by Mark Guarino June 27, 2022 Since 2018, the Chicago Soul Jazz Collective has made waves in town by resurrecting the stylish grooves of the postbop era, which began in the late 1950s—nationally, the sound was shaped by the likes of the Jazz Crusaders, Cannonball Adderley, and Jimmy [...]

Chicago’s longest-running independent rock label throws the first Pravdafest, celebrating 38 years of rolling with the punches and putting in the work. by Mark Guarino June 22, 2022 Beginning with Napster and continuing through Spotify, the nemeses of independent record labels have been legion over the past [...]

by Mark Guarino May 26, 2022 In 1997, Wilco’s double album Being There became a fundamental pivot for the Chicago band in a decade filled with triumphs. Twenty-five years later, those songs live on in the band’s live shows, even though in the studio Wilco have traveled to a [...]

His weekend bookings upstairs at Jimmy Beans Coffee preserve the intimacy, smarts, and daring of this endangered musical tradition. by Mark Guarino April 13, 2022 The email Paul Finkelman received last month from Beau O’Reilly read simply, “Can your car fit a piano? . . . Please advise.” [...]

Given the beloved alt-country label’s recent troubles, this is probably the best news we could’ve gotten—but it’s too soon to say whether Bloodshot will keep releasing music. by Mark Guarino October 22, 2021 Bloodshot Records, the Chicago record label that launched the alternative-country genre in the mid-1990s, [...]

His Indiana farm doesn’t just produce food—it’s also the wellspring for his smart, witty country and rockabilly tunes. by Mark Guarino July 1, 2021 Dennis J. Leise whistles a high note and a crowd of turkeys, roosters, chickens, and ducks explodes in shrieks, quacks, and clucks. A [...]

By Mark Guarino Don’t let the live vibe fool you—The Hideout Sessions features no cheering, no clapping, and no cries for “Freebird.” Josh Caterer, lead singer of the Smoking Popes for 30 years, recorded this new collection of songs and covers pandemic style last October: he played to no [...]

For Glen Echo, her first album in more than eight years, she played and recorded every instrument herself. By Mark Guarino The first time you see "If U Die," the new video from Chicago singer-songwriter Azita Youssefi, it might take you a minute to realize that the colorful [...]

The beloved musician and collaborator extraordinaire built a long resumé, which includes decades playing with the Waco Brothers and Hushdrops. By Mark Guarino Joe Camarillo, an intuitive and potent drummer who played with dozens of Chicago bands for more than 30 years, died Sunday following a stroke. [...]

With “The Dutchman” and other widely recorded songs, he created emotional realities that let you feel along with his characters. By Mark Guarino Michael Smith died in his bed at home on Monday, on a cold August afternoon in Chicago. Wind snapped at the windows of his [...]