Justin Anderson-Weber
@jlweber
I write Of Note, a monthly newsletter about music writing worth reading. A man of many paths that somehow all led to biscuits, music, sports, and writing. Chicago-based after stints in DC, NC, and CO.
Experimental Sound Studio’s summer OPTION series still going strong! Check out tomorrow’s performance from Madeline Stepien. Same time, same place as always. ESS garden at 3pm Sunday.
The vendor list for the Experimental Sound Studio garage sale is sooooo good. Come check it out tomorrow, 12-6, 5925 N. Ravenswood Ave. Chicago.
In August, I'll be exploring the main mitten of Michigan - Detroit, Harbor Springs, and Traverse City areas. If you have any recommendations for things to do or places to eat, please share!
More Experimental Sound Studio news: Plugged In donors can now participate in a reading group that will happen every Sunday prior to the Option concerts. You can become a Plugged In member with any donation amount.
The ESS garage sale is this Saturday, 12-6! Come through and see all the vendors.
If you’re going to Wilco’s Solid Sound fest this weekend, Experimental Sound Studio will be there in the form of Sonic Pavilion Redux. Make sure to check it out while you’re there!
Beautiful day to serve your inner child at the @musicboxtheatre.bsky.social
At the Salt Shed for The Hold Steady’s 20th Anniversary mini-fest celebration of Boys and Girls in America and this is definitely the vibe.
Tomorrow kicks off Experimental Sound Studio’s annual summer concert series, OPTION, which takes place most Sundays at 3pm in the ESS garden. Come through! Great collab happening with Stefan Gonzalez, Ben LeMar Gay, and Dave Rempis.
You can see the official announcement on IG, if you like. www.instagram.com/p/DY5WYQoidw...
I also selected Luke Stewart & Joshua Abrams's Option performance from 2024. I'm a tuba player so I love music that highlights instruments relegated to the background and the DC/Chicago connection between Stewart and Abrams mirrors my own move from DC to Chicago. ess.org/audio-archiv...
ESS asked me to pick some recordings from their audio archive to share. The first is Misha Mengelberg (piano), Han Bennick (drums), and Von Freeman (saxophone) at the Empty Bottle in 1999 from the Malachi Ritscher Collection. I'm learning piano and I found this thrilling ess.org/audio-archiv...
Thrilled to announce that I have joined the Board of Directors for the Experimental Sound Studio here in Chicago! I learned about ESS at last year's Sonic Pavilion and quickly became a supporter. It's a space that has energized me and an incredible valuable resource for artists.
Been at the Land School listening room tonight listening to test pressings and unannounced upcoming records from @intlanthem.bsky.social tonight and y’all are in for a treat later this summer and fall.
Florasonic - ESS's partnership with the Lincoln Park Conservatory to host multichannel sound installations while walk you walk through LPC - is celebrating 25 years! In celebration, this normally curated series is doing an open call. Apply by June 14: form.jotform.com/Experimental...
Macie Stewart, Lia Kohl, & Whitney Johnson. Body Sound record release. Constellation, Chicago. Hometown show, hometown love. @intlanthem.bsky.social
The poster for the show is fantastic, but I waited too long to go to the merch booth and they were all sold out. Dang!
The view from the last row. It feels like all of Chicago is here. Huge local love for this band. Energy is warm and rich.
Ratboys took the stage with a surprise guest: Southpaw from the White Sox!
Absolutely blazing set from Damon Locks, Chris Corsano, and Ken Vandermark at Elastic Arts on night 1 of the Imminence Fest. Their first time improvising as a trio! You can listen to a lot of meh sets and it’s all worth it when you hear folks lock in on the spot. Special special special!
Really happy that the Big Ears aftershocks brought Rosenau, Sanborn, and Westerlund to Constellation in Chicago. The realities of time and space prevented me from seeing them in Knoxville On the jam band panel, Nick said he wanted people to see them as a jam band. Mission accomplished with this jam
I’ve been a defender of Apple Music, but this new update that makes the playbar on desktop just a transparent bubble at the bottom floating above content rather than a fixed set of controls and display at the top is making me so angry.
My brother in law makes wonderful art, including these flower window paintings. If you’re in Chicago, go grab this one at Happen Space!
Here we go. Another year of Big Ears on the way. Expect content here and at @ofnotenewsletter.bsky.social for the next 4 days to be just about my time in Knoxville
First time down at the @intlanthem.bsky.social space at the Rebuild Foundation’s Land School for Listening Hours where we’re listening to the new Macie Stewart, Lia Kohl, and Whitney Johnson record Body Sound. Hip space, great sound, super cozy.