Radio Free Chicago

Get Your Drink On

So, it's snowing outside. It's really cold. Our good 'ol governor just got busted. You just got laid off. Whatever. All the more reason to leave your cozy apartment and indulge in some free drink events. In case you didn't realize, there's an awesome service dedicated to you, drunk hipster. It's called Myopenbar.com. And it's written by a staff of hilarious and good looking folks who suss out events and bluntly tell you what's good and not so good. Myopenbar should be your new Bible. Seriously. It'll change your life. Heck, it might even get you laid. Every week we here at RFC headquarters want to help them help you. So check back here every Wednesday to find out what the fuck you should be doing with your life. This week's drinky picks follow after the jump...

Vivian Girls @ The Old Blue Last (London)

There are few events more exciting in the adventures of an avid punter than attending a gig by your favorite band of the moment. I don't mean your favorite band ever, nor do I intend for the phrase "of the moment" to imply that the band is a flash in the pan. There's just something uniquely special about a new band popping up, hitting you with a fantastic record and coming to your town at that precise time when you feel like they're at their immediate prime. When music electrically strikes my punk nerve, I couldn't care less about the future.

The Vivian Girls' debut album is my favorite new release of 2008. In some ways that statement, as a music geek, makes me feel a bit retrograde. With equal parts Shop Assistants and Jesus and Mary Chain, this record would have been perfectly at home alongside all the other brilliant over-driven fuzzbox bands on the classic NME compilation, C86. This Brooklyn three-piece, however, doesn't plunder the past as much as they touch upon it and make it all seem new again. One half a fiery crash of now threatening to burn out faster than you can finish listening, the other an expression of lovelorn emotion that never changes with the decade, the timelessness of the Vivian Girls is the timelessness of the pop song itself.

Blur Reunite: Officially!

It's been confirmed by video, exclusively featured on NME, that britpop darlings Blur will reunite all four original band members for a gig in London's Hyde Park July 6th!

Alex James quipped ""It's gonna be a bit like putting the 'A-Team' back together for a job. We've gotta bust [drummer Dave] Rowntree out of law school!" (via NME)

Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains @ Beat Kitchen 11/22/08

A couple of weeks ago former Death From Above 1979 singer/drummer Sebastien Grainger played Beat Kitchen with his supporting band The Mountains (or if you're French-Canadian Les Montagnes). Grainger is touring in support of his debut solo effort (s/t) which was released October 21st on Nebraska's Saddle Creek Records. Grainger wrote and performed nearly all the parts on the record with the exception of a few songs that were recorded as a full band.

Download: Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains - "Love Can Be So Mean"

Local Grammy Nods

Of course, you've probably heard by now that Kanye racked up another round of Grammy nominations, but it turns out there's a whole slew of local artists who picked up nods. The Recording Academy Chicago Chapter was kind enough to compile a complete list and forward them our way, check out the full local nomination run-down after the jump.

RFC TV: Portishead - "Magic Doors"

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News and Notes: Tomorrow Never Knows initial lineup announced, tickets on sale.

Schubas has announced the initial line up for 2009's Tomorrow Never Knows festival. It is slated to begin Wednesday, January 14th and goes on through Sunday January 18th. Tickets to the festival are $15 per night or $55 for a five day pass and available HERE.

The line-up (so far, and sooo good)

Wednesday January 14, 2009
# Bear Hands
# Lost In The Trees
# Special Guests and Djs Upstairs (coming soon)

Thursday January 15, 2009
# Department Of Eagles
# Disappears
# Allá
# The Poison Arrows
# DJs Upstairs (coming soon)

Friday January 16, 2009
# Cursive
# Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
# Colourmusic
# Special Guest and DJs Upstairs (coming soon)

Saturday January 17, 2009 (looks like dance party night!)
# Thunderheist
# The Wonderful World Of Bald Eagle
# Pretty Good Dance Moves
# Special Guest and DJs Upstairs (coming soon)

Sunday January 18, 2009
# Bishop Allen
# The Donkeys
# Tulsa
# Vacations
# DJs Upstairs (coming soon)

You can peep some preview tracks from artists on Schubas website here.

Nadja @ The Underworld (London)

Leaving work a few hours before Nadja's recent performance at Camden's Underworld, someone asked me about the gig I was planning to see that night. "Nadja...? I haven't heard of them, what do they sound like?" Generally I can answer a question like this with a few highly awkward genre compounds such as "shoegazer metal" or "experimental blackened drone", and if that fails I can approximate the sound with my mouth. Unfortunately neither "shhh guh guh guh guh bzzzzzz" nor "nya nya nya graaaaaa" worked this time. I found that when describing what to expect from a live Nadja appearance, even sub-lingual growls couldn't capture how deftly this band walks the lines between genres, forever inhabiting a sonic border town all their own.

'Tis the Season

Right on cue, the snowflakes are flying this morning to officially kick off the holiday season (Happy Cyber Monday, BTW). And of course, the holidays are a time for giving, not just receiving, so with that in mind we wanted to give you a heads up on a couple of benefit shows coming up.

Tonight at the Hideout, the Waco Brothers are headlining a benefit to help a local family in need. Show starts at 8pm and admission is only $10. Then, this Sunday, the Hideout will be hosting another benefit show with Eleventh Dream Day and Jon Langford. The two legends will be joining forces to help out Goldie's Place, a support center that provides assistance for Chicago's homeless population. Sunday night's show kicks off at 7pm, tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door,