Staff from 22 Chicago music venues talk about how far they still are from normal—and what it’ll take to keep them around till we all get there.
Tag: Empty Bottle Presents
Posted inMusic
Plantasia celebrates the music of Mort Garson—and plants
On his 1976 album Mother Earth’s Plantasia, composer Mort Garson captures some of the most inventive sounds and most radical notions of the mid-70s. Specifically, he made his goofy and endearing compositions solely on the relatively new Moog synthesizer, and he intended that they be played for plants to help them grow. Inspired by his […]
Posted inMusic
Andrew Smith throws Jungle Green’s homemade songs at a bigger wall—will they stick?
Chicago singer-songwriter Andrew Smith has promoted Jungle Green’s homemade songs mostly by sending them to people who reply to flyers he’s taped to lampposts. Fortunately he’s also made some well-connected fans.
Posted inMusic
Nikki Hartel of Audiotree on a new way to fill out your Eurythmics collection
Current musical obsessions of Nikki Hartel of Audiotree, Mike Gebel of the Empty Bottle, and Luca Cimarusti of the Reader
Posted inMusic
Joyride Records throws a housewarming party in the old Permanent space
Joyride Records throws itself a housewarming party in the old Permanent storefront, Tall Pat Records bows out with a couple more rock ’n’ roll blowouts, and more.
Posted inMusic
The poop scoop on festival season
Service Sanitation porta-potties have become a ubiquitous sight at Chicago music festivals. And even if you don’t think you want to, you’re about to learn about the business that put them there.
Posted inMusic
James Swanberg of Today’s Hits plays 100 songs at one show
James Swanberg of Today’s Hits plays 100 songs at one show, the You Are Here festival sets up a maze beneath Thalia Hall, and more.
Posted inBlogs
Atlas Sound and others added to the already insane Levitation Chicago lineup
Plus the full schedule for the two-day fest.
Posted inMusic
Do-Division Street Fest: Disappears, Torche, Ariel Pink, the Gaslamp Killer, and more
This year’s Do-Division Street Fest lineup includes Disappears, Torche, Ariel Pink, Jeff the Brotherhood, and the Gaslamp Killer.
Posted inMusic
On the eve of the Blackout’s return, foggy memories from the original run of Chicago’s most notorious raunch ‘n’ roll fest
When Brett Cross and Todd Novak—who founded the raunchy rock ‘n’ roll zine Horizontal Action in 1997—put on the first Blackout in 2001, garage rock occupied a tiny niche in the underground music scene. By the festival’s farewell installment in 2006—also the year Cross and Novak launched their zine’s online replacement, Victim of Time, and […]