Some years before making a cameo appearance in The Break-Up, the Fireside was the kind of place that Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston wouldn't have been caught dead in. Or actually, maybe they would have. Ultra-late hours and ultra-loud bands were the two prime ingredients in Brian Peterson's makeover of the vintage bowling alley. If you were under thirty, with lots of time on your hands but little money in your pockets, the Fireside......

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.......

South Side Irish rocker Tony Duggins...

Tim Nordwind; Bassist, OK Go...

When Chicagoist first learned about the concept of eminent domain—when the government requires you to sell your privately-owned land to them to make way for new roads or other projects—we thought it was a sucky idea. But since the government helps you get a new house, we figured we’d be OK with it if the government helped you buy a mansion or something (we were 12 at the time so logic was not our strong......

» The music at Fireside Bowl has died, Big Wig is closing, and Double Door may become a Banana Republic » Battle over Uptown and Wilson Yard » If you could redesign Crown Fountain, what would you display? This post was picked up by the RedEye. » Alan Keyes wants to protect your right to bear machine guns » A recent report from the school's accrediting agency suggests that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's......

Following the trend set yesterday by Fireside Bowl, Big Wig on Division St. will be closing its doors in September after 7 years of operation. Except they won't be staying open for bowling. (Watch out for their site, it's nasty and plays loud music.) Big Wig doesn't plan to go out quietly, though. Starting Wednesday, September 1 and ending Sunday, September 5, they will be throwing a 5-night party. Relics & souvenirs from the club,......

The Fireside Bowl housed its last show Saturday night; it will now be a bowling-only venue. The announcement came as a surprise to many—even though patrons knew Fireside was going to stop having shows, few knew it was going to be this soon. The official announcement was made during a concert Saturday night, after which people kinda went monkeybutt and threw beer everywhere. Ah, the Fireside. The Fireside was an all-ages venue, so if you’re......