We were lucky to be in the packed house greeting Brendan Benson for his second Chicago show of the night last evening. Benson and his band played a set that never lacked for energy, and he proved that he is still one of the masters of that brand of furiously buzzing power pop. (Word is his early show had so much energy it knocked the power out on the whole dang block!) His set took material from his entire solo oeuvre, along with a playful cover of Superdrag's "Sucked Out." more ›

Brendan Benson still isn't exactly a household name, though if most folks saw him they'd recognize him as the skinny blonde dude who sings in The Raconteurs with Jack White. Benson's history actually stretches much further back to the days before his 1996 debut, One Mississippi. A listen to any of his solo work quickly uncovers just what his major contribution to The Raconteurs is: Benson is the pop foil to White's rock menace. more ›

One-upping all other comers with the "hey, guess what we're releasing RIGHT NOW" game is the Jack White / Brendan Benson-led Detroit combo The Raconteurs. The group announced today's release of their new album Consolers Of The Lonely exactly one week ago, and the album is available both digitally and is physically -- both CDs and vinyl versions -- in stores. We have no idea how a) they kept the whole thing quiet this long and b) how they wrangled the physical distribution so quickly. This is just another example of a band attempting yet another new approach to counter the failing business model plaguing the music industry at large. more ›

Recording their first album in thirty-three years, the revamped Stooges are in town recording at Steve Albini’s home away from home, Electrical Audio. Over the last two weeks or so, Mr. Albini has been getting quite the press. His business is profiled in a Crain’s series regarding music and the bottom line, he’s the subject in Bob Mehr’s piece “The Plumber”, and now the MSM has decided to jump in and talk about our indie... more ›

Our Brendan Benson contest ends today at 3 PM today. We’re giving away four prize packs: a grand prize pack with a pair of tickets to tomorrow’s show, plus Benson's entire CD catalog (including "Alternative to Love", "Lapalco", the Metarie EP and "One Mississippi), a copy of the "Love" album on vinyl , and the "Cold Hands, Warm Heart" 7 inch single (streaming video link). more ›

Back in August, Chicagoist ran a contest to give away tickets to an upcoming Brendan Benson show at Metro. Unfortunately, the show was postponed as was the contest. But time has been good to Benson and to Chicagoist readers as we've got even more prizes to give away. more ›

Though it was a weekend filled with good music and hope for the future, this summer’s Lollapalooza lacked the kind of moments that keep people talking about it for years to come. There were two exceptions though: the onstage pairing of Brian Jonestown Massacre with the Dandy Warhols and the choreographed dance moves of OK Go as they debuted the song “A Million Ways”. After closing out their set on the second day of Lolla,... more ›

Chicagoist must regretfully announce that it is a rock tease. more ›

The Chicagoist Prize Closet has been awfully bare as of late so we were thrilled when the folks at V2 Records offered up a pair of tickets to this Saturday’s Brendan Benson show at Metro with Robbers on High Street opening. Both groups are looking to build on recent good press thanks to some high-profile gigs. Benson last visited Chicago in April on the heels of his album The Alternative To Love. Since then he’s... more ›

So imagine you’re a rock guy. You’re born in Detroit (and have been known to hang out with Jack White) so you’ve got a quality rock pedigree but you’ve also been spending a lot of time in Berkeley, CA so you’ve got that pop stuff going from all those flowers in your hair. You’ve opened for Keane so you’re riding a nice buzz but you’re a little concerned about keeping your rocker cred. So what... more ›

It�s summertime in Chicago and that means (at least) one thing: street fairs! That�s right, rub elbows (often literally) with your Windy City brethren and �enjoy� over-priced, reheated food and watered down beer, all for the measly price of a �suggested donation.� To you and Chicagoist, that means free. (There was a great article in the Reader last year about how, no, you don�t have to pay for street fairs because they�re on public property. So don�t let those intimidating security guards strong-arm or guilt-trip you.) The real reason to check out the festival circuit every summer, though, is the chance to see some incredible bands for very little money. Last summer, for example, Chicagoist saw strong performances from acts like Spoon, Hot Hot Heat, and Interpol at street fairs. more ›