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In memory of our friend and Beat photo Editor Niva Bringas. Please take time to view some of NIVA BRINGAS Concert Photos & Reviews!
LAKE EFFECT is auditioning keyboard players. If youre interested go to www.lakeeffectblues.com and click on the booking tab at the top of the page to contact Dean to set up an audition.
It's Back! And Better Then Ever!
Check it out and see for yourself!
Help 6String get even better by passing this on to other musicians!
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HISTORY OF THE MIDWEST BEAT |
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"Midwest
BEAT Magazine"
is
a 36-40 page monthly entertainment/lifestyles publication that is
distributed free of charge the first weekend of each month to hundreds
of locations throughout N.W. Indiana and Chicagoland (with a limited
amount distributed in Central Illinois and Cleveland, OH).
"Midwest
BEAT Magazine" is carried in a wide range of record shops,
music stores, restaurants, night clubs, video stores, at college campus
bookstores and at a variety of other businesses.
Its first incarnation was
as "Night
Rock News," the sister entity to
Night Rock Radio, a local music program that aired nightly in the
late 1970s on WFLM/104-FM in
Crown Point, Indiana.
That radio program featured an equal mix of regional music
artists and national artists.
It was a 100% free-form radio program where the disc jockeys
picked their own play lists.
It was the first and only local music-friendly station of its
kind in the Chicagoland market, where a local music fan could call and
request a song by their fave Chicago area club band and have it
sandwiched between two acts that were heavy hitters of the day.
"Night
Rock News" under the guiding hand of Night Rock Radio alumni,
Tom Lounges, became the print version of that station and mixed up the
best of local and national artists.
Though the radio program has been gone since 1982, the varied
format of its spin-off magazine has remained the same through to today,
in its current incarnation, "Midwest
BEAT Magazine."
Given its history, "Midwest BEAT Magazine" is the second longest running
free entertainment-oriented publication in the Chicagoland market, and
one that has never lost its grass roots flavor and approach to
covering the regional scene.
Over the years, this
publication evolved from "Night
Rock News," to
become known as "The Illiana Beat"
(early to late 80s) and later as simply "The
Beat" (late 80s to late 90s).
It has evolved over the years from a hard rock/heavy metal
fanzine, to a respected publication that now embraces a variety of
musical genres, entertainment subjects, and pop culture topics.
It adopted its current name of "Midwest
BEAT Magazine" in February of 1999 to reflect the
geographical growth it has made in both distribution and content.
The primary focus of "Midwest BEAT Magazine" is to support local music and
local music makers. Along
with covering local music news and events in print, the publication
helps expose the wealth of Midwest music talent by sponsoring monthly
multi-band showcase events at a variety of Chicagoland/N.W. Indiana
night clubs. The
largest of such events is the publication's annual Midwest talent
showcase
"THE REGION RUMBLE"
at the prestigious Star
Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana, which runs all day and
features 9-10 Midwestern musical acts.
It also honors the top
regional music talent and related entertainment businesses with it's
annual Midwest BEAT Magazine Local Music Awards Reception in March.
Each issue of "Midwest BEAT Magazine" includes local band features,
national artist interviews, local music news and happenings, a
Chicagoland concert guide, CD reviews, and a variety of monthly music
columns covering such genres as the blues, country music, and heavy
metal. There are also monthly columns with in formation of CD releases,
music law issues, living a rock lifestyle, horoscopes and more. Yes, we
have classified ads too.
"Midwest
BEAT Magazine" has a base readership of 30,000 and is
distributed free of cost throughout Chicago, its many suburbs and all of
N.W. Indiana. It is supported by display advertising that is modestly
priced compared to most other area publications. So please patronize our
loyal advertisers, as they are the ones who make it possible for us to
keep supporting local talent each and every month.
The many folks who contribute
copy, photos and time to our pages do so on a strict volunteer basis.
The entire staff of "Midwest
BEAT Magazine" from it's publisher to its writers
and photographers is made up of volunteers who love the regional
music scene enough to donate their time and talents each month.
Please visit our "Meet
The Beat" section and read the rich biographies of our
regular contributors from the columnists to the photographers.
Most of those contribute to the pages of this publication are not
novice talents, but rather individuals who have strong backgrounds and
solid reputations within the entertainment business.
That unique kind of quality
and dedication is why "Midwest BEAT Magazine"
has remained a grass roots style publication that is dedicated to
promoting fresh new talent as well as remembering veteran artists; and
why it can continue to offer reasonable, budget-friendly ad rates to
struggling young bands and local businesses.
Along with performance
talent, we are always willing to help expose talented young writers.
We accept freelance writing submissions on a speculation basis.
Writers interested in getting their by line in our publication, should
contact: Publisher/Editor Tom
Lounges at tom@midwestbeat.com
Feel free to pitch article ideas at us...
"Midwest
BEAT Magazine" is dedicated each month to the memories of Ernest
T. Lounges and Joseph G.
Sotiros (aka "Hegewisch Joe"), two powerful guiding forces
without whom this publication would have never existed. Thank you for reading our colorful history and for continuing to read our pages each month. Through your continued support of this publication, you are allowing us to continue making new history with a grand soundtrack of Midwest music. Rock On!
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Web
Design By: All Rights Reserved © Hungry Mind Design 2003 |
The publication was first
founded back in 1979 by local music fan and aspiring music journalist, Tom
Lounges, who has remained at the helm of the magazine for the last
quarter century as its publisher, editor and visionary.