Aside from cheesy Christmas episodes, Halloween yields the only cool holiday specials on television. So, until shows start doing Labor Day episodes (where all the characters strike from their jobs for better wages), here is a list of some of the best...

MZRCDXVL is a DeKalb tradition. For a handful of years now, the on again/off again trio has provided DeKalb's music scene with a strong noise/metal presence. In addition to their upcoming release this winter, MZR has a split 7-inch record with the Muzzler...

The record for most singles in the U.S. Top 100 by a non-solo musical act has just been broken, by a television show. The cast of Fox's "Glee" have broken the record that has been held by The Beatles for a few decades. While I certainly don't fear change,...

I cant believe the news today. I cant close my eyes and make it go away. I spent the latter part of my teens and the early parts of my 20s loving Danger Mouse. His "Grey Album" was brilliant both in concept and delivery, and Gnarls Barkley was pretty...

When I was a teenager, I was always a proponent of local music. When local bands put out music, I always made sure I got a copy. Being a part of a local music scene now made me realize why I acted that way as a youth: local music creates and identifies...

I woke up late to class today, and had to run to catch my bus. I left my iPod at home in my haste, and felt naked without it. I swore to myself that I was never going to be one of those people who keeps an MP3 player on himself at all times, yet the silence...

The DeKalb scene is, in a word, diverse. From grindcore to jazz, this town has everything. State Champs, DeKalb's contribution to the Illinois hip-hop scene outside of Chicago, just dropped their "2 ILL Cats in a Ford Truck" mixtape. Hip-hop is a difficult...

The DeKalb music scene has a strong history. A history that continues today. Yet, a handful of strong local bands can only do so much with their time in DeKalb. So, in an attempt to revitalize this scene before stagnation sets in, the Northern Star's...

I have read several of Tony Martin's articles now, and I cannot fathom why the Northern Star allows this man to continue writing for the publication.His articles are the epitome of stilted journalism, and not the kind that I would expect to see on the...

Danger Boy is a band made up of guys from all around the northern Illinois suburbs, but their brand of ‘80s indie rock meets ska always seems to do well in DeKalb. Having opened for people like Mustard Plug, The Toasters and Dan Deacon, its easy to...

Wastelanders is the one-man side-project of Dean Costello of Chicago metal mainstays Harpoon, and his newest record, "Wastelanders II: Cosmic Despair" is about to be re-released this fall. To use the word "ethereal" in describing Wastelanders would sell...