[caption id="attachment_16746" align="aligncenter" width="445" caption="Disappears"][/caption] Annnnnnd, it's the final Weekend Diversions of 2011. So sad. So, so, so sad. Or is it? Yes, it is. Maybe. Either way, there's no shortage of rad New Years Eve shows we just have to talk about this weekend. Of course, there's Disappears at the Bottle or Local H at the Bottom Lounge, but there's also JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound at Schubas tonight and so much more. Dig it, y'all.

FRIDAY

JC BROOKS & THE UPTOWN SOUND New Year's starts early this weekend with the first of two Uptown Sound shows at Schubas. The soul-punk outfit had a great 2011 with the release of their brand new album Want More. If you're looking to get down and get funky, then an Uptown Sound gig is the place to be. Let singer JC Brooks serenade you with his rich, smoky vocals while the Uptown Sound lifts you up with some upbeat and bouncy rhythms. Testify! (Audrey Leon) 10:00 p.m. Friday, 12/30. Schubas. 18+ $12. THE RUNNIES If you love garage rock but think there's too much damned guitar, then The Runnies might just be the band for you. The local trio have a loose '60s garage vibe that's powered with some sweet organ action. The result officially finds the band dipping into some R&B feelers and rowdy revivals. Which why their recently released record, You Can't Win, made it on my Top 11 Chicago Records of 2011 list. Headlining the show is Detroit own The Detroit Cobras who bring soulful rock 'n' roll antics, and Milwaukee glam rockers Ramma Lamma. (Richard Giraldi) 10:00 p.m. Friday, 12/30. Empty Bottle. 21+. $13.

SATURDAY

DISAPPEARS Who wouldn't want to ring in the new year with the best psych-garage rockers around? Disappears return home after one hell of a year that saw them add Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley on drums, the release of a critically acclaimed album(s), hitting the big stage at Lollapalooza, European tours and so much more. And somehow between all of that, they've managed to record a new record, Pre Language, which is set to drop in March. Impressive? You bethca. Opening are Bare Mutants (feat. members of The Ponys, The 1900s, Mannequin Men and Derek & The Musicians) who will no doubt impress with their chilled out indie rock, and reverb-heavy garage poppers Outer Minds. (Richard Giraldi) 10:00 p.m. Saturday, 12/31. Empty Bottle. 21+. $25. LOCAL H Hard rocking, hard working Chicago duo Local H are hitting the reset button on 2011 by ringing in the new year with what is sure to be a blisting set of hits new and old at the very same venue they played last New Year's Eve, the Bottom Lounge. Local H are regulars on the Chicago NYE circuit, and having spent a magical evening with the band rocking out with a few hundred of my drunkest friends in 2009, I can safely say Local H's NYE shows bring the spectacle. This year's themed event is a tribute to Rush's 2112 so order up a Molson and wear your best Canadian tuxedo because it's going to get heavy. (Audrey Leon) 10:00 p.m. Saturday, 12/31. Bottom Lounge. 21+ $30. SLUTTER If four sexy ladies, with demon facepaint, who rock out to the hits of KISS is more your style, then come party with Slutter at Liar's Club. I've had the very fortunate experience of both seeing Slutter at Liar's Club and being pushed out of the way by Vagene Simmons en route to the stage. So. Clearly, I win. Liar's Club may be small, but the spectacle is guaranteed to be huge when Slutter are around. Plus there's an open bar package, which includes admission, available for $50. (Audrey Leon) 9:00 p.m. Saturday, 12/31. Liar's Club. 21+ $10.

SUNDAY

CAINS & ABELS & FRIENDS Wistful indie poppers The Cains and Abels are taking over The Whistler on New Year's Day and they're bringing some friends along. Come out and hear some jams from the group's 2011 EP The Price is Right. You won't find Drew Carey or old Bob Barker and their skinny microphones, but you will find lush, heartfelt pop melodies with just a hint of Midwestern twang. Oh, yeah! (Audrey Leon) 9:30 p.m. Sunday, 1/1. The Whistler. 21+ Free! By Staff  \  1 comment

[caption id="attachment_24530" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Caw! Caw!"][/caption]And now three reasons to rock off those holiday pounds at Schubas tonight... 1. Break ups are always difficult, especially during the holidays. That's why it'll be both worth it and tough to see the end of spacey indie rockers Caw! Caw! (not to be confused with Cawcaw who also recently called it a day). Yes, it's the Chicago troupe's final show at Schubas tonight. But fear not, their zany vocalizations, lightsaber guitar leads and racing rhythms will live on via their demented three year-old Christmas special and their final release, which drops tonight in the form of an anthology featuring select cuts from the band's short 2004 - 2011 history. Won't you come give Caw! Caw! one final farewell? LISTEN: "Toothless" 2. If the holidays are a blurry mess pulling you every which way, then House Sounds are probably the perfect soundtrack. These locals go for the good ol' fashion fuzz-filled aesthetic as they apply it to jangly, high-energy surf rock. It's raucous, but they also deliver plenty of gritty grooves. LISTEN: The 1860's 3. In my humble opinion, Chicago-via-Iowa City's T'Bone released one of the best rock record of the year in Mt. Trashmore. The LP both rocked the mathiness and the raunchiess without ever taking it self too seriously. Don't be shocked when you're floored by Ed Bornstein's diabolical beats, Pat McPartland's twitchy riffs or Lee Meiners' smooth, smooth low end. LISTEN: "Doored By A Cop" 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, 12/27. Schubas. 18+. $7. By Richard Giraldi  \  comments

Monday Afternoon Quick Fix runs every Monday afternoon to showcase the best of Chicago music news, views and stories from around the interwebs and blogosphere that we might have missed.

• • Since today marks the start of Wilco week here in Chicago, it's fitting that Daytrotter unveiled the much-anticipated Wilco session today.
• • The AV Club's Kyle Ryan takes a look back at the year in...BAND NAMES!
• • BAwwwNNN EEEeveyughhh, I mean, Bon Iver played UIC Pavilion last week and WindyCityRock has a review.
• • Local pop act Clip Art, lead by Andy Rosenstein, will perform every Monday in January as part of a Schubas residency.

By Richard Giraldi  \  comments

While some bands mature in the lyrical sense or through the mood of their music, The Gorilla Press seem to have matured sonically on their sophomore effort, A Natural Thing (Unnatural To Me). That's not to say the band has lost a sense of adventure, but rather the Chicago outfit have moved past the solid exercise in mid '90s alt-rock that was their 2008 debut. A Natural Thing instead finds the band crafting a rich and layered melodic palette that aims equally for freshness and familiarity. One thing for sure is that The Gorilla Press aren't afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves. A Natural Thing is riddled with references from grungers Pearl Jam and Silverchair to moody The Bends-era Radiohead to the tenderness of The Decemberists. But what The Gorilla Press do differently is take those bit and pieces from their influence pile and piece them in a way that's hardly derivative. "On Fire" opens with a frantic urgency before finding sturdy footing among a bubbling rhythm. Later the song opens up into a melodic starburst that begs for choral support. It's that type of shaping - bringing an expansive Arcade Fire-like vocal cue and inserting it at the end of a ragged rocker - that The Gorilla Press do so well. The band show off their ability to groove with the ghostly funk of "Kneejerk," while "Possibilities" finds the band going for fuzzy garage rock but the riffs are clear and not jumbled. They also aren't afraid of dabbling in more epic-like territory with the two-parted "Whale In The Sea." Beginning with some melancholy dream pop that rises among delay swells, "Part 1" gives way to the more aggressive "Part 2," which offers dark keyboard strikes, a gritty double guitar breakdown and vocalist Chris Kang's scratchy snarl. Not only has the band matured musically, but they have never sounded as confident as they do on A Natural Thing. The result is a record that finds The Gorilla Press at their most comfortable while still not afraid of coloring outside the lines. ____________________________________________________________________ THE GORILLA PRESS 9:00 p.m. Thursday, December 1 (Record Release) Schubas, 3159 N. Southport 18+. $8. Tickets available at Schubas.com. ____________________________________________________________________ By Richard Giraldi  \  comments

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound recently dropped a brand new video for the B-side, "Everything Will be Fine," to their latest Addenda Records 7" To Love Someone (That Don’t Love You), and it's quite a fun one. The premise? The band becomes the law firm Uptown Law, and boy do we wish they existed, because they seem to be more interested in getting down in the office than heading to court. Also, we really dig the mix of high-def and the squiggly, scratchy VHA look. Finally, the JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound have announced New Years Eve and New Years Eve Eve shows at Schubas on December 31 and December 30, respectively. Grab tickets now at Schubas.com, but first check out the video below: httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-8Iav4UbQY By Richard Giraldi  \  1 comment

[caption id="attachment_23738" align="alignleft" width="250" caption="Joe Lally"][/caption]Three reasons to get your blood pumping while you run over to Schubas tonight... 1. It’s impossible to talk about Joe Lally without mentioning his legendary past as bassist for Fugazi. Lally’s compositions as a solo artist reflect that time spent with the post-hardcore Washington, D.C., outfit. That desire to create minimalist tracks around forceful, deep-grooving basslines that have the power to change the mood of a track from punk to funk and all the jazz space in between continues on his third solo album, 2011's Why Should I Get Used to It. WATCH: “What Makes You." 2. You couldn’t ask for a better opening act for Joe Lally than the afro-soul-rock sounds of I Kong Kult. The Chicago quintet combines funky basslines with thoughtful, rock guitar riffs as well as patient, jazzy drum beats. Frontwoman Cecily Langford brings the soul with her tiny but powerful falsetto. LISTEN: “I’ve Got Warnings.” 3. Opening the show tonight is Chicago-based cellist Helen Money. Money was born Alison Chesley and under her stage name Helen Money she manipulates her classical cello into wailing and bleeding out dramatic rock guitar-esque riffage and pure distortion to create a truly menacing sound. Helen Money has previously recorded with such artists as Russian Circles, Broken Social Scene and Mono. WATCH: “Hendrix,” performed at the Hideout. 9:00 p.m. Thursday, 11/10. Schubas. 18+ $10. By Audrey Leon  \  comments

Clear your calendars come early January. Chicago's dead-of-winter, multi-venue festival, Tomorrow Never Knows, is back for its eighth year. The event, which takes place from Wednesday, January 5, through Sunday, January 11, goes down at a number of top Chicago venues including Lincoln Hall, Schubas, Metro, Smart Bar and the Hideout. The initial lineup as always brings together some excellent indie talent from both the national and local level. At a glance, highlights include moody folk rockers The Walkmen (who will play at the Metro on Saturday, January 14), electro-pop duo Chairlift and alt-rockers Grouplove. Other announced acts include Tycho, Active Child, Caveman, Nadastrom, Craig Richards(Fabric), Kate Simko, Mr. Saturday Night with James Friedman and Only Children. More acts will be announced soon including a comedy lineup at the Hideout, which is new for 2012. Five-day passes for Tomorrow Never Knows go on sale this Friday at LincolnHallChicago.com at a price of $100. And get all additional information at Tomorrow Never Knows' Facebook page. By Richard Giraldi  \  comments