Gossip Wolf doesn’t have little puppies in need of late-night lullabies, but the sweet silence of children’s music on Angela James’ 2019 album, quiet nights, is delightful regardless of your age. On Friday April 22, the local singer-songwriter releases her fourth LP, Now that I have you, where she’s back to making exceptional music that’s obviously for grown-ups — her honeyed croon and deftly crafted Americana-tinged melodies give her gripping songs an amorous, big-screen melancholy. The arrangements for James’ new album feature contributions from co-producer David Vandervelde, a multi-instrumentalist who also toured as father John Misty’s guitarist. james comes out Now that I have you on a double LP with the late vinyl debut of her second album, 2016 Time will tell us, and on Saturday, April 23, she celebrates with a live set at Constellation. Chicago’s new trio Alta Vista (guitarist Chet Zenor, drummer Andy Danstrom and bassist Jakob Heinemann) open the show and specialize in stretching the expressive boundaries of Americana.

^{Angela James’ new album is out this Friday.}

Chicago label and hip-hop collective Why? The files have been busy. A few weeks ago, Gossip Wolf covered Black Seinfeld, a new duo from Why? co-founder Malci and subsidiary Fluidi-G. One Friday another Why? co-founder, rapper-producer Joshua Virtue, dropped spacey and rejuvenating collaboration full-length Spectacular!!– he created it with Milwaukee producer Randal Bravery, who is also part of a spectacular underground label and collective, Nashville-based Ruby Yacht. They made 50 tape copies of Spectacular!!, and this wolf expects this edition to sell out quickly. On Thursday, June 9, Joshua Virtue’s duo Udababy open a show at the Epiphany Center for the Arts with Open co-headliners Mike Eagle and RAP Ferreira (founder of Ruby Yacht, formerly known as Milo).

^{Spectacular!! brings together the members of Chicago’s Why? Records and Ruby Yacht of Milwaukee.}

Chicago hip-hop has produced a phone book of pioneers who didn’t receive their flowers, but documentarian Dave Steck has devoted hours to honoring one. Steck is working on the documentary Catalyst: Duro Wicks and Chicago hip-hop, about rapper and promoter Duro Wicks. In the early 1990s, Wicks led an open-mic series at Lower Links, helping build the infrastructure that allowed Chicago hip-hop to flourish. The film is largely complete, but Steck and Wicks covered its costs out of their own pockets; last week, Steck launched a Kickstarter to help pay for additional filming and the restoration and licensing of old video footage. He hopes to raise $15,000 by Monday, May 9, and fundraising is all or nothing.