Robert Ford and Trent Adkins shaped the bold, subversive, gossipy, funny, deeply engaged voice of Thing, which was felled by the AIDS pandemic in 1993.
Tag: Wax Trax!
Pixel Grip celebrate the club as a sacred queer space
Chicago goth trio Pixel Grip invite you to dance on straight white capitalism’s grave.
A eulogy for Danny’s Tavern
For decades, Danny’s nurtured a devoted and welcoming community of music lovers—but it couldn’t survive the pandemic.
Dave ‘Medusa’ Shelton was a fairy godmother to Chicago’s club scene
Dave Shelton didn’t just found the legendary Medusa’s—he also helped everyone in his orbit shine like a star.
Chicago punk was born queer
How three gay bars—La Mere Vipere, O’Banion’s, and Oz—became the cradle of the city’s punk scene
Pigface offers a cornucopia of industrial-flavored madness with two shows Thanksgiving weekend
Pigface was born in 1990 as the supergroup brainchild of Ministry members Martin Atkins, also of Public Image Limited and Killing Joke, and William Rieflin, who has led a miraculously eclectic career—anyone who’s been a member of R.E.M., Swans, and King Crimson can probably play just about anything. By design, the group has had a […]
Record Store Day 2019: how and where to celebrate
Details about discounts, giveaways, in-store performances, and more at three dozen shops—with an interactive map and alphabetized listings
Thirty years is a long time to live with a Thrill Kill Kult
Thirty years for My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, ten years for White Mystery, six years for the All Smiles hip-hop showcase, and more
Synth collective VCSR return after more than 30 years with their first release
Original VCSR members Bil Vermette, Dave Palmer, and John Vignola reunite for the Chicago Summer Psych Fest.
In Rotation: CUFF artistic director Bryan Wendorf on the blackened Krautrock of Aluk Todolo
Current musical obsessions of CUFF artistic director Bryan Wendorf and filmmaker Mike Gibisser
Best Night to Feel Like an 80s Art School Student
Hot on the Heels at Danny’s
The List: April 14-20
Music Critics’ Choices and other notable shows: Amon Amarth, Megaton Leviathan, Front 242, Mike Watt + the Missingmen, Ralph Stanley, Parts & Labor, and more
Ministry Movie Melee
Why won’t Al Jourgensen be at CIMMfest’s premiere of Fix: The Ministry Movie? Buckle up—it’s complicated.
The Man Behind the Metal
If it’s heavy and it was recorded in Chicago, there’s a good chance Sanford Parker was at the mixing board.
RIP: Dannie Flesher, Donald Goerke
Obits for a Wax Trax co-founder and SpaghettiOs creator.