Music – Page 5 – ROBERT LOERZEL

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

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

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

North by Northwest Highway brings three days of music to Edison Park

Pioneer Press, April 30, 2015 — Austin, Texas, is famous for its South by Southwest festival. Now, the Edison Park neighborhood on Chicago’s Far Northwest Side is hosting a weekend of concerts with its own take on the moniker: the North by Northwest Highway Music Fest. Read more in Pioneer Press.

Record Store Day photos

Underground Bee, April 22, 2015 — See my photos of Local H as well as Lasers and Fast and Shit playing Saturday, April 18, at the Reckless Records store on Broadway during Record Store Day; the Polkaholics at Laurie’s Planet of Sound; and the Tweens at Bric-a-Brac. Photo of Tweens by Robert Loerzel

Concert reviews and photos

January to April 2015 concert reviews and photos at Underground Bee: — The Vaselines at the Empty Bottle — DRMWPN and Chicago Psych Fest at the Hideout — Mid-February Concert Recap: Olivia Chaney, Mark Dvorak, Sleater-Kinney, Lizzo, the Western Elstons, Greil Marcus with John Langford and Sally Timms, Swans, Xylouris White — Robyn Hitchcock at Space — A new home… Continue reading Concert reviews and photos

Spring 2015 pop concerts preview

Crain’s Chicago Business, March 7, 2015 — My picks for the season’s top pop music concerts. Read more at Crain’s Chicago Business.

Best of 2014

My favorites of 2014, posted on my blog, Underground Bee: — Records — Concerts — Films

The Flat Five: Interviews with Scott Ligon and Kelly Hogan

Underground Bee, November 10, 2014 — The Flat Five are a supergroup of the Chicago music scene, combining five terrific talents: Kelly Hogan, Nora O’Connor, Scott Ligon, Casey McDonough and Alex Hall. … Last month, I interviewed Ligon and Hogan. Read the interviews at Underground Bee. Photo by Robert Loerzel