With 70 games to go, the Cubs are essentially playing out the string at this point. more ›

Few 26-39 baseball teams scare a fan base like the Twins do White Sox nation. more ›

Owen Ashworth, the man behind Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, is back with a new project, Advance Base. They play at Schubas tonight. more ›

The Bulls advanced to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2007 when they defeated the Indiana Pacers in a series that was played a lot closer than many experts expected. In the process, the Pacers gave teams that moved further in the playoffs some good footage on how to play the Bulls on both ends of the court to get them out of their offensive rhythm and break down their defense. Game 1 of tonight's series against the Atlanta Hawks (7 p.m., TNT, ESPN AM 1000) should not be looked at as another tuneup for the Eastern Conference finals. The Hawks survived their own tough series with the Orlando Magic and pose some matchup problems for the Bulls. more ›

Our Town's sports radio talking heads have been calling tonight's games involving the Bulls and Blackhawks one of the biggest nights for professional sports in Chicago in recent memory. Both teams can advance in their respective league's playoffs with wins tonight. But while the momentum has swung in the Blackhawks favor in their Stanley Cup playoff series with the Vancouver Canucks, the Bulls look like one of the more vulnerable top seeds we've seen in a while. more ›

While the weather may deceive, spring is here and that means baseball! The White Sox open up their 2011 campaign in Cleveland tomorrow. Come October, will this Sox team find itself in the postseason? Perhaps. Last year's team finished 88-74, six games back of the Twins in the AL Central. While initial indications suggested that GM Kenny Williams would have to scale back the team's payroll in the offseason, he instead went on a spending spree in hopes of returning to the playoffs. more ›

So it's a team in flux. It's a team without a go-to guy. New leaders will emerge, they must. Fans are looking especially towards new captain Logan Pause and break out goalie star Sean Johnson (who got his first cap in January against Chile). But who's going to get that critical goal in a tight game? Can Marco Pappa, Calen Carr, and/or Patrick Nyarko make the jump from quick skillsters to menacing poachers? more ›

Deep bass. Driving synth. Analog warmth. Quintessential components to one of electronic music's unsung heroes, Simian Mobile Disco. Well, sure, plenty of people know and love the duo otherwise known as James Ford and Jas Shaw, but where is the real credit for producing some of the best dance music of the past few years? With their debut LP, Attack Decay Sustain Release, Simian Mobile Disco burst on the scene with infectious, bombastic beats, an indelible taste for analog synth, and a penchant for pop hooks. They followed that with 2009's Temporary Pleasures, an extension of ADSR that went even deeper, even more lush. Last year's Delicacies, a deep-techno ode to some of the world's oddest foods - and it was indeed impressive. All of that and more will take place tonight at The Mid, and the duo clues us in on why you should go. more ›

Whoever our next mayor will be, he or she has pretty big shoes to fill. Meigs Field and parking meters snafus aside, there’s no doubt that Daley had a ginormous role to play in much of Chicago’s success. In his new book Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Use Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier, Harvard Economist Edward Glaeser takes a detailed look at what makes some cities great and others not so great. He writes about the whole spectrum of city economics, from how improved public transportation increases poverty, to how urban environments are better for the well-being of both people and nature, to his research against investing huge amounts of infrastructure to climbing cities. Glaeser has been researching, studying and writing about the economics of cities for 20 years, and Triumph of the City blends much of that research with anecdotes and history across 10 chapters, which are further subdivided in easy-to-digest subchapters. more ›

Don’t try to contain the Tupperware Lady from Alabama—Dixie Longate, the fast-talking, booze addicted, mother of three has plenty to say when she returns to Chicago this March as part of a 20-city national tour. more ›

Even if you've never heard of The Godfathers, you've heard them. They're most famous in the U.S. for their minor hit "Birth, School, Work, Death," a workmanlike driving slab of rock that encapsulated the band's strengths at combining hooks with acidic drive. If the quartet wasn't from the U.K. the would have definitely been described by many a rock scribe as a perfect example of midwestern brawny rock and/or roll. And there is something very industrial -- as in factory work ethic and not eyeliner and lace -- in the band's body of work. So that might be why we're feeling like their Chicago show this weekend almost feels like a homecoming of sorts. more ›

It's been written here previously: Justin Townes Earle has some mighty large footsteps to follow as a musician. The son of hardcore troubadour Steve Earle (one of the best songwriters of the past 40 years) and named after his father's best friend and hero Townes Van Zandt, Earle's musical education rivals anything you can get at the Old Town School of Folk Music. more ›

Last winter, Chicago Metaphysical Circus introduced the city’s first Psych Fest, a one-night showcase of local acts aimed at promoting sonic exploration and reproducing the underground experience in an above ground setting. In January, the festival returns for another installment, this time spanning two nights and featuring twice as many acts. more ›

All the hype in the sports world this week has been focused on where the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings are going to play Monday night. We got it, TCF Bank Stadium, can we move on? No more photo galleries and live streams of shoveling snow off the field. It was different and pretty interesting but now we need to focus on the game. Seems like Lovie Smith is on the right page, telling reporters he’s putting these issues behind him and focusing on what needs to be done to beat the Favre-less Vikings. more ›

Ever since Longman & Eagle's owners announced plans late last year for a boutique neighborhood inn as part of the restaurant, we've been anticipating its opening, having already been won over by the establishment's menu. Though the restaurant, bar and inn are considered one entity, the "eat and drink" recently earned a Michelin star while the "sleep" portion remained under construction. With the final touches in place, Manager/Innkeeper Elana Green said the inn will be accepting guests "hopefully mid-December" pending city licenses and paperwork (though she says they've done a successful test run with a wedding party a week earlier). more ›

Whether with The Bad Seeds, The Birthday Party or Grinderman, Nick Cave has spent plenty of time meditating on themes of death, sex, darkness and redemption (of the Biblical kind); 2008’s Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! with The Bad Seeds had more of the latter, where Birthday Party (Cave’s early ‘80s band) explored Gothic, murderesque post-punk. Since forming Grinderman in the second half of the decade with several members of his core band, Cave's side project retains the requisite grinding guitars and chunky, stripped-down sound but has yet to approach the level of polish or tightness kicked out by The Bad Seeds. Though what Grinderman lacks in perfect polish, it more than makes up for in daring and brilliant raunchiness. more ›

And so it is upon us, day one of the mega-music fest put on by our pals at Pitchfork. And unlike last year, this one promises to be a return to the Sweatfork days of yore, so be prepared. High temps should peak in the low 90s today (and every day this weekend, for that matter) but today might be the most comfortable of the days because humidity levels will be down. Still, you'll be perspiring under the glare of the sun, so take advantage of the fest's policy allowing sealed bottles of water in the gate with you and be sure that Goose Island isn't the only thing you hydrate throughout the afternoon. And, like your mother told you before, don't forget to wear sunscreen. more ›

(Ed. Note: Now in its third year, Chicago Restaurant Week starts Friday and runs through February 28. Over 160 restaurants throughout the greater Chicago area will offer 3-course fixed price dinners for $32 and 3-course, fixed price lunches for $22. Last year we offered suggestions for restaurants to visit during Restaurant Week. We're doing the same this week, starting with selections from Megan Tempest. — C. Sudo) more ›

With all of the Olympics hoopla last week, we hadn't yet had a chance to preview the Blackhawks season, which opened in Helsinki, Finland against the Florida Panthers on Friday. After last season's renaissance on the ice, hockey has re-emerged as a sport we in Chicago care about, and we fans have high expectations for our Blackhawks in 2009-10. more ›

A couple weeks back a friend purchased Chicago Gourmet tickets via the half-price special Groupon offered. She asked for advice to prepare for the festival. We told her to pack a lunch. more ›