Cue the violins!

By Kate Andries
So we all know the economy is the crapper.  And as I’ve pointed out in the past, the arts are usually the first to suffer when things turn financially south.  
In no other arena does poor financial climate wreak havoc than in the world of classical music.  Attendance to the symphony and the [...]

Behold, the changing landscape.

By Kate Andries
Drink it in:

Radiohead has long been touted as a revolutionary band. A band that is pushing the music business towards change and evolution. Greg Kot, music critic for the Chicago Tribune, explores Radiohead’s effect on the music landscape in his new book, Ripped: How the Wired Generation [...]

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

By Kate Andries
Summer festival time!
Whee!
Just thinking about it makes me giddy.  From June to August, some of the biggest festivals this side of Woodstock take place all over the country- west coast, east coast, backwoods Michigan, down south Tennessee- they’re everywhere!
Bonnaroo held June 11-14 in Manchester, Tennessee is set to host big name acts such as [...]

Screw it…I’m movin’ to the ‘burbs!

By Amanda Graf
For those of you interested in getting more bang for your buck, consider making the move to the suburbs.  Chicago is just a hop, skip, and a jump away, and you can have the amenities you have always dreamed about- for the same/lower price!  Check it out!

Bobby Jenks Gets a “Hefty” Slap on the Wrist

I couldn’t claim to write about sports and the economy without posting this story.
Bobby Jenks, the closer for the Chicago White Sox, was fined $750 by Major League Baseball today for admitting to “sending a message” to Texas’ second baseman, Ian Kinsler. Jenks threw a ninth-inning pitch behind the right-handed Kinsler. When asked after the [...]

Good, Cheap Music

A couple weeks ago, I saw one of the most impressive violinists in concert…for dirt cheap.
The man who composed the soundtrack for the movie Amelie, Yann Tiersen, came to the Logan Square Auditorium at the end of April to play a set ranging from classic violin masterpieces to his more comtemporary French rock.  The best [...]

Hail to the Chief!

By Steve Cadwallader
I’m gonna take a minute to step aside from the economy and its depressing stories about failure and ruin and talk about a happier subject. So here we go!
An article published by Chicago Tribune reporter Dan McGrath in today’s paper highlights the key aspects of the Chicago Blackhawks and the team’s revival in the city’s sports scene. [...]

Justice is served…Taste it!

By Amanda Graf
Hallelujah! 
Ladies and Gentlemen, we will all be able to sleep rest assured tonight because Drew Peterson is FINALLY behind bars. 
On Thursday afternoon, police arrested the indicted murderer, Peterson, in Bolingbrook.  Always the bell of the ball, Peterson said, “I should have returned those library books.”  What an ass.
Will County State’s Atty. James Glasgow [...]

Baxter, Bark Twice!

Hey Cubs fans, looking for a quick get-away this weekend?
Your team is wrapping up its so-far-so-good, week-long road trip with a very important three game series against division rival Milwaukee.
As each winter passes it seems the head-honchos at Wrigley seem eager to jack up ticket prices becasue demand for tickets makes it very easy to [...]

Just put it on your credit card…

By Amanda Graf
Let’s face it- this economy is horrible sucks.  What could possibly be the upside?
TRAVEL! 
American’s are having a hard enough time scraping the funds together to put food on the table, let alone digging up the cash for a trip to Europe.  But, experts say that now is the time to splurge because rates [...]