It’s Friday the 13th! The first one of the year. Spooky. Don’t stay home paralyzed by fear of the impending zombie apocalypse. Go live it up with some rad Chicago shows.

Up and Atom!

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By Staff  \  comments

Guitar World recently ranked the “10 Female Guitarists You Should Know” and Chicago’s own red headed force of nature Alex White of White Mystery made the cut.

The magazine listed White’s raw energy and “jangly punk-ass guitar playing” as reasons for inclusion.

If you have ever witnessed hard rocking duo White Mystery live – and the band has given us plenty of chances, logging over 100 shows in 2011 alone – Alex White puts on an electrifying show with her trusty Rickenbacker. No matter the playing position – either writhing on the floor or standing upright – the woman can wail.

Read the rest of the write-up by clicking here.

White Mystery’s next live show is Sunday, January 15, at Schubas as a part of Tomorrow Never Knows Fest along with Mannequin Men. Tickets are $15.

By Audrey Leon  \  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.

• • Sound Opinions hosts Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis have compiled their year end lists into mixtape form. Curious to see what made the list? Oh, you know, the usual: Wilco, White Mystery, CAVE, — Lindsey Buckingham.
• • Windy City Rock’s Andrew Hertzberg has compiled a nifty list of New Year’s resolutions aimed at becoming a better music blogger.
• • TThe Chicago Tribune thought the MCA’s “sound garden” exhibit was the perfect fit for Andrew Bird’s music.
• • Hopefully, you’re not sick of “Best Of” lists yet, because the Sun-Times broke down the best Chicago concerts of 2011.
• • Gaper’s Block has the deets on reggae outfit Midwest Hype’s EP release party this Thursday at Schubas.

By Audrey Leon  \  comments

Seeing how our staff has distinct tastes and opinions on music, it would be nearly impossible for us to determine a 10 Albums of 2011 list as a single entity without excessive bloodshed. So over the next couple of days, we’ll be posting Top 10 Albums of 2011 lists as determined by individual Loud Loop Press staff members. Today, associate editor Audrey Leon offers up her list for Top 10 Albums of 2011.

I decided to do it a little differently this year. I honestly didn’t think I could find another way to describe how great the new St. Vincent or Wild Flag or Le Butcherettes records were. Therefore, I decided to keep things local and give you my favorite Chicago records of the year. Sounds good, right?And for those who might get perturbed about this list only having 14 albums (including the Honorable Mentions) instead of an (even?) 15, let’s just say the fifteenth was, uh, Wilco? Sure, why not. So, behold my favorite records in 2011 from some very rad windy citizens…

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By Richard Giraldi  \  comments

The weekend is finally here. Wrap yourself in hefty layers and go out and enjoy this city’s fine offerings! We’re talking about Bad Bad Meow at Cole’s, Carbon Tigers at Subterranean, and Pillars and Tongues’ free in-store at SAKI.

Let’s get cookin’…

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By Staff  \  comments

We’re only mere weeks away from the official start of winter, so don’t forget to party while you still can. We’re talking about some great shows including The Cell Phones at The Hideout, Russian Circles at Lincoln Hall and Missing Monuments at the Empty Bottle.

Let’s rock and roll, hoochie koo.

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Hello, Chicago. Meet your favorite new band: The Cell Phones. The trio doles out epic slices of rhythmic dance punk at its finest. Caffeinated Recordings were nice enough of to show us video evidence of why the indie rockers are so badass. Plus it doesn’t hurt that lead singer Lindsey Charles is dressed as a punk rock Annie (or Gilly?), who just happens to be packing tremendous attitude and true power behind her vocal chords. Catch The Cell Phones as they melt your faces along with White Mystery and Rabble Rabble this Friday at The Hideout.

By Audrey Leon  \  comments