Ray Donato of Local psych juggernaut Dark Fog is a paragon of relentless musical activity. After a burst of releases in early 2019, Reader critic Monica Kendrick gently joked that his band makes “every other band on the planet look like slackers” by comparison. She wasn’t wrong! Gossip Wolf recently checked Dark Fog’s Bandcamp page, […]
Tag: Schubas
Posted inAgenda
TheMIND at Schubas, Title Ten at Theater Wit, and more
Some concert options for tonight, if you’re looking to listen to something other than your digestion: Even though the midterm results earlier this month offered a few bright spots for pro-choice advocates, there’s no denying that the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision earlier this year fits a pattern of attacks on […]
Posted inAgenda
Mutual aid, speed dating, polka, and Satanic Panic
Now through Saturday, Logan Square Mutual Aid (LSMA) is looking for volunteers. Today and tomorrow, the group needs help calling or texting families to arrange the week’s food deliveries. Friday they’re looking for help sorting food and packing bags for Saturday’s drop-off (work shifts from 2-4 PM and/or 4-7 PM; work space at LSMA’s free […]
Posted inAgenda
Dia de Muertos celebration, Shape Shifter Night Market, cat films, and Starcrawler
The Pilsen organization SGA Youth and Family Services hosts the annual Dia de Muertos parade and celebration this afternoon at Dvorak Park (1119 W. Cullerton), celebrating life and honoring the memories of community members and loved ones that have passed away. The event has been happening for 43 years, making it the longest-running free Dia […]
Posted inAgenda
Black Transport Project, Commuters Take Action, and more
Bikes aren’t cheap—but neither is public transit! If you or someone you know is a Black trans person in Chicago looking for a free bike, sign up for one through the Black Transport Project. BTP begins reviewing applications October 1 and will be supplying bikes on a rolling basis. When your name is drawn, you […]
Posted inCity Life
International Women’s Day, Alvin Ailey, and meatballs
You can eat beef, watch movies, and learn about graffiti this week. No reason to be bored in Chicago! Check out these online and in-person events. FRI 3/4 Yesterday was International Sex Workers’ Rights Day, which began in 2001 to call attention to the unique labor risks and concerns of pleasure providers. In honor of […]
Posted inMusic
Chicago rocker Jackie Hayes bottles up burnout on her new EP
Jackie Hayes left behind a devout Christian upbringing in Waukegan to move to Logan Square at age 19 and pursue her music career on her terms. As a frequent opener at Schubas and other local clubs, she refined her attitude-heavy vocal melodies supported by simple, sludgy guitar lines and loose hip-hop drums. Hayes worked at […]
Posted inMusic
Chicago songwriter Emily Jane Powers supercharges Isometry with wild guitar work
When local folk-pop artist Jessica Risker interviewed Chicago singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emily Jane Powers on her Music Therapy podcast in April 2020, Powers was halfway through recording an album. “I wanted to make a guitar-forward record,” Powers told Risker. “I wanted to let the guitar speak for me.” On the album in question, Isometry (which […]
Posted inMusic
Ratboys celebrate their tenth birthday in a virtual living room at Schubas
Ratboys celebrate their tenth birthday in a virtual living room at Schubas, Northwestern’s New Music Conference returns in online form, and more.
Posted inMusic
Want live music back? Wear a mask and call Congress.
Staff from 22 Chicago music venues talk about how far they still are from normal—and what it’ll take to keep them around till we all get there.
Posted inMusic
On Black Friday, Palehound explore love in the face of anxiety
Update: To help slow the spread of COVID-19, this show has been postponed until a date to be determined. Tickets already purchased will be honored at that time, but contact point of purchase for refund information. On their third full-length, 2019’s Black Friday (Polyvinyl), Boston band Palehound offer candid meditations on love—its many forms and […]
Posted inMusic
Paloma Mami is reggaeton’s newest and youngest star
Paloma Rocío Castillo Astorga, better known as Paloma Mami, was only 18 when she released her debut single, 2018’s “Not Steady.” Lugubrious and resoundingly confident, the song made clear she wasn’t callow: “I don’t change for no dick,” she declares over a soft-edged dancehall beat whose nocturnal aura sets the tone for a night spent […]
Posted inMusic
Drummer Jeremy Cunningham releases a dense but delicate jazz record to honor his late brother
Drummer Jeremy Cunningham releases a dense but delicate jazz record to honor his late brother; the Black, Brown, and Indigenous Crew rocks the Vaginal Davis exhibit at the Art Institute; and more.
Posted inMusic
Versatile London rapper Kojey Radical veers into funk on Cashmere Tears
London rapper Kwadwo Adu Genfi Amponsah, aka Kojey Radical, worked in a variety of artistic mediums before trying his hand at music. Beginning at age ten, he spent nine years training as a dancer; he wrote poetry; and he graduated from the London College of Fashion with a BA in fashion illustration. He didn’t begin […]
Posted inMusic
After a bout of self-doubt, Chicago rapper Kembe X re-emerges with a star’s brightness
In an October interview with Lyrical Lemonade, Chicago rapper Kembe X (born Dikembe Caston) described a rocky patch in 2017 that brought him to a breaking point in his career. He’d been talking to R&B singer Kehlani, opening up about his lack of confidence and disinterest in his creative direction, and she asked him if […]