For nearly 40 years, Jhe Russell needed to be perfect. After all, his dance career demanded it. But when injuries and the chaos of life took him in a different direction, he found peace in a job he never expected.
KRUI is pretty special, not only do we like music, but we also enjoy other things! From movies, video games, a DJ set, and sports, here’s a list of some of our KRUI picks from all things media that we loved to see in 2025.
No. 23 Iowa closed the 2025 season with a statement win, knocking off No. 14 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl behind a clutch performance from senior quarterback Mark Gronowski. The victory snapped Iowa’s long skid against ranked opponents and served as a fitting sendoff for a senior class that chose loyalty and one last ride together.
Four seconds left, just two yards away. After an all-game shootout, the Bears had one final chance to close the book on an improbable ending. They fell just short.
The rumors are true, KRUI likes music! 2025 was a crazy year all around, and even crazier, we here at KRUI actually listened to lots of albums this year. We’ve picked out eleven of our favorite albums from this year to share, and explore together.
It’s December 29, 2025, and if you can believe it, we here at KRUI actually listened to music throughout the whole year! From pop superstars, to indie legends, to the fresh Bandcamp up-and-comers, we’ve picked out nine of our favorite songs released this past year to share and explore together.
Few words can describe this win. In spectacular fashion, the Bears somehow pulled off a last-minute win over the Bengals.
After winning four straight, the Chicago Bears returned to earth in a poor effort loss against the Ravens.
A celebration took place in Chicago this September. The 20th edition of Riot Fest has come and passed, and while still covered in a layer of dirt and sweat, next year’s edition can’t come soon enough.
Soldier Field finally had something to celebrate again, as the Chicago Bears snapped their eight-game losing streak to the New Orleans Saints with a 26-14 win. Powered by a dominant defense and resurgent run game, the Bears overcame offensive struggles to notch their fourth straight win and move to 4-2 on the season.
Douglass Park will once again be hosting Riot Fest from September 19-21. The largest independent festival in the US, Riot Fest has been a haven for diverse music, great food, and a unique community that can only be cultivated by lineups including anyone from The Beach Boys to “Weird Al” Yankovic.
In wedding gowns and emo hair, Chicago screamo band Your Arms Are My Cocoon brought their own miserable bedroom of glittery teen angst back to Gabe’s in Iowa City.
Chicago band Any Two Words’ debut album “Double Vision” tugs at the main themes of the genre of Midwest Emo. Its’ 13 song run is a mass of casual poetry.
KRUI interviewed Your Arms Are My Cocoon’s Tyler Odom over Zoom. We asked them questions about their life and music, and how these two go hand-in-hand.
Image via Monika Mogi.
It’s finally March, so you know what that means: spring tours are starting to kick off. I started the month off right by seeing one of my favorite bands, State Champs. I was so excited for this day to come. The lineup was stacked — State Champs, Our Last Night, The Dangerous Summer, and Grayscale. It was like a Warped Tour dream. My friend Taylor and I had balcony seats at the House of Blues in Chicago, and I didn’t mind at all. The view was pretty nice, as we weren’t straining our necks to see them. The only drawback … Continued
