Favorite Albums of 2017
1. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings: Soul of a Woman (Daptone) In the year before she died of pancreatic cancer in 2016, …
Chad VanGaalen at the Empty Bottle
Chad VanGaalen, a singer-songwriter from Calgary, Alberta, makes his recordings practically alone, writing every note and playing nearly every instrument. VanGaalen’s most …
Jon Langford’s Four Lost Souls at the Hideout
Oct. 11 was Jon Langford’s 60th birthday, and it was also the date of a release party at the Hideout for his …
Hideout Block Party 2017
I missed the first day and a half of the Hideout Block Party this weekend — I was in Louisville for the …
Cropped Out 2017
Cropped Out, an underground music festival in Louisville, Kentucky, lined up a blockbuster band for the top of its lineup this summer: …
Freakons at the Hideout and the Shitty Barn
When the Mekons teamed up with Freakwater, of course they called themselves the Freakons. As they’ve joked, the other option was Meekwater, …
Steve Dawson’s Hideout residency
Steve Dawson — a talented Chicago singer-songwriter, bandleader, teacher, producer, author and all-around good guy — is in the middle of a …
Youssou N’Dour at Millennium Park
My photos from the splendid concert by the legendary Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour on Thursday, Aug. 10, at Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker …
Amadou and Mariam plus Frank Waln at the Pritzker Pavilion
Amadou and Mariam played a truly delightful concert of lively music from Mali on Monday, July 24, at Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker …
Jason Molina tribute at the Hideout
Chicago journalist Erin Osmon has a new book about the life of a great singer-songwriter who died in 2013 — Jason Molina: …
Drive-By Truckers at the Pritzker Pavilion
The Drive-By Truckers played a rousing free concert on Thursday, July 20, at Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion — performing about half …
Pitchfork Music Festival 2017
I’ve been moaning for years about how seldom two of my favorite musical artists — the Feelies and PJ Harvey — play in …
Pitchfork Music Festival 2017: Day 3 Photos
Photos from July 16, 2017, the third day of the 2017 Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park, Chicago. (Click on these links …
Pitchfork Music Festival 2017: Day 2 Photos
Photos from July 15, 2017, the second day of the 2017 Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park, Chicago. (Click on these links …
Pitchfork Music Festival 2017: Day 1 Photos
Photos from July 14, 2017, the first day of the 2017 Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park, Chicago. (Click on these links …
Solid Sound Festival 2017
As promised, Wilco performed its 1996 album Being There from beginning to end on Friday, June 23. Being There had won an …
Negative Scanner and Sweet Cobra at Bric-a-Brac
Negative Scanner — one of my favorite rock bands in Chicago these days — played a great free show on Saturday, June …
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds at Detroit’s Masonic Temple
Why did I go to Detroit to see Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, rather than attending their concert next week in …
Arbouretum and Brokeback at Schubas
Arbouretum The Baltimore band Arbouretum has been playing heavy, rootsy guitar rock for about decade now, making several strong records on the …
Jambinai at the Empty Bottle
Jambinai was one of my favorite bands at SXSW in 2014, playing epic music that mixed rock instruments with traditional Korean instruments. …
Erwin Helfer at the Hungry Brain
As he sat down behind the piano at the Hungry Brain on May 16, the 81-year-old Chicago pianist Erwin Helfer introduced himself to the …
Big Ears Festival 2017
(Links to Big Ears Festival photo galleries) The Norwegian composer and violinist Nils Økland summed up the spirit of the Big Ears …
Big Ears: Photos of Nils Økland
(See more Big Ears Festival coverage) Nils Økland Band March 24, 2017, at St. John’s Cathedral Nils Økland and Mats Eilertsen March …
Big Ears: Photos of the Gavin Bryars Ensemble
(See more Big Ears Festival coverage) March 25, 2017, at St. John’s Cathedral Performing Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet on March …
Big Ears: Photos of Wilco
(See more Big Ears Festival coverage) Wilco March 24, 2017, at the Tennessee Theatre Jeff Tweedy with Chikamorachi March 25, 2017, at the …
Big Ears: Photos from Day 4
Photos from Day 4 of the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 26, 2017. (See more Big Ears Festival coverage) …
Big Ears: Photos from Day 3
Photos from Day 3 of the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 25, 2017. (See more Big Ears Festival coverage) …
Big Ears: Photos from Day 2
Photos from Day 2 of the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 24, 2017. (See more Big Ears Festival coverage) …
Big Ears: Photos from Day 1
Photos from Day 1 of the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, on March 23, 2017. (See more Big Ears Festival coverage) Carla …
Thigh Master at the Hideout
Thigh Master, a rock band from Brisbane, Australia, played on Friday, March 10, at the Hideout — and like so many of …
Robbie Fulks’ Final Hideout Residency Shows: Photo Gallery
My photos of the final three shows in Robbie Fulks’ seven-year-long series of Monday-night concerts at the Hideout. (Read my blog post …
Seven Years of Robbie Fulks at the Hideout on Mondays
In January 2010, Chicago’s Hideout announced that singer-songwriter-guitarist Robbie Fulks was going to play a series of four concerts at this cozy …
Best Films of 2016
1. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, U.S.) — A masterpiece on many levels, the deeply engaging and empathetic Moonlight has extraordinary writing, acting, directing, cinematography, …
Big Thief at Schubas
The Brooklyn band Big Thief released a great album last year called Masterpiece — and the group, led by singer-songwriter-guitarist Adrianne Lenker, …
Mirror of Nature at the Hungry Brain
I’ve written before about my friend Jason Shanley, who performs guitar and electronic music under the name Cinchel. He is part of …
Favorite Concerts of 2016
1. Bill Callahan Sept. 26 during the Cropped Out festival at the American Turners Club in Louisville. After 7 p.m., as the sun …
Favorite Albums of 2016
1. David Bowie: Blackstar The year began with the sound of David Bowie, sounding as alien and inventive as he ever had. …
Joan Shelley at the Hideout
Joan Shelley’s album Over and Even was my favorite record of 2015, , so of course I’m thrilled to hear that she’s working …
Ultimate Painting at the Hideout
The British duo Ultimate Painting keeps turning out one splendid record after another — three albums in the past three years. James …
Makoto and Nakatani at the Empty Bottle, plus Spires and Brian Case
Two master musicians from Japan — guitarist Kawabata Makoto, who’s the leader of Acid Mothers Temple, and percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani — created a beautiful …
Poster Children at Schubas
Sadly, I arrived a bit late for the Poster Children’s early concert on Wednesday, Nov. 23, at Schubas. Rather than barging my …
Joshua Abrams’ Hideout residency
The masterful Chicago musician Joshua Abrams played five concerts at the Hideout in November, playing with different collaborators on each Tuesday night. …
Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift at City Winery
Many of the songs Robyn Hitchcock played on Thursday, Nov. 17, at City Winery in Chicago had been chosen ahead of time …
Finally… a Record by The Flat Five
The debut album by the Flat Five, It’s a World of Love and Hope, is a strange and wonderful thing. I doubt you’ll hear …
Abraham Levitan + Devin Davis = Teletype
Eleven years ago, Chicago singer-songwriter Devin Davis released one of my favorite records of 2005, Lonely People of the World, Unite! — …
The Rev. Al Green
This is one of those things people tell you do to when you’re in Memphis: Go see the famous soul singer Al …
Ardent Studios
Jody Stephens, the drummer for the legendary band Big Star, kindly agreed to let me tag along Sept. 30, 2016, on a …
Gonerfest 2016 Day 3: Nighttime Show
My photos of the nighttime show at the Hi Tone on Oct. 1, 2016, the third day of Gonerfest in Memphis, featuring …
Gonerfest 2016 Day 3: Daytime Party
My photos from the daytime party at Murphy’s on Oct. 1, 2016, at Gonerfest in Memphis, featuring Casual Burn, Bloodbags, Fire Retarded, …
Gonerfest 2016 Day 2: Nighttime Show
My photos from the nighttime show at the Hi Tone on Sept. 30, 2016, the second day of Gonerfest in Memphis, featuring …