Results tagged “doubledoor”

We raved about The Heavy last time they landed in Chicago, and our prediction was spot-on. Here's what we said.

The great part of Lollapalooza is the music. The not-so-great part is the crowds. For those of you who love the music but hate the festival scene, Lollapalooza weekend provides the city with plenty of preshows and after shows. For more, check out the list of all of the so-far-announced post-Lolla shows.

'Tis the season of free music in the city, but don't put your wallet in the lockbox for the summer quite yet or you will miss out on these veteran acts gracing two of Chicago's best stages in the coming months.

              

Sweat dripped from the ceiling at Double Door last Thursday as The Sounds and Hey Champ brought a double-barreled attack of rock and dance to the thronging masses. Hey Champ opened with a set and the band has definitely benefited from their nigh non-stop touring. Folks tend to forget they're a rock band since they've been playing with primarily hip-hop and electronic acts since signing to Lupe Fiasco's label last year, but their time on the road with The Sounds has led them to inject their music with new-found brawn that gives even their dancier tunes a pleasantly gritty edge.

This year's SXSW over-marketing award goes to White Lies, whose logo was everywhere: from a 20-foot high projection on the side of a loft building on heavily-trafficked Red River to the front of our hotel swipe key. Whether or not we appreciated the barrage, we certainly remembered the band's name and made a mental note to see what all the hype was about.

Company of Thieves celebrate the hometown release of their new album Ordinary Riches with a show at Double Door next week on Thursday, February 19 .... and we've got a pair of tickets to give away along with a signed copy of their new CD!

O.K., we admit we're way behind on this one, but when The Webstirs' new album hit our in-box we thought we had just discovered an incredibly promising new local band ... until we realized they've been around 15+ years. Of course once we learned that all we could do is gasp in disbelief that these guys aren't more popular and have flown so far under the radar.

Since releasing its self-titled full length last year on Bloodshot Records, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir has tirelessly drummed up business and collected fans here and abroad through exhaustive touring. Lucky for us, they've come home for the holidays.

Juliana Hatfield's recently released tour diary / autobiography of sorts When I Grow Up: A Memoir touched on a number of subjects that had been plaguing her for over two decades from a dislike of touring, an eating disorder, clinical depression, and the like. At the same time it revealed a true admiration for her collaborators and musical heroes over the years, and projected an admirably resolute sense of resolve when it comes to the business side of her art and her ability to meet its commitments mostly on her own terms. We also learned that while most venues don't exactly roll out the welcome mat when she arrives, Chicago's Double Door does a good job of making her feel particularly welcome, and that Chicago is home to some of her most enthusiastic and appreciative fans. She ended the book with a warning not to hold great expectations for any touring beyond a smattering of shows here and there from here on out. Luckily for us she doesn't seem completely beholden to that promise since she'll drop by Double Door tomorrow to promote her new album, How To Walk Away.

MSTRKRFT at Double Door. We're so happy they moved this banger of a show from Metro since it means a) no little kids and b) the fucking monstrous beats of MSTRKRFT will be demolishing a room as small as Double Door! Wahoo! It's bound to be absolutely insane. If you like either dance music or rock music, you do not want to miss this. Getcher tickets now, because it will sell out.

The last time we mentioned Farewell Captain we were expecting them to release an album shortly thereafter. That was a year and a half ago. Honestly, we had begun to resign ourselves to the idea that they might be one of those Chicago bands to record great albums that never saw the light of day ... but this Friday the world will finally be able to get its hot little hands on the band's debut, The Jersey Bounce.

            

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.

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.

We saw The Midnight Juggernauts open for Justice a few months ago and were surprised at how much enjoyed them more than we did the headliner that night. This Australian trio takes dance music, injects it with plenty of proggy Pink Floyd touches, a heavy dose of glammy disco, and then latches it all onto the back of a hard-charging muscle car powered by guitar churning rock and/or roll.

There's no way around it, and it has to be said, but The Sleepers gleefully worship at the altar of Angus Young. Three to four chord riffs, 4/4 drums, and whiskey frayed vocals power this combo, smelling of graffiti, subterranean dressing rooms, and day old kegs. You can almost feel the sweat causing you outgrown bangs to stick to your cheeks.

Musical contests that rely on public voting are suspicious at best when it comes to actually discovering or rewarding talent. When the voting takes place online, though, we have a hard time taking any of the results seriously.

While we're fans of Fu Manchu, we were going to skip their appearance at Double Door tonight. They always put on a dependable show, and we've never been let down by Scott Hill and his band of skater stoner-rockers, but every once in a while even we need to stay in and take an evening off to relax. Well, at least that was our plan.

It’s that time of year when our kids begin to get stir crazy. With the parks snowed over, and the temps discouraging any neighborhood meandering, these indoor play areas are godsends. The idea is that you pay per visit (or pay less by becoming a member or buying visits in bulk), and spend a few hours with your kid, playing in their space. Each location has huge interactive areas, stocked with toys you can ride on or slide down, dress up clothes and props. Many of these places indicate they serve a 6 month - 6 year age range, but we’ve found that kids 12 months- 4 years are most entertained. These three locations also offer a cafeteria area for you to brown bag it. Check websites for hours and more info.

Does anyone besides us remember Wolcott? That band had so much energy, combining Springsteenian grandeur with indie-rock passion. The only downside was that you HAD to see them live to get it. Their single album never did the group justice.