Update 6:22 PM Fri 10/22: This story has been changed to add a comment from Bloodshot Records cofounder Nan Warshaw. Bloodshot Records, the Chicago record label that launched the alternative-country genre in the mid-1990s, was purchased this week by a newly formed global investment group that plans to manage and monetize its back catalog. Exceleration […]
Author Archives: Mark Guarino
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Chuck Prophet’s songwriting keeps getting better
Update 8/10: Chuck Prophet’s SPACE concert in August has been postponed till March 17, 2022. The FitzGerald’s show in October is still scheduled to proceed. If the best parts of your classic British Invasion, 50s country, 60s pop, and pure rock ’n’ roll records could be transformed into a person, they might look and sound […]
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Dennis J. Leise grows his own
Dennis J. Leise’s Indiana farm doesn’t just produce food—it’s also the wellspring for his smart, witty country and rockabilly tunes.
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Chicago’s Thomas Comerford assembles a cast of local musicians for an album of beguiling country
Chicago has its share of bands playing country or alternative country, but Thomas Comerford’s lonesome sound is in a category of its own. Comerford straddles the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s and the dusty, deadpan observations of psychedelic iconoclasts such as Bill Callahan. He’s also an independent filmmaker—he teaches film and art history at the […]
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Josh Caterer reinvents standards with a new band in The Hideout Sessions
Don’t let the live vibe fool you—The Hideout Sessions features no cheering, no clapping, and no cries for “Freebird.” Josh Caterer, lead singer of the Smoking Popes for 30 years, recorded this new collection of songs and covers pandemic style last October: he played to no one, just cameras that livestreamed the show from the […]
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Azita has more to say and more ways to say it
For Glen Echo, Azita Youssefi’s first album in more than eight years, she played and recorded every instrument herself.
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Rest in peace to Chicago drummer Joe Camarillo
Beloved drummer and collaborator extraordinaire Joe Camarillo built a long resumé, which includes decades playing with the Waco Brothers and Hushdrops.
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Will Bloodshot Records stay in the saddle?
Internal strife, unpaid royalties, and the looming possibility of a sale have forced venerable Chicago indie Bloodshot Records to a crossroads.
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Judson Claiborne confront humanity’s downfall with beautiful songs on When a Man Loves an Omen
When humanity’s ship goes down due to a global pandemic, vulture capitalism, and corrupt politics, the band picking and singing the final notes will be Chicago’s Judson Claiborne. So this month—when we’re grappling with the messy aftermath of an election while watching COVID-19 cases skyrocket before our eyes—feels like the perfect time for Christopher Salveter, […]
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Disharmony at the Old Town School
The Old Town School’s new union fears the administration is treating teachers like commodities, not inspirations.
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Goodbye to songwriter Michael Smith
With “The Dutchman” and other widely recorded songs, Michael Smith created emotional realities that let you feel along with his characters.
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Jason Wilber transports the thoughtful, minimalism of his work with John Prine into his new album Time Traveler
Jason Wilber is known to audiences around the world for his impeccable guitar tones and tasteful playing in support of the late John Prine over the past 25 years. As Prine’s musical director, Wilber helped steer him back to the minimal sound of his records from the early 70s and, in the process, showcased that […]
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Musical time traveler Paul Burch creates vivid, impressionistic stories on Light Sensitive
Paul Burch is a musical time traveler: four years ago he released Meridian Rising, a pristine concept album in the voice of Jimmie Rodgers, the greatest pop star of the Great Depression era. The choice made sense, since Burch likewise is an expert stylist who meshes past popular genres but always manages to sound like […]
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Did John Prine die for Donald Trump’s sins?
The cruelty, ignorance, and incompetence of the federal pandemic response have cost the life of beloved singer-songwriter John Prine, who stood against all those things.
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Why won’t City Hall fight for Chicago’s homegrown music scene?
The Chicago Independent Venue League shouldn’t have to push back against the Live Nation handouts in the Lincoln Yards development—but City Hall doesn’t protect Chicago’s homegrown music scene.