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- Music, Music Review Jul 20, 2020
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Chicago music mastermind Nnamdï reflects our absurd world with the gorgeously strange Krazy Karl
- Music, Music Feature Apr 14, 2020
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Nnamdï grows up on Brat
The prolific musical polymath uses his new solo album to teach himself something about work-life balance.
- Music, Gossip Wolf Mar 31, 2020
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A new Chicago indie-rock comp benefits Brave Space Alliance and Black & Pink
Plus: Anna Holmquist of Bad Songwriter Podcast drops an album with their band Ester, and dance-pop act Pixel Grip releases a live MCA recording.
- Music, Music Feature Jul 9, 2019
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Kaina gives her soulful R&B the intimacy of real and chosen family
The Chicago singer-songwriter’s debut album takes its strength from her favorite people: her friends and collaborators, her childhood mentors, her immigrant parents.
- Music, Music Feature Jun 26, 2019
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Rap that asks the right questions
The fledgling Why? Records crew—Davis, Malci, Joshua Virtue, and Ruby Watson—are already making some of the city’s most compelling and idiosyncratic hip-hop.
- Music, Music Feature Oct 3, 2018
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Sen Morimoto makes crowded songs all by himself
The Chicago polymath’s mix of hip-hop, pop, prog, and jazz has won over international entertainment platform 88 Rising, but for now he’s sticking with his friends at local indie Sooper Records.
- Blogs, Bleader Jul 23, 2018
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Ms. Lauryn Hill reminded Pitchfork how vital she was and is to hip-hop
Hill's Sunday-night headlining set celebrated the 20th anniversary of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, one of the greatest albums in the history of the genre.
- Music, Pitchfork Jul 17, 2018
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From basement shows to Pitchfork stages
Veterans of Chicago’s multifaceted DIY scene talk about the community that shaped them.
- Blogs, Bleader Jun 25, 2018
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The Pitchfork Music Festival announces its 2018 aftershows
Headliners of Pitchfork's 2018 aftershows include Japanese Breakfast, Girlpool, and Kweku Collins.
- Music, In Rotation Apr 5, 2018
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Brown Girls writer Fatimah Asghar on Janelle Monae’s utopia for queer women of color
Plus: Macie Stewart of Ohmme on the beautifully epic new band that grew out of Cross Record, the Reader’s Peter Margasak on a trove of overdue Derek Bailey reissues, and more
- Blogs, Bleader Feb 2, 2018
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Audiotree’s Far Out video series records bands where you’d least expect
Palehound at a florist's shop, Drab Majesty at the Museum of Surgical Science, Lume at the Damen Silos—Audiotree's Far Out series makes its performances part of Chicago's cityscape.
- Music, Music Feature Jan 3, 2018
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Stories from Chicago’s favorite rock ’n’ roll clusterfuck
Ian’s Party is a music festival, yes, but it’s run mostly by volunteers—which helps it feel like a community, not a branding exercise.
- Blogs, Bleader Jun 2, 2017
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Pop-Up Magazine, Pug Party, and more things to do in Chicago this weekend
A dog film festival, a comedic roast of Wonder Woman, and more events June 2-4
- Blogs, Bleader Apr 28, 2017
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Chicago Humanities Fest, Zombie Pub Crawl, and more things to do in Chicago this weekend
"Girl Play," the University of Chicago Artist Summit, and more happenings from April 28-30.
- Music, Concert Preview Apr 20, 2017
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Chicago outre-pop whiz Nnamdi Ogbonnaya keeps you on your toes on Drool
- Music, Gossip Wolf Sep 27, 2016
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Shannon Candy of Strawberry Jacuzzi launches her label in time for Cassette Store Day
Plus: The new Options album Maxed Out mixes power pop and emo, and Chicago musicians turn up in Joe Swanberg’s Easy.
- Blogs, Bleader Aug 25, 2016
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A tag team of underground Chicago rappers has fun with Logan Square's Discount Megamall
Local MCs Rich Jones, Morimoto, Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, and JD make a backdrop of the Megamall's graffiti-covered walls in the video for the new track "They Don't Wanna Know."
- Music, Gossip Wolf Jun 1, 2016
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Grungy local supergroup Lifestyles drop their debut album
Plus: Sooper Records launches with a self-titled 12-inch by Man Without a Head, and producer Nunca Duerma releases the full-length Ven Ahora.
- Music, Gossip Wolf May 11, 2016
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Rabble Rabble celebrate a new record at the third Good Vybes Fest
Plus: Nic Collins screens the deeply weird webseries Year of the Snake at Beauty Bar, Twin Peaks sign LPs bundled with coloring books at Reckless, and more.
- Blogs, Bleader Apr 20, 2016
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Chicago rap trio Sooper Swag Project get loopy on the new Badd Timing
Chicago's Sooper Swag Project, which includes eccentric polymath Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, takes hip-hop where few other current artists try.
- Blogs, Bleader Nov 25, 2015
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Morimoto's sui generis tracks add color to Chicago's hip-hop kaleidoscope
For Me & Ladie, the brand-new album by Chicago-via-Massachusetts rapper-producer Morimoto, pulls hip-hop in a new direction.
- Blogs, Bleader Jun 23, 2014
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Reader premiere: The bizarre video for Nnamdi Ogbonnaya's '2% Chest'
We've got the exclusive premiere of the video for "2% Chest," a delightfully strange antipop song off Nnamdi Ogbonnaya's forthcoming album.
- Blogs, Bleader Feb 18, 2014
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Double your pleasure: A Two Piece Fest Midwest primer
On Saturday at ChiTown Futbol you can catch 22 bands celebrate being in a group with only two members at the very first Two Piece Fest Midwest; we spoke with the people behind it.
- Music, Music Feature Feb 11, 2014
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How to get Bob Nanna of Braid to write your sweetheart a Valentine’s Day song
Thanks to the songwriting service Downwrite, which Nanna cofounded last year, he makes a pretty affordable Cupid.
- Blogs, Bleader Jan 23, 2014
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12 O'Clock Track: Allan Kingdom sounds like he's rapping in reverse on "Achilles"
The Twin Cities MC goes wild dropping rhymes on the spacey tune from last year's Talk to Strangers EP.
