The Redwalls. Smith-Westerns. Give Back. Three bands all touted as talented teen sensations, but only one of them debuted with an album of really solid music. And it's the one you probably haven't heard of. more ›

With each release Soft Speaker grows more confident in the compositional prowess and the musical interplay grows ever deeper as the band grows more comfortable with their skills at developing ever thickening tickets of sound. more ›

Little Red hails from Melbourne, Australia and craft the kind of dance rock fellow countrymen Cut Copy have already made familiar to most Americans. They'll be hitting these shores next month to promote their album Midnight Remember but we have a sneak peek for you to enjoy to whet your appetite and get your mouth a' waterin'. more ›

Ume is based in Austin but you might think they hail from an English factory town. They traffic in a sound that fits rather nicely in the midst of the current revival of all things '90s the music world is currently in the throes of. They're particular specialty is crafting big guitar songs that are equal part shoegaze and frenetic shredding and tops it off with floating, sweet female vocals. This is definitely band brought up on equal parts 4AD and alt-guitar majesty, and while some could fumble that mixture Ume pulls off the trick of making it all their own. Their sophomore album Phantoms carries a familiar feel to it and its easy to fall prey to its charms as the songs blend together in one furious, churning wash. more ›

Save the Clocktower hasn't played a local gig all summer. That is, until tonight. more ›

Like its vendors, StreetWise has made it through some tough times - the organization was in imminent danger of going out of business back in 2009, but quickly received more than enough donations to keep it afloat. In a continued effort to keep the non-for-profit healthily funded, a few local bands and House Call Entertainment are teaming up to host a benefit show. more ›

We admit we wrote off The Steepwater Band a few years ago as Black Crowes fans that were a step away from being a cover band. With their latest offering, Clava, the group seems to have finally stepped out from under their influences' shadow to claim their own sound. more ›

For immediately appealing indie-rock equally filled with sonic surprises and familiar melodiousness, it’s hard to do better than Chicago’s Pet Lions. more ›

It's only taken three years, but we're ready to defend out alt-media slam title. more ›

We admit we were recently surprised to discover recently Panther Style's just released ¡Emergencia! was actually their debut album! Panther Style is one of those bands that feels like it's existed in Chicago forever. This is partially due to the long local music lineage of the members' previous projects, including but not limited to Mary Tyler Morphine, Siderunners, Dyslexic Apaches and the Reptoids. But we think it's also because, like many Chicago groups, they've just quietly worked hard, played shows and tried to write good music. And ¡Emergencia! is proof that they've succeeded at all three of those goals. more ›

Model, actress, singer and songwriter ... Taylor Momsen is so talented busy. Let's talk a bit about her and her rock band The Pretty Reckless before she appears at Beat Kitchen tonight. more ›

Archie Powell & the Exports are a Chicago quartet -- actually led by a young gentleman named Archie Powell -- that specialize in that certain blend of slightly twangy Midwestern pop-rock. Their Loose Change EP brought the group to our notice with its finely crafted songs and exuberant attitudes and they've only improved on what was already a successful formula with their new full-length Skip Work. more ›

Happy Hollows' debut Spells has been one of those albums that keeps sneaking its way into our listening rotation. Upon first listen the group has a sweet dissonance to their songs akin to a thin veneer of sandpaper surrounding a pixie stick. Singer Sarah Negahdari has a spiky yet subtly slurred delivery that slips between yelps, a middle pleasant melodicism, and sexy lower end just north of an actual growl that produces a menace where most others might reach towards comfort. The music is excitable and raucous, built upon the shoulders of the earlier phases of the Alternative Nation, but whereas those days produced bands hiding a mighty studio veneer, Happy Hollows sounds as if acid was allowed to drip into the mixing board. more ›

It's no big secret that Tankboy is a little in love with local garage punk band Mr. Russia, though he's keeping quiet about their upcoming show because, well, he organized it. This might be a good opportunity play devil’s advocate and bash his beloved Mr. Russia, but damn it, they're just too good to hate. The Chicago four-piece has an undeniable knack for simple, brash, old-school punk, underscored by playfully cocky lyrics, thick bass lines and heavy drum beats. Further proof of their badassery is their ability to rock without the use of guitars (in fact they have two bassists) and a tendency to give their music away for free. more ›

Drink Up Buttercup's debut Born And Thrown On A Hook throws all of the band's copious influences into a murky psychedelic pop stew. They are just as liable to snag a faux-operatic tenor as they are to bang on a harpsichord or wail like so many mod kids hooped up on pep pills. more ›

Chia Pet's first album Elpee was the very first release on Johann's Face Records and we remember excitedly buying it at one of their infamous shows. They were this hard to categorize band out of Palatine in the late '80s that lured art students, skaters, punks, metalheads, jocks, cheerleaders and nerds under their sway. They jumbled punk, funk, soul, and gutterpunch opera-rock into an undeniable dance-party mush machine that prompted many a nubile young thang (boys and girls) to partially of fully disrobe mid-show. more ›

Tom Schraeder, a longtime local favorite musician of ours, is throwing a little release party tonight at Beat Kitchen. A cassette tape release party. We knew once vinyl started getting big again magnetic tape couldn't be far behind! The details for the show are in the video below, backed by Schraeder performance of a live tune just for you. more ›

Brrrrr...can you feel winter in the air? Gone are the street festivals and summer nights spent on the patio at Happy Village, but the crisp air and transition from peep toes to boots ushers in one of my favorite time of year. What's more cozy that coming in out of the cold to a warm bar and good, Chicago-made music? more ›

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From May 7 through May 13 Local H will hold a residency at Beat Kitchen. Each night will see the full performance of one of their studio albums, in chronological order, through their latest, 12 Angry Months. Take that Wilco! more ›

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We're huge fans of the Sunday kids' concerts at Beat Kitchen. This Sunday, take your toddler to see Little Miss Ann, a former CPS music teacher, fellow mama and one of our favorite local musicians. Her "Pirate Ship" song'll be stuck in your head for the rest of the weekend. The show starts at noon, and your $5 ticket includes a kid-friendly lunch of pizza and a juice box. more ›

Chicago's commercial rock community has always excelled in mixing and matching the various ingredients in its talent pool, and usually the results are greater than the sum of its parts (see Treaty of Paris as a prime example). Call it a mark of maturity or just settling into a groove, but there are some strong post-mall punk splinter groups making a statement in the city. more ›

We HATE the term Black Wednesday. more ›

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 where you were rockin’ the night before. Once a month, Beat Kitchen opens up its concert space for local talent that caters to the younger... more ›

Things slow down a little this week, but not by much. In fact, the only upswing to this week's slightly lighter musical calendar is that it doesn't force us to make as many tough decisions as last week! Apollo Sunshine is steeped in the psych-pop of the '60s, and we admit it's beginning to feel like we've been waiting since that decade for a proper follow-up to their last album. Maybe folks checking out their... more ›

The summer sun has rejuvenated the DDaN column, so we're clocking back with our thoughts on a few of the week's notable concerts. Tonight, if you didn't get invited to see Fall Out Boy, and you're not heading to Liar's Club to listen to (and to buy) the new Queens Of the Stone Age at midnight, might we recommend checking out The Hourly Radio at The Note? If you dig Placebo, and you haven't yet... more ›

The Comas have been at this shit for a while now. Originally formed in Chapel Hill, NC in 1998, their blistering brand of psychedelic-soaked garage rock has left a steady stream of sweaty, melted faces in its wake for nearly the past decade. They’ve collected some of the most desirable accolades an independent-spirited band can hope for, including contacts with North Carolina tastemakers Yep Roc and (currently) Vagrant Records, shoe shines from Pitchfork Media, Rolling... more ›