How I've missed days like this.

It is mid-March and currently 75º F in Chicago and I can't tell you how much being able to work at home with my windows open and the breeze carrying in the sounds of birds my ears is doing absolute wonders illuminating and improving my mood. I highly recommend it! 

In other news, I also wrote about the excellent new album from Neal Francis today, so please do head over to Third Coast Review and check that out.

A quick intro to a band you'll want to know a lot more about in the future—Violets!

Man, I was starting to feel I was on a roll around these parts as far as picking up the pace of posting, but life had other ideas. I’ve got stuff in the works but for now I recommend a tasty new tune from Chicago’s Violets, who are playing this weekend with a March 1 show at Chop Shop in Chicago.

A Band Called Horse!

A Band Called Horse didn’t play many shows during their brief existence, but I’ve always felt a little proud that I booked one of them at The Note in 2001 while I was talent buyer there. My tenure at The Note preceded the era of easily shooting digital video on your phone, requiring actual an actual digital video camera of some sort, so I have stumbled across very few visual recordings of the shows I did there. 

But man oh man, am I glad this one exists!  

Hi there!

Since these little folks make me smile multiple times a day when I pass them in my apartment, maybe they'll help brighten your Friday too.

One recommendation: Hundreds of Beavers!

It’s rare that I stumble across a piece of media that will easily answer the question I hear most often, “what do you recommend I listen to or watch?” Usually there is so much sloshing around up there that I can’t answer quickly with a response that feels tailor-made to that person’s individual tastes. But recently I stumbled across a movie that feels like an excellent recommendation to just about anyone of (almost) any age!

Go watch Hundreds Of Beavers. Now.

It’s been out for a few years on the festival circuit but recently made it’s way to Amazon Prime video (though the Blu-Ray seems to have been delayed, if you’re more a physical media type). And to say much more would rob you of the pleasure watching the film with a naive mindset. But if I must save an elevator pitch, I‘d say it’s a live action Looney Tune cartoon stretched to feature film length, employing some of the most ingenious super-duper lo-fi effects I’ve seen.

One word of warning: it does open with a musical number that doesn’t entirely work, and it can take a few minutes to adjust to the film once it gets really rolling. But if you’re looking for tons of fun, settle in, get comfy, and look no further.

(If you live in Chicago, I see the film is actually playing at The Music Box tonight at 11:15, so it's clearly already moving into midnight movie territory...always an excellent sign.)

A listening update on that whole "listen to more old and familiar music" resolution.

As you can see from the graphics below, my resolution to listen to more “old” music last year and try and take a break from ceaselessly consuming the “new” was…not successful.

Oh well, let's see how I do this year!

30 years of Tankboy?

It has occurred to me that 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the original Tankboy email newsletter (that ran regularly until the mid-aughts) and the 20th anniversary of my starting at Chicagoist (a gig I held for the next 12 years). Mind-blowing, sometimes.

And people wonder why it sometimes feels like I've "been around forever/have always been online" or get confused when they discover my age.* Most folks tend to believe I am just a few years younger or older than they are, depending on what time in their life they first came across my writing or met me. I have plenty of thoughts on that, too.

But this is more a reminder to myself that I shouldn't let either of these two things pass by this year without some deeper discussion on both, so that's something for you to look forward to as well, right?

It's also weird to me to think that the nickname I picked as an AOL handle based on my favorite comic book character at the time that ended up sticking to me from then on might be older than a number of my readers. Wait, did people even still know what AOL was/is?!

Okee doke, carry on. Just parking a few thoughts and I'm glad you stopped by.

"Sent from 64 iPhones."

I guess in the spirit of full transparency I should divulge that in December I contributed enough money to be an "executive producer" during this current album cycle for the band OK Go. It's symbolic nature and I think of it more as directly putting some dough into the collective pockets of a band I've been a fan of since their earliest days in Chicago.

Anyhoo, for me it's pretty exciting to see OK Go come out of a pretty long hibernation period, and their first video for the new album continues their trend of creating eye-bending visuals, this time through the vehicle of multiple iPhone screens showcasing a carefully stitched together collection of interwoven shots.

Rejoice! Franz Ferdinand's new album is out soon!

You've only got to wait until January 10 to hear the whole thing, but why don't you start the new year off right with a taste of one of my favorite albums of 2025 (already!). 

Franz Ferdinand's last album exceeded all my expectations and 2025's The Human Fear takes a few wild left turns to shake things up, broaden their sound, and holy heck if it ain't another stellar release from a band now decades into their career. 

This ain't a sentimental stroll but an adventurous road trip for your ears, exploring all kinds of new territories and revealing eddy upon eddy of swirling, captivating hooks to swim in.

The band is touring North America later this year, but it appears the Christmas show they played for the local radio station last month means Chicago doesn't get a dedicated stop on the proper tour. Which is a bummer, but I'm sure they'll be back some other time.

UPDATE 1/10: The band has just announced a Chicago stop after all! They'll play The Vic on April 5!