Today, Grayshot share their rendition of the beloved Holiday classic, “Christmas Time Is Here,” from the 1965 TV Special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. The timeless tune has been covered by so many incredible artists, Aaron Ankrum, one of the brothers who make up Grayshot says, “This song has been a foundational part of our Christmas …
My Alma Mater, North Park University (Chicago, IL), used to be a national powerhouse in Division III (non-scholarship) men’s basketball. North Park won national championships in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1985, and 1987. The hoops’ team fell on very hard times after the release of the head coach who guided the Viking ship to the last …
Heather O’Neill is a supremely gifted songwriter working out of Chicago. Take a listen to her Transmute EP. A few months ago she sent her amazing acoustic track “Red Roses for Lady Blue.” I loved it then and still do. As I said, the guitar playing on this track is haunting and tender and perfectly …
This is a beautiful, uplifting video shot on a CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) train. Thanks to Victor L. Cooper
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” ― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities My wife and I recently spent some time in California. I was disturbed at the human conditions in San Francisco. I wrote to the San Francisco Chronicle (below) and even though my letter to the …
So I am obsessing over Chicago, I will admit. This all started when I noticed that much of the XTC catalogue had been upgraded and issued in terrific blueray/CD editions. I got a few, and they do sound fantastic. Much of the praise centered on one Steve Wilson, who remixed and remastered the albums and …
On March 6, 2018, Chicago’s fabled classic rock station, WLUP (97.9), announced it was being acquired by Educational Media Foundation (EMF). Since 2014 “The Loop” has been operated under a local agreement with Cumulus Media. However, as part of a bankruptcy filing last month, Cumulus withdrew plans to buy the station, and so the search …
Heather O’Neill is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Her first showbiz job was passing out flyers for an English band in Liverpool when she was 16. “I’ve had my share of interesting day jobs,” she says. “A barista in New York City, an extra in L.A., a record store employee in Chicago. Remember those?” Lately …
On April 4 I finally got to see Chicago’s Celtic punk rockers Flatfoot 56. I think it was 2009 when I saw them last opening for Street Dogs. That was the last time they played Seattle. I would have missed this show entirely if it weren’t for a bit of serendipity. I was sharing some …
K’Valentine will be opening for Talib Kweli on his Seven tour, coming through Portland on 1/26 at Wonder Ballroom. On a cold snowy day at a downtown Chicago hospital, K’Valentine made her entrance into this world. She served as an early Christmas gift for her mother. The news of her birth also excited her father, …
The Chicago Tribune has printed a four-part series on a subject I wrote about last year: https://www.eastportlandblog.com/2015/09/22/the-pope-pig-manure-and-minnesota-water-quality-by-mark-erickson/ Here’s one Tribune article regarding pig polluters: http://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/launch.aspx?pbid=3e7227b1-e3b7-4fac-aa07-5f943e58b4c5 As I read the article that landed on my doorstep today I recall the book The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, which exposed the production and sale of meat and the …
On the eve of the Pitchfork Music Festival last month, I read the Chicago Tribune’s preview of the three day event. The article coded the entertainers by genre such as EDM, hip hop, indie, rock, etc. On day one, the first act was a rock band called Beach House. On day two, Brian Wilson was …
I keep my grandpa’s wooden box full of foreign coins and coins I find interesting. I hadn’t looked through it for a long time. I was dusting tonight and found this CTA token. What happy memories~thought you– and all of the Chicago diaspora nation– would enjoy seeing it. I don’t know if tokens like this …
Garrison Keillor has occasionally referenced the basement of a Lutheran church as well as a dinner entrée called a casserole (aka hotdish) during his successful, long-running radio show, A Prairie Home Companion. I was raised in a denomination, i.e., the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), which is similar to Lutheran (two sacraments: baptism and communion). I …
Muddy Waters was interviewed countless times in his long career, often by people who had little knowledge of his life or his music. Pete Welding was a different case. He owned Testament Records, a Chicago Blues label that recorded many of Muddy’s contemporaries and friends. In this brief but illuminating interview, Welding knows the likely …
Recording artist Dreezy teams up with fellow Chicago native Jeremih for her first official single, “Body.” Produced by Blood Diamonds, this smooth sultry track is digitally available now. The spitfire rapper proves just how versatile her style is. She’s one of the game’s most promising artists so stay tuned for more to come in 2016.
“16 shots, 14 months. 16 shots, 14 months. 16 shots, 14 months.” I attended a protest rally on Black Friday that was easily attended by more than 5,000 people. The protest closed down Chicago’s “Mag Mile”, which is the high-end downtown shopping mecca. We congregated at the majestic Chicago Tribune building and proceeded north. Why …
Wrigleyville and Wrigley Field were deathly quiet when I arrived at Game Four with the Mets leading 4-0, no surprise. Then the Mets’ hero of the Divisional Series, Daniel Murphy, turned to a goat in the World Series (pun intended). Now that the Royals have won the World Series, I’d like readers to digest some …
Below is a list of worthy anti-colonial (#anticolo) movies—perhaps the best ever made. A cursory Google search has not uncovered a single list of the best anticolo flicks of all time. The aggregated minds of East Portland Blog have come together to generate a list and potentially be the first website to broach this subject. …
Nice interview with Bill Murray on ESPN at Wrigley. Still funny as ever. http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=13934932 No need to give up on the Cubs yet. Lots of parallels to the 2004 Red Sox: 1. Theo Epstein 2. Down 3-0 at home against a New York team 3. A prospective World Series opponent from Missouri Everything is all …
After the Chicago Cubs dispatched the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS, a friend of mine commented that we were now in an alternative universe. I had to correct him; the Cubs would need to reach the World Series for that to apply. As of now, there is still the possibility that the Cubs could …
This is downright hilarious: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/09/24/442822266/a-visit-to-the-worlds-first-boozy-taco-bell – Chuck Strom
The 8/28 edition of the Chicago Tribune contained a gushing article by rock critic Greg Kot about Naked Raygun, a local 1980s “punk-rock band” that appeared on the bill with Foo Fighters, Urge Overkill, and Cheap Trick at Wrigley Field last night. The piece included snippets from Dave Grohl, former Nirvana member and Foo leader. …
Different from similar victuals served elsewhere in the world, Chicago style pizza is more of a gourmet casserole to be enjoyed slowly, sitting down with friends, than it is like New York pizza, which is a convenience food, a slice to be eaten on the run. I’ve been away from Chicago for 25 years and …
Within the last decade or so major league baseball stadiums have piped in player-selected songs when the batter approaches the batters box. The practice then spread to the high school level. When my son played varsity ball as a junior I noticed to my chagrin that all but two of the players chose a song …
The current owner of the Chicago Cubs, the ultra-wealthy Ricketts family, defied an existing legal contract signed by the former owner of the Cubs, i.e., the Chicago Tribune Company, with Wrigley rooftop businesses by significantly expanding bleacher space in right and left field. The expansion also includes the addition of video screens. These improvements are …
A version of this tune featuring American Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson has appeared on a high profile commercial for American Family insurance, in the process reawakening interest in this tune, at least for me. The original was released in 1970 by a family group from Chicago, the Five Stairsteps (just as, a year earlier, the …
In the Washington Post – Minnie Minoso, White Sox and Baseball Icon, dies; President Obama joins in tributes I have, surprisingly enough, a great Minnie Minoso story. There was a time when you could, theoretically, get an autograph from a major leaguer simply by writing to him. It seemed to work about 25 percent of …
As a father of two boys, I devoted much time with them in the back yard and at the park playing baseball. When I constructed a flower box in the back yard, I also built a pitching mound. Since my boys and I loved baseball, I was delighted to be involved with them not only …
I’m standing in front of the piece of paper on which David Bowie wrote his lyrics for “Heroes,” with tears falling down my face. This is a must see exhibit for anyone at all interested in the miracle of the creative process: David Bowie Is at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Sometimes when …