read More

Whether you celebrate this holiday or not I think we can all agree on one thing—this photo rocks Read More

Enjoy your weekend, y'all Read More

Sometimes the most banal can reveal the most unexpected rewards. Sometimes you just have to commit Read More

The much vaunted Rolling Stones exhibit landing in Chicago is heavy on artifice and light on context. In other words it feels like an extended RRHOF exhibit plopped down at he far end of Chi… Read More

The lovely folks at the Dig Me Out podcast had me on with a couple other music aficionados* this week to discuss whether or not Veruca Salt's second album, Eight Arms To Hold You, was a… Read More

Whips is a Milwaukee "supergroup" featuring members of The Academy Is..., Red Knife Lottery, Space Raft, Hot Coffin, and Call Me Lightning. And yea, The Academy Is... is the only name I reco… Read More

Spring is flinging new releases our way in what feels like an ever increasing pace. I took a few moments to write up reviews of four albums that came out today, including Father John Misty… Read More

Sonny FallsWhen Sonny Falls took the stage before Dude York last Saturday I had no idea what to expect. The band had just the right amount of a redneck hipster vibe going on that I wasn't ex… Read More

I dug last year's Bleached LP, and their new EP Can You Deal? further sharpens their fuzzed out pop chops into a four song blast of heat and toothy smiles. The weather in Chicago right now c… Read More

Me and one of my listening companions.After a relatively quiet February, I kicked back into high gear during March.The release schedule seems to be picking up in general and that, coupled wi… Read More

My official bio from the program, click in to enlarge and chuckle.Saturday morning, I appeared on a panel titled Issues in Music Journalism, as part of the 2017 MEIEA Educators Summit… Read More

Can you guess which of these is NOT a band I wrote about?I've mentioned quite a few of these bands on this site in the past, but since it has been so dreary in Chicago the last few days I wo… Read More

I listened to Jamiroquai's new album Automaton yesterday, and to my surprise I found myself playing it—of my own volition!—again today.Whilst He-Of-The-Big-Hats has shown a knack… Read More