[caption id="attachment_26164" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Photo by Katie Hovland"]
[/caption]Three run, don't walk, reasons to get over to Township tonight...
1. As far as Chicago supergroups go,
Treasure Fleet is pretty low-key, keeping most of its music hidden from view except for a few collage-like videos posted to YouTube. The quintet features Eli Caterer of Smoking Popes, Neil Hennessy of The Lawrence Arms, Mike Oberlin of Sass Dragons and Isaac Thotz and Dave Merriman of the Arrivals. Treasure Fleet taps into the members' softer sides, opting for a more sunny, funny surf-inspired indie rock. Bring on the quirk!
Watch: "Vice"
2. Stockholm, by way of Chicago, is not a phrase that ever really comes to mind, but somewhere down the road guitarist Mike Downey ditched the Midwest for the Scandinavia. His band
Shy Mirrors bridges that gap between laid-back Midwest swagger and clean Euro-centricity. Downey crafts scuzzy lo-fi punk standards that ooze with a sickeningly sweet power pop style on his 2011 album
Sailed Blanks. It's the kind of catchy pop punk one might have found lurking on the Angus soundtrack. And since that was a favorite movie of mine back in the 90s, that is every bit the compliment.
LISTEN: "Breakout"
3. Opening tonight's show are Dan Hanaway and Chris Carr of The Honor System flying the banner of their new project
Ratasucia. The duo, along with Tim Scare, specialize in fairly serious punk rock with plenty of chugging beats and grating guitar riffs on its new
White Noise Pollution LP. The title track features some velvety fog-like vocals that are purely Mark Lanegan in flavor. Mark Lanegan and fast, abrasive punk rock. How can you go wrong? You can't.
LISTEN: "White Noise Pollution"
9:00 p.m. Wednesday, 4/4. Township. 21+ $8. By Audrey Leon \ comments
Sunny pop rockers Gold Motel have launched a social media campaign asking fans to submit Instagram photos that embody the group's music. The band intends to use the photos as artwork on their upcoming self-titled album due out this summer.
While Gold Motel was in the midst of assembling artwork for the new album, guitarist Eric Hehr kicked around ideas for how to directly involve fans in the process. Hehr said in an interview with Loud Loop press that the Instagram campaign arose as one way fans' vision of the band could become unified with the band's own vision.
"By launching this campaign through Instagram, fans can enter our world, reinterpret it, and become a permanent fixture of our new music," Hehr said. "As a music fan and a musician, I think it’s pretty amazing that such an idea is even possible."
Gold Motel, Hehr said, is no stranger to using social media to strengthen interact among its fans.
"[Direct-to-fan contact] has always been a focal point for Gold Motel as an independent band," Hehr said. "We’ve tried to interact as much as possible with fans through things like re-mix contests and live video-chats."
Hehr said he has been both humbled and impressed by the quality and accuracy of the submissions so far.
"Most of the submissions we have received look like our songs transformed into images: lots of pictures of beaches, backyard pool parties, firework displays," he said. "Our fans have such an acute understanding of our music that they can conceptualize it into photography that is cohesive with our music."
And Gold Motel's music this go-around is all about growth. The band named the album after itself to reflect that this collection of material is a full-band effort.
"With the exception of our Talking Fiction EP, these songs are the first to showcase Gold Motel as a band made up of distinct personalities," Hehr said. "Because of this, I think the album is very colorful and covers a broader spectrum of musical territory than (debut album) Summer House."
Hehr said the new material explores the themes such as the passage of time and the idea of leaving home. Despite calling it bittersweet, he said the new material still sounds like Gold Motel.
"It’s still very much a pop album - lots of hooks, catchy melodies, and danceable rhythms," Hehr said.
Gold Motel's Instagram campaign will run until Sunday, April 15. The band will review all submitted photos and choose a select few to be included.
To submit artwork follow the band on Instagram at @goldmotel, connect your Instagram account to Twitter, post your Gold Motel-inspired photo with the hashtag phrase #goldmotelalbum. For more information on how to enter or to read the submission guidelines, click here.
Gold Motel play the Metro with soulful R&B groovers JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound on Friday, April 27. By Audrey Leon \ comments
[/caption]Good news, Everyone!
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events 
[/caption]Three reasons to powder your leather pants and strut over to the Double Door tonight...
1. I first came across Hunx (Seth Bogart) back in his Gravy Train!!! days. There were plenty of colorful short-shorts and pom-poms to accompany the raunchy electro-punks' performances. Bogart still dons the colorful, body-hugging outfits with his solo project 
[/caption]Three "And now for something a little different" reasons to mosey over to Beat Kitchen tonight...
1. If you ever desire a little bit of fizzy pop flavor to accompany your bucket full of grinding metallic guitar riffs and brooding, beastly drum beats, then look no further than Chicago's own 
[/caption]Three "Hey, Spring, What happened to you? You used to be cool," reasons to head on over to Beat Kitchen and avoid that sun...
1. Brooklyn baroque poppers 
[/caption]Three reasons to forget half of Chicago went to SXSW and soak in some local ambiance tonight at Lincoln Hall...
1. Arlington Heights trio 
