Maybe out of boredom, I’ve been revisiting music central to my life a decade ago. It’s resulted in me listening to a lot of stuff that I end up describing as orgcore, which was a way to describe the kind of music Punknews would cover when it was central to…

Since moving to Chicago after graduating college, Ratboys’ story has been tied to the city. Before signing to Topshelf Records, Swerp Records would put out their first EP. The label would be central to Chicago, releasing early material by Nnamdi and other lesser-known artists. The ridiculous lineup of Gnarfest 2012…

I sometimes worry too much about how tenuous existence things have on the internet. Whenever I try to research punk from the 2000s, I am forced with the same problem. There is absolutely nothing left from two decades ago on the internet besides a few websites on punk. Maybe I…

Hot Water Music-Trusty Chords I blame this song for not listening to Hot Water Music for the longest time. To let you know just how pervasive Trusty Chords was in Chicago, there is a DJ night named after this song. I would let out an audible groan anytime it came…

Though I am well past the age where I should care, there is some small fear that some person I’ll never meet will call me a poser. I did not find hardcore in the way most people did. I don’t have that cool cousin that showed me Minor Threat when…

In some ways, I was late to the music-writing game. I was mostly a scenester in college, content enough to see as many local bands as possible. Around 2016, I stumbled my way to see Brendan Kelly play at the revamped backroom of Gman Tavern. The Lawrence Arms were my…

Recently I hit a landmark that is weird to write: I have been sober for as long as I could legally drink when I was an addict. And even when I turned 21, I knew I had a problem. I only felt like myself with a beer in my hand…

While many shuffled their way to Union Park to see a wide array of indie rock for the Pitchfork Music Festival, a much smaller fest called The Rumble was happening just across the street. It is a much humbler operation, serving a particular audience that wants aggressive dance music. Culturally…

Two years ago, it felt like we left the emo revival behind. New taxonomies were being created that led to some of the most annoying times to be online in my years as a person interested in the genre. You were seeing conversations and contestations happen at hyper speed. People…