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July 2024 • Volume 50 , Number 09 • www . illinoisentertainer . com
Photo : Fearless Records
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COVER STORY : PLAIN WHITE T ’ S t ’ s 2024 , and somehow , “ Hey There Delilah ” is making headlines . Again . The iconic Plain White T ’ s song went viral when Drake and parody rapper Snowd4y shared their version entitled “ Wah Gawn Deliah .” So , what did Plain White T ’ s singer / songwriter Tom Higgenson think ? He ’ s flattered but still questions if it ’ s real . Yet , he ’ s in awe that the song is still being talked about 18 years since its release . That ’ s quite the lifespan for a song written for a girl he was crushing on .
Suddenly , Plain White T ’ s were no longer Chicago ’ s best-kept secret ; they were rock stars . For a while , Plain White T ’ s had a chokehold on the emo / alternative scene of the mid-2000s dominating with hit singles like “ 1,2,3,4 ” “ Hate ( I Really Don ’ t Like You ), and “ Rhythm of Love .” Though things have changed for the band since that time , they ’ re stronger than ever . They returned with their ninth ( self-titled ) album , Plain White T ’ s , last year . They ’ re still touring , and yes , still playing their signature song at every show and loving every minute of it . As for the 45-year-old Higgenson , despite the success he ’ s achieved with the band , he ’ s still the same kid from the suburbs who wants to live out his rock n roll dreams . Ashley Perez-Hollingsworth spoke to Tom Higgenson .
THE OUTFIT
For a band , there ’ s nothing like playing a hometown show … and local rockers The Outfit couldn ’ t be any prouder of being a Chicago band . On August 3 the band will be showcasing their brand of Cheap Trick-infused rock at The Odd Fellows Rock the Fox Music Fest in Carpentersville . It ’ s a free show in Carpenter Park featuring several local bands on the bill . “ It ’ s good to be a Chicago band ,” drummer Mark Nawara exclaimed to IE ’ s Kelley Simms . “ We ’ re doing a full hour and 20 minutes , so we ' ll be able to play songs from each album and really showcase our whole catalog . ( We ’ ll be playing ) a good number of songs from the first album , a lot of songs from Viking and then obviously songs from the new album Go . We ' re just trying to get out there as much as we can .”
PAGE 20 : PLAIN WHITE T ’ s
File
File will return next month , enjoy some extra Spins .
Spins
Shellac , UB40 , The Tragically Hip & more .
CinemaScopes
July Films in Theaters .
Media
45th Anniversary of Disco Demolition , a Loop insider ’ s story .
Calendar
1400 shows and 3800 bands , it ’ s IE ’ s live music calendar .
Classifieds
Music services , musicians and more .
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Publisher Emeritis David Roberts
Publisher John Vernon
4 illinoisentertainer . com april 2019 Curt Baran Mik M illinoisentertainer . com july 2024
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
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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 , Andy Derer , 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
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