Tagged: chicago

From Jack to Juke: 25 Years of Ghetto House from Sonali Aggarwal on Vimeo .

Heather Smith is force behind the beautiful sounds of Bone & Bell . She is back by a solid band consisting of Ryan Farnham (drums- formerly of Catfish Haven), Rick Roberts (bass, keys) and Jason Tuller (guitar, bass). The band released their debut ep last year and it can be downloaded on their for free. They are currently planning to release their debut LP this Spring. The band recently appeared on Rooftop Chicago. You can catch Bone & Bell at Schubas on Feb. 14th with Talkdemonic and Cafe Le Bon.

Blanda Fonda has released a video cover of "Tom Sawyer" by Rush.

Fox The Cat came together back in October, and have now released their debut 3 song ep. The five piece band lean more towards the rootsy side of indie rock, and have a solid collective sound. You can catch Fox The Cat at Reggies on Feb 19 opening for Sybris and Asobi Seksu.

We're proud to release Enemy , the new mixtape from Chicago's Julian Malone . Julian popped on our radar last spring as a part of the #2008ighties crew. Enemy represents his best work to day, and identifies Julian as one of Chicago's up and comers. The mixtape is a testament to Malone's real life struggles and in this essentially entirely self executed project he portrays those situations soundly throughout the entire 19 track creation. Let this one marinate. Download the mixtape below, and look for Julian at our [...]

We're mere hours away from starting the weekend, and with the season finale of football over, we'll actually have to go outside. Luckily, there are tons of great shows, and many fundraising for a good cause, over the next few days. Let's get to it. FRIDAY SOFT SPEAKER The Brit pop-inspired Chicago outfit come out swinging with plenty of lingering guitar licks, hazy psychedelic rhythms and even some [...]

photo by Virgil Solis The homie Sean Mac is here with the second leak from his upcoming Luxury Trap Music 2 mixtape. This Friday we get the CTE front men Freddie Gibbs x Young Jeezy in "Mobbin". You already know the drill people. Hit the jump for the download + stream. #LTM2 coming soon! Freddie Gibbs: "Mobbin" Feat. Young Jeezy

ASAAD doesn't really release music, but he does make create energetic powerful high-quality hip-hop music on a consistent basis. His latest "drop" is "Talk My Shit" produced by TDE's Tae Beast. Lookout for only more BIG things from here on out from ASAAD, the ball has begun to roll. New Black History ® EP coming soon. Lookout for ASAAD On #OTTN this Feb. ASAAD: "Talk My Shit" (Prod. by Tae Beast)

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It's hard to consider Radar Eyes' self-titled debut anything other than a pop record. While Radar Eyes is an amalgamation of garage, psychedelic and punk rock, the band manages to tightly piece those distinct sounds together. The album maybe rough around the edges tonally, but it's crystal clear in delivering a melodic palette, which provides just the right amount of catchiness and accessibility without losing that rock and roll edge. While Radar Eyes touch on the acidic nature of Spacemen 3 or [...]

With hip-hop hitting a dull period, experimentation is full speed ahead. Many rappers, DJs and producers are testing new sounds and styles to push through the boredom of rapping a few lines and singin

"Chicago Juke music has roots that run deep. The film chronicles the birth and evolution of a genre over 25 years." A nice documentary by Sonali Aggarval about juke and ghetto house / tek in Chicago. Lot of familiar names and faces and nice insight of the development of ghetto music styles. Recommended watching if you got an hour to spare which you should. Juke It Like A Pigeon.

King Louie has seemingly gone from being nowhere to everywhere in just a few short months. His stickers and posters are on light poles, mailboxes, and boarded up buildings from the Southside to the Northside. His videos make their rounds on nearly every Hip Hop blog, and he's even garnered press from The Chicago Tribune and other members of mainstream media. As recently as last week, Louie kicked it up a notch by creating his own limited edition pizza box. But who is King Louie? Where did he come from? And how exactly did he get to this [...]

Chicago musicians Bob Nanna and Lauren LoPiccolo have united to create simple, but dreamy, acoustic pop ditties under the moniker Jack and Ace . "I'm Sorry That You are the Black Death" pairs delicately plucked guitar melodies with earnest lyrics about, what else, love. Jack and Ace prove that melancholy doesn't need to be so complicated to be effective. Nanna is better known for his work with influential post-hardcore (or emo, if you like) outfit Braid and Hey Mercedes. LoPiccolo previously teamed up with Nanna in the City on Film. [...]

Rococo Records , a vinyl only label based in Chicago who offer an eclectic selection of limited edition releases, is coming up on their 10th anniversary this year. To celebrate the milestone, they are offering deep discounts on their entire catalog, with proceeds from sale going towards funding an upcoming U.S. Maple 123, a split from Crash Normal & The Dictaphone , and the Chicago(USA) vs Metz(France) compilation, which features bands like Cococoma , Radar Eyes , Thee Verduns , and more! The sale isn't on the label site, [...]

michael lux and the bad sons Three reasons to leave the bros to their Thirsty Thursday rituals and head on over to Empty Bottle tonight... 1. Chicago's own Michael Lux and the Bad Sons are human time machines. Listening to a few simple chords, the alt-rockers conjure up the ghosts of alternative legends like The Replacements and Husker Du without coming off like desperate fan boys. Lux's low, scratchy howls are effortless and well-supported by distressed guitar and snappy backbeats. The set is sure to be a [...]

Chi-town gutter gutter shit.

by Kathleen Elise Hailing from Oxfordshire, Deer Chicago have already made a name for themselves playing at events like Riverside Festival in 2010 and Cornbury Festival in 2011. Last November, they released their double A-side 'Lantern Collapse/Rolling of the Ocean,' a set of songs that manage to remain distinct while simultaneously showcasing the band's signature sound. ' Lantern Collapse ' is at times reminiscent of Band of Horses, only Deer Chicago's lead vocalist Jonathan Payne undoubtedly has a more appealing accent and perhaps even a more agreeable tone. In 'Rolling of the Ocean,' a gentle tension [...]

The story of Willis Earl Beal rise to professional musician status sounds more like an inspirational disney movie than reality. After working a number of odd jobs in Albuquerque, NM, Beal was discovered originally not for his music, but an intriguing letter left on city sidewalks in which he was seemingly looking for a female companion. In fact, the Chicago Reader's Leor Galil did a great job of describing his, I guess, humble beginnings to his move back to his hometown of Chicago and eventual arrival [...]

In what some are calling it the best time in a long time for self-made DJs and producers, it's just too easy now to stand behind a laptop and let the music bring energy to a sold out crowd. Alex Botwin, AKA Paper Diamond proved that playing electronic music can and should be much more [...]