Nights out on the town that end at sunrise are few and far between for us these days. But then, this site's editor-in-chief only has a birthday party once a year. After an evening of karaoke and cheap beer, we headed for the train looking for one more for the road. Which is how we found ourselves in the Note (1516 N. Milwaukee), of all places, at 4 a.m. ordering a Sprecher Hefe Weiss on......

Textbook has been kicking around Chicago with various line-ups for about a decade. The current crew, headed by Dave Lysien, has been the most static version of Textbook, and it shows. The band's early albums were fueled by Lysien's uncanny knack at writing catchy hooks, but felt more like compilations than proper albums. That changed with Textbook's last disc, The Great Salt Creek, which saw the band making a giant leap forward with a solid......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Yet Another Canadian Indie Band Born Ruffians fall firmly on the "quirk" end of the hipster scale, with disjointed songs filled with spurting, lurching melodies. We imagine this is what The Shins might sound like after a couple pots of coffee ... filled with espresso. Their debut is pleasant enough but we'd have a hard......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Chicagoist. Dewars Repeal Day, because you shouldn't take the right to have a drink for granted. The Backroom, playing tonight at The Note. Homes for Working Families, because who hasn't been squeezed out of the housing market? Sony Card, because you'll get a free MP3 player if you apply. Choice Hotels, because you can win a part to be in their next......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Chicagoist. The Backroom, playing at The Note on 11/23. Homes for Working Families, because who hasn't been squeezed out of the housing market? Sony Card, because you'll get a free MP3 player if you apply. Choice Hotels, because you can win a part to be in their next commercial! Busted Tees, where you get free shipping with the purchase of three shirts.......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Chicagoist. AMEX Urban Adventures, because big cities are full of little adventures. The Backroom, playing at The Note on 11/23. Homes for Working Families, because who hasn't been squeezed out of the housing market? Choice Hotels, because you can win a part to be in their next commercial! Busted Tees, where they've thrown their weight behind Hillary in '08. That's Hillary Duff.......

So we just got word that Juliette and the Licks will be appearing at Reggie's on November 16. We saw this group, led by Juliette Lewis, at The Note over the summer and admit to loving her live show. Some have opined that Ms. Lewis is too busy ripping off Iggy Pop and PJ Harvey to be very interesting, but we suspect these folks have a) never seen her live and b) have not heard......

Four years ago, Rich Seng was a former seminary student making low-budget TV ads for local businesses when a friend took him to a hip hop open mic at Subterranean. One thing led to another that night, and before anyone knew what hit ‘em two renowned local emcees were freestyle battling each other. An idea was born, and Seng started organizing the first Rhyme Spitters rap battle tournament. He relied on word of mouth and......

Each morning we're going to highlight five bands playing at Lollapalooza that we think are worth seeing. Some will be popular, some less known, but we believe they're all worth your time. And for those not making it to the festival itself, we'll round it out with an additional show going on after the grounds close down for the evening. Matt & Kim Bouncy, jouncy, fun, and happy, Matt & Kim are just the sort......

The summer sun has rejuvenated the DDaN column, so we're clocking back with our thoughts on a few of the week's notable concerts. Tonight, if you didn't get invited to see Fall Out Boy, and you're not heading to Liar's Club to listen to (and to buy) the new Queens Of the Stone Age at midnight, might we recommend checking out The Hourly Radio at The Note? If you dig Placebo, and you haven't yet......

Tonight is AMPED! Columbia College’s Third Annual Battle of the Bands which is part of an ongoing series that invites participation from area high school students interested in arts and communications majors. Six bands comprised of local students will be competing at Hothouse for the princely sum of a $50 gift certificate per band member and, of course, the bragging rights of being Chicago’s best band! Chicagoist will be there as a “celebrity judge” to......

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......

Oh. My. God. It. Is. Cold. Outside. Here’s what’s gonna motivate us to don seventeen layers of protective cold-weather gear and frequent the local clubs. Tonight the seventy-eight person (okay, we exaggerate slightly) orch-pop outfit The 1900’s begin their Practice Space residency at Schuba’s. We’re expecting to hear them work through new material over the next few weeks, so it should be interesting to see how each Monday’s set-list differs from the last. This is......

What a great week for indie-pop. We are seriously psyched to revisit some old favorites while experiencing some newer friends for the first time. Robbers on High Street have garnered a lot of buzz, and while their latest digital-only EP is not an entirely convincing justification for their acclaim, it’s certainly strong enough to pique our curiosity. Expect Subterranean to be pretty crowded as everyone tries to discern whether these cats have the legs to......

Bound Stems don’t sound like they’re from Chicago. Actually, they sound like they should either be from the Pacific Northwest or D.C., since both of those areas seem particularly adept at teasing out the emo (and we mean Rites of Spring emo, not Flop Haired Boy mall-punk) and fusing it with jarring pop. The group’s debut, Appreciation Night, is filled with clattering tunes that lean in towards the maelstrom of sound the band throws around.......

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......

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......

We enjoy hot and sweaty rock and/or roll which is why we readily admit we’re rabid fans of The Riverboat Gamblers. Watching their live show is akin to playing a frenzied game of Addams Family pinball on speed. Singer Mike Wiebe takes his cues from James Newell Osterberg, Jr., copping all of his best moves sans cliché or ironic intent, and sets the blender to crush/kill/destroy. The band's first album was a cauldron of hotblast......

There are a few questions on our lazy, yet caffeinated, mind this morning. Why is tonight’s Ted Leo show at Logan Square Auditorium NOT sold out? It seems like everyone we’ve talked to recently has said they’re planning on going and yet tickets still remain. Has he fallen off? Did we miss a Rock Snob memo? Someone please explain this contradiction! If this announcement leads to a run on tickets then we’ll be just as......