Chicago doesn’t just have a vibrant, busy music scene—it’s also full of busy music writers. This year some of the city’s best talents were at the top of their game, helping drive big, important conversations and refining their distinctive styles. It’s surely just a coincidence that several of them have also contributed to the Reader. (For the record, Reader staffers were excluded from consideration for this list.)
This year Josh Terry started at the RedEye as a music reporter, interviewing bands and keeping commuters up to date with show announcements and track reviews. The best thing about Terry’s writing is his witty, engaging voice, and his sense of humor really shines in a November piece about a planned BDSM club—it practically groans under the weight of all his double entendres, beginning with the headline “River North residents concerned bondage-themed club will spank neighborhood into submission.”
Jes Skolnik
