
Three reasons why there's no need to load up on sweets before heading down to The Hideout tonight... 1. Chicago sugary shoegazers Panda Riot make music that comes at you like a tidal wave with its swirling distortion guitar, spacey atmospheric noise and multi-part angelic harmonies. It's not always a hard impact; for instance on "Streetlight & you & me" from 2010's Far and Near EP, Panda Riot hits back more like an overwhelmingly gentle embrace. No matter the mood, Panda Riot always strikes the right one. [...]
Shonen Knife Happy 11-11-11! Yesterday's brief snow dusting, thankfully, was not Snowmagdeon part deux , so put on your puffer jackets this weekend and enjoy the rock. We're talking about some sweet shows including Shonen Knife's 30th anniversary tour stop at Empty Bottle, plus Mastodon at the Riv and Panda Riot at the Burlington. Let's hop to it. FRIDAY MASTODON [...]

Oh, what a weekend Chicago has in store for us all. Riot Fest , which technically kicked off yesterday, continues with big, big, big shows around town including DANZIG, Smoking Popes and Weezer. But if you're not into the insanity of our annual punk-a-thon, look no further than T-Bone at Quenchers, Great Society Mind Destroyers at the Viaduct and a few more fests we think you'd enjoy immensely. You don't want to find hell with me, mother. So let's get to it. [...]
Dream/noise-poppers Panda Riot are in the studio recording and previews new track Serious Radical Girls . From a release of the same name due in 2037 if what written is true...which it probably isn't (2012 sounds like a much better guess)! Sounds pretty much like the stuff we've heard from the band before, which basically means that it sounds pretty good...
Panda Riot Dream poppers Panda Riot are hard at work inside a recording studio, creating a followup to last year's Far and Near EP. This weekend, the group unveiled a new demo called "Serious Radical Girls" that is pure spacey, shoegaze pop goodness. It's hard not to hear "Soon" by legends My Bloody Valentine bubbling underneath the surface due to a persistent guitar work buzzing and echoing in and out of the track. However, "Serious Radical Girls" doesn't share the above mentioned MBV track's same upbeat [...]

Architecture Rain, rain, go away so that I might party outside without getting drenched today. OK yes, that was lame, but this weekend surely isn't. We've got dueling neighborhood fests yet again with Taste of Lincoln Avenue at the East end of Fullerton and the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival happening on the West. It feels like summer is only getting started, so let's get to it! FRIDAY [...]

Wild Flag | Photo by John Clark What a weekend we have in store for you, Chicago. It's a big one with both Wicker Park and Sheffield Garden Walk competing for your attention with great local and national acts like Wild Flag, Wavves, Soul Aslyum, Company of Thieves, Canasta, Archie Powell & the Exports and more rocking the two neighborhood fests. Not to mention Thee Oh Sees are playing not once, but twice this weekend. Let's get ready to rock! [...]
Yet another sign of summer, despite Chicago's foray into November-like Fall temperatures, is the announcement of the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival 's musical lineup. The three-day street festival kicks off Friday, July 29 and ends Sunday, July 31, along North Milwaukee between California and Kimball Avenues in Logan Square. The Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival includes two stages chocked full of local artists, including four of our 11 Chicago Bands to Watch in 2011 . The main stage will be ruled by groovy soul rockers JC Brooks & The Uptown [...]
Panda Riot Three oh-that's-where-Boo-Radley-is- from reasons to pick up a book from time to time and then hit up the Empty Bottle tonight... 1. This one is a no-brainer. It's practically a who's who of LLP favorites. It pretty much just writes itself! In fact, I'm going to kind of let it. Headliner Panda Riot might as well be honorary members of our little band of rag tag reporters. Their dream pop has garnered them a place in our [...]

Photo Credit: Carrie Musgrave - livebabylive.com So as you're probably aware, last month we revealed our 11 Chicago Bands To Watch In 2011 . One aspect of the list that we think lacked a bit was the audio component. I mean sure, we can tell you about the bands, but we really want you to listen to them. Therefore we proudly present, albeit a few weeks late, The Loud Loop Press 11 Chicago Bands To Watch In 2011 Compilation . Tracks from all the bands on the list, Rabble Rabble [...]
Sort of feel I should be slapped for that headline, but what's done is done. Anyway, a few weeks back, our r ecommended listening for you was the track "Run The Tables" from Chicago's dream-pop, chillwave (even though I hate to use that term, but it fits) outfit Calm Palm Vapor . Well, just yesterday the band released a new video for "Run The Tables," which was directed by Brian Cook of Panda Riot and features bear masked people riding in spaceships, dancing in a forest and all that good stuff. And don't forget: Calm Palm [...]
Panda Riot Whoop! There it is! Friday, it is, rather. Unfortunately, there's no more Chicago football to be watched and obsessed over, but there are plenty of great music options this weekend including Panda Riot at Simone's Bar , Michael Lux and the Bad Son s at the Bottom Lounge , Dorain Taj at the Double Door and so much more. Let's get to it, shall we? FRIDAY [...]

Photo Credit: Carrie Musgrave - livebabylive.com It's that time again! Simply put: There are thousands of great local bands playing every week in our fair city. Some you might know and some you might not. Seeing as it's the beginning of a brand new year, we thought we'd point out some local bands who we think you might want to keep your eye on in 2011. And isn't it always cool to say you were a fan of popular act back in the day when they were playing for eight people [...]

For those not in the know, Chicago's architecture is an indie-pop duo comprised of Melissa Harris and Rebecca Scott, who can be found fronting another local band called Panda Riot . It appears as though architecture have been hard at work as of late as they've released two brand new songs on their Facebook page yesterday. One of them is titled "In the morning" and features an awfully catchy melancholy hook over reverb-drenched guitar strikes and bouncy drum work. Listen to "In the Morning" below: [...]

Since MTV seems to stand for "More Tween Waste" these days, musicians have decidedly taken to the Internet when releasing music videos. Sites such as YouTube or Vimeo have opened the doors for bands who wouldn't have even received airplay back during MTV's heyday to create their own music videos, which can be seen by hundreds or thousands at the click of a button. Chicago's massive music scene features quite a few acts that still see the music video as a prominent art form. There were literally hundreds of music videos from local bands and artists released [...]
Panda Riot make that kind of life affirming music that sounds very sweet, especially just after you've submitted a piece of assessment for uni. Panda Riot are in fact a fourpiece out of Chicago, and apart from being a little life affirming, they make some really nice shoe-gazy pop music. The guys have an EP [...]
Panda Riot Panda Riot - 16 Seconds

[caption id="attachment_13223" align="alignnone" width="445" caption="California Wives"] [/caption] Well, if you couldn't tell by stepping outside this morning, Summer is ending and Fall is near. It's practically chilly in the shade! Still, Chicago's festival season and outdoor performances roll on. Of course there's the North Coast Music Festival set to take over Union Park this weekend. Be sure to check out our North Coast Music Festival Preview before heading out there this afternoon. Also set for this weekend is the Joyous Outdoor Event with music curated by the Metro and featuring [...]

Nothing says awesome like a R. Kelly cover. Just ask architecture , a Panda Riot side project featuring band members Rebecca Scott and Melissa Harris, who sent us this sweet cover of R. Kelly's "Pregnant" . To say it's a departure from the original is an understatement as it takes the slow R&B sex groove of the original give it a bit of an indie-pop quality. Listen here: architecture - "Pregnant" (R. Kelly Cover) . Don't worry though. architecture aren't one trick [...]
![Panda Riot: Motown Glass [Video]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/2755489_lg.jpg)
Contrary to your own beliefs, whatever they may be, I feel that shoegaze is, more often than not, a very visual style of music. That's why select bands choose to accompany the music with visual elements. This trait lends itself to music videos. Panda Riot mixes their shoegaze with indie pop, emphasizing a domineering, precocious drum machine beat accompanied with playful female vocals. Like their music, Panda Riot mixes various elements on their music video for "Motown Glass", from black and white sketches [...]