TOM WINDISH
Owner of The Windish Agency, an independent booking firm
Song of the summer: “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye
Every radio station in the country is playing this song by Belgian-born Renaissance man Gotye. Says Windish: “It’s catchy. It’s good. Need I say more?”

MATT RUCINS
Talent buyer for Schubas and Lincoln Hall
Songs of the summer: “Flutes” by Hot Chip and “Glorified High” by Sarah Jaffe
Can an ’80s dance ode and a Texan’s dark indie pop survive in the same summer? According to Rucins, yes. “I like my music diverse,” he says. “Pop, punk, and dance.”

COLLEEN MILLER
Talent buyer for the forthcoming City Winery
Songs of the summer: “Crash Test” by the Mastersons and “The Walk” by Mayer Hawthorne
Two retro songs that hark back to folk circles and old-school soul. Says Miller: “People love something that sounds new but also feels familiar.”

SAM LEWIS
Cofounder of the Elastic Arts Foundation in Logan Square
Song of the summer: “Young, Wild and Free” by Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa ft. Bruno Mars
Says Lewis: “It’s a warm-weather classic. Summer is a time to be young, wild, and free.”

DANA MEYERSON
Publicist for Biz3, which represents hip-hop and electronic bands
Song of the summer: “Open” by Rhye
“There is no doubt in my mind that some 2013 babies will come from ‘Open,’” says Meyerson. “It’s a song with strings that practically weep with joy and ooze sex. It makes you want to love and be loved.”

ZACH PARTIN
Staffer at React Presents, which books talent at the Congress Theatre and The Mid
Song of the summer: “Share My Love” by R. Kelly
If there was ever a perfect track for summer, Partin declares, “I’d have to go with this one.”

CHRIS CONNELLY
Musician and Reckless Records manager
Song of the summer: “All Gone White” by Disappears
“Not that anything by Disappears puts me in the mood to skip down the lakefront with a smoothie—however, the record came out recently, and it’s great for driving around to in the sweltering Chicago summer,” he says.
 

MORE FROM OUR SUMMER MUSIC PREVIEW:

13 Chicago Concerts to Buy Tickets for Now | Rising Chicago Musicians Offer Throwback Sounds
Kelly Hogan’s New Album: Made the Old-Fashioned Way | Inside the Mind of Pitchfork Impresario Mike Reed