
The first weekend of 2012 does not disappoint. There's plenty of happenings to take in as you enjoy this RIDIC weather. We're talking Secret Colours , Tiger Bones , The Gorilla Press and more! Dig it... FRIDAY THE CELL PHONES In case you hadn't heard, late last month I named The Cell Phones's Hospital Spaceship [...]

ARTIST: The SWAG Report 85 with freebie mp3 downloads for songs by artists including Mark Lanegan Band, Bright Moments, Cristina Black, Thee American Revolution, U.S. Girls, Golden Filter, Wooden Birds, Beauty Pill, Boxer The Horse and more! So much more! DATE: 12-07-11 WRITER: Don Loder Hey Junky - I'm baa-aack, I know I was a little late las' week junky, so inna spirit o' da season, I thought I'd come right back an' unload a bunch more SWAG on ya! It's really da [...]

As the end of the year fast approaches, we have been replaying songs, re-evaluating albums, and generally preparing for our 'Best Of 20112 posts in all their various forms. What this means in practical terms is that we are discovering (sometimes to our shame, and sometimes to our horror) songs we meant to have posted or should have posted, but for some inexplicable reason we never did. First amongst these are two relatively recent crackers from Apteka and The Beautiful View . The former is a brilliant example of a modern [...]

ARTIST: The SWAG Report 81 with freebie mp3 downloads for songs by Big Baby Gandhi, Total Slacker, Guided By Voices, Girl In A Coma, Built Like Alaska, Errors and more! So much more! DATE: 11-08-11 WRITER: Don Loder Hey ya beautiful junkies youse, So how ya doin' youse itchy little bastids? I ain't asked in a while, so are ya beginnin' ta git that itchin' feelin'? I c'n smell it oon ya, 'at's fo' shoor, ya hooked some-bitch ya. Good [...]
PLAYLIST: GoGoGo Airheart - November, November Sulk - Back In Bloom Ride - Today Oasis - I Can See It Now The Dandy Warhols - Ride APTEKA - Striking Violet Jupe Jupe - Suspicion The Weather Prophets - Almost Prayed The Vipers - Tears (Only Dry) Hospital Ships - Love or Death The Concretes - Lonely As Can Be The Walkmen - Tenleytown Wolf Ram Heart - Viewgirls Spiritualized - Angel Sigh Bromheads Jacket - Trip To The Golden Arches Gangcharger - [...]

Some choice SoundCloud streams with downloads to consider this week: Apteka - Striking Violet from Gargoyle Days released 10/31 -Post-rock bordering on metal from this Chicago-based quartet. Album was released on Halloween, perfect pairing. - Baby Baby - London Bridges from Money out now on Gospel of Rhythm Recordings -Yet another track from Baby Baby, who continue to roll forward with their excellent [...]

Local psych-riffers Apteka are releasing their new LP, Gargoyle Days , at the Empty Bottle tonight, and we've got the epic debut single from the record available for your listening pleasure. Last month, Apteka opened at Jane's Addiction's two-night stint at the Metro, and it's easy to hear why based on this new single, "Striking Violet." After beginning with a cacophony of jet engine riffage, the drums lay down a heavy-but-bouncy groove over over a dark and spacey guitar line. The song eventually builds to a powerful arena-rock [...]

It's Labor Day weekend, y'all! It's time to celebrate our jobs by taking some time off from them to enjoy what little is left of summer. Because of the holiday there are festivals aplenty happening in the city. We've got North Coast Music Festival happening in the West Loop and Ravenswood Remix on the Northside. Plus shows by Save the Clocktower and Dark Fog . Let's get to it! FRIDAY [...]
Chicago's Secret Colours have just released a brand new, sonically delectable single. The psychedelic pop-rockers dropped "Follow the Drone" earlier today on their bandcamp page with the slow burning B-side "Lust (Slow)". "Follow the Drone" lives up to it's name and opens with a heavy, droning riff before mammoth drums, hazy vocals and sitar-esque guitars soon follow. It's a groove-heavy rocker that's arena rock ready. Listen to "Follow the Drone" at the left. Also, don't have to wait long to (likely) see "Follow the Drone" in action. Secret Colours are headlining a [...]

You know my love for Apteka knows no bounds. This Chicago band has enthralled me with their hard-hitting, guitar and searing sounds. I try to hit all their shows, although I've been remiss of late. Saturday night is my chance to redeem myself and in a big way! They're hitting the Subterranean Lounge with another great local group who I can't believe I've not yet heard, Secret Colours. Now, THIS is a gig to shake off that winter cold, people! If there's two bands whose sound is made for each other, it's [...]

You all know my love for Apteka knows no bounds. This Chicago band has enthralled me with their hard-hitting, guitar and searing sounds. I try to hit all their shows, although I've been remiss of late. Saturday night is my chance to redeem myself and in a big way! They're hitting the Subterranean Lounge with another great local group who I can't believe I've not yet heard, Secret Colours. Now, THIS is a gig to shake off that winter cold, people! If there's two bands whose sound is made for each other, [...]

I'll admit it. We fell into the same trap that every magazine and blog on the planet did. The self-indulgent, we-know-what-you-should-like-b etter-than-you-do Best Albums of 2010 list. Here at TDOA headquarters, we'd like to think that we've given you some names that weren't familiar and provided you with some surprises. But at the end of the day, who better to assess the state of music than the musicians themselves? So, we reached out to every band that we interviewed in 2010 and asked them to give us their favorite albums of the year. [...]

Chicago's Empty Bottle features free concerts every Monday night, which is usually an amazing way to check out local and up-and-coming talent without having to feel anxious about plunking down hard-earned cash on bands you're not super familiar with. This month's schedule included the NPR-name dropped Buke and Gass, the echo-heavy New Wave-iness of locals Golden Birthday, as well as the Chicago-based, dronetastic Sadhu Sadhu. The Monday show I most closely had my eye on, though, was this one. I've been excited about the material Sybris has put out for a couple of years now, and as news of a [...]

Sybris Three I'll-keep-this-brief-and-just- say-now-that-was-a-real-winter -storm-eh reasons to not be fooled by the clear blue skies and bundle up, chums, before heading to the Bottle tonight... 1. Drummerless? Probably not. Well, I hope not. None the less, Sybris are celebrating their seventh annual Sybmas tonight. Sure, why not? Seems they've been putting the finishing touches on a new LP with metal producer Sanford Parker tweaking the nobs, so maybe expect a heavier vibe from these already heavy-ish kids. Perhaps some of that there new material will even be on display this very evening. [...]

After spending all your holiday cash buying spa gift certificates and organic cotton neck ties, reward yourself with something that don't cost a damn thing. This Monday The Empty Bottle gives us two hometown bands for an insane bargain- FREE. I say insane because unless you've lived under a Chicago snow pile for the last few years, you'd know about local talents Sybris and Apteka. Epic rock brainchild Sybris has long won over fans with energetic fun wrapped in the warm, dirty embrace of rock. Captivating, toocool vocals combine with some serious guitar power to result in a [...]

Two cool things happened this week: I got a job (well, two jobs really) and this little blog got recognized by some really cool people in the music blogging world. Well, this was a really lovely surprise! Love Shack, Baby has been made SoundCloud's Blog of the Week over on their Tumblr. I had exchanged a few emails with Michelle , describing how I used the free service and how bands had reached out to me with their music using SoundCloud. Little did I know that I was in the running for their Blog of the Week [...]

Kentucky-based publicity firm, Crash Avenue , state in the " About Us " section of their website that they're "fueled by a passion for good music and art." We definitely believe that seeing how their brand new free July compilation features three of Chicago's best up-and-coming rock bands. The comp, titled Guerrilla vs. Bear , features 10 tracks of not only Crash Avenue artists, but bands the firm dig and are friends with as well. Chicago is represented quite well as the comp features the track "Traitors" from dark prog-rockers [...]

ARTIST: Hey! Rotate This. 016 with over fifty freebie downloads for songs by Billy Bragg, Whirl, The Rentals, The Acorn, Peter Gabriel, noun, Mock & Toof and more ! So much more! DATE: 07-08-10 WRITER: Don Loder Alright real quick, So tell me if you think I'm wrong - some things are just too good to pass up aren't they? I found some stuff like that for you this week kiddies, and it's just awesome. Somehow, I found a bunch o' solid gold SWAG to lay [...]

Photo by Drew Reynolds And now three da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da- da-da reasons to celebrate a Stanley Cup championship at the Subterranean tonight... 1. Panda Riot really impressed me with their latest release Far & Near . The band have pretty much perfected their dreamy, lush synth and drum machine-driven pop. But what made Far & Near so impressive were it's little subtleties and nuances that gave the music some very heavy undertones. Better yet, apparently member Rebecca Scott has a new amp to melt your [...]

Chicago psych rockers Apteka have been gaining steam lately. They were among the band's discussed in this Gapers Block piece on the city's ever-growing shoegaze scene along with Panda Riot and Sissy Mena . Is it any surprise then that all three bands can be seen on Thursday, June 10, at Subterranean ? Anyway, here's a cool video of Apteka putting their own spin on the Thompson Twins' song "If You Were Here" , best known from the Sixteen Candles soundtrack, from Columbia College Presents Chicago Live. Enjoy: