There’s been a subtle shift in Chicago’s independent music scene over the past year. As bands like The Ponys, The Changes, and Bound Stems are out of town more often in accordance with their newfound national attention, other hardworking bands are stepping up to establish themselves as the foundation of the city’s new music community. One of the leaders of this pack is Cracklin Moth, who has built a following on the strength of a... more ›

If the pop culture landscape that is peopled by D-List celebrities can be seen as a mangy dog, then K-Fed’s scheduled appearance at House of Blues last night in the service of hawking his blink-and-you’ll-miss-it album was a Lyme disease-carrying tick on the back of said dog. Easily ignored, but requiring a visit to a board-certified physician if you get too close. But that was last week. This week, his erstwhile retirement plan filed for... more ›

Local musicians who started an online petition, a property owner’s sudden change of heart, and fans of local music who packed a downtown courtroom saved Double Door from an early closing and the club’s operators from a long legal fight. If you read articles in the press or checked out Double Door’s site over the last week, you’d have read that the landlords were engaging in a “war on culture.” With petitions started and clubgoers... more ›