Women in Blues Tribute to Deitra Farr, Katherine Davis, and Sugar Pie DeSantoSugar Pie DeSanto appears on day three of the Chicago Blues Festival, at a tribute set that also includes Lynne Jordan, Sheryl Youngblood, Joanna Connor, Radka Kasparcova, Sherri Weathersby, Roosevelt Purifoy, Dujuan Austin, and Johnny Iguana. Sat 6/10, 2:30 PM (music starts at […]
Author Archives: Jake Austen
Posted inSports & Recreation
Best sports ticket rep
I attended lots of Sky games last year, mostly because the 2021 WNBA champs are awesome and the arena vibe is groovy, but also because ticket rep Michael Amato is so tenacious. After I bought cheap seats for a single game, I was slightly taken aback when a rep reached out immediately, then genuinely surprised […]
Posted inMusic
Rescuing the legacy of Dancin’ Man
On December 13, I took a long drive to Des Plaines to pick up relatives of my friend Perry Kanlan, a showbiz-adjacent eccentric known as Dancin’ Man. The time on the road gave me the chance to reflect on the circumstances of my relationship with him. I formally met Perry in 2011, when my friend […]
Posted inBest of Chicago
Best 184-page love letter to Chicago
Chicago is too often presented as a violent wasteland rather than a cultural wonderland, for terrible reasons and occasionally for less terrible reasons. Many fantastic facets of our city have been underdocumented not out of nefariousness, but because everyone who cared already knew. In pre-Instagram days, who had an incentive to record a sight as […]
Posted inBest of Chicago
A personal remembrance of DJ Kwest_On
The Promontory’s favorite DJ died last spring, but his soulful music can still bring life.
Posted inArts & Culture
The last idiot standing
Cartoonist Johnny Sampson finally got his dream job at MAD magazine. Now he’s one of the only artists keeping the legendary publication going.
Posted inMusic
Andrew Kitchen’s boogie strikes back
Soul Train veteran and Attack of the Boogie host Andrew Kitchen celebrates the reissue of his dance show’s 1984 theme song.
Posted inMusic
Blondie’s Clem Burke and the tragedy of Trump Face
Clem Burke is a Rock Hall of Famer with Blondie, unjustly afflicted by a resemblance to Despicable Donald.
Posted inMusic
The making of Chaka Khan
All kinds of Chicago music—AM radio pop, free-spirited R&B, bold Afrocentric jazz, soulful funk—came together to shape her incredible voice.
Posted inMusic
Reviewed: Twista’s disjointed but generous Crook County and 11 more new releases
Seven Reader writers tackle a dozen records, including the long-gestating debut from footwork producer Jana Rush, lost recordings from 60s garage-rock oddballs the Monks, and a riveting solo set from unsung improvising pianist Pat Thomas.
Posted inBlogs
Saying good-bye to Herb Kent, radio’s greatest of all time
Herb Kent helped shaped Chicago’s musical tastes for more than 70 years, and his on-air persona was history’s purest example of radio magic.
Posted inMusic
Thirteen thoughts on the Misfits reunion
There are so many reasons to be wary of the Misfits reunion. But nobody can argue with the songs!
Posted inBlogs
A Prince fan club member on the Purple One’s most memorable Chicago moments
A private Prince sound check at the Chicago Theatre and more highlights from Prince’s 48 Chicago appearances
Posted inMusic
Musical arguments against the hopeless Chi-Raq stereotype
Prior to the ascendance of Michael Jordan, if you said “Chicago” anywhere in the world, regardless of language barrier, you’d be greeted with finger guns and mentions of Al Capone. But now the peaceful period of international Be Like Mike-ism has passed—Chicago is once again synonymous with gunfire, thanks in part to a constant media […]
Posted inBlogs
Building Stories vs. Working: Greatest Chicago Book Tournament, round one
In a battle between two heavyweights, is it the greatness or Chicago-ness that matters more?