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Chris Walz: educator at Old Town School (including my wife's banjo teacher), folk singer-songwriter-investigator-quilter. Wrote about his debut album All I Got And Gone and record release show at Szold Hall sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/780805177…

SILY contributor Keith Miller goes back in time to 1977, when budding movie star Jeff Bridges recorded a psychedelic album, only to have it shelved and forgotten about until last Saturday for Record Store Day. Slow Magic is out now via Light in the Attic sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/780986984…

Spoke with Takiaya Reed of Divide and Dissolve about their new album Insatiable (out tomorrow via Bella Union), the power and physicality of non-verbal music, playing live, and what "insatiability" means to her. It's also the first D&D album with vocals! sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/781078341…

A week ago at Thalia Hall served as an unofficial showcase for Chicago's art rock scene with CdY, FACS, and Kinsella & Pulse, LLC. My review + photos, and nab their records today via Matador Records, Trouble in Mind, and Kill Rock Stars. sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/781710889…

Latin jazz ensemble ORQUESTA AKOKÁN have finally found the magic combo of old and new with Kiko Ruiz leading the pack. Spoke with Jacob Plasse about their latest album Caracoles (Daptone Records). Catch them at Lincoln Center and Austin Blues Festival! sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/781805144…

Second interview posted today! This time it's Chicago multi-instrumentalist Dylan Ryan, about his new album In The Same Room With A Cactus, which was conceptualized in his Los Feliz kitchen in 2022 (with no cactus to be found). sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/781809181…

I'm more likely to go to a show if I know the band is playing material I like, a la THE OCEAN BLUE doing their self-titled debut and Cerulean front-to-back at Lincoln Hall on Sunday. They didn’t defy my predictions, but they exceeded my expectations. sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/782265041…

Wild God ([PIAS]) explores hope on the other side of tragedy. Wednesday at the Miller High Life Theatre - Special Events in MKE, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, more explicitly than ever, aimed to uplift the audience. The crowd was ready to receive his preaching. Review + photos sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/782439443…

Jotted down some thoughts on the year of Cymande: their new album Renascence (BMG) and return to the cultural conscious via the wider availability of the 'Getting it Back' documentary from Tim Mackenzie-Smith, essential to understanding the band's story. sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/782702035…

I'll be at Ichiko Aoba at Thalia Hall, but my other live pick for tonight is Youth Lagoon and Kaleah Lee at Outset. Youth Lagoon's comeback, with Heaven Is a Junkyard and now Rarely Do I Dream (Fat Possum Records), is something to behold. sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/782901988…

This video is chilling & illustrates what Dave Troy describes as the network state or technocracy that Musk,Thiel & states like Qatar & Russia are attempting to build. This is an effort to "remake the world" & replace liberal rules- based democracies with supranational monarchy.

I can't cover Kilby Block Party for SILY anymore because our bunny needed emergency surgery, but I can still post my preview interview with Future Islands! They answered some email qs about People Who Aren't There Anymore (4AD) and playing live. sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/783613292…

Last Wednesday at Thalia Hall was one of those perfect bills: ICHIKO AOBA, whose inviting new album Luminescent Creatures is out now via PSYCHIC HOTLINE, and Gia Margaret, playing some gorgeous, auto-tuned new songs. Words + a few photos: sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/783613682…

Two artists with connections to Chicago, one of them a local hero: Allison Russell and kara jackson - debut album gyal. They played a terrific show The Vic Theatre a couple weeks ago. AR transformed vulnerable material into tunes of hope and uplift. Review + photos: sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/784069048…

The recent Sharon Van Etten albums (JAGJAGUWAR) have far more perspective than any of her early 2010s albums. These are the records whose songs generate the most energy live, within the band and between the band and the crowd. The Salt Shed review! sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/784158519…

Phonetics On and On (Matador Records) wears Horsegirl's influences with pride but showcases the band’s never-better chemistry and buy-in to producer Cate Le Bon's processes. Review: sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/784703361…

No matter the conglomeration of band members and influences, JAMES BRANDON LEWIS is in constant conversation with the past while deeply appreciating the collaborative process. Wrote about his two records this year, out on ANTI RECORDS and Intakt Records sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/785334641…

Annie & The Caldwells are taking their church-inspired hybrid of soul, blues, funk, gospel, and disco across the globe this summer. I spoke with Annie about Can't Lose My (Soul), their debut album for David Byrne's Luaka Bop label sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/785607929…

"For diehard fans, this album might represent a bold turn, but it’s a much-needed one." SILY contributor Keith Miller reviews Beauty's Pride, the new one from born ruffians, out now via Yep Roc Records sinceileftyoublog.tumblr.com/post/786151779…