Spend enough time in this city and six degrees of separation is cut down to one. That's how it is with me and Peter Andreadis, the creative force behind All City Affairs. A decade ago, we were both toiling away at HotHouse, I was behind the bar, Peter handled soudnman duties. And he was good at it, more so considering the sound system he had to work with was often held together with solder and a prayer. more ›

The soundtrack to our workday the past two afternoons has been provided by Baby Teeth. We love that Abraham Levitan and company are unapologetic about their love of 70s power pop and classic rock. Sometimes you need some music in that vein to power through the day. more ›

Born out of the minds of two musicians with a penchant for wacked-out comedic stories, Abraham Levitan of the band Baby Teeth and Chicago Reader writer Brian Costello created a game show like no other: Shame That Tune. Hosted by Levitan and Costello and co-hosted by "The Coach," a.k.a. Time Out Chicago Books Editor Jonathan Messinger and "The Intern," a.k.a. Jeanine O'Tolle of the Chicago chamber-pop collective, The 1900s. more ›

So, is everyone getting excited to once again “taste the flavor of Northcenter” on June 9th and 10th? Area marketing firm Big Buzz Idea Group released their annual Ribfest lineup this morning, and it’s a typical street fest mix of solid local acts and some curious headlining choices. Let’s take a gander at Saturday’s alt-country-heavy plate for a quick and dirty example. You’ve got your full on honky-tonk (Fulton County Line), your country punkers (Dollar... more ›

Well, it's a lighter than usual week for touring bands in Chicago, due to a certain festival down south. That doesn't mean we're hurting for music though! This is a week that famously gives lots of local acts prime spots they might otherwise not have available to them, so you have a good chance of catching a good band you might have never heard of before just by wandering into any of Chicago's music venues over the next few days. Here are a couple shows we're particularly looking forward to. more ›

We all know that lists are great for pulling in readers and encouraging debate. As a matter if fact, this trend has grown into obscenely silly proportions in the MS(music)M, but we suppose they will do whatever they can in an attempt to keep themselves fresh. We’re looking at you Blender, Q, Rolling Stone, and Entertainment Weekly. (We’re letting Time off the hook for this one since their recent music list was just so obviously wrong, and people tend to turn to them for news and not music.) more ›

We hate sitting here in our castle, trapped like that long-haired slut, Rapunzel. Would someone come get her already? Her singing is driving us nuts. In two days, we’re supposed to go to The 2nd Annual Printers' Ball, and we don’t have a darn thing to wear. We got ash and cinder all over the dress we were SUPPOSED to wear, and our stupid stepsisters (they smell like fish), keep asking us to clean the... more ›

Law school and rock and roll would seem to be diametrically opposed forces. Most of the law school students Chicagoist knows barely have time to go to clubs much less perform in them. But Elizabeth Elmore, lead singer of The Reputation is the exception. more ›

As you travel to far-flung corners of the country for Turkey Tour 2005, a few Chicagoans are returning home to visit for the weekend. We’ve had a bit of fun at The Lovehammers’ expense here and there but they’ve got the last laugh with a sold out show tonight at Metro, an appearance at Q101’s sold-out Twisted show in December and a series of sold-out dates with INXS in the coming year. Start collecting those... more ›

Bobby Conn is a little Jesus Christ Superstar, a little Nilsson, a little Jackson 5 and a whole lotta rock and/or roll. This diminutive Chicagoan has been making waves just under the surface of the city’s music scene for years now and every once in a while he pops up for a live performance or to release a new album. Tonight at Double Door he’s combining those two events by performing a show to celebrate the release of his new concert album Live Classics: Vol. 1. Talk about a postmodern hyper-commentary on an action taken in self-referential reverence to an action performed. more ›

This was the year that the Sundance Film Festival definitively jumped the shark. When the big story coming out of Park City isn’t about the bidding war for some hot new film but rather how much swag DJ Qualls is pulling down then you know something’s amiss. And so the South by Southwest festivals stand alone in wearing the mantle of the true independent spirit of the arts. Despite growing in size and scope over... more ›

A wire story on Chicago-bred hip hop in this morning’s Red Streak runs with the idea that a high tide raises all boats. In this case, the motion of the ocean is courtesy of “recent” success of Kanye West and Twista. Members of Chicago’s hip-hop community interviewed for the article praise the underground scene, but note that Chicago’s also-ran status is due to a lack of management that can push local artists and, in turn, raise the profile of a city that’s had a thriving scene for years. In the early 1990s, Chicago became a flashpoint for the alternative rock scene thanks to bands like the Smashing Pumpkins and Screeching Weasel. Perhaps the “aughts” will be the time for Chicago’s hip-hop community to finally break wide. more ›

We hope you'll pardon us if things at Chicagoist are a little lighter than usual this week. We're taking advantage of the Great American Work Slowdown otherwise known as the week between Christmas and New Year's. Since there's no one around to notice us leaving early or walking in late nursing a hangover, we've been trying to catch the odd show here and there. more ›

Wouldn't the title of this post make for the best children's book ever? more ›

It’s a constant battle: you want to see more live music and yet when it comes time to get your butt out of the house and queue up at the Metro, Empty Bottle, etc. you find yourself punking out to stay home and watch Cops. Chicagoist knows how you feel. We don’t see enough live music either and probably use the same excuses you do to talk ourselves out of it but this weekend you have no argument: more ›