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Philip Montoro

@pmontoro.bsky.social
1.3K followers 1.5K following 571 posts

Chicago Reader music editor and unionist, amateur drummer, persistent cook. Signal: pmontoro.04 he/him/y'all pmontoro@chicagoreader.com

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Reposted by Philip Montoro
unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 29/09/2026
New: We obtained witness videos and surveillance footage showing ICE parking their cars, arresting an observer, and transferring detainees in parking lots across 4 of Chicago's police districts. Local officials have tried banning ICE from city property. But incidents in the lots keep stacking up:
unraveledpress.com
In plain sight: a year of ICE using Chicago police parking lots for its operations
Videos and witness testimony show immigration agents continue using Chicago police station parking lots despite a ban on their access to city property. Records obtained from the Civilian Office of Pol...
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Reposted by Philip Montoro
shawn @mulchy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
new: federal authorities tapped into a network of flock license plate readers and surveillance cameras owned by chicagoland police during their failed attempts to prosecute marimar martinez and anthony ruiz for following immigration agents last october.
chicagoreader.com
Feds tapped local surveillance networks in botched Chicago prosecutions - Chicago Reader
During their failed efforts to prosecute Marimar Martinez and Anthony Ruiz, federal authorities accessed a network of Chicagoland license plate readers and surveillance cameras.
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Philip Montoro @pmontoro.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The World Music Festival begins tonight with Ragamala, a free 14-hour marathon of Indian classical music at the Cultural Center. Have you ever seen anybody play a morsing? Or a surbahar? I had to look those up! Bring snacks or even a sleeping bag. It's a great time! www.chicago.gov/city/en/dept...
chicago.gov
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Injustice Watch @injusticewatch.org · 24/09/2026
📢 The Injustice Watch judicial election guide is here! We spent months researching all 61 Cook County judges on your ballot this fall so you can make an informed decision about who should remain a judge. buff.ly/jpBxfAa
buff.ly
Cook County November 2026 Judicial Election Guide
Injustice Watch's guide to the November 2026 Cook County judicial elections.
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Em, midly @lefttheprairie.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We got to talk to @imleor.bsky.social about @windypopweekender.bsky.social the other day
chicagoreader.com
The Windy Pop Weekender hits year two of ‘being super precious and adorable’ - Chicago Reader
Two-day twee and indie-pop festival the Windy Pop Weekender includes 90s favorites Rocketship, Dressy Bessy, and the Softies.
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Spencer Ackerman @attackerman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This is a really important story. You know how over reliance on AI makes you lazy and stupid? This shows how that’s happening within the military — a military, it cannot be pointed out often enough, that’s growing ever more reliant on AI. The children of Shajarah Tayyebah Elementary paid the price
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Mike Check @check1check2.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Chicago in the last year alone spent 288.6 million on overtime (almost 5 million hours of overtime with one officer alone making over a quarter million dollars in OT ALONE). They're expecting to spend 400 million next year in Police Misconduct settlements. The city's budget gap is 882.4 million.
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sirosenbaum.bsky.social @sirosenbaum.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
buddy you just described an alt-weekly
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Hamilton Nolan @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Lone Progressive Dissenters have the highest batting average of being correct in history, yet that does nothing to change the widespread conviction that today’s Lone Progressive Dissenters must be crazy wackos.
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Reposted by Philip Montoro
shawn @mulchy.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
new: advocates are suing the illinois judiciary for failing to comply with transparency mandates in the pretrial fairness act. @dmbrown-tboy.bsky.social reports:
chicagoreader.com
Advocates sue over Illinois court transparency - Chicago Reader
Two nonprofit organizations are accusing the state judiciary of failing to adhere to public reporting mandates.
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Philip Montoro @pmontoro.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Sonic Pavilion presents seven new pieces of sound art, every one played twice each day, through the spatialized 24-channel speaker array on the lattice over the Pritzker Pavilion lawn—this creating a listening experience that changes as you move around the space. chicagoreader.com/music/gossip...
chicagoreader.com
Sonic Pavilion brings sound art and serendipity to downtown Chicago - Chicago Reader
Experimental Sound Studio uses all 24 channels of the Pritzker Pavilion audio system. Plus: Further fests this week include the Evanston Folk Festival, PravdaFest, and Plantasia.
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Reposted by Philip Montoro
Goodnews @goodnews.computer · 04/09/2026
Take a break from being depressed that everything you love is being destroyed by slop for a moment and let me tell you about the beautiful symbiotic relationship between graffiti writers, train yard workers, and model train enthusiasts.
A hand holding a model train with a replica of the same graffiti on the full scale train car behind it.A model train with two graffiti pieces on opposite sides.
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Philip Montoro @pmontoro.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Are new record stores a leading economic indicator? chicagoreader.com/music/gossip...
chicagoreader.com
The Bridgeport Records crew launches a new shop in West Town - Chicago Reader
Onion City Records opens this month. Plus: Sound & Gravity hosts a screening and record fair, and the Post celebrates deep-house DJ Glenn Underground.
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Philip Montoro @pmontoro.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
If you listen to as much music as @imleor.bsky.social, maybe you've noticed this too. I don't know if it's nu-metal nostalgia or anything-goes experimentation enabled by cheaper-than-ever production technology, but it's interesting either way! chicagoreader.com/music/music-...
chicagoreader.com
Record scratching breaks containment again - Chicago Reader
Born from hip-hop in the 1970s, turntablism is having its biggest moment in pop and rock since the nu-metal boom a generation ago.
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Reposted by Philip Montoro
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
We are a broken nation. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians were living and working legally, paying taxes, and contributing. Haiti remains wholly unsafe. But Trump hates Haitians, and the White House wanted videos of Black people in chains, so they stripped them of status and turned on the cameras.
Homeland Security 7
@DHSgov
X.com
Haiti TPS has been TERMINATED.
Those with terminated TPS are in our nation Illegally. They have two options: LEAVE IMMEDIATELY or be DEPORTED.
DHS.GOV/CBРНОМЕ

Underneath is a screenshot of a video showing two Haitian men in chains being led to the aircraft. I didn’t post the video, but it’s vile.
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Chicago Reader @chicagoreader.com · 27/08/2026
With a return to their roots in cumbia and chicha, Chicago five-piece Dos Santos have created a spirited response to a world blighted by hate. bit.ly/4zMjSMk
chicagoreader.com
Dos Santos offer love as resistance on the new Es Amor - Chicago Reader
With a return to their roots in cumbia and chicha, Chicago five-piece Dos Santos have created a spirited response to a world blighted by hate.
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Reposted by Philip Montoro
Jim Daley @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Fantastic reporting by @aurabogado.bsky.social confirms that the TRUST Act isn't doing much of anything to prevent Illinois cops and prosecutors from collaborating with ICE:
injusticewatch.org
ICE Informants
Across Illinois, police, sheriffs, and even prosecutors have helped federal immigration agents route at least 150 people into the deportation system since Trump returned to office — despite a state la...
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Reposted by Philip Montoro
Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 27/08/2026
In case you wanted about 3,700 words on the problems with today's "settlement" that gives Meta way more power over how the internet works than it should have.
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Leor Galil @imleor.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The Chicago House Music Festival & Conference returns Thursday, I wrote about it for the Reader
chicagoreader.com
The Chicago House Music Festival is one of our best summer events—why doesn’t the city do more to lift it up? - Chicago Reader
This year's festivities include four days of house music in the city that birthed it.
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Reposted by Philip Montoro
Alex Zalben @azalben.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Dolly Parton, among a thousand other amazing things she did in her life, gifted over 330 million books to kids through her Imagination Library program. Her passing is a tremendous loss to the world, but you can support the program today to keep it going imaginationlibrary.com
imaginationlibrary.com
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library | USA, UK, IE, CA, AU
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free books to children from birth until they begin school in participating areas.
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Reposted by Philip Montoro
Aura Bogado @aurabogado.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Illinois law says local officials can't help federal agents deport people. So how did so many residents end up on ICE's radar through information shared by local police, sheriffs, and prosecutors? I filed 394 FOIA requests to find out. (An @injusticewatch.org partnership with @theintercept.com!)
injusticewatch.org
Illinois promised to protect immigrants. Local officials helped deport them anyway.
In over a third of Illinois counties, cops, sheriffs, and even prosecutors helped federal immigration agents route at least 150 people into the deportation system since Trump returned to office, despi...
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Reposted by Philip Montoro
Leor Galil @imleor.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
I wrote about some rad new Chicago albums in this week’s column, gonna link a couple below
chicagoreader.com
Manasseh goes beyond R&B on a mellow, tastefully ornate new album - Chicago Reader
Manasseh's new album, plus fresh music from Thirteendegrees°, Kino Disk, and Plum, release parties for Iris Temple and the Feeders, and more
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Charles Pieper @inherentcharlie.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
R.I.P Screaming Mad George. The greatest!
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Anil Dash @anildash.com · 14/08/2026
It’s almost impossible to find any American media covering the ICE abduction of revered jazz guitarist Pritesh Walia. Glad to see JazzTimes adding their voice. www.jazztimes.com/blog/editori...
jazztimes.com
Editorial: MAGA Regime Wreaks Havoc on Arts & Culture, Jails Respected Musician - JazzTimes
B etween his fits of on-camera narcolepsy, President Trump continues to find new ways to undermine the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. … Read More "Editorial: MAGA Regime Wreaks Havoc ...
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Reposted by Philip Montoro
shawn @mulchy.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
chicago! come out to pilsen community books on 8/25 from 6:30-8:30 pm to discuss the politics of public space. @katieprout.bsky.social will be talking about encampment sweeps in public parks. and i’ll be unpacking the cook county jail’s new “trauma-informed” visitors center.
chicagoreader.com
Join us at The Politics of Public Space - Chicago Reader
A moderated panel and group discussion. Tuesday, August 25th at Pilsen Books, 6:30-8:30 PM.
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Reposted by Philip Montoro
Yale School of Public Health @yalesph.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
“A system that covers everyone, costs $1 trillion less, and averts more than 100,000 deaths annually requires no new discovery to implement, only enactment,” wrote the study authors. 2/
ysph.yale.edu
Universal Health Coverage Could Save $1 Trillion and 114,000 Lives Every Year, Yale Study Projects
A single-payer universal health care system could cover every American, save more than 100,000 lives a year, and still cost $1 trillion less than the system it
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Chicago Reader Union @chicagoreaderunion.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
we’re headed back to the bargaining table today to continue fighting for a fair contract 🐀 hope to have some good news to share soon. thanks to everyone who’s supported us so far.
a bus is parked on train tracks. the bus is labeled “management’s anti worker proposals.” the bus is smashed by an oncoming train labeled “the love and support of my comrades and community.”
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shawn @mulchy.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
last year, the cook county sheriff’s office took a free spin of axon’s “drone as first responder” program. sheriff tom dart’s office ran the pilot without any public disclosure or guardrails governing the use of any data collected.
chicagoreader.com
Chicagoland police agencies fly drones outside public eye
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office and the Chicago Police Department both missed state-mandated deadlines to publicly report drone information.
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Reposted by Philip Montoro
Leor Galil @imleor.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
I wrote about the Chicago House Music Festival, and why I wish the city did more for it
chicagoreader.com
The Chicago House Music Festival is one of our best summer events—why doesn’t the city do more to lift it up? - Chicago Reader
This year's festivities include four days of house music in the city that birthed it.
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Reposted by Philip Montoro
Eli @elienis.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
It's real. My book "When the Sun Hits: The High-Volume History of Shoegaze" is now available for pre-order. Out March 30, 2027 via @stmartinspress.bsky.social Pre-order + more info here: read.macmillan.com/lp/when-the-...
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Reposted by Philip Montoro
jj skolnik @supremenothing.myatproto.social · 07/08/2026
icymi! warning in advance i will be pretty annoying about this for the next lil bit, i just want people to hear it. also you have a few hours to purchase here with all the money going directly to the band
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LAISSEZ LES BON QUESO ROULER @thequeso.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The biggest pain in the ass of a generation project and the thing slowing everything down is the interconnection queue and the cost of transmission system upgrades So the easiest thing to do is stick panels next to a dead coal plant and use their existing interconnection facilities and capacity
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Leor Galil @imleor.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
“Music publications BrooklynVegan, Alternative Press, Revolver, and Goldmine have been gutted by parent company Veeps... Nearly all the staff at each publication appear to have been laid off yesterday. Veeps, which is now owned by Live Nation, acquired the publications in 2024 or 2025”
pitchfork.com
BrooklynVegan, Alt Press Hit With Mass Layoffs
Music publications Revolver and Goldmine have also been gutted by owners Veeps and Live Nation
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Philip Montoro @pmontoro.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
The @chicagoreader.com has some counterprogramming to all the Lollapalooza roundups circulating today: Hallogallo scene photographer Braeden Long visited several shows during Nitro-a-Go-Go, an indie fest so resolutely DIY that it didn't use any conventional venues. chicagoreader.com/music/music-...
chicagoreader.com
Nitro-a-Go-Go severs the music festival from the music business - Chicago Reader
Photographer Braeden Long captured four of the six Nitro-a-Go-Go shows, not one of which was held in a conventional venue.
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Leor Galil @imleor.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
ICE took Chicago’s DJ Tunjo outside Midway over the weekend
gofundme.com
Donate to Help us free Santiago and David (Dj Tunjo), organized by Silvia Paez
On the morning of August 2nd, my brother Santiago Paez and brother in law Dav… Silvia Paez needs your support for Help us free Santiago and David (Dj Tunjo)
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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
The @chicagoreader.com is and has been consistently excellent. I really hope that they get the resources they need to continue for 50 more years. Why are rich progressives not funding local independent media? This piece is excellent and would only be written by a local outlet.
chicagoreader.com
The Cook County jail’s new $7 million visitation center
Cook County wants to create an oasis inside the infamous jail. But the renovation will do little to address the harm of incarceration itself
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Em, midly @lefttheprairie.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
This is a really good thread on the challenges facing immigrants seeking legal representation
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Micah @rincewind.run · 29/07/2026
man I will just never get over the fact that the collective response to the pandemic, and an absolutely miraculous vaccine development, was to destroy public health in this country and smear everyone involved I generally take a positive view of humanity overall but it's so depressing
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Philip Montoro @pmontoro.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
If you need a reason to get to the Cultural Center to see Lauren Deutsch and Jonathan Woods's jazz photography exhibit, then how about a free concert in the galleries by percussionist Michael Zerang on Friday? chicagoreader.com/music/music-...
chicagoreader.com
Chicago experimental jazz gets a downtown shrine you can touch - Chicago Reader
Jazz photo exhibit “Tangible Sound” brings animated images, interactive visuals, and live music to the Chicago Cultural Center.
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Robert Loerzel @robertloerzel.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
I wrote this for Chicago magazine about the U.S. government's plans to close the National Archives branch in Chicago:
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Philip Montoro @pmontoro.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Cheer-Accident, indisputably the longest-running whatever-they-are in Chicago, play at Martyrs' tonight to celebrate their 27th full-length album! cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/you-sm...
cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com
You Smile – The Song Is Over [deluxe version], by CHEER-ACCIDENT
32 track album
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Philip Montoro @pmontoro.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
I'll be heading to Elastic Arts to see Lesley Mok tonight. Holler if you're there too! chicagoreader.com/music/concer...
chicagoreader.com
Drummer Lesley Mok ports their command of color and structure to a sparse electronics - Chicago Reader
Lesley Mok has become an in-demand accompanist due to the compositional consciousness they bring to their drumming.
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Jess Piper @piperformissouri.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Do you want to know how popular school vouchers are? They have never won on a ballot. Not once. In any state. Ever. The only way states are able pass a school voucher scheme is behind closed doors. Legislatively. The people would never approve their tax dollars going to private religious schools.
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Philip Montoro @pmontoro.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Remember last weekend, when it was more or less safe to breathe outside? Photographer Ashley Chappell went to the Chosen Few Picnic, the Woodstock of house music, for the @chicagoreader.com. chicagoreader.com/music/music-...
chicagoreader.com
The power is in the people at the Chosen Few Picnic - Chicago Reader
Photos from the Chosen Few Picnic, a celebration of house music where fans and artists build a joyous combination of concert and cookout
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Chicago AQ @chicagoaq.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
At 10 PM the AQI was 753 , the dominant pollutant was PM2.5 and the air quality is beyond hazardous PM2.5 = 753 or 434.75 µg/m³ PM10 = 314 or 434.8 µg/m³ NO₂ = 19 or 20 ppb SO₂ = 14 or 10.21 ppb O₃ = 101 or 70.78 ppb CO = 2 or 0.2 ppb
Chicago Air Quality Conditions
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Philip Montoro @pmontoro.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Marcos Valle's show this evening in Millennium Park has been canceled due to apocalyptically bad air quality. The guy is 82, so as sad as this is, it's definitely for the best. chicagoreader.com/music/concer...
chicagoreader.com
Brazilian legend Marcos Valle brings his summery bossa nova to Millennium Park - Chicago Reader
In June, Marcos Valle performed a career-spanning set in Copenhagen.
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David Weiskopf believes in you @dave.bzky.team · 16/07/2026
"The people of Pennsylvania have paid $492 million in upgrades to the electricity grid that went to support data centers." @spears.bsky.social lays it out for @cnbc.com youtu.be/q5XP8xDcRJE?...
Caroline on cnbc in the linked clip
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Ygrene @ygrene.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
hey, remember: don't eat anything and don't breathe
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Philip Montoro @pmontoro.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
The Chicago Reader's union is bargaining a new contract with owner Noisy Creek. NC wants to strip benefits that we've fought for *and* pay us less than the other papers it owns. If you care about the Reader, please tell NC this is a poor way to sustain a paper. actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...
July 16, 2026
union rat's log

TELL NOISY CREEK WE DESERVE BETTER.

Noisy Creek management wants us to ...

-Work longer hours
-Take fewer sick days
-And work in-office

all while offering us lower wages than other newspapers they own.

Join us in demanding a fair contract!
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