One of the few silver linings of the pandemic shutting down the entire concert industry for a prolonged stretch was that it occasionally prompted longtime musician friends to collaborate in projects they might not have had time for otherwise. Sometimes the results sound so natural—as they do in local rock powerhouse Black Cross Hotel—that it […]
Tag: Sanford Parker
Posted inMusic
Black Magnet turns his devotion to 90s industrial metal into something even meaner and heavier
In 2020, Oklahoma City musician James Hammontree released his first full-length as Black Magnet. Hallucination Scene uses all the best parts of 90s industrial metal—even the radio-friendly sounds—to make something that hovers between synthetic and organic. Through their layers of synths, drum machines, and ugly noise, his songs remain as catchy as the best work […]
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Huntsmen bassist Marc Stranger-Najjar on a spoken-word poet with a beautiful brain
Current musical obsessions of Huntsmen bassist Marc Stranger-Najjar, musician and producer Sanford Parker, and Reader associate editor Jamie Ludwig
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Chicago heavy music explorers provide a peek at upcoming material
Classically trained cellist Alison Chesley is a Los Angeles native who got her start in Chicago’s 90s rock scene, pairing up with Jason Narducy for the indie duo Jason & Alison, which later morphed into a full indie-rock band called Verbow. Those endeavors were solid, but since Verbow called it a day in 2003, Chesley […]
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Metropolitan Brewing teams up with Pelican for the biere de garde Cold Hope
Beer and Metal returns to review a long-gestating collaboration by beloved Chicago institutions Pelican and Metropolitan Brewing.
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Singer and poet Tasha on She Shreds and the missing legacy of black women guitarists
Current musical obsessions of singer and poet Tasha, musician and producer Kamaria Woods, and Reader music editor Philip Montoro
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On the new Coma Noir, the Atlas Moth name our foe—and find a reason to fight
Chicago metal monarchs the Atlas Moth imagine a cosmic criminal cabal that’s depressingly easy to recognize in the real world.
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Experimental-metal mainstays Yakuza brings the gang together for a hometown show
Chicago has always been a good town when it comes to producing homegrown metal bands—the south side rocked heavy in the 80s with the likes of Trouble, Cianide, and Macabre—but it didn’t develop the international reputation it deserved until the 90s, when north-side postrock collaborators drew hipster attention. From there a new generation of freaks […]
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A day of pro-choice activism culminates in a #ShoutYourAbortion fund-raiser at Gman Tavern
A day of pro-choice activism culminates in a #ShoutYourAbortion fund-raiser at Gman Tavern, the Vinyl Emergency podcast celebrates its first birthday, and more.
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Cajmere supercharges the Cultural Center’s Wired Fridays series
Plus: Tall Pat Records brings Cuddlestock back for year three, and Scientist release their second album of metal experiments.
Posted inBlogs
Buried at Sea celebrate the reissue of Migration with their second Chicago show in ten years
Chicago drone-doom veterans Buried at Sea play Wednesday at Reggie’s to support a new release of their only full-length album.
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Let the Lollapalooza lineup predictions begin!
Gossip Wolf makes its first Lollapalooza predictions of 2015, a shakeup for Lord Mantis births another nasty metal band, and more.
Posted inBlogs
Experimental-industrial group Corrections House mellow out with a Neil Young cover
The half-local “supergroup” takes on “Cortez the Killer.”
Posted inBlogs
Math-metal riff masters American Heritage go out with a bang (and a whimper)
Today’s 12 O’Clock Track, “Blackbird,” appears on the final American Heritage album, Prolapse, which came out last week.
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Gossip Wolf: Kid Sister dishes about her imminent mixtape
Kid Sister dishes about her imminent mixtape, Decade Studio takes over the Soma space, and more.