If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Still, if someone says something mean to you, don't shoot them 16 times in the legs and back.* more ›

With A Night at the Ritz, their first album on Scratchie/New Line Records, due out Sept. 25, everyone's favorite up-and-coming Chicago band OFFICE has got themselves a brand new music video for the single "Oh My." We know it looks like an (awesome) '80s porno, but we promise it's SFW. OFFICE hits the road right after the album's release, making a brief pit stop at Schubas on Oct. 3. Get your tickets now, because we... more ›

Last month’s Convince Us asked for the book that made you cry. We picked Curmudgeon’s recommendation, “Oh My Stars” by Lorna Landvik. more ›

We’ve had some great suggestions for this month’s Convince Us. This time we asked for books that made you cry on the el. We had a lot of great suggestions (we second “A Prayer for Owen Meany”), and we're glad to see we’re not the only ones weeping over the written word. more ›

We admit that in the past we would attend street fests with nary a thought about the entertainment. We just learned to work under the assumption that all the bands were going to suck. Not much has transpired over the years to make us change our opinion on that matter all that much. Of course there are a few bright lights. For instance the Taste Of Randolph has been booking some mighty fine acts over the past few years (even if they stumbled pretty majorly on two of the three days this year,) and more recently the Wicker Park Summerfest has stepped up to the plate to deliver some great music for free.* 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 ›

Tonight is your best chance to see a Big Ass Rock Star kicking around town. more ›

If these walls could talk, they'd say "man, you guys heard a lot of random crap this week." Keep up the good work! Tap this ass at overheard at chicagoist dot com. Guy: ..so I guess Brooklyn is the 4th largest city in America, so it's not that different than Chicago... ++ College guy: Why do you think you're more mature than me? What about that time you made out with that guy at that... more ›