If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Millicent Hailes I've been trying to see Mannequin Pussy for years now, and it just has never quite worked out. This time around they were playing two shows (both sold out quickly) at The Sinclair, and luckily schedules aligned correctly for me. I had high expectations for the show, and somehow they were more than exceeded. This one might have been one of those life altering shows.  Soul Glo opened up the show. If you're unfamiliar with Soul Glo, they're a hardcore punk band that recently played NPR's Tiny Desk. They came out and just killed it right from the start. One of the more interesting parts of their performance was watching the crowd. For the first song, one single guy tried to start a mosh pit, which was completely appropriate given the style of music. He gave up about halfway through that song, but very slowly the crowd got more and more sucked in. It was easy to see why, as Soul Glo are dynamic performers. While they had some fans in attendance, the...

Wilco have been hosting a three day festival every other year for a while now, and we just haven't been able to make it to one yet. That might need to change for 2024 as the line up is bonkers. There are obviously multiple sets from Wilco planned for the weekend, but they brought their A-game with the rest of the line up. Highlights include the brilliant country-rock of Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, the artsy post punk of England's Dry Cleaning, the influential power pop of Nick Lowe and Los Straightjackets, the Americana of Iris Dement, Wednesday's alt-country meets indie rock, Chicago's new favorite indie rockers Horsegirl, the hardcore punk of Soul Glo, more Chicago indie rock from Ratboys, and a ton more music! Plus, non musical entertainment like John Hodgman's Comedy Cabaret, the Song Exploder podcast, and more. Solid Sound 2024 will once again take place at Mass MoCA in North Adams, MA from June 28-30. Tickets and more information can be found here . The ful...