Author Archive
Future Rock | September Coast-to-Coast
The Chicago based group, Future Rock is embarking on a September tour throughout the US after playing to festival in August. The nine-date run will cover some major media markets and will finish up with a Live PA set here in Chicago. I have yet to catch Future Rock outside... more
Lymbyc Systym | Fall 2008 Tour Dates
Taking the summer off to work on a new album and a split LP with This Will Destroy You, Lymbyc Systym will tour with their LP mates this fall. Consistently touring over a hundred dates a year, the road is nothing new to the brothers from Arizona. They'll hit the... more
Special Disco Version | James Murphy, Pat Mahoney DJ Tour
James Murphy, the creative brain behind LCD Soundsystem, and Pat Mahoney, said band's drummer, are headed out on the road and their taking their NYC party, Special Disco Version, with them. Last year they released the 36th installment of Fabric Live, which is a series of DJ mixes released by... more
Kings of Leon | 2008 Tour Dates, Album Release
The Tennessean family affair known as Kings of Leon are embarking on a fall tour throughout the US in support of their upcoming LP, Only By the Night. The album, out on September 23, has already produced two singles, "Crawl" and "Sex on Fire." The tunes are available for free... more
Newport Folk Festival | NPR Concert Streams
Though most of the music world's attention was focused on Grant Park last weekend, there was another, more storied festival happening on the east coast. The Newport Folk Festival is now in its 49th year; a remarkable achievement considering the number of festivals that have come and gone over the... more
Lollapalooza 2008 | Day Two in Brief
After spending an unsuccessful hour looking for tickets or a way into Friday night's festivities, I was a little downtrodden on Saturday morning. Lollapalooza was completely sold out for the second day in a row and I was sans ticket. It took some perseverance but we found our way into... more
Lollapalooza 2008 | Day Three Preview
The last day of a festival is always a difficult day, full of fatigue and sunburn, but with a little perseverance Lollapalooza Day Three can be an amazing day of dancing and indulgence. Sunday is usually the calmest day where discovery has more of a priority than frenzied fandom, but... more
Lollapalooza 2008 | Day Two Preview
Now that Justin has properly filled everyone in on what to see at Lollapalooza Day 1, I'll take the reigns and give everyone some can't misses for Saturday's action. In my opinion Saturday has the best line-up top to bottom, including two of the top three headliners -- guess the... more
STS9 & Umphrey’s McGee @ Charter One Pavilion, Chicago 7/19/08
Last Saturday was a full-on mind and body exercise, complete with bike-riding, dancing, photography, networking, and hours and hours of wonderful music. The climax of the day was definitely the dual-bill featuring a couple of leaders in the independent music world. STS9 and Umphrey's McGee are as DIY as bands... more
Cold War Kids | Fall Tour Extension, LP Release Date
As we mentioned last month, Cold War Kids are embarking on an extensive world tour in support of their new LP, announced for release September 23. The tour starts on Saturday for a short run Down Under and then will pass through Europe before heading back to LA for the... more
Pitchfork 2008 | Sunday in Photos
Sunday couldn't have been a more beautiful day, the sun was out and there was a light breeze; most importantly the music was worlds apart and totally amazing. In the short walk across Union Park you could hear folk, afro-pop, psychedelic rock and hip-hop. In my opinion, Sunday had the... more
Pitchfork 2008 | Saturday in Photos
Acclaimed as one the most eclectic and venturesome weekends in the gauntlet of summer festivals, the Pitchfork Music Festival 2008 provided Live Music Blog with some very memorable sets but like any festival, a few frustrating moments -- see below. Overall it was a solid three days with poor weather... more
Pitchfork 2008 | Festival Preview, Two Three-Day Passes Contest
Oh to be young, a music fan and live in Chicago; for the next three weeks there are more bands, festivals and concerts coming through this city than I know what to do with. Some will be missed but I'm sure Mitch and I will get in our fair share... more
STS9 and Umphrey’s McGee | Start in Madison, End in Atlanta
Last Thursday night one of the best tours of the summer kicked off in Madison, WI at Willow Park. The dual bill with Umphrey's McGee and STS9 will be roaring through eastern two-thirds of the U.S. for a little over three weeks. So far the tour has been in Madison,... more
Wolf Parade, Listening Party @ House of Blues, Chicago 07/08/08
Having a wide and eclectic taste in music sometimes pulls you all over the map in terms of who and what is seen live. Personally I can go long stretches without catching a good rock show and after seeing two great ones in a week I've been wondering why I... more
The Black Angels @ The Rock and Roll Hotel, Washington, DC 7/02/08
With strobe lights blaring and the drone physically pushing the crowd away from the stage, The Black Angels owned the room at the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, DC two Tuesdays ago. Invoking the meandering psychosis that seems present in the last half of Apocalypse Now, The Black Angels'... more
Ratatat | Full Summer Dates, LP3 Released
About a month ago, we filled everyone in on the short list of Ratatat dates and I was totally bummed because there was no Chicago date. But now on the same day they've released their third full length album, LP3, a whole slew of dates were announced, including a Chicago... more
Wicker Park Fest | Lineup, Schedule and Highlights
As I've mentioned before, the country is laden with some incredible street festivals and neighborhood parties. Of all the wonderful cities in the U S of A, Chicago may hold the belt for the range and number of its neighborhood parties. Perhaps the best of these is the annual Wicker... more
Wetlands Preserved Doc on Sundance Channel
Anyone with access to the Sundance Channel should point their remotes there this week as they premier Dean Budnick's documentary on the rise and fall of one of the jam scene's most important locations, Wetlands Preserve. Budnick, co-creator of the Jammys and Editor at both Relix and Jambands.com, teamed up... more
Thievery Corporation, TV on the Radio @ Merriweather Post Pavilion 6/28/08
Almost every live music fan I know has one or two venues that hold some sort of special importance to them, a place where an unforgettable show was witnessed or so many shows have been attended that the place becomes familiar. For myself, Merriweather Post is one of these venues.... more
Forward Music Fest!
Last November, the good people of UW-Madison put on another edition of Madison Pop Festival with the likes of Bon Iver, Malajube and Murder By Death. I was there as a student and organizer, enjoying everything that I thought the Madison music scene could offer. Well, post-graduation we figured there... more
Hootenany with Weezer
Everyone who has ever played a song on the guitar has probably played a Weezer song at some point in their life. With their easy to learn power chords and sing along choruses, there is not much stopping one from the tempting power of captivating the entire room with a... more
Street Scene 2008 Lineup
With the abundance of larger festivals, one of the overlooked niches of the scene these days are the abundance of city street festivals. So far this summer, one of the best of these fests is San Diego's Street Scene. In its 24th year, Street Scene pulls in some serious heavy... more
More Lollaplooza 2008 News | Late Night Shows Announced
While we just posted the recently released schedule for Lollapalooza, there is more news coming out of Perry Farrell's office. I can just see him now -- writing emails, looking at balance sheets, calling meetings in the boardroom all while wearing a very tight, sequined suit. All kidding aside, the festival... more
Bonnaroo 2008 Preview | The Only Schedule to Follow…
Posting a Bonnaroo preview is a daunting task. Six years ago when I attended it was arduous to see all the bands I was sweet on and now there are triple the number of acts. I can't imagine trying to see anywhere near half of the bands listed on the... more
P4K Fest Lunch Series | Tortoise, Le Loup, the Ex
A few days back Sam wrote up a post on the pro's -- and some con's -- of living in NYC during the summer. The highlight obviously was the abundance of free concerts throughout the lazy days of June, July and August. Though Chicago is known more for its abundance... more
Ratatat Announce Summer Tour | Small but mighty…
The remix, break-beat rock 'n roll masters Ratatat announced a small summer tour in support of their new album LP3, which is set to release July 8th through XL Recordings. I've always really dug the band's ability to reinvent their sound in small ways from one album to the next,... more
Photos: Pnuma Trio & Eliot Lipp @ The Lakeshore Theater, Chicago 5/16/08
Two Friday's ago, Pnuma Trio played The Lakeshore Theater here in Chicago and the superb Eliot Lipp opened the show for the Memphis based trio. The show was really, really solid with an awesome opening set from the down tempo/hip-hop guru Eliot Lipp. This was my first time seeing Pnuma... more
The Helio Sequence @ The Empty Bottle, Chicago 5/15/08
Though less than half of the year has passed, I can say that The Helio Sequence's Keep Your Eyes Ahead will most likely be one of my favorite albums of the year. I wasn't too familiar with the band prior to this LP but this record definitely made me take... more
M.I.A. & Holy Fuck @ The Aragon Ballroom, Chicago 5/9/08
Rarely do you get to see an artist who is perched on the brink of stardom. Two Fridays ago, I think I caught M.I.A. at this point of her career. All of the "cool" high-schoolers were dolled up and ready to go, and there were a lot of them (as... more
Hot Chip | Fall Tour 2008
After dropping their third LP, Made in the Dark, this past February, putting out two of the best videos I've seen in years ("Ready for the Floor" & "One Pure Thought") and cruising through a sold out U.S. tour, Hot Chip is coming back state-side this fall for another round... more
