Jamie Ludwig
Chicago Reader
Chicago, IL, United States
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Past articles by Jamie:
Ruido Fest celebrates the diverse sounds of Latin alternative music in its return to Union Park
This year's Ruido Fest lineup crosses generations and genres, mixing indie pop, punk, hip-hop, cumbia, electronica, and more. → Read More
Melbourne punk trio Clamm show how much they care on their new second album
It’s too early to call Clamm's Care a punk record for the ages, but it's definitely music to listen straight through the apocalypse. → Read More
The Square Roots festival offers a diverse mix of music to replenish your soul
Square Roots is that rare neighborhood music festival that cultivates a relaxed atmosphere without sacrificing excitement. → Read More
What if hearing aids were as easy to get as reading glasses?
Northwestern audiologist Jasleen Singh uses a prestigious new grant to research how self-fitted over-the-counter hearing aids might connect more people with care. → Read More
Chicago comes together to support Ukraine
Thousands marched from Ukrainian Village to the Loop last weekend in a show of solidarity. → Read More
Best Chicago venues for the COVID averse
Even when the city lifted its mask and vaccine mandate on February 28, many venues left some COVID mitigations in place → Read More
Chicago dance-pop duo Drama return to the stage to showcase their pre-pandemic album
We’ll never know what might have been for any of us had 2020 turned out a little less soul crushing. But it feels extra bittersweet to imagine the possibilities for Chicago duo Drama, who released their debut album, Dance Without Me (Ghostly International), just before lockdown. → Read More
At the Gates’ The Nightmare of Being confronts the tragedy of being alive
The Swedish death-metal luminaries turn philosophical on their dark new seventh album. → Read More
Japanese Breakfast’s effervescent Jubilee will give you something to smile about
If you’ve ever watched someone you love struggle through a cruel illness and eventually succumb, you know that some days it can be hard to... → Read More
Fatima Al Qadiri creates a contemplative space outside history with Medieval Femme
The Kuwaiti conceptual artist and composer’s new album merges futuristic electronics and traditional Arabic poetry by women. → Read More
Heavy experimentalists Nadja turn from shoegazing to stargazing on Luminious Rot
Experimental drone and postmetal outfit Nadja got their start in 2003 as the solo studio project of ambient musician Aidan Baker, but by 2005 he’d enlisted the help of bassist and vocalist Leah Buckareff to bring his music to the stage. They’re a married couple as well as bandmates, and they’ve since relocated from their native Canada to Berlin. → Read More
Silent condemn racism and violence with gothic postpunk on Modern Hate
There are probably a dozen memes circulating right now that chart punk subgenres and the philosophical leanings they supposedly embody, and without even finding one, I’m confident saying that goth rock and postpunk would get tagged as the nihilists of the bunch. But that stereotype downplays the social and political histories of these gloomy genres. → Read More
Mythic Sunship’s new Wildfire feels as untamed and alive as spring
The jazzy Cophenhagen psychedelic group rewrite their instrumental language once again. → Read More
Guitarist Sunny War boils life down to its essence on Simple Syrup
The Nashville-born, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Sunny War is known for her clawhammer fingerstyle guitar playing, vivid autobiographical lyrics, and distinctive sound that starts at the... → Read More
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson fuels resistance with poetry and song on Theory of Ice
In 1876, the Canadian parliament passed the Indian Act, a sweeping piece of legislation that still dictates how the government interacts with the First Nations... → Read More
Altin Gün adds synthpop to their eclectic arsenal on Yol
Altin Gün kicked off last year with a Grammy nomination (their 2019 release Gece was up for Best World Music Album) and major festival bookings such as SXSW and Coachella. But like virtually every other working band, they got sidelined by circumstances beyond their control. → Read More
Efterklang’s Casper Clausen steps out on his own on the dreamy Better Way
Danish-born musician Casper Clausen is best known for fronting the long-running Efterklang, which plays exploratory and often ornate electro-infused indie rock, and for performing with that group’s synth-heavy and relatively spontaneous sister project, Liima. This year, for the first time since he began making music as a teen, he’s stepped out from a collaborative setting. → Read More
Shame do some soul searching and take an eclectic turn on Drunk Tank Pink
In the face of uncertainty and fear, some people would rather climb back into the proverbial womb. For Shame vocalist Charlie Steen, “the womb” was a nickname for a tiny laundry space that had been converted into a bedroom in the apartment he shared with guitarist Sean Coyle-Smith. → Read More
Battle Hag capture the sound of an ascent from the underworld
The colossal Celestial Tyrant looks to Greek mythology for a story of renewal. → Read More
Cellist-fronted metal trio Grayceon implore humanity to fight for a survivable future
In their nearly 15 years as a band, San Francisco’s Grayceon have reimagined the traditional shapes of metal with challenging song structures, thought-provoking lyrics, and... → Read More