Brooklyn-by-way-of-Boston quartet Via Audio is no stranger to serendipity. A couple of years back, singer Jessica Martins passed Spoon drummer Jim Eno a disc of demos at one of the iconic indie band's Boston shows, and Eno immediately invited the young foursome to record at his studio in Austin. That's a tale of near epic proportions, but critical praise for the group's soothing, bedroom-meets-radio-ready pop in the vein of the Decemberists or Snow Patrol has piled up ever since. more ›

Chicagoist has a nice variety of friends who provide myriad viewpoints on myriad subjects, including new music. Our college friends, for instance, hit us up for tickets to the Daughtry show at the Double Door a few weeks back, while our snobby (geeky?) hipster pals were trying hard not to get caught enjoying themselves at Lily Allen in Austin during SXSW. Chicagoist’s good-times party-gal sister likes anything with a “fun beat,” from commercial country to... more ›

We know there’ll be a resounding chorus of “Who cares?” in the comments on this post, but we’d be remiss in our music coverage if we didn’t acknowledge those Chicagoans who pulled down Grammy award nominations this week. Continuing to build hope for the future of hip-hop, West Side hip-hopper Lupe Fiasco picked up three nominations (best rap solo performance, album and song). Lupe celebrated the nomination by signing 256 new endorsement deals, including one... more ›

We’re dropping another pair of tickets on you, but this is a sold-out show so if you want them, you’ll have to act fast. more ›

Procrastinating indie kids and drunken Dads throughout the city will look a little down in the mouth this weekend as both the Boy Least Likely To and Jimmy Buffet shows are sold out this weekend. Plus, the lead singer of Snow Patrol lost his voice so their show is postponed as well. But there are still plenty of good shows going on over the next couple of days. But did we miss a memo or... more ›

The well-worn cliché about British rock and pop audiences is that they are ready and willing to embrace a band that breaks the mold and presents something new—much more so than music fans over here. Just two years ago, music execs were in a panic over the lack of British artists on the Billboard charts. While Robbie Williams still remains a hard sell here, whatever plan was devised back in 2002 is clearly working. And... more ›

The lack of flu shots this season is the proverbial chicken that is now coming home to roost; lots of people in the Chicagoist offices have been knocked out with various winter ailments. Events at The Oprah Winfrey Show this week proved that the famous and buxom are no more immune to illness than the anonymous and flat-chested. During an Oprah taping, Jessica Simpson became dehydrated due to a stomach virus. Thanks to the outstanding... more ›