Communication Arts

When Matt Lux asked me to write something for his record, we met in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago. He parked right where the sorely-missed Lithuanian restaurant Healthy Food used to be. When he was just starting to play, older musicians would take him around town to discover all the special spots. He calls oneContinue reading “Communication Arts”

The Dial

Walking down 18th Street one night a few years ago with a friend, I happened upon a new bookstore. The window display of Pilsen Community Books had a children’s book my companion recognized. We promised to check this place out sometime and walked on. Opening a bookstore these days is sort of a perverse proposition. Few peopleContinue reading “The Dial”

First Reformed

Half an hour before showtime the line outside the Music Box stretched a good way down the block. We weren’t the most attractive bunch. A lot of bald spots, beer bellies, and numerous unfixable fashion faux pas. But we were excited. Because we were about to be the first people in town to see PaulContinue reading “First Reformed”