Chicago singer-songwriter Chris Connelly regularly releases an album of new material on his November birthday. For his latest record, Eulogy to Christa: A Tribute to the Music and Mystique of Nico, he hit that annual deadline with the digital version on Bandcamp, but the physical edition (a deluxe double CD) didn’t ship till early December. […]
Tag: John Cale
Posted inMusic
When he’s not backing big-time rockers, Chicago guitarist Steve Gerlach surfs the stratosphere with Outronaut
Outronaut bandleader and guitarist Steve Gerlach probably reaches more ears as a sideman than he does with his own outfit. For nearly a decade he’s played in Sons of the Silent Age, Matt Walker and Chris Connelly’s nine-member David Bowie tribute group; that gig got Gerlach work on Connelly’s solo material. In a 2021 interview […]
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Kelly Lee Owens’s Inner Song is laser focused and immersive
Welsh producer Kelly Lee Owens begins her sophomore album, Inner Song (Smalltown Supersound), with an instrumental cover of Radiohead’s “Arpeggi.” Her version is all about effervescent electronics, and it can evoke the feeling of being underwater—isolated from the rest of the world with only your thoughts. When Owens’s vocals arrive on the following track, “On,” […]
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Remembering Triad Radio, where the usual was unusual
Triad Radio, Chicago’s pioneering experiment in commercial free-form radio, left the airwaves in 1977. Now longtime program director Saul Smaizys is moving its archives online.
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Cellist Helen Money explores grief on her meditative new album, Atomic
California-born Chicagoan cellist Alison Chesley, aka Helen Money, studied at Northwestern, played in 90s indie-rock band Verbow, and often collaborates with the likes of Sanford Parker, Bruce Lamont, and Russian Circles. As a solo artist she’s cut her own road through the hills of heavy music, drone, and avant-garde. Her brand-new album, Atomic (Thrill Jockey), […]
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John Cale honors his late producer and mentor by helping close the Art Institute’s Warhol exhibit
Avant-rock elder statesman John Cale hasn’t played in Chicago in years, so this show is a hell of an occasion. One of two surviving members of the original Velvet Underground, the Welsh-born musician has had a career spanning more than five decades, and while he’s slowed down his recorded output since reaching his late 70s, […]
Posted inBlogs
Best shows to see: John Cale, Kid Sister, Eric Carbonara, Kurt Rosenwinkel Trio
The best shows to see through Sunday include John Cale, Kid Sister, Eric Carbonara, and Kurt Rosenwinkel Trio.
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David Grubbs on the meaning of records
David Grubbs on why the experimental music of the 1960s was so rarely recorded at the time—and what changes when we listen to it today.
Posted inBlogs
The World Music Festival, John Cale, Saki Records, and more on the B Side
A long-running world-music festival hits a rough patch, avant-garde string players chat, a new label is born in Logan Square, and more
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Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements: year two
The second Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements features Bobby Womack, Conor Oberst, John Cale, Jon Benjamin, El Circo Cheapo Cabaret, and more
Posted inFilm
Artist on Artist: John Cale talks to cellist Alison Chesley, aka Helen Money
Artist on Artist: John Cale talks to cellist Alison Chesley, aka Helen Money
Posted inBlogs
Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements returns for 2012
The 2012 lineup for Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements includes Bobby Womack, John Cale, Zola Jesus, and Van Dyke Parks
Posted inBlogs
Pitchfork after-party: Allá, Smith Westerns, Blue Ribbon Glee Club
Kicking off at 8pm at the Bottom Lounge ($10, 1375 W. Lake) is an outstanding bill of local bands, headlined by the great psych-rock trio Allá – a great Pitchfork alternative or digestif.