Bob Schaefer

The orange purple sky at sunset reflected in the glass of an apartment with some rooftop structures in the foreground.

Reflections of a dreamsicle sunset

A screenshot of an Apple Music play of the song “Wonderlands” from the Lida Husik album, ‘The Voyage Out’.

For my morning commute I went to play Lida Husik’s ‘Fly Stereophonic’, one of my comfort food albums for nearly three decades, and was hugely surprised she digitally released a new album two weeks ago. And it’s good!

R.I.P. Sturgeon Bay

The 2009 book ‘How the Beatles Destroyed Rock ‘n’ Roll’ by Elijah Wald.

Could it be this?

The band Horsegirl onstage at Pritzker Pavilion playing in front of a jumbo screen of them performing

Horsegirl is really good.

The view of downtown Chicago looking west southwest from the seats at Pritzker Pavilion.

Chicago from Pritzker Pavilion on Horsegirl night. This view never gets old.

This is the first NWS post on Bluesky, a platform which they are exploring on a trial basis. If you weren't following because there was nothing to follow, now is a good time to start. While a few bots have been posting local and national weather alerts, having "official" weather here is a good thing

On second thought, the over/under on getting out of this parking garage is another 50 minutes on top of the half hour or so I’ve spent not moving so far? I mean, I only have to be up for work in 6 1/2 hours.

A distant view of Kevin Morby onstage at Out of Space at Searle Park in Skokie with a sea of people in lawn chairs between my vantage point and the stage.

Kevin Morby at Out of Space in Skokie. I was expecting a mini-Pitchfork but it’s basically Ravinia without a pavilion and considerably more chill. Good vibes, would return to this venue again.

Spotlight: 1960s satirist Tom Lehrer resurfaces HE hasn’t made a record in 50 years, hasn’t performed publicly in that time, his musical canon is less than 50 songs and while he isn’t…

More here, including giving "The Old Dope Peddler" to 2 Chainz to sample and being in a youth summer camp together with Stephen Sondheim because of course he was. www.heraldscotland.com/news/1883508...

YouTube video by The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel Tom Lehrer - National Brotherhood Week - with intro

Fare thee well to Tom Lehrer, whose compact but genius and timeless catalog of songs I got to know listening to Dr. Demento in the 1970s. Those songs are in the public domain for all of us because he wanted them there. youtu.be/CgASBVMyVFI

The Flat Five performing the song “Besame Mucho” live onstage at Fitzgerald’s in Berwyn, Illinois. Left to right: Casey McDonough, Nora O’Connor, Kelly Hogan, Alex Hall, Scott Ligon

For the the last time live in 2025, the Flat Five (at Fitzgerald’s).

It’s Christmas in July. I’m going to have to have something else on my gift list this year assuming they don’t rush out ‘Fear of Music’ in the next four months.

Dark as night, pouring down rain with lots of lightning and thunder in Oak Brook right now for any of you Chicago weather people.

Craig Finn!

A Google Streetview screenshot of a gravel road in California that goes from Bodie State Historical Park to the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains.

Not a big Ozzy/Sabbath/metal fan, but one of my indelible music moments was c.1999 driving on a gravel road from the ghost town, Bodie CA towards the Sierra. A left-of-the-dial free-form radio station played "War Pigs," and I pushed the speakers to their limit. A fond fare thee well, prince.

The band Finom onstage performing at Kilbourn Park in Chicago with Sima Cunningham (left) and Macie Stewart (right, obscured by a tree branch)

Finom at Kilbourn Park in electric duo mode, drowning out the cicadas, the trains and the chattering picnickers. They are so good I’m tempted to see the other 3 shows they are playing in the next 4 days.

I'll be there!

I was following a bunch of mp3 blogs in the 2000s including a Swedish one which is where most of these came from. But I did buy a few. Even saw Love Is All and Anna Ternheim live. Those Dancing Days were short-lived but fabulous.

Jens just announced a new album and tour. Seeing him on November 9!

A track listing for a CDR called 'Swedezilla 2008, which has a bunch of 2008 Swedish indie pop acts.

I found this. If I made a track listing, it was something I gave to someone, but I don't remember who! After 17 years, I don't know who half these acts are. Time to fire up the iPod Classic where these songs probably still reside.

It leaned hard to the twee side. Jens was the center of that galaxy. I saw Peter Bjorn and John 4x in the aughts. The Knife were scary.

Are they playing deep cuts? Side 2 of LZ III level or is it all Classic Rock FM?

Hey, I wore my hipster vibes as a badge, and that badge was a silver CDR marked "Swedish Indie Pop" in black Sharpie.

A screenshot of an Apple Music play of the Goon album ‘Dream 3’

This new Goon album is hitting all my musical pleasure centers right now. Dreamy and gorgeous and the best way to start the day.

Compact discs of 2025 new releases. Top row (L-R): Alan Sparhawk, Pulp. Bottom row (L-R) Gwenno, mclusky, Durand Jones and the Indications.

Celebrating the compact disc and catching up with some recently acquired 2025 releases: Alan Sparhawk, Pulp, Gwenno, mclusky, Durand Jones and the Indications.

The band Calexico performing onstage at Square Roots Festival in Chicago

Here’s Calexico closing out a great Saturday at Square Roots Festival. I left early so I had to settle for listening to their always excellent cover of “Alone Again Or” wafting through the streets of Lincoln Square. It turns out being on my feet for 7 hours on pavement is a bad idea.

This is who I came for though, one of my favorite best bands ever, the Mekons.

Cedric Burnside seated onstage at Square Roots Festival playing acoustic guitar

Cedric Burnside onstage at Square Roots Festival playing electric guitar with his band

Cedric Burnside playing the Mississippi country blues acoustic and electric at Square Roots.

A hand holds a can of Dovetail Brewery Hopflenlager, brewed especially for Square Roots Festival.

Dill Costa onstage at Square Roots Festival

Square Roots: always a good place to be on a Chicago summer afternoon.

Thankfully, I couldn't get near that CHIRP CD Blowout event in June. The Ribfest crowds and the usual weekend Begyle and Dovetail patrons and their vehicles thankfully put the brake pedal on my bingeing.