Graphic created by Lucas Seidel Design

Gather 'round the open fire for Chimneyside Chats - a monthly feature with holiday stories from our favorite artists. See what's in their stockings this year as they reminisce on holiday memories, share their favorite recipe and more! Here's what folk/roots singer-songwriter and pianist Jeffery Straker had to say:

I perform an annual holiday show on the Canadian prairies and this year is the ninth year we’ll bring it to the stage. It started with a single night in a small 60-seat room in Regina, Saskatchewan and has grown to be a 10-show tour this year. The hometown show is now two nights in a 715-seat theatre. I call it, ‘A Very Prairie Christmas’, and along with a band I perform covers of the festive classics, a few obscure holiday tunes as well as a smattering of my own original seasonal songs. Between songs I banter with the audience and tell some funny stories of my Christmases over the years. Most of these stories have a prairie theme to them.

Riffing on the prairie mood of the show, a few years ago I decided to do a giveaway from the stage just for some fun gift-giving, and the audience loved it. That gift at each show was a “dainty tray”. “Dainty Tray” is the name used on the Canadian prairies for a dessert platter with a variety of squares, cookies, cakes, tarts, bars and the like - but they’re all cut or portioned ‘small’ hence the moniker ‘dainty’. Typically the baking is arranged on a platter that has a paper doily on it for some ‘presentation’. My partner of five years, Michael, is an incredible baker and on my social channels I’ve shared photos of some of the many cakes and baked treats he’s made for me over the years. Those posts always get lots of interactions. So at these shows when we shared that we’d be giving away a dainty tray baked by Michael, the audience loved it; you could hear a collective gasp each night.

We’ll be giving away a dainty tray at each of the 10 shows on the tour this year once again. It’s almost like The Price is Right when the winner runs up to the stage with the excitement of receiving… The Dainty Tray.

If you want to prepare a prairie dainty tray for a party you’re hosting, as a gift to give someone or just to have around your house for when guests drop in, here are some options I’d recommend choosing from. Note that the greater the selection, the more impressive it always seems to be for guests. Also, there’s no standard plate size for a dainty tray. You can make one on a small dessert sized plate (a mini dainty tray) and give it away as a gift, or you can make one on a platter the size of a pizza pan if you’ve got a lot of guests arriving.

(In my opinion the first seven items are a must for a proper prairie Dainty Tray)

• Butter tarts
• Shortbread cookies
• Gingerbread cookies
• Nanaimo bars
• Fudge or chocolate bark
• Confetti squares
• Fruit cake

Dave Lee has always loved science. It is a mix of curiosity and experimentation that can lead to a world of endless possibilities. He decided to take that scientific mix and challenge himself to create a music series unlike anything else.

Cardboard Sessions is an engineering-meets-art series where acclaimed artists walk into the studio and perform - completely unrehearsed - using musical instruments made entirely out of cardboard. The lineup of instruments includes a cardboard Stratocaster, Telecaster, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboard and full drum kit. Each is built with meticulous engineering and are documented in fascinating behind-the-scenes videos that highlight the art and science behind their creation.

Lee said that the real science comes from the team at Ernest Packaging Solutions. Mike Martinez and Tim Wilson figured out how to make cardboard emulate wood, and that was just the beginning.

“Flutes, cross-corrugated patterns, engineered layering; it’s all designed to strengthen weak points and shape sound,” Lee said. “There’s real innovation in how these instruments handle tension, vibration and tone. You’d be surprised how close it gets to traditional wood when it’s done right.”

For Lee, it is less about cardboard and more about creativity without a net. In a world that is overproduced, over-edited and driven by perfection, he wanted to make sure that Cardboard Sessions pushed against that.

“It’s about play, risk and honesty,” he said. “When artists understand that it’s not a gimmick but a space to actually let go and create, that’s when they get it.”

There have been many stand-out moments so far - from Marcus King and LP to one of the final recordings of Terry Reid. There was something about Billy Gibbons, however, that was so authentically pure.

“Total pro, no hesitation, just instinct and style,” Lee said. “We had Matt Sorum on drums, and it turned into something unreal. Seeing legends like that light up over something made of cardboard hits different. It proves that creativity has no boundaries if you give it the right space.”

There are a number of artists that Lee would love to see create something from nothing. The texture and character of Tom Waits. The chaos of Jack White. The curiosity of St. Vincent. The edge of Josh Homme. The rhythm and experimentation of Questlove. Lee thinks they would thrive in this environment.

Most importantly, Lee hopes that these performances remind them what it feels like to play with no agenda. He wants Cardboard Sessions to resonate not just as music content but as a cultural statement.

“No safety net, no preset sound; just reaction and flow,” he said. “When you strip away the usual setup, musicians start listening to each other in a different way. They get back to the core of it; the joy of creating in the moment. That was the idea from day one: to give artists space to find that spark again and let the rest of us witness it in real time.”

Photo courtesy of EmberBees Photography

Growing up in the small farming town of Creston, B.C. was disappointing as a music fan as they did not have their own radio station. The only signal they could get was a country music station located in Spokane, Wash. but that was enough for Emma Kade and her musician father. Together they would sing John Denver and Tim McGraw for their own personal car karaoke, and to no one’s surprise, country would heavily influence Kade’s own music career.

While country music was her first love, it wasn’t her only love. She dabbled in pop and gospel, created a dance track and even tested her songwriting skills for other artists. Kade also took on the role of wedding singer. It was an enjoyable experience that even gave her the idea of singing at her own wedding.

“I’ve sang a lot of brides down the aisle over the last few years,” she said. “It was really fun to get the chance to sing at my own wedding, and sing a song that I wrote. That was really special.”

It was an idea that she had tossed around for a while. She was folding laundry when the song came to her, and it felt right. But would it be worth it? Or would it add another element of stress to an already stressful day? It became a special moment for her and her husband, and she’s so glad she decided to go through with it.

The song, “End Game”, was her first single back in the country genre. She said that she came to a point in her career where she wanted to make music that genuinely spoke to her, and country felt the most authentic.

“I just want to create without borders,” she said. “I want to create music that I enjoy without considering genre or marketability.”

Going back to her roots is exactly what she needed. However, her time spent learning and loving other genres of music will still make an appearance in her current sound. The perfect example is her latest single, “Blue Collar Man”. An ode to the hard-working people of rural communities, the song stemmed from the sounds of the local sawmill near Kade’s home. Instead of rehearsing, she found herself distracted by the sounds of logging trucks driving past. The chorus was written in under five minutes and posted online. The feedback was instantaneous, and unanimous: release the full song.

With a third song on the horizon, Kade understands the importance of releasing singles in order to grow her fanbase. She would love to release another body of work, whether that be an EP or LP, as she loves the storytelling aspect of it. Yet her sound is still something she wants to play with, and what better way to do it than one single at a time.

“I’m really happy with what I have achieved so far in my sound but I’d love to experiment with all the different genres within country music at some point,” she said.

Country music will always be Emma Kade’s first love. It keeps calling her back, and this time she’s determined to give it her all.

Author Ariel Slick found herself in a situation where the answers were not coming to her, with no way to express herself the way she wanted to. She turned to her passion, writing, as a way to process her thoughts and feelings.

The Devil Take the Blues became the finished product, sharing the story of a woman living in 1920s Louisiana who makes a deal with the devil to save her sister’s life. The story became a love letter to Slick’s own sister, who at the time was in a toxic relationship. She had to come to terms with the fact that her sister was an adult who could make her own decisions and the best way to support her was to be there for her. In the time it took to finish the book, thankfully her sister was no longer in that relationship. They were able to have mature, honest conversations and that final draft showed how much she cared.

“It was a very personal story with one message, and it evolved from there,” she said. “It also became me wanting to help other people. That’s what literature is for; it’s not just good stories but providing a message.”

The story centers around 28-year-old Beatrice Corbin, who just wants to keep her family’s general store afloat while keeping an eye on her 18-year-old sister, Agnes. One day, Frank Charbonneau enters the store and turns her world upside down. She learns of her sister’s fate and tries to take on the devil, but everyone knows the devil doesn’t play fair.

Thanks to her Bachelor’s degree in history, research is something she thrives on. It was an ongoing process of fact checking the historical accuracy of food prices, current events and popular music to keep the story as accurate as possible. She even went so far as to research the KKK, wanting to understand how it was operating in the South in order to speak to the fear that it instilled.

“This is both a love letter to my sister but also to the South - its warts and all,” she said. “We have this ugly history but there’s also a lot of beauty here.”

In addition to touching on sensitive topics, Slick said that about a third of her first draft was cut in order to remove a plot that wasn’t strong enough to move forward. Although it involved a lot of extra work to fill the gaps caused by its removal, it made the final draft all the more gratifying.

The writing process for The Devil Take the Blues taught her the benefits of drafting an outline before getting into the depths of the story. She knew what happened at the beginning and the middle, but hadn’t quite connected the dots between the two before realizing her initial ideas might not work. A valuable lesson learned.

Believe it or not, having a defined genre is unnecessarily important to traditional publishers. As Slick began the process of searching for a literary agent, she found so much rejection that she began to question her own writing. She was torn between continuing the fight to find representation or turn towards self-publishing. Traditional publishers seem to be focused on how a book is marketed, and a Southern Gothic historical paranormal novel does not fit in any of their neatly contained boxes.

“This book is for people who like lyrical, character-driven stories that don’t wrap up nice and neat at the end,” she said.

With inspiring determination, The Devil Take the Blues was published on October 13, 2025. The novel offers a fresh take on the Faustian bargain while weaving in atmosphere and myth that linger long after the last page. It even includes a playlist inspired by the songs quoted in each chapter.

It is available for purchase here.

The magic of the Midwest inspired Luke Eisner in more ways than one. Between learning card tricks and diving into the fantasy worlds of fiction, it was only a matter of time before those interests crossed over into his other passion: music.

He played in his fair share of pop-punk bands in the Milwaukee area, but became intrigued in electronic music as he prepared to attend the University of Southern California. Stepping into his first classroom at the Thornton School of Music, he found himself choosing an open seat next to a young man with equally long locks.

Gus Ross found his own magic across the pond, busking on the streets of London and brushing up on the history of jazz before he too found an interest in electronic music. Their mutual respect for Swedish DJ Avicii started a conversation that would become an unbreakable bond. They pulled a name out of a metaphorical hat, and VOILÀ. So it began.

Frat parties on the USC campus helped develop their stage presence, because nothing can prepare an artist for crumbling stages and power outages quite like a room full of intoxicated college students. They even took the show on the road, including a memorable performance at the world’s largest music festival, Summerfest. It was there that Eisner first realized Ross could sing, and that their current genre was potentially holding them back.

In the blink of an eye, they found that their favorite place was the studio. They refused to hold back their creativity once they were in there, and that passion has given them five full-length albums in five years.

“We have a purpose and we’re obsessed,” Ross said.

Despite suggestions of “slowing down”, they have found a strategy that works for them: a new song every three weeks and a double album every year. Their latest, The Last Laugh (Part I and II) totals 28 songs. The idea stemmed from their own desire of having their favorite musicians release music more frequently.

“If we’re going to be someone’s favorite band, I want to make sure they don’t have that same experience,” Eisner said. “I want them to be constantly fed with what’s going on. Music is essentially a diary, and if you’re not writing in it frequently, then you’re not really using a diary correctly.”

The repetition of releasing a new song every three weeks has not only given them the opportunity to hone in on their skills but has also turned into their biggest weapon. Ross admits it took them about six years to find their sound, but no matter which direction they went, they knew nothing was going to make them stop.

By releasing music in that manner, it grew their fanbase in a unique way. Yes, “Figure You Out” is considered the song that gave them recognition. Yet if you ask their Discord community, there is a variety of what they consider their favorite songs. This fanbase, who named themselves the Magicians, are the reason why VOILÀ just wrapped their first sold-out headlining tour.

Each night was much more than a group of people coming together to hear live music. They showed up early, bought VIP tickets, gifted each other homemade bracelets and proudly donned light up rabbit ears throughout the entire night.

“They’re so graceful with each other,” Eisner said. “The way that they interact with each other is unlike any community that I’ve ever seen. I can trust all of these people with each other. If we never showed up tonight, I think that everyone would [still] have a great time.”

On the artist side, there was something about their New York show in particular that just clicked. It felt like a realization that they were on the right track. They locked eyes with people who travelled to get to the show; people who saved their money for a chance to see them live and bring home a piece of merchandise to commemorate their night.

“We both felt it afterwards,” Ross said. “When we were meeting people after the show and having that experience in real time, getting the energy from the front row, it felt like people were having the time of their life.”

Magic tricks happen on and off the stage, but this wasn’t a performative act. This was a genuine, emotional connection. They have observed that live events seem to be more important than ever. Concerts are a chance to be in a room full of people that all share the same desire to feel less lonely for a few hours. No phones, no news; just music.

They look back on their college years and realize that handling the obstacles of playing at frat parties only better prepared them for tours like this one. Ross said that it taught them to have a cool head about technical difficulties and to have faith that it will all work out in the end. Eisner adds that it also taught them humility. Making mistakes in front of a group of people is what keeps their egos in check.

Eisner also credits their college years for learning the importance of storytelling. With a major originally in screenwriting, everything he learned in those courses ultimately became his most powerful tool for songwriting.

“Screenwriting is storytelling with dialogue,” he said “That’s really what music is too.”

In VOILÀ’s world, everyone is a Magician… but they are the ones with one more trick up their sleeves.

Decadent, dangerous, and deliciously self-aware: the final music video off of Featurette’s Panic Pills shows that revenge fantasies can taste as good as they feel.

“Interrogation” has been in Featurette’s repertoire for nearly a decade, yet the recorded version is nothing like what audiences may have heard in 2017. The evolution of the song stems from a verse that they vibed with and a chorus they had never truly written down. After witnessing an audience member react to one of its many iterations, they knew they had to replicate his screams to fully bring the song to its final form. A trip to Vancouver helped lay the groundwork for what they would ultimately rewrite and rerecord in the beginning stages of what is now their fully-functioning studio.

“I went from needing the song when we were performing it live - literally needing it because I was so mad I had nowhere to put this energy - and it made it fun which was good because I wasn’t just only mad,” lead vocalist Lexie Jay said. “It was transmuting the anger into some sort of fun. I went from seriously needing it to wanting it now because I’m so far past that and finally in a good spot about it.”

The music video for “Interrogation” was filmed a few years ago, but Jay is happy to report that the song and its accompanying visualizer is still relevant. The visual aspect of their music is just as important to them, and they believe that music videos keep storytelling alive.

“If I’m going to go through the trouble, you best believe it’s gonna be fun or stupid or quirky or bizarre or something because the goal is to make people feel something,” Jay said. “When else are you going to release a music video where you blend this fucker up and feed him to your friends at a party?”

Promo for Panic Pills began in 2024 with as many visuals as they could create. Several songs on the album had been part of their setlist for years, and now that their audience had tangible proof these songs existed, Featurette felt compelled to focus their efforts on other projects. As 2025 draws to a close, the Panic Pills era does as well.

“Just like ‘Interrogation’, I went from needing it to wanting it, and that’s a totally different place,” Jay said. “That’s what healing looks like. Sometimes it is messy and sometimes you have to make a joke about eating people in order to get past it, but we did that.”

The panic pills finally kicked in, and Featurette is leaving anger behind for something different. The good news? “Something different” is already said and done. The bad news? They really love leaving cliffhangers.

After Lily Lane released a five-track EP inspired by her upcoming nuptials, even using the single “I Do” as an alternative to a wedding speech, she wanted her next body of work to explore what happens after happily ever after.

She was curious how her songwriting would change now that her outlook on love had shifted. As she explored those changes, Domesticated began to form.

“I found myself wondering if I’d ever feel that stomach-drop surprise that leaves you breathless, or be able to write about heartbreak again - or if I could still write love songs that felt messy, sexy and exciting,” she said. “I worried those feelings might be harder to access once you completely trust someone, live with them, and know every little thing about them.”

Although the songs on Domesticated became her way of answering those questions for herself, they can be interpreted in a number of ways. Writing these songs gave her a chance to figure out what it meant to change the way she feels about love.

“It’s not just about marriage; it’s about all the complicated, funny, frustrating and vulnerable parts of love that come with any relationship,” she said.

The creation process of Domesticated looked similar to previous albums, with Lane comparing it to an extra long therapy session (with snacks!). This time around, however, she really embraced her own instincts. Instead of overthinking whether or not something fits within a certain box, she gave herself the freedom to do what felt right in the moment.

“If it feels true, it belongs,” she said. “Moving forward, I want to keep leading with that same honesty, even when it’s uncomfortable. I think that’s where the magic (and the best music) really happens.”

Lane has already released multiple singles off the EP, including the title track, but there is one song in particular she is most excited about sharing. “Amnesia” strays from the theme a bit to discuss people, places or memories one wishes they could forget. Lane said that it is raw and relatable in a way that is applicable to all walks of life.

Not only did she push herself outside her comfort zone while recording the EP, but she also did during the filming of the music videos. “Cry Baby” put her acting skills to the test by crying on camera alongside “real LA actors” that have experience doing so. It was a new level of vulnerability for her, but one that she is happy she challenged herself with.

There is a message behind Domesticated, and it contradicts a recent Vogue article claiming that having a boyfriend is embarrassing. Lane disagrees with the sentiment, saying that relationships, marriage and love are not scary. If embarrassment is the issue, there is something deeper to come to terms with.

Photo courtesy of Sean Hower

Nicholas Tremulis is no stranger to benefit concerts. His first taste of it was in 1999 when he organized The First Waltz, a series that benefitted the Neon Street program and homeless teenagers. The event was inspired by The Band’s final concert film, The Last Waltz, and featured a lineup spanning from local Chicago musicians to national acts. Five years and $250,000 later, he created a lasting impression.

After working on a project for Collaboraction Theatre Company, artistic director Anthony Moseley introduced Tremulis to the owner of Hua Momona Farms, Gary Grube. There was an idea floating around about creating a music festival to benefit the community of Maui, and they believed Tremulis could be the person to bring the festival to life.

Hua Momona Farms is located on 25 acres in West Maui, where they grow fresh, organic microgreens and more from their elevated oasis. The Hua Momona Foundation supports on-island charitable efforts through agricultural activities, providing hot meals, distributing fresh local produce, facilitating housing replacement, supporting mental healthcare programs and recently launched the Hua Momona Youth Ukulele Ensemble and Music Program with teenagers from Lahaina. To date, the foundation has served over 80,000 hot, fresh meals to those impacted by the Lahaina fires.

The Maui Music & Food Experience launched in 2024 with an objective to provide food for those in need, accelerate the Lahaina rebuild and cultivate the new youth music program. The first event raised more than $250,000 over the course of three days while featuring world-class music and culinary experiences.

This year, in addition to their Maui event, the Maui Music & Food Experience is making their way to Chicago. Headlining the night is soul icon Bettye LaVette, who will be joined by Grammy winner Lisa Fischer and Naiwi Teruya, a rising star from Lahaina who amazes audiences with his ukulele skills. Performances also include Nicholas Tremulis & the Prodigals, featuring The Rolling Stones collaborator Bernard Fowler, and Hawaiian native John Cruz.

When Tremulis first met Grube and heard about what he wanted to accomplish after the devastation of the Lahaina fires, he knew that he wanted to help in any way he could.

“The guy’s heart is in the right place,” Tremulis said. “He’s a self-made man, but his idea to give back has always been there. In music and the community of music, we always come together for something and this is a great thing to come together for.”

Tremulis is what some might call a secret weapon in the music industry. Not only is he a secret weapon, but he knows other secret weapons. When several of them came together for a worthy cause, they recognized that they had become part of something special. The inaugural event included Mick Fleetwood and Ernie Isley, who returned for the second year, and Bernard Fowler has become a staple at each show.

“One thing I learned about Maui is the bar is raised very high when it comes to musicianship,” Tremulis said. “It became infectious the second time through. It hooked me, and I started to see what this was. Instead of being something I wanted to shake off, I wanted to keep it with me.”

Bringing aloha to Chicago will involve more than just legendary musical performances. Zach Laidlaw, resident chef at Hua Momona Farm, will highlight the island’s signature flavors, using Hua Momona’s microgreens and sustainable ingredients. Joining him is Maui-born chef Nate Domingo of Da Local Boy, the acclaimed Hawaiian restaurant in Highwood.

“The love of great music and great performers is always wonderful, but the eating of great Hawaiian food and the attitude they’re greeted with when they come to this show is going to be a primordial Maui experience. We just want one night of peace, love and music, and it goes to a good cause. It helps people that are struggling but know that we got their back.”

More information and tickets for the Maui Music & Food Experience can be found here.

Photo courtesy of Dana Gorab

I’m not the type who cries easily, though I’m not made of stone either. I’ve definitely shed a few tears at funerals, and I’ll admit, a good film can get to me too. The movie Lion, for example, had me absolutely sobbing long after the credits rolled - my girlfriend was genuinely worried I’d completely lost it.

But a rock concert? That was new territory. A few years ago, I found myself standing in the middle of Olavshallen in Trondheim, tears streaming down my face as Dream Theater played one of the most important albums of my life.

They were in my hometown for the Images & Words 25th anniversary tour, performing the album in full. For anyone who doesn’t know me, this is the record that got me into progressive rock. It shaped my teenage years, my guitar playing and my entire way of thinking about music. I can safely say I’ve listened to that album thousands of times - no exaggeration. It was on constant rotation in my room, and I learned most of the songs by heart, guitar parts and all. It was my musical education, my escape and my obsession all rolled into one.

It also became the soundtrack to my late teenage years; the background music to my first relationships, my first heartbreaks and those long nights of trying to make sense of life. I even remember listening to it a lot during my military service, where I was lucky enough to end up in the same room as some of my best friends from high school. One of them brought his stereo system, and we’d spend countless hours in that small room, surrounded by uniforms and gear, blasting Images & Words. It felt like our little refuge; a world of melody, complexity and emotion tucked away inside military barracks.

So when Dream Theater came to Trondheim to play Images & Words from start to finish, it felt almost surreal. As the lights dimmed and the familiar intro of “Pull Me Under” filled the hall, something inside me just… gave way. By the time they got to “Another Day”, I could feel the lump in my throat forming, and when “Learning to Live” began - my all-time favourite - that was it. The floodgates opened.

I was there with my girlfriend, who enjoys the band’s music but isn’t as sold on James LaBrie’s voice. I’ve heard that before - his voice is definitely an acquired taste. Some people love the music but can’t quite get past the vocals. For me, though, LaBrie’s voice is one of the things that makes Dream Theater so powerful. I love how he can shift between emotional vulnerability and full-on aggression, often in the space of a single song. Hearing him deliver those lines live - the same ones I’d sung along to countless times as a teenager - hit me harder than I expected.

It wasn’t just nostalgia, though. It was the realisation that this album had been there for me through everything: growing up, learning guitar, figuring out who I was. And now, decades later, I was standing there as an adult, hearing those same songs performed by the band that made me fall in love with music in the first place. It was like my entire musical journey had come full circle at that moment.

What struck me most that night was how tight the band still was; how even after all these years, John Petrucci’s precision, Mike Mangini’s drumming and Jordan Rudess’ keys carried that same intensity and technical brilliance I’d admired in my youth. Dream Theater has evolved a lot since Images & Words - their newer material is more intricate and experimental - but for me, there’s something special about those early records. The songwriting had a certain magic that connected both the heart and the mind.

Walking out of Olavshallen that night, my girlfriend gave me a look somewhere between amusement and affection - maybe half surprised to see me in tears. I just smiled and said, “That album means more to me than I can explain.”

It reminded me why I make music myself. That night wasn’t just a concert - it was a reminder of why music matters, why it endures and how a record can stay with you for a lifetime. Dream Theater’s Images & Words did that for me. And for one night in Trondheim, it gave me permission to let it all out.

That same love for storytelling, dynamics and emotional connection still drives what I do with holon today. If my music can give someone even a fraction of what Images & Words gave me, then I know I’m on the right path.