Playing ribfest sounds like a punchline, for sure. But in recent years the organizers of Chicago's Ribfest in North Center have booked some decent musical acts. This year's lineup includes some locals, including Waco Brothers, My Gold Mask and Ezra Furman & the Harpoons . There are also sets by garage rockers The Ettes , rockabilly vets the Legendary Shack Shakers , country rocker Hayes Carll and the Twin Cities' Tapes 'n Tapes . All in all, it's a good lineup ... especially for a ribfest. [...]
MAGNET's Mitch Myers files his seventh round of notes from SXSW. SXSW overload—it happens (to me) every year. After eight days of pursuing all manner of celebrity, entertainment, news, gossip, special screenings, private parties and record-label showcases, I was burnt out from chasing the brass ring, and toxic levels had been achieved. I tried to [...]
[Photos from SXSW in Austin, TX 3/18/2011 by Michael Piantigini.] As is typical of SXSW, today was a day of frustration at long lines, parking problems, and bad timing that was more than made up for by a few spectacular performances. Home Slice Pizza's Music By The Slice is always a great party with a great lineup with easy access to great pizza. This year, though, some permitting conflicts led to them having to put the shows on with no amplification whatsoever. Apex Manor played a great set there on Thursday, [...]

Loyal Divide OK - It's the calm before the storm, people. There are only a few days before the Springtime monster known as South by Southwest Festival awakens and all hell breaks loose. Despite the madness to come, we're proud to highlight a tiny portion of the excitement bubbling around the city this weekend. Our finest musical acts may be readying themselves for a full-on invasion of Austin, Texas, like the mighty Napoleon going to battle but first they must tread our stages once more. We've got two [...]
Filed under: Concerts and Tours , The Hit List Nearly every musical genre under the sun will be represented in Austin for the annual SXSW festival, but the number of cowboy hats per capita [...]

Als ik in Austin, Texas ben kom ik vroeg of laat altijd wel weer terecht bij de Yard Dog , een fantastische galerie. Het is heerlijk om daar een beetje rond te kijken en vooral de schilderijen van Jon Langford zijn elke keer weer een lust voor het oog. Wat zou ik toch graag een van zijn schilderijen van de groten uit country of folk aan mijn muur hebben. Voorlopig beperk ik me maar tot de ontwerpen op de hoezen van de CD's van Jon Langford. Zoals de afbeelding op Old Devils , Langford's [...]

When Joe Strummer died, a piece of him stayed behind inside of Jon Langford. Langford, a Welsh singer-songwriter, is one of the rare examples of a drummer (as part of the seminal punk band The Mekons) who was able to transform into a guitar-playing bandleader. Like Strummer, he infused his raw, energetic, and unrehearsed punk sensibility with elements of country and folk, playing with bands like Waco Brothers and Three Johns (with John Hyatt) before forming the Skull Orchard band. There are few artists today whose albums I instantly take to as strongly as Langford, and his [...]

Chicago summer festival season is right around the corner - as if the crazy high 80-degree weather in May didn't clue you in already - and we've got some festival lineup updates. We've already told you about Wicker Park Fest , Do-Division Street Fest and the second annual Metronome Celebration . Now here's the scoop on Taste Of Randolph and the Green Music Fest lineups. Taste Of Randolph, Friday, June 18, through Sunday, June 20, at 900 W. Randolph in [...]
Y'all remember David Cobb , don't ya? David's Houston Calling column was a staple of the Donewaiting site for a few years before it outgrew this site and spun off to it's own domain ( houstoncalling.net ). David's got the advantage of living in the same state as SXSW and while it's not exactly a short bike ride from Houston to Austin, he's still a lot closer to the mayhem than the rest of the DW staff. David has spent the last month interviewing bands appearing at SXSW that he likes [...]

Photo by Audrey Leon Spring has sprung. Not officially for another week, but it sure feels that way. Snow is gone, and heavy coats are no longer outdoor necessities. Yay! Don't have plans yet? Plenty of great shows this weekend including Pelican at the Beat Kitchen , Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at Bottom Lounge , the Hideout's SXSW send off and more! But first, a reminder that Loud Loop Radio will be back on the air tomorrow, Saturday, March 12, at [...]

The Hideout's Benefit For Haiti event on January, 18, was a enourmous success. According to Hideoutchicago.com , the event, which featured performances from Chicago acts the Waco Brothers and Eleventh Dream Day , a poster sale by Judgeworks and a bake sale from My Vegetable Blog , raised almost $8,000. All proceeds from the event will be donated to Partners In Health , an organization that provides health care to underprivileged countries and has been [...]

As winter draws near, this can only mean one thing: Spring Break staple South by Southwest festival is on the horizon. The annual central Texas music festival has released a preliminary list of over 200 bands from all over the globe including four from Chicago for it's 2010 edition. Gaining a coveted spot on a SXSW stage are the Chicago hip-hop group Kidz in the Hall , recent Chicago Public Library Sound Off contest winner Psalm One , alt-country outfit the Waco Brothers [...]

Jon Langford and the gang will be playing an all-day "beer-b-q" at the Hideout Saturday . It's a full day of Bloodshot artists, starting at noon and celebrating the Chicago record label's 15th anniversary. The event takes the place of the Hideout's annual block party. Langford's Waco Brothers headline. Waco Express - Waco Brothers The Heart Bionic - Bobby Bare Jr. Tennessee Sure Enough - [...]

This Sunday September 6 the Bloodshot Records 15th Anniversary Beer-B-Q comes to World Cafe Live . If you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, then you should check it out! There will be performances from Waco Brothers, The Yayhoos, Bottle Rockets, Deadstring Brothers, Ha Ha Tonka, Cordero, Robbie Fulks & Dex Romweber Duo. There's going to be Rolling Rock drink specials, art by the Yard Dog Gallery and free food to the first hundred people who show up. Here's the lineup (subject to [...]
This Sunday September 6 XPN Welcomes the Bloodshot Records 15th Anniversary Beer-B-Q to World Cafe Live. If you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, then you should check it out!There will be performances from Waco Brothers, The Yayhoos, Bottle Rockets, Deadstring Brothers, Ha Ha Tonka, Cordero, Robbie Fulks & Dex Romweber Duo. There's going to be Rolling Rock drink specials, art by

Favorite Folk Songs and Sleepytime Songs , the first two installments in the Peter Yarrow Songbook series, recently arrived in my house, and my children enjoyed them so much we've switched over to an all-folk format - at bedtime, at playtime, all day everyday by listener demand. It's validating to be asked to sing Golden Vanity to my child as she falls asleep, and a relief to put aside the Disney tunes and the circus polkas which generally fill the house. But Yarrow and his collaborators get [...]
Where to begin? I should start with the ornamental comb, like three white gleaming stakes from some Gnostic purification ritual, holding a jet-black stack of hair atop the fiery head of Polly Jean Har... Continue reading "SXSW Report: Friday with PJ Harvey, New York Dolls, Camera Obscura and Beyonce's Little Sister" >

Notes From Middle America is contributor Danny R. Phillips monthly column. You can read past installments here . In light of Touch and Go's recent decision to shut its doors, Bloodshot Records may not be Chicago Illinois' longest standing label, but at 15 years old, it might now be the "new" reference point for venerable Chicago indies for years to come. Founded in June of 1994 by Rob Miller and Nan Warshaw , the label is home to many acts and genres; [...]
We're proud to announce that we'll be co-sponsoring Bloodshot Records day party at SXSW 2009 again this year! What does that mean? We're not quite sure, but we'll be sure to post details about the event as the date arrives and the lineup gets finalized. We do know that Shiner is providing free beer and we'll be drinking it and listening to the following bands. Justin Townes Earle Justin Townes Earle - Mama's Eyes Dex Romweber Duo Dex Romweber Duo - Lookout [...]

KatJonBand Genre: Experimental / Alternative / Rock From: Holland Two elder statespeople of the original punk scene Kat (Ex ex of Dutch anarcho punks The Ex ) and Jon (Langford ex Mekons ) have joined forces to form KatJonBand. Come on guys taking the first three [...]