Calexico @ Outside Lands in San Francisco in 2009 (more by Chris Graham)

Calexico, whose most recent Chicago show was Cultivate Festival in October, have been tapped by Death Cab For Cutie to open their Taste of Chicago show at the Petrillo Music Shell on July 12. Ticketing info is still forthcoming.

The Chicago show is currently Calexico's only US date. The band are gearing up for a fall European tour and aside from a performance at the Osheaga Festival in Montreal in August, don't seem to have too much going on this summer. Their full tour schedule and some videos below...

Continue reading "Calexico are opening for Death Cab @ Taste of Chicago"

photos by Grant MacAllister

Low @ Chicago Theater

We already talked about the first of two shows Death Cab & Low played at the Chicago Theatre. Here's a slightly belated set from night two (4/17). More below...

Continue reading "Death Cab For Cutie & Low @ Chicago Theatre (night 2 pics)"

photos by Grant MacAllister

Death Cab For Cutie @ The Chicago Theatre on 4/16/2012

The idea of modern rock bands coupling with a string section is no longer innovative. From Elvis Costello to Metallica, veteran artists continue to re-arrange older material to accommodate symphonic fanfare. Richly textured and prone to swelling flourishes, Death Cab For Cutie's fare makes a better candidate for the match than most. The one-off tour might also owe to leader Ben Gibbard's recent life changes -- and desire for the alterations in scenery that grace many of his narratives. Late last year, he and actress Zooey Deschanel announced an impending divorce after a brief marriage.

Yet if Gibbard suffers from sorrowful regret, he didn't show it. Continually transferring his weight from one side of his body to the other as he sang and strummed guitar, the talkative frontman reserved any melancholy emotions for his glass-half-empty protagonists that craved self-awareness, improved circumstances and close relationships. "Can you tell me why you have been so sad?" Gibbard queried during the refrain to "Death of an Interior Decorator," the downcast sentiment at odds with the song's peppy tempo and sweeping highs. The limber "You Are a Tourist," shimmering "What Sarah Said" and deep-grooved "Soul Meets Body" also benefited from the accompaniment contrasts. [Chicago Tribune]

Continue reading "Death Cab For Cutie & Low played The Chicago Theatre - (night 1 pics, setlist)"

As mentioned, the 2012 edition of Taste of Chicago is set to take place from June 11-15 in Grant Park. The city have announced that Jennifer Hudson, Death Cab For Cutie, Chaka Khan, and Dierks Bentley will each headline one night of the festival at the Petrillo Music Shell. For the first time in the history of Taste these events will be ticketed, though you can still sit on the lawn and listen for free. Ticking info is said to arrive in mid-May. Stay tuned for more details.

Death Cab For Cutie in Brooklyn in August (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Last night (Sunday, April 15), Death Cab For Cutie and the Magik*Magik Orchestra brought their current tour with Low to Milwaukee's Riverside Theater. Take a peak at Death Cab's setlist from last night, featuring older cuts like "Title and Registration," "Tiny Vessels," and "Transatlanticism."

The two acts begin their two-night run at The Chicago Theatre TONIGHT (April 16). Tickets are still available for tomorrow night's performance.

Death Cab's full setlist from the Milwaukee show and all 2012 tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Death Cab For Cutie & Low hit The Chicago Theatre TONIGHT; check out their Milwaukee setlist"

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..

Continue reading "Low are playing The Chicago Theatre w/ Death Cab (win tix!)"

Retribution Gospel Choir featuring Low frontman Alan Sparhawk, have just released a new EP dubbed The Revolution. You can download the album via a widget below, but you have to forfeit your email address in order to do so. RGC have announced a short string of North American dates, which includes a May 3 performance at Schubas. Tickets go on sale this Friday (March 2), at noon CST.

Low are playing two nights (April 16 & 17) at The Chicago Theatre with Death Cab For Cutie. Tickets are still available for both dates.

All RGC and Low dates, plus The Revolution EP, below..

Continue reading "Retribution Gospel Choir released a free EP, catch them @ Schubas (after Low tours w/ Death Cab)"

Low @ Terminal 5 in 2011 (more by David Andrako)

As you know, Low are going out on tour with Death Cab For Cutie and that tour hits Chicago for TWO shows at The Chicago Theatre in April. As previously mentioned, tickets for both of those shows go on sale at 10am today (2/4).

DCFC @ Williamsburg Waterfront in August (BKLYN) (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

As mentioned, Death Cab For Cutie (featuring the Magik*Magik Orchestra) and Low are playing The Chicago Theatre on April 16th. A JAM Productions presale went live at 10AM TODAY and will be active until 10PM TONIGHT. Password: magik .

A second night (April 17th) has now been added. This one does not have a presale, though general tickets for both nights go on sale tomorrow (2/4), at 10AM CST.

Death Cab at Williamsburg Waterfront in 2011 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Baby Teeth, Outer Minds, and Bobby Conn are playing Schubas on March 2nd.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow (2/3), at noon CST.

Lower Dens are playing Subterranean on March 8th.
Tickets go on sale this Saturday (2/4), at noon CST.

Astronautalis and Bus Driver are playing Schubas on March 11th.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, at noon CST.

Andrew Jackson Jihad, Laura Stevenson & The Cans, and Roar are playing Subterranean on March 18th. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, at 10AM CST.

Hunx And His Punx and Heavy Cream are playing the Double Door on March 29th.
Tickets go on sale this Satuday, at noon CST.

Caveman are playing Schubas on April 12th.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, at noon CST.

Death Cab For Cutie (featuring The Magik*Magik Orchestra) and Low are playing the Chicago Theatre on April 16th. Presale tickets will be available starting at 10AM tomorrow (2/3). Password: magik . Tickets go on sale to the general public on Saturday, at 10AM CST.

Fountains of Wayne are playing the Double Door on April 27th.
Tickets go on sale this Saturday, at noon CST.

Justin Townes Earle and Tristen are playing Park West on May 10th.
Tickets go on sale this Satuday, at 10AM CST.

Death Cab For Cutie @ Metro in May (more by Josh Darr)

Death Cab For Cutie have just announced a spring North American tour, which features an onstage collaboration with San Francisco's Magik*Magik Orchestra (who played on John Vanderslice's White Wilderness).

They'll reach The Chicago Theatre on April 16th. Fan club pre-sale begins this Friday (1/20), at noon and offers both standard tickets and bundle packages. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Saturday (2/4), at 10AM CST.

UPDATE: Low will act as main support for the Chicago show and on other dates too.

All dates (with some featuring Youth Lagoon) can be found at BrooklynVegan.

words by Holly Grey

Ben Gibbard @ UIC Pavilion - 8/25/2011 (photo by vladkomp)

Frightened Rabbit opened the evening at UIC Pavilion last night (8/25), playing to an astonishingly huge crowd. They played an energetic set, heavy on selections from 2008's The Midnight Organ Fight and highlighting a few songs from their latest release The Winter of Mixed Drinks from last year. Their harmonies were solid, instrumentations lush, and they charmed the crowd with Scottish inflected stories between songs. By the end of their set, they had the crowd singing and clapping along with them as they closed out their portion of the evening.

Death Cab For Cutie took the stage to the deafening cheers of the crowd, and immediately launched into the long form version of "I Will Possess Your Heart," the stage dark and the members bathed in red. The set was filled with old favorites, the band even reached back to 2000's We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes to play the two-part "Company Calls" and "Company Calls Epilogue". The newer songs were played with enthusiasm, and the clean sound of the recordings on this year's Codes and Keys was reflected in the performance. After years of playing in Chicago, (their club shows to much smaller crowds) it was a relief to find that rather than falling flat in the huge room, they rose magnificently to the occasion and filled the space with a huge sound. They wound their way through the songs, leaving very little time for talking. Ben Gibbard spoke briefly of his sore throat, explaining the small bottle of olive oil that was perched on his speaker cabinet, and which he sipped intermittently throughout the evening.

None of the members played a back seat in the performance. As Ben Gibbard's crisp vocals danced over the familiar melodies, Chris Walla worked a veritable instrument station creating soundscapes and beautiful supplementation to the music alongside his gorgeously crafted harmonies. Nick Harmer, on bass, was dynamic and engaging to watch, his bass lines reverberating through the room. Jason McGerr was on top form all night, the highlight of his performance coming toward the end of the evening when he and Gibbard drummed simultaneously in what was easily the most engaging drum jam I have ever heard.

The set, overall, was a perfect blend of old and new. The newer songs were elevated to a new place in this context where you could truly see how they fit into the overarching career of this band. The songs from Codes and Keys felt mature and progressive for them, but never felt out of place or inorganic. A set crafted, clearly, by a band that knows what it means to pull together a decade's worth of material together into one.

After a nearly hour and a half long set, the band returned to close out the evening with a bone-rattling version of "Transatlanticism," and left the stage with guitars still ringing in our ears.

Head below to view Death Cab's 22-song setlist..

Continue reading "Death Cab For Cutie, & Frightened Rabbit played UIC Pavilion (review, setlist)"

Death Cab For Cutie @ Metro in May (more by Josh Darr)

today in Chicago
* The Hold Steady, The Donkeys @ Metro
* Peter Bjorn and John, The 1900's @ Lincoln Hall
* Canon Blue, Snowblink, Darts, Arrows @ Hideout
* Death Cab For Cutie, Frightened Rabbit @ UIC Pavilion
* Tedeschi-Trucks Band, Preservation Hall Jazz Band @ Chicago Theatre
* Sleepy Sun, Buffalo Killers, The Steepwater Band, Waterstreet @ Double Door
* Toxic Holocaust, Holy Grail, Krum Bums, I Decline, Armored Assault @ Reggie's

The Ettes have a new Tom Scharpling-directed video for their track "Excuse," starring Patton Oswalt. View it HERE.

Eleanor Friedberger played NPR's World Cafe. Stream the session HERE.

St. Vincent premiered a new video this morning for her track "Cruel." View it below.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

Fleet Foxes @ Pitchfork Fest 2011 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

As mentioned, Fleet Foxes have added a September 30th performance at the Chicago Theatre to their ongoing queue of fall tour dates. The show is now sold out, and they've added a second date, set for October 1st. Tickets go on sale this Friday (8/5), at 10AM CST.

AA Bondy @ FYF Fest in 2010 (more by Chris Juarez)

AA Bondy is set to release his new LP Believers on September 13th. In support of the album he'll embark on a North American fall tour, which will hit Lincoln Hall on November 8th. Tickets go on sale this Friday (8/5), at noon CST.
NPR premiered his single "The Heart is Willing" today. Take a listen HERE.

Joe Lally

Joe Lally (of Fugazi fame) will be playing Schubas on November 10th.
Tickets go on sale this Friday (8/5), at noon CST.

Death Cab For Cutie @ Metro this past May (more by Josh Darr)

Death Cab For Cutie have announced some additional dates on their fall tour. As mentioned, they'll play the UIC Pavilion on August 25th with Frightened Rabbit. They've now added an October 1st performance at the University of Illinois with Telekinesis. Tickets will be available shortly.

photos by Josh Darr

On Friday (5/20), Death Cab For Cutie brought their 'Underplay' club tour through Chicago for a stop at Metro. The 'Underplay' tour has been selling out venues left and right; Metro was no exception.

Washington-based band, The Lonely Forest has been along for the ride. This is no coincidence as the group are signed to Trans Records, Chris Walla's imprint of Atlantic.

If you missed out on seeing Death Cab For Cutie this time; dont fret. They're headed back to Chicago to play UIC Pavilion on August 25th with Frightened Rabbit. Tickets are on sale now. Their UIC Pavilion date is part of a much larger tour, which you can check out here.

Head below to view more pictures of both acts.

note: Off-stage and soundcheck shots of The Lonely Forest are from a STAL session, an ongoing project by photographer; Josh Darr.

Continue reading "Death Cab For Cutie played Metro w/ The Lonely Forest (pics)"

As stated in the above tweet by promoter Jam Productions, these are the set times for Death Cab, and The Lonely Forest tonight at Metro.

If you managed to score tickets to the way sold-out show; enjoy!

Crystal Stilts @ 285 Kent (more by Jessica Amaya)

today in Chicago
* RJD2 @ The Mid
* Ben Sollee, Sean Rowe @ SPACE
* Death Cab For Cutie, The Lonely Forest @ Metro
* Blockhead, Poirier, Quadratic, Zulu @ Abbey Pub
* Crystal Stilts, Eternal Summers, The Beets @ Empty Bottle
* Urge Overkill, Innkeepers, Farewell Captain @ Bottom Lounge

Ben Sollee, and Sean Rowe play Schubas tomorrow night.

Crystal Stilts play a 1:30PM in-store tomorrow, at Permanent Records.

What else?

Death Cab For Cutie (photo by Autumn de Wilde)

Bob Mould (of Husker Du) will host an "evening of reading and music" at the Mercury Theatre on June 16th.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, at 10AM CST.

The Bronx are playing Subterranean on July 9th.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, at 10AM CST.

Mountain Man are playing Schubas on July 12th.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, at noon CST.

The recently reunited Cibo Matto will play Lincoln Hall on July 14th, with support from Tony Castles.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, at noon CST.

Band of Heathens are playing Schubas on July 28th.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, at noon CST.

The Handsome Furs are playing the Bottom Lounge on July 29th.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, at noon CST.

Taking Back Sunday are playing two nights at the House of Blues on July 30th & 31st.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, at 10AM CST.

As previously announced,
Death Cab For Cutie and Frightened Rabbit will be playing at UIC Pavilion on August 25th.
Presale tickets will be available starting Friday, at 10AM CST and be off sale by 10PM.
Password: codes
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Saturday, at 10AM CST.

Houses will play Schubas on August 27th.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, at noon CST.

They Might Be Giants are playing the Riv on September 23rd.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, at 10AM CST.

CSS @ Music Hall of Williamsburg on 5/12/2011 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

FRIDAY
Death Cab For Cutie will bring their "Underplay Tour" to Metro, with support from The Lonely Forest.

Aesop Rock collaborator; Blockhead will play Abbey Pub with Poirier, Quadratic, and MC Zulu.

Urge Overkill played Bowery Ballroom in NYC on Tuesday night, and they'll headline the Bottom Lounge here in Chicago with Innkeepers, and Farewell Captain tonight.

Crystal Stilts, Eternal Summers, and The Beets can be found over at Empty Bottle.

RJD2 will play The Mid.

On the heels of his latest LP Inclusions, Ben Sollee will play two Chicagoland shows this weekend. He can be found at SPACE in Evanston tonight, and at Schubas tomorrow. Both shows will feature an opening set from Sean Rowe.

SATURDAY
Austra just released their debut LP Feel It Break on May 17th via Domino Records. For the ridiculously small fee of $5, you can catch them over at Beauty Bar.

The Sea and Cake will play a hometown show at Empty Bottle.

CSS will play Metro with Princeton, and DAAN.

Lucinda Williams will spend both tonight, and tomorrow night at Park West.

One day after their headlining show at Empty Bottle, Crystal Stilts will play an in-store at Permanent Records at 1:30PM.

SUNDAY
Andrew Belle will play Lincoln Hall with a full backing band, and opener Matt Hires.

Bruce Cockburn will play to a sold out crowd at the Old Town School of Folk Music.

STREAM: Death Cab For Cutie - "Home Is A Fire" (MP3)

Death Cab For Cutie have a lot to keep up with lately; so we'll start from the beginning...

First thing's first, their seventh LP Codes and Keys comes out on May 31st via Atlantic Records. In support of the LP, they'll hit the road for a string of club dates dubbed, the Underplay Tour.

This coming Friday, the indie rock-mainstays will spend their second night of tour at the way sold-out Metro. As per much of these club dates, The Lonely Forest will open.

Following the Underplay Tour, is a larger set of North American dates with the likes of Frightened Rabbit. Initially lacking a Chicago date, they've just announced that they'll make a stop at the UIC Pavilion (who recently hosted Arcade Fire / The National) on August 25th. Tickets for the show go on sale Saturday, May 21st at 10AM CST.

Stream the album track, "Home Is A Fire" at the top of this post, then head below to view its music video plus all 2011 tour dates.

Continue reading "Death Cab For Cutie announced UIC Pavilion date w/ Frightened Rabbit, playing Metro this Friday"

My Morning Jacket @ Terminal 5 in 2010 (more by Matthew Eisman)

Timber Timbre will play Schubas on May 20th.
Tickets go on sale this Friday at noon CST.

Tame Impala and Yuck have added a SECOND show at Lincoln Hall on May 4th.
Tickets go on sale this Friday at noon CST.

The Sam Roberts Band, and Zeus will play Lincoln Hall on June 7th.
Tickets go on sale this Friday at noon CST.

As previously reported, James Blake's May 15th show has been moved from Schubas to its big sister venue Lincoln Hall. This means more tickets!
They'll go on sale Friday at noon CST.

Neil Young is playing two shows at the Chicago Theatre on May 6th, and 7th.
Both night one, and night two go on sale this Saturday at 10AM CST.

We recently announced a tour, and album details for Death Cab for Cutie's LP Codes and Keys. They'll play a very intimate show at Metro on May 20th.
Tickets go on sale Saturday at noon CST.

Ben Harper will play the Vic Theatre on June 30th.
Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10AM CST.

My Morning Jacket will play the Auditorium Theatre on June 17th.
They've also got a new LP Circuital due out this summer via ATO Records.
Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10AM CST.