Much as we love us some Neko Case, the (not-so) secret weapon in her touring band and on her albums is the incomparable Kelly Hogan. What is the secret behind former Hideout bartenders that makes them able to sing the White Pages and make it sound beautiful? more ›

Kelly Hogan's association with Hideout has been long and fruitful, whether working the bar or holding down the stage, singing like an angel as a solo act or in any combination with Nora O'Connor, Scott Ligon and others. We were always partial to Hogan's work with the Wooden Leg, a loose group with Ligon, Joel Paterson and Kevin O'Donnell that could peel the paint off the walls when they locked in a groove. In Ligon, Hogan has a vocal foil that she can play off of as well as she backs up Neko Case. Some of their duets are simply transcendent. more ›

This year’s Hideout Block Party had it all: blues, world music, stoner rock, deep country blues, puppet shows, political dissidents, robo-rock, the return of Neko Case in two guises, and a punk rock marching band. In-between all of this the organizers managed to mix in voter registration, political discussion, and a drunken spelling bee. The amazing thing about this whole package? Its whole purpose was to raise money for various community centers, primarily in the interest in improving the lives of area children, proving The Hideout truly is striving to create a sense of community through the arts. more ›

Had he moved to New York to seek his fame and fortune, Oscar Brown, Jr. would have been a superstar. Instead, the wildly talented singer, songwriter, poet, playwright, and activist stayed in Bronzeville, married, raised a family, and charted his own course. Anyone who had the honor of speaking with the man, however brief, left with a renewed sense of hope. more ›

Whew! We made it through all the familial obligations of the holiday season. It’s a dead week at work and that means we need some stuff to do at night. This week offers a lot of possibilities for getting together for a pint or two before we even hit New Year’s Eve. If the Christmas hangover is gone, head over to the Hideout tonight for a Boxing Day Show with Kelly Hogan and Scott Ligon.... more ›

Today Bloodshot Records releases a 2-disc set commemorating existing for 11 years and Chicagoist is for one very excited about it. This isn’t the normal run-of-the-mill retrospective that repackages music previously released by the label. The 42 songs on For A Decade of Sin: 11 Years of Bloodshot Records are new and previously unreleased. Sure, the old, reliable Bloodshot artists are there: Bobby Bare, Jr., Waco Brothers, Old 97s, and Kelly Hogan to name a few, but they’ve also added some of the friends they’ve made along the way, such as My Morning Jacket, Mary Lou Lord and the Handsome Family. more ›

Don't even remind us that summer is coming to an end, we just want to continue having fun in the sun. With that in mind, here are a few of the shows going on around the city this weekend. Friday and Saturday there is the Riverview Music Festival benefiting NGBC at DeVry University's campus. Bands slated include: Liquid Soul, Nicholas Tremulis Band, and Poi Dog Pondering (Friday) and Cathy Richardson Band, The Freddy Jones... more ›

Chicagoist knows you love dance parties, kids, cable access programming, puppets, and great bands. Well, they all finally come together in the local phenomenon Chic-A-Go-Go, which airs twice a week on Cable Channel 19. Self-described as "Chicago's dance show for kids of all ages," Chic-A-Go-Go is some weird amalgamation of American Bandstand, old Pets.com commercials, and children's television. Past episodes have featured the likes of some reputable performers, such as The Donnas and Kelly Hogan. They've also had some not-reputable-but-still-funny acts like Vanilla Ice. In fact, Chicagoist fondly remembers one particularly hilarious – and truly bizarre – installment featuring almost-famous local rockers OKGO playing with a back-up band of WBEZ radio personalities (including Ira Glass). As Homer Simpson says, "It's a party. It doesn't have to make sense." more ›

Pop music's greatest curmudgeon, Stephin Merritt – who moonlights in the 6ths (just try and pronounce that band name) and Future Bible Heroes (just try and think of a better band name) – will bring his main project, The Magnetic Fields, to our beloved Old Town School of Folk Music ("Now, not even in Old Town!") for a handful of shows this weekend. Merritt, a self-professed rock music snob, has disdain for nearly all... more ›

PISTIL's motto is "Put Your Petal to the Metal," which Chicagoist will admit, we didn't get. But lo and behold, a pistil is the "female reproductive order around which the other flower parts are arranged." Good to know. more ›

Country-music fans (yes, both of you) rejoice: Chicago transplant Kelly Hogan will play a pair of shows tonight at Hideout. But the real music story is tomorrow night, when there are so many quality bands playing in the area that we decided to give you a day’s warning to make the torturous decision. At the Empty Bottle will be the Mountain Goats, a.k.a. John Darnielle. (Chicagoist just loves singer-songwriters that pretend to be full-fledged bands, e.g. Cat Power, (smog), Destroyer, Iron & Wine, and Bonnie “Prince” Billy.) Darnielle will perform his unique, literate brand of lo-fi folk pop, and here’s hoping his awesome acoustic cover of Ace of Base’s “The Sign” makes the setlist. Archer Prewitt from local heroes The Sea & Cake will open. At Metro, weirdo Neutral Milk Hotel wannabes the Decemberists will play – probably in costume – their songs about pirates, soldiers, movie characters, and real-life novelists after the equally strange Chicago-area popsters Head of Femur open. And at House of Blues, check out Danger Mouse – the brilliant mind behind the justly lauded Beatles-Jay Z mash-up “The Grey Album” – performing with Brooklyn cohort Jemini. The duo’s recent collaboration “Ghetto Pop Life” evidences further wizardry with hip-hop tricks both underground and mainstream. No matter which show you choose, each will be a great way to kick off the weekend. more ›