Britt Julious

4 weeks ago | chicagotribune.com | Britt Julious

Valerie June is as vivacious and compelling as her music. That much was evident during Wednesday night’s set at Park West. During the show, which lasted a little under 90 minutes, June performed a medley of old and new tunes that traversed the wide scope of her musical talents. From sing-songy gospel to guttural roots rock to lovelorn Americana, June blended the sonic diversity of her career for a show that demonstrated how singularly talented she is.

1 month 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.

1 month 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.

2 months 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.