With “The Dutchman” and other widely recorded songs, Michael Smith created emotional realities that let you feel along with his characters.
Author Archives: Mark Guarino
Posted inMusic
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.
Posted inBlogs
Despite the alderman’s opposition to an entertainment district, venues are still wary of Lincoln Yards
The Chicago Independent Venue League (CIVL) says Live Nation or another conglomerate could still have sole control over music in the development.
Posted inBlogs
Longtime Carol’s house band Diamondback brings new fans and old regulars to the resuscitated country bar
Last week Carol’s Pub reopened under new ownership, reestablishing Uptown’s last surviving link to the era when the neighborhood was known as “Hillbilly Heaven.”
Posted inMusic
Rolling Stones bassist Darryl Jones returns home to go solo
Bassist Darryl Jones has the kind of powerhouse resumé that suggests he wouldn’t need the challenge of standing on a small club stage to play his own songs. Growing up in Chatham, Jones studied music at Chicago Vocational High School, where he learned everything from Rimsky-Korsakov to Michael Jackson. At age 21, he won an […]
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Nearly 25 years after their debut, Low are still doing more with less
The phrase “glacial pace” could have been invented solely to describe Low, a trio from Duluth, Minnesota, who specialize in slow-burning minimalism. It’s the kind of aesthetic that would have grown old after a few years for most bands, but after nearly a quarter of a century together Low instead continue to expand their boundaries […]
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Abandoning the Platform
Jackson Browne, Ravinia, August 24/Arie Crown Theatre, August 25
Posted inNews & Politics
Take a Vacation
D ear editor: Reading a recent review of Frump Tucker Theatre Company’s production of Reckless [November 24] spurred me to ask “Where’s the beef?”–the meat of the criticism, of course. What I did read, however, was an attack of the director’s past side projects, a jokey putdown of the theater company’s name, and a clever […]