RSSTim Shellberg

TUNES & TIX: LMFAO bring little melody but lotsa laughs

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

Given the family lineage, a lot more can arguably be expected out of Stefan Kendal Gordy and Skylar Austen Gordy. Or, as they're better known — Redfoo and SkyBlu, the brains and bodies behind the dance–pop group LMFAO.

TUNES & TIX: Chili Peppers still have spice after all these years

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

There was a time the then–green funk rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers claim to fame wasn't for their music, but for their album art and stage presence.

TUNES & TIX: Bonnie Raitt returns to the stage

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

The adage "absence makes the heart grow fonder" seems to apply quite well in regard to Bonnie Raitt's return to active duty this year.

TUNES & TIX: It's a family affair for Hank Williams III

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

As in many professional fields, sons and daughters of popular music have always faced an uphill battle in striking an identity of their own when following in their parent's footsteps.

TUNES & TIX: Chicago-based ensemble a tribute you can touch

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

It's easy to understand why there were reportedly as many gasps as applause when the long late Tupac Shakur "performed" alongside Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre two weeks ago at California's Coachella Festival.

TUNES & TIX: A supreme love for Diana Ross

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

Despite reigning supreme on the pop charts for nearly 15 years and finding success on the big screen, many a music fan 50 and older have dismissed Beyonce Knowles as a junior Diana Ross.

TUNES & TIX: State of ‘The Union'

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

In 2010, the void between Elton John and Leon Russell was vast in many ways.

TUNES & TIX: 'Daryl's House' comes to Auditorium Theatre

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

Despite millions of records sold, oodles of Top 10 pop hits and early pioneers of the music video era, it can be argued that Daryl Hall and John Oates are woefully unappreciated.

TUNES & TIX: Victory 'Flag' waved by indie vets

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

At face value, it could be easy to chastise the ladies who make up Wild Flag for riding on the coattails of their past triumphs.

TUNES & TIX: Oasis king reclaims throne

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

In many another land other than ours, Oasis' place as a musical forced to be reckoned with ended when they did.

TUNE & TIX: Black Keys hit the big time

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

The success of The Black Keys, which is at a high with the release of the superb "El Camino" and supporting tour, is an exception rather than the rule these days.

TUNES & TIX: Fiona Apple comes out of hiding

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

The last half–century has surely produced many an eclectic character in the pop music strata, with a handful described, whether it be warranted or not, as reclusive.

TUNES & TIX: Helm's Old Town School stand an all–star affair

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

If Levon Helm was, er, helming his upcoming two-night stand at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music, it would still be cause for celebration.

TUNES & TIX: Jefferson Starship — the middle child in flight

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

To describe the musical and cultural gap between Jefferson Airplane and its morphed incarnate Starship extreme would, to many, be putting it mildly.

TUNES & TIX: Surviving the bullocks

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

In the sordid saga of the Sex Pistols, bassist Glen Matlock, for a spell, caught no small amount of unnecessary flak.

TUNES & TIX: Everybody want some Van Halen?

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

Despite tens of millions of albums sold, constant classic rock radio play, and a tour that will surely bring out the masses, it's hard to be envious of Van Halen right about now.

TUNES & TIX: Jayhawks return to flight

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

The parting of ways between Jayhawks co–founders Mark Olson and Gary Louris more than 15 years ago was to Americana faithful what Paul McCartney's Beatles' bursting bombshell was a quarter century or so earlier.

TUNES & TIX: The 'Aeroplane' flies high again

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

For music fans in the know, the re–emergence of Jeff Magnum as a performing entity is huge.

TUNES & TIX: Lenny Kravitz still going his own way

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

That Lenny Kravitz was a pop and rock mainstay for more than a decade, given the gnat–sized attention span of the music listening and buying public over the last two decades–plus, was no small feat.

TUNES & TIX: 'Rhinestone Cowboy' returns to say farewell

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

A few years ago, Glen Campbell was poised to follow the trail to artistic and commercial redemption first blazed by fellow pop icon Johnny Cash in the 90s and 00s.

TUNES & TIX: Early winter blahs cured by 'Tomorrow'

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

Despite taking its moniker from what is arguably the Beatles' most cosmic offering, Chicago's "Tomorrow Never Knows" music festival is a prime example of a grassroots endeavor.

TUNES & TIX: From 'Chambers' to hallowed grounds

By Tim Shellberg Times Correspondent

Here's a statistic that'll have many a music fan feeling their age: "Enter The Wu–Tang (36 Chambers)," the debut from the groundbreaking hip–hop collective Wu–Tang Clan, will turn 20 next year.