It's been quite a long time since Scotland Yard Gospel Choir have played Chicago. Frontman Elia Einhorn moved to Brooklyn in 2012, but lately, he's been making trips back to Chicago to work on the group's forthcoming LP. This Thursday (4/18), Scotland Yard Gospel Choir will play a Do312-curated Red Bull Sound Select show at The Burlington with Rivals of the Peacemaker and The Kuhls. Advance tickets for the Chicago show are still available.

A few SYGC song streams are below...

Continue reading "Scotland Yard Gospel Choir playing The Burlington this Thursday, prepping new LP"

DOWNLOAD: Implodes - "Scattered in the Wind" (MP3)

Chicago quartet Implodes are set to release the follow-up to their 2011 debut LP Black Earth on April 1 via Kranky. It's called Recurring Dream and you can grab its hazy lead single "Scattered in the Wind" above. The track is a textured slow-burner that develops into a great fuzzed-out guitar section. It's also available to stream at the bottom of this post.

Implodes have a couple of upcoming local shows. The first of two is a performance at The Burlington on March 8 with Night Terror (aka Tyson Torstensen of Ga'an, Magical Beautiful). Then, they'll play a free show at the Empty Bottle on April 8 with support from Population.

A stream of "Scattered in the Wind" and album info. for Recurring Dream are below...

Continue reading "Implodes releasing new LP (MP3), playing The Burlington and Empty Bottle"

As seen on BrooklynVegan, Toronto-based experimental/ambient artist Aidan Baker is set to head out on a North American tour in late-March. That tour includes a performance at The Burlington on April 5. The show is not yet listed on The Burlington's concert calendar, so stay tuned for more information.

The extremely prolific musician recently welcomed collaborations with Troum and Jakob Thiesen, and is slated to release his new solo LP, Already Drowning, on April 15 via Gizeh Records. Sample a bit of each of the three albums and check out Baker's full 2013 tour schedule below...

Continue reading "Aidan Baker playing The Burlington in April"

All Eyes West @ Metro, September 2012 (more by Zach Pollack)

Chicago punks All Eyes West may only have one full-length to their name, but are no strangers to the scene. The three-piece came together in 2010, released their great self-titled debut in 2011, and have cut their teeth on the road with Bob Mould, Seaweed, and many more. The group are set to embark on a European tour later this month with Amusement Parks on Fire, but before that happens, they'll kick things off with a pair of hometown shows this weekend. Catch their FREE, 4PM in-store at Record Breakers this Saturday (1/19), and then head to The Burlington at night to see them with Jack & Ace and Che Arthur. All tour dates are listed below.

All All Eyes West tour dates and a stream of their self-titled debut are below...

Continue reading "All Eyes West playing Record Breakers & The Burlington this Saturday before going on a European tour (dates, streams)"

We've been talking New Year's Eve for quite some time, and since the world didn't end last week, all the great shows and parties we told you about are still happening.

Refresh your memory below...

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"The Screaming Eagle of Soul" himself, Charles Bradley, will be visiting Chicago for a two-night stand at Lincoln Hall on December 30 & 31. Advance tickets are still available for both shows, and though his New Year's Eve performance will cost you twice as much as the 30th, you'll receive complimentary drink tickets, appetizers, and a Daptone Records drop card for a free digital sampler.

Speaking of Lincoln Hall, their sister venue Schubas will be hosting Maps & Atlases on December 30 & 31. Gypsyblood will act as main support on the 30th, Santah will open the show on New Year's Eve, and advance tickets for both shows are still available. There's also a two-show pass for sale.

Screeching Weasel are celebrating their 27th anniversary with a two-night run at Reggie's on December 30th & 31st. Though Night 1 (with The Queers, The Manges, and Vatican Junkies) is sold out, advance tickets for Night 2 (with The Queers, The Manges, and They Stay Dead) are still available.

Local H are playing the Beat Kitchen on December 30 (with State & Madison) & 31 (with All Eyes West). Their NYE show is sold out, but tickets are still available for their 12/30 performance.

Tilly and the Wall are yet another act that will be playing two Chicago shows during New Year's Eve weekend. You'll be able to find them at Subterranean on December 30 (with California Wives) & 31 (with My Gold Mask and DJ CC Rider). Advance tickets for both shows are still available.

Butch Walker and Dick Prall are also playing two nights in Chicago. They'll appear at the Double Door on December 30 and at the Bottom Lounge on December 31. Both shows are sold out.

The Eternals will be performing "the Espiritu Zombi Suite," a piece written for a larger group-version of the band, at the Hideout on New Year's Eve. As discussed, core members Damon Locks, Wayne Montana, and Areif Sless-Kitain will be joined by six additional musicians on vibes, coronet, flute, saxophone, and more. Chandeliers will act as main support and will also play a DJ set around midnight. Advance tickets are still available.

"The Queen of Rockabilly," Wanda Jackson, will be headlining the Double Door on New Year's Eve. JD Wilkes and the Dirt Daubers, Burlesque le' Moustache, and Soul Summit DJs will open the show. Advance tickets are still available.

Alejandro Escovedo and his band The Sensitive Boys are set to play SPACE in Evanston, IL on New Year's Eve. Nicholas Tremulis will open the show, and advance tickets are still available.

Naked Raygun and The Dwarves are playing the Cobra Lounge on New Year's Eve. Though advance tickets are sold out, there may be a small amount available for purchase at the door.

Denton, TX's The Marked Men are playing the Empty Bottle on December 31 with Bad Sports and Terrible Twos (tickets). As discussed, Marked Men side project Mind Spiders are playing the Bottle on December 29 with The Novice and Dumpster Babies (tickets).

Speaking of the Empty Bottle, they're also presenting Mucca Pazza, White Mystery, and Jon Drake & the Shakes at the Logan Square Auditorium on New Year's Eve (tickets). They're also doing "New Year's Eve: Two Thousand Turnteen" with The Hood Internet, Moon Boots, Only Children, and DJ Esquire at Beauty Bar (tickets).

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound are set to play the final show of 2012 at Mayne Stage on December 31. Advance tickets for that show are still available.

The Airborne Toxic Event and On An On play Metro on New Year's Eve. Tickets are still available, and don't forget: Neurosis, Bloodiest, and The Atlas Moth play the venue on December 30 (tickets).

Magic Milk, Rabble Rabble, Vamos, Kodiak Farm Boys, The Electric Dollhouse Groove Buggy, Don't Forget Your Dinosaur, and The Sueves are ALL set to play Quenchers on New Year's Eve. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door.

Outer Minds, The Hello Hello, and Absolutely Not will be performing at The Burlington on December 31.

South Loop dive bar Cal's are closing on New Year's Day. They'll be throwing a farewell // New Year's Eve show, featuring performances by Mercy Mercy, Demerits, and Larroquettes.

Hannibal Buress is playing three shows at Zanies on New Year's Eve. Advance tickets for his three NYE shows in Chicago are sold out, but the Zanies box office might be holding onto some.

Perhaps you're looking for something a bit more electronic? Porter Robinson is coming to Chicago for a two-night stand at the Congress on December 30 & 31. Hardwell and Deniz Koyu will act as main support on the 30th, and Mat Zo and The M Machine will open the show on the 31. Advance tickets for both nights are still available. Paul Oakenfold is also playing Castle Nightclub (tickets).

ALSO: You'll be able to ride the CTA from 10PM - 4AM on New Year's Eve for 1¢. For more information on how that works visit the CTA's website.

What did we miss?

Heading to Austin or New York? We also have a list of shows that are happening in both of those cities.

Happy (almost) New Year!

Bear Claw @ ATP-UK Nightmare Before Christmas 2012

Bass-heavy Chicago trio Bear Claw, who opened for Mission of Burma at Lincoln Hall and played the Shellac-curated ATP UK - Nightmare Before Christmas Festival among other shows this fall, are gearing up for two local dates. They'll headline The Burlington this Friday night (12/21) with support from The Conformists and Guzzlemug. That show will run you a small donation at the door. Bear Claw will also be opening for Alma Negra and Child Bite at the Empty Bottle on January 14. That show is actually part of the Bottle's free Mondays series and doesn't even require an RSVP.

Check out a few song streams // live videos below, and catch Bear Claw live for free (or close to nothing) in Chicago in the near future.

Continue reading "Bear Claw playing shows: The Burlington & Empty Bottle"

Trevor de Braw @ Lincoln Hall in August (more by Zach Pollack)

As mentioned, experimental music festival Neon Marshmallow kicks off its four-night run at The Burlington tonight (Thursday, November 15). Tonight's show will be headlined by Windbreaker and features Guardian Alien, Dolores Dewberry, and Trevor de Brauw. In addition to his groups Pelican and Chord, Trevor crafts ambient, guitar-centric drones under his given name. He's shared a new one today, called "They Keep Bowing," which was recorded in North Carolina "sometime around 2006." If you purchased a festival pass to Neon Marshmallow, this is one of the complimentary MP3s you received. For those who haven't purchased a pass, you can take a listen to "They Keep Bowing" at the bottom of this post. As another one of de Brauw's songs urges, "Don't Be An Asshole," and get to The Burlington tonight.

Stream "They Keep Bowing" below...

Continue reading "listen to a new track from Trevor de Brauw, who plays Neon Marshmallow 2012 at The Burlington tonight"

As mentioned earlier today, the 2012 edition of Neon Marshmallow is set to take place at The Burlington from November 15-18. The festival lineup has arrived tonight, and includes Pelican/Chord member and solo artist Trevor de Brauw, Thurston Moore, Greg Fox's Guardian Alien, MV & EE, Running, Julian Lynch, and many more acts. Festival passes are on sale now, and come with MP3s from Windbreaker, Ryley Walker, and more. Of course, you could take your chances and pay per-day at the door but we don't recommend it (and there might not be room for walk-ups).

Scope the full festival schedule-by-day below...

Continue reading "Trevor de Brauw, Thurston Moore, Guardian Alien & more to perform at Neon Marshmallow 2012"

Annual experimental music festival Neon Marshmallow is set to make its return next month, at The Burlington from November 15 - 18. According to the Chicago Reader's Gossip Wolf column, the lineup will include a solo set from a member of Sonic Youth. Stay tuned for an official festival announcement.

Angel Olsen @ Schubas earlier this month (more by Grant MacAllister)

Angel Olsen is set to head out on a brief US tour in support of Half Way Home next month. That tour begins on November 10th on the East Coast and will wrap up on November 19 with a hometown show at The Burlington. Clouds and Mountains and the Ching Quartet will act as main support, and tickets will be for sale at the door.

All Angel Olsen tour dates and a stream of Half Way Home are below...

Continue reading "Angel Olsen finishing off a fall tour at The Burlington (dates)"

David Vandervelde @ La Zona Rosa in Austin, TX in April (more by Tim Griffin)

Indie-pop musician and onetime Chicago resident David Vandervelde will be headed here next month for a Wednesday night residency at The Burlington. The first show of that residency-- Wednesday, November 7-- features support from Pinebender and Tight Phantomz. Support for his three other performances are TBA.

Vandervelde's most recent album, Waiting for the Sunrise, arrived in 2008 via Secretly Canadian. Since then he has just been releasing 7" after 7", the latest being titled More Than You Can Feel, which hit stores in 2011. Stay tuned for new releases from the songwriter.

Some David Vandervelde song streams are below...

Continue reading "David Vandervelde has a November residency at The Burlington"

DOWNLOAD: Santah - "Teeth" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Santah - "Indigo" (MP3)

Chicago's Santah are gearing up for the release of their new EP, You're Still a Lover, which is due out on October 16 via Saki (it'll serve as the record shop's first release). You can stream the EP in its entirety via a widget below, and can preorder it via the band's website. Two of the EP's five tracks, called "Teeth" and "Indigo," are also available for free download above.

Santah will be doing a bit of touring this month in support of You're Still a Lover, a schedule that includes a stint at CMJ in New York City. They'll finish off their tour with a pair of Chicago record release shows -- October 25 at Township and October 26 at The Burlington. Savior Adore and Royal Canoe are included on the Township bill (tickets), and support comes from Psychic Twin and Brother George at The Burlington.

All Santah tour dates and a stream of You're Still a Lover are below...

Continue reading "Santah streaming forthcoming EP (listen here), playing release shows at Township & The Burlington"

Papa M @ ATP NY 2010 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Papa M (aka David Pajo of Slint, Tortoise, Zwan & more) has been doing some touring this summer and will continue to play shows this fall. Pajo has a short September tour schedule, to which he has added a Chicago show at The Burlington on September 29 to. He'll perform an early show at the venue (7PM sharp), and doors open for a late show-- headlined by Soft Speaker-- at 9PM.

All known Papa M dates and some footage of a recent live performance are below...

Continue reading "Papa M touring, playing The Burlington"

Washington, D.C.-based garage rockers Chain & The Gang released their most recent LP, In Cool Blood, in June via K Records. If you haven't heard it yet, you can stream the album in its entirety at the bottom of this post. Frontman Ian Svenonius and co. are set to tour the US this fall. That tour hasn't been announced in full, but makes a stop in Chicago on October 3 for a show at The Burlington with Outer Minds. Tickets will be for sale at the door.

All known Chain & The Gang dates and a stream of In Cool Blood are below...

Continue reading "Chain & The Gang touring, playing The Burlington w/ Outer Minds"

Bloodiest @ IL Centennial Monument in Logan Sq. in '11 (more by Grant MacAllister)

Logan Square spot The Burlington will be five years old on August 25 and are throwing an anniversary party featuring Bloodiest, CAVE, Lasers and Fast and Shit, Paul Cary, Cloudbirds, Nino Divino, Obnox, and more acts TBA. The celebration show begins at 2PM that Saturday and will set you back a cool $7 at the door. There will be DJs, acoustic performances in the front room, and free beer/a special hosted bar throughout the day.

Song streams from a few of the performers are below...

Continue reading "The Burlington is turning 5; Bloodiest, CAVE, Lasers and Fast and Shit & others helping celebrate"

DOWNLOAD: Deep Time - "Clouds" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Deep Time - "Homeboy" (MP3)

Deep Time's debut LP

Austin's Deep Time (formerly YellowFever) released their solid debut LP earlier this month via Hardly Art. Sample their minimalist art pop by downloading the album tracks "Clouds" and "Homeboy" at the top of this post.

As seen on BrooklynVegan, Deep Time are currently on the road in the US. They've added a Chicago show to that run, which is slated to take place at The Burlington on August 11. Blizzard Babies and Nonnie Parry open, and tickets will be available at the door.

All Deep time dates and a new video for "Clouds" are below...

Continue reading "Deep Time released an LP, touring, playing The Burlington"

Man Forever, the project of Oneida drummer Kid Millions (aka John Colpitts), released a new album called Pansophical Cataract last month via Thrill Jockey. John is currently on tour in support of the LP and will hit Chicago's The Burlington tonight (6/12) for a show with Brokeback and Bitchin' Bajas (aka Cooper Crane of CAVE). Tickets will be available at the door.

Man Forever's current tour includes members of Besnard Lakes, DD/MM/YY, Tortoise, Brokeback, Turn to Crime, White Gregg, Pelt, CAVE, Terminal Lovers, Scarcity of Tanks, The Apes, and more.

All Man Forever tour dates are listed below, along with some videos.

Continue reading "Man Forever on tour, playing The Burlington tonight"

Anatomy of Habit @ Saint Vitus in Brooklyn (more by Mariah Karson)

Local doom favorites Anatomy of Habit recently lost their longtime bassist/drummer, but show no signs of slowing down.

Next Saturday (April 21), they're headlining The Burlington with support from Man (aka Sean Patrick Riley of Bloodiest). As always, shows at The Burlington run on a suggested donation-basis (this one says $8). You can also catch the band at the Hideout on May 12, joined by Chord and Jon Mueller. Advance tickets are on sale.

Speaking of Chord (which features Pelican guitarist Trevor de Brauw), Anatomy of Habit have been added as one of the openers on his other band Pelican's June 29 show at Lincoln Hall. Redgrave are also included on the bill, for which tickets are (somehow) still available. Pelican's new EP, Ataraxia​/​Taraxis, just hit stores yesterday via Southern Lord.

A few days before they open for Pelican, AoH will act as main support for NYC trio RØSENKØPF's June 22 show at the Cobra Lounge. Maledicere and Sun Splitter are also on the bill; advance tickets are on sale. Just yesterday, RØSENKØPF released a new track from their forthcoming debut LP for Wierd Records. Stream the song, titled "Burning Spirits," over at BrooklynVegan.

As mentioned, AoH entered Soma Studios in January to track their forthcoming album with Tortoise drummer/producer to many John McEntire. The band recently revealed that test pressings are just a few weeks out and will once again be mastered and cut by Chicago Mastering Service's Bob Weston (who's also the bassist of Shellac).

Stream AoH's debut LP below...

Continue reading "Anatomy of Habit have upcoming shows w/ Man, Chord, Pelican & RØSENKØPF"

CAVE on a flatbed truck in September (more by John Yingling)

Local krautrockers CAVE released their excellent Neverendless LP this past September via Drag City. A recent performance at Chicago Psych Fest 3 aside, the group have been somewhat quiet lately, leaving more time for band member Cooper Crane to focus on his own project Bitchin' Bajas.

Bitchin' Bajas are pretty similar to CAVE, but take a more minimalist approach at motorik rhythm, coming off tranquil rather than rockin'. Check out some song streams at the bottom of this post. Cooper will be headlining The Burlington on March 3rd with support from CATACOMBZ and Bad Drugs. He'll also play a SXSW send-off with Running and Stacian, at the Empty Bottle on the 10th of the month.

Back in September, BV's Bill Pearis said, "Who can we talk to about getting CAVE to tour with fellow Chicagoans Disappears?" Well, we don't have an answer for that either, but Bitchin' Bajas ARE playing a show with the band in Belgium. Hey, it's a step in the right direction.

CAVE are playing the bottle on April 21st, support TBA. Tickets are on sale now and you can also RSVP for FREE admission. UPDATE: Hott Lunch and ONO will open.

All known 2012 tour dates for both projects and some song streams/videos, below..

Continue reading "CAVE & Bitchin' Bajas schedule shows"

Angel Olsen's Strange Cacti cover art

Chicago-based singer/songwriter Angel Olsen released her most recent album, Strange Cacti, on cassette tape in July of 2010 and in digital/vinyl formats in April of 2011 via Bathetic Records.

As a frequent Bonnie 'Prince' Billy collaborator, Angel has been keeping busy this year recording and touring the world behind Island Brothers and Wolfroy Goes To Town. Before leaving on another European tour just a few days ago, she laid down some new songs on a 4-track cassette recorder and sent it off to the label..

"For your ears only," she said. These will most likely be the songs for her new album. Recorded directly onto cassette, the tracks are rough in quality - some are muffled dives from across the room, while others are heavenly clipped. They are perfect. Again, hairs are left standing on the back of the neck.. Later this year, these songs will be properly re-recorded for a new solo album. And maybe we'll make some ultra-special limited dubbings of this here cassette. Maybe. [Bathetic]

Some videos, below..

Continue reading "Angel Olsen to play The Burlington & other stuff"

Anatomy of Habit @ Saint Vitus in Brooklyn (more by Mariah Karson)

As discussed, Anatomy of Habit said they weren't going to play any shows this month, then they added just one, and now it seems they can't stop adding gigs to their schedule.

The first brand new show will take place on February 25th at the Hideout, with support from Arriver and The Swan King. Look out for tickets to be posted. Next, is the Cobra Lounge on March 23rd with Alma Negra and Electric Hawk. Look out for tickets on this one, too. AoH will then play The Burlington on April 21st, support TBA. Yup, you guessed it, ticketing info is forthcoming for this show as well.

Speaking of Arriver, The Swan King, and Alma Negra, they've all got upcoming gigs of their own. This Friday (1/13), Lovely Little Girls, Arriver, Alma Negra, and Never We See play the Cobra Lounge. Alma Negra also play Stavros Giannopoulos (of The Atlas Moth)' Heavy... Weekly at Ultra Lounge on February 15th. They'll share the bill with Himalayan, which consists of the owners of Chicago's Emperor Custom Guitar Cabinets and are former members of the band Raise the Red Lantern. Stay tuned for a split 12" from the two bands. As mentioned, The Swan King are playing The Burlington this Saturday (1/14) and have now added a February 11th performance at the Empty Bottle, with support from Bridesmaid, Sun Splitter, and Oyarsa. Tickets are on sale now. Two more noteworthy Cobra Lounge shows take place on the 20th and 28th and those are: Harpoon, Sweet Cobra, Head of Skulls, Jar'd Loose and then Ringworm, Keelhaul, Hate, Making Ghosts, and The Infected.

Did we miss any? Please let us know!

Chicago's own and very enigmatic MR. 666 (aka Michael Perkins) is scheduled to play two upcoming shows at The Burlington. Perkins' dark, drone-y synth layers are very similar to those created by artists like Xeno & Oaklander and Oneohtrix Point Never. There is an underlying dance element in his work. His most recent album, an August 2011 self-titled effort, a more polished and fully realized project, builds upon what it seems like he set out to do with older material. Catch MR. 666 at the Logan Square venue on January 25th, with support from NYC's Shock Diamond. He'll play The Burlington again on February 13th, acting as support for Chandeliers along with Pooper and Xina Xurner. Check out some song streams below.

Speaking of Chandeliers, they'll play Schubas tomorrow night (1/11), supporting Com Truise, DOM, and Lazercrystal. As mentioned, five-day passes are now sold out, though single tickets are still available for this specific show.

MR. 666 song streams, below..

Continue reading "MR. 666 is playing two shows @ The Burlington, one is w/ Chandeliers (who play TNK 2012)"

DOWNLOAD: Nones - "Wife Meat" (MP3)

Nones @ HoZac Blackout Fest 2011 (photo by Robert Loerzel)

Chicago psych-punk outfit Nones are set to headline Logan Square's The Burlington bar on January 19th. The four-piece fronted by singer/saxophonist Brandon Bayles pack quite a punch. Their first 7" for HoZac, Space Load, is available for purchase via Permanent Records (online and in-store). Their second 7" is currently only available as part of HoZac's Hookup Klub Round 3, a 7" subscription service. Download a song of theirs called "Wife Meat" at the top of this post and/or stream it below. Stream some more songs via their Facebook. Locals Coffin Pricks will act as main support.

Sea and Cake (who recently played the Empty Bottle) frontman Sam Prekop is also playing The Burlington, the following night (1/20), when he opens for Cleared and Expo 70.

Song streams, below..

Continue reading "Nones and Coffin Pricks to play The Burlington, Sam Prekop too"

Chris Connelly

Chris Connelly (Revolting Cocks, ex-Ministry) recently released a solo album titled Artificial Madness via Relapse Records. The LP was produced by Sanford Parker and recorded with the help of current and former members of Nachtmystium (who play the Cobra Lounge on the 30th), Wolves In The Throne Room, Minsk, Indian, The Swan King, and more. The post-punk leaning effort is packed with driving guitars, commanding vocals, and all around lush instrumentation. He played a record release show at the Hideout on December 8th, which you can now stream/download an audio recording of. Take a listen to the album's title track and another called "Classically Wounded," below.

Though Connelly told Windy City Rock his "life does not allow for touring right now," he's set to open for Zola Jesus at Lincoln Hall on February 21st along with her tour mates Talk Normal. Tickets are still available.

Speaking of The Swan King, they'll play The Burlington on January 14th with Backs and Bongripper. Tickets are just $5 at the door.

Song streams, album art, and tracklisting, below..

Continue reading "Chris Connelly released an LP, playing LH w/ Zola Jesus"