Dr. John at Blues on the Fox
Dr. John (aka Mac Rebennack, aka “The Night Tripper”) won some well-deserved attention last year, thanks to a terrific album called Locked Down. …
The Bats at Schubas
Some bands really make you wait. The Bats, a New Zealand band that formed in 1982, went for 19 years without visiting …
Jason Isbell at Ribfest
Jason Isbell, who sang and played guitar in the Drive-By Truckers back when the band had three great singer-songwriters in its lineup, …
Sharon Van Etten at the Pritzker Pavilion
The last time I saw a headline set by singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten was Feb. 17, 2012, at Lincoln Hall. As I …
Speck Mountain at the Pritzker Pavilion
One of the delightful things about seeing a concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park is watching the performers themselves …
Lee Ranaldo and Marc Ribot at Pritzker
Despite unseasonably chilly temperatures, the summer concert season got off to a stellar start May 27, with the year’s first show in …
Laura Marling at the Athenaeum
Laura Marling was alone on the Athenaeum’s stage Thursday night (May 23), standing in a white spotlight with a dark expanse of …
Blackout Fest
Hozac Records’ Blackout Fest was back this past weekend for another round of garage rock, power pop and other mostly raw and …
Jason Molina tribute concert
By the end of a long night, more than a dozen musicians had filled the stage at the Bluebird Nightclub in Bloomington, …
Bill Callahan at Garfield Park Conservatory
Bill Callahan’s been quiet lately, revealing no sign yet of a follow-up to his 2011 masterpiece Apocalypse. The beguilingly odd singer-songwriter made …
Hogan and Samarov at the Hideout
Kelly Hogan returned on Sunday night to the venue she calls her favorite — Chicago’s Hideout, of course. It was another outstanding …
Shoes and Green
The Shoes have been making great power pop since 1975, though the band has largely gone unnoticed by the public at large. …
eighth blackbird with special guests
The worlds of classical music and indie rock have been intersecting in some interesting and exciting ways lately. I get the sense …
Freakwater on the Front Porch
Janet Bean played every Tuesday night in April at the Hideout, except for April 23, when one of her bands, Eleventh Dream …
Frank Rosaly at the Hideout
The always-inventive Chicago drummer Frank Rosaly has played with many groups of many musical styles, but the sextet Cicada Music is an …
Record Store Day at Laurie’s
Saturday, April 20, was Record Store Day — not just a chance to buy some special-edition records released for the occasion, but …
Acid Mothers Temple at the Empty Bottle
Japan’s masters of heavy psychedelic jams, Acid Mothers Temple, returned to Chicago last night (April 12) for a show — where else …
The Men at Lincoln Hall
After getting their concert last night at Lincoln Hall off to a strong start, The Men came to a screeching halt because …
10 Years Ago Today: South San Gabriel
The only reason I thought about this anniversary is that I happened to pull out my CD of South San Gabriel’s album …
Implodes, Acteurs, Population
Admission was free Monday night at the Empty Bottle — as it often is on Mondays — for a triple bill of …
Michael Nesmith at the Old Town School of Folk Music
Former Monkee Michael Nesmith doesn’t tour often. But he recently played with the other surviving Monkees, and now, he’s playing his solo …
Nick Cave at the Chicago Theatre
The real Stagger Lee, an African-American pimp named “Stag” Lee Shelton, killed a man in St. Louis on Christmas day, 1895, during …
Chelsea Light Moving at the Empty Bottle
On Friday night at the Empty Bottle, Thurston Moore introduced his new group, Chelsea Light Moving, as if both he and his …
Jacco Gardner at the Empty Bottle
As I wrote last week in Time Out Chicago, one of the Chicago record label Trouble in Mind’s latest finds is a …
R.I.P. Jason Molina
Rest in peace, Jason Molina. The news that this great songwriter has passed away is devastatingly sad for those of us who …
Hideout SXSW Send Off Party
It’s a March tradition at the Hideout: On the Saturday before the SXSW festival begins in Austin, the club hosts an all-day …
Low at Saki
Saki record store in Logan Square was packed Thursday evening (March 7) for a free performance by Low, followed by a Q&A …
Mountains at the Hideout
Wednesdays are usually a night for jazz and improvisational music at the Hideout. Last Wednesday (Feb. 28), the venue hosted three bands …
Robbie Fulks, Henry Wagons, etc.
Last Monday (Feb. 25), I caught two concerts — first, the always-entertaining Hideout residency of Robbie Fulks, who featured Brooklyn singer-songwriter Greg …
Deleted Scenes at Township
As you can see from my recent posts, I’ve been seeing a lot of concerts lately at the Logan Square club Township. …
Paul Collins Beat at Township
“Play the Blondie song!” Some guy shouted out that request in the middle of the show by the Paul Collins Beat last …
Best Films of 2012
I’m a bit late with this list, but I’ve come to think of the film year as a 12-month period from Feb. …
Cross Record at Township
Cross Record — the stage name for Chicago singer and musician Emily Cross — plays an intriguing mix of folk songs with …
Best concerts of 2012
My favorite concerts from the past year. Just 10 very memorable and outstanding performances of a hundred concerts I attended; there were …
Best Records of 2012
1. SPIRITUALIZED: SWEET HEART SWEET LIGHT (Fat Possum) — Spiritualized maestro Jason Pierce emerged from a brush with death to make a …
Thrill Jockey’s 20th Anniversary
Time flies. It doesn’t seem like five years have passed since I attended the Thrill Jockey record label’s 15th anniversary celebration. (I …
Catherine Irwin at the Hideout
It’s been seven years since the last album by Freakwater, the alt-country duo of Catherine Irwin and Janet Bean, and a decade …
The Cairo Gang at the Burlington
This past weekend was filled with noteworthy live music, as you can see from my previous blog entries about Chris & Heather’s …
Foxygen and Angel Olsen
On Sunday (Jan. 9.), Logan Square’s Saki record store once again hosted an afternoon of free live music. One of the performers …
Syl Johnson and Renaldo Domino
“The Secret History of Chicago Music” comic strip by Steve Krakow, aka Plastic Crimewave, has started presenting concerts showcasing the city’s overlooked …
The last (?) Country Calendar show
For the past 15 years, cartoonist Heather McAdams and her husband, musician Chris Ligon, have presented a delightful event each December at …
The week in concerts
Notes on the past week’s concerts: TUESDAY, NOV. 27, THE HIDEOUT — RICK RIZZO AND JANET BEAN: The Hideout’s been hosting some …
Leonard Cohen at the Akoo Theatre
Leonard Cohen turned 78 years old this fall, but he showed no signs of allowing his age to slow him down when …
Angel Olsen at The Burlington
The first time I saw Angel Olsen was back in 2007, when she was an opening act for Marissa Nadler at Ronny’s. …
Thurston Moore and Frank Rosaly
In case you missed it … Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth played two shows this past weekend in a little Logan Square …
OM, Daniel Higgs and Bruce Lamont
OM emerged out of the heavy music genre that’s often called stoner rock, but the band has moved beyond that sound — …
The dB’s at the Hideout
Even back in the 1980s, when The dB’s were going strong with four really cool albums of power-pop music, the band was …
Grass Widow at the Empty Bottle
Thursday was one of those nights when it was possible to see a couple of good concerts in the same night. After …
King Tuff and Gap Dream
I was at Subterranean on Thursday night, Nov. 8, to see an early, all-ages show by King Tuff, but when I walked …
Dan Deacon at Lincoln Hall
I got my first impression of Dan Deacon when he played 2007 Hideout Block Party, setting up a table of electronic gear …