I appeared on FOX's Good Day Chicago this morning to chat about last night's Grammys telecast. Watch the video and let us know your thoughts on the show. more ›

The Rev. Jesse Jackson is furious with the Grammys and the Recording Academy after a third of the awards categories were cut in a way many perceive to be ethnically discriminatory. more ›

Listen, the Grammys are pointless. Hell, they're less than pointless. When it comes to even the 35,000 foot view of popular culture Pitchfork is more relevant than the Grammys. How could an awards show steeped in the perspective of a business that still views the '60s and '70s as its boom years? Don't worry though, the Grammys have always been out of touch, as proven by this nifty little video curated by Maura Johnston. more ›

Patrick Stump exhibits his amazing one man vocal band talents to offer up a sampler of this year's Grammy Record of the Year nominees. Hoo boy can that guy sing! (Also, if you are a hater of what the kids identify as "popular music" this is as good a time as any to catch up on what the tunes sound like so you don't sound like a complete idiot when trying to impress that cute coworker at the water cooler with your pop cultural know-how.) more ›

Though musician Keith Harris’ roots are firmly planted in Chicago, he’s literally all over the map. He brings home the bacon touring as the drummer with the Black Eyed Peas and moonlights as a hip-hop producer, remixer, songwriter and even talent scout. But don’t mistake this for career A.D.D., though. Having a hand in every aspect of the biz has made him a prolific music man, well-versed in classic theory and practice with an urban edge that’s given him an incredibly versatile skill set. The music he works to create is a fusion of different genres, vibes and styles, much like the man himself. The 2008 hit “American Boy,” which he co-wrote, is a prime example of this blurring of the lines with it’s hip hop-py lyrical flow overtop a laid-back, breezy, roller-skating on a sunny day musical feel. And people seem to like it, considering it’s up for "Song of the Year" at this Sunday’s Grammy Awards. We chatted with Keith just before he jetted off to L.A. to wait for his name to be read from the envelope, and we found even with his recent success, he’s still down to earth. But he’s nowhere near settled. more ›

At the risk of feeding the hype machine, we still have to offer a congratulations to Mr. Kanye West for pulling in some Grammy gold last night. While we still don't buy the Grammys as an accurate barometer of the music industry and what's actually, you know, good in music these days, it's still the industry's main award show so there's something to be said for coming away with multiple trophies. While the night's big winner was Amy Winehouse, Kanye still managed to pull in four awards, as well as one of the night's most memorable acceptance speeches (surprise!) when he gave producers the verbal smack-down for trying to run him off in the middle of a tribute to his mother. more ›

Kanye West leads the pack with the most Grammy nominations this year. Kanye is also famous for throwing a tantrum every time he ends up being beaten out by anyone else for any other award. This time around, we think maybe Kanye should be crossing his fingers in hopes that he doesn't win. more ›

Four years ago, Rich Seng was a former seminary student making low-budget TV ads for local businesses when a friend took him to a hip hop open mic at Subterranean. One thing led to another that night, and before anyone knew what hit ‘em two renowned local emcees were freestyle battling each other. An idea was born, and Seng started organizing the first Rhyme Spitters rap battle tournament. He relied on word of mouth and... more ›

The Sun-Times reports that it won't be officially announced until Wednesday, but the City Council has made it pretty obvious that The Police will be playing Wrigley Field July 5 and 6. (Originally Dave Matthews had been in talks to do so, but, thank goodness, they and their over-exuberant bus septic system will be staying away from Chicago that weekend.) more ›

It’s been a harsh week, hasn’t it? First, we had to walk through a blizzard, prove our love on Valentine’s Day and then it got cold again. The rest of the week they piled work on us here at the office, and now we have to decide what tickets to buy for upcoming shows. Life is just hard sometimes. Too bad the John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae show didn’t go on sale earlier; it... more ›

Surfing between the Police reunion on the Grammys last night and an all-new evening of animation on Fox (and if Family Guy's "My Drunken Irish Dad" song isn't being sung en masse this St. Patrick's Day, we'll be sorely disappointed), Avenues' chef Graham Elliot Bowles took on Bobby Flay on "Iron Chef America." Knowing that the Tribune had Bowles' appearance featured in yesterday's Sunday magazine, we didn't buy the Sunday paper yesterday and stayed away... more ›

There were three and a half long hours of the Grammys last night where the performances took top billing to the actual awards. Did anyone actually watch past The Police? Well, we did. Until a little after 10:00 when our eyes just wouldn’t stay open anymore. As we watch the Grammys we try to guess who might win based on which band just performed or if there is some sort of trend with the presenters... more ›

In one of the biggest upsets at last night’s Grammys, one of Chicago’s most talented artists was robbed of the top honors for his stellar work in the past year. As unbelievable as it might seem, Eddie Blazonczyk’s Versatones didn’t win the Grammy for Best Polka Album. And Kanye West is gonna have a problem too, ya'll. Unlike last year, we chose not to subject ourselves to the Grammy awards so we’ve been catching up... more ›

We were sitting here minding our own business trying to take a nap until one of the other Chicagoist writers pointed out that Kanye West is on the cover of Rolling Stone this month. more ›

Lou Rawls, a South Side native and singer of such soul classics as “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine,” is doing his best to kick cancer’s ass. According to the AP, Rawls has been diagnosed with lung cancer and his estranged wife says he is also struggling with cancer of the brain. Sounding upbeat, Rawls noted that “many people who have been diagnosed with this kind of thing, and they're still jumpin' and pumpin'.''... more ›

Yesterday, The Mayor’s Office of Special Events announced the musical lineup for this summer’s Taste of Chicago. It’s the usual mix of artists that fall into two categories: it-would-be-cool-to-see-them-live and all-you-have-to-do-is-ask. more ›

Unlike the Grammys, people seem to really “care” about the Oscars. Tubthumping pub-dwellers insist both shows “only recognize crap and not real art” but with respect to the Oscars, it’s not entirely true. Not that it matters as the ratings for the Oscars rise and fall on the box office success of the nominated films. And even those who haven’t seen any of the best picture nominees have an interest in the Oscars—even if they’re... more ›

With the Super Bowl over for another year, America’s pop culture radar is now flooded with innumerable awards shows, most of which are utterly pointless aside from their function as commercials for whatever corporate entity is presenting them. In order to avoid exhaustion, Chicagoist avoids most of them except for the Grammys and the Oscars.* Not because they’re the most entertaining or honor those most deserving but because there’s not much cultural insight to... more ›

An article in The Chicago Journal last week detailed the efforts of a Japanese television crew that sought to document the last vestiges of the Maxwell Street blues scene. The authenticity of the current scene could most charitably be described as “in question” (if for no other reason but its presence on Canal Street rather than Maxwell Street. Fortunately, the flag for Chicago blues is still carried nightly by an army of local musicians in... more ›

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