About the Author

Publisher, editor, and visual artist Chris Force began ALARM as a small, DIY publication in 1995. After studying Chinese ink painting and ceramics at the Massachusetts College of Art and Tsinghua University in Beijing, he attained an MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and moved the publication to Illinois. Today, ALARM is a Chicago-based national music and art periodical with roots and heart in independent culture.

Reviews

"ALARM succeeds over the online portals--and the coffee-table mags fronting for event planners--because they eschew elitism for inclusion. Everything from the writing to the art to the physical design is inviting. The participants genuinely want to share their discoveries with enthusiasm, as opposed to keeping them buried under a veneer of smug hipster fronting."
JASON PETTIGREW, ALTERNATIVE PRESS "I don't look at or read much music press, because quite frankly, most of it bores me to tears. However, I gotta say the writing is original in ALARM."
MIKE PATTON, FAITH NO MORE"Most music journalism is boring and bland. You see articles on the same bands saying the same things. That is why I find ALARM so refreshing. They cover bands that are not necessarily topping the charts, but musicians that are making cool and interesting music. We need more ALARMs!"
GREG WERCKMAN, CO-FOUNDER, IPECAC RECORDINGS

“ALARM succeeds over the online portals—and the coffee-table mags fronting for event planners—because they eschew elitism for inclusion. Everything from the writing to the art to the physical design is inviting. The participants genuinely want to share their discoveries with enthusiasm, as opposed to keeping them buried under a veneer of smug hipster fronting.”
JASON PETTIGREW, ALTERNATIVE PRESS   “I don’t look at or read much music press, because quite frankly, most of it bores me to tears. However, I gotta say the writing is original in ALARM.”
MIKE PATTON, FAITH NO MORE “Most music journalism is boring and bland. You see articles on the same bands saying the same things. That is why I find ALARM so refreshing. They cover bands that are not necessarily topping the charts, but musicians that are making cool and interesting music. We need more ALARMs!”
GREG WERCKMAN, CO-FOUNDER, IPECAC RECORDINGS