Andy Downing

Hip-hop duos have always thrived with the deejay/emcee "two turntables and a microphone" setup, a fact that Will Smith, the Fresh Prince himself, alluded to in the title of his...

Catfish Haven singer/guitarist George Hunter is just beginning to realize the amount of responsibility that comes with signing to a record label. The band, which landed with Bloomington, Ind.-based Secretly...

The cover of Healthy White Baby's self-titled debut album depicts a crucifix surrounded by a cluster of infants. The work, by Chicago artist Gregorio Strasdas, is about "overcoming death with...

Six years ago, Chicago singer-songwriter Linda M. Smith rented a movie that would change her life in many ways. The 1997 film "Artemisia" told the story of the female 17th...

Steve Dawson's first solo album, "Sweet Is the Anchor" (Undertow Music), was inspired by everything from his mother's death to right-wing talk-show host Sean Hannity. Over the course of a...

Umphrey's McGee bassist Ryan Stasik, 29, sounds a bit dismayed by the sextet's jam-band label. "I guess it's kind of true. We do jams in our band," says Stasik wearily....

In 2005, Chicago's music scene continued to flourish in the national spotlight, with Kanye West and Common releasing new albums to critical and commercial acclaim--and even the Great Pumpkin Billy...

In late May 2004--just two weeks before the band was to begin a 10-city tour with legendary Detroit rabble-rousers MC5--Suffrajett's drummer up and quit the band. Unsure of how to...

Willie Kent takes a workmanlike approach to the blues, playing shows virtually every night despite the cancer and extensive chemotherapy that often leave him sapped of strength and pining for...

In 1992 Sybris bassist Shawn Podgurski moved to Chicago from Sandusky, Ohio, to pursue a film career. His focus shifted soon thereafter when he discovered the now-defunct Lounge Ax and...