AVANT/CHICAGO

Probably the best show in the city tomorrow bar none. Listen here. Buy here.

Hood Internet + Aesop Rock and Rosebuds = chill, mid-day music

Get Up Get Out

You know we're not into Vampire Weekend. We've listened to them and seen them live and the feeling ain't there for us.  They don't suck by any means, but the hype machine is cranked up a few notches too high on these "Upper Westside" kids.  And while we might malign the effects of the promotional music biz on the web, we're give these guys cred for using their look and sound to reach out to a unknown fanbase - the Prepster.  Which leads into -

This article by Prefix not only touches on the points of how bands are hyped and die on the web, but also how in the creative realm where eclecticness and brashness are celebrated, Vampire Weekend's mainstream style and easy-to-digest sound is in fact sort of refreshing.

Could a seeminly harmless blog post make us really want to pack up and move to LA? Well if there ever was such a post this is it. First off the picutre is in fact worth a 1000 words. This is our city's celeb gossip columist showing mad hooch-thigh via a skirt not fit for someone 10 years her junior?  Second who the f**k is this guy and why is she writing about him like he's somebody? Maybe the jokes lost on us, but seriously. And never heard of the Dirty, but after visiting, we're at a lose for words. (think HotChickswithDbags, but less Dbags and more hot chicks who are in fact Dbags themselves) Lastly Carmines, in the Viagra Traingle, Liz...you lost, lost soul. Is this what Chicago has become? Could LA be this bad?

Excuse us, our lunch is coming up.

Twittering Our Way To The Top(ic)

• Neil Young announces AllState show with Wilco
• Of Montreal announce Chi show, odd album
• Studio session from NPR, Daytrotter - many hype bands
• Deerhoof album, Chicago date
• New Tv on the Radio single, album art

This Is The Good (Free) Stuff

You come here every week to hear the newest stuff that's just released. Have at it. This week's full albums include Lykke Li, Glen Campbell, RaRa Roit, Walkmen, Uglysuit, Stereolab and many more.

Conor Oberst - Self-Titled - Known as Bright Eyes to some, Oberst is trying hard to be Dylan on this album. And despite some cheesy lyrics and obvious analogies, he gets close to it. As much as we prepared to hate his latest solo album, it's pretty decent.

Yung Berg - Look What Made Me - Wonder what all the hype is about? Well this CD showcases dudes 'put it on' skillz. Ranges from smooth R&B to pop-hop standards, just a enough of a healthy mix to keep the whole CD interesting.

Lykke Li - Youth Novels - Just got this in the mail, even though it's been out for a couple months.  Much more surreal, detached then expected. Explores the depths and styles her sweet voice can go to. Cocktail hour music at Fulton Lounge.

Wonder if Everyoneisfamous is trying to go the Last Nights Party route? Or does this girl just think that all Hipster Photogs like to shoot cleavage? The answer - the later.

Chicago's Music Twitter Rolls On

• New Wilco album date announced
• Muxtape shuts down, Pandora next?
• You heard it on a commercial - who's the artist?
• Wakarusa Music Fest moving due to police
• Bloc Party album out Thursday

Chicago version of The Girls Next Door except not that hot, famous, rich or interesting? Maybe it's more apt to call these 3 the Elmhurst version of The Girls Next Door. Either way....the fake tans, bleached hair and hanging out with your mom at Crobar is weak sauce. Photo from Surreal.

Giving You The News We Know You Want

• Byrne/Eno album out now, streaming free
• Best free music apps for iPhone
• How-to Vid of getting in any club disguised as DJ
• Dressy Bessy new album, Chicago show
• MF Doom using stand-ins for concerts

Shaky Hands have a sound you know.  A mix of 70's folk and British garage their new album hits the shelves on Sept. 9th, but you can hear some of it now.

The Shaky Hands
"A New Parade" (mp3)
"We Are Young" (mp3)

from "Lunglight"

More On This Album

Chicago Music Twitter From The Weekend

• Why Kanye is the next gen of stars
• 19 remixes from Zebo
• CMJ lineup has plenty of local folks
• Does It Offend You, Yeah video game
• Best free music apps for iPhone

Here's what we played last Friday on the radio show. You can catch us every week on the first day of the weekend from 6-8AM.  WLUW 88.7FM

• CSS - Rat Is Dead
• A Friend Called Fire - Stormy Mile
• Brighton, MA - Underground
• Nomo - Better Then That
• Moving Units - Going for Adds

Why has it been a bit since Blues and the Machine was updated?  There is one very complex answer and one simple one.  And the complex one leads into the simple one. Read it all here.  Anyway, we'll get after the book's posting right now.  Stay tuned.

Chicago's Only Music Twitter

• NME lets readers name their top 25 US bands (w/ Vids)
• Benji Hughes music, vids for free
• Duo announces Sept. Martyrs show
• New Brighton, MA single Underground out
• Yep musicians are twittering too

As often happens on the way home from a lengthy IN. home stand, (we were there for 10 of the last 13 days) we talk about what's good/bad about being back in small town USA. Here's a quick look -

Good

• Peaceful - no sirens, repeated loud car noises, drunk people outside the window
• Clean(er) - Less garbage laying around all-n-all
• Nature- woods, streams, lakes, even the fields

Free tracks, stream from fresh new Chicago artist

Coat
"Rubies" (mp3)

"Dude-El" (mp3)
from "Winter In The Bubblegarden"

Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album

Chicago Music Stuff

• Oneida at Bottle Saturday
• Leon Russell in Beverly
• Holy Fuck getting the bizness from Canada
• Rolling Stone is losing its girth
• Terror Bird brings good feeling

It's Thursday. Here's some free music of just released stuff like Yung Berg, Ben Weaver, NKOTB, Leon Ware and of course more.

Snooping around the Net you'll find pretty much everything you want. (and lots of things you don't) As we browsed one of our fav sites, Archive.org, we came across their web wayback machine.  Wondering what we could find, we entered in the address of our first web venture, an on-line magazine called FlowFeel. Sure enough the site came up. Listed under the year 2001, our first "issue" came out in March. 

Apparently fake breasts, sun burn-tan lines and bad wigs are hittin' Chicago clubs with the force. Not recommended for sane Chicago folks. Photo from Surreal at Stone Lotus.

It's so easy to stay connected. We love the company. (it can get lonely out here)

• Myspace
• FriendFeed
• Twitter
• Feedburner
• Technorati
• Buzznet

We forgot to officially annouce this. We'll be back at the Orbit Room on Friday. Come take it easy to kick off the weekend right.

How many spots can you go to on a Saturday night and get $2 beers, chill on a huge back deck and listen to Chicago punk, soul, rock and funk? Not too many. Avant/Chicago presents another night of the Machine DJs at Orbit Room at no charge. Easy to get to - right off the Kennedy for drivers, blocks away from Belmont and Diversey buses and right on the California bus line. Plenty of free parking. Party goes from 10pm-3am.

Might be on vaca, but Twittering nonetheless

• Kravitz in Velvet Revolver?
• Tittsworth track remix by Kid Sis, Paserock
• Yung Berg Arrested for minor charges
• August Local CD reviews
• New Franz Ferdinand single

We've been telling you about Friendfeed for awhile now. It's a pretty rad little application for social networking and in the case of us, keeping you locked in on the world of music. But Twitter seems to be the spot more people are turning to as the next popular social media site. We've been updating very strongly with music news, Chicago items and the like via our Twitter, so make sure to join us. If something exciting or extremely newsworthy comes across the wire, we'll put it up on the Twitter. And you'll be on top of the music info game too.

General Business and Thank You.  First the thank you.  We enjoy all your e-mails, suggestions and occasional face-to-face thoughts.  We get enough of these per week to make it difficult to reply to them all.  So we'd like to try and answer a few of the common one's right here and now.  A.)  We'd love to open up the comment section of Avant/Chicago, but in considering that option, as we've discussed with fellow bloggers, keeping up with comments can double the work load.  We're too busy just keeping up with what we post now.(and the ol' regular existense)  B.) We love getting CDs, Mp3s, event listings and art work.  Sadly not all of your creative works fit into Avant/Chi's general theme. Please send us whatever you got, but don't feel slighted if we don't post it.  C.) We're not thinking of doing an e-mail update, newsletter, etc.  That, once again, would double our work.  Keep on stopping in and stay tuned. We love all our readers - simply put, you're the shit!

Setlist for last Friday WLUW (Avant/Chi Radio)

• Sly Stone - I Wanna Take You Higher
• Acid Mothers Temple - L'Ambition dans le Miroir
• King Khan - Fool Like Me
• Boombox - Stereo
• Catfish Haven - Tell Me

Cleaning Out Our Email - Good Finds

• Ben Weaver record release show Schubas 8/13
• Philpot at Elbo Room, Reggies 8/15-16
• Free Teddy Thompson Mp3
• Joe Nash 8/12 Schubas show Sold Out
• Banging DJ HYPNTZ free Mp3

Another music news update with a damn sexy voice dropping the facts.  This weekending blast includes Rage Against The Machine, Mos Def, West Fest, music technology and more. We'll be off again Mon. and Tues. for a planned vaca at our compound on Lake Chillabrewski in Indiana. This also means the musical mash-up here may be a little slim depending on how motivated/sober/creative we're feeling. Catch you on Wednesday in our full glory for sure.