WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

Theaster Gates is Chicago. In a city full of artists of a variety of different artistic practices, Gates rises above the rest to create multidisciplinary works that speak to the spirit, anxieties, and troubles of Chicago itself. 

This month's installment is an especially specially special show because we are partnering with the Emory Department of Chemistry and the National Science Foundation to discover The Origin of Life! With a diverse, brilliant line-up of music, writing, and miscellany on topics such as creation myths, arsenic based life, artificial chemical life and interstellar clouds, the show is out of this world.

With the birth of the iPod and the use of other mobile devices such as cell phones, people can now literally take the intimacy of music with them. In a world that can feel both connected and impersonal, transportable music is a way to connect to something that feels real to one’s life.

Under-21 bands like The Orwells and Twin Peaks are on the fast track to fame; but will restricted access to certain alcohol-fueled venues stand in their way? 

I used to see oldies as innocent tunes from a bygone era. But now I realize the tableaus these songs paint aren't always so rosy – at least if you're a woman. 

When curious citizen Patrick Gallagher found himself wondering about the best double bills ever hosted on our local concert stages, like many a stumped Chicagoan before him, he turned to us. And we then turned to you all, as well as rock critic and Sound Opinions host Jim DeRogatis. 

And no, I don't mean that musical.