It seems there are a lot of great live shows this weekend. So we present you with an overstuffed edition of Weekend Diversions. Additionally, apologies for the lack of updates to the site this week. I was on vaca and without internet access at times. But next week, things will be back to it’s busiest. Thanks again for supporting loudloop with your readership!

Nine Inch Nails

This is it. Or so says Trent Reznor. Nine Inch Nails are now on their extended “goodbye!” trek. They just finished up like 5 shows in NYC, and are headed to Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom for two shows before calling it a career in Los Angeles next week. Tickets are sold out, so if you want to catch one of their two shows this weekend, Craigslist, eBay or praying to your demigod of choice is probably your best bet to gain entry.

7:30 PM. Friday, 8/28 & Saturday, 8/29. Aragon Ballroom. $57.50. SOLD OUT

Stimulus Music Showcase

Rock n’ Roll to help the economy? Sweet! Local bands Loyal Divide, Vince P, Le Concorde and Blah Blah Blah team up with local businesses/brands such as Threadless, Gallery Café in Wicker Park, Piece Pizzeria, Uncle Sammie’s Sandwich Shop and Wow Bao to offer a Stimulus Music Card with free band downloads and exclusive discounts to said businesses. Great idea, no?

9:00 PM. Friday, 8/28. Beat Kitchen. $10.

The O’ My’s

It might be time to jump on the O’ My’s bandwagon before that wagon gets full. The funky, rocky yet soulful group took home “next big thing” honors at the Congress Theater while leaving 150 other bands in their wake. They open what should be a night of good, old school rock n roll at Reggies Music Joint on Friday night, headlined by fellow Chicagoans The Sonnets. – Ross Meyerson

9:00 PM. Friday, 8/28. Reggies Music Joint. $7.

Mucca Pazza

In the mood for a circus punk marching band? If not, perhaps you’re just curious to know what that even means and/or sounds like. Chicago’s Mucca Pazza bring their, let’s say, unique talents to the Bottom Lounge Saturday night. For $12 you get woodwinds, trumpets, bones, sousaphones, percussion, cheerleaders, and freaks. Sounds like a cheap date. – Ross Meyerson

9:00 PM. Saturday, 8/29. Bottom Lounge. $12.

Vivian Girls

Want to spend the day with the Vivian Girls? Who wouldn’t? Well this up coming Sunday is your lucky day. The girls are not playing once but twice. Catch their free acoustic set at Permanent Records at 6 p.m. with Chicago’s own Black Math opening. Then scurry on down to the Empty Bottle to see them again, this time with electric power. It’s a win-win kind of night. – Ross Meyerson (Editor’s note: Chi.myopenbar.com will be offering FREE Colt 45 at this show starting at 8 p.m. Get some while it lasts!)

9:00 PM. Sunday, 8/30. Empty Bottle. $10.

Last night we received a very sad e-mail from the Empty Bottle.

Radley, Empty Bottle’s resident rockin’ kitty-cat, passed away yesterday afternoon.

We at loudloop would like to send our deepest condolences to the Empty Bottle family. If you would like to make a donation in honor of Radley, you can do so by calling the American Live Foundation at 312-377-9030.

The full letter describing Radley’s importance to the Empty Bottle and his feline hijinks can be read after the jump.

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Looking for a music festival that features big names but hate fighting massive crowds of hippies, frat dudes and hipsters in the summer heat? Then Champaign-Urbana’s Pygmalion Music Festival might be right up your alley.

Entering it’s fifth year, the Pygmalion Music Festival goes down September 16 – 19, 2009 in Champaign-Urbana, IL.

This year’s edition of the festival features big names and up-and-coming acts including Iron and Wine, Low, Lucero, RJD2, The Books, The Antlers, YACHT, Wavves, Headlights, Japandroids, Autolux, BLK JKS, My Brightest Diamond and many more.

The Pygmalion Music Festival is less like other major Illinois festivals such as Lollapalooza and Pitchfork and more like Austin’s annual spring event South By Southwest as the event takes place over four days in 15 different venues in two of Champaign-Urbana’s most vibrant neighborhoods.

The full schedule and ticket information is available right now at 2009.pygmalionmusicfestival.com.

Marmoset

Indiana’s Marmoset bring their brand of skewed pop to the Empty Bottle on Saturday night. It promises to be a nice night of psych tinged guitar jangle with locals Light Pollution, Nervous Fingers, and A Tundra filling out the bill. All this for $8? Get out and support some homegrown talent, you.

10:00 PM. Saturday, 8/22. Empty Bottle. $8.

The Golden Horse Ranch Band

How’s about spending your Sunday afternoon in the park? Sound good? Then go check out The Golden Horse Ranch Band this Sunday at Millennium Park. Bring the kids and they just might learn the hokey pokey. Great countrified sounds from a great countrified Chicagoland band. All this for free between the hours of 1 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.. Yee-haw!

1:00 PM. Sunday, 8/23. Chase Promenade North in Millenium Park. FREE.

According to a Pitchfork.com report, Califone have announced tour dates in support of their new album All My Friends are Funeral Singers, which is set for release on October 6. As noted last month, the album will be the first for the band on the Austin-based Dead Oceans label.

Frontman Tim Rutili wrote and directed a film of the same name and the tour will feature many shows in which the band will play the soundtrack live alongside a screening of the picture. The tour kicks off with 2 shows at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art on October 10 and 11 and both will include movie screenings.

Watch the trailer for All My Friends are Funeral Singers right here:

Find the rest of Califone’s fall tour dates after the jump.

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Although we reported it months ago, 19 year-old Portland native Mike Byrne has been officially named as the Smashing Pumpkins’ new drummer in a press release on smashingpumpkins.com.

The press release goes on to describe Byrne’s initial jam session with Corgan and his reaction after first hearing the Pumpkins a mere six years ago.

“It was a really good time in my life to hear the Pumpkins music when I was 13. It just connected with me and it was sort of a window into something really different and eclectic. The band was a little bit more willing to take risks than a lot of the stuff I had been listening to. That was exciting and fresh to me. And then delving into a lot of it just definitely resonated on a creative level with me.” Byrne had the chance to see the Pumpkins two years ago when they performed on tour in the Portland area.

It’s a shame Byrne never got to see the real Pumpkins and had to settle for Corgan’s watered down Zeitgeist-era version of the alt-rock group.

But now that Byrne is in the fold, he will join Corgan on six solo club dates – all in California – where they’ll also be back by Spirits in the Sky, the Sky Saxon tribute band Billy performed with a few weeks ago.

Finally, the press release does offer this one interesting bit of new information: there will be an announcement next month regarding a new Smashing Pumpkins album. Hurray? I just don’t know anymore.

If you missed Lollapalooza 2009 last weekend and our extensive coverage didn’t satisfy your Lolla needs, then today is your lucky day.

Tonight at 8 p.m. CST, Fuse TV will air the best of Lollapalooza 2009. It will air again tomorrow, Sunday, August 16, at 6 p.m. CST.

If you live in the Chicago area, Fuse is channel 279 on Comcast HD.