Charles Stepney: Out of the ShadowsRotary Connection 222, a large ensemble led by bassist Junius Paul, will perform music from the catalog of Charles Stepney under the creative direction of the Stepney family and Chicago record label International Anthem. Damon Locks & Black Monument Ensemble open. Thu 8/18, 6:30 PM, Pritzker Pavilion, 201 E. Randolph, […]
Author Archives: Ayana Contreras
Posted inBest of Chicago
Best rainy Sunday-afternoon activity
Perhaps on a spring day, when the falling water draws out the musky smell of earth and everything seems to be coming alive, or maybe in the fall, when the cold shards of rain feel more menacing than welcome—no matter the season, there’s no better place to be than a record store on a rainy […]
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P.S. Studios, where a musician recorded musicians
Paul Serrano, founder of P.S. Studios, was a south-sider at his core. Once a student of Captain Walter Dyett’s famed music program at DuSable High School, he forged a path as a young trumpeter in New York before settling back in Chicago and playing on sessions up and down the city’s storied Record Row. By […]
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Cadien Lake James’s greatest moment in Chicago music history
Twin Peaks guitarist Cadien Lake James honors the lessons that the city’s early house scene taught today’s DIY garage rockers.
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Damon Locks’s greatest moment in Chicago music history
Black Monument Ensemble founder Damon Locks still feels the ripples from Soul Train 50 years after its Chicago premiere.
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Martin Atkins’s greatest moment in Chicago music history
With his supergroup Pigface, industrial-music veteran Martin Atkins brings together all sorts of scenes onstage.
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Vince Lawrence’s greatest moment in Chicago music history
House-music pioneer Vince Lawrence remembers the huge scene-defining parties he helped throw as a teenager.
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Rhymefest’s greatest moment in Chicago music history
Veteran rapper and activist Rhymefest remembers an all-star festival by and for the community.
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Sima Cunningham’s greatest moment in Chicago music history
Ohmme cofounder Sima Cunningham spent years in a children’s choir that sang for the Dalai Lama—and she hopes to help such groups continue nurturing young musicians.
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Lori Branch’s greatest moments in Chicago music history
Pioneering house DJ Lori Branch shouts out her fellow Windy City originators, including Chaka Khan and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.