As we trudge through the numerous press releases for what seems like an endless amount of festivals here in Chicago sometimes we grow more than a little jaded in the face of the sometimes cheesy traditional fest-fare they have to offer. When our eyes glanced upon the information for West Fest we were stopped in our tracks and immediately did our happy dance. Not only will Chicagoians be treated to the usual local vendors, food and family and pet options that fests tend to bring, but the music this year at West Fest surprised us quite a bit with not only the veteran west fest-ers like Scott Lucas of Local H, but critically acclaimed acts like King Khan featuring Gris Gris Sound and a DJ Set by former Six Finger Satellite guitarist and dance music convert Juan Maclean. Of course we are also excited to see local acts like the lady garage vixens, Hollowsand Descendents disciples, Team Band. more ›

For those of you tried and true music lovers out there, those of you who are insane devoted enough to brave the 2011 Blizzaster, there will be music! A select number of venues and crazy dedicated musicians will be playing across our great, snow-covered land this eve. more ›

Moving on in our series on why local notables love about Chicago in winter, Michele speaks with Local H frontman Scott Lucas. more ›

Well you certainly can't accuse Scott Lucas of being lazy. Today sees two releases from both his main musical projects with Local H's Awesome Mix Tape #1 covers compilation and Scott Lucas & the Married Men's The Absolute Beginners EP. more ›

Tom Schraeder, a longtime local favorite musician of ours, is throwing a little release party tonight at Beat Kitchen. A cassette tape release party. We knew once vinyl started getting big again magnetic tape couldn't be far behind! The details for the show are in the video below, backed by Schraeder performance of a live tune just for you. more ›

The following ten groups released albums or EPs that we believe launched them far above the roiling masses making up the Chicago music scene. While these are our favorites it should be noted that this was an amazingly strong year for the local scene, and we could have easily made a top 50 list without much of a problem. In fact, just reviewing the bands while making this list we realized how thankful we are to be located in such a musically fertile city! more ›

Tom Schraeder's new EP, Lying Through Dinner, displays a remarkable step forward for the young singer-songwriter. Previously we've compared Schraeder's gritty country tinged rock to a one man version of The Band, but here he takes our previous perception of his music and turns it on his head. more ›

The Prairie Cartel's debut 12" successfully lays out the group's sonic manifesto in two original tracks, a cover, and a remix. The band is populated by men who can only be described as rockers and Chicago mainstays seduced by the sounds of the dance floor. Opener "Fuck Yeah, That Wide" features Scott Lucas' ragged vocal delivery over a combination of adrenalized four-on-the-foor beats and electric guitars. Think of it as punk blood in a Go-Go cage. It leads nicely into "Keep Everybody Warm," as the group subverts a hippy-dippy vocal sample and turns it into an entreaty to get even closer to your dance partner and loose yourself in the swirling rhythms. more ›

One thing that tends to get overlooked about Scott Lucas is his pure ambition. Local H's latest disc 12 Angry Months, released today, is the band's second concept album by our count, and deals with the intensely personal cycle of the demise of a major relationship and the year of fall-out that follows. It's not like break-ups are exactly unusual territory in pop music, but Lucas has the undeniable talent to take an individual experience and expand its relevance to universally touch. In that way 12 Angry Months is his strongest lyrical contribution to the Chicago rock songbook since 1998's Pack Up The Cats. more ›

From May 7 through May 13 Local H will hold a residency at Beat Kitchen. Each night will see the full performance of one of their studio albums, in chronological order, through their latest, 12 Angry Months. Take that Wilco! more ›

Tomorrow Liar's Club is hosting the Fourth Annual Toy Drive To benefit the Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital Pediatric Playroom. They are hoping to provide toys and supplies to the KidsRehab program at the hospital. The folks at Liar's Club told us, "KidsRehab works with children who have sustained serious injury and need extensive physical, occupational and psychological rehabilitation." They need a whole bunch of stuff for the kids in the program (look after the jump for... more ›

Tired of Halloween yet? We've been celebrating "Christmas for Adults" since some time last week and admit that the parade of costumes is starting to turn into one long mental blur. But we ain't complaining; oh no! We love it. One tradition we were afraid we were going to miss this year was the annual Local H-led Halloween show at Double Door. When we heard last year was Scott Lucas and company's swan-song, we admit... more ›

The kid with the glow stick in front of the stage valiantly waved it over his head, until four songs into the sold out Klaxons show at Schubas last night he realized that the band onstage wasn't actually "new rave" at all. Part of the problem with Yanks getting caught up in British music press hype is that NME loves simple labels, and those labels often have almost nothing to do with the actual band.... more ›

While the deluge of bands making their way through town after SXSW remains strong, we decided this week we would focus on some hometown heroes. All Smiles is Jim Fairchild, stepping into the spotlight after play guitar in the now defunct Grandaddy. Fairchild crafts just the sort of lush pop you would expect, given his pedigree, but it's missing his previous group's willful quirks. Fairchild adopts a more direct approach with earnestly pleasing results. We're... more ›

We’re busy hitting “refresh” over and over again on Reuters in hopes that they will finally announce that rumoured Police reunion tour, but until that confirmation comes through, here’s some shows to keep us busy this week. Tomorrow night, Local H's Scott Lucas is getting together with a bunch of his musician pals at Debonair Social Club to bang out a set of covers in a low-key environment. This should prove to be a fun-filled... more ›

Debonair could have easily outlined all that’s gone wrong with Wicker Park, but instead it neatly reminds us of when clubbing used to be fun. We stopped in last night to check out Felix Da Housecat’s return to Chicago, check in with superstar bartendeder Matt Murray, and get checked by The Prairie Cartel. Breezing past the outlandish line outside Liz Armstong-style, we were greeted by an upstairs crowd going off its collective head to big... more ›

As Rocktober draws to a close, it does so with a helluva bang. Sure, there are still a few days left to this beast next week, but for all intents and purposes this is the last hurrah before the chill of November settles in, and holiday festivities begin to drain the attendance levels at local shows. Here are a few that we suggest you check out this week. Tomorrow night, the wrath of The Venom... more ›

It’s easy to knock Veruca Salt. Only one of the founding members remains in the band. The group has gone through more line-up changes than the touring production of Cats. Once fame and fortune hit, they headed for the coast to live up the rock and/or roll lifestyle. The band’s last disc faltered under the weight of general debauchery and vitriol, leading many to question Louise Post’s ability to become the focal point and singular frontwoman. more ›

This year’s Double Door Halloween show seemed a little bit weirder than previous incarnations. It could’ve been because Chicagoist decided to stay stone cold sober to really see what the show was really like, or it could’ve been the girl in the stall of the men’s room exhorting her date to “Stick your finger all the way to the back of your throat and just get it all out.” Irregardless we had a great time. more ›

Chicagoist loves it when the underdog perseveres under their own terms. We also love bands with an honest attitude that reflects their music instead of overshadowing their output. For both of these reasons we enthusiastically throw our support behind local rockers Local H. more ›

Though it’s likely that a new band is formed at least every week here after some kid hears his or her first Ramones or Grandmaster Flash record, there are also too many that succumb to the pressures of being a working band, night in and night out. And so it is with Woolworthy, who play their final show tomorrow night at Double Door after almost ten years of power-pop goodness. Having played their first show... more ›

Ay díos mío! There is no El Vez Christmas Show at Abbey Pub this weekend which makes for a very sad Mex-Mas indeed, niños. But do not despair! The gringos of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy are bringing their Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party to the House of Blues tonight at 9 PM. Chicagoist wonders if it will resemble our own wild and swingin’ holiday party which featured copious amounts of Sam’s “Jingle My Bells Punch.” Margaret was only two cups in before she was putting mistletoe on her ass (“because you should all be kissing my ass anyway!”) and letting people know where they could stuff their stockings. more ›