Also, legal experts say it’s “no sure thing” that Jason Van Dyke will be found guilty in the Laquan McDonald case.
Tag: Vol. 46 No. 38
Issue of Jun. 29 – Jul. 5, 2017
Posted inBlogs
For federal oversight of police reform to work, pressure from the community must continue
A Black Lives Matter lawsuit seeking federal oversight over CPD reform has real power—but only if there’s pressure on leadership from the ground up.
Posted inBlogs
Chicago Zombie March, Logan Square Arts Festival, and more things to do in Chicago this weekend
The Chicago Mariachi Festival, the Neo-Futurists’ 30 Queer Plays in 60 Straight Minutes, and more happenings from June 23-25
Posted inBlogs
Steppenwolf releases ‘official statement’ on Hedy Weiss review uproar
Steppenwolf Theatre’s new, official statement on Hedy Weiss: “Let’s talk.”
Posted inMusic
Chicago bassist Clark Sommers reveals another side of his versatility with his new band Lens
There’s a reason dark, woody-toned bassist Clark Sommers is a ubiquitous presence on the Chicago jazz scene—not only does he have impeccable timing and bulldozer force but he’s incredibly versatile. That last quality is a true hallmark of great Chicago musicians of the past, who often had to adapt to all manner of gigs to […]
Posted inMusic
On Sorcerer, Tonstartssbandht show just how much more there is to psych
While splitting genre hairs can be a fun exercise in futility, the prolific duo of brothers Andy and Edwin White don’t give you much time to make up your mind. Because “psych” can often act as a sort of catchall, they’ve long been stashed under that umbrella, but the three winding tracks of Tonstartssbandht’s new […]
Posted inMusic
Trombonist Jacob Garchik’s Ye Olde and drummer Gard Nilssen’s Acoustic Unity bring two disparate streams of improvised music
Trombonist Jacob Garchik has long been one of the more fascinating figures on New York’s improvised music scene, a terrific musician with a fertile imagination and unbridled curiosity. He’s become a trusted collaborator of the Kronos Quartet, creating dazzling arrangements of music from all around the world for the string quartet. For his 2012 recording […]
Posted inMusic
The Chosen Few helped build house music’s foundation and keep the party going with their 27th annual picnic
Is experiencing music outdoors worthwhile if you can’t share it with those you love? Not to those guiding the Chosen Few Picnic, which began the way many great summertime activities should start—with a family barbecue. The original five members of south-side DJ collective the Chosen Few, who helped build the foundation for house music as […]
Posted inMusic
Singular guitarist Bill Frisell presents a stunning duo with simpatico bassist Thomas Morgan
Despite forging one of the most recognizable sounds on electric guitar over the last three decades, Bill Frisell has emphasized an ensemble-oriented approach for much of his career, one where his improvisations tend to shoot out of airy but rich arrangements like ethereal, meticulously pruned tendrils of melody and clouds of ambience. He’s functioned more […]
Posted inMusic
North Carolina singer Sarah Shook drowns her sorrows in booze but rages with punk fury
There’s not much out of the ordinary about Sidelong, the 2015 debut by North Carolina singer Sarah Shook—recently reissued by Bloodshot Records—but few things are more renewable than jacked-up twang fueled by heartbreak and loneliness. Her powerful voice may be punctuated a bit too often by goatlike trills and hiccups, but its intensity is undeniable. […]
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Avery R. Young & De Deacon Board inject blues, funk, and gospel with a sermonlike fervor
Avery R. Young & De Deacon Board are in the business of saving souls. Through what he calls “sousefunk”—an intersection of blues, funk, and gospel—Young taps into the raw emotions of a pastor whooping at the end of his sermon to, as he puts it, “Call up some spirits and bring in some sheep.” But […]
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Deslondes submerge their spirited take on Americana in a humid atmosphere on Hurry Home
On their terrific second album, Hurry Home (New West), New Orleans quintet Deslondes settle into a sweet spot at the nexus of various threads of southern sounds, building on the low-key charms of their eponymous 2015 debut. That means honky-tonk, R&B, rockabilly, swamp pop, and other rootsy variations commingle in a deliciously humid atmosphere crafted […]
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For a new seven-inch, False distill the power of their 12-minute black-metal sagas into single-length songs
False are the only black-metal band who’ve ever made me cry. Last September at Scorched Tundra, the cathartic gusts of “Saturnalia” (from False’s untitled 2015 album) blew open a window in the attic, so to speak, and suddenly my eyes filled up. At the end of July, Wisconsin label Gilead Media drops the first new […]
Posted inMusic
On Goths, the Mountain Goats are as compassionate as ever toward their fatally human characters
What distinguishes the goths that Mountain Goats leader John Darnielle sings about on the band’s new album Goths (Merge) is neither fashion nor sound, but a desire to find community while separating oneself from society. Darnielle’s been writing about people who fumble the fundamentals of dealing with life ever since the early 90s, when he […]
Posted inMusic
Chart-topping country songsmith Chris Stapleton finds his sweet spot on From a Room: Volume 1
Plenty of flourishing Nashville songwriters have failed to translate the success they’ve had penning hits for artists into onstage popularity in their own right, but Chris Stapleton has delivered gold—actually, double platinum. After topping the charts with songs for the likes of Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley, and Dierks Bentley, he joined […]