Chipped purple walls and a golden chandelier greet concertgoers as they enter the Riviera Theatre in uptown Chicago. The antiquated décor complements the old-fashioned splendor that is found in the music of Oregon natives, The Decemberists. Before the main act performs, Laura Veirs and the Hall of Flames, also based out of Portland, Oregon, board [...]

This year’s Video Music Awards reminded listeners of one of the catchiest pop songs in years, Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.” However, Kanye West is not the only one who can breathe new life into this song’s staying power. California duo Pomplamoose has created a cover that is…just delightful. This one has a winning formula: bug-eyed indie [...]

You may have heard of them if:

You watch David Letterman and Conan O’Brien. (They performed “Ready, Able” on Letterman and “While You Wait for the Others” on Conan.)
You, for some reason, still watched Gilmore Girls during its season finale. (Some character mentions them in passing.)
You are looking forward to The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack. [...]

This Canadian punk-folk band delivered a strong performance in Chicago last week.

Zero 7’s latest album, Yeah Ghost. Photo courtesy of Atlantic Records.

Grade: B-
Dusk breakers, sparks green
crackling as they crest. Grey froth &
Moonight. Alone rockspear through black
Coast no water just
Rocksandwaves.
U.K.-based downtempo artists Zero 7 scatter shoot on Yeah Ghost, the group’s fourth full album. They score more hits than misses, but the targets are so far [...]

Mika’s latest album The Boy Who Knew Too Much. Photo courtesy of Casablanca Records.

Grade: B
Compare the cover art of Mika’s 2007 debut, Life in Cartoon Motion, with the pop virtuoso’s sophomore effort, The Boy Who Knew Too Much. If you can tolerate one coloring book brain burst, you’ll probably dig two. Same applies to the [...]

To begin our countdown to the new musical year, I will be exploring ten 2009 releases by looking in-depth into their background, influences and personal evolution. The second album in this series is Horehound by The Dead Weather.
You may have heard of them if:

You are a fan of any of the bands members: Jack White [...]

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame just announced an electric group of nominees for the 2010 class, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, punk godfathers The Stooges and the internationally-loved pop group ABBA. Less-represented genres such as progressive rock and hard rock also made the list with the nominations of Genesis and Kiss, signaling [...]

James Brooks opened for artists like Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Ne-Yo and T.I. when he was only 16. Now he’s a junior in McCormick. See him perform before you can’t afford his shows anymore.

Legend has a universal appeal, which makes him an excellent choice as the main performer for the A&O Productions fall concert.

To begin our countdown to the new musical year, I will be exploring ten 2009 releases by looking in-depth into their background, influences and personal evolution. The first album in this series is It’s Blitz! by Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
A live performance of “Maps,” the hit single off of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s debut album Fever to [...]

Some pretty good albums were released this summer, but if you were too busy interning, studying or lounging by the pool to notice, here is the best of what you missed from the last four months or so. Many of these bands are playing in Chicago in the near future, so if you like what [...]

From showering in the mushroom fountain at Bonnaroo to avoiding the throngs of hipsters at Pitchfork, this guide will give you an inside look and send you towards your perfect musical experience.

The day before Dillo Day, the performer and Duke University junior talked about how he got started and his plans to party with NU students.

Zubin Sedghi (bass, vocals) and Rob Cantor (guitar, vocals) spoke to North by Northwestern from a rest stop in Ohio as they trekked over to Evanston for Dillo Day.