We love us some Tom Waits. El jefe de Chicagoist Chuck and I have both seen the man live numerous times and I think we can both agree that he is one of the, if not THE, finest performers of our age. Word is he has a new album coming out (finally!) so we're especially tickled that this video has been making the internet rounds over the past two days. If you know the words, sing along! more ›

Alert: This post is not about Pitchfork. We know you are disappointed. Tonight's show at the Empty Bottle is designed to get us back into club mode — where we watch bands play on small stages in small venues and are able to tie their shoelaces or count their beads of sweat if we want to. To begin, we have Empty Bottle virgins The Sharks, who have been in the middle of quite an upswing... more ›

As music writers, we get the opportunity to hear a lot of stuff that flies under the radar for the average fan. There’s a little sense of pride in having a friend stop cold in the middle of a sentence, point to our car stereo, and ask “Who is this? This is really cool!” Never have we had that happen more often than when playing Jim Bianco’s 2004 release, Handsome Devil. Recorded with a 19-piece big band, including members of the LA Philharmonic Orchestra, it’s a brainy, wildly creepy concept album about the disturbing power of the male libido. Weird, right? But it works, and if Elvis Costello and Serge Gainsbourg had a “what-happens-in-Vegas-stays-in-Vegas” kind of weekend with Tom Waits, Handsome Devil would undoubtedly be the soundtrack. It’s full of boozy, New Orleans-jazz tinged ballads and rollicking ragtime pop numbers, each one dripping with a come-hither sarcasm that makes you feel like Bianco’s got a few riverboat gambler’s tricks up his sleeve. more ›

We weed through the week's live-music high points so you don't need to waste your time getting newsprint all over your fingers as you dig through the concert calendars found in your local newspaper. Plus, we give you room to pipe in with your own suggestions. Awesome, no? Knife of Simpson have long been local favorites of ours, and since they don't play that often we try to catch 'em any chance we get. They... more ›

Last night a bevy of Chicagoistas were at Schuba’s for the Tomorrow Never Knows mid-winter fest. There were about an equal number of bands. TNK is giving us those hardworking bands, like minor leaguers, who are practicing the fundamentals in the hopes of one day making the big time. Starting the night off were Eagle Seagull out of Lincoln, Nebraska. They have been likened to Arcade Fire and those comparisons are dead on. As we... more ›

An unfortunate side effect to the blustery and icy wind is that our mailbox jams for the postal worker. We normally get started in the morning by popping in a movie to get the wheels turning and drinking exorbitant amounts of coffee to shake off those gin and tonics from the night before. We imagine our postal worker is still carrying around those Netflix movies in her pouch, because this morning we've got nothing. So... more ›

Quick, check your music collection. Is there any Toto in it? No? Don't be so sure about that. According to the band's website, late drummer Jeff Porcaro alone has played on hundreds of famous albums throughout the decades. Got any Madonna or Celine Dion? How about Chicagoist favorites, Richard Marx and Michael McDonald? Phew, right? You've escaped ... except the hand of Toto has also touched the likes of Pink Floyd's The Wall and even... more ›

Man Man is one of those bands that is nearly impossible to describe. Hell, their music is as confusing and dense as music gets without completely falling apart. We’ll be totally honest and admit that we probably couldn’t name a single song off their last disc. But we’ll also be totally honest and tell you these incomprehensible tunes are pure genius and that their live show is a DO NOT MISS kind of experience. Their... more ›

Chicagoist isn't one to brag, but we had a golden ticket to see Tom Waits last night at the Auditorium Theatre. While we were blubbering like a five-year-old on his first day in kindergarten as Waits sang an appropriately boozy rendition of "Tom Traubert's Blues", we wondered if we could name a beer that we wrote a review over a year ago "beer of the week." We decided, "Why not?" more ›

It was just another Friday happy hour at the Hideout. Well, not including the BBQ going on and the fact that there just seemed to be more people arriving than normal for a show that wasn’t supposed to start until 10:30 pm. Sure, there was to be a 9:30 showing of George Bush being eaten by rats, but what did that really mean? After the sound check, we dutifully made our way to the back... more ›