Illinois Entertainer January 2023 | Page 4

Photo : Corey Bost
January 2023 • Volume 49 , Number 03 • www . illinoisentertainer . com
8

E

COVER STORY : ELLE KING lle King , 14-year career has followed a similar , if slightly more serpentine path than the famed Beverly Hillbillies . When she last checked in , early in the pandemic , she was bunking with her sister and her children in Los Angeles and had become “ a true Hollywood Hillbilly ” with access to her own high-falutin ’ cement pond , even an inflatable hot tub , she joked at the time while promoting her then-current , gently acoustic “ In Isolation ” EP , which a displayed a hushed , thoughtful new songwriting side of her , inspired by the pandemic . “ But that was like an eternity ago ,” the singer now sighs , on the eve of her latest full-length release , “ Come Get Your Wife ,” which is straightforward country , was composed and recorded in her comfortable new hometown of Nashville , and features cameos from genre artists Dierks Bentley , Ashley McBryde , Miranda Lambert , and some of the best co-writers and session players Music Row has to offer . The swimmin ’ pools and movie stars celebrated in “ The Beverly Hillbillies ” theme song ? P ’ shaw , King spits — she ’ s had enough , and she ’ s returned to the familiar backwoods territory in Nashville that was her home turf all along . It wasn ’ t a straight reverse-Clampett trajectory from L . A . to Nashville ; you would imagine , either . But nothing in King ’ s topsy-turvy life has ever gone according to a carefully-mapped out plan . Tom Lanham spoke to the leading candidate for 2023 ’ s queen of country .
HELLO MY NAME IS “ FITZ ” FITZPATRICK
Many folks looked at the oppressive , lockdown-and-mask-mandated pandemic and saw a glass half empty . But all Michael ‘ Fitz ’ Fitzpatrick could envision was a more optimistic glass half full . “ And as scary as it was to be like , ‘ Holy shit ! I ’ m not playing live shows anymore — how am I gonna make a living ?’ There was all this stress in the world , and it felt like the world literally was on fire , especially in California at the beginning of the pandemic ,” recalls the kinetic frontman for Fitz and the Tantrums , who had become accustomed to always being in motion . ” For me , it was the first chance I got to wake up in my own bed , see my kids every morning , and put my kids to bed every night for a year straight . And I never get to do that . Tom Lanham spoke tothe charismatic frontman .
PAGE 20 : ELLE KING
Best of 2022
Best Albums , Films , Reissues .
CinemScopes
January Film Preview .
Media
In Memorium 2022 .
Spins
Neil , Young , Nas , Staple Singers and more .
Calendar
1000 shows and 2000 bands , live music calendar .
96
12 14 16
25
4
Publisher Emeritis David Roberts
Publisher John Vernon
4 illinoisentertainer . com april 2019 Curt Baran Mik M illinoisentertainer . com january 2023
Publisher John Vernon
Contributing Editors Curt Baran Mike Meyer Tom Lanham Lori Vernon
Design Team Notion Pool Dragon Design Vision Design Teknigram Graphics
Classified Advertising David Gedge
Founder Kenneth L . Voss
Contributing Editors
Advertising Sales Scott Assmann Mike Engel
Advertising Director John Vernon
Website Direction Notion Pool
Senior Columnists
Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
- Sweet Home Rick Kaempfer - Media
Kelley Simms - Caught In A Mosh
David C . Eldredge - East Coast
Advertising Sales Scott Assmann Mike Engel
Contributors : Andy Argyrakis , Guy Arnston , Penelope Biver , Patrick Conlan , Deena Dasein , Jaime de ' Medici , Jeff Elbel Terrence Flamm , Steve Forstneger Michael Gallucci , Michael C . Harris , Max Herman , Tom Lanham , Aubrey Vernon Carter Moss , Michael Obrecki , Greg Olma Arsenio Orteza , Rodney Pawlak , Bruce Pilato , Matthew Pollock , Jason Scales , Kelley Simms , Ed Spinelli , Riley Vernon , Tim Shockley , James Turano
SUBSCRIPTIONS : $ 35 per year ( first class ). Material for insertion must reach our office by the First Of The Month preceding publication . We cannot assume responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs .
Address All Correspondence to :
Illinois Entertainer
4223 W . Lake St ., Suite 201 Chicago , IL 60624 ( 630 ) 618-2177 - email us at :
Editorial : ed @ illinoisentertainer . com
Advertising : service @ illinoisentertainer . com
The ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER is published monthly by Roberts Publishing , Inc , All materials copyright 2021 by Roberts Publishing , Inc . All rights reserved . No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from Roberts Publishing , Inc . Current and back issues of the IE are $ 10.00 postpaid .
Follow us online at : facebook . com / ieentertainer
Contributors instagram : : illinoisentertainermagazine Address All Correspondence to :
Andy Argyrakis twitter ,. com Guy Arnston / ie _ entertainer ,
Illinois Entertainer
Penelope Biver , Patrick Conlan , Deena Dasein , 4223 W . Lake St ., Suite 201 Jaime de ' Medici , Andy Derer , Jeff Elbel
Chicago , IL 60624 Terrence Flamm Steve Forstneger il t