So it’s my favorite time of year and that would be the fall. Yes, Autumn. The best season of the year. Hands down. I am not a summer guy. Never have been. I hate the summer. I despise hot weather. I hate it when it’s humid and muggy, and here in Chicago, we get slammed with humidity and ridiculous heat all summer long. Those dog days of August? Pure misery. This past year was even worse, with multiple 90+ degree days that sucked the life right out of me. By the end of summer,

Hip-hop and movies have been linked since the beginning. Now sure, hip-hop music itself officially kicked off in the early 1970s, born from block parties in the Bronx where DJs were spinning disco, stretching those instrumental breaks, scratching records, letting MCs jump on the mic, and creating something totally new. It was disco rap at first, but it grew fast, into something more than music. It became a movement. A culture. A way of life. And film caught onto that energy r

There are few things better than a warm summer night at Ravinia . You get off the Metra and boom—you’re there. You walk a few feet and you're inside one of the most beautiful outdoor music venues in the country. The sound is always great, the trees sway gently overhead, and the picnic game is legendary. Wine bottles popping, gourmet spreads laid out on blankets, lawn chairs planted just right—it’s magical. My girlfriend Julie and I packed our own picnic, jumped in the car, b

With the release of Bono: Stories of Surrender on Apple TV+ , I found myself diving back into the music of U2 —one of the most important, influential, polarizing, and flat-out fascinating bands of the last 50 years. The new film, directed by the great Andrew Dominik ( The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford —an absolute masterpiece), captures Bono ’s intimate 2023 stage show at the Beacon Theatre . It’s reflective, theatrical, personal. And it got me thin

Sometimes, the universe just lines things up perfectly. You can’t plan for it, it just happens. And when it does, you ride that wave. The weekend before last, Julie and I had one of those rare stretches where everything clicked. Over the course of three nights, we saw three completely different, completely brilliant live performances from three wildly unique artists: Tom Green , Suzanne Vega , and Iggy Pop . Comedy, folk, and punk rock — all in one weekend. Each night had its

Music documentaries do more than document—they capture moments in time, preserve history, and, at their best, immerse us in the magic of music itself. Whether it's a concert film that puts you front and center, a fly-on-the-wall look at an artist in their prime, or an intimate exploration of the highs and lows of a musical journey, these films give us an up-close and personal look at the world of music. In honor of the release of "Becoming Led Zeppelin," I compiled my list of