Chicagoans of Note

Chicagoans of Note is an as-told-to interview series by Reader staff that spotlights voices from the city’s diverse and multifaceted music community.

Braeden Long, youth rock scene photographer — A self-portrait by Braeden Long

Braeden Long, youth rock scene photographer

“The process of film is always exciting for me, ’cause there’s so many variables involved that it challenges me enough.”

by Leor Galil June 26, 2024June 26, 2024

Chicagoans of note

Liz Jackson Hearns, founder of the Voice Lab

Liz Jackson Hearns, founder of the Voice Lab

Emily Rach Beisel, improviser and Pleiades Series founder

Emily Rach Beisel, improviser and Pleiades Series founder

Anaiet Soul, pianist, performer, and lifelong student

Anaiet Soul, pianist, performer, and lifelong student

Jon-Carlo Manzo, indie tastemaker

Jon-Carlo Manzo, indie tastemaker

Melon Sprout, ceramicist and noise artist

Melon Sprout, ceramicist and noise artist

Ishmael Ali, cellist and cocurator of Elastic’s Improvised Music Series

Ishmael Ali, cellist and cocurator of Elastic’s Improvised Music Series

Chicagoans of Note: Archives

Kai Akili, neosoul artist and founder of Forever Noir

Kai Akili, neosoul artist and founder of Forever Noir

Lidia Vomito, DJ of the Graveyard Hour

Lidia Vomito, DJ of the Graveyard Hour

Kyle LaValley, Ramova Theatre programming and creative director

Kyle LaValley, Ramova Theatre programming and creative director

Nix Campbell, dance party lighting designer

Nix Campbell, dance party lighting designer

Izzi Vasquez, music-adjacent multimedia artist

Izzi Vasquez, music-adjacent multimedia artist

R. Brent Decker, Racetraitor bassist and anti-violence worker

R. Brent Decker, Racetraitor bassist and anti-violence worker

DJ Slugo, ghetto house champion

DJ Slugo, ghetto house champion

Josh Piotrowski, DIY haunted-house builder and noise musician

Josh Piotrowski, DIY haunted-house builder and noise musician

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More Music Articles

New Morality Zine boosts Chicago hardcore with a Rumble preshow

New Morality Zine boosts Chicago hardcore with a Rumble preshow

Chicago’s own Common gets the orchestral treatment at an elegant one-night stand

Chicago’s own Common gets the orchestral treatment at an elegant one-night stand

Chicago slam phenomenon Torture play their second-ever local show

Chicago slam phenomenon Torture play their second-ever local show

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Best of Chicago: Music

Best place to be queer and country

Best place to be queer and country

Best new metal album to pair with staring into your cheap whiskey while your ex moves out of your condo

Best new metal album to pair with staring into your cheap whiskey while your ex moves out of your condo

Best rapper who also collects luchador masks

Best rapper who also collects luchador masks

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Music reviews

Harpist Brandee Younger celebrates Alice Coltrane at the MCA

Harpist Brandee Younger celebrates Alice Coltrane at the MCA

New York shoegaze darlings Hotline TNT play a Pitchfork aftershow

New York shoegaze darlings Hotline TNT play a Pitchfork aftershow

Limp Bizkit are unlikely trans heroes

Limp Bizkit are unlikely trans heroes

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The Secret History of Chicago music

Jackie DeShannon launched her rarefied music career in Batavia

Jackie DeShannon launched her rarefied music career in Batavia

Motorhome’s fuzzy pop-rock holds up over the long haul

Motorhome’s fuzzy pop-rock holds up over the long haul

The Pearl Handle Band debut 40 years after breaking up

The Pearl Handle Band debut 40 years after breaking up

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World Music Festival

The Reader’s guide to World Music Festival Chicago 2023

The Reader’s guide to World Music Festival Chicago 2023

Bandcamp Friday meets the World Music Festival

Bandcamp Friday meets the World Music Festival

The Reader’s guide to World Music Festival Chicago 2022

The Reader’s guide to World Music Festival Chicago 2022

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Gossip Wolf

Mages Guild bring live electronic music to the Music Box Theatre

Mages Guild bring live electronic music to the Music Box Theatre

Elastic Arts hosts Independence Day improvisations that center Black folks

Elastic Arts hosts Independence Day improvisations that center Black folks

Jeehye Ham of Precocious Neophyte plays her last show as a Chicagoan

Jeehye Ham of Precocious Neophyte plays her last show as a Chicagoan

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Concert Previews

The Rumble provides space to channel political angst and find community through hardcore and metal

The Rumble provides space to channel political angst and find community through hardcore and metal

Adam Zanolini’s Heliacal Rising of Sothis pays tribute to Chicago jazz great Kelan Phil Cohran

Adam Zanolini’s Heliacal Rising of Sothis pays tribute to Chicago jazz great Kelan Phil Cohran

LA punk stalwarts Redd Kross celebrate their 45th anniversary with a new double album

LA punk stalwarts Redd Kross celebrate their 45th anniversary with a new double album

Chicago’s Pocketboy Solid just want to have fun

Chicago’s Pocketboy Solid just want to have fun

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Best of Chicago 2023

Credit: Nick Murway

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Music & Nightlife

Best place to catch a man practicing harmonica while he urinates

Sidekicks

by Micco Caporale

Music & Nightlife

Best prodigal son in a rock band

Jonathan van Herik returning to Facs

by Philip Montoro

Music & Nightlife

Best multihyphenate burlesque dancer, emcee, and event curator for Black femmes

Lynzo the Heartthrob

by DMB (D-M Brown)

Music & Nightlife

Best nine-minute, 12-second Chicago hip-hop mixtape

Portrait by Davis

by Leor Galil

Worst of Chicago: Music

What Chicago media gets wrong about Chance, Keef, and the local hip-hop scene

What Chicago media gets wrong about Chance, Keef, and the local hip-hop scene

Why does R. Kelly seem immune to repercussions in the post-Weinstein era?

Why does R. Kelly seem immune to repercussions in the post-Weinstein era?