Like many famous actors and artists, Canadian rockers BRAIDS (not to be confused with Bob Nanna's influential emo group) packed up from their hometown, moved to a new city and changed their name to make it big. Once hailing from Calgary, BRAIDS performed as The Neighborhood Council before heading to Montreal and assuming a new moniker. more ›

First of all, our apologies for the headline, but really, we couldn't resist. When Arcade Fire was in town recently, between singing at a Cubs game, shopping in Bucktown, and playing three sold-out shows, they took a few minutes to sit down and chat with Sound Opinions' Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis. The interview's a good one, and punctures any preconception you might have that the group's members are a tortured pretentious lot. Between the friendly banter the band took time to play new arrangements of "Sprawl II" And "We Used To Wait." You can get a sneak peek at "Sprawl II" below and then tune in to Sound Opinions this weekend tonight at 8 p.m. or Saturday at 11 a.m. to hear the whole interview. more ›

Ending a string of three full-house performances at UIC Pavillion Monday night, Arcade Fire's Win Butler made a promise to the crowd, "Tonight, we're going to leave everything on the stage." For a band whose acclaim has risen as high as the Montreal-based group's has--playing in a venue as large as UIC Pavillon, to boot--we were intrigued to find out what that might look and sound like. By the end of their galvanizing 90-minute set, Bulter and company had kept their promise. Arcade Fire's intense performance left us feeling nothing short of thrilled. more ›

Starlin Castro had four hits, matching a career high, and was part of an eighth inning rally as the Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-8 at Wrigley Field. The Cubs were trailing 8-5 in the eighth when they started their comeback, sparked two-run doubles by Castro and Jeff Baker. Jeff Samardzija earned the victory in relief of the still-struggling Ryan Dempster, and Carlos Marmol picked up the save. For you Arcade Fire fans, Will Butler sang during the seventh inning stretch while Win Butler and Régine Chassagne were shopping in Bucktown, according to Tankboy. more ›

Now that they've won an album of the year Grammy, and had one of their iconic anthems soundtrack the trailer for the Where The Wild Things Are movie, the Arcade Fire will bring a quiver to bleacher bums' lips by singing "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" at Wrigley Field. more ›

Yeah, we know, it's been a week since this year's Lollapalooza kicked off and several days since it wrapped up. But we're just clearing out some photos and taking one last trip down Lolla Lane before we put the official wraps on this year's fest. Enjoy some of our leftover photos and photos from our Flickr Pool. Until next year... more ›

Badu, MGMT, Arcade Fire and plenty more in our recap of Lollapalooza's final day. more ›

It's fair to say that of all the highly anticipated albums seeing release this summer, few have been looked forward to more than Arcade Fire's third full-length, The Suburbs. It's been seven years since the group stampeded through the ranks of indie rock with their debut LP Funeral and over three years since the follow-up Neon Bible. Add a headlining slot at this year's Lollapalooza and you've got yourself the recipe for the highest level of anticipation. And, ultimately, the band doesn't let us down, even if the record takes a few spins to sink in. But once it does, The Suburbs settles as a sprawling masterpiece that trumps Neon Bible even as it fails to reach some of the climactic heights of Funeral. more ›

The lineup is out and now we can start figuring out how we're going to criss-cross Grant Park to scramble and see every band we want to see (impossible). And what of the headliner battles? It's Lady GaGa vs The Strokes on Friday, Phoenix vs Green Day on Saturday, and Arcade Fire vs Soundgarden on Sunday. So get over to the fest website and start your planning. more ›

We've been hearing this damn song so much we reckoned it was about time to check out the original video for it again. Also, file under "everything seems epic when this song is playing." more ›

It's easy to get burned out on "blogger buzz" bands. For every Arcade Fire there are dozens of Clap Your Hands Say Blahs / Vampire Weekends. Every once in a while, the buzz factor gets it right though, and it's in this rare intersection of hype and talent that Black Kids is lucky enough to occupy. more ›

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 Kids will be this year's Arcade Fire (massive!), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (petered out!), or Voxtrot (fizzled before anyone actually saw them!). more ›

Are you going to see Beirut at the Portage Theater tonight? You should be. The former movie house is hosting one of this beloved indie-folk band's few American tour dates, and the combination of 1920s movie palace splendor and whimsical orchestration may be enough to make your heart explode. (Think of that feeling you have when you look at a photo of a puppy and multiply it by 10.) Beirut's newest album, The Flying... more ›

This week, Phillyist saw the waters of a landmark fountain run red for a Showtime marketing stunt, the Phils pull ahead, and some serious nostalgia. They also got a chance to review an awesome tribute album, reminded folks to see the King and appreciated their beautiful skyline. Chicagoist knows what it's like to like the Cubs. But naming your kid Wrigley Fields? At least they can breathe a little easier now that Grossman's out... more ›

We've only cried twice at rock shows. Once was when the Flaming Lips opened for Beck, and something about "Lightning Strikes The Postman" (was it the strobes? the bullhorn? the crowd's empathic explosion? we don't know) caused our tear ducts to let loose and lose control. The other time was Friday's Arcade Fire show at the Chicago Theatre, as we were surrounded by as unlikely a crowd as we ever expected to see rejoicing in... more ›

LAist is experimenting with blogging dates from J-Date, but finds the best men are found offline. Some date vicariously online and that is one reason why porn is big -- really freaking big -- so they ask if they should cover XXX since the heart of it lays in the city's San Fernando Valley. A writer grapples with her food porn photography obsession, another gets censored on Flickr, one gets scooped by the LA... more ›

The nicer the weather gets, the busier we get across the Ist-A-Verse. But we like being busy. Here's a peek at what we've been up to since last week! Chicagoist had an interview with Audrey Niffenegger, whose popular book, The Time Traveler's Wife, was based in their fine city. They also had a heated discussion about Rush Limbaugh's controversial Barack Obama parody, talked about whether Uncle Julio's Hacienda is a good place to get... more ›

The main tickets going on sale are Cubs tickets, but for those of us who prefer our activities in smaller bars than Wrigley and usually during the night time so our precious flesh doesn’t burn, here are a few choices for dropping some Benjamins. more ›

Last night a bevy of Chicagoistas were at Schuba’s for the Tomorrow Never Knows mid-winter fest. There were about an equal number of bands. TNK is giving us those hardworking bands, like minor leaguers, who are practicing the fundamentals in the hopes of one day making the big time. Starting the night off were Eagle Seagull out of Lincoln, Nebraska. They have been likened to Arcade Fire and those comparisons are dead on. As we... more ›

The weeks starts out right when a sucker punch on the field lands Chicagoist in the middle of a Sox/Cubs throwdown and the fists continue to fly in the comments. Despite suburban resident Ms. Pinney's best little try no books will be banned anytime soon and the El is really really gross. Houstonist is there to start compiling the punditry when when the guilty, guilty Enron verdict comes down. This guy seems to be able... more ›

Shanghaiist probably knows a little more about China than the Chicago Sun-Times. Giving them the benefit of the doubt on that one. The city does to have a music scene. Don't even front like they don't. They also have Dorito bananas and white guys shopping for wives. What they don't have is any more tolerance for jaywalkers. Bostonist sees Boston and Somerville each whip out their art and face off. A plagiarized novel is the... more ›

Just when the darkness of winter is getting to be too much - it's Valentine's Day! Something there to remind us how dark our days really are, but today, of all days, the City gives us the present we've been dreaming of - Lollapalooza. This year our present will last 3 days from August 4th-6th, have 130 performers on eight stages and take up more space in Grant Park. No one act is signed... more ›

The House Theatre has become the “it girl” of the local theater community by following a very familiar playbook, a story that never seems to get old: core members meet in their college drama program, produce their first Chicago play in some out-of-the-way black box, repeatedly outdo themselves to become a cult favorite and, as word spreads, are deemed the Company Everyone’s Talking About. That moment for the House came in 2004 when they produced... more ›

There aren’t too many big names in town this weekend. Mike (nee M.) Doughty will be at Park West after a free in-store at Borders on Michigan and Son Volt will prevent several people from accidentally seeing the atrocity known as The Fantastic Four by performing at The Vic on Saturday night. (Chicagoist thanks them for this gift to humanity). Anyway, we’re giving full vent to our indie leanings this weekend. Thanks, in part, to... more ›

If you were to compare the museums of Chicago with people you went to high school with then The Museum of Contemporary Art would be the kid in black clothes who mutters “This is bullshit” under his or her breath during pep rallies. You know, the one who always made it a point to mention oppressive CIA-supported regimes whenever you discussed the American Revolution in your U.S. Government classes. But here’s the thing: you needed... more ›

There are turning points in every band’s career. Unlike the flashy moments that make for signposts in a Behind The Music episode, these are often financial and/or artistic decisions that determine whether artists continue to enjoy the comfort of being a big fish in a small pond or take a shot at widespread acclaim. While many bands have one or two of these moments in their career, the Arcade Fire’s brief career has been full of them. more ›

The first time Chicagoist saw The National it was at The Pontiac Café. The ratio of polite humility in contrast with blinding talent was incredible at the time and the group has remained a favorite of ours when we feel one of those torturous dark moods laced with betrayal coming on. As the years have passed the group has moved steadily up the food chain into more respectable venues as the independent press around them has grown into a quiet roar. The band plays dark melancholic music marked by slow burns and rising crescendos that are quite moving. For this tour – one preceded by even more critical praise for their new disc Alligator and that hits Schuba's tonight -- they decided to bring some fellow Brooklynites along to open for them in hopes of giving their pals more exposure. more ›

As the temperature is expected to hit 90 degrees again today, we’re having a hard time getting into the sweater-weather mindset of fall that usually hits us around this time. Luckily, the Tribune and Sun-Times have some fall arts previews to get us in the mood. We’ve already given you the lowdown on the upcoming fall seasons at various theaters around town. But two shows out in the ‘burbs have pushed our fey and geek... more ›

We're a little sunburned, a little dehydrated and sort of exhausted because Chicagoist was there as Lollapalooza 2005 rocked Chicago this weekend. Organizers needed to prove that Lolla was still a viable commerical entity with acts like Pixies, The Killers, Arcade Fire, Death Cab For Cutie and more. While they accomplished that feat, it remains to be seen what the future holds for the festival. We'll be posting reviews later today but until then check... more ›

The lineup for the new (but not necessarily improved) Lollapalooza on July 23rd and 24th in Grant Park was released this morning and well...it’s a mixed bag. We’re really excited about some of the bands on this list and unmoved by others. Many of the bands you’d expect to be in the lineup are: Arcade Fire, Death Cab For Cutie, The Bravery, The Walkmen, World Leader Pretend, Louis XIV, VHS or Beta, etc. Problem... more ›