Today’s song continues in the tradition of the quasi-pop/rock, quasi-electro movement that continues to morph, expand and build. Daniel Snaith is the mind behind Caribou, composing and arranging the music. He comes from the Canadian electronic scene, and has been a part of it for some time now. Yet while on tour he always plays with a live band (he likes to play drums, usually), and the show can lean more toward…

Preface: Back in the spring when it was announced that Lollapalooza was going to expand its geographical size and number of attendees, confused caution was the reaction at first blush. Where are those people going to go? Another stage… but why? Lolla’s numerous stages have always been well situated, sitting opposite each other on the north and south end of Chicago’s Grant Park (beautifully sla…

Well…he’s back. Eminem released his long awaited album, “Recovery”, back on June 18th and it’s safe to say that it is one of his best albums to date. Em shows his maturity throughout the album and continues on his quest to be the most original rapper in history, yes history. He eludes confidence on this album as opposed to arrogance, which is what the music industry is full of nowadays (read: Nickelback).

O…

Hey guys! I had a chance to check out the annual Vans Warped Tour as it came through Cincinnati, Ohio and  got to catch up with some bands about their experiences and thoughts of the tour! I was able to sit down with Travis Clark of We The Kings,…

As The Disco Biscuits step on stage for their fifth and final set of the weekend, bassist Marc Brownstein jokingly states, “It wouldn’t be Camp Bisco if it wasn’t Camp Bisco. You know what I mean? I know at least some of you know what I mean.”

On the surface it seems like he is just a little spun, but for regular attendees of the upstate New York festival Brownie is speaking truth. Simply put, it just wouldn’t Camp Bisco witho…

If there is one thing everyone can agree upon about The Heartless Bastards show at Chicago’s Bottom Lounge, it is that it was a thoroughly sultry experience. Even with the AC on and the fans at full RPM the ambiance was decidedly sweaty. It was a July evening that called for cold beer, an occasional cup of ice, and some rock n’ roll.

The last two times the Heartless Bastards played Chicago was when they opened for Wolf Mothe…

Currently the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Roots started with only Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson back in 1987. After adding three other members and changing their name from The Square Roots they released their first album in 1993; seventeen years later, the band known for their funky, sophisticated brand of hip-hop has come out with their ninth album, “How I G…

Comprised of only two members – Tom Rowland and Ed Simmons – with six albums already under their belt, The Chemical Brothers have a pretty sturdy reputation for making quality, big beat electronic tracks. It’s safe to assume that their more recent music is held to a standard that the band set for themselves when they started consistently producing chart topping records. The pressure to improve exponen…

Veteran grunge rockers Stone Temple Pilots are back.  On May 21^st, STP released their self-titled 6^th album and their first since 2001.  The band has been rocking since 1992 and, upon first listen; you will see they have in no way compromised their sound in order to keep rocking until now.

After achieving commercial success with a solo album and two albums with rock supergroup Velvet Revolver, Scott Weiland comes bac…

Twenty years since releasing their last album and following the anticipated completion of a fan-involved album production process, the new-wave band Devo has come out with “Something for Everybody”. Having emerged from the shadows of their wildly popular tune “Whip It,” the now nearly sixty-year-old performers (in addition to the considerably younger drummer, Josh Freese of Nine Inch Nails and G…

Excitement was the mood in Chicago’s relatively new – yet completely fun and well designed – Lincoln Hall; as the band Black Mountain was gearing to take the stage, smoke machines billowed and signaled the band’s imminent arrive. It wasn’t a sold out crowd, but not too far off, creating for that terrific balance of crowd-energy yet with a bit of precious personal space.

Black Mountain brings to the table a sort o…