Josh Ritter @ BookPeople in Austin, October 2011 (more by Tim Griffin)

Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band are gearing up for the release of their fifth full-length album, The Beast in Its Tracks, which is due to hit stores on March 5. You can take a listen to the LP's lead single, "Joy To You Baby," at the bottom of this post.

Ritter & the Royal City Band will begin touring in support of The Beast in Its Tracks in February. That tour includes a stop at the Vic Theatre on April 27. Advance tickets are on sale now, and each purchase includes a digital download of the album (available on 3/5). All tour dates are listed below.

All Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band tour dates and a stream of their new single are below...

Continue reading "Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band releasing new LP, touring, playing the Vic"

Eels (the project of singer-songwriter Mark Oliver Everett) are set to welcome their 10th album, Wonderful, Glorious, on February 5 via Vagrant. You can check out its cover art, tracklist, and lead single "Peach Blossom" at the bottom of this post. Everett and co. will embark on a 2013 world tour in support of the LP. That tour includes a stop at Chicago's the Vic Theatre on February 23. Ticketing information is forthcoming, but check JAM Productions' website for updates.

All Eels tour dates, a stream of "Peach Blossom," and Wonderful, Glorious' tracklist are below...

Continue reading "Eels prepping new LP, touring, playing the Vic"

Tame Impala @ Metro earlier this month (more by James Richards IV)

Tame Impala, who recently hit Chicago for a performance at Metro, will be returning to our city on a new North American run in 2013. That run kicks off in mid-February and includes a performance at the Vic Theatre on March 6. Ticketing information for the Chicago show is forthcoming, but check JAM Productions' website for updates.

All 2012 // 2013 tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Tame Impala announce North American tour, playing the Vic"

Lucero @ BV-SXSW 2012 (more by Tim Griffin)

As discussed, the 2013 edition of Tomorrow Never Knows is set to take place from January 16-20 at Lincoln Hall, Schubas, Metro, Hideout, Smart Bar, and the Vic Theatre. A second round of acts have now been added to the festival; some playing brand new shows and some as support for previously announced headliners.

One of the new shows happens at Metro on January 19, and it'll be headlined by Lucero. Tickets for that one go on sale this Friday (11/23) at noon CST. Another new one is Bear in Heaven, Hooray For Earth, Supreme Cuts, and one more act TBA at Schubas on January 16. Tickets for that show also go on sale this Friday at noon.

January 19th's Freelance Whales show at Lincoln Hall, with Snowmine, now also features Hundred Waters on the bill. Advance tickets are still available; five-day passes are also still available.

Check out a TNK 2013 official mixtape below...

Continue reading "Lucero, Bear in Heaven, Hooray For Earth & more acts added to Tomorrow Never Knows 2013"

They Might Be Giants are currently prepping their new "adult" adult album for release sometime next year. Aside from a trio of New Year's Eve-weekend shows in Brooklyn, the group are set to hit the road in North America in February. That tour includes a performance at Chicago's the Vic on March 16. Tickets for the Chicago show go on sale this Saturday (11/17) at 10AM CST. Stay tuned for a possible presale.

TMBG are also readying a new Holiday Bundle for release. That bundle includes a new DVD compilation, titled Them Ain't Big Eye Ants, playing cards, a travel mug, t-shirt, and much more. Them Ain't Big Eye Ants features an electronic version of "Istambul (Not Constantinople)," which you can check out below along with their 2012 // 2013 tour schedule...

Continue reading "They Might Be Giants prepping new LP, touring, playing the Vic"

Yo La Tengo @ Brooklyn's Prospect Park in August (more by Jessica Amaya)

Yo La Tengo, who are slated to play their annual Hanukkah shows at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ, are beginning to announce a 2013 US tour. So far, they've only shared a handful of dates, one of which is a February 2 performance at the Vic Theatre. Tickets for that show go on sale this Saturday (11/17) at 10AM CST.

YLT are also prepping a new LP, titled Fade, for release on January 15 (1/16 in the UK) via Matador. The album was recorded by Chicago staple John McEntire at his Soma Studios. They've let that LP's first single, called "Stupid Things," go and you can stream it at the bottom of this post. Check out Fade's cover art and tracklist at the bottom of this post.

All Yo La Tengo tour dates, Fade info., and a stream of "Stupid Things" are below...

Continue reading "Yo La Tengo are beginning to announce a 2013 tour, playing the Vic in February"

Chelsea Wolfe @ Lincoln Hall in August (more by Zach Pollack)

As mentioned, the 2013 edition of Tomorrow Never Knows is slated to take place from January 16-20 at venues throughout the city. More acts have now been added to the festival, some to existing shows and some as brand new events.

One of those brand new shows is the stacked lineup of Chelsea Wolfe, The Amazing, and King Dude at Schubas on January 19. Ms. Wolfe made her Chicago debut at Lincoln Hall this summer, and recently released the great Unknown Rooms: A Collection Of Acoustic Songs via Sargent House. She's got an electric, full-band album coming soon. Sweden's The Amazing welcomed their Gentle Stream LP last month in the US via Partisan Records. They're currently supporting Tame Impala on tour and will be in Chicago on November 13 to play Metro. King Dude (aka TJ Cowgill) released his new album, Burning Daylight, in October via DAIS. He'll embark on a North American tour this weekend, which is set to reach Chicago on December 12 for a performance at the Empty Bottle. Tickets for Chelsea Wolfe, The Amazing, and King Dude go on sale this Friday (11/9) at noon CST.

The other new show will be headlined by San Francisco's Geographer, and is taking place at Schubas on January 20. Tickets for that show are also going on sale this Friday at noon CST.

Hundred Waters, who recently played Schubas with Julia Holter, have been added to Freelance Whales' January 19 show at Lincoln Hall with Snowmine. Advance tickets are still available.

As mentioned, The Walkmen, who played Metro as part of TNK 2012, will be playing the Vic with Father John Misty on January 18. That show is now part of Tomorrow Never Knows, with limited availability for 5-Day Pass holders. Speaking of 5-day passes, they are still available.

Stay tuned for more Tomorrow Never Knows 2013 updates.

photos by Sara Pieper

The Mountain Goats at the Vic on 10.27.2012

On Saturday night (10/27) The Mountain Goats brought their tour in support of Transcendental Youth through Chicago for a performance at the Vic Theatre. Tourmate Matthew E. White, who wrote the horn arrangements for Transcendental Youth, opened the night with his eight-piece band. Were you there? What did you think of the show?

More pictures and the setlist from their 10/27 performance at the Vic are below...

Continue reading "The Mountain Goats and Matthew E. White played the Vic (pics, setlist)"

The Walkmen @ NYC's Terminal 5 earlier this month (more by Gretchen Robinette)

The Walkmen have announced a string of 2013 North American tour dates featuring support from Father John Misty. That tour currently spans the latter half of January, and will reach Chicago on January 18 for a performance at the Vic Theatre. Tickets for that show are not on sale yet, but check JAM Productions' website for updates.

Along with this string of tour dates, The Walkmen have shared a pair of live videos from their NYC record release show for Heaven at Bowery Ballroom. La Blogotheque filmed the group performing the cuts "Heaven" and "Heartbreaker," and you can watch both at the bottom of this post.

Meanwhile, Father John Misty is here and plays an in-store at Saki Records with The Orwells at 6PM tonight. That in-store is free, but you might want to get there early as space is very limited. FJM also plays a sold-out show at Lincoln Hall this Tuesday. Do you have tickets?

All Walkmen // Father John Misty tour dates and a few videos are below...

Continue reading "The Walkmen announce 2013 tour with Father John Misty, playing the Vic"

Willis Earl Beal @ Cole's Bar in February (bvC-presents) (more by Ben Rodig)

As you might recall, Willis Earl Beal's first large tour was with SBTRKT. He's now on another large tour-- one that makes a whole lot more sense-- with Cat Power. That tour visits New York City tonight, and will head to Chicago this Sunday (10/28) for a performance at the Vic. That show was originally booked at the Riv, but has been moved. All tickets will be honored, and there are still some for sale. X-Ray Eyeballs are also on this tour.

Willis had to cancel some of his own dates to make this Cat Power run work. His updated 2012 tour schedule can be found below...

Continue reading "Willis Earl Beal opening for Cat Power this Sunday, which has been moved from the Riv to the Vic"

by Chase Turner

Odd Future at the Vic on 9.16.2012

Odd Future brought their signature mayhem to a very sold-out show at the Vic on Sunday night (9/16). Like any, and every, Odd Future show there was a lot of moshing and stage diving. One unexpected bit of chaos happened when an audience member got his hands on a fire extinguisher during the middle of the set, ran into the middle of the crowd, and proceeded to douse the audience and band with chemical agents. The smell was terrible, and the band briefly stopped the show and said something along the lines of, "Who the fuck did that? That guy has got to go. You aren't allowed to just do shit like that! We get to do crazy shit like that, not you guys. Fuck this show." All in all quite the success; I couldn't stop laughing. The whole shebang was over by 10PM and ended with a crew of about 20-OFWGKTA affiliates stage diving for 10-minutes. At the very end the group invitied the crowd to join them at Subterranean, where label mates Trash Talk were playing a show.

More pictures from Odd Future's Sunday night (9/16) show at the Vic continue below...

Continue reading "Odd Future played the Vic (pics, review)"

Daughn Gibson @ Union Hall in May (BKLYN) (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

Country crooner/beatmaker Daughn Gibson has signed to Sub Pop, who will be releasing his sophomore full-length album in 2013. He released a great debut album earlier this year, called All Hell, and more recently put out a new 7". In celebration of his signing, Gibson sampled two of his new labelmates-- Shabazz Palaces and Tiny Vipers-- on a new track called "Reach Into The Fire." Take a listen to it at the bottom of this post.

As mentioned, Daughn visits Chicago tonight (8/22) with his tourmates Yeasayer for a show at the Vic (tickets). He'll be on the road supporting Yeasayer for the remainder of August, and then will kick off a US headlining run in September. That run includes a Chicago show at the Empty Bottle on October 29. Tickets go on sale this Friday (8/24) at 10AM CST.

All Daughn Gibson dates and some song streams are below...

Continue reading "Sub Pop-signed Daughn Gibson plays the Vic tonight w/ Yeasayer, touring, headlining the Empty Bottle in October"

Metric @ Sasquatch 2012 (more by Chris Graham)

Metric are here to play Lollapalooza on Friday (8/3) and have also announced that they'll be playing a private show in the city next week.

People of Tomorrow!

After the incredible time we all had at the free, last minute concerts we threw for fans across North America in June, we're writing to announce another one in Chicago!

We hooked up with Acura on the fall tour to give you a chance to win a free ILX Hybrid, plus some lucky winners will get to attend a private, invite-only show for Chicago area fans on August 10th at The Vic.

The only way to get tickets is to win them, either right here from us or from Acura. | [Metric]

Continue reading "Metric playing a private show @ the Vic next week"

photos by Chase Turner

Those Darlins @ the Vic on 7/27/2012

Nashville's Those Darlins finished up a summer North American tour with Best Coast this past weekend. One of their final stops on that run was a performance at the Vic on Friday, July 27. More pictures from their opening set continue below. Unfortunately one night later, in Minneapolis, MN, a guitar and a bass were stolen from their van just after a show at the Cedar Cultural Center. Details on those instruments can be found HERE; please contact them if you see either.

As seen on BrooklynVegan, Those Darlins are set to head out on tour with the Old 97's later this month. That tour does hit Chicago, though the band will not be opening that leg of it. After their stint with the 97's, Those Darlins will embark on a short tour with Heavy Cream in October. That tour visits Chicago's Schubas for a show on November 1. Tickets go on sale this Friday (8/3) at noon CST.

All Those Darlins dates and more pictures from the Vic are below...

Continue reading "Those Darlins played the Vic w/ Best Coast (pics); playing Schubas & other dates w/ Heavy Cream this fall"

DOWNLOAD: The Mountain Goats - "Cry for Judas" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Matthew E. White - "One of These Days" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Matthew E. White - "Big Love" (MP3)

The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle @ Lollapalooza 2011 (more by Grant MacAllister)

John Darnielle's Mountain Goats are set to release their new album, Transcendental Youth, on October 2 via Merge. The LP's lead single "Cry for Judas" is available for download at the top of this post and/or to stream below.

The Mountain Goats will support Transcendental Youth with a fall North American tour, which finishes off at the Vic on October 27. Tickets for that show are not on sale yet, but check JAM Productions for updates.

All dates on that tour will be opened by Matthew E. White, whose debut solo LP, Big Inner, comes out on August 21 via Spacebomb/Hometapes. Megafaun's Phil Cook guests on the album and has collaborated with White in the past. You can download the album tracks "One of These Days" and "Big Love" at the top of this post and/or stream them below.

All dates, song streams, and album info for Transcendental Youth and Big Inner are below...

Continue reading "Mountain Goats and Matthew E. White releasing LPs (MP3s), touring together, playing the Vic"

The Olivia Tremor Control @ Bottom Lounge in September (more by John Yingling)

While they're visiting Chicago to play the Pitchfork Festival (on Friday, July 13), The Olivia Tremor Control will play a free (with RSVP) show at Reggie's on July 15. Country crooner Daughn Gibson will be opening the show.

Gibson will be doing a bit of touring with Yeasayer in August and is on board to open their show at the Vic on the 22nd of the month (tickets). In addition to his recently released LP, All Hell, Gibson put out a new 7" in early June. You can stream both sides ("Lite Me Up" / "The Mark of a Man") at the bottom of this post. You can also stream All Hell in its entirety below.

All Olivia Tremor Control / Daughn Gibson dates are listed below, with song streams.

Continue reading "The Olivia Tremor Control playing free show @ Reggie's w/ Daughn Gibson, who is going on tour w/ Yeasayer (dates)"

Old 97's @ Lincoln Hall in July of 2011 (more by Ben Rodig)

The Old 97's are celebrating the 15th anniversary of their album Too Far to Care by playing it in its entirety on tour in the US this fall. One of the tour's stops is at the Vic on October 19 with Salim Nourallah and an opening acoustic set by Old 97 Rhett Miller. Advance tickets are on sale. In addition to playing the full album on tour, the group will give Too Far to Care the deluxe reissue treatment later this year, which includes its first-ever vinyl pressing. All dates are listed below.

Speaking of frontman Rhett Miller, he'll head out for a string of pre-97's dates this month in support of his recently released solo LP The Dreamer. Rhett will visit SPACE in Evanston, IL on July 20. Advance tickets are on sale.

All Old 97's/Rhett Miller tour dates are listed below.

Continue reading "Old 97's bringing 'Too Far to Care' tour to the Vic; Rhett Miller playing SPACE this month"

photos by Sarah Frankie Linder

The Hives @ the Vic on 6/30/2012

On Saturday night (6/30) Swedish garage rock revivalists The Hives finished off the short North American leg of their tour with a packed show at the Vic Theatre. Openers FIDLAR and Flesh Lights were along for the ride, and pictures of all three acts are in this post.

More pictures from Saturday night's show at the Vic continue below, along with some videos.

Continue reading "The Hives, FIDLAR & Flesh Lights played the Vic (pics, video)"

photos by James Richards IV

Ministry @ the Vic on 6/29/2012

Reunited Chicago industrial-metal group Ministry finished off a short run of US dates this weekend with back to back hometown shows at the Vic on June 28 & 29. A full set of pictures and the setlist from their Friday night performance are in this post.

Yesterday (7/1) the group began a European tour in Finland, which will keep them on the road until mid-August.

More pictures from the Chicago show, the setlist, and all tour dates can be found below...

Continue reading "Ministry & Blackburner played the Vic (pics, setlist)"

Lollapalooza 2012 has revealed the full schedule for their 3-day festival, set to take place from August 3-5 in Grant Park. Check it out HERE.

A bunch of official aftershows have also been announced, happening from August 1-5. Here's a number of them (more TBA, including unofficial shows):

August 1
Alabama Shakes, First Aid Kit, Dry The River, Filligar @ Metro
Delta Spirit, FIDLAR @ Lincoln Hall

August 2
Passion Pit, GIVERS, Kishi Bashi @ House of Blues
Kids These Days, Overdoz @ Schubas
Dr. Dog, Kevin Devine, The Dunwells @ Lincoln Hall
Zedd, Gus K, DJ Gordo, DJ Torio @ The Mid

August 3
Bear in Heaven, YAWN @ the Empty Bottle
NERO (DJ Set), Die Antwoord, Anamanaguchi @ Congress Theater
Frank Ocean @ Metro
tUnE-yArDs, Washed Out @ House of Blues
The Black Angels, Night Beats @ Double Door
The War on Drugs, Milo Greene @ Schubas
Blind Pilot, Kopecky Family Band @ Lincoln Hall
Porter Robinson, Madeon @ The Mid
The Growlers, JEFF the Brotherhood @ Subterranean
Paper Diamond, Minnesota @ Bottom Lounge

August 4
White Rabbits, Dum Dum Girls, Oberhofer @ Cubby Bear
Doomtree, Naledge of Kidz In The Hall @ the Empty Bottle
Zeds Dead, Big Gigantic, Midnight Conspiracy, Big Chocolate @ Congress Theater
The Afghan Whigs @ Metro
Of Monsters & Men, Yellow Ostrich @ House of Blues
Trampled By Turtles, The Devil Makes Three @ Double Door
Childish Gambino @ the Vic
The Temper Trap, Poliça @ Park West
Gary Clark Jr., LP @ Schubas
Twin Shadow @ Lincoln Hall
Calvin Harris, Nathan Scott @ The Mid
The Big Pink @ Subterranean
Bombay Bicycle Club, Hey Rosetta! @ Bottom Lounge

August 5
Chairlift w/ Alt-J @ the Empty Bottle
The Walkmen @ Lincoln Hall

Social Distortion @ Madison Square Garden in 2011 (more by Dana (Distortion) Yavin)

Social Distortion released their most recent LP, Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes, in 2011 and are gearing up to hit the road once again. The group will get things going with a string of European dates in August, followed by a North American tour with Lindi Ortega and The Biters in October. They'll kick off the North American leg at Chicago's Vic Theatre on October 11. Tickets go on sale this Saturday (6/9) at 10AM CST.

All Social D tour dates are listed below, along with a few videos.

Continue reading "Social Distortion kicking off fall tour @ the Vic (dates)"

DOWNLOAD: Yeasayer - "Henrietta" (MP3)

Yeasayer @ Jones Beach in 2011 (NY) (more by Dana (Distortion) Yavin)

Yeasayer are gearing up for the release of their third full-length LP, Fragrant World, due out on August 21 via Secretly Canadian. The band recently shared the album's lead single, "Henrietta," which much like Odd Blood, is an interesting mix of 80s R&B and what has become Yeasayer's signature psych rock sound. Download the single at the top of this post and/or stream it below.

In support of the album, Yeasayer will begin touring throughout North America in late-June. They'll visit Chicago on August 22 for a headlining show at the Vic. Ticketing info is forthcoming.

All Yeasayer dates are listed below, along with a stream of their new single.

Continue reading "Yeasayer prepping 'Fragrant World,' playing the Vic in August"

photos by Sarah Frankie Linder

M. Ward @ the Vic on 5/22/2012

On Tuesday night (5/22), M. Ward brought his tour with the Lee Ranaldo Band to Chicago for a performance at the Vic Theatre. A full set of pictures from the show and a video of M. Ward playing Monsters of Folk's "Whole Lotta Losin'" are in this post.

As mentioned, the Lee Ranaldo Band will join Chicago's Disappears for a few European dates in late-July. They are currently overseas right now and are slated to play Primavera Sound Festival next week. A full list of tour dates can be found HERE.

Pictures from Tuesday night's show at the Vic continue below...

Continue reading "M. Ward & the Lee Ranaldo Band played the Vic (pics, video)"

photos by Ben Rodig

Reggie Watts @ the Vic on 5/16/2012

Rolling Stone: There's always been this lingering question: is Reggie Watts a comedian or a musician?

Reggie Watts: I guess, in a weird way, I've never actually thought of this until now, which is really odd. I guess, in a way, I grew up mixed race: half white, half black. That question's always been on my mind: what are you? Are you this or that? Are you a white dude or are you a black dude? In a strange way, music and comedy is kind of the same thing. I'm both. They're just different modes of expression.

Rolling Stone: People always want things to fit into a nice, tidy box.

Reggie Watts: Everybody's got their take on it. That's the cool thing about art. Everyone gets their own opinions, which is awesome. For myself, I just think, "Oh yeah, this is what I've always done."

Continue reading "Reggie Watts & Cameron Esposito @ the Vic (pics)"

As mentioned, TBS' Just for Laughs comedy festival is set to take place from June 12-17 at venues throughout the city. The fest has added a bunch of new performers to the schedule, which already includes Stephen Merchant, Kevin Smith, Patton Oswalt, John Oliver, Jeff Ross, Aziz Ansari, Mike Birbiglia, Brian Posehn, Hannibal Buress, Nick Offerman, and others.

It now also includes Sarah Silverman, Janeane Garofalo, Scott Adsit, Jon Glaser, Kevin Dorff, and Jet Eveleth...

June 13 - Janeane Garofalo, Kyle Kinane @ UP Comedy Club

June 13 - Scott Adsit, Jon Glaser & Kevin Dorff @ iO Theatre

June 14 - Scott Adsit, Jon Glaser & Kevin Dorff @ iO Theatre

June 15 - Scott Adsit, Jet Eveleth @ iO Theatre

June 16 - Sarah Silverman @ The Chicago Theatre (Early & Late)