Los Rogileros perform a Mexican-Polish ballad of bad men at the next Monday Night Foodball - Illinois news - NewsLocker (2025)

No one knows much about Los Rogileros. On recent weekends, the mysterious Norteño accordion–bajo sexto duo has set up guerilla-style in the parking lot of the Milwaukee-Belmont Shell station, playing hit-and-run sets of two to three conjuntos before disappearing into the night. The lyrics traffic strictly in the cutthroat—sometimes murderous—exploits of the city’s underground pop-up […]
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L’Abortion Variety Hour fights for reproductive rights with music, burlesque, and comedy

Brace yourself for a parade of pussy. A procession of punani. L’Abortion Variety Hour: A Cavalcade of Cooch is brought to you by the good folks at Abortion Access Front (AAF). The New York–based nonprofit, founded in 2015, uses humor and creative activism to destigmatize abortion and fight the forces working diligently to take away […]
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Toronto band Packs push the boundaries of slacker rock

Toronto indie-rock band Packs formed just a few years ago, but they’ve already caught the attention of fans and critics with their rough-around-the-edges pop sensibility. Madeline Link, who founded the group as a solo project in 2019, has a gift for articulating everyday happenings with witty observations, and since the band settled on a four-piece […]
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Phoenix blackened death-metal crew Thra slather their brutality with sludge

There are so many blackened death-metal bands these days it can be overwhelming to try and sort them out. No one can deny their pustulent and enthusiastic musicality, but their uniformity can become oppressive—and not necessarily in a good way. Phoenix group Thra separate themselves from the slavering pack by adding a heaping helping of […]
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Houston rapper TisaKorean knows the key to a good time

Houston MC and dancer TisaKorean raps like he grew up surfing MySpace: he has an affinity for hip-hop styles that arose from regional subscenes or sound like they emerged fully formed on the Internet. His April album Mumu 8818 (JaZZZy / Nice Life) thrums with the sparse, punchy percussion of ringtone rap, and its chintzy […]
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Ekko Astral make boisterous political punk to suit all your moods

I didn’t expect living through the decline of American society to be so stupid. A dozen things seem to happen every day that are so jarring to my moral sense, so hard to get my head around, that sometimes all I can do is post “lol this sucks” on a Twitter knockoff where I know […]
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Dreaming of disarmament

On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first of two nuclear bombs on Japan, who surrendered within a week of the second bomb being dropped. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were flattened. Few, if any, buildings withstood the blast. More than 100,000 people in Hiroshima and Nagaski died as the cities were bombed. Eventually the […]
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City of Chicago’s ‘Take Back the Block’ Initiative Continues in Auburn Gresham

Mayor Brandon Johnson and Alderman Ronnie L. Mosley lead the fourth “Take Back the Block” event in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood (Photo Credit: Lanette Warbington).
All summer long, the City has been working to “retake” blocks besieged with violence.
On Friday, Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Mayor’s Office of Community Safety held another “Take Back the Block” initiative, this time in the South Side’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood. This is the fourt

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Black Student Called ‘Cotton Picker’, Kneeled On By Peer: Lawsuit

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A family has filed a civil rights lawsuit alleging that a Massachusetts school district didn’t do enough to protect a Black student who was harassed and bullied, per WBZ News.
According to the lawsuit, filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, a 14-year-old student was called a “cotton picker” by a peer last December at Amos Lawrence Middle School of the Brookline schools.
In another instance, a peer kneeled on the Black st

16-Year-Old Brother Of Black Airman Killed By Deputy Found Fatally Shot

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The 16-year-old brother of a U.S. Air Force airman who was killed by a Florida sheriff’s deputy in his home has been fatally shot less than three months later.
Andre Fortson, the brother of Senior Airman Roger Fortson, who was shot dead by police in May, was killed earlier this week in DeKalb County, Georgia, per CBS News.
“The Fortson family is battling the loss of yet another young member of their family,” attorney Ben Crump said in a statement. “Thi

She’s On Her Way: The People-Powered Rise of Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris launches her presidential bid with unprecedented fundraising success and a groundswell of diverse grassroots support, echoing the organizing power of Barack Obama’s historic campaigns (Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore, Flickr).
Vice President Kamala Harris officially began her presidential campaign this past week…and it’s safe to say she is on a roll and on her way!
Within the first 24 hours of the news that outgoing President Joe Biden endorsed her to become the new

Kheemerfest Marks 4th Year with Star Performances and Community Spirit

BJ The Chicago Kid performing at Kheemerfest 2024 (Photo Credit: Ethan Davis).
By Ethan Davis
On a recent Saturday, the 4th annual Kheemerfest was held right next to Grace Temple MB Church in Dolton, Illinois.
Chicago artists BJ The Chicago Kid, The Cool Kids and Adam Ness headlined the event. Artists like Jaas X, Jaleal, Carson, Gorilla Social, and We Just Friends also starred at the unique event. Kheemerfest hosted some karaoke performances. Many attendees with tents and lawn chairs congregate

Kamala Harris Dismisses Trump’s Attack On Her Black Identity

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Vice President Kamala Harris has dismissed former President Donald Trump’s attack on her racial identity.
On Wednesday (July 31), Harris appeared at a rally in Texas, where she reacted to Trump’s appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Chicago, per the Guardian.
Trump participated in a question and answer session during which he sparred with Black journalists and questioned Harris’ Black identity.
“She was always of In

Don Lemon Sues Elon Musk Over Canceled X Show

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Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is suing Elon Musk after a deal with the X, formerly Twitter, owner went sour.
On Thursday (August 1), news broke that Lemon filed a complaint against Musk over an X show starring the journalist that was scrapped before its debut, per PEOPLE.
Lemon, who exited his longtime role at CNN in April 2023, announced in January that he was partnering with Musk to create “The Don Lemon Show,” which would premiere exclusively on X and feature &ld

Black, Minority Farmers Get $2 Billion From USDA After Discrimination

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Black and other minority farmers are receiving $2 billion in direct payments from the federal government after facing years of discrimination, the Associated Press reports.
According to the USDA, over 23,000 farmers were approved to receive payments ranging from $10,000 to $500,000. Another 20,000 people who planned to start a farm but were denied a USDA loan received payments between $3,500 and $6,000.
The payments come after a long history of the USDA refusing to process lo

Black Women’s Expo Returns to McCormick Place, Bringing Inspiration and Empowerment

In the grand tradition of gatherings that celebrate the strength, resilience, and dynamism of Black women, the Black Women’s Expo (BWe NEXT) returns to McCormick Place, Chicago, from August 2-4. As the largest and longest-running expo for Black women in the nation, this event promises to be a beacon of inspiration and empowerment.
BWe NEXT has built its reputation on delivering an unparalleled blend of spectacular performances, insightful guest speakers, and a vibrant marketplace designed

Montreal psych rockers Teke::Teke will take you on a maniacally fun adventure

Imagine music made by the bitter ghost of a Japanese schoolgirl who’s been ripped in half by a runaway train and now drags her torso around seeking vengeance—that’s Teke::Teke. OK, the music isn’t actually as dark as the Japanese urban legend behind the band’s name, but these Montreal-based psychedelic rockers have the beguiling menace of […]
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Hannah Frances makes folk music as rich and immersive as the natural world

I’ve been lucky enough to have spent quality time in Vermont over the past few years. Accustomed as I am to Chicago’s dinner-plate flatness, I find it helps me reset just to see the green hillsides roll by on the stretch of Interstate 89 between Burlington and Montpelier. I wonder if Chicago-based singer-songwriter and guitarist […]
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Ambient pioneer Steve Roach makes pristine music for deep listening

Does the desert have a sound? For more than 40 years, ambient pioneer Steve Roach has attempted to translate the arid breezes, pastel skies, and mutant landscapes of the rural Southwest into imaginative treats that melt languidly into the ears like devotional candles. As a teenager in the 1970s, he’d carve lines in the sand […]
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Knumears bring screamo fury to Beat Kitchen

Los Angeles screamo trio Knumears take their name from “You and Me, Screaming Numb Ears,” a thrashing monster of a track by 90s emoviolence pioneers Honeywell. Their wonky spelling of the title nods to Knumears’ careening, overwhelming style of screamo—and acknowledges that even the best screamo vocalists sing in shredded smears, as though they’re vomiting […]
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Chicago’s Holy Joke make wistful alt-country on a new EP

This newish Chicago quartet, assembled by singer-songwriter Greg Taylor, has been building up steam for the past year with a busy gigging schedule and a smattering of Bandcamp singles. Taylor recorded the first Holy Joke EP, 2023’s No Way Home, as a solo affair, but for the project’s self-titled second EP, which came out last […]
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Casa Desmadre showcases a riotous mix of Latine punk, hardcore, and dance music

This Friday, Chicago art collective Ruidosa! takes over both floors of Schubas with Casa Desmadre (“messy house”), which promises to be a rager you’ll still be talking about next summer. The downstairs bill showcases Latine rock bands from Chicago and elsewhere in the midwest, and there’s not a buzzkill in the bunch. Chicago trio Repent […]
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Some singer-songwriters like to bask in their dark sides. Not Phil Yates. With his band the Affiliates, this Chicagoan makes indie rock and power pop where he comes across like a generally nice guy who wears his heart on his sleeve and finds joy in the little things. On “My Favorite Bag,” off 2018’s Party […]
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Community Rallies to Support Family of Sonya Massey, Raising Over $500K

The community has united in an extraordinary display of solidarity, raising more than $500,000 through a verified GoFundMe campaign for the family of Sonya Massey. The 36-year-old mother was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy on July 6, after she called 911 to report a prowler in her backyard. This substantial outpouring of support arrives as the family intensifies their quest for justice in the wake of her tragic death.
An update posted to the fundraiser on Tuesday reads: “Your cont

From Prison to Redemption: Mica Battle’s ‘Some Sort of Saint’ Hits the Stage

Actor Ti-Nicole Danridge plays Mica Battle in “Some Sort of Saint” (Photo Provided).
In the quiet moments of reflection, when the weight of her past bore heavily upon her, Mica Battle, a 2022 Chicago Defender Women of Excellence nominee, never imagined her life would be transformed into a theatrical production. A woman of indomitable spirit, she had weathered storms that would have broken many. From the harrowing depths of addiction to the confines of prison, Mica’s journey was

10 Big Lies Trump and the Republicans Tell About Kamala Harris

From claiming she isn’t Black to saying she was a DEI hire, Trump brought his lies about Kamala Harris to NABJ (Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons).
This article was originally published onWord In Black.“Black Vote, Black Power,” a collaboration between Keith Boykin and Word In Black,examines the issues, the candidates, and what’s at stake for Black America in the 2024 presidential election.
By Keith Boykin
Donald Trump just finishedspeaking

Black Man Who Spent Over 30 Years In Jail For Murder He Didn’t Commit Freed

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A Missouri man has been freed after spending over 30 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, per NBC News.
52-year-old Christopher Dunn was just 18 when he was falsely accused of fatally shooting Ricco Rogers in May 1990. Dunn was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
As there was no physical evidence connecting Dunn to the crime, his conviction was largely based on testimony from two witnesses, ages 12

Seven Dragon Balls, five elements, and an immortal legacy

On July 12, 2024, a regular-looking corner store called La Estrella on Diversey near Harlem opened the doors on its new secret identity. On the inside, the mini-mart was transformed into an art gallery—and not just any art gallery. The two-week pop-up exhibit that launched that evening, called “Dragon Ball Estrella,” was dedicated to a […]
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Colman Domingo Shines ‘Sing Sing,’ Enjoying A New Era of Acclaim and Joy

Fresh from his Academy Award nomination for “Rustin,” Colman Domingo embraces a new role in the acclaimed prison drama “Sing Sing” (Photo Credit: Tacuma Roeback).
Colman Domingo is having the time of his life.
Fresh off being nominated for an Academy Award for his lead performance in “Rustin,” this Philadelphia-bred actor, writer, director and producer is in the midst of a run that any performer would envy.
With every production, Domingo&rsqu

COLUMN: Trump’s NABJ Convention Interview Was the Disaster Everyone Expected

Donald Trump onstage with Rachel Scott of ABC News, Kadia Goba of Semafor and Harris Faulkner of FOX News (Photo Credit: Nicole Joseph).
The Donald Trump interview at the National Association of Black Journalists convention was the s–t show we all thought it would be.
It’s the Frog and the Scorpion all over again, where the former is surprised that it got stung by the latter even though it provided passage to him across a river. “What do you expect?” the Scorpion told the