DOWNLOAD: Scott Lucas & the Married Men - "Blood Half Moons" (MP3)

Kelly Hogan @ the Vic in March (more by Chase Turner)

The A.V. Club: What was the origin of this album?

Kelly Hogan: Andy Kaulkin is the honcho at Anti- records, and I've known him for quite some time now through Neko. ... I was at Amoeba Records. We were doing an in-store with Neko, and I was shopping in the jazz section and Andy walked up. "I gotta talk to you." I thought I was late for bus call. I was like, "I'm sorry I'm late!" He said, "No, no, no. I want you to make a record for Anti-." I thought I was being punked. I was like, "Really?" It all goes back to Andy. The label's fantastic. It all goes back to the dude who's running it, because Andy just loves music so much.

The A.V. Club: So he had the concept of putting this band together and having all these people write songs for you?

Kelly Hogan: Yeah. He suggested from the get-go that I should call in favors, because I'd sung with so many different people. Last February, he said, "What do you think about coming to L.A.? And we invest our money in the band?" And I was like, "Okay, who are you thinking?" And he said, "I'm thinking Booker T." And I'm like, "Tell me more." He mentioned James Gadson on drums, and I'd just seen that Still Bill documentary the night before, the Bill Withers documentary. It's so great. James Gadson was Bill Withers' drummer. Have you seen the footage of Bill Withers on "The Old Grey Whistle Test"? You've got to Google that, man. It pans over to James Gadson and he's got this awesome Afro and this cool suit and a gold tooth and he's just smiling this gorgeous "Everything is all right and it's gonna be all right" smile. He still does that. That's his playing face. You know how when most people are concentrating on playing, they look like they're pooping?

Local H frontman Scott Lucas and his project the Married Men will act as main support on Monday night's show. Their new album, Blood Half Moon, is due out on June 5 via The End Records. Download the album's lead single "Blood Half Moons" at the top of this post. The band, who describe themselves as "country-ish alt-rock for people who like metal," will also be doing some touring with Deer Tick next month, and are included on the bill of the band's Chicago show at Metro on June 9. Tickets are still available.

All dates for both Kelly Hogan and Scott Lucas are listed below.

Continue reading "Kelly Hogan discussed 'I Like to Keep Myself in Pain,' playing Jay Pritzker w/ Scott Lucas & the Married Men on Monday"

A.V. Club Chicago and the Hideout have combined A.V. Fest and the Hideout Block Party into one big event, taking place on September 14 & 15 (the same weekend as Riot Fest).

Stay tuned for more details.

Electric Six @ Bowery Ballroom in October (NYC) (more by Dana (Distortion) Yavin)

Detroit's Electric Six welcomed their eighth studio album, Heartbeats and Brainwaves, in October of 2011 via Metropolis Records. A fall North American tour with Kitten, saw the two bands plus Andy D performing at the Double Door on November 4th. Apparently, the self-proclaimed "premier over-21 band" like the venue a lot (they have played there a bunch in the past as well) and will be returning to it as part of a spring North American tour on May 12th, to record a live album no less(!).

After years of feedback and requests from our fans, we're excited to announce that this year's album from Electric Six will be a two record live set, to be released in the fall of 2012. One disc will contain the entirety of the band's debut album, Fire, performed live and the second disc will include live versions of our favorite tracks from all the other albums.

We'll be recording for the live record at two shows, May 11th at First Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota and May 12th at the Double Door in Chicago, Illinois. These are two of our favorite venues in the world and we couldn't be happier than both of them are working with us to make this happen. The band will be playing two sets on each night. The first set will be non-Fire material. There will be a 30 minute intermission, and then the band will return to perform Fire in its entirety. Prior to E6's sets, we'll be joined by our good friend Andy D. [Electric Six]

When the group visited the Double Door in November, they also stopped by The A.V. Club to participate in their Holiday Undercover series. Yes, we know, it's a bit late for holiday music, but the band laid down an irresistible version of "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch." Check out the footage, along with all 2012 tour dates, below..

Continue reading "Electric Six are recording a live album @ the Double Door(!)"

The Mountain Goats @ A.V. Club Undercover

The A.V. Club's Josh Modell says:

You wanted the best, you got the best: Undercover 2012 starts now, and we need your help. The series will once again launch in March, timed with our SXSW day party (details soon!), and will feature 25 bands covering 25 songs in our round room. You know the drill. We're looking for your help in picking which songs will make the master list, and to that end you'll find 12 categories below. Vote for your favorite in each category, then give us a whiz-bang suggestion for another song to be covered, as well as the band you'd most like to see in the round room. Remember, when suggesting songs, we're avoiding songs by artists that have already been covered in the series. You don't need to answer in every category if you don't want to. You do need to provide a valid e-mail address to avoid multiple voting, but we won't spam you. Voting closes January 25, and we'll announce the full list shortly thereafter. Thanks in advance for voting!

Undercover sessions from Wye Oak, Office of Future Plans, and Of Montreal, below..

Continue reading "help choose the songs for A.V. Club Undercover 2012"

Office of Future Plans (aka J. Robbins from Jawbox/Burning Airlines' latest project) recently visited the A.V. Club to take part in their Holiday Undercover. Bringing along The Eternals frontman Damon Locks (who Robbins said is responsible for making him punk rock), the 5-piece tackled the Dead Kennedys' track "Holiday In Cambodia."

Here's what the A.V. Club had to say about their interesting choice:

From the beginning, we've played pretty loose with the "holiday" part of Holiday Undercover. The songs didn't have to be carols or even necessarily Christmas-related--they could just have the word "holiday" in them, for instance. Make no mistake: Dead Kennedys immortal punk classic "Holiday In Cambodia" isn't about spreading yuletide cheer to the less fortunate; it's a searing indictment of phony liberalism and the murderous totalitarian regime of Pol Pot. Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Footage of their Dead Kennedys cover, below..

Continue reading "Office of Future Plans & Damon Locks (The Eternals) covered the Dead Kennedys @ A.V. Club"

John Darnielle @ Bowery Ballroom in March (NYC) (more by Ryan Barkan)

John Darnielle (aka The Mountain Goats) recently visited Chicago to perform at The Second City's Letters To Santa benefit, and while in town, managed to visit the A.V. Club as well. He performed the Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine holiday classic "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."

Wye Oak was in town the same day--they're pals--and Darnielle had the funny idea of singing the song directly to Jenn Wasner. Scheduling didn't work, so we put together a silly second version of this video, especially for you. [A.V. Club]

Continue reading "John Darnielle covered "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" @ A.V. Club; played The Second City (video)"

Wye Oak @ Aragon Ballroom (more by Grant MacAllister)

While in town to play the massive Aragon Ballroom with The National and Local Natives, Wye Oak stopped by the A.V. Club (yet again) to participate in their Undercover series. Being the holiday edition, the duo chose to play the Brenda Lee song "Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day," which vocalist Jenn Wasner said is one of her family's holiday classics. The A.V. Club recently named Wye Oak's Civilian their #1 album of the year.

Check out the footage below..

Continue reading "Wye Oak covered Brenda Lee @ A.V. Club"

Little Scream stopped by the A.V. Club to participate in their Holiday Undercover series. Opting to play The Velvet Underground's "Jesus" isn't exactly festive, but it does make a bit of sense.

Jesus is the reason for the season, right? So it's really not that strange that Little Scream--whose members you might recognize from their Undercover assist with Sharon Van Etten--chose to celebrate Holiday Undercover with "Jesus." The song, an entreaty by Lou Reed from The Velvet Underground's self-titled 1969 album, doesn't exactly celebrate the holiday, but it does look to religion for answers. (And yes, Reed was born into a Jewish family, just like Jesus.) In any case, we think you'll find Little Scream's version of the song haunting and beautiful, especially given that it's bolstered by a singing saw.

Continue reading "Little Scream covered The Velvet Underground @ A.V. Club"

Mannequin Men recently visited the A.V. Club to participate in their Undercover series, showing off their holiday spirit by choosing to play the novelty 50s hit, "(I'm Getting) Nuttin' for Christmas" by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett. Check out the footage below.

Catch them at the Hideout on December 3rd with Vee Dee and Nicholas Rouley. Tickets are still available.

Continue reading "Mannequin Men got festive for the A.V. Club, playing Hideout"

Bruce Lamont with Bloodiest @ IL Centennial Monument (more by Grant MacAllister)

The A.V. Club Chicago completed a massive, four part analysis of Chicago's metal scene yesterday (11/3), dubbed simply An oral history of Chicago's metal scene. Featured throughout, is commentary from only the most important figures in the movement.

A short list of these gentlemen is below..

Scott Carroll and Mike Perun of Cianide
Bruce Lamont of Yakuza and Bloodiest
Blake Judd of Nachtmystium
Stavros Giannopoulos of The Atlas Moth
Chris Connelly of Ministry
Will Lindsay of Indian
Sanford Parker producer/engineer

...AND MANY MORE

WL: Bruce Lamont has at least made guest appearances on everybody's record here. And there's the connection that Sanford [Parker] has really developed with his studio. So many of us all go record there. People from everywhere record with him. Indian recorded with him. Nachtmystium recorded with him. Bloodiest recorded with him. And there's all his own projects--Circle Of Animals, High Confessions, and whatnot.

BL: Yeah, there's a lot of that going on. This is a very incestuous musical town, and a few of us are just outright whores. I'll freely admit that. I think that's healthy, as well, because you get a fresh perspective on creating with those people, and you might be able to bring that back to another project, and kind of look at it from a different angle or go about it differently than you would have if you just stay with the same people all the time. That's always been my thought behind it. That's why I've played in a number of bands in all the years I've been ... collaborating, and all that stuff. We're all friends, man. We just like to jam with each other. We just love music.

Still Corners @ BV CMJ 2011 Thursday day party (more by Bryan Bruchman)

today in Chicago
* Joe Bonamassa @ Chicago Theatre
* Stolen Silver, Go Long Mule @ Hideout
* Smokers Club Tour @ Congress Theater
* Lydia, Speak, Austin Gibbs @ Beat Kitchen
* Catacombz, Verma, Wume @ Ultra Lounge
* Ed Askew, The Glorious Vapors @ Darkroom
* Metronomy, Class Actress, Kid Color @ Lincoln Hall
* Still Corners, Ganglians, The Tiny Fireflies @ Schubas
* Thrice, La Dispute, Moving Mountains, O'Brother @ Metro
* Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Gauntlet Hair, Yawn @ Empty Bottle
* This Is England, DJ Elia of The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir @ The Whistler
* Secret Colours, The Vacant Lots, Troubadour Dali, Radar Eyes @ Subterranean
* Warbringer, Lazarus A.D., Landmine Marathon, Diamond Plate, Witchbanger @ Reggie's

Purchase tickets to our first-ever BV Chicago Presents show with Polica and Bone & Bell.

The A.V. Club pick apart what Wye Oak's "Holy Holy" means in their new video series titled One Track Mind. Check it out below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

With the addition of Cloud Nothings, the two-day A.V. Fest lineup is finally complete! Above, are the set times and lineup for both Saturday (9/10), and Sunday (9/11).

You can win VIP tickets by visiting the A.V. Fest's new webpage to enter.

As previously announced, the A.V. Club will be throwing their own festival in the outdoor space near Hideout on September 10th & 11th.

The two-day fest; simply dubbed A.V. Fest has now seen the lineup additions of Hum(!), Maritime, Call Me Lightning, and Like Pioneers (who will be playing out this weekend).

Previously announced acts include: Archers of Loaf, The Thermals, Tokyo Police Club, Eef Barzelay of Clem Snide, and Telekinesis.

They've promised an update (set for next Thursday) announcing the final three acts, splitting the lineup into two days, and debuting information on ticketing for the event.

Stay tuned.

"Screw it, we're doing a music festival too" is what appeared across the headline of the A.V. Club's website earlier this evening.

The festival; dubbed simply A.V. Fest will take place on September 10th & 11th in the same outdoor space as the Hideout Block Party (Wabansia Ave. & Elston Ave.).

The two-day festival will feature 12 bands in total, 5 of which are Archers of Loaf, The Thermals, Tokyo Police Club, Eef Barzelay of Clem Snide, and Telekinesis.

If you're capable of basic math, that means there are 7 more acts to be revealed, "...over the next couple of weeks, as well as ticket information (short answer: SUPER cheap)."

Well..you've heard them, stay tuned (preferably right here!) for any and all developments.

TMBG

They Might Be Giants are set to release their new LP Join Us on July 19th via the band's own Idewild Records (an imprint of Rounder). The 18-track album was recorded over the span of nine months in New York City with producer Patrick Dillett.

They'll keep busy this summer by playing a bunch of scattered dates and festivals, before kicking off a proper tour in September. Said tour, will be a massive one, stretching through the month of November.

They'll hit Chicago on September 23rd to play the Riv. Tickets are still available.

The band recently visited the A.V. Club in Chicago to take part in their Undercover Series. They chose to play the Chumbawamba classic "Tubthumping", enlisting A.V. Club staff as backup singers.

View the footage, paired with Join Us's tracklisting, and all 2011 tour dates below..

Continue reading "They Might Be Giants to release 'Join Us', visited A.V. Club & covered Chumbawamba +++ playing the Riv & other dates"

Empty Bottle (photo by Clayton Hauck)

The Empty Bottle has stood at the corner of Western and Cortez for almost 20 years now. Recently the venue underwent a major remodel, receiving a much needed face lift.

A.V. Club Chicago's Selena Fragassi writes:

The decision to renovate was not an easy one according to the unassuming owner [Bruce Finkelman], who says the staff had to draw straws to see who'd take the first strike at the walls. "No one wanted to do it," he remembers. "It's almost scary to give up a feeling of place. When we opened in the '90s, we operated on as much of a shoestring budget as possible, but knew the place would need some TLC someday."

A few sticker plastered walls, and some cracked wooden flooring were among the first things to be repaired. Don't fret, the Empty Bottle will still offer great music for very low prices.

Head over to the A.V. Club Chicago's website to view more photos of the changes.

...Trail Of Dead @ Barbarella in Austin, TX - BV SXSW 2011 (more by Chris Gersbeck)

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead participated in the A.V. Club's 'Undercover' series by performing a rendition of the Indigo Girls track, "Blood and Fire."

The guys from ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead asked us if they could do Undercover, but they didn't exactly understand the concepts. E-mails were exchanged, pitching songs that weren't on our master list. Finally, when they suggested doing this Indigo Girls song, we decided to stop trying to explain the concept and just have them do it. (They were sharing a bus with Surfer Blood anyway, so they weren't far away.) And thus we have... an Undercover bonus track. And we have a really nice drawing on the wall of the round room.

Check out the video below..

Continue reading "...Trail Of Dead covered Indigo Girls @ A.V. Club"

Surfer Blood swung by the A.V. Club in Chicago, to take part in their "Undercover" series. The Florida-based band tackled the Pixies staple, "Gigantic" with some help from their friend; Sarah Baldwin (drummer of The Girls At Dawn).

Check out the footage below..

Continue reading "Surfer Blood covered the Pixies @ A.V. Club"

The Mountain Goats stopped by the A.V. Club in Chicago to take part in their "Undercover" series. The group chose to play the Jawbreaker anthem, "Boxcar."

When we heard from John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats that the band had chosen Jawbreaker's 1994 classic of punk-scene angst, "Boxcar," to cover for us, we were tickled. When they actually came in and played it, we were delighted.

Though the band-song pairing seems a little incongruous, it actually makes a lot of sense: Both Jawbreaker and The Mountain Goats were/are led by literate guys who like to put their feelings right out there, naked. It just so happens that this song is an indictment of the kind of holier-than-thou punk attitudes that Darnielle probably can't relate to personally. Which makes it all the more fun to see and hear him rock the lines: "You're not punk, and I'm telling everyone" and "One, two, three four, who's punk, what's the score?" [A.V. Club]

Check out the video below.

Continue reading "The Mountain Goats covered Jawbreaker @ A.V. Club"

While in Chicago to play the Vic with Painted Palms on May 5th, Of Montreal visited the A.V. Club. As part of their "Undercover" series, the group chose to play The White Stripes classic "Fell In Love With A Girl." Check out the video below.

Continue reading "Of Montreal covered The White Stripes @ A.V. Club"