Upcoming events and recommendations for the next seven days
Tag: Vol. 50 No. 22
Issue of Jul. 22 – Aug. 4, 2021
Posted inMusic
Torres writes big happy rock love songs for the end of lockdown
Brooklyn singer-songwriter Mackenzie Scott, aka Torres, is a master of insular, languid indie pop. But after making it through lockdown and finding inspiration in her partner, visual artist Jenna Gribbon, Scott is in an expansive mood. Her new album, Thirstier (Merge), graced with a glam cock-rock cover painted by Gribbon, features a big, snarling, exuberant […]
Posted inMusic
Mourning Joe Cassidy of Butterfly Child
Irish dream-pop genius Joe Cassidy lived in Chicago for more than a decade and became a beloved part of our music scene.
Posted inMusic
Chicago sound wizard Mark Solotroff makes grounding, elegiac music on Not Everybody Makes It
Chicago sound wizard Mark Solotroff has been wielding his powerful electronic grimoire since the mid-80s as the leader of Intrinsic Action, Bloodyminded, and Anatomy of Habit. He’s also collaborated with a who’s who of industrial and metal artists, including the Atlas Moth, Indian, Locrian, Plague Bringer, Wrekmeister Harmonies, Brutal Truth, and the Body. Then there […]
Posted inMusic
Decades of divas on the gig poster of the week
This week’s featured gig poster features art by anthropologist and graphic designer Kisira Hill.
Posted inFilm
An outsider on the inside of Cannes
Walking the red carpet, breaking VIP barriers, and searching for Bill Murray
Posted inMusic
Veteran sound explorer Kevin Drumm uploads a Bandcamp bounty
Veteran sound explorer Kevin Drumm uploads a Bandcamp bounty, reedist Hunter Diamond launches his label by releasing his solo debut, and more.
Posted inMusic
King Woman retell personal and Biblical horrors with Celestial Blues
When you can’t outrun your past, one option is to face it with your own poetics. That’s the approach King Woman front woman Kris Esfandiari takes when confronting the Biblical archetypes branded on her psyche while coming of age in a Charismatic Christian family that practiced speaking in tongues and at-home exorcisms. On Celestial Blues, […]
Posted inMusic
Leela James makes vital modern soul on See Me
Since Leela James put out her debut album, 2005’s A Change Is Gonna Come, the soul siren has released a steady stream of music, exploring new stylistic elements while staying remarkably focused. In a press bio from 2010, she said, “My sound today may be different than where I was five years ago, but my […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Comedy is back, baby!
A glimpse at how stand-ups coped during the pandemic and made their triumphant return to telling jokes again.
Posted inCity Life
It’s a hot Chicago summer
Upcoming events and recommendations for the next seven days
Posted inColumns & Opinion
A note on this week’s cover story
A charismatic person somehow emanates levity, intimacy, and self-assuredness, all at once. Charisma is talked about like it’s an inborn quality—but I think it’s something that’s summoned. My story this week is born, in part, from a desire to understand what charismatic people are like when they’re not being watched—and who gets hurt when image […]
Posted inCity Life
When Koreshan science invaded the south side
Dr. Cyrus Teed’s cult-like religion attracted death threats and broke up marriages in late 19th century Chicago.
Posted inMusic
DJ Manny centers love on his R&B-infused new album, Signals in My Head
Manuel Gaines, who performs as DJ Manny, was ten years old when he first heard footwork music at a party. Before long, the Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based producer met two titans of the genre, DJ Spinn and the late DJ Rashad, with whom he eventually collaborated on a handful of tracks. Manny has multiple releases under his […]