If there’s a bellwether to determining a buzz band’s future, it lies in the sophomore record. Poor responses to follow-up albums have sunk many promising careers (look at Clap Your Hands Say Yeah or Tapes ’n Tapes)

 “If you come to a fork in the road, pick it up—you may need it later,” explains musician Glenn Boren, whose long and winding road brought him to the founding of Trophy Guitar Straps. Today, Trophy’s recreated vintage straps...

 The title track of Bob Dylan’s remarkable, 35th studio album delves into the sinking of the Titanic with the innovatively poetic songwriting style developed by Dylan in the ’60s and brought into the 21st...

Thirty years ago this month, John Lennon was gunned down outside his New York apartment building by a mentally ill fan with a violent misinterpretation of Catcher in the Rye. The dual anniversaries of Lennon’s murder and what would have been his 70th birthday in October have brought with them the expected retrospectives that mark all Beatles milestones. EMI has reissued Lennon’s solo catalog...

John Lennon picked up a pencil long before his mother Julia bought him his first guitar as a teenager. His talent consistently evolved, leading him to art school and a working practice as a visual artist afterwards. The exhibition "Coming Together Through the Art of John Lennon" is now on display at the Waukesha County . . .

John Lennon picked up a pencil long before his mother Julia bought him his first guitar as a teenager. His talent consistently evolved, leading him to art school and a working practice as a visual artist afterwards. The exhibition "Coming Together Through the Art of John Lennon" is now on display at the Waukesha County . . .

It's hard to forget John Lennon singing the words "There are places I'll remember, all my life" on the Beatles' 1965 album Rubber Soul. Lennon was more than a charismatic musical figure, however: He was a visual artist as well. Lennon picked up a pencil long before his mother Julia bought him his first guitar as a teenager. His talent consistently evolved, leading him to art school and a working practice as a visual artist afterwards. The exhibition "Coming Together Through the Art of John Lennon" opens Aug. 16 at the Waukesha County Historical Society and Museum. It explores both the musical and visual dimensions of his intensely creative genius . . .

The state Legislature overwhelmingly passed the Great Lakes Water Compact last week, which creates new rules regarding water taken out of the Great Lakes basin. The agreement was years in the making, and for lengthy, highly technical bill, it provided plenty of drama.

It’s time again to give peace a chance. The annual “Peace Through Music: The Music of John Lennon” benefit, held tonight at 7 p.m. at Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, raises funds for the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, a group that works to prevent gun violence, and features an ultra-packed bill including some of the city’s . . .