A couple months ago we wrote about our friends at Stripped & Chewed Records (formerly Second City Recordings) launching a Kickstarter page to get their label up and running. In order to realize their goal of pressing the label's first release to vinyl, Stripped & Chewed needed $4,000 from supporters. With the fundraising campaign about thirty hours away from closing, we can gladly report that the label has reached its goal (and then some). more ›

After much anticipation for Record Store Day 2011, we decided to stop by the Stop Smiling storefront yesterday at 1371 N. Milwaukee Avenue to take a peek inside Numero Group's pop-up store and to say hello to a few friends. The storefront itself was packed with people, and there were tons of records up for grabs at every corner. Although there have been some negative sentiments that were floating around with regards to Record Store Day, they definitely didn't put a damper on the day's festivities as people were bustling in and out of the store with rare finds and eclectic records. more ›

So we have an idea of how today's weather is going to turn out, but what about yesterday's. The record high for Chicago for yesterday's date was set in 1880, with a temperature of 60 degrees. Yesterday's high was a close-but-no-cigar 56 degrees at O'Hare, which still made for good porch beer or front stoop weather, which is exactly what we did after we posted "Extra Extra" yesterday. more ›

Having just celebrated their first year anniversary with a whole host of events, not to mention a profile in the New York Times. Not one to rest on their laurels, the indie radio station recently announced dates for its annual record fair on its blog. more ›

As we mentioned in passing yesterday His Elective Majesty, Richard M. Daley, will surpass his father on Sunday to become the longest-serving mayor in the Chicago history, with five-plus months left to add to the record. more ›

Winter’s officially here; the solstice has passed and, while the days have already begun to grow longer, the coldest days of the season are still ahead. If you’re searching for something to counter the biting cold, look toward Chicago’s Distractions and their warm, dreamy lounge music. In the few years the band has been together, they’ve performed largely for the underground community and in intimate local venues. But they’re quickly drawing more attention and are preparing for the release of their debut album, Dark Green Sea. more ›

It was a banner day in sports for area and state teams. more ›

We’ll admit we have it pretty lucky in Chicago with regard to record stores. While some locales are limited to whatever Target or Best Buy will stock, our city enjoys options aplenty from outlets like Reckless Records, Permanent Rex and Laurie’s Planet of Sound, to name a few. With this past weekend’s opening of Saki, the new retail store from Carrot Top Distributions, that local record store community just got a little bigger. more ›

It's been a busy day for Sen. Roland Burris, or at least in the press. Here's (most of) what's happened. more ›

Oh, Verizon. Aside from providing me with a last-second Halloween costume idea every year, you've always been benign. Well, until this big no-no. It seems some nosy employees at Verizon accessed Barack Obama's cell phone records, though no voicemails or emails were accessed. Verizon Wireless President and CEO Lowell McAdam issued an apology statement, saying:

We apologize to President-Elect Obama and will work to keep the trust our customers place in us every day...a number of Verizon Wireless employees have, without authorization, accessed and viewed President-elect Barack Obama's personal cell phone account...All employees who have accessed the account — whether authorized or not — have been put on immediate leave, with pay. Employees with legitimate business needs for access will be returned to their positions, while employees who have accessed the account improperly and without legitimate business justification will face appropriate disciplinary action.

One of the pleasures of hitting Chicago's Pitchfork Music Festival, besides seeing a whole bunch of great acts in a single weekend, is being able to dig through crates of records and tables of CDs. And this year is no different, with a small exception. more ›