Results tagged “emptybottle”

Local soul/funk rockers J.C. Brooks and The Uptown Sound have always been able to get us perked up and in a dancing mood. Which makes tonight's performance at the Empty Bottle a perfectly-timed event. With warmer weather (slowly) rolling in and another work week upon us, we're ready to relieve some stress and just have a good time. And it's impossible to have anything but a good time at a show from one of the city's most energetic, soulful bands. The group is currently promoting its fantastic new single "Get It Together" which comes backed with a funked-up cover of Wilco's "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart." The icing on the cake for tonight's show? It's free of charge. So get a running start to your week; you may wake up a bit tired tomorrow, but trust us, it'll all be worth it. more ›

Free Energy take their cue from the sugar glam of the '70s and throw a little post-rock NYC circa '78 on the glitter spike all day suckers they toss out to your ears. The opening salvo on their debut Stuck On Nothing, conveniently titled "Free Energy," acts as a call to arms, mapping out the bands intent, driven by an opening cowbell ushering guitar chords meant to get heads nodding. By the time the chorus hits you're ready to grab the person next to you and start jumping around the dance floor as if it was a sunlit mattress in a teenage room surrounded by pop idol posters. more ›

We stopped by Post in Pilsen Saturday night to see Tiny Concepts, a solo minimalist experimental act who just happens to be a delicate little French girl from Brittany. But we were delightfully surprised to find that local outfit, YAWN, was headlining this discreet gallery show. Their performance was truly the highlight of the night and they proved that, despite their youthful appearance and demeanor, they’re actually serious, experienced musicians. more ›

Known for local indie rock and experimental jazz acts, the Empty Bottle will mix things up next Tuesday with a night of chamber music by Accessible Contemporary Music’s Palomar Quartet. The two may seem to contradict each other, but the Bottle is actually a fitting venue for Palomar, whose goal is to broaden and diversify the contemporary music audience. And besides, Chamber music is meant for intimate spaces like this modest-sized, dungeon-like venue; as the term suggests, chamber music was traditionally performed in cozy quarters such as palace chambers. more ›

So many albums and so many music careers are marked by "the great buildup." Artists are expected with each new release to top their subsequent and if they should choose to explore new territory, fans expect a logical progression. Much effort goes into the layout of an album's tracklisting, ensuring just right placements to hold attention and provide a crescendo of enthusiasm that peaks at the album's close, enticing you to hit play from the beginning and recreate that rush again and again. It's a rare treat then when you find an artist who goes against this grain and realizes that more powerful than the buildup is the breakdown. more ›

Electro-pop duo, YACHT, will be traveling North America for the New Moody Mystery Tour and will be making a stop at the Empty Bottle later this month. But the band is presenting themselves as “YACHT and the Straight Gaze,” which means the duo will be accompanied by a three-man back-up ensemble composed of Jeff Brodsky (of Inside Voices), D. Reuben Snyder (of Rob Walmart) and one of Yacht’s opening acts, Bobby Birdman. more ›

The guys behind the Empty Bottle, Mode Carpentry and Struggle Inc. have come together for a new project: Longman & Eagle, a cozy tavern and inn in Logan Square which opened its doors just Wednesday. From the outside, it looks like any old dive bar, and it’s so dark and secluded you might not even know it’s open. But inside, it’s actually warm, inviting and buzzing with friendly locals. Decked with dark wood and softly lit by candle, it’s got an old-timey, Americana feel like a traditional Chicago tavern. more ›

The Tree House Humane Society is holding its fifth annual Kittypalooza at the Empty Bottle this Thursday. This year's fundraiser is dedicated to the memory of Radley, the former resident cat of the Empty Bottle who died last August, and will feature four local music acts, Brice Woodall, One & Only, Cobalt and the Hired Guns, and Todd Kessler. more ›

Despite their playful sound, whimsical lyrics and adorable band name, Mittens on Strings is a serious ensemble making a name for themselves in the Chicago indie-folk scene. Their latest album, Let’s Go to Baba’s, is sort of a kaleidoscopic trip by way of wry, humorous narrative, backed up by a strange mixture of folksy, somewhat psychedelic, experimental Baroque pop. more ›

Girl Talk's upcoming New Year's Eve shindig at the expansive Congress Theater sold out in record time and there's nothing we hate worse than dealing with the murky shark tank that is Craigslist. We were poking around Facebook on our lunch break when we we noticed an update to the Empty Bottle's fan page and twitter account posted Tuesday evening suggesting that a limited additional number of tickets would be available to purchase for some lucky fans by shooting an email to rsvp@emptybottle.com with "Girl Talk" in the subject line. You have untilTuesdayto give it a shot. more ›

The worlds of farmers markets, indie rock and cheap beer collide when the Empty Bottle hosts its inaugural farmers market on December 19 from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Twelve local vendors will be selling everything from homemade preserves, handspun wool and organic herbs, while Bottle staff spin tunes and pour drinks. Among the participating vendors are Videnovich farms, Tomato Mountain Farm and Earth First Farms. more ›

Special to Chicagoist from Sarah Cobarrubias more ›

Call it fate or label it luck, some musical pairings were just meant to happen. Solo, Jace Clayton (DJ / rupture) and Brooklyn producer Matt Shadetek have always excelled in their respective electronic pursuits. For the Barcelona-bred, now Brooklyn-based Clayton that means broad ranging, world-influenced heavy bass and for Shadetek, the lesser known (but no less talented) name of the duo, it means a career built on genre-shifting instrumentals. The duo have combined talents in the past, but never with the depth and stunning results of their newest effort, the full length mix album, Solar Life Raft. more ›

The year's end is quickly approaching and as we reflect on the past ten months in music in an attempt to define 2009, there are certain trends that, for better or worse, stick out. Across genres, music blogs have become powerful influencers, launching the careers of young bands, but often buzz can backfire. The newest amazing act often turns out to be little more than inexperienced amateurs live. Or, in the case of the recent two-day, sold out stint from San Francsico band Girls at the Empty Bottle, a solid performance falls on an audience of deaf ears all gathered to hear that one song. more ›

Special to Chicagoist from Sarah Cobarrubias more ›

If you're looking for something a bit more low-key than dancing with a thousand sweaty bodies at the Congress to the raucous antics of Girl Talk, then pencil in Swedish indie pop singer-songwriter Jens Lekman's New Year's Eve show at the Empty Bottle. Lekman's bittersweet melodies have won our hearts and we think they'd make the perfect soundtrack for stealing a midnight kiss from a stranger. Tickets are going to go fast, so grab yours now for $30 each. more ›

Bad Veins did not let us down last night as they delivered an epicly lush set from the stage of The Empty Bottle. The fact that two dudes and a reel-to-reel tape machine can deliver such impassioned, majestic music is hard to believe until you experience it for yourself. We spoke to the band after the show and they hope to return to Chicago early next year, and when they do you should make sure you are in the crowd that night. more ›

We're just as guilty as the rest of you when it comes to living for the weekend. We have a habit of working hard for the pleasure of playing hard come Friday night. All routines get old after awhile and lately we've found ourselves venturing away from our desks and outside our living rooms on weeknights to partake in the shows that grace our favorite venues on the off evenings. Here's our picks for the week ahead in weeknights. more ›

First of all, let's just get this out of the way at the very top; Bad Veins sound a LOT like The Killers before that band went and embraced their Las Vegas roots to a ridiculous extent. Bad Veins singer Benjamin Davis bears a striking vocal resemblance to Brandon Flowers -- had Flowers ever taken vocal lessons and gained more control and range -- and the music he creates with drummer and musical partner Sebastien Schultz has that same expansive, epic feel that is catchy instead of monolithic. So there, that's done. Now that's out of the way, let's center on just how awesome these guys are. more ›

If you've ever been to The Empty Bottle then you've seen Radley the Cat. Sometimes wandering outside, sometimes keeping an eye on the bar, and sometimes simply quietly passing judgment on the bands playing from the back of the room. We just got the sad word that Radley passed away at 2:32 this afternoon. more ›

We weren't sure what to expect from Ghostly International's 10 Year Anniversary party last Friday night at the Empty Bottle. The lineup was certainly ambitious and we hoped the niche label would find a warm welcome in the fickle terrain that is Chicago nightlife. A rainy trek to the venue found us pessimistic and prematurely doubting Chicago's enthusiasm for the evening ahead. The audience for electronic music in this city is a hard crowd to bridge. Good times and drunken debauchery increasingly feel favored over critical listening and passion for the talent. We arrived and stepped inside the Empty Bottle to find our fears vanish and a grin grace our lips alongside a packed house of Ghostly fans as eclectic as the lineup. more ›

Ann Arbor, Michigan’s Ghostly International has long been an independent label to watch. Label head, Sam Valenti, has a knack for culling a roster of some of the most interesting, off-kilter music out there. Though Ghostly has a decidedly electronic focus, Valenti is never one to adhere strictly to a single genre, and this open-mindedness is reflected in his artist roster which runs the gamut from DJ/Producer Matthew Dear to shoegaze band School of Seven Bells. Equally as strong as Ghostly's musical offerings is their carefully curated art pairings. Ghostly merges art and music flawlessly, teaming up artists, designers and musicians to form a label that is a sensory feast. more ›

The recent, much publicized antics of stoner-garage act Wavves has everyone taking note of what just might become the defining musical trend of 2009. The recent popularity of experimental acts like Dan Deacon and Animal Collective convinced music fans to think outside the box of head-nodding choral loops and drum solos and embrace the new sound of improvisation. The second half of 2009 sees guitars take the place of samplers as bands both old and new wash off the smiles, don dark shades and take a walk on the wild side. more ›

This weekend marks the return of one of our favorite music-centered Chicago streetfests, Do Division, held in Wicker Park at the Damen and Division intersection. For a five buck donation, the annual streetfest and sidewalk sale gives you access to specials from local vendors and retailers, fare from neighborhood restaurants and bars and an amazing lineup of live music from near and far curated by the Empty Bottle. Here are some of our top picks. more ›

MP3: I Was A King "Norman Bliek" more ›

Pontiak is heavy psychedelia powered by the sibling power-trio of Van, Lain, and Jennings Carney. On their latest disc, Maker, they combine caterwauling instrumental freak-outs with heavy blues sing-alongs backed by the choirs of the damned. This is the sort of music hellbent on destroying your hearing because you just won't be able to turn it up loud enough. This is music made for wild-eyed mountain men taking it cues from both backwoods foot stompers and desert dry stoner riffs. more ›

We were big fans of Shiner's lumbering attack back in the day, so it's not exactly a revelation to hear that we really dig the band's offshoot, The Life And Times. Where Shiner was like a methodical steamroller though, The Life And Times nimbly swings. The songs are still heavy but we're more prone to swoon under their influence then pump our fist to their attack. We suppose that makes total sense when you consider their new album is titled Tragic Boogie. Fits, huh? more ›

In true Easter weekend diversion news, Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO hits the Empty Bottle Saturday night. This incarnation of the long-running Japanese psych/prog/experimental "soul collective" includes Acid Mothers founder and spiritual leader Kawabata Makato and tends toward freeform freakouts of the monolithic, 1970s moustache variety, blended of course with sci-fi ray gun keyboards and a hundred sudden left turns. Or, as the AMT & TMP UFO Web site puts it (creative spelling intact), "What you are going to experience is ass kickin' bud whippin' far out drop dead cool music from another solar system when the acient gods still rurled the Earth." more ›

Usually we're giving out free tickets to cool shows -- and trust us, Thursday's Asobi Seksu show at The Empty Bottle is gonna be hot -- but this w4m Craigslist Missed Connection caught our eye: more ›

Coupleskate was a band that rolled across our radar a while ago, but we won't lie to you ... we forgot all about 'em. And then we saw this week's Time Out Chicago and one of the gals within reminded us of the band's existence. Then ex-Chicagoist / current TOC staffer Scott Smith reminded us we had once looked into booking the band said gal was in for a previous CTRL-ALT-ROCK and it all came flooding back to us. This underscored the peril of being an infrequently gigging but obscenely talented local band ... you risk falling off the view screen. more ›