Last night at Hideout, were treated to a little Swedish surprise: Scandinavian heartthrob singer Peter Morén of Peter Bjorn and John popped in to play a short, 25-minute secret set. more ›

This past Wednesday, Sun-Times Pop Music Critic Thomas Conner posted in his Via Chicago blog his picks for “10 Local Bands On the Rise.” Among his choices were some well-known acts--flame-haired brother and sister duo, White Mystery come to mind--and some that have been flying under the radar, like Daniel Knox, whose vocals Conner fittingly describes as “clarion.” more ›

We’ll admit we have it pretty lucky in Chicago with regard to record stores. While some locales are limited to whatever Target or Best Buy will stock, our city enjoys options aplenty from outlets like Reckless Records, Permanent Rex and Laurie’s Planet of Sound, to name a few. With this past weekend’s opening of Saki, the new retail store from Carrot Top Distributions, that local record store community just got a little bigger. more ›

Looking for something a little slower-paced than the (pretty awesome) Kid Sister-Flosstradamus duo (tonight, House of Blues, 6:30 p.m., $18)? Maybe getting blitzed on Black Out Wednesday isn't quite your style? Consider, then, Haley Bonar. A product of the Midwest, Bonar recently moved to the Pacific Northwest but has returned to the Midwest for a tour in advance to a new LP, the follow-up to her excellent 2008 LP Big Star. more ›

Let’s face it—there’s precious little in the news cycle these days to encourage risk-taking. Planning on solo skydiving? Might want to examine your company’s recently reduced health care benefits. Want to gamble your tax refund on one crazy night in Vegas? Perhaps you should invest in your 401k instead. more ›