by Marisa Ruiz (@MarisaVictoria)

There’s just not enough super happy and fun going around, no-wut-ah-mean? You now have the chance to take control of your personal SHF factor! Come enjoy danceable feel-good rock tunes at The Super Happy Fun Club’s CD release show at Lincoln Hall on Saturday, May 18th. If happiness and fun isn’t enough to get you out to this show (you robot!) then I give you more reasons to make the case:

1. The band’s prior EP was called Go Fun Yourself and their follow-up new release is appropriately called All Funned Up!

2. Check out their latest video for “Way Back” (The Conflict) which was filmed at Bottom Lounge.  A great track that showcases singer Stubhy Pandav’s airwave-friendly voice and the entire band’s mad energetic stage presence. (You can always count on guitarist Phil Kosch for photo-worthy hair thrashing!)

3. The band is essentially  a super-group of talent from a variety of bands Chicago music lovers may recognize (Lucky Boys Confusion, Treaty of Paris, The Insecurities and more) ALSO, check out that animated logo on their website and tell me that cloud isn’t just… killer!

Frontman Pandav shares insight on the making of this new release. “We got to really come together on this record musically and develop our sound as a band,” he says. “This is a cohesive record about getting through a miserable time but finding hope after hitting rock bottom.  I hope everyone that’s been through a hard time can find some strength in these songs and sing and scream along with us triumphantly!” Want to be part of all this musically-awesome triumph? Show info below!

THE DETAILS:

Saturday, May 18th — Lincoln Hall — 17+ show –Doors at 8PM / Show at  9PM — Bury Me In Lights and Ryan Powers & The Secret Weapons are openers — Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door

Super Happy Fun Club will be on at 10:50 PM

Get your tickets here!

Chug a RedBull tall-boy, devour a bag of the high-sugar candy of choice and get ready to jump, sing along and get All Funned Up!

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Cheers,

-MV

Recently, I had the fortune of returning to a favorite bar of mine- a bar my friends and I have been going to for over 5 years. This bar also is home to the best after work party in Chicago. Each Friday from 7-11 Lincoln Park’s Duffy’s (420 1/2 W Diversey) offers a Fridays After Work wristband deal for $20. The cost not only covers unlimited draft beers and well drinks, but it also includes a buffet of sliders, quesadillas, and other bar food. I took some time talking to the regulars to see what drew them to Duffy’s that evening.

I first spoke to a woman in her 20s named Andrea. She told me she was drinking a draft of Lagunitas India Pale Ale (6.2% ABV) because it’s delicious and included in the package. She came out to the bar that evening for the Fridays After Work package and said that she had been coming to Duffy’s for over a year. “It’s a good deal,” she told me. “There’s always a great crowd and good music for the dance floor.”

I looked around the crowded bar and tried to decide the next person to interview when Andrea’s friend, Shawna, returned from the bar with a drink in hand. She explained that she was drinking vodka cranberry because it is a low carb alternative to beer. Like Andrea, she had been going to Duffy’s on Fridays for over a year. “I live in the neighborhood and the main draw this bar has on Fridays is the $20 wristband deal.”

I thanked Andrea and Shawna for their time and went to return to my friends to continue enjoying the evening. You won’t find a better deal than Fridays After Work at Duffy’s. There’s a great crowd, an unbelievable deal and unbeatable times. We go there fairly often and I hope to see you there!!

Do you have a favorite Friday night drink package in Chicago? Let me know in the comments!!

by Junu Phillips (@bopcitybeats)

Not sure when we went from homies sippin’ sizzurp to seeing skinny jeans on the norm, but hip hop is a genre that seems to have lost its way. Sometimes I wish present day “rappers” would just go away. Thirty hype men on stage, all winking at each other – and you can’t even find the emcee?!? Every once in awhile though, a rose will rise from the concrete. Someone who stands tall. Someone who is shameless. Someone who instead of walking around the puddles in the street, they stomp right through that bitch. I give you Danny Brown. A 31-year-old cat out of Detroit whose recent success is almost as amazing as the fact that he’s lived to tell it. In and out of jail for years – this is a true story of struggle. Genuine and authentic to the bone. You can smell it on him… and the fans know it, too. His vibe tends to be rather polarizing; definitely hate-it or love-it music. That said, his followers under the “love-it” column were ever present at his April 24th Bottom Lounge gig in Chicago.

If there is anything that can be said about Danny Brown, it’s that he’s unique. Perhaps the weirdest, craziest, most amusing hip hop artist since the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard. A diverse, restless and sold-out crowd tirelessly chanted his name before he hit the stage. As soon as he stepped up in front of the crowd, the placed started to roar. Booze and water flew in the air as Danny bopped up and down, afro dripped with sweat, Peace symbol pointed to the sky and tongue sticking out. He worked the crowd hard (with NO hype man) and they were loving every minute. They were rowdy, jumping on and off stage,  shirts flying through the air. Oh, and these fans seemed to know EVERY SONG. Like, all of them. It was unreal. Every time the crowd would take over a song, Danny would just smile with his huge grin, soaking it all up. His high pitch voice is off-key and scratchy – yet it’s part of the experience. He would pause in between songs and spout off, “wHat’s Up cHiCaGO?!?!” (He somehow sounds just how that last quote looks).

The dude has mad energy and incredible stage presence. You can tell that he’s older than a lot of young bucks in the game now by some of his choices. (Coincidentally, the name of his new record that drops later this year is called OLD!)When you are 30+, you aren’t barking at girls the whole show. You don’t have all your boys on stage with you. It was just him and the fans; playful and funny, smiling and laughing – all night long. Words straight from our boy’s mouth, “This ain’t no rap show. It’s a party!” Yeah, no doubt. There were so many blunts being passed around, I thought I was at a dispensary in Boulder.

Hats off to you, Danny Brown. For a school night, it was well worth the little sleep that would follow.

-JP

In this edition of Nick Greene’s Chicago we have excitement, intrigue, and American heroes fighting crime!! Wrigleyville’s Rebel hosted an open bar to celebrate their 5 year anniversary. I thought I’d stop by to enjoy the open bar and interview the regulars.

Alex Wolf

Alex Wolf, a marketing intern, explained her favorite features of Rebel. Having been to “the class of Wrigleyville” several times, she appreciates that it’s a bar with a relaxed atmosphere. She was a fan of the prompt service and mentioned that she has never had a bad time at Rebel. Alex explained, “Some other bars in the area are full of people being rude and spilling their drinks, but Rebel has a great safe atmosphere.”

The next attendee I interviewed, Eric Schmidtberger, who works at a law firm, had been coming to Rebel since it opened in 2008. Late in the evening, he was able to foil the escape of a gentleman who attempted to leave without paying his $11 tab. While talking on the phone outside of the bar, a man ran towards him chased from the bouncers.

Eric Schmitberger

Acting quickly, he tackled him to the ground and held him long enough for the bouncers to take him back into the bar and alert the authorities.

I asked him how it felt to be a hero. He shrugged it off. “It was no big deal,” he said. “I didn’t even think about it. I knew what had to be done.”

Being a hero has its karmic benefits. Eric ended up winning a 40″ high definition television that was raffled that evening. “I come here all the time,” he said, “I’ll be back. This place is a great time, and the free drinks don’t hurt.”

I’ve become a fan of Wrigleyville’s hidden gem. It offered even more excitement than I was hoping for on a Friday night. I had an unbelievably excellent time at this event and I hope to see you at the next one!

by Leah Karabenick

Rhye brought an astonishing R&B-meets-electro-pop-meets-soul performance to a sold out room at Schubas Tavern. Upon first listen of the band’s debut album, Woman, the sleek and sexy music of songstress Sade often comes to mind. Little might many realize that those seductive baby-making vocals belong to a guy named Mike Milosh. I myself hadn’t realized that the Toronto based singer’s voice was one in the same as the artist I’d adored years before. (I had even featured his past songs on my MySpace music playlists!)

The show was surprising in so many ways. My first completely inaccurate assumption was that the vocals would be backed by synthesized instrumentals, streaming from a computer. Instead, the stage was fully orchestrated for a jazz band, adorned with instruments ranging from a violin to drums. With the exception of Milosh, everyone played an instrument. The lone female, Clare, even alternated between what I believe to be, a cello and trombone. She absolutely shred while radiating cool, and oh, she can sing too. In fact, five of the six members sang on almost every track, creating flawless harmonies that filled the perfectly intimate venue. Milosh’s voice was also outstanding live. It’s considerably unique; androgynous and breathy, while nonchalantly drenched with soulful and sexual overtones. “Last Dance” was one of the standout songs of the night. Gritty and jazzy riffs that totally shifted the tone of the show from an intense emotional state into a full on groove. A feeling of genius came to mind.

Throughout the set, Rhye commanded undivided attention in lieu of the more typical back-room chatter that happens in the popular venue. There was only the occasional eruption of applause post each face-melting instrumental solo – or laughter resulting from the unexpected hilarious interaction between Milosh, his fellow band members and the crowd. The funniest part was at the end of the show when he said something to the effect of, “Yeah, so that’s it. There’s no encore. That’s literally all the songs we have so don’t expect us to bow and then come back on for another song… because that’s literally all the songs we know.”

Overall, Rhye’s performance proved to be a true musical accomplishment. Everyone quite possibly left wanting to hug each other and discuss how amazing the show was – and then immediately take a cold shower. (Or was it just me?) While still somewhat elusive to the main stream, great things are in store for Rhye. Their popularity will surely escalate as people discover the absolute gem of their well crafted music and refreshing live performance.

SHOW DATE: 04/11/13

-LK