Does it Offend You, Yeah? first caught our ear with the suprema-catchy early single "We Are Rockstars" took us right back to the mid-'90s Big Beat explosion with its rock sensibilities laid like dripping blood over the dance floor. Honestly, after hearing that tune we were ready to write them off as just another dance rock band, albeit one with a slightly revivalist bent that appealed to our more sentimental nature. When the album dropped......

What's more fun than the Gay Pride Parade? Northalsted Market Days! This weekend the party lands between Belmont and Addison on Halsted. Numerous stages, merch stalls, party people, babies in buggies, dudes with tails made of peacock feathers, hipsters, alt-bros, Trixies and their Chads, DJs, dancers, and little old ladies looking for a good time choke the six block stretch from the early morning into the evening. It's the street fest to end all street......

Until Bottom Lounge (re-)opened, in order to find a good tiki lounge one had to travel to the suburbs. Within the city limits Trader Vic's closed last year, paving the way for the overpriced and subpar Lockwood restaurant. Trader Vic's was the lone standout for years after Ciral's House of Tiki in Hyde Park put up the shutters in 2000. Bottom Lounge's "Volcano Room" is possibly the club's star attraction. A 5,000 square-foot tiki-themed lounge......

Crystal Castles create dance music out of brittle 8-bit derived beats and high-pitched squeaks and squonks. It's dance music for the Nintendo generation, full of dancing Marios and Luigis grinding up against ambisexual Sonic the Hedgehogs. For the most part their music is heavy on the treble and way in your face, and we understand that's not for everyone. When the band pulls its attack back a bit, it's pop side surfaces, as in the......

We have been waiting for the debut from local duo Walter Meego for forever. Seriously. We've seen them on "next big thing" lists for at least the last two years -- and believe us, they belong on those lists -- but only now can folks who haven't seen them live finally get what the buzz is all about. Voyager is one hell of a first album. It's slinky, sexy guitar and synthesizer lines kiss......

Lauri Apple of Gapers Block asked me a while ago if I'd be interested in representing Chicagoist in a DJ battle against her / Gapers Block at The Burlington tonight. Naturally I accepted the challenge without a second thought. I believe we'll be splitting the evening into five musical themes* with each of us allotted 30 minutes to outdo the other, or something like that. I'll have free stuff from Chicagoist and she'll have Gapers......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Ex-Pres Remember the good old days when Jimmy Carter was president? No, you probably don't, but believe us when we say it was kind of nice having someone honest in the Oval Office, even if things in this country weren't exactly going too terrifically. Carter is appearing at Border's tonight to support A Remarkable Mother,......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. International Pop Overthrow Since this mini-festival takes it's name from Material Issue, the seminal power-pop group from Chicago, it makes sense that tonight's show is headlined by current Chicago power-pop maestros Frisbie. Double Door, 1572 N Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m., $10, 21+ Clubs Samantha Ronson spins at Crimson Lounge tonight. Her brother is Mark Ronson --......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Reunion From Cheap Trick to Material Issue, Chicago is a power-pop kind of town. We're also a town that takes super talented bands and devour them whole, only to spit out their bones and leave them for dead. The Krinkles already made their way through that life cycle and hung up their guitars years ago,......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Bikes Kozy's Cyclery opened a new location in Logan Square -- thank god -- and are having a huge sale to celebrate. We've always dug the Kozy's vibe, so we're glad top see them branching out into a new neighborhood, especially one chock full of so many bike riders. While you're there, maybe it's time......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Clubs Where can you see a punk marching band, a crew of breakdancers, and a rock DJ tearing it up tonight? Sonotheque hosts a fundraiser for Links Hall featuring the musical stylings of the always inventive and entertaining Mucca Pazza, the DJ skills of Chris Widman, the the dance acrobatics of the Brickheadz. Get there......

In our heads the weekend has already landed. Local heroes Flosstradamus have gone global and put together a little mix for the Bang Gang promoters down under. If you haven't had a chance to check out the duo's out of control Chicago parties, this is a nice little 30-minute sample of what the boys are capable. And, of course, it includes the obligatory Kid Sister appearance near the end of the mix. [credz] MP3:......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Yet Another Canadian Indie Band Born Ruffians fall firmly on the "quirk" end of the hipster scale, with disjointed songs filled with spurting, lurching melodies. We imagine this is what The Shins might sound like after a couple pots of coffee ... filled with espresso. Their debut is pleasant enough but we'd have a hard......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Pop Matt Pond PA plays polite and well-mannered pop that thrills with its shimmering chords and bouncy beats. If WXRT really wanted to play the sort of tunes its listeners could really grab onto, eschewing sentimentality in favor or originality, Matt Pond PA would become the station's mascot. Matt Pond PA is the thinking person's......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Music Thunderwing rock as if time stopped in 1976. Their heavy grooves and MC5-tastic riffage appeals to both metal and indie kids alike, and their walloping live show is a guaranteed good time. They're opening for Howlin Rain. Empty Bottle, 1035 N Western, 9 p.m., $10, 21+ Books The Fixx Reading Series, named after the......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Music The Mekons play two shows at Schubas tonight, one unplugged and one electric. We've seen this motley, aged collection of punk upstarts primarily led by by the dual vocal attack of Jon Langford and Sally Timms a number of times -- our personal favorite being when they performed with Kathy Acker a number of......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Music The Lonely H are a bunch of high school kids with a real jones for the classic rock station. Of course in this day the classic rock station is just as likely to play Nirvana or Coldplay as it is to play The Who. Subterranean, 2011 W North, 9:30 p.m., $10, 18+ Keep On......

Tonight marks the seventh installment of Stay Smooth, the every-so-often Yacht Rock-inspired party that's the brainchild of hot shit Chicago DJs Bald Eagle and STV SLV. What started as a gathering of friends and those in the know in the intimate upstairs lounge at Schubas has become a full-fledged calendar event, and the captain's hats, jean shorts, and deck shoes will be out in full force. Still confused on the Yacht Rock concept? Here's......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Mythical Creatures The "Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids" exhibit opening at the Field Museum today has got us wanting to saddle up our griffins to get there as quickly as possible. It mixes actual historical pieces, like that famous "mermaid" skeleton, with realistic sculptures of fantastical beasties.The whole thing is anchored by the exploration......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Music The Beer Nuts annual St. Patrick's Day show was supposed top take place at the brand spanking new Bottom Lounge tonight, but the new venue didn't get their liquor license in time so the show had to be moved to the MUCH cozier Liar's Club. Get there early if you have any hopes of......

We recently told you that palindrome proficient club evilOlive is the Monday night hot spot. Hipsters flock there (maybe because it’s so ironic to get loaded on a Monday?) to knock back PBRs and get down to the indie-rock dance party during the club’s weekly Rehab program. But tonight is extra special, considering a couple underground overlords will be making an appearance. Vito and Druzzie, members of New York-based dance-punk group The Rapture will be......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Music Cougars are a force to be reckoned with. The band takes punk rock rage and funnels it through a stage full of instruments, at one point even including a bona fide horn section. Have no fear, though, there's not even the faintest whiff of any sort of revivalist mentality about the band. (Admit it,......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Music Gypsy jazz guitarist Alfonso Ponticelli and his band, Swing Gitan, are one of the go-to acts to fill in at the Green Mill whenever Kurt Elling is out of town for his regular Wednesday engagement. Ponticelli's faithful recreations of old Hot Club of Paris numbers, complemented with original compositions, are fresh and accessible without......

We just learned that tickets to ALL Metro and Smart Bar shows are only available through their websites, or the Metro Box Office. There will still be service fees for tickets bought online, though we believe they will be much reduced due to Metro handling all sales internally, and there is still never a service fee for tickets bought at the Box Office. What does this mean? Ticketmaster has just lost one of the venues......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Music Pat McCurdy is one of those people who have been around forever. Seriously. Literally forever. His everyman songs appeal to a wide swathe of the population, which would explain his loooong-running Monday night residency at Beat Kitchen. He's sort of like a cross between Robbie Fulks and Jimmy Buffet, if you can imagine that.......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Music Spazz-poppers Hidden Mitten play Double Door tonight. The band specializes in turbo-charged melodies and, from what we can tell, super-short mini-skirts. How can that not rock? If you miss them tonight we also hear they're playing The Mutiny tomorrow, mini-pitchers in hand. 1572 N. Milwaukee, 9 p.m., $8, 21+ Wine We used to do......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Music The Chamber Strings have a turbulent history, but leader Kevin Junior -- having left many of his demons behind him -- is experiencing a joyous resurgence lately. The band's recorded output falls into the dreamy orch-pop category, but the songs really come alive and gain some grit on stage. Hideout, 1354 W Wabansia, 10......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Aquarium: The Shedd Aquarium is offering free admission to its general exhibits, and reduced admission to the fancy-schmancy ones, all this week! We haven't been there in a while so this is an excellent opportunity for us to check in on all the fishies and the whales. 1200 S Lakeshore, weekdays 9 a.m. until 5......

Well, that was fast! Barely 24 hours ago, Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome announced that he would leave Japan to play in the major leagues. Fukudome and the Cubs have already reached an agreement on a four-year deal, supposedly for between $48 and $50 million. By signing the outfielder, the Cubs beat out the Padres, White Sox and a couple other clubs rumored to be interested. Fukudome will most likely play right field for the Cubs,......

Emergenza is an adult battle of the bands that sunk its foul claws into our city a few years ago. While it's certainly a boon to the clubs that play host to its elimination rounds, we can't see why any band would want to enter the competition. In order to enter, you have to pay a $70.00 fee. While it does does guarantee you'll get on at least one showcase, it does nothing to insuring......