No Expectations

No Expectations 141 (cover image by Zack James) No Expectations hits inboxes on Thursdays at 9am cst. Reader mailbag email: Noexpectationsnewsletter@gmail.com. Daily Chicagoan, the local news newsletter I produce at my day job with WTTW News (PBS Chicago), can be found here. Thanks for being here. Last Wednesday, I got out of work to bring my 11-year-old cousin, along with his grandparents, to his first-ever Major League Baseball game at Wrigley Field. They all flew in from Virginia for it.

No Expectations hits inboxes on Thursdays at 9am cst. Reader mailbag email: Noexpectationsnewsletter@gmail.com. Daily Chicagoan, the local news newsletter I produce at my day job with WTTW News (PBS Chicago), can be found here. Thanks for being here. Since last Thursday’s No Expectations, it’s felt like I’ve been in constant motion. On Friday, I saw two longtime and dear friends get married, hosted my sister and her husband on Saturday and Sunday, and still somehow crammed in three shows.

No Expectations hits inboxes on Thursdays at 9am cst. Reader mailbag email: Noexpectationsnewsletter@gmail.com. Daily Chicagoan, the local news newsletter I produce at my day job with WTTW News (PBS Chicago), can be found here. Thanks for being here. Now that I’m in my early-to-mid thirties, I try to block off at least one day to do absolutely nothing: no work, no emails, no leaving the house, just reading books, watching movies, and listening to records.

No Expectations usually hits inboxes on Thursdays at 9am cst but I’m running the newsletter on Wednesday because of the holiday week. Reader mailbag email: Noexpectationsnewsletter@gmail.com. The newsletter I produce at my day job with WTTW News (PBS Chicago) can be found here. Thanks for being here. This week’s No Expectations is the now-annual Thanksgiving playlist.

No Expectations hits inboxes on Thursdays at 9am cst. Reader mailbag email: Noexpectationsnewsletter@gmail.com. The newsletter I produce at my day job with WTTW News (PBS Chicago) can be found here. Thanks for being here and for being cool about me taking the week off. Last Friday, I turned 33. I spent my birthday weekend in Nashville visiting my grandfather and seeing friends. It was a perfect trip. Every meal rocked (shoutout Duke’s, Fatbelly Deli, and Audrey).

Note to subscribers: It’s an unusually lengthy newsletter this week. You’ll have to click a button to read the whole thing if you’re opening this up via email. Sorry! No Expectations hits inboxes on Thursdays at 9am cst. Reader mailbag email: Noexpectationsnewsletter@gmail.com. If you want to pitch me on a band, use my personal email address instead. If you live in Chicago, I help run the WTTW News (PBS Chicago) newsletter.

If you spend a decent amount of your free time discovering artists, chances are you’ll think “Wow, this a good year for new music.” Some years—like 2020—were rough but more often than not, you’ll find great LPs to dive into if you look hard enough. That said, 2024 feels especially excellent. I’ve wondered if this year is actually as outstanding as I think or if it’s just because I run a weekly newsletter devoted to new releases.

No Expectations hits inboxes on Thursdays at 9am cst. Reader mailbag email: Noexpectationsnewsletter@gmail.com. (Please, no PR pitches). Programming note: I’m taking next week off to work on the 30 Best Albums of 2024 (So Far) list. Since it’s a holiday, that will run on Wednesday, July 3 instead of the usual Thursday. The mid-year roundup won’t feature the Chicago show calendar so, this week, you’ll find a super long one below. Thanks for being here. #75 is a cool milestone.

No Expectations hits inboxes on Thursdays at 9am cst. Mailbag email: Noexpectationsnewsletter@gmail.com. (Please, no PR pitches). This is not a normal edition of No Expectations. It’s much longer than usual so you’ll have to click a link in your email to read the whole thing. I apologize but I hope this will be the most fun thing you’ve read in the newsletter in months.

No Expectations hits inboxes on Thursdays at 9am cst. Mailbag email: Noexpectationsnewsletter@gmail.com. (Please, no PR pitches). Personal email: joshhowardterry@gmail.com. (Pitches, paid work, and job offers welcome). Thanks for being here. This week’s newsletter is a Taste Profile interview with Rosali, an artist with one of the best albums of 2024 in Bite Down. If you dig what you read, consider signing up for a paid subscription. No Expectations is a reader-supported publication.