‘Grand Concourse’ play review

Make It Better, July 24, 2015 — Young people can be so puzzling to older generations. Countless articles have asked, “What’s up with millennials, anyway?” And several recent plays at Steppenwolf Theatre, including “The Night Alive” and “Airline Highway,” zeroed in on this struggle for comprehension across the generational divide. In each of these plays, the… Continue reading ‘Grand Concourse’ play review

June 2015 blog posts

Blog posts at Underground Bee: Black Mountain at Do Division Calexico at Lincoln Hall The Very Best at Millennium Park Orwells, Apache Relay and Archie Powell at Northcenter Ribfest The Futurebirds at Green Music Fest Lydia Loveless at Green Music Fest Mikal Cronin at Subt and Green Music Fest PRFBBQ Solid Sound Festival: Photos of Day… Continue reading June 2015 blog posts

New in Chicago: June 2015

New in Chicago columns from June 2015 at Crain’s Chicago Business: Naturally, the face of this Chicago product is the most famous beard in history What’s a Guard Llama? Something that’s catching on with consumers fast This startup will keep your office clean and stocked with plenty of hand soap Bad coffee causes crappy job performance.… Continue reading New in Chicago: June 2015

Sharon Jones interview

Pioneer Press, June 19, 2015 — Soul singer Sharon Jones sounded and looked as vibrant as ever when she returned to concert stages in 2014, less than a year after learning she had cancer. She’d had six months of chemotherapy. Told by her doctors that she’d beaten the bile duct cancer, she wasted no time getting back… Continue reading Sharon Jones interview

New in Chicago: May 2015

My New in Chicago columns from May 2015 for Crain’s Chicago Business: May 7 — Mexican wedding cookies, instant massage bookings and more. Featured businesses include Felix’s Famous Cookies, Excel Mobile Massage, Functional MobileWear, City Soles and Goose Island Beer Co.’s tasting room. May 14 — The doctor will see you now — at home. Featured businesses… Continue reading New in Chicago: May 2015

Blackout Fest review and photos

Underground Bee, May 19, 2015 — Blackout Fest, an annual showcase of garage, punk and power pop music curated by Chicago’s HoZac Records, returned to the Empty Bottle May 15 and 16… See my review and photos at Underground Bee. On Thursday, May 14 — the night before Blackout Fest began at the Empty Bottle — HoZac Records… Continue reading Blackout Fest review and photos

Play review: ‘The Little Foxes’

Shannon Cochran as Regina Giddens and John Judd as Horace Giddens in “The Little Foxes” at the Goodman Theatre. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Make It Better magazine, May 12, 2015 — One of the most striking and unusual things about the Goodman Theatre’s new production of “The Little Foxes,” a classic 1939 play by Lillian Hellman, is the music. An orchestral score… Read my review at Make It Better. Photo by Liz Lauren

Summer 2015 pop concerts preview

Twin Peaks. Photo by Pooneh Ghana.

Crain’s Chicago Business, May 8, 2015 — My picks for the top pop music concerts this summer — plus a profile of Chicago band Twin Peaks. Read more at Crain’s Chicago Business. Photo of Twin Peaks by Pooneh Ghana

2015 Millennium Park concert guide

King Sunny Ade. Photo by Michael Weintrob.

Crain’s Chicago Business, May 7, 2015 — A day like today has us thinking about the upcoming free concert season at Millennium Park. City officials have made tweaks to the schedule for music at the park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion. They’ve expanded Downtown Sound… Read more of my story for Crain’s Chicago Business. Photo of King Sunny Ade by… Continue reading 2015 Millennium Park concert guide