If the frigid temperatures have you bundling up and hibernating next to your furnace on these biter, arctic nights, it is really tough to find a viable reason to leave the comfort of your abode. Though the promise of spring is just around the corner we here at Chicagoist have even dusted off our old Jimmy Buffet records just to try and remember the sun-drenched days, sandy shores of Lake Michigan and of course, what life is like without four-layers to guard our ever-so-vulnerable pasty skin. One such artist that has kept the hope of spring alive and conjures memories of long days with a Corona in one hand and a Frisbee in the other is the music of Justin Townes Earle. more ›

We know, we know, another festival. If we have gathered one piece of knowledge through covering summer events here at Chicagoist, it's that Chicago loves a festival. As if your skin wasn't burned enough from Pitchfork and your liver hadn't taken enough damage from all the day drinking that ensued there, yet another festival has decided to grace us with its presence. Well fear not, this one is a little less taxing on your body than Pitchfork and the forthcoming Lollapalooza. The Milwaukee Arts Festival, located in the trendy part of Logan Square, features a lot of the same stuff other festivals offer, i.e. art, local cuisine, local bands, booze, but it also offers a trolley to travel the grounds in to avoid even more blisters on our precious feet. There will also be the Logan Square Farmers market as well as some of our favorite local music acts to keep us entertained like The 1900s, Jon Drake and the Shakes and Bomba Deer. And lest we not forget what the festival is named for: art! There will be nearly 30-art-exhibitions, an indoor art market, open studios and galleries and a community mural project for those who want to get in there and make there own art. 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 ›

[Ed. note: Lizz is our eyes and ears at this year's SXSW ... here's a peek at what she's seeing.] more ›

Since releasing its self-titled full length last year on Bloodshot Records, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir has tirelessly drummed up business and collected fans here and abroad through exhaustive touring. Lucky for us, they've come home for the holidays. more ›

We recently shared our opinion on the excellence of Tom Schraeder's new EP, and we were going to write a nice little preview of his record release show at Schubas tomorrow ... but then Schraeder went ahead and filmed a video to save us the hassle of hammering at our keyboard. 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 ›

Time to lock and load this week's list of hometown shows, SXSW style. more ›

Jim DeRogatis provides an obligatory "Chicago's next big bands" list today, and we actually find ourselves agreeing with most of his picks, even if a few are overly obvious. For instance it's not exactly like he's mining the underground when he predicts Kid Sister and the Cool Kids are going to break in 2008. We were pleasantly surprised to see Airiel and Tom Schraeder on his list, though, since those are two acts that we believe have been passing under the radar, and both are primed to grab a larger audience this year. Schraeder in particular has been riding a swelling wave of good press and larger live audiences. more ›

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