In the opening scene of Spike Jonze's 2013 movie, Her, the camera spies on the protagonist, Theodore Twombly. Theodore is in a sterile office cubical, working for BeautifulHandwrittenLetters.com. Despite his apathy toward life and relationships, he gets paid to write love letters for people struggling to express...
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Above: Adam Krier of AM Taxi performing at the legendary Double Door in Chicago on May 13, 2016 Mandy's eyes flutter shut as she releases a caged memory. "A few years ago," she begins. "I didn't want to...
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Today, Stellar West will be kicking off Chicago's Riot Fest just as they're ready to release their first LP, Unfiltered. Stellar West's band members are 12, 14 and 16-years-old. The path to making a successful rock band used to be rugged and unsupervised. For many, this is...
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Once, when an acquaintance found out that I interviewed rock musicians for newspapers and magazines, he looked at me incredulously and gulped, "Why would you hang out with a bunch of lazy drug addicts?" I was stunned by his judgmental response but maintained my composure. Then...
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In the early to mid-90s, drones of Radiohead fans packed venues demanding to hear the song, "Creep." During the anthemic chorus, the crowd sang in unison, "What the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here. I don't belong here." Yet with paid ticket...
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Last year, a Spotify-based study reported that the appetite for discovering new music slows down after the age of 33. Sure, that middle-aged dad might've heard the latest hits by Adele and Justin Bieber on the radio but he's not actively seeking new music. Instead,...
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This article was originally published here in Reverb magazine on June 8, 2016. A music journalist gets into a car with a record producer and a gaming executive. (This is not the set up for a joke). As they were curling their way up a mountain outside...
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Last spring, Ken Stringfellow (of R.E.M., Big Star and The Posies) returned from a European tour with recording artist, Holly Muñoz. Amidst their touring, "Holly & Ken" recorded an Americana country album...
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Face-to-face interviews can awaken the highest form of mental precision. Like a hunter or a great three-pointer, the heart rate steadies itself and the eyes dilate a little. Time expands on the vertical axis when all of the senses are fully engaged and absorbing information...
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My friend Serene is from Lebanon. We used to work together in Chicago. When she moved back home (between Cairo and Beirut), we stayed in touch through Facebook. This summer, she recommended I check out a Lebanese band called Mashrou' Leila. They've been courting the...
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