As mentioned, Apparat is headed to North America this week for a handful of festival performances and club dates. He and his full band will hit Chicago next Monday (5/28), for a performance at Lincoln Hall. Tickets are still available and we've also got a pair to give away! Details on how to enter to win them can be found at the bottom of this post.

Appart's most recent album, The Devil's Walk, hit stores in September of 2011 via Mute. Stream the LP in its entirety below, along with a Mogwai-remix of the track "Song Of Los."

All Appart tour dates are listed below, along with contest details and some song streams.

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Leonard Cohen at Red Rocks in 2009 (more by Lori Bally)

As just mentioned on BrooklynVegan, tickets for Leonard Cohen's tour, which includes the Akoo Theatre in Rosemont on November 23, go on sale today, and we're also giving a pair of tickets in select cites, including the Akoo Theatre show!. Tickets for that show went on sale today at 10 AM, and details on how to enter to win a pair are below.

Continue reading "Leonard Cohen's Akoo Theatre show is on sale; win tix!"

Maps & Atlases @ Hotel Vegan (bvChicago-SXSW) (more by Tim Griffin)

Maps & Atlases, who played bvChicago-SXSW, play a big hometown show on Friday night (May 11), at Metro, with So Many Dynamos and Sister Crayon. Tickets are still available and we've also got a pair to give away! Details on how to enter to win them are below.

St. Louis' spazzy So Many Dynamos join up with Maps for two shows on this tour, Chicago and a hometown performance at the Firebird on the following night. They're self-releasing a new EP digitally on June 26, which will be for sale via iTunes and Amazon. Its cover art and tracklisting can be found at the bottom of this post. They are also gearing up to release a new full-length, titled Safe with Sound, and we've got the video/single premiere of their track "Matter of Fact."

Maps contest details and So Many Dynamos' new music video, cover art/tracklisting below...

Continue reading "win tix for Maps & Atlases, So Many Dynamos & Sister Crayon @ Metro; watch a new So Many Dynamos video (premiere)"

We Are Serenades @ Hotel Vegan (BV-SXSW 2012) (more by Tim Griffin)

Swedish outfit We Are Serenades' first-ever US tour is underway and hits Chicago's Empty Bottle on May 16. Tickets are still available and we've also got a pair to give away! Details on how to enter to win them can be found below.

WAS' debut LP, Criminal Heaven, hit stores last month via Cherrytree Records/Interscope. It's pretty catchy stuff. Rolling Stone just premiered a Passion Pit remix of their track "Birds." Take a listen to the re-version HERE. Stream the original along with all 2012 tour dates and contest details, below...

Continue reading "We Are Serenades are touring their way to the Bottle (win tix!)"

Low @ Jay Pritzker Pavilion in June (more by Grant MacAllister)

As mentioned, Low are heading out on tour this spring across North America with Death Cab For Cutie (backed by the Magik*Magik Orchestra). The tour hits Chicago on April 16 and spends two nights in a row at The Chicago Theatre. Tickets for the first night are sold out. Tickets for the second night are still available and we've also got a pair to give away! Details on how to enter to win them can be found below.

Though Low have been semi-quiet lately, frontman Alan Sparhawk has been keeping busy with his other project The Retribution Gospel Choir. RGC released a free EP, dubbed The Revolution, back in February via Sub Pop. The Revolution is now available in physical formats as well. You can catch Alan and co. when they visit Schubas on May 3. Tickets are still available.

All 2012 tour dates, some videos, and contest details, below..

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Back in April artist David Barnes, brother of Of Montreal frontman Kevin Barnes, released a 128-page art book, What's Weird?, that consists of paintings and drawings from the last 20-years, including album covers and other designs for the band. The book was limited to 3,000 copies. Here's a few words from Polyvinyl, who handled its release:

After 20 years and countless paintings, the idea manifested itself for David Barnes to curate his first book. In his true D.I.Y. style, Barnes personally poured over hundreds of drawings and paintings spanning his career.

He picked and placed each piece to create What's Weird?--a book showcasing over 100 paintings, hundreds of sketches and doodles, and funny, interesting, insightful comments about the pieces written by Barnes--all providing a glimpse into his mind and unique creative process.

Over the past decade, Barnes has developed a cult following drawing portraits of fans in his unique style and achieved widespread recognition for his work as art director for Of Montreal (his brother Kevin's band).

Barnes' visual interpretations of the group's music has been manifested in the form of iconic album covers and theatrical live performances that feature skits along with elaborate stage sets and props.

Of Montreal hit SXSW this week for two performances: their label's showcase on Thursday, March 15 and Under the Radar magazine's day party on the 16th, where they'll play their album The Sunlandic Twins in full for the first time.

All 2012 tour dates, contest details, and some videos, below..

Continue reading "David Barnes released an art book; Of Montreal are playing Metro (win a copy of the book & tix to the show!)"

As announced earlier this week on BrooklynVegan, T-Mobile, in celebration of their partnership with Google Music Magnified Artists Program, have announced their "Living the 4G Life Photo Contest" at Facebook. They write:

We've all got that photo, the shot that captured a concert or festival moment perfectly. Your friend on your shoulders, the crowd surfing, 20,000 people singing together with their hands in the air. Well, that photo could see you traveling to this year's hottest music festival in Coachella Valley on our dime.

The Prize:
One winner, with a guest of their choice, will be provided with festival tickets, round-trip travel, hotel accommodations and a $500 VISA gift card. The winner will also receive a brand new 4G smartphone with a year of free service, so they can capture and share photos of the festival's best moments in style.

Twin Sister @ a BV Holiday Party at Bowery Ballroom (more by Jessica Amaya)

Brooklyn's Twin Sister arrive in Chicago tomorrow night (2/17), to headline the Empty Bottle with support from tour mates Ava Luna and locals Summer Girlfriends.

If you recall, the two NYC-based bands played a BV Holiday Party at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC (pictured above), before kicking off a North American tour together in January.

Advance tickets for the Chicago show are still on sale and we've also got a pair to give away!

All 2012 dates, contest details, and some videos, below..

Continue reading " Twin Sister play the bottle tomorrow w/ Ava Luna & Summer Girlfriends (win tix!)"

As mentioned, hip hop collective Doomtree will hit Chicago next week (on February 23rd) to play the Bottom Lounge. Frontman Cecil Otter and collaborator Swiss Andy will also be performing a Wugazi-late show at the venue, featuring Chicago's The Hood Internet. Tickets are still available for both shows and we've also got a pair to give away for the early Doomtree portion! Contest details can be found below.

The group will also be visiting the Apple Store (on N. Michigan Ave.) at 2PM on Saturday, February 25th, for a moderated discussion on their recently released LP No Kings.

All 2012 tour dates, contest details, and some videos, below..

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DOWNLOAD: Heartless Bastards - "Parted Ways" (MP3)

Heartless Bastards' fourth LP and first for Partisan Records, Arrow, hits stores tomorrow (2/14). Download the album's lead single "Parted Ways" at the top of this post. Stream Arrow in its entirety via a widget below.

As mentioned, they'll play a record release/Valentine's Day show at Lincoln Hall with support from Hacienda and Precious Blood. The show is sold out, but we've got a pair of tickets to give away! Contest details can be found below.

All 2012 tour dates, full album stream, contest details, and video, below..

Continue reading "win tix to see Heartless Bastards @ Lincoln Hall"