Author Archives: Eric Slager

Chicago soul, jazz and rock group, Bassel and the Supernaturals will be officially releasing their new 12” vinyl, Dreamer, at the Empty Bottle tomorrow to coincide with the band’s “Save Syria” Benefit.

In Chicago by way of Northeast Ohio, front-man and Syrian-American, Bassel Almadani, has had family among the millions affected by the intense civil war in Syria. Half of the proceeds from tomorrow’s show will be directed to Avaaz and ICRC – organizations directly assisting families within Syria’s borders by providing food, blankets, water, and support.

Dreamer, engineered at Hinge Studios in Chicago, is an independent release funded by a previous presale campaign organized by the group. Along with the release itself, the campaign helped to fund the album’s recording as well as a three-week US tour and an already sizable charity donation to Syria.

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Looking for some live music in Chicago this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Check out this weekend’s featured show along with a more extensive weekend list below!

GERONIMO! at Township, 2/23

Chicago rock trio, Geronimo! will be playing Township this weekend, and we recommend heading out to the show. Formed in 2007, the group released their second full-length LP, Exanimate last October. Available on 12″ vinyl with a hand-screened jacket, you can pick up one of 200 copies from Geronimo!’s Bandcamp for just $12 and check out the music video for “Into the Sun” below.

The 21+ starts at 9:00 PM tomorrow night, 2/23, at Township – 2200 N California Ave. Supporting Geronimo! will be Dharmonic Deluxe, Rodeo, and velocicopter. Tickets are available online or at the door before the show for just $5.

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Following last summer’s 7″, “Serious Radical Girls,” yesterday marked the release of Panda Riot‘s latest LP, Northern Automatic Music. Out on Saint Marie Records, the album, which includes the previously released song, is eleven tracks of non-stop pop rock that come together more like the soundtrack to a dream than a traditional rock record.

From the album’s lead track, “Amanda in the Clouds,” you are introduced to the vibe of Northern Automatic Music. The airy and almost haunting layered vocals of keyboardist Rebecca Scott lead you through the album over guitarist Brian Cook’s calculated drum machine work. Currently available on CD, you can pick up the album through Saint Marie’s website for $11.99.

Panda Riot will be celebrating the release of Northern Automatic Music at the Hideout (1354 W Wabansia) this Friday, 2/22. The 21+ show kicks off at 10:00 PM with Light Foils and Big Colour. Tickets are just $8.00 and can be picked up online or at the door before the show. You can RSVP to the event on Facebook here.

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Looking for some live music in Chicago this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Check out this weekend’s featured show along with a more extensive weekend list below!

WHITEHORSE at Schuba’s, 2/16

Married musically and in real life, Canadian rock duo Whitehorse will be playing Schuba’s tomorrow night in support of their January release, The Fate of The World Depends on this Kiss. Out of Six Shooter Records, the LP showcases the pair’s use of unorthodox sounds, and proficieny with just about any instrument they lay their hands on.

Formed in 2011, Whitehorse in a relatively new venture for Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet who have each been recognized for their solo work. Check out the music video for The Fate of The World’s opening track, “Achilles’ Desire”, below.

The 21+ show kicks off at 7:00 PM tomorrow night at Schuba’s Tavern – 3159 N Southport. Setting the stage for Whitehorse will be Chicago’s own Rebecca Rego. Tickets can be picked up online in advance of the show for $10, or at the door for $12. If you can’t make it out to the show, you can grab a vinyl copy of The Fate of The World Depends on this Kiss from Six Shooter Records for $20.

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Last week, we had the chance to talk with Donnie Biggins, the man behind Chicago booking and management company, Harmonica Dunn. Next Wednesday, 2/20, marks the kick off the companies’ inaugural Dunn Dunn Fest – a three night, three venue love note to “American music.”

Having wrangled up some of the best indie, roots, and folk music that Chicago and our neighboring states have to offer, Dunn Dunn Fest teases a taste of the summer festival scene in the dead of winter. And since we at TVD would rather see you spend your hard-earned cash on wax and a whiskey to warm your soul, we’ve got a pair of three-day festival passes to giveaway.

Partnered up with Audiotree and MADD Chicago, Harmonica Dunn will be utilizing Lincoln Hall, Schubas, and Tonic Room for this showcase which includes headliners Frontier Ruckus, The Giving Tree Band, and The Kicks. If you don’t win here, limited 3-day passes are still available online for $25. Grab the full lineup and all of the contest details, below.

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Sometimes it seems like in an effort to cash in on the growing popularity of indie-folk music, artists tend to forget one important thing—soul. Folk music without soul might as well just be pop music with a banjo. Newly formed Birds of Chicago do folk music right. And after looking at the duo’s track record, you wouldn’t expect anything less.

Birds of Chicago is made up of Allison Russell from Vancouver based Po’ Girl, and Jeremy “JT Nero” Lindsay of Chicago’s JT & the Clouds. Having released their debut album last fall, the pair has been touring across the country, playing both as a duo and utilizing their tight-knit family of musicians for the “full band” vibe.

Nero and Russell have so seamlessly blended their styles of mountain gospel, roots country, and classic soul, that each song sounds simultaneously nostalgic and refreshing. The duo will be playing in town on Thursday while touring around the Midwest before preparing for a jaunt to the UK in the Spring.

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Looking for some live music in Chicago this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Check out this weekend’s featured show along with a more extensive weekend list below!

The MOTHER HIPS at Schuba’s, 2/8

Since 1991, indie pioneers The Mother Hips have been bringing their consistent blend of psych-pop, Americana, and rock to their loyal and ever-growing fanbase. With their latest album, Pacific Dust, out on Camera Records, the California rockers are passing through Chicago on their current tour and tonight is your chance to see them live.

The Mother Hips will be taking the stage at Schuba’s Tavern (3159 N Southport) tonight, 2/8, for their 21+ show. Magic Box will kick things off at 9:00 PM, and you can pick up tickets online or at the door before the show for $15. Be sure to take a look at The Mother Hips’ online store to check out their vinyl selection which includes a handful of 7″ singles and their latest full length LP, Pacific Dust.

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With almost no live music this Sunday, you’d swear there was some sort of major sporting event happening somewhere. Oh well, there are still plenty of ways to get your fix this weekend including Friday and Saturday shows by TVD-CHI favorites, Santah and The Right Now. If that’s just not doing it for you, check out this weekend’s featured show along with a more extensive weekend list below!

The POMEGRANATES at Schuba’s Tavern, 2/2

From Cincinnati, Ohio, The Pomegranates will be stopping in Chicago tomorrow as part of their current six date tour. With a moniker change on the horizon, this will be our last time to catch the group performing under that name. You can pick up a copy of the album One Of Us on double LP for $22 from Afternoon Records.

Setting the stage for the Pomegranates will be Chicago groups Panoramic & True and Common Shiner who will be celebrating the release of their album, Before They Sold Out (Part 2). The 21+ show kicks off tomorrow night at 10:00 PM at Schubas – 3159 N Southport. Tickets are available for $10 online or at the door before the show.

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You’ve got to admire a prolific musician, and when they’re consistently making great music, that admiration comes even easier. Such is the case for New York percussionist Adam Pierce and his anagrammed music endeavor, Mice Parade.

Started as an instrumental/electronica solo project in the late ‘90s, this Tuesday saw the release of Mice Parade’s seventh studio album, Candela. Even though Pierce’s music has taken an audibly poppier tone with this release, Candela still bears the distinct worldly influences that have been a staple of Mice Parade for the last fifteen years.

Out on UK label, FatCat Records, Candela is now available on vinyl in the United States. You can pick up a copy of the new release tomorrow night while Mice Parade stops at Schuba’s Tavern as part of their twelve date tour.

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Looking for some live music in Chicago this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Check out this weekend’s featured show along with a more extensive weekend list below!

Archie Powell & the Exports at Goose Island Wrigleyville, 1/25

Archie Powell & the Exports will be headlining a benefit show for Sandy Hook Elementary School tonight at Goose Island Wrigleyville. Aside from supporting a good cause, the group is currently supporting their 2012 sophomore LP, Great Ideas in Action and their second official music video from the release. You can pick up a 12″ copy of either record for just $10 through Archie Powell’s online store, and check out the music video for “Job Fair,” below.

The 21+ show kicks off at 8:30 PM tonight at Goose Island Wrigleyville – 3535 N Clark Street. Archie Powell & the Exports will be sharing the stage with Mutts, Brother George, and 500 Miles to Memphis. Tickets are available online or at the door for just $8 with proceeds go to the My Sandy Hook Family Fund.

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With snow storms looming ominously on the horizon, it would appear that the holidays are almost upon Chicago. With festivities taking over the start of the next two weeks, you can expect there to be a major lull in excitement towards the middle of next week. Luckily, Chicago band Suns chose next Friday, 12/28 to release their debut full-length record, When We Were Us.

Presented by House Call Entertainment, Suns will be celebrating the release at the Subterranean with the help of local groups Sequoia, Snow Ghost, and, playing their first show, Court of Owls.

Suns has three tracks from the new record available for streaming through their Bandcamp page, and if they are any indication as to the direction of the rest of the album, then it will definitely be a release to keep your eyes and ears upon. The standout track for me is “Strangeland.” Check out the driving rock song, above.

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Looking for some live music in Chicago this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Check out this weekend’s featured show along with a more extensive weekend list below!

DOOMTREE at the Metro, 12/21 | Minneapolis indie hip-hop collective, Doomtree, will be in Chicago tonight headlining the Metro. Made up of seven established rappers, producers, and DJs, the members of Doomtree have released solo albums along with the group’s two official records. Last years’ No Kings is available on vinyl for $22.99 through Doomtree’s online store. Check out the No Kings track, “Bangarang,” below.

The 18+ show kicks off at 9:00 PM tonight, 12/21, at the Metro – 3730 N Clark St. Doomtree will be supported by Buck 65 and Show You Suck. Tickets are $20 online or at the door before the show.

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Chicago’s own Thrill Jockey Records is celebrating their 20th Anniversary tonight at the Empty Bottle with longtime label artists Tortoise and The Sea & Cake. This hometown show wraps up a series of celebratory concerts and supplements their on-going anniversary LP reissues.

Established in New York in 1992, Thrill Jockey packed up and moved to the Windy City just three years later in 1995. With hundreds of releases, and most on vinyl, Thrill Jockey has created a loyal fan-base and an impressively tight-knit roster.

Both Tortoise and The Sea & Cake will be playing nontraditional sets tonight, as the Empty Bottle’s website states, “weird sets for the hometown weirdos.” From 8:00 – 9:00 PM, you can enjoy complimentary drinks from Goose Island and Virtue Cider. Sweet, huh?

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If the Christmas season doesn’t bring out at least a little bit of generosity in you, then there might be some cause for concern. Tomorrow night, Chicago’s The Bright White will be giving you the opportunity to satisfy your charitable side and experience some amazing live music in return.

Organized by the local power-pop group, the second annual Warm, Safe and Sound concert and clothing drive will feature Panda Riot, The Second, Panther Style, and Adam Ashbach, along with a set by none other than The Bright White.

The show will be collecting winter clothing to be distributed to those in Chicago who may need them during the unavoidably harsh winter to come. As for the recipients of the clothes, they can easily store them with the aid of items such as custom hangers.

The Bright White front man, Matthew Kayser, responsible for the organization of this show, brought the idea for this clothing drive/concert with him from New York. The group debuted in Chicago in 2011, and released their second album, Lose Yourself, this past June.

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Looking for some live music in Chicago this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Check out this weekend’s featured show along with a more extensive weekend list below!

OUTER MINDS Record Release Show at the Empty Bottle, 12/15

There are a whole slew of awesome shows in Chicago this weekend so you have no excuse not to catch some live local music. Along with I Fight Dragons, On And On, Grandkids, and Archie Powell & the Exports, Outer Minds will be playing this weekend, celebrating the release of their sophomore LP, Behind the Mirror, at the Empty Bottle tomorrow night. Out on Resurrection Records, the newest release from the Chicago psych-pop outfit can be picked up on vinyl for $10.99.

The show kicks off at 10:00 PM at the Empty Bottle – 1035 N Western Ave. The show is FREE with an RSVP, but for guarenteed admission, you’d be better off grabbing a ticket in advance for just $8. Outer Minds will be sharing the stage with Bare Mutants, Radar Eyes, and Blizzard Babies.

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