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The Chicago Reader

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Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Jan 14, 2021
Video
A memorial to Alejandro Morales

His death doesn’t just leave a hole in Chicago’s DIY music scene—it’s a loss to community activists, to affordable housing advocates, and to countless friendships.
- By Steve Krakow
- Tags: The Secret History of Chicago Music, Alejandro Morales, Alex Morales, Alejandro José Morales-Aponte, RIP, memorial, tribute, obituary, Malagüez, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico, Running, Piss Piss Piss Moan Moan Moan, PPPMMM, Cookie, Rories, Yagalith, Falta de Juicio, Ono, Willo, Dianid, Spitshine, Muncie, Ball State University, Keith Helt, Pan y Rosas Discos, Defeat the Hydra, Josue Aguilar, Nicole Miller, Catholic Tapes, Dream Root Recordings, Kim Gordon, The Noise Paintings, P. Michael Grego, Travis, Arvo Zylo, Mister Fuckhead, Dawei Wang, Matthew Hord, Jeff Tucholski, Brett Naucke, Ben Billington, Parsley Flakes, Maria Jenkins, Reversible Eye Gallery, Loto Ball, Brandon Davis, Indian Jewelry, Vaguely Ethnic, Wake Up Applauding, Permanent Records, Castle Face Records, John Dwyer, Thee Oh Sees, Marian Tsikalas, Matt Urban, John Clark, Bobby Burg, Smith’s Night, Mark E. Smith’s Night, the Fall, Guided by Voices, Que4 Radio, Alien Lanes, Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation, Resurrection Project, Whitney Johnson, Matchess, Ryley Walker, Luca Cimarusti, Luggage, Annihilus, Zack Weil, Oozing Wound, Lawrence Peters, Haley Fohr, Circuit des Yeux, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, San Jose Obrero Mission, affordable housing, Josh Condon, Glyders, Video

Music, Gossip Wolf Jan 5, 2021
Chicago’s DIY rock scene mourns Alejandro Morales

With his generous spirit and boundless enthusiasm, Running’s drummer was the beating heart of a vibrant community.
- By J.R. Nelson
- Tags: Gossip Wolf, Alejandro Morales, Running, Piss Piss Piss Moan Moan Moan, Ono, the Fall, Puerto Rico, obituary, memorial, RIP, died, American Dreams Records, Jordan Reyes, Matthew Hord, Resurrection Project, Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation, Bickerdike, Ryley Walker, Luca Cimarusti, Brett Naucke, Empty Bottle

Music, Music Feature Aug 20, 2020
Remembering Chicago jazz anchor Joe Segal

It's not such a bad thing to be set in your ways when your ways are worth saving.
- By Neil Tesser
- Tags: Music Feature, Joe Segal, Jazz Showcase, Dearborn Station, NEA Jazz Master, bebop, jazz, Brown Shoe, North Park Hotel, Blackstone Hotel, Happy Medium, obituary, RIP, death, “Symphony Sid” Torin, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Save the Children, Milt Jackson, Gary Burton, Phil Woods Quintet, Jazz Institute of Chicago, Chicago Jazz Festival

Music, Music Feature Aug 14, 2020
Video
Dave ‘Medusa’ Shelton was a fairy godmother to Chicago’s club scene

He didn’t just found the legendary Medusa’s—he also helped everyone in his orbit shine like a star.
- By Leor Galil
- Tags: Music Feature, Dave Shelton, Dave Medusa, Dave “Medusa” Shelton, Medusa’s, RIP, obituary, death, cause of death, Teri Bristol, the Warehouse, Frankie Knuckles, house music, punk, industrial music, Wax Trax!, Wax Trax! Records, Front 242, Ministry, Smashing Pumpkins, Fugazi, Julia Nash, White Zombie, Bernie Hansen, Lakeview, Elgin, Congress Theater, Miguel Ortuno, Howard Bailey, Beat Parlor, Slick’s Lounge, Greg Pittsley, Greg “Blue” Pittsley, Blue Pittsley, Dugan’s Bistro, La Mere Vipere, Carol’s Speakeasy, Robert Williams, Jeffery Pub, 161 West, Joe Michelli, Berlin, Mark Stephens, Tom Hemingway, WLUW, Jennifer Prietz Marszalek, Lorri Francis, Sean Duffy, Last Rites, Val Scheinpflug, DJ Psycho-Bitch, juice bar, 120 Minutes, Rights of the Accused, Jonathan "Scrappy" Gilbert, Jim Nash, Leroy Fields, Foxy’s, Video

Music, Music Feature Apr 8, 2020
Video
Did John Prine die for Donald Trump’s sins?

The cruelty, ignorance, and incompetence of the federal pandemic response have cost the life of a beloved singer-songwriter who stood against all those things.
- By Mark Guarino
- Tags: Music Feature, John Prine, obituary, obit, RIP, death, died, coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic, Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore, Some Humans Ain’t Human, Bruce Springsteen, Miranda Lambert, Rodney Crowell, Bon Iver, Robbie Fulks, Maywood, Proviso East High School, Melrose Park, Old Town School of Folk Music, Earl of Old Town, Somebody Else’s Troubles, Steve Goodman, Holstein’s, Ed Holstein, Fred Holstein, A Good Time, Fifth Peg, Andrew Calhoun, Waterbug Records, Atlantic Records, Donald and Lydia, Sam Stone, Hello in There, Bob Dylan, Angel From Montgomery, Mark Dvorak, The Tree of Forgiveness, Grammy, Lifetime Achievement Award, In Spite of Ourselves, Josh Caterer, Smoking Popes, Margo Price, Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Jason Isbell, Roger Waters, My Morning Jacket, Paul Westerberg, Bettye LaVette, Swamp Dogg, Pete Seeger, Slicker Sam’s, Sweet Revenge, Video

Music, Gossip Wolf Dec 23, 2019
Video
Rest in peace to Chloe the punk-scene pug

Plus: Online ecology publication Mid Magazine launches with an Ariel Zetina mix, and Thalia Hall hosts a benefit for pediatric brain tumor research.
- By J.R. Nelson and Leor Galil
- Tags: Gossip Wolf, Chloe, pug, RIP, obituary, Better Yet, Tim Crisp, Mid Magazine, Adamn Killa, Composuresquad, Jermaine Collins, Kimani Rose, Ben “Neon Pajamas” Niespodziany, Kai Whiston, Ariel Zetina, Patrick McNamara, Pat Mac’s Pack, ependymoma, pediatric brain tumor, Thalia Hall, Fck Cncr Fest, Rookie, American Grizzly, Jennifer Hall, Tongues Unknown, Video

Music, Music Feature Dec 9, 2019
Video
Chicago rapper Juice Wrld died just as his career was beginning

The MC born Jarad Higgins became a commercial juggernaut in less than two years, and passed away just days after turning 21.
- By Leor Galil
- Tags: Music Feature, Juice Wrld, obituary, RIP, death, Jarad Higgins, Interscope, Death Race for Love, Wrld on Drugs, 2k17 Goosebumps, All Girls Are the Same, Lucid Dreams, Chief Keef, Lil Bibby, G Money, DJ Victoriouz, G Herbo, Goodbye & Good Riddance, Grade A Productions, Cole Bennett, Lyrical Lemonade, Lean Wit Me, Wasted, Armed & Dangerous, Black and White, Future, Fine China, Robbery, Roses, Benny Blanco, Panic! at the Disco, Brendon Urie, Homewood-Flossmoor High School, Nick Mira, Video

Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Sep 10, 2019
Video
Pedro Bell made art to embody Funkadelic’s revolutionary grooves

The underappreciated genius behind many of Funkadelic's most famous album covers died last month after nine years in a nursing and rehab center.
- By Steve Krakow
- Tags: The Secret History of Chicago Music, Pedro Bell, P-Funk, Funkadelic, George Clinton, album art, artwork, comics, liner notes, Village Voice, record reviews, the Torch, Roosevelt University, Captain Draw, Pedrodelic, Sir Lleb, obituary, RIP, Video

Blogs, Bleader Dec 11, 2018
Video
Buzzcocks front man Pete Shelley grappled with metaphysical questions as eloquently as he wrote about physical desire

He most perfectly captured this dichotomy between the carnal and the philosophical on the 1979 B side "Why Can't I Touch It?"
- By J.R. Jones
- Tags: Music, RIP, Pete Shelley, Buzzcocks, obituary, RIP, Steve Diggle, Homosapien, Flat-Pack Philosophy, Another Music in a Different Kitchen, A Different Kind of Tension, Love Bites, Trade Test Transmissions, I Don't Mind, Love You More, Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've), Orgasm Addict, Double Door, Why Can't I Touch It?, I Believe, I Need, You Tear Me Up, Palm of Your Hand, Video

Music, The Secret History of Chicago Music Oct 9, 2018
Video
Otis Rush and his searing guitar immortalized the west-side Chicago blues sound

Rush is hardly obscure, but the Secret History of Chicago Music couldn't let the death of such a powerful and influential artist pass in silence.
- By Steve Krakow
- Tags: The Secret History of Chicago Music, Otis Rush, obituary, RIP, blues, Mississippi, west side, Muddy Waters, Cobra Records, I Can't Quit You Baby, Willie Dixon, Led Zeppelin, Peter Green, Mike Bloomfield, Double Trouble, All Your Love (I Miss Loving), Chess Records, Door to Door, Duke, Vanguard, Cotillion, Bullfrog, Delmark, Sonet, American Folk Blues Festival, Tops, Ain’t Enough Comin’ In, Grammy, Any Place I’m Going, Chicago Blues Festival, Otis Rush Day, Video

Music, Gossip Wolf Jul 31, 2018
Video
First-wave drill producer LeekeLeek dies at 27

Plus: Veteran Chicago rapper Longshot celebrates his collaboration with Lazerbeak, and Drum Corps International hosts a world championship in Michigan City.
- By J.R. Nelson and Leor Galil
- Tags: Gossip Wolf, LeekeLeek, obituary, RIP, drill, producer, SD, Chief Keef, Lil Durk, Lil Reese, Mudbrothers, NoSleepCity, Banana Boat, Beat the Block, Longshot, Ang13, Army of 2, Lazerbeak, Doomtree, Parades, Subterranean, DCI, Drum Corps International, Ames Field, Michigan City, Open Class World Championship, Video

Music, Gossip Wolf Jul 17, 2018
RIP to beloved Chicago house DJ and producer Sean Haley

Plus: Punk Rock and Donuts throws a Pilsen Reads! benefit, local pop-rock band Bike Cops celebrate their debut full-length, and more.
- By J.R. Nelson and Leor Galil
- Tags: Gossip Wolf, Sean Haley, house music, house, RIP, obituary, Chicago House Music Festival, Inner Sound System, Sonotheque, Windimoto, Scorpeze, Mr. JayToo, Sean Owens, Deep Rooted, Glenn Underground, I-94, Punk Rock and Donuts, Jeremy Kitchen, Co-Prosperity Sphere, Pilsen Reads!, Pilsen Community Books, Nonagon, Through N Through, Short Temper, Bike Cops, Jurassic Pop, Emporium, Dana Buoy, Gumdropp, Sharkula, Mukqs, Good Willsmith, Cafe Mustache

Blogs, Bleader Jan 24, 2018
Video
Mark E. Smith, the acerbic voice of influential Manchester postpunks the Fall, dead at 60

Mark E. Smith's inimitable sneer was a lacerating antidote to mediocrity for more than four decades.
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Music, Post No Bills, RIP, Mark E. Smith, the Fall, punk rock, Rowche Rumble, Cruiser's Creek, Brix Smith Start, How I Wrote 'Elastic Man', A-Sides 1978-2016, RIP, obituary, died, postpunk, Video

Music, Gossip Wolf Sep 19, 2017
RIP Trey Gruber of promising young Chicago band Parent

Plus: New recordings on the way from the Father Costume—and a new album already here from Dan Whitaker & the Shinebenders
- By J.R. Nelson and Leor Galil
- Tags: Gossip Wolf, Trey Gruber, Parent, Paul Cherry, Laurel Canyon, Secretly Canadian, I Tried, obituary, RIP, Father Costume, Sam Wagster, Adam Vida, Michael Hartman, Kent Lambert, Gillian Lisee, Kevin Ratterman, Hungry Brain, Phyllis’ Musical Inn, Dan Whitaker & the Shinebenders, country, honky-tonk, Bernice’s Bounce, Cole’s Boogie, Anything You Wanted To

Music, Gossip Wolf Aug 1, 2017
Beloved underground rapper Mic One passes on too soon

Plus: Donnie Biggins of Harmonica Dunn takes over as booker at FitzGerald’s, and Pilsen’s Dvorak Park hosts the We Are Hip-Hop Youth Festival.
- By J.R. Nelson and Leor Galil
- Tags: Gossip Wolf, Mic One, Mike Malinowski, Noise Pollution, Risky Bizness, Chad Sorenson, Who’s the Illest?, Molemen, Chicago Rocks, Portage Park, obituary, RIP, Mic Terror, Astonish, Longshot, Donnie Biggins, Tonic Room, Harmonica Dunn, Bill Fitzgerald, FitzGerald’s, talent buyer, booker, We Are Hip-Hop Youth Festival, Pilsen, Dvorak Park, Black Heaven, Dej Monae, D-Jilla, Lexi Monee, Me’chelle Renee

Blogs, Bleader Nov 11, 2016
Video
So long, Leonard Cohen

We mourn him, even though he told us this was coming.
- By Aimee Levitt
- Tags: Music, RIP, Leonard Cohen, death, obituary, RIP, David Remnick, Unetaneh Tokef, Video

Music, Gossip Wolf Nov 1, 2016
Eat chili to help the Arts of Life Band release their first album

Plus: Postpunks Ganser continue a busy 2016 with a new EP, Konstantin Jace of Moritat spins 78s all month at the Peninsula, and more.
- By J.R. Nelson and Leor Galil
- Tags: Gossip Wolf, The Arts of Life, The Arts of Life Band, Charitable Chili Cook-Off, Doug Eigenberg, Chicago Fire, Hot Doug’s, Doug Sohn, Indiegogo, album, Ganser, This Feels Like Living, The Pop Ritual, Empty Bottle, Valentine’s Day, postpunk, Konstantin Jace, Moritat, 78s, Peninsula, Bryan Snow Jr., Space Snow, Lyrical Lemonade, Young Chicago Authors, Izerrick Aigbokhan, Smylez, King Louie, Live & Die in Chicago, RIP, obituary

Blogs, Bleader Apr 21, 2016
Prince's death is easier to process than his supernatural life

Minneapolis Sound historian Jon Kirby of Numero Group reflects on the ever-elusive Purple One.
- By Jon Kirby
- Tags: Music, Prince, RIP, Greenville, South Carolina, Purple Snow: Forecasting the Minneapolis Sound, Kenny G, Adrian Crutchfield, North Carolina

Blogs, Bleader Apr 6, 2016
Video
Country giant Merle Haggard dead at 79

The last living genius of honky-tonk passes away on his birthday.
- By Peter Margasak
- Tags: Music, Post No Bills, RIP, Merle Haggard, Bakersfield, country music, Buck Owens, Wynn Stewart, Okie From Muskogee, Mama Tried, White Line Fever, Sing Me Back Home, Silver Wings, Workin' Man Blues, RIP, obituary, died, Video

Blogs, Bleader Feb 18, 2016
Why liberals should dearly miss Antonin Scalia, the Bond villain of Supreme Court justices

Progressives now have no one adversary of sufficient skill and smarts to galvanize them.
- By Ian Belknap
- Tags: RIP, The Contrarian, News, Antonin Scalia, Ian Belknap, liberal, conservative, Supreme Court, justice, RIP, Koch, Walton, MTV, Yo Mama

Blogs, Bleader Jan 11, 2016
From station to station with David Bowie

Singer, actor, musician, and artist David Bowie died yesterday at age 69.
- By Tal Rosenberg
- Tags: David Bowie, Music, RIP, David Bowie, RIP, Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie Is, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Labyrinth film, The Man Who Sold the World

Blogs, Bleader Jan 7, 2016
Video
Weekend Nachos announce their upcoming breakup

As they enter their 12th year, superheavy four-piece Weekend Nachos amicably announce that they'll call it a day.
- By Luca Cimarusti
- Tags: Music, RIP, Weekend Nachos, powerviolence, heavy metal, hardcore, John Hoffman, Andy Nelson, Drew Brown, Brian Laude, Relapse Records, breakup, split, RIP, goodbye, heavy, S.C.A.B., Still, video, Video

Blogs, Bleader Oct 10, 2014
RIP Fletcher Weatherspoon, longtime pillar of Chicago's African-American social-club scene

Jake Austen profiled Weatherspoon for the Reader in the 2012 feature story "Spoon's last dance."
- By Philip Montoro
- Tags: RIP, Music, Fletcher Weatherspoon, ElWarren, social clubs, Dove Productions, Spoon, obituary, RIP, Jake Austen

Blogs, Bleader Sep 19, 2014
Video
'Dodging Invisible Rays' is a Guided by Voices classic in honor of their second breakup

The indie-rock legends from Dayton, Ohio, call it a day—again.
- By Luca Cimarusti
- Tags: 12 O'Clock Track, Music, 12 O'Clock Track, Guided by Voices, GBV, Dodging Invisible Rays, Robert Pollard, Tobin Sprout, RIP, break up, Video

Blogs, Bleader Jul 1, 2014
RIP author and Harvey Milk speechwriter—and former Chicagoan—Frank M. Robinson

The sci-fi author and behind-the-scenes gay activist passed away yesterday.
- By Albert Williams
- Tags: RIP, Arts, Film, News, frank m. Robinson, the glass inferno, playboy, harvey milk, the towering inferno, author, gay rights, activist, RIP

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