Viper Alley in Lincolnshire is the hot new music venue on the North Shore. It’s part restaurant, part concert venue, part nightclub, part bowling alley. The space is cool—the decorating is “industrial chic” with cement walls and floor-to-ceiling windows, so you feel like you’re in a downtown loft. The space is versatile and can be […]
As the Festival’s fearless leader, Welz Kauffman knows this summer’s schedule inside and out—so, we asked him for a tour. And while of course the Highland Park resident loves everything on the lineup that he helped create, “there are some things that are very special and unique this summer,” he says—one of them being the […]
We recently turned our clocks ahead—so take your music into the future, too. While you’re changing the batteries in your smoke detector, flipping mattresses, or whatever else Martha Stewart says we’re supposed to do once a year when we turn the clocks, why not learn something new—like getting an iTunes account on your computer? It’s […]
Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman today announced that the festival’s 2011 lineup will cross all genres by combining a roster of Ravinia favorites with a “who’s who” of chart-toppers making festival debuts. The season, running June 9 through Sept. 11, features the debuts of Jennifer Hudson, Maroon 5, Five For Fighting and Deep Purple […]
Acclaimed family musician and songwriter Justin Roberts, along with his band, The Not Ready for Naptime Players, will perform in Chicago on March 20. Roberts sat down with Make it Better to talk about his upcoming concert as well as his recent trip to the Grammys where his album, “Jungle Gym,” was nominated for […]
Card? Check. Flowers? Check. Dinner reservation? Check. Back to your place? Check. MUSIC? Check. VALENTINE Be Mine Stoned Love by The Supremes Pretty Eyes by Alex Goot The Luckiest by Ben Folds Who’d Have Known by Lily Allen Lovely Day by Lee Ritenour I Was Made to Love Her by Stevie Wonder You Are My […]
Since most football players are beasts, we had fun using animal band names in this list—a trend in the music industry! SUPER BOWL Let the Rumpus Begin 1. Laredo by Band of Horses 2. Location by Freelance Whales 3. Cannibal Queen by Miniature Tigers 4. 8 4 8 by Young Mammals 5. Coronado by […]
Legendary children’s musician Ella Jenkins recently released a new album and performs in Chicago on February 6. Her new album, “ Life of Song,” offers stories and songs that speak to her years growing up as an African-American child in multicultural Chicago. Jenkins recently sat down with Make It Better to talk about her new […]
We’re all searching this time of year: for the perfect holiday cookie recipe, the most gorgeous trimmings for our home, the ideal gift for everyone on our list. And after all that is accomplished, we might even search for a little serenity. We’ll leave the serenity to you, but meanwhile, we’re helping by giving […]
Who says men cornered the market on beng musical influences? Here are a handful of female singer/songwriters you must know—now! Joni Mitchell: May stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century. Val’s take: “The inspiration of many female singer songwriters today.” Natalie Merchant: Socially conscious poet with […]
