I’ve always been transparent about the fact that the Secret History of Chicago Music relies on other people. I get leads from the musicians I write about, from my knowledgeable friends, and from ...

I don’t know exactly when it happened, but at some point in my lifetime, “lo-fi” went from being an adjective to being a genre. By the mid-1990s, artists were making a conscious decision to eschew the ...

Sean Hoffman, producer of “A Blast From The Cellar! – Lost Gems From The ’60s Chicago Garage Rock Explosion,” joins Bob Sirott to talk about the teen dance club that stood in Arlington Heights during ...

We need to be upfront with you. The Reader is free. Producing it isn’t. And without your support, we can't continue. So we need you to chip in, even if it’s just a few bucks. The average donation is ...

For those of a certain age, The Flock is remembered for being part of the golden era of 1960s Chicago garage rock, with its bubble gum hits on AM Top 40 radio airwaves, and regular appearances at ...

In Pomona, they’re getting the bands back together, and the audiences too. The city’s homegrown music scene of the early rock era was dominated by Mexican American teenagers, who were inspired by ...

People who say rock music is dead may have selective hearing. Or maybe their generally confused, Spotify-generated playlists are leading them straight to hell, away from the light of raw guitar glory.