May 9th, 2003 By Mark Guarino Daily Herald Music Critic In an era where small labels burn out before they even get fired up, it is magical that Delmark Records is a half-century old. The Chicago independent celebrates its longevity this month. Not only is it [...]

By Mark GuarinoDon’t look up: spring is here, no matter what the dark skies tell us. To celebrate, here is a run-down of the essential new releases in stores this month.R.E.M., “Accelerate” (Warner Bros.)What kind of band falls apart when the drummer leaves? That was the [...]

By Mark GuarinoIn the era of Internet celebrity, when everyone is famous therefore making fame irrelevant, bands that make it through that kind of fog find it hard to last further than the next browser refreshing.Just a few years ago bands like The Strokes and The [...]

By Mark GuarinoMagazine spreads in trendy magazines and corporate rock shows in sports arenas will tell you punk is now just fashion and pose, the facile combination of a generation that really, has nothing to complain about because they have everything they want at the touch [...]

By Mark GuarinoGoing solo from a band that sold millions of albums is usually not wrought with difficulties as name recognition helps.Yet for Gary Louris, the songwriter, singer and bedrock personality associated with The Jayhawks, things aren’t that simple. In their 17 years, The Jayhawks quietly [...]

By Mark GuarinoThe 25th anniversary edition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” (Epic) features a new cover: Instead of the iconic shot of a demure 24-year-old Jackson lounging in white, the new cover borrows an image from the famous MTV video: A posse of hideous zombies surround Jackson [...]

By Mark GuarinoSometime after their first, second or maybe third album, bands that are considered sure things receive what they’ve long sought after, to help realize their perfect sonic dream: A fat, larger-than-life recording budget.Then there are bands like Atlanta’s Black Lips. The band takes refuge [...]

By Mark GuarinoThat gum-chomping, stage-stalking, joke-telling, beard-wearing, vocal-shredding rocker dude named Dave Grohl didn’t want to bum anyone out Monday, even though his music of late is his most vulnerable, interjected with political outrage and tender introspection. But not Monday. Not before a sold-out crowd. Not [...]

By Mark GuarinoBecause a lead singer’s attitude, fashion tastes and vocal style tends to define the band they are fronting, instrumental rock bands pose a challenge for the label obsessed. Which helps explain the categories and sub-categories — post-rock, math-rock, grindcore — that ride the line [...]

By Mark Guarino Jon Brion wears multiple hats — producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, engineer, film composer — but the one that connects them all is the most simple: Music geek. In a business that prefers reliable franchises to risk-taking and one-note stars over adventuresome mavericks, Brion is [...]