It's almost festival season and we're getting anxious to get back into the swing of All Things Summer. There were some good times at Wicker Park Fest 2010, so expect to see more of the same at the festival this year. The lineup at Wicker Park Fest 2011 so far includes Wild Flag, Wavves, Ana Sia, Joe Pug, Flosstradamus, California Wives, and Blitzen Trapper. If anything, surf pop favorite Wavves will probably draw a nice crowd, and the same for all-girl awesome band Wild Flag. The festival also continues its tradition of bringing in solid DJ acts in addition to bands. more ›

New Year’s Eve is just right around the corner, and you know what that means: Somber, stoic reflection upon a year’s worth of accomplishments and disappointments. Or avoiding getting grab-assed by a bunch of skeevy dudes who seems insistent on ruining your Whiskey-fueled buzz. Regardless of what comes first, Chicago DJ duo Flosstradamus will provide your soundtrack to the evening. more ›

Though you probably don't know it, Beauty Bar is consistently a good location for up-and-coming and mid-level DJs. The venue isn't known for its e-mail blasts or excessive pleas for re-tweets, so in any given week you may miss a DJ you've been dying to see. We'll pick up the slack for Beauty Bar and highlight this week's Rappin' Ass Thursdays, a new monthly party presented by Fool's Gold Records whose main objective is, you guessed it, to play top rap and hip-hop, new and old. This month's installment has Flosstradamus and Nick Catchdubs on the decks, main players on the Fool's Gold roster. more ›

Kid Color’s birthday is actually Tuesday, but Chicago’s much-adored DJ is celebrating tonight at Smart Bar. Hercules and Love Affair are coming all the way from Brooklyn to give Kid Color (his real name is Kyle Woods) a DJ set for his 24th. Their live performance has never disappointed us before, so we trust they’ll mix up an amazing disco party and get us busting moves like the cast of Saturday Night Fever. With Autobot, Young Josh of Flosstradamus and Only Children by their side, it’s guaranteed to be one wild, sweaty dance party. more ›

Ahem. Well, this is a bit of a landslide pick, now isn't it? Nothing, and we mean nothing competes with Claychella for our pick for this week's Weekend Dance Party. In fact, there really was no point of finding a worthy competitor -- Lincoln Hall will be housing just about every notable Chicago-area DJ for this year's fest, which will be a 14-hour aural bender of all sonic wavelengths. Founded and hosted by Clayton Hauck (known for his party photography at everyoneisfamous.com), this year's Claychella will be the best yet, featuring the likes of Flosstradamus, The Hood Internet, Million $ Mano, Nick Catchdubs, WIlly Joy, Kid Color, Team Bayside High, and our very own Arts & Events Editor, Tankboy! more ›

Halloweek is here and it's time to throw together your best sexy Daft Punk costume, prepare to arrive at work hung over at least once before the Devil's Day and immerse your ears in the city's vast Halloween-centric music offerings. more ›

Flosstradamus' insanely popular Oldies Night at The Burlington celebrates its first anniversary tonight. Mixing classic and underground soul with '70s shoulda-been-classic tracks, it's always refreshing to see the duo branch out from their usual kitchen sink modernism and slap down some old school sets perfect for steaming the Formica off the wet bar in your parents' basement rec room with the body heat of gyrating abandon. The party kicks off at 10 p.m. but you better get there early to make sure you can reserve your square inch of the dance floor. more ›

This weekend marks the return of one of our favorite music-centered Chicago streetfests, Do Division, held in Wicker Park at the Damen and Division intersection. For a five buck donation, the annual streetfest and sidewalk sale gives you access to specials from local vendors and retailers, fare from neighborhood restaurants and bars and an amazing lineup of live music from near and far curated by the Empty Bottle. Here are some of our top picks. more ›

Our favorite nightlife photographer Clayton Hauck continues to get older as his subjects stay the same age. Help the sharp-eyed night owl celebrate living through another hectic year tomorrow, March 7, at Debonair from 2 p.m. until 5 a.m., and get there early to take advantage of the free "White Trash Brunch." Eggs with cigarette butts perhaps? more ›

We admit we've long wondered what an actual Flosstradamus song -- one written with a non-hip-hop vocalist in mind -- would sound like ... and now we know. They've teamed up with Chairlift's Caroline Polachek to create "Big Bills." more ›

Tomorrow's show at Metro with Kid Sister, Flosstradamus, and The Hood Internet should provide a cap on a pretty wild year for all three groups. High profile gigs and buzz have followed this crew internationally and the anticipation for both Kid Sister and Flosstradamus' debuts has steadily built to nigh ridiculous levels. This bill is basically constrcuted from the kings and queen's of Chicago's feel-good party scene, so we expect Metro to be a madhouse. The fact that it's happening on Blackout Wednesday (which precedes Black Friday every year) should only add to the chaos. more ›

This month's VICE party at Hideout is going to be PACKED! Matt & Kim are the headliners, and we're beginning to think they might be more popular with the dance-rock kids in our fair city than anywhere else. They certainly get shown enough love for their simple keyboard and drum driven tunes whenever they play here. Perhaps it's because their songs are driven by a certain jubilant innocence that is currently so in vogue in Chicago's party scene today? Perhaps it's because even the most jaded and angry youth have a hard time listening to anything off the duo's self-titled debut without cracking a big ol' up-with-people style smile? Perhaps a clue can be found in shared bills with like-minded day-glo dance duo Flosstradamus? more ›

Everyone's been going gaga this week over the Mano remix of Matt & Kim's "It's A Fact (Printed Stained)" and while we are digging it, the hubbub reminded us just how much we dug the Flosstradamus version of the band's supra-catchy "Yeah Yeah." Then we stumbled across this video for that remix, and it made us love the tune even more. more ›

In our heads the weekend has already landed. Local heroes Flosstradamus have gone global and put together a little mix for the Bang Gang promoters down under. If you haven't had a chance to check out the duo's out of control Chicago parties, this is a nice little 30-minute sample of what the boys are capable. And, of course, it includes the obligatory Kid Sister appearance near the end of the mix. [credz] more ›

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To the five people checking the site today, specifically my father: Please enjoy the above video of John Denver and the Muppets singing "Where The River Meets the Sea" from Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas. Can you watch this without choking up? We cannot. Anyway! It's been so stupid-cold the last few days we've barely left our warmth cocoon on the couch (tip: the fuzzy robe makes a huge difference), but if you haven't... more ›