Our friends at Glorious Noise are celebrating their fifth birthday this weekend with music, costumes and a new album by the band Riviera. more ›

With a music scene as robust as Chicago’s, it’s rare that we’re at a loss for things to write about (with the notable exception of the entire month of February). No, our problem is we’re so easily distracted. When faced with the choice between making words form sentences or reading a few good websites, we usually end up taking the road most easily traveled. Give us a decent blogroll and we’re like a little kid... more ›

Today’s Daily Northwestern delves a bit into the man, the myth and the poetry of Chicago’s own Thax Douglas. Known to almost everyone who’s ever set foot in a Chicago rock club, Thax can be found reading his poetry before the start of shows throughout the city. The piece explores how Thax’s poetry readings took off at the dearly departed Lounge Ax, though Thax himself said in an interview at Glorious Noise that the first... more ›

Back in April, local band Riviera (who record for Glorious Noise Records) headed up to Detroit to take part in MC2, a northern version of South by Southwest. The band’s ultimately fruitless efforts to play a single show were detailed in an account posted to GLONO by Riviera band member Derek Phillips. Almost archetypical in its description of gross mismanagement by the organizers and the rampant rock star ego of the former lead singer of Sponge, we wondered if Riviera was experiencing some kind of karmic payback for the treatment of the MC5 by the Chicago police during the 1968 Democratic convention. more ›

The second album from both Chicago rock quintet Riviera and its label Glorious Noise Records gets the big-time release party treatment this Saturday. We’ve been grooving on a preview copy of At The End Of The American Century... for the last couple weeks and it should come at little surprise to those who’ve been following the story that it's a pastiche of the various cultural touchstones that get hashed out on the GLONO bulletin boards every day. more ›

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Chicagoist happy hour on Friday night. Attendees included just about all of the Chicagoist staff, Margaret from Time Out Chicago, the fabulous Claire Zulkey, the guys from Glorious Noise, and a bunch of our dear friends and readers. Many drinks were drank, many songs sung, many dances danced. Until next time, enjoy more drunken photos after the jump below. more ›

The nominees for this year’s Metromix Rock ‘n’ Vote contest have been selected so now it’s your turn to play Simon Cowell (although Chicagoist knows you’re more like Paula Abdul with that “Cold-Hearted” routine you used to do in front of your bedroom mirror). If the strength of Chicago comes from its neighborhoods then this year’s contest certainly reflects the diverse parts making up the whole of the city’s music scene. Many of the bands... more ›

The last page of this month’s Chicago magazine contains a list of lesser-known disasters in the city. Fires might get all the ink in history books but the Rush Street bridge collapse, the Winged Foot Express dirigible disaster, and the crapping of the Little Lady boat tour are the stories that will be told on porches for years to come. But it seems that Dave isn’t the only Matthews to soil Chicago’s good name. Longtime Chicago radio personality Kevin Matthews appears to be taking the blame/credit for a joke that’s gotten totally out of hand. more ›

If you missed Buster Keaton’s The General back in December, you could head down to your local Blockbuster, ask for a copy, and get a blank stare in return. Or you could stop in at your local independent and suffer through a poorly transferred print. So why not do the smart thing and head over to Block Cinema and see a nice, clean, 35 mm print this Saturday night at 8 PM? Need another reason? How about accompaniment by Quasar Wut-Wut from Glorious Noise Records? Plain ol’ piano is sooooo early 20th century. more ›

With all the growth in new technology and media mergers alike, it’s both easier and more important than ever to create, not just consume. As we head into the unofficial start of the weekend (is it OK to start the weekend on Thursday night or does that kind of thing become gauche after you leave college?), two events illustrate the possibilities: more ›