Britt Julious

2 weeks ago | chicagotribune.com | Britt Julious

“I kind of love that mix of excitement and fear, like on a roller coaster,” says Lydia Cash. Those warring emotions permeate Cash’s latest body of work, including the singles “We Can Never Go Back” and “A Whole Summer of Loving You,” which were both released earlier this year. Confident and lyrically naked, Cash (yes, of that Cash family) peels back the layers of her own life — including the end of an eight-year relationship and marriage — to share rich, evocative Americana-inspired rock music.

3 weeks ago | chicagotribune.com | Britt Julious

Sharon Van Etten is ready to be front and center. Not that she hasn’t been before, but perhaps the type and scope of her music made it more difficult for her to command the stage. But with her band, the Attachment Theory, as evident at Friday night’s set at the Salt Shed, audiences can now witness a more confident and self-assured version of Van Etten, one who is ready and perhaps eager to embody her true rock superstardom.

1 month ago | chicagotribune.com | Britt Julious

“There’s so much reason, and even desperation at times, for why we’re here and why we gather,” said Emma Blau, one-twelfth of the jazz, soul, and R&B collective Family Junket. The mega group (comprised of band members Blau, Hasani Cannon, Rahila Coats, Scott Daniel, Carmani Edwards, Willfred Farquharson, Alejandro Gallardo, Aliyah Jones, Max Lazarus, Jonah Lazarus, Zach Lazarus and Clarence Young) should probably be a little bit more amorphous.

1 month ago | chicagotribune.com | Britt Julious

Good morning, Chicago. In the six years since Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker took office, members of the Illinois General Assembly have run afoul of the law at a staggering pace, even for a body with a history of greed and graft stretching back more than a century. During Pritzker’s reign in Springfield, 11 now-former lawmakers have pleaded guilty or been convicted of crimes, a stain on the Illinois government he heads even though the governor himself has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

1 month ago | chicagotribune.com | Britt Julious

Denzel Curry is for the people. That much was clear during his show Friday night at the Salt Shed, where a bevy of teenage and 20-something fans were bouncing off the walls (literally) from start to finish. After a number of up-and-coming openers, Curry finally took to the stage at around 9:50 p.m. to much fanfare. The artist — who is on tour to promote his latest record, “King of the Mischievous South” — is something of a showman compared to his peers.