Craig Finn of The Hold Steady @ Do Division on 6/2/2012 (more by Zach Pollack)

Taste of Randolph Street Festival kicks off on Friday night (6/15) featuring sets from Los Campesinos! and Those Darlins. The fest continues on throughout the weekend and includes performances by The Hold Steady, Santah, Hollows, Angel Melendez & The 911 Mambo Orchestra, and more.

Admission is $10 per day and as always, there will be a slew of local restaurants serving up great food just inside of the gates. Check out the full music lineup-by-day below...

Continue reading "Taste of Randolph happens this weekend (Los Campesinos!, Those Darlins, The Hold Steady, Santah & more)"

DOWNLOAD: Grass Widow - "Goldilocks Zone" (MP3)

Grass Widow @ Prospect Park in 2010 (BKLYN) (more by Matthew Eisman)

Grass Widow will release their new LP, Internal Logic, on May 29 via the band's own HLR Records. Download the album's lead single "Goldilocks Zone" at the top of this post and/or stream it below. Preorder Internal Logic via HLR now.

In support of the album, the group will head out on a North American run at the end of this month. They'll make a stop in Chicago on June 2 to play the Beat Kitchen with The Soft Pack and Soft Speaker. Advance tickets are on sale.

All dates are listed below, along with a stream of "Goldilocks Zone" and an album trailer.

Continue reading "Grass Widow welcome 'Internal Logic,' playing Beat Kitchen on tour (dates)"

Coffin Pricks' Group Home Haircut LP

Chicago punks Coffin Pricks are set to welcome their debut EP, Group Home Haircut, on May 15 via Stationary (Heart) Records. The three-track EP was recorded by Mike Lust at Phantom Manor Studios and features cover art by Tortoise's John Herndon. Take a listen to the album's title track and check out its cover art/tracklisting at the bottom of this post. Purchase Group Home Haircut via Stationary (Heart) Records' webstore.

Coffin Pricks' next Chicago show is this Thursday (May 17), at Subterranean, serving as both their and Hollows' record release show. Radar Eyes and Summer Girlfriends are also on the bill, and advance tickets are on sale. The four-piece recently played an Epitonic Saki Session and you can stream/download their 10-track live set HERE.

Song stream and album info below...

Continue reading "Coffin Pricks releasing 'Group Home Haircut,' playing Sub-t w/ Hollows on Thursday"

Chicago-based live music archivist/recording engineer/architectural acoustician Shimby McCreery has put together a collection of his works that were recorded at the Empty Bottle throughout the past two years. TODAY (April 14), marks the release of his project on vinyl/CD/digital download. Head to the CHIRP Record Fair to grab a physical copy of the album, which features Best Coast, Ty Segall, the Black Lips, Crystal Stilts, Davila 666, Dutchess and the Duke, The Fresh and Onlys, Hollows, Hunx and his Punx, Mickey, Outer Minds, Shannon and the Clams, The Strange Boys, and Tyler Jon Tyler.

Stream Shimby Presents: Live at the Empty Bottle in its entirety, below...

Continue reading "Shimby Presents: Live at the Empty Bottle (live recordings of Best Coast, Ty Segall, the Black Lips, Crystal Stilts & more)"

As part of Record Store Day 2012 (Saturday, April 21), we're excited to announce that we've partnered up with our good friends at Saki Records in Logan Square to bring you a full day of in-store performances and MORE!

For those of you who will be searching for RSD's many exclusives, Saki will open up 9AM. The specific releases they'll be carrying can be found HERE. In-store performances will begin at 1PM and continue up until 9PM.

Here's what the day will look like:

1PM - Santah
2PM - Bare Mutants
3PM - Cains & Abels
4PM - Cross Record
5PM - Minor Characters
6PM - Hollows
7PM - Opposites
8PM - The Runnies

CHIRP Radio DJs will be spinning records between sets all day long.

Hang onto your Saki RSD receipt for exclusive deals from other local businesses, such as: $10 off labor at Shake Shop, One free PBR from The Burlington, 10% off at Bucket O' Blood Books & Records, One free small drip coffee from New Wave, and you guessed it.. more TBA.

Aside from DJing all day, CHIRP will also be running a Plinko-style game with prizes.

The Tamale Spaceship food truck will be parked outside all day, serving up delicious treats.

Stay tuned for even more info!

Hollows (photo by Rodger Ruzanka)

As we covered in our interview with the band, Hollows' sophomore LP, Vulture, hits stores on April 10 via Trouble in Mind.

When we spoke earlier this month, they didn't have any upcoming shows. They now have a few dates including a record release show at Subterranean on May 17. Tickets go on sale this Saturday (March 31), at 10AM CST. Support for the Chicago show is TBA.

All known 2012 tour dates and some videos, below..

Continue reading "Hollows schedule record release show @ Subterranean"

by Zach Pollack

Hollows

This past weekend, we sat down with Chicago's Hollows to discuss their forthcoming sophomore LP, Vulture, out April 10 via Trouble in Mind. Along with the interview, we've got a premiere of the album's first single "V Is For Vulture," which can be heard below.

Our chat starts here..

--------

BVC: Maria and Emma, how's it going?

Maria: Great.

Emma: Same here!

BVC: So, I know you've probably been asked this in every interview.. ever, but can you tell us how the band came to be? Introduce yourselves!

Maria: We get asked this a lot, actually. I posted something on Craigslist and Emma answered it. We picked up some friends as we went along and eventually wound up with our current lineup. Emma - if you want to get more specific, feel free.

Emma: Sure. When Maria and I met, she was playing in this awesome band called Parsley Flakes and had written bits of songs that I guess didn't fit that band?

Maria: Yes, I was writing pop songs that didn't fit in with other things I was doing.

continued below..

Continue reading "an interview with Maria Jenkins & Emma Hospelhorn of Hollows (plus a song premiere)"

photos by John Yingling & Zach Pollack

Shellac


The first-ever Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements went down back in September. You may remember we posted some pictures from the first day, but never finished what we started. A belated set of pictures from the second and third days of the Chicago fest continue below...

Continue reading "Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements (belated pics)"

As previously mentioned, the inaugural year of Chicago's Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements is set to take place from September 16 - 18 in Eckhart Park.

The three-day festival will feature sets from Bill Callahan, School of Seven Bells, Shellac, and many more spread across its three stages. There will be circus performers too. Full lineup is below.

One of the stages dubbed Birdhouse Stage, is 100% FREE...

The Birdhouse Outdoor Stage will feature an eclectic sampling of the many musical styles flourishing within the Chicago scene. From world music, to indie rock, to Louisiana brass, the Birdhouse Stage offers the unique opportunity for audiences to experience the wealth of talent happening in Chicago's music scene. Check out the artists and times below, and come sample and support some of the best sounds emerging from our own backyard.

Continue reading "Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements full lineup -- free Birdhouse Stage included"

oOoOO with Butterclock @ PS1 Warm Up (more by Erez Avissar)

today in Chicago
* Block Party @ Cobra Lounge
* Braid, All Eyes West, Fires @ Metro
* Hollows, Radar Eyes, Runnies @ Hideout
* Lost in the Trees, Thin Hymns @ Lincoln Hall
* Houses, Pet Lions, Prussia @ Schubas (Late Show)
* Release The Sunbird, The Glory Singers @ Schubas (Early Show)
* oOoOO with Butterclock, Glitter Bones, Supreme Cuts @ Empty Bottle
* Blah Blah Blah, Sidewalk Chalk, Buckman Page, Magic Milk, The Queue @ Double Door

Hurricane Irene is wreaking havoc on live music, on the East Coast. Note all show cancelations on BrooklynVegan.

What else?