Indie rocker Mikal Cronin coming to Prairie Center Feb. 21

Indie rocker Mikal Cronin will perform at the Prairie Center for the Arts on Saturday, February 21 at 8:00 p.m.

As a teenager, Cronin (raised in Laguna Beach, California) developed a passion for both surfing and rock & roll. In high school, he fell in with a handful of like-minded music fans and formed a band that played local parties.

Cronin's self-titled debut solo album was released in 2011. Full of noisy pop and garage influences, he said it began as therapy after finally completing college and making his way into the real world. His follow-up, MCII was released in 2013 to much acclaim. Pitchfork.com honored the album with a Best New Music distinction, saying "He's an excellent pop craftsman who knows how to turn the power up for maximum effect."

Cronin is seen as a breakout in the garage-rock genre. "Whether Cronin is breaking the boundaries of the genre he works in or redrawing them, you can't help but be impressed by the way he delves into so many diverse styles, then assimilates them into his own musical profile," wrote Arnold Pan of popmatters.com.

His live performances have received strong praise as well. "Live he delivers a performance that's both deeply confident and convincingly vulnerable," said David Bevan of spin.com. Dayna Evans of The Village Voice called a 2013 performance of Cronin's at Manhattan's Bowery Ballroom "Simplicity worthy of exaltation."

Tickets for Mikal Cronin at the Prairie Center are $35 ($33 for students and seniors) and can be ordered online at www.prairiecenter.org or by calling 847-895-3600. The Prairie Center is located at 201 Schaumburg Ct., Schaumburg, IL.