As expected, North Coast Music Festival sold hugely discounted three-day passes through its main sponsor, Groupon, for the second year in a row. The sale, which featured the three-day passes at 53% off for $45, went live at midnight last night and has already sold out. A total of 3,750 Groupons were sold over the course of nine hours and, according to North Coast's Twitter account, it was the fastest selling Groupon deal ever. Not that folks needed more enticement, but North Coast also announced six of its main acts: Common, Thievery Corporation, Wiz Khalifa, Lotus, Little Dragon and Neon Indian. more ›

Pre-parties, after-parties, birthday parties, dinner parties, LOST watch parties, parties you never even knew about. It's festival season and, with Pitchfork right around the corner, there's just about as much stuff to do that's associated with the festival that isn't actually the festival. This Thursday, the Pitchfork Festival Official Kick Off Party at Bottom Lounge is among the first of these associated events, and besides having the ability to pick up your Pitchfork Festival tickets early, the event has a solid lineup and other ancillary benefits. more ›

Friday's Tomorrow Never Knows festival show at Schubas started off on a weak note with Chicago DJ collective Only Children, who mixed a mediocre set for a meager 20-person crowd, barely visible through the unbearably thick smoke of a fog machine gone haywire. The smoke cleared and the crowd started shuffling in near the end of the second act, Truman Peyote. Delivering lo-fi electro in the same vein as Neon Indian, the Massachusetts-based duo shocked us with an intense performance. The post-set smokers outside were all abuzz with questions about where Truman Peyote came from and where they would play next. Local mash-up maestros The Hood Internet followed with their dependably bumpin’ beats and riled the crowd into one hell of a fun dance party. more ›

Halloween is quickly approaching and next week brings a host of musicians through the city to get your ghoulish weekend kick-started days in advance. more ›

Tapping artists, musicians, and cultural curators, Kia veers through Chicago this weekend for The Soul Collective. more ›