Andy Downing

Mike Himebaugh is familiar with the difficulties of touring, from soaring gas prices to playing in front of apathetic crowds in nameless towns. And then there are those combat landings...

Before releasing its debut album, "School Is My Hustle" (Rawkus), Naledge and Double O of Kidz in the Hall had to hustle just to finish up with school. The pair...

In interviews, Devin Davis is meticulous, speaking in a slow drawl and carefully choosing every word. So it should come as no surprise that the singer-songwriter approaches writing in much...

Brokedowns singer/guitarist Kris Megyery readily admits his paranoia. Recounting the events that inspire his songwriting, the 29-year-old mentions everything from monkeypox to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) to the walking...

Hip-hop is currently caught in the cross hairs. Respected artists such as Nas are proclaiming the genre "dead," and in the wake of the Don Imus dust-up the mainstream media...

The Sones de Mexico Ensemble was touring the East Coast last May when throngs of immigrants and supporters took to the streets for "A Day Without Immigrants," a nationwide protest...

Anne Harris' songs frequently sound born of a spiritual awakening. "Desperate Day," off the singer/violinist's most recent album, "Wine and Poetry," finds Harris railing at the heavens, singing of "spirits...

In the press release accompanying Cap D's "Return of the Renegade" (All Natural Inc.), the longtime Chicago MC notes that this time around he wanted to make an album solely...

James Elkington is, by nature, a reluctant frontman. The Zincs' singer always anticipated finding an "Axl Rose-type character" to front his band, content to hang in the background and focus...

Most bands rehearse for hours on end before performing live, running through songs until the set is flawless from start to finish. Drummer Ernie Adams views concerts in a different...