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November 29, 2007
What? You didn't think you'd go a day without reading something from us, did you? Anyway, we were cleaning up our inbox when we came across a press release trumpeting the Monday opening of Uncommon Ground's new eco-friendly Edgewater location. The space at 1401 W. Devon will feature rooftop solar... [continue]
| November 29, 2007
Hey, don't forget we're running a contest to win some cool Thrill Jockey swag through tomorrow. Have you entered yet? Today the label also released a night-by-night line-up for their big birthday shows in Chicago next month, although set-times and running order are still under wraps and will remain so.... [continue]
November 27, 2007
It's Tuesday, it's cold, we're broke, and the 4-day holiday weekend already feels like it happened months ago. We need some cheering up 'round these parts. Luckily there are two excellent events that should warm our spirits without breaking our collective wallet. Cleo's on Armitage has been pushing their iTuesday... [continue]
Lots to rock about over the next few days, from Modest Mouse at the Congress, to Bob Pollard at the Metro, to our beloved Hall & Oates at the UIC Pavilion, but DDaN's gonna keep it live and local this week. InchWORM mounts the stage at the Double Door tomorrow... [continue]
Thrill Jockey Records turns 15 this year, and in order to celebrate they've decided to throw themselves a couple of big-ass parties, one of which already occurred in London earlier month. However, the label has called Chicago home for over a decade, so we're expecting the 2 days of shows... [continue]
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November 26, 2007
Jeanette Sliwinski, who killed local musicians Michael Dahlquist, John Glick, and Doug Meis, has been sentenced to 8 years in prison. We've already put in more than our two cents on this issue, but suffice it to say that we think this sentence is pitiful.... [continue]
Even before we moved to Chicago we were aware of Poi Dog Pondering, thanks to a splashy ad in Rolling Stone for their album Wishing Like a Mountain and Thinking Like the Sea. Their song "Thanksgiving," from the aforementioned album, always pops into our playlist this time of year; and... [continue]
Manu Chao showed his love to Chicago with a sold-out show at the Aragon this past summer, and he was just awarded with his first-ever Latin Grammy. The multilingual and broadly multicultural songwriter fuses a variety of styles, including rock, reggae, punk and ska, which crosses cultural boundaries, appealing to... [continue]
November 23, 2007
It's National Leftovers Weekend, and while the food you're downing may not be entirely fresh, the live music you check out can be if you're hitting up the Bottle on Sunday night for Tiger Surprise. Some of Chicago's finer players comprise this 5-piece ambient pop group, whose expansive song structures... [continue]
November 21, 2007
We HATE the term Black Wednesday. We hold it in the same regard as other made-up holidays like Sweetest Day and Bosses Day. Growing up, we always knew it as "the weekend everyone is in town at the same time and gets fall-down drunk." Kind of like New Year's Eve,... [continue]
The video below should infuriate you. And it should bug the hell out of any female DJ trying to be taken seriously today. DJ Colette -- whom we remember stinking up the joint back when she got her start at Liquid Kitty (at least we THINK that was the first... [continue]
November 20, 2007
In a past life we worked as a talent buyer for a local club, and one of the pleasant surprises of our life at that point was bringing in bands from out of town that were so much better than their demos. The Milwaukees, out of New Jersey, were brought... [continue]
November 19, 2007
The Empty Bottle just announced that Black Kids will be playing the club's New Year's Eve show this year. The band walked away from this year's CMJ as the clear winner of the "Most Breathlessly Admired by Bloggers and Mainstream Press Alike." However there's still no word on whether Black... [continue]
November 16, 2007
So we were poking around Second City's website and noticed they're having a fundraiser to buy presents for needy kids on December 5 on The Second City e.t.c. stage. It's called The Second City That Never Sleeps: Letters To Santa. Apparently it's a 24-hour event that will feature lots of... [continue]
Ah, it's like shootin' fish in a barrel over at Chicagoist EOYW headquarters. We know how passionate you guys can get about these things, so we'll cut right to the chase: If you've never at least tapped your foot along with the vapid faux-angst anthems of Avril Lavigne, you may... [continue]
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November 16, 2007
Is it just us, or is this one of those weeks that never stops? Looking ahead at our weekend musical calendar, we're realizing we're not going to get any sleep until we fall into a Thanksgiving dinner-induced coma next week. Oh music, we do it all for you. A look... [continue]
November 15, 2007
The male bowerbird is one ugly dude, but he makes up for his drab plummage by building elaborate, intricate nests with unusual materials like insect skeletons and bits of colorful garbage. Like their namesake, Raleigh, NC's Bowerbirds build a rather glorious abode out of simple, majestic, and formidable storytelling to... [continue]
We've already tripped all over ourselves about how terrific Great Northern is. In fact, here's a sampling of our past praise: The songs are gauzy in feel, but one can feel that covering a rock-solid base of powerful drive. Strings float in and out of the mix, guitars swell to... [continue]
November 14, 2007
We're always skeptical of the "farewell tour" phenomenon, but Ministry seems to mean it. On the heels of their surprisingly good swan-song The Last Sucker, the band has announced the final North American tour dates of its loooong career. The final American date will be here on May 8 at... [continue]
November 13, 2007
"100 Days, 100 Nights", the new album from Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, has been getting a serious workout from us since its release last month. We're guessing the Dap-Kings are happy to be back supporting the sassy Jones after a summer backing up the Amy Winehouse trainwreck. Seeing... [continue]
We love Blur. And Super Furry Animals. And Happy Mondays, Pulp, and Supergrass. So it's not surprising that we enjoy Chicago-by-way-of-the-'burbs outfit Ultra Sonic Edukators. The group's writing style is firmly rooted in the mid-'90s British explosion; some fault them for that, but we are of the opinion that the... [continue]
November 12, 2007
For over three years, artist Kathy Kozan has been keeping tabs on the unruly and often violent last call atmosphere at Chromium nightclub on her website LAKEandHALSTED.com. Her mission to detail the constant fights, shootings, and other misbehavior spilling out onto the street below her residence has attracted the... [continue]
November 9, 2007
We first witnessed the cockamamie genius of Jon Brion at the second Intonation Festival. Pouring rain be damned, the guy captivated 15,000 people that day, many of whom knew him only as “the guy who worked on Kanye’s records.” Chicagoist left the festival grounds that day with that rare inspiration... [continue]
Yesterday we learned that almost all of us have toxic chemicals hanging out in our bodies, and artists and musicians are no exception to the rule. Visual artists are often exposed to harmful chemicals on a long-term basis. Musicians risk hearing loss and/or vocal chord strain after a long career... [continue]
Prior to having our child, we would have considered this concept hilarious. A DJ spinning disco classics for ... toddlers? We still chuckle, but since we’ve seen our own toddler shake it to a good bass beat, we might be convinced to see what all the fuss is about.... [continue]
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November 8, 2007
Let's face it: we're spoiled when it comes to movies. Not only do the best (and worst) theatrical releases play here, but we also have scads of film festivals to choose from year-round. No sooner are CIFF and the Korean Film Festival over than Reeling is upon us. Since... [continue]
Within the first 30 seconds of last night's Meat Puppets show, we were asked, "You a weed smoker? Because I got this whole joint no one is smoking!" And, sadly, Chicagoist was not smoking up. But ... maybe we should have been! Whilst we were enamored of Los Bros., Kirkwood,... [continue]
November 7, 2007
We first heard of Acrassicauda through a story on NPR, describing the trials and tribulations of these heavy metal band of Iraqi refugees. They were recently hunkered down in Damascus, but got out in the nick of time when Syria started ejecting all Iraqi refugees, and not the group is... [continue]
November 6, 2007
Treaty Of Paris is one of those bands that doesn't get a lot of critical acclaim, despite the fact that they've been plugging away at the local scene for a number of years, under a couple different guises. We suppose one reason for this is the band's chosen genre, which... [continue]
This week looks to finally mark the beginning of winter around here, and while we're not huge fans of bulky sweaters, digging our out cars from under three feet of snow, and the unshakable common cold, we do love the feeling of coming out of the freeze and into our... [continue]
November 5, 2007
So we just got word that Juliette and the Licks will be appearing at Reggie's on November 16. We saw this group, led by Juliette Lewis, at The Note over the summer and admit to loving her live show. Some have opined that Ms. Lewis is too busy ripping off... [continue]
November 2, 2007
Eeeeverybody's talking the Complaints Choir of Chicago this week — Daily Herald, Sun-Times, the Trib, Time Out, 848, even UPI — and with good reason. The Complaints Choir is rad! How do we know? Er, Chicagoist is in it. And so are a bunch of Chicagoist readers. But we'd think... [continue]
What's coming up? Let's see. 2007 has been quite a year for the Cold War Kids, whose twangy indie rock has worked its way into the hearts of festival attendees across the world, playing everywhere from Lollapallooza to the Glastonbury Festival. If you’d rather see them up close and personal... [continue]
Have you always wanted to see Bon Jovi in concert but just haven’t been able to make the time in the past, oh, 20 years? Or have you already seen Bon Jovi and loved the experience so much that you want to be able to relive it over and... [continue]
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November 2, 2007
We know you head to Beat Kitchen to enjoy the likes of artists like Plane, New Duncan Imperials and Deadstring Brothers. Be prepared for your toddler to start dragging you back out when they hear about the “Concerts for Kids” shows on Sunday afternoons … at the same Beat Kitchen... [continue]
November 1, 2007
The Swedes are really fucking rad, and the latest evidence comes in the form of Jens Lekman having the number one record there this week. Lekman is a pop music master in a time when the genre is struggling to identify a true star, and his presence on the can't-miss... [continue]