Them Crooked Vultures played to a packed Aragon Ballroom last night despite earlier and incorrect reports of sluggish ticket sales. We really enjoyed the supergroup's debut album, and it was obviously that material that drew the crowd even though the audience was clearly split into factions devoted to the group each member of the Vultures is primarily known for; Led Zeppelin, Queens of the Stone Age or Foo Fighters. It made for an interesting mix of people united in single devotion to the almighty riff, bass thump and drum thud. more ›

We were not sure why Them Crooked Vultures wasn't calling themselves Queens Of the Stone Age, since singer Josh Homme leads that group, Dave Grohl has spent a fair amount of time drumming for them in the past, and the addition of a new bassist -- in this case Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones -- is really nothing all that unusual. After listening to their self-titled debut though, we can see why a name change was in order. Them Crooked Vultures shares many similarities with Queens Of the Stone Age, but the former is a group effort while the latter is driven by a single man ... and it shows. more ›

Now THIS is a Lollapalooza aftershow! If you peep the top of the official Lollapalooza 2009 Aftershows page, you'll see a mysterious set of symbols are playing at Metro on Sunday night. We're guessing this will be the public's first chance to see the Foo Fighter's Dave Grohl, Queens Of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones play their new material. Tickets go on sale Thursday morning at 10 a.m. more ›

UNKLE has had a number of big-time producers walk through its revolving door — the highest-profile foray probably being the star-studded debut helmed by DJ Shadow — but the one constant throughout the years has been the brains behind the outfit, James Lavelle. Oddly enough, given the number of folks providing input into the music, UNKLE's sound has remained remarkably consistent throughout the years. The group came to a head defining the Mo' Wax sound, keeping headz bobbing the world over. One wouldn't really call it trip-hop, unless one was incredibly lazy, but it the music is a heady mix of beats and atmospheric ticks and tricks. more ›

Frankly, Chicagoist has grown sick of the whole yuppie versus hipster versus Gamera versus Donkey Kong debate so we decided to investigate whether or not it was even possible for all of these groups to coexist peacefully. We found our answer in the most unlikely location. Liar’s Club. Chicagoist has hung out at Liar’s Club pretty much since it opened and we can even be found in the DJ booth from time to time. Amongst... more ›

You know a band is cool when the lead singer, who happens to be a big time celebrity, crouches over a cheap PA sans soundman and adjusts all of the levels himself. more ›

We always enjoy an in-store performance by a band. We’re always impressed by an in-store performance by a band in a store other than a record store. We’re actively salivating at the announcement of an in-store performance by Queens Of The Stone Age at the soon-to-be-vacated Belmont Army Surplus store tonight. more ›

Chicagoist's attempts at a good time at Q101's Block Party this weekend were thwarted by two things we expect to encounter at sporting events, not live shows: homophobia and long beer lines. more ›