Just when you thought the outdoor drinking season was over, the Chicago Country Music Festival makes a late entry. Once part of the Taste of Chicago, the fest declares its independence with a new date and location this weekend at the Soldier Field "parkland." (Which is pretty much a fancy way to say parking lot.) more ›

Dear Kanye, We love you. We’re your hometown fans. We get that you have to have vision and determination to make it to the top in the music industry. We understand the ego that goes with great talent. But, it’s time for a carefrontation. There was your issue with losing the American Music Awards' Best New Artist category to Gretchen Wilson. We thought it was a little bit odd to threaten the Grammy voters right... more ›

Nominations for the 48th Annual Grammy Awards were announced today and thank God Kanye West was nominated several times or we would never hear the end of it. As expected, West’s “Gold Digger” picked up nods for Record of the Year and Best Rap Solo Performance while Late Registration was tapped for Album of the Year and Best Rap Album (“Diamonds In Sierra Leone” pulled a songwriting nod for Best Rap Song). Common, another member... more ›