Colours, the debut album from Britain’s Graffiti6, is as vividly vibrant as both the project’s moniker and its album title suggest: an uncategorizable mélange of pop, psychedelia, R&B, and British Northern Soul that fully capitalizes on the soaring uplift of Jamie Scott’s emotionally transparent voice and gift for melody and TommyD’s irresistible rhythms and inventive production. Songs like “Stone In My Heart,” “Stare Into The Sun,” “Annie You Save Me,” and “Free” are “latter-day psych-soul nuggets, all phased vocals and sunshine melodies given the warp factor,” as London’s Guardian newspaper put it, while the remainder of Colours zigzags all over the musical map from the folk-soul balladry of “Goodbye Geoffrey Drake,” to the spare, gospel-inflected feel of “Over You,” to the down- tempo sultriness of “Calm The Storm,” to the jangly indie-rock vibe of “Lay Me Down.” “For me, the unexpectedness of the sound is the whole point,” Scott says. “It’s fun to mess with people’s heads.”

Four years passed since the release of We Were Set Up, the record that cemented Canasta's place as a staple - perhaps even the unspoken centerpiece - of Chicago's orchestral pop scene this millennium. But according to the Chicago Reader, the wait was worth it: "...this local sextet's second full-length, The Fakeout, the Tease and the Breather, is so perfect—every note falling into place with deeply satisfying craftsmanship—that you'll swear you've heard it before. But you haven't..." Making use of a collaborative songwriting process that relies on all six musicians, Canasta has always augmented the standard rock set-up with an piano, keyboard, violin and trombone. But despite an ever-changing roster that has included nineteen members (!), founders Matt Priest and Elizabeth Lindau continue to keep the lyrics thoughtful, the orchestrations meticulous, the melodies unforgettable and the sound uniquely "Chicagoan." The past twelve months have been the band's busiest yet, including a sold-out, headlining show at Chicago's Old Town School, a win in The Deli's "Best of Chicago Fans' Poll," a recording session for Dayotrotter, ambitious music videos for the singles "Mexico City,” “Magazine (Songwriter on a Train)” and “Becoming You,” and their first-ever tour abroad… to the hinterlands of Mongolia!

Harper Blynn is classic pop reimagined. The band's instantly hummable music is remarkable not only for its breadth but also its intimacy, ranging from four-on-the-floor dance stompers to near-whispered pleas for understanding. In 2009, the Brooklyn quartet caught the ear of journeyman producer David Kahne (Paul McCartney, The Strokes), who signed on to produce their debut full-length, Loneliest Generation. Besides playing over 150 dates in 2010, the band also managed to release a self-produced eponymous EP that demonstrates the tremendous growth and confidence that a year on the road can provide.

Friends have also garnered praise from the likes of , among others, Nylon Magazine, The NME and Creature Mag who had this to say about them: “(Friends)boast a classic pop sound and their single ‘Friend Crush’ is simply the epitome of cool…This Brooklyn quintet are led by lead singer Samantha Urbani whose vocals drip with a gritty sex appeal that relays the heat of a NYC summer… The bass and percussion on ‘Friend Crush’ is sultry, with an instantaneously memorable keys/guitar hook that’ll have you humming this track for weeks to come. Urbani’s vocals are effortless and simultaneously flawless- this band is definitely one to watch for 2011, and they haven’t even started recording their debut album yet.”

Something happens when these eight people come together. Put them on a stage, and something larger than even this relatively large band blossoms, ecstatic and cathartic and inspiring. And like the songs on River City Extension's second album, Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Your Anger, it may not hit you over the head from the first moment; rather, it's a journey. It sneaks up on you as these songs breathe and grow and change -- as apt a microcosm of life as any you'll find in music.

Second show added!

Sometimes a story can take a long time to tell. Eric D. Johnson, who has recorded and performed as the Fruit Bats for a decade now, had a story like that, a chance encounter that had rattled around his head for years. He’s tried to write it as a short story, a play, a movie…yet until now couldn’t get it down just right. Finally he decided to make a song out of it, and the result is “Tony the Tripper.” It’s the song at the heart of his fifth album, Tripper, setting the tone for a bittersweet meditation on hitting the road, leaving the familiar behind and reinventing yourself.

Conveyor are a Brooklyn-based music project that has its roots in a wandering tarot of formerly Gainesville, FL-based musicians. They released their debut EP, Sun Ray, in the spring of 2011 to collective warm acclaim. Full of lucid, homey synths layered over acoustic guitars and harmonious vocals, Conveyor project extraterrestrial bible-thumpers drenched in love; acid-soaked pop unafraid to beam with the simultaneous acceptance of life/death realities with a polyrhythmic, pulsing backdrop. Upon releasing their newest single, Mukraker, music blog BeatsPerMinute prophesied their upcoming debut album as "possibly... one of the best breakthrough albums of 2012."

Although now firmly settled in New York City, Young Magic's three members came together through equal helpings of openness and fortuity. In 2010, singer and producer Isaac Emmanuel had left his home continent of Australia to travel across Europe, over to New York, and down through Mexico, all the while creating and recording music with whatever instruments he found along the way. While in Mexico, Emmanuel kept a tight correspondence with fellow Australian expat Michael Italia, who for months had been similarly traveling across Europe and South America with portable recording gear in tow. They decided to meet up in New York, where their good friend from a few years prior, Indonesian-born vocalist Melati Malay, had been living and making her own recordings. In early 2011 the three friends, who had initially bonded over their broad musical palettes, began recording together and contributing songs to the record, culling influences and finding their own footing among them.

It’s not uncommon to form a band while in college, and that is exactly what Quilt did. Its primary members, Shane Butler and Anna Fox Rochinski (as well as Taylor Mcvay—who plays on much of the record, but has since left the band amicably) were all visual art students at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, but bonded over their mutual love of weird, experimental jams and classic pop harmonies. John Andrews joined the band as drummer after opening for every Quilt show on tour in 2009. Butler grew up in a “spiritual community with a lot of musical chanting” and Rochinski was “doing classical singing in choirs that had a lot of crazy harmonies. There’s a lot of repetitive, almost mantra stuff in our songs,” she adds. Quilt is a band with strong roots that formed at the apex of the point in your life when you’re thinking about your own art and what it all means. Then you grow up. You get married, you get a real job, life gets in the way of your art. But the support structure of the band is strong, and they powered through. This self-titled debut full length is the result.

Arising from the depths, Eisley has reappeared with new personal relationships, a new label (Equal Vision Records) and a new album completed on their own: "The Valley."

Promising to bring listeners through the band's darkest and most trying times, "The Valley" reveals their strength, patience and perseverance. It signals a victorious climb out of their darkest valley. With it, Eisley has managed to put forth their greatest and most personal album yet.

From a quiet, country house nestled within the Durham, North Carolina woods, Delta Rae fuses its inspired four-part harmonies with a rich Carolina soul. Their music hinges on hope and a deep sense of meaning while their live show reflects the joy, passion, the unique bond they share, and the amazing fans and friends who join them.

They are an Alt-Pop Americana Rock band with four lead singers whose music incorporates all aspects of Americana – Gospel, Country, Rock, Blue Grass, and Blues. They have headlined shows to sold-out crowds on both coasts and plan to release a new LP in Spring 2012 and tour all year.

Nina’s Dream is the debut full-length album of Antony & The Tramps, the result of two years of development and six months of recording in Chicago warehouses, orchestra chambers, tiny closets, and city streets. It’s not a studio album, and it’s not a live record. Making use of portable gear they recorded “guerrilla style”, with unbound freedom to experiment with sound and creative vision. “We weren’t stuck in a studio trying to fake it…we owned the gear, so we could really develop our ideas, and play endlessly. We had two guiding concepts for this album,” Antony says, “we wanted the texture to be ‘wooden-electric’, and we wanted the narrative and imagery to play like a ‘movie for your ears.

Indeed, Nina’s Dream is a cinematic effort – a full 63 minutes of original music that takes listeners through wide open prairie scenes, bustling big-city streets, and thick green forests. There’s ragged American-gypsy rhythms, intimate soulful pleas, soaring climactic instrumentals, and heavenly a cappella choirs.

Chicago singer-songwriter Xoe Wise has just released her sophomore album, Archive of Illusions, which reached #41 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart, and was immediately placed in the music store’s “New and Noteworthy” section.

With sophisticated savvy and singularity, the Los Angeles quartet Saint Motel has built a formidable reputation on the back of inventive indie pop and wildly fun live shows. Mixing blistering pep with unique flair and rousing rhythms, Saint Motel's aural catharsis is pure bliss with a twist of cynical humor. Once pulled in by the pulsating and joyous melodies, delight can be found in the surprisingly avant-garde lyrical subject matter. Stories reveal themselves through thematic twists and turns with a narrative voice both subversive and sincere.

Chrome Attic brings you another installment of Sound Swap – the concert concept connecting Midwest bands and venues.

The Hold Steady meet Bob Dylan. When trying to describe Cousin Dud one usually is unsure where to start. Impulse says to speak to the raw emotion that comes out in the delivery of the songs, but then it seems the content of the dark, yet beautiful storytelling would be undermined. That’s why they’re rarely compared to just 1 other band. It’s always a combination of 2 to make sure the full range of their music is captured.

After countless all-nighters recording and weekend mix sessions, Chicago’s Alt-Americana 5-piece are proud to celebrate the release of their second full length album, Workinggirl’s Dud. The culmination of DIY pride and genuine band camaraderie will be evident when they take the stage.

Sharing that stage with them will be Yes Club’s On Again Off Again. Fronted by Mike Winegardner and supported by former high school jazz band friends Ryan Davisson, Brian Houze and Dan Gray, On Again Off Again craft miniature pop odysseys reminiscent of recent Radiohead.

Muncie-bred and Indianapolis-raised, The Bonesetters make music in old duplexes and share them with all kinds of alternative environs. They breathe in quiet sounds, and exhale louder sounds. A good mixture of western swing, surf rock, blues and images meant for dreams.

All tickets are now Two for One! This means if you buy one ticket on here that it gets you a +1 on the will call list and you can bring the guest of your choice.

Hello, Chicago! It's been a very busy two and a half years for Dastardly, with a lot of recording and rigorous touring either as a full band or just me by my lonesome. We'll be on tour for most of the summer, but when we get back, we are putting on a very special show to celebrate the release of a new record and our return to the city we love.

Yes, Schubas is actually letting us have an entire night to do whatever we want! The night will kick off with an intimate set which will include the entirety of our upcoming song cycle "Ballads in Blue", plus a ton of songs you already know and love! For that set, we will be joined by a few members of some of our favorite local bands.

The second set will be a full on assault of the rowdiest material that we have. We guarantee kill-pits and articles of clothing flying everywhere. There will be surprises. Presents. Guest performances from local comedians. A lengthy talk about the Mexican victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla presented by drummer Andy in the men's room.

We are terribly excited for this. Please join us for a night we promise you won't forget!

---Gabe & Dastardly