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Saxophonist Don Dietrich continues to push his instrument beyond limits
Many of the best sounds in music come from pushing a piece of equipment past its limits. Obvious examples include what Jimi Hendrix created with his electric guitar and amplifier, and what King Tubby...
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Mike Krol makes rock by his own numbers on Power Chords
Mike Krol makes the kind of distorted pop-rock that’s so sunny it’s liable to burn you till your skin begins to peel. He’s as much a student of the sort of magic that allows punk fury and pop...
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Chicago rapper Mykele Deville shows why he's one to watch this year with...
Any media outlet referencing west-side native Mykele Deville should be required to include a brief of his CV, partially because he’s established himself as proficient in several roles: poet, actor,...
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Jazz quartet Black Diamond debut their new album at eclectic show Zoetic
Black Diamond recorded their brand-new album, Chant (Shifting Paradigm), during a five-week residency at beloved Logan Square venue the Whistler. But rather than host a traditional release show, the...
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Evanston's Manwolves hunt for pop gold with the help of hip-hop, jazz, and...
There’s a dangerously high likelihood that a group of white guys who heavily incorporate hip-hop's aesthetics and rapping into their sound will fall into that odd frat-rock zone occupied by jam...
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Buncha Hanoi is an ambassador for a once obscure regional dish
A North Vietnamese specialty takes the stage in Glenview. Progress is not a straight line . . . I think things are gonna work out."…
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Strange 90s benefits local music champion Jerry Bryant
For a brief time in the 90s, Chicago’s vibrant music community took its turn in the national spotlight—Billboard magazine even dubbed the city “cutting edge’s new capital” in 1993 as artists including...
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Chicago jazz hero Joshua Abrams and his Natural Information Society bottle...
Chicago jazz and improvisational linchpin Joshua Abrams could continue to explore the outer reaches of minimalism with his Natural Information Society ensemble for decades and have no trouble creating...
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Berlin-based violinist Biliana Voutchkova comes to Chicago for two...
The music of Berlin-based violinist Biliana Voutchkova crosses styles and spans centuries. She plays baroque classical and free improvisation with pianist Antonis Anissegos, interacts with dancers and...
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Eartheater makes art music to enchant and devour you
New York-based Alexandra Drewchin, also known as Eartheater, creates mellow music that terrifies and/or terrifying music to sink back and relax to. On her most recent album, last year's, IRISIRI...
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Baltimore's Angel Dust upend hardcore on Pretty Buff
If you just looked at the pedigree of Baltimore five-piece Angel Dust (preferably styled with a dollar sign in place of the S) you might think they were a hardcore group—members Justice Tripp and Dan...
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Vince Staples shows he’s a master of satire and subversive cultural critique...
In contemporary hip-hop, Vince Staples is without parallel when it comes to sneering wit. The Los Angeles MC’s concise 2018 Def Jam dispatch, FM!, is a colorful, subversive assessment of contemporary...
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Nashville blues rockers All Them Witches find success in scaling down
All Them Witches are a heavy blues-rock band from Nashville that recently pared down to a trio following some lineup hiccups on the keyboards late last year. The group are kicking off a long tour...
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Rockabilly legends the Flesh Eaters reunite on I Used to Be Pretty
It's been more than 38 years since the Flesh Eaters released their acclaimed second album, 1981’s A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die. But the classic version of the ragtag rockabilly group that made...
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Body/Head continue to push boundaries and champion the Sonic Youth spirit on...
Kim Gordon always struck me as the Sonic Youth member most rooted in a primal punk foundation. Her no-frills bass lines anchored the chaos surrounding them, and the songs she sang lead on always...
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Maren Morris keeps breaking country taboos on Girl
Mainstream pop audiences were largely introduced to country singer Maren Morris through last year’s smash hit “The Middle,” her collaboration with Russia-born German producer Zedd and electronic duo...
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Evolving Chicago rock outfit Arthhur find their groove on Lost in the Walled...
On December’s Lost in the Walled City (self-released), Chicago's Arthhur sound like they would’ve been signed to DFA Records if they’d been around in the early aughts, but they’ve only been releasing...
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Indo-Chinese food escapes from the suburbs at WokNChop
Wok this way to a subcontinental chicken wing that demands your respect."We have eaten meat on a stick ever since the caveman killed his first chicken. It was a simple logic.…
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Eilen Jewell plays old country, old blues, and something new
Boise native Eilen Jewell has been recording Americana and roots music for close to 15 years, and she continues to find new material and new approaches; in concert, she's as likely to launch into a...
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Electro-psych misfits Black Moth Super Rainbow slow down on Panic Blooms
For nearly two decades Pittsburgh band Black Moth Super Rainbow have twisted psych, lo-fi electronics, trip-hop, noise, and cybernetic pop into wondrous shapes that the most imaginative...
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