This weekend, we plan on getting Blacked Out at the Empty Bottle, do some Dumpster diving at the Burlington, make a Day of it at Cole’s and so much more.

Let’s do this…

FRIDAY

HOZAC BLACKOUT FEST
It has return..eth! The garage slash punk slash rock ‘n’ roll fest thrown by Chicago’s own HoZac Records is back – this time in the neighborly confines of the Empty Bottle. And the imprints isn’t sparing the fire power with headliners like the alt-punk stalwarts Redd Kross (performing their fiery 1982 debut Born Innocent), Puerto Rican garage rockers Davila 666 and psychedelic rock legend Roky Erikson. The rest of the lineup offers familiar faces both locaally and non from across the stylistic spectrum including experimentalists ET Habit, redheaded garage rockers White Mystery, surf-poppers Fungi Girls, neo-psychers Bare Mutants, alien-punks Human Eye and that’s just skimming the surface. Unfortunately, Sunday’s fun, starring Roky E himself, has sold out, but there’s still time for you to carve out five hours on Friday and Saturday evening for some rowdy and ear-splitting good times. (Richard Giraldi)

5:00 p.m. Friday, 5/18 & Saturday 5/19, 7:00 p.m. Sunday 5/20. The Empty Bottle. 21+. $20 Friday, $25 Saturday & Sunday.

SECRET COLOURS
Get ready to dust off the week with some lush garage rock courtesy of Chicago outfit Secret Colours. Within a few seconds of hearing the opening chords of “Faust,” the opening track off Secret Colours’ recent EP3, I was overcome by an overwhelming sense of serenity. With a clear mind, I was definitely ready to get lifted by the group’s dreamy psych-pop touches. Also on hand tonight to boost your morale are Los Angeles psychedelic rockers Spindrift and Strangers Family Band. (Audrey Leon)

9:00 p.m. Friday, 5/18. Beat Kitchen. 17+ $10.

SATURDAY

DUMPSTER BABIES
Does it feel like late April to you? No? Well, it should. April 26, to be exact, because that date was the last time we saw the likes of Dumpster Babies play along with the likes of Absolutely Not and Hot Garbage. The trio of chicago garage punks like each other so much they thought they’d recreate the magic. So if you like rattling, 60s-eque rockers or frenetic dance punk or even screamy experimental rock duos, look no further than the Burlington tonight. (Audrey Leon)

9:00 p.m. Saturday, 5/19. Burlington. 21+ $5.

THE DAY LEWIS
If a few of the members of The Day Lewis look familiar, that’s because two of them (Rob Majchrowski and Eric Quinlan) also play in the noise-rock trio We Repel Each Other. But in The Day Lewis, along with others, they create something a tad more palatable – melodic and dark pop slash alt-rock that’s at times even reaches up-tempo feels. Also performing are lo-fi melancholy poppers Esoteric Tapioca and Snapper. (Richard Giraldi)

9:30 p.m. Saturday, 5/19. Cole’s. 21+. Free.

SUNDAY

RUNNING
Running can really wail. No, seriously. The group makes a meal out absolutely heavy (and I mean, fucking heavy), thudding drum beats, tortured vocals and shrieking guitars. Somehow noise rock enthusiasts doesn’t cut it as a description because noise in all its contorted, fuzzy forms is an art in which the band truly excels. If you know a better way to work out your frustrations, I don’t want to hear it. Also appearing tonight are New York synth-punks Pop.1280, melodic indie rockers Brain Idea, and post-punks Toupee. (Audrey Leon)

9:00 p.m. Sunday, 5/20. Treasure Town. 21+ $5.
6:30 p.m. Sunday, 5/20. CROWN TAP ROOM. 21+ $5.

9:30 p.m. Monday, 5/14. Empty Bottle. 21+. FREE.

Weekend! Time to hit the clubs! This time around we’re talking Dead On TV at Ultra Lounge, the Velcro Lewis Group at Cole’s, Population at the Empty Bottle and more!

Let’s do this…

FRIDAY

DEAD ON TV
It’s always time to rage with Dead On TV. This Chicago outfits brandishes a particularly menacing electro-punk assault that blurs the lines between distorted guitars and grinding synths. It’s also quite nice to find the ground have a sense of humor as portrayed in their tongue in cheek song which bears their name, “Deaf On TV,” as Alice in Chains, MTV, Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson are all name dropped with ease that leads to a heavy synth assault. Also rocking the stage tonight are metallic alt-punks Velocicopter, gritty heavy rockers Control and apocalyptic scuzzers DirtyBird. (Richard Giraldi)

9:00 p.m. Friday, 5/11. Ultra Lounge. 21+. $8.

JACK AND ACE
If you’re looking for a mellow affair this Friday, look no further than Jack and Ace, aka Chicago musicians Bob Nanna and Lauren LoPiccolo. The pair, who have previously worked together on Nanna’s project The City on Film, have teamed up to create dreamy pop tunes that are delicately strummed on acoustic guitars. Plus you really can’t beat a song title like “I’m Sorry That You Are The Black Death.” (Audrey Leon)

6:00 p.m. (EARLY SHOW) Friday, 5/11. Township. All Ages. $6.

SATURDAY

MUTTS
In the mood for some bluesy swamp-grooves? Look no further than Chicago’s Mutts whose sound is powered by a heavy, southern-gravy thick organ and Mike Maimone’s vocals that run the gamut from Texas drawl to metallic shrieks. There’s no guitar here, but plenty of soul satisfy. Plus, this is the vinyl release (oh, yeah!) for their latest LP, Pray For Rain. Mutts were also recently added to Do-Division festival, so you might just want to catch them in an air conditioned club before the weather takes a turn for the hot. Opening are rock n rollers Jet W. Lee and punkers GoodGrief. (Richard Giraldi)

9:00 p.m. Saturday, 5/12. The Burlington. 21+. $5.

THE VELCRO LEWIS GROUP

Got soul? No? Then get some Saturday night when sweet R&B rockers The Velcro Lewis Group hit Cole’s stage. These LLP faves pack a whole lot of powerful, heart-wrenching blues vocals (spread out among singers Andy Slater, Hawk Coleman and Lawrence Peters) with equally groovy bits and pieces of 60s psych rock and soul. Joe Cocker eat your heart out because The Velcro Lewis Group will deliver a body-moving, soul-shaking sermon tonight. (Audrey Leon)

10:00 p.m. Saturday, 5/12. Cole’s. 21+ Free!

SUNDAY

POPULATION
Some bands sound better with age and some bands just sound aged. Chicago post-punk quintet Population fall into the latter category because of their late 70s punk and new wave sound. Population’s synths and bass lines throb and pulsate around Keelan McMorrow’s moody, Ian Curtis-inspired vocals in a way that inspires plenty of shimmying and shaking. Population wear Joy Division prominently on their sleeves, but in this case, they wear it very well. (Audrey Leon)

9:30 p.m. Sunday, 5/13. Empty Bottle. 21+ $3.

• • A cab driver, possibly Kool-Aid Man, has crashed his vehicle into a wall at Schubas this past Thursday. No one was hurt but the brick wall outside the historic building will need repairs.
• • Jessica Hopper catches up with Jeff Tweedy’s son, Spencer, to talk about his rock band, The Blisters.
• • The Reader has the details about the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s Summer Jazz series, which will run every Tuesday from June 5 to September 25.
• • Consequence of Sound reviews M83′s recent tour stop at the Riviera.
• • Time Out Chicago has a few snapshots from Rabid Rabbit’s gig at the Empty Bottle.

Archie Powell and the Exports

It’s the last weekend in April and we can’t just let you go on your merry way without making a few suggestions on how best to live it up and rock it out.

Grab your hippest rain poncho and brace yourselves because we’re talking Archie Powell and the Exports’ record release show at Subterranean, Panda Riot’s gig at Bottom Lounge and Rabid Rabbit’s takeover of the Empty Bottle.

Up and Atom!

FRIDAY

ARCHIE POWELL AND THE EXPORTS
One of Chicago’s finest power pop bands is celebrating the release of their brand new album Great Ideas in Action. While Chicago’s indie rock scene produces some amazing experimental psych and crackling garage bands, Archie Powell and the Exports stand out for playing loud rock and roll that emphasizes big hooks and catchy harmonies. The way the band actively shape and uses melody to complement roaring riffs and throbbing beats on Great Ideas in Action shows that Archie Powell and The Exports aren’t afraid to go balls to the wall pop. (Audrey Leon)

8:30 p.m. Friday, 4/27. Subterranean. 17+ $10.

FOOTBALL
It’s fitting that the night of the second and third rounds of the NFL 2012 draft we get some real football. Football the band that is. Yep, the Chicago garage-punks are back to unleash their tinnitus-inducing bass tones and dirty, dirty guitars. Even better is that studio tunes from the band are slowly making their way on to the internet as I pointed out earlier. Word is that there’s an EP in the works, and there’s no doubting that it’ll be worth a first rounder. Former member of The Horrors and garagey bluesman Paul Cary and Detroit’s Childbite open. (Richard Giraldi)

9:30 p.m. Friday, 4/27. Quenchers. 21+. Free!

SATURDAY

PANDA RIOT
We’ve practically been on the edge of our seats awaiting new material from sensual shoegazers Panda Riot and we’re finally getting our wish. The group will release its Serious Radical Girls 7″ to the world on June 5. Panda Riot continue to dazzle with a sound that is heavily influenced by such influential early 90s bands as Smashing Pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine. Frontwoman Rebecca Scott’s heavenly vocals anchor the band’s soaring distorted guitar tones, lush synth play and computerized beats. For a lack better words, Panda Riot is simply dreamy. (Audrey Leon)

9:00 p.m. Saturday, 4/28. Bottom Lounge. 21+ $5.

SUNDAY

RABID RABBIT
If you like your doom metal low and slow, look no further than Chicago’s Rabid Rabbit. The group straddles the line between ominous stoner rock and hypnotic sludge rock with its penchant for drawn-out jam sessions. Rabid Rabbit lays down the bass nice and thick, utilizing two players instead of one. Frontwoman Andrea Jablonski’s low growls are a siren song for those who love their metal to be as heavy and tortured as possible. (Audrey Leon)

9:30 p.m. Sunday, 4/29. Empty Bottle. 21+ $3.

Shimby Presents: Live at the Empty Bottle works as more than just a live album. Recorded by local musician and music archivist Shimby McCreery, it’s an audial snapshot of tweener Chicago, which has taken stock in thrashy garage rock that sometimes is played with a metallic fierceness and others a near quirky looseness. But perhaps more importantly, the record seamless integrates local favorites with popular indie buzz acts proving that Chicago knows what’s up.

Near the record’s mid-section, the wild fuzz romp of Ty Segall’s “Girlfriend” leads into the creepy greaser-punk of Mickey’s “Dance.” The transition is an odd one with the mood shifting from freakout to freaky, but the change in tone and mood between songs makes the LP feel, and even sound, like a really one really kick ass showcase at one of the city’s most cherished rock ‘n’ roll clubs.

Shimby, who assembled this compilation from his large collection of live Empty Bottle recordings, also peppers in a few more candid moments of crowd-artist interaction. Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino awkwardly recalls watching Raekwon make his song a sandwich, and The Dutchess and the Duke explain that the reason there’s an excessive amount of people on stage is because member Jesse Lortz badly cut his finger trying to pick up a food processor blade.

Yet with a member’s injury, The Dutchess and the Duke still decided to perform at the Empty Bottle that evening. It shows that the Empty Bottle, to both locals and non-locals alike, has become hallowed ground for listeners and performers. It’s an exciting time to live in Chicago and have a venue book such refreshing, buzzworthy and often innovative acts night after night. And thanks so Shimby McCreery, there’s now a great sounding record that documents just that.

Purchase Shimby Presents: Live at the Empty Bottle at Emptybottle.bandcamp.com.

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SHIMBY LIVE AT THE EMPTY BOTTLE RECORD RELEASE
9:30 p.m. Thursday, May 24.
Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave.
21+. $10.
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That’s why I was momentarily concerned when I got wind that the band’s next release is titled Mellows, and it contained a song about Dolphins.

Fear not, fans of dirty Chicago rock ‘n’ roll. Mellows isn’t that mellow, and Magic Milk still get down with fuzzed-out guitars (“Drives Me Wild”), while occasionally dip into some acoustic psychedelia (“The Year 2000″). But the standout of Mellows is definitely opener, “Dolphins’nBullshit.”

“Dolphins’nBullshit” bounces along loose clean guitar and a solid rhythms wherein Kenneth proclaims he’s “King of the sea,” and eventually the tune opens up into a warbling surf guitar solo and a chorus of “Dolphins and Bullshit.” It’s like the Little Mermaid’s “Under The Sea” if Sebastian the Crab downed sixers and chain smoked. Jam on the track below:

Purchase Mellows at Magicmilk.bandcamp.com
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MAGIC MILK
9:30 p.m. Thursday, May 24.
Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave.
21+. $10.
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It makes complete sense that at their New Years Eve show at the Empty Bottle this past January that Disappears played a set that featured new songs and a number of covers from bands such as Joy Division, New Order, David Bowie, Suicide and The Stooges. Their latest release, Pre Language, finds the band at their strongest in terms of songwriting. Each track is distinct in mood and feel – much like the aforementioned bands – and finds the Chicago noir-rockers putting more stock into their tones, textures and nuances, which results in their best record yet.

On their 2011 release, Guider, Disappears jammed hazy and often hypnotic tunes that featured garage-y grooves and concluded with an epic 15-minute take, “Revisiting.”

This time around, the band has upped the production quality, and Pre Language offers up a sharper sound – one that feels as though both the rhythm and Jonathan van Herik’s reverb-laden lead guitar are popping out of the listener’s headphones slash speakers as if the band was playing inches from your face.

Add to that Steve Shelley’s uber-tight snare and bassist Damon Carruesco’s syrup-thick bass, and every track on Pre Language becomes an event in it’s own right. Each of the nine songs feels like a dynamic statement that draws from the band’s musical inspirations.

Opener, “Replicate,” hangs on a simple rhythm but really pops thanks to hammer-like snare play. The guitars eek in and out during the verses until the chorus brings forth a swell of riffs. “Hibernation Sickness” finds Disappears delving into some punk-like leanings with opening Who-like chord strikes, and “Love Drug” is a dark, post-punk affair accentuated by two-note creeping guitar and an off-kilter drum beat that sounds as if it were from a completely different song before pulling together and launching into a psychedelic jam near its conclusion.

At the center of the record is “Joa,” a hulking, groove-driven number that no doubt ranks among Disappaears’ best yet. The song manages to be both collected and wildly intense thanks to lead singer Brian Case’s haunting screeches during the verse that occasionally recall The Fall’s Mark E. Smith.

Like all of Disappears’ previous efforts, Pre Language has a central thematic element at play all the way through, this time being love. But don’t be fooled. While the lyrics do hang on the fringes of the concept of love, you won’t find the band uttering “Baby” or “Girl” to a ballad or smooth sax anywhere.

Pre Language simply finds Disappears reaching into their vast bank of classic, psychedelic and krautrock influences and giving us their best shot at recreating tunes that shaped them as musicians. Luckily, they did just that and deliver a record that sounds incredible, feels fresh and rocks hard.

Purchase Pre Language on LP or CD at Kranky.net.

Disappears – “Replicate”

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DISAPPEARS
10:00 p.m. Friday, April 13.
Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Ave.
18+. $12 or $14 at door.
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In “Without You,” just dropped on the A-side of the band’s debut 7” from HoZac Records, the slow, driving drumbeat, swelling, constant organ in the background, and distorted guitar mesh together, giving the track a neo-psychedelic feel, while Gummere’s distant vocals evoke the post-punk sound of Echo & the Bunnymen and The Cure.

Gummere’s removed, slow vocals are contrasted well by Jeanine O’Toole (of The 1900s fame) harmonic background vocals, and the potential prospect for even greater emphasis on this back-and-forth dynamic (perhaps in the vein of Warm One’s “Small Spies”) is extremely compelling.

Listen to “Without You” on Bare Mutants’ Facebook page.
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BARE MUTANTS
HoZac Blackout Fest 2012, 7 p.m. Sunday, May 20.
The Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave.
21+. $25.
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