Let's take a look at some of the shenanigans local rockers are getting into recently. This edition deals with D'Arcy's Animals Gone Wild experience and Pete Wentz's separation from his (arguably) better half. more ›

It's a common problem that this town's musical elite like to leave us in the dust for the bright lights of the coasts, but Patrick Stump is a curiosity among Chicago-bred "rock stars" - he's seen the world and then some, but his heart and his home remain here. Since Fall Out Boy called it quits last year, former singer and songwriter Stump has been hard at work at Lakeview's I.V. Labs studio prepping his debut solo album and revisiting the influences that lead him to make music in the first place. Today we continue and conclude our fascinating chat with Stump. more ›

It's a common problem that this town's musical elite like to leave us in the dust for the bright lights of the coasts, but Patrick Stump is a curiosity among Chicago-bred "rock stars" - he's seen the world and then some, but his heart and his home remain here. Since Fall Out Boy called it quits last year, former singer and songwriter Stump has been hard at work at Lakeview's I.V. Labs studio prepping his debut solo album and revisiting the influences that lead him to make music in the first place. Earlier this year Stump released two versions of lead single "Spotlight" and asked friends, fans and new listeners alike to vote on their favorite version. This sort of egalitarian approach and the new opportunity to make music on his own terms has the 26-year-old feeling renewed about the possibilities, and Chicagoist caught up with him recently to chat about Star Wars, starting over, living through your awkward phases and just how solo "solo"really means. This is the first of a two-part interview. more ›

Patrick Stump, who some know as the ex-singer of Fall Out Boy and everyone knows as the possessor of some serious pop pipes, told us via email he's finished up his solo debut. According to his website though, he's still having some trouble deciding which version of one of its tunes to include in the final tracklisting. Head over to download the free double-sided single and then cast your vote for which one you like better. more ›

So we get this email from a guy yesterday claiming to be Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy offering to tip us off to his impending solo album before his management alerted more of the press. We watched the video, thought it was cool to see a single dude playing an entire song, instrument by instrument ... but he looked nothing like Patrick Stump. So we didn't post it. Cut to today, news goes official, and we stand REALLY wishing we had posted this yesterday. more ›

The following ten groups released albums or EPs that we believe launched them far above the roiling masses making up the Chicago music scene. While these are our favorites it should be noted that this was an amazingly strong year for the local scene, and we could have easily made a top 50 list without much of a problem. In fact, just reviewing the bands while making this list we realized how thankful we are to be located in such a musically fertile city! more ›

Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz gave us way too much information about his apparently hot and sweaty sex life with wife Ashlee Simpson via yesterday's Howard Stern show. Some quoteable quotes: more ›

Yep, we said it - Fall Out Boy's Folie à Deux, the band's fifth full length and third for a major, will change the way you think about the foursome from the northern 'burbs. If you let it, that is. more ›

Someone needs to put a moratorium on celebrities giving their babies idiot names. This time around, popster wife Ashlee Simpson gave birth to her son with husband Pete Wentz of Chicago's Fall Out Boy. The kid's name? Bronx Mowgli Wentz. No, we're not making this shit up. The Bronx is a borough of New York City and Mowgli is the name of the main character of The Jungle Book. According to a spokesperson, "Ashlee, Pete and baby Bronx are all healthy and happy, and thank everyone for their well wishes!" Well, that's good, because that poor kid is going to have his named mocked for the rest of his life. No word if the child was born with eyeliner already applied. more ›

Losing a pet is a traumatic experience, and finally having to get rid of your pet supplies is a painful reminder of all the good times and happiness the little booger brought. Luckily, you can always take solace in the fact that someone else can surely create their own joyous memories with your carton of irregular cat hats. more ›

It's gonna be a gorgeous weekend, folks, and if you fancy a bit of huffing and puffing with your Labor Day, be sure to register for the Nike + Human Race at Soldier Field Sunday. more ›

Nike is once again turning up the volume on our summer with its Nike + Human multi-city 10K race on August 31st. Twenty-five cities, from Tapei, China to Los Angeles, will host runs and activities with an eye towards charity - participants can raise money for any of the three Nike-chosen causes: The Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research, the World Wildlife Fund, and the UN's ninemillion.org program to offer aid to youth refugees. more ›

We've mentioned OFFICE a bunch, and how much we like their smarty-pants pop, so we're pleased to be giving away two pairs of tickets to see them headline Reggie's Rock Club later tonight. Another Chicagoist fave, Ultra Sonic Edukkators is also playing, and the thought of they're hyper Brit-pop running headfirst into OFFICE's super tight arrangement makes us get all giddy, jumping up and down and clapping our hands. more ›

We were chatting with a friend about the impending task of compiling "best albums" lists, and the potential of Fall Out Boy's Infinity On High making the cut. Her comment was "I don't really know much about Fall Out Boy, other than that Pete Wentz can be a douche." Our response: "Well, one has to support one's hometown douches." more ›

Chicagoist is spent after last night's gossip-tastic evening at Schubas. Probably our favorite teensy venue in Chicago, the 175-capacity music room hosted the Spin/Diesel “after party” for Fall Out Boy’s three shows at the Charter One Pavilion this weekend. more ›

The summer sun has rejuvenated the DDaN column, so we're clocking back with our thoughts on a few of the week's notable concerts. Tonight, if you didn't get invited to see Fall Out Boy, and you're not heading to Liar's Club to listen to (and to buy) the new Queens Of the Stone Age at midnight, might we recommend checking out The Hourly Radio at The Note? If you dig Placebo, and you haven't yet... more ›

Chicagoist has a nice variety of friends who provide myriad viewpoints on myriad subjects, including new music. Our college friends, for instance, hit us up for tickets to the Daughtry show at the Double Door a few weeks back, while our snobby (geeky?) hipster pals were trying hard not to get caught enjoying themselves at Lily Allen in Austin during SXSW. Chicagoist’s good-times party-gal sister likes anything with a “fun beat,” from commercial country to... more ›

We've already shared our thoughts with you about Fall Out Boy's new album. And, wise, prescient sages we are, we were correct in predicting the group's latest effort would be a monster sales-wise. So it's no surprise that the group has had to upgrade to a larger venue when they visit Chicago on June 10 and 11 at the Charter One Pavilion for The Honda Civic Tour. more ›

It’s been a harsh week, hasn’t it? First, we had to walk through a blizzard, prove our love on Valentine’s Day and then it got cold again. The rest of the week they piled work on us here at the office, and now we have to decide what tickets to buy for upcoming shows. Life is just hard sometimes. Too bad the John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae show didn’t go on sale earlier; it... more ›

At some point today, Fall Out Boy will be playing an invite-only show at House Of Blues to celebrate the release of their new album, Infinity on High. Okay, stop your laughing. To folks with asymmetrical haircuts and teenagers whose composition books are dripping with despondently poetic ink, this is a big deal. And, to a certain extent, it’s sort of a big deal for Chicago as well. Sure, the new disc is probably not... more ›

Some days when Chicagoist is busy reading the trades, it’s almost enough to put us to sleep. Thank goodness for that that intravenous caffeine drip. Lately, these stories all have a “Chicago Connection”. From working with Jay-Z and Kanye West on his debut album to garnering three Grammy nominations, Lupe Fiasco has had some dreams come true. He’s decided to take Oprah’s advice and dream even bigger for what comes next. His high hopes include... more ›

"Maitreya on Grand Street" via swanksalot. more ›

When Chicagoist thinks of the bands that make define our local music scene, we usually think of The M’s, The Ponys, Healthy White Baby, Lying In States, Detholz!, and Chin Up Chin Up, (and Suffrajett, of course). But when you’re looking at something from close-up, you forget that it often looks different from far away. So if you page through Blender's 5th Anniversary issue this month, you’ll see a much different crowd representing Chicago. more ›

You’re not likely to find anyone in the Chicagoist Music Department watching “American Idol.” Maybe if you paid us. (And gave us a big box of Cheez-Its. We love those damn things). more ›

A recent article about tagging in the Chicago Journal has us pondering the fine line between street art and graffiti. Thanks to a piece in Time Out Chicago a while back, plenty of folks know about the “Preston” and “Night Moves” tags showing up in the Wicker Park/Bucktown/West Town areas of the city. But a month ago, we started seeing a series of rain clouds, often accompanied by the words “sleep in.” The Chicago Journal... more ›

New City’s annual list of "who rocks Chicago" is out with some minor changes for this year. more ›

Want to score a pair of tickets to see Conan when he comes to Chicago May 9-12? Better act fast. To request tickets (2 per person allowed), send an email to ConanInChicago@nbcuni.com with your name, address, phone number and email address. more ›

In one of the biggest upsets at last night’s Grammys, one of Chicago’s most talented artists was robbed of the top honors for his stellar work in the past year. As unbelievable as it might seem, Eddie Blazonczyk’s Versatones didn’t win the Grammy for Best Polka Album. And Kanye West is gonna have a problem too, ya'll. Unlike last year, we chose not to subject ourselves to the Grammy awards so we’ve been catching up... more ›

From the standpoint of the local talent buyer the month of January sucks. There aren’t many national tours in effect, and most that are do their best to avoid the usually frigid Midwest, folks are still reeling from the holidays are less likely to spend their dough taking in live music. To combat this, the month has unofficially become “Local Talent Month” since local bands are, for once, in high demand and are often offered... more ›

How does a band know when they've made it? Is it the large house? Five cars? Nah, it's when someone yells, "Sell Out!" We have two cases of that syndrome brewing right here in the Windy City. Fall Out Boy have responded to criticism that they watered down their sound in order to get that coveted TRL spot with a big FU. Bassist Pete Wentz puts it eloquently: "I didn't decide that I wanted to... more ›