Sloan played Double Door last Monday and we were lucky enough to catch them rip through a blistering set in top form. After the show we headed down the street to check out Rehab at evilOlive and had a surprisingly good time. We recommend checking it out sometime.......

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 clock to '08 is ticking. What are you doing to ring in the new year? If the answer to that question is a desperate, collar-loosening, sweat-inducing "I don't know!" then here are a few last-minute suggestions. Everything listed here will cost you less than $40 and was not sold out at the time of posting. Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile at the Old Town School of Folk Music: If you thoroughly enjoy the pop/folk......

We hope you enjoyed this morning's dance party, so let's keep it going, o.k.? We have reader E to thank for this one, since it we somehow missed it in our RSS feed last week, but Chicago's Matt Roan provided Discobelle* with a stellar new Mixin’ It Up compilation. For a while all we've had to go on, outside of fighting the crowds of beautiful people packing the room to the rafters at his......

Remember how WLUW, one of our favorite radio stations, is being taken back by Loyola and will no longer be an independent, community radio station? And do you remember that program director Shawn Campbell turned lemons into lemonade by creating the Chciago Indie Radio Project? To jog your memory, CHIRP is working to bring low-power FM stations to Chicago and allow community radio to thrive, without the threat of being taken back by larger owners.......

Ever wonder why it seems like EVERYONE who works at Schubas Tavern is a DJ? Walk into the venue on a typical night and one of the furthest thoughts from your mind is probably “electronic music,” as the dimly lit room and comfortable wooden tables are more likely to invite images of acoustic guitars and creaky pianos than big headphones and furious turntable laptop manipulation. Ironic then that not only has the upstairs room at......

Now in its 13th year, the Chicago Underground Film Fest is almost becoming an institution. Yet after more than a decade of presenting challenging, weird and hilarious films, CUFF still manages to seem fresh. Music videos are no longer the delivery system for underground music. But many filmmakers still use film as a way to explore how one art form enhances the other. Several film series at the fest including Jeff Krulik’s "The Maryland Trilogy",......