Preview: Jonny Polonsky Returns Home for a Rare Show at Gman
Jonny Polonsky hasn’t lived in Chicago for a really long time, he currently lives in New York after a long stint in L.A., but we’ll always claim him as our […]
Author: Jim Kopeny / Tankboy - Page 7
Review: Naked Raygun And Smoking Popes Remind People Why Chicago Is Ground Zero For Modern Punk Rock
The Smoking Popes opened up the Sunday show at The Aragon Ballroom half an hour before tickets even said bands would play. Luckily there were so many folks who showed […]
Review: I Survived A Bob Weir Show … And Actually Enjoyed it
Let’s get this out of the way at the outset; I fucking hate The Grateful Dead. I made a concerted effort in my freshman year of college to like them. […]
Preview: Extra Arms Bring Extra Crunch and Punch to Their Power-Pop
Ryan Allen’s previous bands Thunderbirds Are Now! and Friendly Foes were lauded but terribly under-appreciated. The through-line between all those projects was Allen’s uncanny knack for mining impossibly catchy hooks […]
Preview: The Dirty Nil Bring Their Stadium Rawk To Town Tonight
The Dirty Nil are a trio out of Canada, but their noise is anything but polite. Most groups of this configuration mine the blues for source material—whatever you do, don’t […]
HotLips Messiah Go Big on Their New Album, Disco Miscarriage
HotLips Messiah is a Chicago quartet well known for their raucous live sets, led by their mesmerizing singer Traci Trouble. In a band where every member is careening around the […]
Preview: Liz Phair Trades In Guyville for Wrigleyville
Liz Phair‘s Riot Fest set a few weeks ago was a triumphant full band return to her hometown. It was preceded by a stripped down set at The Empty Bottle […]
Tove Styrke, syllabically.
Tove Styrke is striking. Stadium act in waiting. Don’t miss out dummy. Tove Styrke is a Swedish singer songwriter creating some of the most interesting electropop in years. She is […]
A Dozen Riot Fest Bands (That Aren’t Headliners) You Should See
This year’s Riot Fest is a wealth of riches. Yup, that’s a cliché but it’s so true. When you’re done with your whining over this or that headliner going up […]
Foo Fighters’ Triumphal Return to Wrigley Field, or Rock’s Death Has Been Greatly Exaggerated
The last time Foo Fighters played Wrigley Field, Dave Grohl was confined to an oversized throne due to a broken leg. When the band returned July 29, Grohl was unfettered […]
Let’s Talk About Lollapalooza 2018, Shall We?
How does one even write about Lollapalooza nowadays? I’ve been going to the festival since its inception in 1991, and have only missed a couple, during the fest’s darker years […]
The Phonographs Fight to Resurrect Power Pop
O.K., I’ll admit upfront that headline is a bit histrionic. But The Phonographs don’t shy away from hyperbole. Anyone who drops Big Star and The Redwalls in their pitch to […]