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The Shins, Foals, Rodriguez and Fall Out Boy Play Chicago

By Pete Zimmerman | May 13, 2013 7:39am
 Gigs of the Week
Gigs of the Week
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Monday, May 13

Lauded film composer David Wingo comes to town with his four-piece band Ola Podrida in support of their recently released third full-length record, "Ghosts Go Blind." Listen to the lush, upbeat indie-rock track, "Staying In," here. Garage-rock trio Sonic Angels open the night playing songs from their new album, "On The Island of Ghost Love." Township. 8 p.m.

Another fine CHIRP Night is on deck with local pop band Panoramic & True, whose terrific 2012 release, "Wonderlust," was one of the best local records of the year. The Record Low's Henry Joseph will open the show playing songs from his solo record, "The Hits Keep Coming!" Stick around for CHIRP DJs spinning music after the performances. The Whistler. 9:30 p.m.

Australia's garage-punks UV Race headline a fine triple-bill tonight at the Empty Bottle. Listen to the new 7" single, "Queens of Punk," here. With local post-punk trio Daylight Robbery, who remind me of great Los Angeles band, X, on tunes such as "Pacific Road" and "Racer Racer" from their 2012 record, "Ecstatic Vision." Opening is the blistering punk rock of local band Culo. Empty Bottle. 9 p.m.

 

Tuesday, May 14

Philadelphia-based musician Kurt Vile arrives in town behind his beautiful new record, "Wakin on a Pretty Daze." Gentle songs like the title-track, "Never Run Away," and "Too Hard" are hazy, languid rockers that still manage to demonstrate Vile's stellar guitar attack. Watch the video for "Never Run Away," here. Brilliant guitarist Steve Gunn, who is a member of Kurt Vile's band, The Violators, opens the show tonight with a preview of tunes from his forthcoming record, "Time Off," which is due in June. Listen to "Time Off" opener, "Water Wheel," here. Lincoln Hall. 8 p.m.

Lady Lamb The Beekeeper, the musical project of singer-songwriter Aly Spaltro, plays Schubas tonight behind her impressive debut studio album, "Ripely Pine." Spaltro proves to be equally adept at upbeat indie-rock ("Hair to the Ferris Wheel," "Aubergine," "Rooftop') as she is with lovely folk ("Florence Berlin," "Regarding Ascending the Stairs"). With Brooklyn-based keyboardist and vocalist Xenia Rubinos, who will play songs from her recently released debut album, "Magic Trix." Watch the video for "Magic Trix" highlight, "Whirlwind," here. Geoff Farina opens. Schubas. 8 p.m.

Chandeliers continue their Tuesday residency throughout May and are joined tonight by Keefe Jackson and members of Mucca Pazza and Icy Demons. The Hideout. 8:30 p.m.

 

Wednesday, May 15

Youth Lagoon, the psychedelic-pop band from musician Trevor Powers, play Metro tonight behind their excellent new record, "Wondrous Bughouse." The follow-up to 2011s, "The Year of Hibernation," "Wondrous Bughouse" is a step up and songs such as  "Mute," "Dropla," and "Sleep Paralysis," are immediate, arresting and masterful. Montreal-based synth-pop duo Majical Cloudz open previewing songs from their eagerly-anticipated forthcoming record, "Impersonator," which is due next week. Listen to the piano-driven new song, "Buzz Don't Buzz," here. Metro. 9 p.m. Majical Cloudz will also play an in-store set at Permanent Records. 6 p.m.

"Dormarian," is the new record from Telekinesis, the power-pop project of Seattle-based musician MIchael Benjamin Lerner. The record is full of driving, up-tempo tunes like "Empathetic People," "Wires," and "Dark Tonight," but also features some cool synths ("Ghosts and Creatures," "Ever True") and a beautiful ballad ("Symphony"). Give a listen to Lerner's cover of Harry Nilsson's song, "Don't Forget Me," featuring Wild Flag's Rebecca Cole (who also contributes to "Dormarian"), here. Singer and multi-instrumentalist Jessica Dobson has played with Beck, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Shins, but also heads up her own band, Deep Sea Diver. In 2012, the group released, "History Speaks," a fine indie-rock record featuring indelible tracks like, "NWO," "Keep it Moving," and "Ships." Lincoln Hall. 9 p.m.

I first became aware of singer-songwriter Joshua Radin when his song, "Winter," was used in the classic "Scrubs" episode, "My Screw Up." And not only is the episode one of "Scrubs" very best, but "Winter" remains one of Radin's best songs. Radin, who attended Northwestern, returns to Evanston Wednesday to support his fifth full-length record, "Wax Wings." The Los Angeles-based duo My Name is You will open. SPACE. 8 p.m.

And: German duo Digitalism bring their swirling brand of electro, house, and pop to Bottom Lounge. 9 p.m.

 

Thursday, May 16

Portland-based pop-punk trio The Thermals headline a show at Lincoln Hall Thursday night behind their recently released record, "Desperate Ground." Passion, raw energy and insanely catchy tunes are hallmarks of The Thermals repertoire and "Desperate Ground" has them in spades. Bare Mutants is a powerhouse local quintet made up of members of the 1900s, Mannequin Men and The Ponys. "Without You," their debut 7" released last year on HoZac Records, reminds me of Interpol crossed with the Jesus and Mary Chain with just a hint of Echo & the Bunnymen. Toronto-based dream-pop duo Moon King open playing songs from their recent EP, "Obsession II." Lincoln Hall. 9 p.m.

And speaking of HoZac Records, the annual HoZac Blackout Fest kicks off Thursday night with Mike Rep and Tommy Jay, Negative Scanner and The Sleaze. Empty Bottle. 9 p.m.

Swedish indie-rock band Shout Out Louds roll through town in support of their latest record, "Optica." "Optica" is lush and inviting and tunes such as the the infectious opener, "Sugar," and the latest single, "Illusions," are can't-miss summer jams. Opening is the New York-based electro-pop quintet Haerts. Their debut album is due sometime this year, but you can watch the video for "Wings," the bands' shimmering debut single, here. Metro. 6:30 p.m.

Fall Out Boy return from their hiatus and are touring behind their new record, "Save Rock and Roll," which features contributions from both Courtney Love and Elton John and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Check out their recent appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," here. Welcome back. Riviera. 6:30 p.m.

It will be a night of stories and songs Thursday night with Throwing Muses co-founder Kristin Hersh. Hersh has a solo record, "Spark Meet Gasoline," which is a series of new studio recordings where one song is being released each month as part of her "Works in Progress" series. There is also a new Throwing Muses record that is set to be released in the fall, as well as new work from her trio 50 Foot Wave. In 2010, Hersh released a memoir called, "Rat Girl," which she'll be reading from tonight. The Old Town School of Folk Music's Gary and Laura Maurer Concert Hall. 8 p.m.

Peter Murphy comes to town for The Mr. Moonlight Tour, celebrating 35 years of Bauhaus, the innovative and pioneering goth-rock quartet he formed in 1978, and the group New Kids on the Block member Jordan Knight loved a decade later. With Blah Blah Blah. House of Blues. 9 p.m.

Exceptional country-rock quintet Futurebirds will headline a show Friday night at Schubas, but Thursday night the group will play an acoustic in-store set at Permanent Records. 6 p.m.

Also tonight: Stars Hollow troubadour Grant-Lee Phillips performs in Evanston Thursday night behind his latest record, 2012's, "Walking in the Green Corn." With Nicholas Barron. SPACE. 7:30 p.m.

And: Don't miss a DJ set from electronic musician Four Tet Thursday night at Smart Bar. 10 p.m.

 

Friday, May 17

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Rodriguez, the subject of the fascinating Academy Award winning documentary, "Searching for Sugarman," plays Chicago with singer-songwriter Jenny O., who released a terrific record, "Automechanic," earlier this year. Arie Crown Theater. 8 p.m.

Athens-based psychedelic-pop band Of Montreal come to Chicago behind the two records they released in 2012, "Paralytic Stalks," and their compilation of previously unreleased material, "Daughter of Cloud." The group successfully raised funds via Kickstarter to complete an historical feature-length documentary called, "Song Dynasties." You can watch the trailer to the film here. Houston-based indie-pop quintet Wild Moccasins open. The group recently released a video for the sunny single, "Gag Reflections," which you can watch here. Lincoln Hall. 8 p.m. Wild Moccasins will also play an in-store set at Record Breakers earlier in the day. 4 p.m.

"Baby Yaga," the exceptional new record from Athens-based five-piece Futurebirds, is filled with killer country-rock that showcases the bands' penchant for warm melodies and soaring harmonies. Check out the video for the rollicking, "Serial Bowls," here. Blistering Nashville-based garage-rock outfit Diarrhea Planet open ahead of their forthcoming record. Check out their awesome version of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run," featuring Titus Andronicus' Patrick Stickles, here. Schubas. 10 p.m.

Los Angeles-based indie rock trio Black Rebel Motorcycle Club come to town behind their new record, "Specter at the Feast," which includes a stirring cover of The Call's late '80s hit, "Let the Day Begin." BRMC bassist and singer, Robert Levon Been, is the son of The Call's Michael Been, who died suddenly in 2010 while engineering a BRMC show. Experimental-pop band thenewno2 (featuring Dhani Harrison, the son of George Harrison) just released a digital-only deluxe edition of their 2012 record, "thefearofmissingout." The new edition includes two exclusive acoustic tracks and a pair of remixes in addition to the original record. The Vic. 8 p.m.

Also: The HoZac Blackout Fest rolls into day two with Unnatural Axe, Tyvek, Eat Skull, Make-Overs and Winter Bear. Empty Bottle. 8 p.m.

 

Saturday, May 18

Steven Ellison, the Los Angeles-based experimental electronic music producer, record label owner, and musician known as Flying Lotus plays Metro Saturday behind last year's brilliant record, "Until The Quiet Comes." Exemplary bassist Stephen Bruner, aka Thundercat, will play cuts from his forthcoming Flying Lotus-produced record, "Apocalypse." Check out the amazing new party jam, "Oh Sheit It's X," here. Los Angeles-based artist and beatmaker Teebs, will get the night started. Metro. 9 p.m.

English indie-rock band Foals play The Vic in support of their latest record, "Holy Fire." Tunes such as the upbeat and danceable, "My Number," the infectious "Bad Habit," and the funky "Inhaler" are sure to be crowd pleasers. Florida-based quartet Surfer Blood released, "Astro Coast," their dynamic debut record in 2010, and are set to release their full-length follow-up, "Pythons," in June. Listen to new song, "Weird Shapes," here and watch the video for another new song, "Demon Dance," here. You may already be familiar with Los Angeles-based brother-and-sister-indie-pop-duo Blondfire from their summery song, "Where The Kids Are," which appeared in a car commercial. The duo's new record, "Young Heart," will be released later this year. The Vic. 7 p.m.

Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Laura Stevenson comes to town in support of, "Wheel," her recently released third record. The album is packed with country-tinged indie-rock tunes accompanied by lush arrangements and Stevenson's distinctive voice. With Brooklyn-based dream-pop quartet Field Mouse. Listen to, "Tomorrow is Yesterday," their dynamite new single, here. Warren Franklin & the Founding Fathers open. Beat Kitchen. 9:00 p.m.

Local power-pop band Ryan Powers & The Secret Weapons celebrate the release of their insanely catchy new record, "The Goodnight, Goodbye Hour," tonight at Lincoln Hall. Local six-piece Super Happy Fun Club will headline celebrating their new record, "All Funned Up." Bury Me in Lights open. Lincoln Hall. 9 p.m.

Also: Great beer and great bands are, um, on tap tonight as Revolution Brewing takes over the Hideout bar while Outer Minds and Sybris, two great local bands, provide the soundtrack. The Hideout. 8 p.m.

And: The HoZac Blackout Festival continues with Chrome, Wizzard Sleeve, Cop City/Chill Pillars, FNU Ronnies, Verma and Population. Empty Bottle. 8 p.m.

 

Sunday, May 19

Zach Braff-approved indie-rockers The Shins come to town supporting their terrific 2012 record, "Port of Morrow." Tunes like, "Simple Song," "Now Way Down," and "September", hold up against Shins classics such as "New Slang" and "Caring is Creepy." And since the show is in May, you probably won't hear The Shins version of the insufferable, "Wonderful Christmastime." New York indie-pop band Ra Ra Riot open playing songs from their latest, "Beta Love," which is full of hard-charging anthems such as, "Dance With Me," "Beta Love," and "Angel, Please." Aragon. 7 p.m.

Legendary genius Todd Rundgren will headline Hopefest 2013 tonight, a show benefiting the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Rundgren recently released, "State," his 24th album. Park West. 6:45.

The HoZac Blackout Fest comes to an end with power pop legend Dwight Twilly, Pezband, Games and The Sueves. Empty Bottle. 8 p.m. (HoZac)