Lollapalooza 2019: Greg Kot’s lineup wish list
Lollapalooza tickets go on sale Tuesday, which means a lineup announcement can't be far behind. It's a fool's game to predict who might be playing the annual festival, which returns...
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12 best up-and-coming bands and artists at SXSW
The South by Southwest Music Festival wrapped up over the weekend, but not before 2,000 bands and artists from around the world had serenaded the city at hundreds of clubs....
Beastie Boys at SXSW: still distorting reality, playfully
The Beastie Boys, in the words of co-founder Mike D, “had a different relationship with reality” than most journalists who interviewed them. Reality may have been up for grabs, but...
SXSW and songwriting: Is Spotify the bad guy?
Streaming platforms have become the most ubiquitous purveyors of music and also the most vilified. But an unexpected ally spoke out on their behalf Thursday at the South by Southwest...
Gary Clark Jr. brings his ‘personal statement’ to the Chicago Theatre
Gary Clark Jr. had a lot on his mind as he was wrapping up recording sessions for what would become his third and best major-label studio album, “This Land” (Warner)....
T Bone Burnett at SXSW keynote: Producer in scorched-earth mode on tech ‘surveillance capitalists’
The city of Austin and the South by Southwest Music Festival both pride themselves on their forward-looking perspective on the technology industry. But keynote speaker T Bone Burnett wasn’t quite...
Nick Waterhouse embraces, subverts the past on new album
Nick Waterhouse knows his retro sounds well enough that he doesn’t have to merely imitate them. Over four albums, he writes, performs and arranges with an intention both designed to...
Vince Staples was transformed by hip-hop at a young age
On Vince Staples’ 2018 album, “FM!,” there’s a party going on. From a distance, it sounds like a celebration of the rapper’s childhood in Long Beach, Calif. But as with...
Robyn was a frenzy of hips and limbs as she blended ecstasy, anxiety at the Aragon
Robyn’s brand of dance pop hinges on a balancing act between ecstasy and introspection. On Wednesday at the sold-out Aragon Ballroom, the scales tipped toward the lighter side of the...
Pitchfork Music Festival 2019 lineup: Robyn, Haim and the Isley Brothers headline
Robyn, HAIM and the Isley Brothers will headline the Pitchfork Music Festival on July 19-21 in Union Park. In booking the Isleys on the 60th anniversary of the hugely influential...