If you like hip-hop -- the type of hip-hop that makes everyone jump up and down and yell out a chorus in synch, or the type that includes lyrics about cars and money and hoes or, ahem, finding out your one-night stand's husband is having an affair with a gay minister -- then tonight's show at Schubas is not for you. Kill the Vultures, who are opening for fellow Minneapolis(ans?)(ites?) Stnnng, are classified as a... more ›

After speculation over who will be the "special guest" at the Robbins Family benefit we posted about last week, organizer Jessica Hopper announced today that local legends Eleventh Dream Day will headline the event at Empty Bottle on January 27 at 8:00 p.m. Also appearing that evening are Chin Up Chin Up, Bobby Conn, Life & Times, and Red-Eyed Legends. Plus, they'll be raffling off lots of goodies. Here's the list so far: * VIP... more ›

Some might say the best rock and/or roll is performed atop monster riffs saddled by cigarette choked squawks. Chicagoist would never agree with such an overgeneralization but we do enjoy a good bar band. We like them even better when the music is surprisingly smart and those monster riffs come loaded with surprisingly literate vocals detailing stories filled with dirt, grime and - most importantly – redemption. The Hold Steady knows plenty about seeking redemption.... more ›

If you missed last year’s The Book of Ralph by John McNally, you missed a great little “meta-memoir” about growing up in the southwest suburbs--but you weren't the only one. The novel--described on its cover as "a fiction"--has just come out in paperback and McNally has started up a tour again and stops in Chicago every day this week, culminating in two big events on Saturday. At 11 am, he’ll be at Duke’s for “the... more ›