Spooky Parties of the Week! The Halloweenie edition.

Halloween is unfortunately upon us and it begins four days early on this wonderful Wednesday at Angels and Kings for the Rockstar costume and live band karaoke ball. Hosted by Ryan Manno and Cheeky Chicago, its a good excuse to get all yer ya yas out and shake your tail feathers drunkenly in front of fellow music lovers. Starts at 10 PM.

Tomorrow at Angels and Kings, the dress up continues as local DJs Heaven Malone, Members Only AV and La Dolce Vita are dressed up like several musical icons (See the above poster) in an effort to get the hipsters out of their current costumes and into something relatively clean. Unfortunately, we will be at another outing that evening....


The Perfect Circus is ressurected! Thursday marks the 3rd anniversary for Debonair Social Club and Chicago's finest supergroup The Perfect Circus (Alkaline Trio, Local H and Kill Hannah!) are gonna deliver another tour de force for the inebriated zombies revelling in the coolest "couple based costume contest" all week. Winners get free bottle service for the evening from Belvedere. Not bad! Party starts at 10 PM and goes til 2 AM. Guaranteed standing room only so get there as the moon begins to shine.

Friday Night Oct. 30th is a secret. If you're not on the list, then we won't see you. Sorry kids. Trick or Treat! Here's a clue though.Terrifying, no?!?

Saturday Oct. 31st is the night to get your bloody charity for the fourth fiscal quarter out of the way by supporting the Chicago Cultural Center Galaween with Co-Chairs Scott Cannon, Lally Daley and David Weinstein. You can order the $75 tix in advance HERE or pay $90 at the door. With costume prizes reaching $1000, this is the best bourgeouis party of the week with Chicago's young movers and shakers getting together for a great cause. The old folks home does the same gig on Friday, so be sure you know what day it is that you get your groove on. Our brother from another mother DJ Whiteshadow is the table scratcher and we'll drop by to take a few pics.


For the hippest place on Saturday night, Sonotheque rules with some our current favorite music showcased at the Spandexxx.010 UR Chicago jam. With Dragonette (Live) and DJ sets by Moneypenny, Kid Color, Heaven Malone and Midnight Conspiracy this is the coolest late night set unless you want to get R&B old schooled, in which case you come to....A Night at the Roxbury with Montell Jordan at Manor. Nothin' says Trick or Treat like a little smooth soul in a pumpkin candy container to close out the weekend. Montell will be bringing the hits live to the ghoulish greenspenders at River North's A-list hangout.

Party of the Year: The Red Haired Edition

Fuck Lollapalooza. I'm not sayin it ain't great. But it still isn't a pureblood Chicago experience- What transpired at Debonair last Tuesday, however, was the gasoline flavored, PBR soaked madness that screamed Chicago with blood coming out of its eardrums and nostrils. Imagine Optimus Prime having sex with Anita Ekberg circa 1961 and you you might have a grasp of the awesomeness that unfolded. Scott Lucas (Who I have shamefully overlooked as one of the better vocalists in Chicago for the last decade) opened up with a scorching cover set including Daft Punk's "Da Funk", Echo and The Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon", Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust", a much more energetic version of King of Leon's "Sex on Fire" and the biggest surprise- Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You." Not to mention a few savory originals and thrashtastic tasty treats. By this time, the crowd was in a fervor with a shitton of new faces who came out to see this rock and roll circus, regardless of their familiarity with the man of the hour, Red Hair Matt. No matter though because Kill Hannah's Greg Corner and Jonny Radtke joined forces with Matt Skiba and Derek Grant from Alkaline Trio opened with Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself" feeding into Fugazi's "Waiting Room" and eventually brought up special guests Larry Damore (naked raygun, Pegboy), Red Hair Matt and Scott Lucas to join in on "Reach for My Revolver", The Misfits' "Skulls" and The Jim Carrol Band punk ballad "People Who Died."
When Larry mentioned he was gonna sing a Moby tune, we actually guffawed thinking he wasn't serious. But if any emotional bruises I have from naked raygun shows in the nineties will attest, never doubt Mr. Damore's serious intentions again. Yet I have been schooled by Joey Carsello of the Metro that "Reach for my Revolver" is indeed by Mission of Burma and Larry is just fucking with all of us. Who says you don't get funnier with age? By the end of the short set, with Debonair as crowded as can be upstairs, Dan Adriano materializes and plucks the bass from Greg to close out the night as Alkaline Trio, the best gift ever to both Red Hair Matt and the frothy mouthed crowd. It was a reminder that Chicago is still loud, gnarly and knows how to come together for the sake of a damn fine party. Even without mention of the afterparty (which plenty of bleary pictures are evidence of) it was by far our favorite jam of the summer so far. So hence, the Fuck Lollapalooza. Happy Birthday Murray. You're only 48 once.