Back in mid-August, near the end of his summertime TV advertising blitz, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner scored 14 percent in a Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll of likely GOP primary voters. That was up a tick from the 12 percent he got in a June 20 poll by the same firm. His campaign has […]
Chicago
Posted inNews
Help for demolishing abandoned homes?
A pile of trash sits covered by a tarp in front of the abandoned house at the corner of 12th and Cass streets. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE A state law aimed at helping municipalities deal with abandoned houses has generated nearly $4 million by taxing banks that foreclose on homes, but the slice of that […]
Posted inMusic
Studebaker John
Young John Grimaldi was born and raised in an Italian-American neighborhood in Chicago. His first taste of music came in the form of a harmonica at age 7. Soon he visited the famed Maxwell Street area, home to Chicago blues and became a lifelong disciple of the blues. After seeing a particularly exciting and exhilarating […]
Posted inOpinion
Gunning for legislation
Back when Richard M. Daley was Chicago’s mayor, hizzoner would hold a big, splashy press conference every year with cops and prosecutors and crime victims to unveil his new state gun control legislation. The Chicago media poobahs would shout their huzzahs, the NRA would fume and raise tons of money from angry members and then […]
Posted inMusic
Kentucky Knife Fight
PHOTO COURTESY KENTUCKY KNIFE FIGHT From a raucous beginning during an open mic night at the Stagger Inn Again in Edwardsville, Kentucky Knife Fight has grown through the years into a formidable, well-respected, award-winning group. Based in St. Louis, with members from the Springfield area, the rocking and rolling, edgy and bright, loose-lipped and tight-playing […]
Posted inMusic
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
PHOTO BY ROSIE WAGNER A performing songwriter since 2006, Ezra Furman hangs out in the indie-rock, folk-rock, original music land and calls Chicago home. With the Harpoons, the group delivers ferociously friendly sounding on-the-beat and in-your-face songs with sweet and sour lyrics balanced between personal experiences and existential dialogues with the universe as a conversational […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Spaulding Orchard memories
Every fall I remember what it was like to come as a child to this place that has been my home for 30 years. My husband and I live in the old Spaulding Orchard farmhouse. It’s the first home we bought, and likely will be our last. It wasn’t our first choice, but after being […]
Posted inOpinion
Tweaking pension reform
Several members of the Illinois General Assembly’s special pension reform committee told me last week that they believed a final proposal would emerge within the next week to 10 days. The conference committee has been working on a solution to the state’s pension problems since June, after urgings by Gov. Pat Quinn to find a […]
Posted inMusic
Hodgepodge of happenings
With a whirlwind of wonderful whatevers available to while away the hours this week in the entertainment section of our lives, here are a few tidbits and takes on the goings-on. In the “unbelievable events” category, how is it that two of my favorites in the music business are playing in Springfield on the same […]
Posted inMusic
Rosie blooms
Few other Americana artists spent a lifetime as creative, consistent and challenging as Rosie Flores. From her early days with the Los Angeles cow-punk, rockabilly scene to a current life-defining record, her work from constant live performer to recent record producer follows the music muse. I first met her in June of 1999 at the […]
Posted inMusic
The Alley Tones
Cultivating a deep and biding respect for the legacy of the blues, The Alley Tones hail from St. Louis, a heritage blues city along with Chicago, Memphis and New Orleans. Eric A. Gavillet (vocals), Nathan Byrd (guitar), Joe Phillips (bass) and Justin Schmitt (drums) joined forces in March of 2012 with a vision and purpose […]
Posted inFood & Drink
For the love of Indian food
It wasn’t love at first bite. It wasn’t even love at second bite. But, when I finally fell in love with Indian food, I fell hard. I’ve always been an adventurous eater, eager to try new things, so it’s strange that I didn’t initially appreciate Indian food, but it was really circumstantial. My first experience […]
