Jessica Hopper

While Mako Sica is powerful as a rock band, the group's sound exists somewhere far afield of tradition. A single song might stretch to nearly album length, Mako Sica's din...

This week The Scissors officially unveil their new band, so to speak. After four years as the rhythm guitarist, Yvonne Szumski is stepping to the forefront as the band's lead...

It's a fine line between poking fun at a genre and making fun of it. The four young men of WizardCastle insist they are merely poking — gently — at...

This week, one of Chicago's most exciting young bandleaders, jazz vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, wraps up a two-week tour with European free-jazz legend Peter Brotzmann. After a decade as a sideman...

In case you were thinking of sleeping on notable locals, don't. Here are six shows worth catching by Chicago performers this fall. Angel Olsen Young and talented singer-songwriter Olsen was...

Mathien is not your typical jam band. You will not hear the essence of the Grateful Dead in the group's songs, no epic solos driving your mind toward celestial space....

One of Chicago's local institutions, Shellac, turns 20 this week. While the band's storied career as a pillar of the American underground will get plenty of ink and blog inches,...

Rapper Rockie Fresh is a bit of an anomaly in Chicago's hip-hop scene. The city has been known for socially conscious rap, but in the last few months it is...

For Haley Fohr, being a solo act wasn't for all the typical reasons — the artistic vision that couldn't be compromised, the sound, a preening ego. "I think it's kind...