Caropop

Amy Landecker is a working actor of many talents. She was Sarah Pfefferman on the Emmy-winning series Transparent, plays detective Nancy Costello on the Showtime series Your Honor and made an indelib…

In Part 2 of our Caropop conversation, we dive into the most famous album that Steve Albini produced, Nirvana’s In Utero. Which version does he consider to be definitive? Why does he think the contro…

Steve Albini raised his profile while recording Nirvana, the Pixies, the Breeders, P.J. Harvey and more, but he never became part of the rock machine. He works only on analog equipment, refuses to ac…

When Dave Gregory joined XTC in 1979, he transformed the band through his muscular, melodic guitar playing, occasional keyboards and, on "1000 Umbrellas," a string arrangement. Gregory always found w…

He photographed the Beatles during the Get Back project and in their final photo session. He shot the Rolling Stones during their peak years and was airlifted out of Altamont Speedway with them. He p…

Chicago-born producer Shel Talmy and the Kinks revolutionized rock with the distorted-guitar attack of “You Really Got Me,” so impressing Pete Townshend that the Who leader wrote “I Can’t Explain” as…

Mekons concerts are dancing-in-the-face-of-the-apocalypse parties, and at their center is Sally Timms. Her beautiful, pure voice is way better than what you’d expect from a post-punk, country-tinged,…

Carrie Nahabedian is a trailblazing, Michelin-starred chef, a mentor to many and a great talker. She offers an unvarnished look into what it’s like to run a high-end restaurant (Brindille) during a p…

Not only does Steve Dawson continue to be one of Chicago’s most talented and well-liked singers and songwriters—whether solo or with Funeral Bonsai Wedding or Dolly Varden—but he also has inspired co…

Bernie Grundman is a legendary mastering engineer, but what is mastering, and why do people look for “BG” in the dead wax of vinyl albums? He has mastered some of the greatest, and greatest sounding,…

Drummer Chris Frantz, who formed one of rock’s funkiest rhythm sections with bassist Tina Weymouth, helped drive Talking Heads to heights perhaps unreached by any other American band. Frantz’s memoir…

Part 2 of our conversation with Mitch Easter jumps right into the making of those classic first R.E.M. records: Chronic Town, Murmur and Reckoning. What is that weird pulsating sound that opens “Radi…

Mitch Easter could be considered the Godfather of Jangle except he dislikes the term. His production work on the first R.E.M. records and bands such as Game Theory and the Windbreakers helped define …

Riccardo Muti is music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and one of the world's great conductors. He's a fierce advocate for culture (as opposed to entertainment) and a passionate artist who…

"Spill the Wine," “All Day Music,” “Slippin’ into Darkness,” “The Cisco Kid,” “The World Is a Ghetto,” “Me and Baby Brother,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” “Low Rider,” "Summer"--you know the songs, but…

Kathy Valentine is a smart, resilient rock ‘n’ roller with much to say. Propelling the Go-Go’s with her innovative bass playing, writing and singing, she experienced the thrills of performing great s…

Bruce Thomas was the stupendous bassist for Elvis Costello and the Attractions, creating the indelible bass lines that drove such songs as “Pump It Up,” “(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea” and “Everyda…

Has anyone in the rock world maintained a longer, more sustained level of excellence than Richard Thompson? From his 1960s recordings with Fairport Convention through his most recent work, this Briti…