Time to lock and load this week's list of hometown shows, SXSW style. more ›

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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 events for a while now -- the idea being that local artists come in and iDJ for a while, followed by patrons with pre-loaded playlists... more ›

We HATE the term Black Wednesday. more ›

May Or May Not are having a whole fucking lot of fun, and you’re invited to join in every Monday of this month as they tackle the make-or-break opportunity of a Schubas Practice Space residency. You probably missed the chance to shake it this week in a haze of day-off cookouts and outdoor drinking, but pencil in the next three Mondays for a dose of buoyant pop that goes down easy with the spoonful of... more ›

We’re gonna cut right to the chase, since it’s Friday and we’re all clock watching like woah: The Saturday lineup on the north stage of the Wicker Park Summerfest might be the best $5 you spend on live music all summer: more ›

Well, the list started leaking last week for the (far superior) North Stage at this year's Wicker Park Summerfest, and now we have the full line-up. Not bad ... not bad at all. We're looking to sipping beer with the hipsters AND the yuppies that weekend. more ›

The talk of the "indie rock diet" that's been tossed around the blogosphere this week is ripe with irony; any of us who have hung out with a band for even a night know that the stereotypical indie rocker replaces food with alcohol whenever given the chance. And when on tour, anything goes. A friend of ours, who happens to drum in a band coming to Chicago next week, once told us about how the... more ›

The jaunts will be short this week as most of us get out and enjoy the sunshine. We were walking around this morning and people just seem happier. Which is all the more reason to get out tonight for some good music. We plan on getting intimate with Ambulette and Maura Davis' intensely mesmerizing voice at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport. Davis splits her time between Richmond and Charlotte and comes to Chicago to rehearse with... more ›

For those of us stuck in the Four Star City while all our great bands head to the Lone Star State, the Hideout has the perfect idea — a SXSW-style showcase before the event. It’s the perfect event to remind us of how much fun the Block Party was last year. It also lets us give a little back to those bands that many times travel down to Austin with nothing but hope in their... 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 know that everyone will be up early on Saturday morning to get that perfect seat at the bar for the Ohio State/Michigan football game. Don't get too caught up in football and forget to feed the music monkey first. more ›

Well, it’s that time of year again. We’re done with Halloween costumes and on to the more pressing question, “How are we ringing in the New Year?” We know our readers aren’t chumps and bought their Raconteurs tickets for the 30th at the much cheaper rate than the New Year's Eve show. Here are a few more choices for that evening that holds so much promise, but usually just ends up being expensive with someone crying uncontrollably. more ›

Hard though it may be to believe, occasionally we at Chicagoist carry differing viewpoints. These tend to manifest themselves most strongly when it comes to discussion of the arts, though we have learned that the way to resolve contrasting opinions need not be through a duel to the death. Anymore. So with that in mind, we decided to hand associate editor Scott Smith and music critic Tankboy each a copy of the new Catfish... more ›

Thirty-six years ago Vashti Bunyan released an album that was haunting and different than all the other folk musicians out there. She has been touted as creating "psych-folk" and then, like many musicians, the singer kind of forgot about her voice amidst lukewarm sales and everything that life throws at us. Now she's back with Lookaftering and is playing a pair of shows with Archer Prewitt. Monday/Tuesday, Lakeshore Theater, 7 p.m., $15 advanced/$20 door, All... more ›