Hi-Fi and the Roadburners frontman and Fear City Choppers co-founder Erik “Hi Fi” Kish passed away late last month after a tragic motorcycle accident. He was 51 years old.

Erik had a lot of friends in the local rock scene, and they are coming out in full force on November 6th to play an epic show that will not only honor Eric’s memory, but help support his surviving family members. All proceeds will go to the Kish family. The bands playing are as follows: The Bama Lamas, Big Daddy Sun, The Crombies, The Dyes, Kevin Flynn, Kevin Flynn & The Avondale Ramblers, Hillbilly Idols, Lil’ Red & The Howlin’ Wolves, The Moondogs, Pearls Malone & The One Eyed Jacks, The Penthouse Playboys, Rockin’ Bill & The Wild Coyotes, Three Blue Teardrops, Tracer Bullet, & Wild Onion People.

That is a heck of a lineup and it is going to be a heck of a tribute show. Come out and celebrate the life of a true individual and artist, and get your socks rocked off in the process. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketfly.com.

UPDATE 10/31/11: Chicago’s own Deal’s Gone Bad has been added to the bill as a headliner, bringing their unique Chicago-style version of Reggae, Soul, Punk and Rock to the stage.

Tonight’s sold-out show with Butch Walker and The Black Widows is sure to be quite the party, and if you don’t have a ticket, you can catch the festivities via a free live video stream at gigity.tv. The rest of our weekend’s lineup is packed with  bands – upstairs and downstairs.  Much like a double rainbow is awesome, so are double shows on Friday and Saturday night.  Kicking off the weekend we have Rubblebucket upstairs and The Dead Ships in the Dirtroom.  Saturday, Rod Tuffcurls & The Bench Press take the stage upstairs and the Dirtroom show is Said The Whale.  Unfortunately, like all good things there is a catch.  Admission is separate for each show, but with such a diverse mix of acts, it’s worth checking them all out! We promise!

Rubblebucket is a band that the LA Music Blog describes as “hippies who have taken over a city, hog-tied any uptight citizens, and painted all the yucky grey/brown buildings in acrylic colors and neon war paint.” Paste goes as far to say that they are “This year’s most promising young band.” We are definitely expecting something upbeat and a good, weird time from this infectious eight – piece band. Their second studio album, Omega La La, was produced by Eric Broucek (LCD Soundsystem, !!!, Holy Ghost) @ DFA Studios & mastered by Joe Lambert (Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, Herbie Hancock). Here is their official video for their song, “L’Homme.” It’s a wild, colorful ride:

The Dirtroom show starts at 8pm with The Dead Ships and Archeology. The Dead Ships are a two man crew who mix pop choruses with no-frills drums and smoldering guitar tones that are reminiscent of garage-rockers such as The Black Keys. You can see them performing their song “Loveless Come Lately” from earlier this year here:

We are also doing the upstairs/downstairs show thing on Saturday, as well. See what I mean when I said the party was continuing all weekend? No joke. Rod Tuffcurls and The Bench Press calls themselves “A Band For All Occassions,” and on this occasion, they are playing a benefit for Urban Students Empowered. Goofy outfits, spirited versions of 80s and 90s pop tunes, and synchronized dance moves make these guys hard to hate. Hell, they even cover “That Thing You Do.” I love that song!

One of our favorite up and coming bands of 2011 is playing in the Dirtroom on Saturday, and that band is Said The Whale! Indie rock without sacrificing any tunefulness or catchiness, we enjoy this band very much. Especially their song “Camilo (The Magician)”. Something about this tune just grabs us. It follows the tried and true songwriting formula of catchy verse/catchier prechorus/mindblowing chorus. It’s harder to pull off than it sounds:

On Sunday, Blackbox Revelation bring their dirty indie blues sound through here, along with The Hounds Below, Morning After Girls, and Velocicopter. Their song “High On A Wire” seems like a good song to listen to while looking for a parking spot in Wicker Park on a Saturday night. It would definitely be a more enjoyable ritual if this song was always playing when I was cruising around trying to not hit cyclists and people waiting in line at Big Star:

So there you have it. A varied lineup of eclectic and awesome bands, all in one weekend. Because that’s what we do.

Dan & Annabel
Double Door Blog Brigade

This Friday, September 30th, we have some pretty weird and unique acts hitting the stage. Headlining the show is the slide guitar slingin’, jumpsuit wearin’, kick drum bangin’ Bob Log III. Bob was born in Chicago, raised in Arizona, and now lives in Australia. He wears a full body suit and a helmet outfitted with a headset microphone, and he is regarded as one of the most accomplished and respected Delta Blues slide guitar players of the 21st century. Bob’s “band” consists of his right foot on the kick drum, his left foot on a homemade cymbal setup, his hands on his guitar, and his distorted vocals doing the rest. His shit is pretty tight, if I do say so myself.

And the ladies love this guy:

Opening the show is another one man band, but Crankshaft’s Mississippi Blues stylings come by way of Minneapolis, MN. Crankshaft, or Alex Larson, got his start in 2008 while he was still a contractor, and by 2010 he was pursuing his music full-time. His newest album, Junkyard Rhythm, is his first with backing band The Gear Grinders.

Check out Crankshaft’s humorous musings on life and death in “Pine Box Rottin’”:

Mr. Free and The Satellite Freakout are also on the bill, and their band name is a pretty accurate description of their sound. Driving dance beats, otherworldly synth lines, and whimsical, quirky vocals are the foundation on which their disco songs from hell dance their merry dance in a circle around a burning pile of keyboards and drums.

If this doesn’t scare you, you’re a robot:

Bob Log III, Crankshaft, and Mr. Free and The Satellite Freakout perform on Friday, September 30th at Double Door. Doors open at 8:30pm and the show starts at 9pm.  Come out and get weird with us!

Dan

Do you use Spotify? It’s free and it’s basically like having a music library at your fingertips. The coolest feature about this program is that you can create playlists and share them! Check out some of our playlists featuring music from some upcoming Double Door shows.

Double Door Spotify Playlists

Lucky Boys Confusion Mix- 9/10

This mix features all of my favorite LBC tunes. Some singles, some deep cuts; a solid mix of their best stuff, in my opinion. I’m hoping to hear City Lights and Closer To Our Graves.

Otis Redding / Dee Dee Ramone / Marc Bolan Birthday Bash Mix – 9/15

Otis Redding, The Ramones and T.Rex all have impressive song catalogs, so we simply whittled it down to some of our favorite and essential tunes. You will most likely be hearing most of these songs on 9/15, as performed by members of Local H, AM Taxi, The Last Vegas, and some special guest vocalists.
A soul legend, a punk rock band and a glam rocker might not have a whole lot in common musically, but all three of these artists share September Birthdays and they all have made some of the most amazing music ever, so that’s good enough for us. There will definitely be something for everybody at this show.

Butch Walker Mix
– 10/13

There aren’t too many tickets left for this show, and if you haven’t checked Butch out yet, you should, because then you would know why this show is going to be a sold-out rock show for the ages. Butch Walker is the real deal. From folky, poppy singer songwriter tunes, to snotty glam-rock, to rootsy Americana and dirty southern rock, the common threads that tie all of Butch’s musical stylings together
are his sensitive, self-aware lyrics, sense of humor and rockstar attitude.

Once upon a time, I was a high school kid watching late night TV, and I saw that The Marvelous 3 were going to play on The Tonight Show. Having read a feature on them in Guitar World, I was intrigued, so I stayed up and checked them out. There they were, three dudes with tight pants, styled hair and leather jackets belting out soaring harmonies to their single “Freak of The Week” while bobbing ferociously behind their guitars and drums. It was so simple, so immediate and so instantly catchy, and my 16 year old self went out to Best Buy immediately the next day and picked up their CD, Hey!Album. I was a fan instantly.

The Marvelous 3 was the brainchild of frontman Butch Walker, and he eventually started releasing solo albums, at first echoing the spirit and style of Marv3′s slick pop rock (Left of Self-Centered), and later, progressing into journeyman singer-songwriter territory (Letters), glam rock (The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and The Let’s Go Out Tonights), roots-rock Americana (Sycamore Meadows), and his most recent indie rock release with new band The Black Widows (I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart).

Along the way, I’ve converted most of my friends into die-hard fans, who can often be found at Butch’s Chicago tour stops singing along (some more sober than others) loudly to every one of his songs along with the rest of the packed house. That is the beauty of being a BW fan. Once you’re hooked, you absorb every song, every character, every story that his lyrics tell, often with a hefty double dose of self-depricating humor and swagger that is Butch’s signature. And chances are, you’ve heard his fingerprints somewhere before and didn’t realize it. Butch has co-written and/or produced songs for the likes of Pink, Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Boy, Weezer and plenty more.

We at the Double Door are beyond excited for this show – Clearly, we’re huge fans of the man and his work. We’ve already heard a few tracks from his latest record (out 8/30 on Dangerbird Records), simply and enigmatically titled The Spade, and if they are any indication, this record showcases Butch’s golden voice with his ability to mix clever, self-aware lyrics and big catchy hooks, all while simultaneously incorporating the best aspects of his previous releases, but still pushing his signature sound forward into new territory. Whew. Basically, this record is gonna rule.

Double Door is very fortunate to be hosting Butch Walker and The Black Widows on Thursday, October 13 as part of his tour in support of The Spade. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, August 20 at noon through Ticketfly.com Here is the ticket link. Bookmark that shit!

See you at the show,
Dan
Double Door Web Guy (and huge Butch fan – duh)

Listen to Summer of 89:


Listen to Day Drunk:


Listen to Synthesizers:

One of the great things about Lollapalooza week in Chicago is the vast multitude of parties, some officially related to the aforementioned festival and others more unofficial. Over the years, we have been lucky enough to host some really talented artists who happen to be in town for Lolla, who go on to deliver really memorable performances in our room. Next Thursday, we are adding one more last-minute, completely awesome party to our schedule featuring some truly talented bands.

Billboard and The Syndicate are bringing The Joy Formidable, Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr, Lord Huron and Little Hurricane to Double Door on Thursday, August 4th for the Conflict Of Interest party. Doors open at 8pm and the first band goes on at 8:30. The show is FREE, but only when you RSVP over at www.conflictparty.com. So get your fingers a’clickin, and sign up before the guestlist is full! This is going to be a great show.

Get to know the bands, if you don’t already:

THE JOY FORMIDABLE – WHIRRING

DALE EARNHARDT JR JR – NOTHING BUT OUR LOVE

LORD HURON – THE STRANGER

The Stranger from Lord Huron on Vimeo.

LITTLE HURRICANE – GIVE ‘EM HELL

Over the next few weeks, we have some free shows coming up, starting with Theophilus London this Sunday. Get to know some of the artists performing here, and take advantage!

Sun 7.17
Hennessy Black Presents:  Summer Done Different..
Theophilus London • Kenna • Blah Blah Blah
Doors: 7:30PM  Show: 8:30PM
FREE SHOW

NYC Hip Hop/Electro artist Theophilus London is about to drop his new record, "Timez Are Weird These Days" on Tuesday, featuring the lead-off single, "Last Name London." Bloggers and Re-Tweeters are freaking out about this show, and rightfully so. This show is free thanks to our friends at Hennessey Black, so come out early (Doors are at 7:30pm) because it is first come, first served. Come see him before he gets all huge…

Thanks to Anthony at Redeye for the shout out and write up on this show!

Thu. 7.21
Soul Summit Presents:
Soul Summit Free Dance Party
with Soul Summit DJs AND GUEST DJ Carlos Tropicaza (Vampisoul, dublab.com, Mexico City)
Dave Mata • Duke Grip • Sloppy White
Doors: 9:00PM  Show: 9:00PM
FREE SHOW

It’s official: We have the coolest Soul night in Chicago. Every month, the young & beautiful crowd comes out of the woodwork to drink and dance the night away to the sweet sounds of Retro Soul tunes. The Soul Summit DJ team of Dave Mata, Duke Grip and Sloppy White play anything from classics and staples to obscure tracks and deep cuts. This month, DJ Carlos Tropicaza returns to add his own flavor to the night. Doors open at 9, music starts at 9, but the party usually gets really going around 11pm. Show up early, get a few drinks in you and then go up to that cute girl/guy you’ve been eyeing all night and ask ‘em to dance. You can thank us later.

Jeff from Centerstagechicago.com wrote a glowing review of The Soul Summit Dance Party. Thanks, Jeff!

Sun. 7.24
Wicker Park Fest Sunday Funday at Double Door… 
CC and The Mayhaps • Stacy Clark • Ryan Powers • Ron Robinson
Doors 3pm / Show 3:30pm 
FREE SHOW 

Singer-songwriter Stacy Clark’s indie pop record "Connect The Dots" is chock full of great songs, and when you listen and think they sound suspiciously familiar, it’s probably because you already heard them on One Tree Hill, The Hills, Girlfriends, or The Price of Beauty. Her songs are carefully crafted pop gems. Tunes such as "Touch And Go" have a shiny, sunny exterior that gives way to heartwarming lyrics and quirky vocals CC and The Mayhaps, Ryan Powers and Ron Robinson will also perform. This show is a Wicker Park Fest Day Party, so stop in while you’re enjoying the fest and enjoy our Sunday Matinee, as well as our Sunday Air Conditioning.

Sun. 7.24
Double Door and Silver Wrapper Presents… 
BS Brass Band
Big Light • Trevor Giuliani • Cealed Kasket
Doors 8pm / Show 9pm 

FREE SHOW The B.S. Brass Band plays everything from traditional Dixieland to James Brown funky grooves, and anything in between. Their sound is based around big, tight horn sound incorporating that infectious New Orleans second-line groove. Plus, we don’t really get too many bands featuring horns coming through our doors and it’s always a treat when we do. The rest of a bill is a bit of a fun grab bag, with jokey/ironic metalworkers Cealed Kasket (they dress up like wizards onstage…that rules), and San Francisco psychedelic jammers Big Light performing. We also have some fun special guests TBA. Show starts at 9pm and it’s an official Wicker Park Fest brought to you in part by our friends at Silver Wrapper.

Sat. 7.30
Lolla Remix Throwdown 
Big Artists. Bigger Prizes. One Winner 
Lolla Remix Throwdown Finalists • Walter Meego (live set)
Moneypenny • Craig Williams
Doors 8:00PM      Show 9:00PM
FREE

Our first Lollapalooza affiliated event of the year is always the Lolla DJ Throwdown and it features finalists in the festival’s DJ Throwdown contest. The winner will perform a set at Lollapalooza. In addition to young DJs battling it out for cred and glory, we have Walter Meego performing a live set, and DJ sets from Moneypenny and Craig Williams.

Sun. 7.31
Dirtroom Reggae Night…
Akasha presents: Simmer Down Sunday
"The Graduate" and Guest DJs spin classic Reggae • Akasha Live Set
Doors: 9:00PM  Show: 9:00PM
FREE SHOW

Akasha combines roots reggae with ska reggae, stay true to the roots and tradition of the classic sound, but with enough accessibility for the casual listener. This marks our first installment of our "Simmer Down Sunday" Dirtroom series, where DJs will spin classic reggae tracks, followed by a slow burning live set from Chicago reggae torch-bearers Akasha.

That’s our lineup of free events for July…There’s a little something for everyone. Stop by and say hello!

Tonight we are hosting the new project from Crowded House’s Neil Finn
and his wife, Sharon Finn: Pajama Club. The band, rounded out by Sean Donnelly and Alana Skyring, bring their collective talents to create some shimmering, noisy dreampop with a steady pulse and airy hooks. Indie pop youngsters Stamps start the night off at 7:30pm.

Check out Pajama Club’s album teaser video:

Pajama Club Teaser from Pajama Club on Vimeo.

New Orleans native PJ Morton is something of a musical prodigy, starting off on piano at age 8 and getting his first song placement with a gospel group at age 15. With five albums, collaborations with India.Arie, Erykah Badu, Jermaine Dupri, Monica and LL Cool J under his belt and a Maroon 5 tour that stops at Ravinia tonight, PJ is as accomplished and as busy as a musician can be. He brings his solo act to Double Door for a late show tonight at 11:30pm.

Check out a live video PJ sitting in with Maroon 5 on the song "Heavy":

We have quite an interesting weekend on deck. Bluegrass, metal, a classic rock tribute, and a dog pageant? HUH? That sounds about right for Double Door. Here is the rundown of our weekend.

The Infamous Stringdusters – TONIGHT / 9pm / $15

Nashville natives The Infamous Stringdusters are one of the standout Bluegrass, or "Newgrass" bands that we’ve had on our stage over the past year or so. Along with bands like Trampled By Turtles and
the Hackensaw Boys, they are taking traditional Bluegrass instrumentation and doing some really inventive things with the genre. As the band says, "This isn’t your granddaddy’s Bluegrass. Unless your granddaddy was Jerry Garcia." Chicago’s Barehand Jugband starts off the night at 9pm. Tickets will be available at the door starting at 8pm tonight.

Scion Metal Matinee – Saturday June 25 / 4pm / FREE WITH RSVP

We are partnering with Scion to bring you a free Metal Matinee show on Saturday afternoon! Burning Love, Gaza, and All Pigs Must Die will perform. The show starts at 4pm and it’s FREE. Simply click here to RSVP and you’re in!

312 Presents The Ray Davies / Ron Wood Birthday Bash – Saturday June 25 / 10pm / FREE SHOW!

Tribute bands seem to be all the rage these days, and this is our festive take on the phenomenon. Every month, we celebrate a rock legend’s birthday. Previous tribute/birthday nights have included John Fogerty/Bob Seger, Angus Young, and Johnny Cash. This show will feature members of Local H, The Last Vegas, AM Taxi, Thunderwing, Waterstreet, plus special guests performing songs from The Kinks, The Faces and The Rolling Stones.
As an added bonus, this show is now FREE.

Check out our video blog from the Fogerty/Seger Bash:

Chicago’s Best Friend Presents The All-City Interactive Dog Pageant / Sunday, June 26 / 4pm / $5

We love trying out unique events that don’t always fall in the live music category. We’ve done comedy nights, poetry slams, mc battles, performance art installations, air guitar contests, and now we are doing our first ever Interactive Dog Pageant. Head over to ChicagosBestFriend.com and check out the 10 finalist pooches who will be competing for prizes, with Top Dog taking a 7-day vacation to Belize (with their human companions, no doubt).

Summer in Chicago means drinking beer outside in the sun, sundresses, taking off work early to lounge in the park, street festivals, and of course, Lollapalooza. Double Door has been fortunate to host some very memorable Lollapalooza afterparties in years past, including shows with Sonic Youth, MGMT, Battles, Gaslight Anthem and Minus The Bear, to name a few. This year we have more great bands playing on Friday August 5th with Portugal. The Man and Wye Oak; and Saturday August 6th with White Lies and Rival Schools. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10am right here at Doubledoor.com and at Ticketfly.com. All of our previous Lolla afterparties have sold out in advance, so don’t be left out! Presented by C3 and Double Door.

Portugal. The Man – Friday, August 5th

Wasila, Alaska natives Portugal. The Man have traveled long and far, and we’re happy to host them on August 5th. By the time this show hits, P.TM’s new record, "In The Mountain In the Cloud" (out July 19th) will no doubt be part of the collective tastemaker consciousness, and with good reason. Their gentle blend of folky, retro, psychedelic, feel-good songs are perfect for a Logan Square backyard BBQ…and, our stage.

Check out "Got It All (This Can’t Be Living Now)":

White Lies – Saturday August 6th

On their new album, "Rituals," England’s White Lies continues their exploration of dark pop territory, in the tradition of Joy Division and Interpol, and when the chorus hits, bring you right back up again. Their last show at Double Door was intense, complete with a blinding white light show. Based on the strength of the new songs, we couldn’t be more excited for their return. Their new album is streaming here.

Watch the video for "Bigger Than Us":

Wye Oak – Friday August 5th

Baltimore’s two-piece, folk/indie rock/dream pop/noise band Wye Oak (named for Maryland’s former state tree), mix haunting melodies, sultry, warbly, hypnotic vocals with overdriven, fuzzy guitars, percussion and organ.
And the result is AWESOME.

Watch the video for "Civilian"…and wait for the noise-solo payoff at 2:37!

Rival Schools – Saturday, August 6

Named for the video game Rival Schools: United By Fate, Rival Schools’ members come from a rich punk and hardcore background, coming from bands such as Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand, CIV, Burn, and Iceburn. We loved their 2001 debut, United By Fate (ah, we see what they did there). Then they took 8 years off to pursue other musical projects, raise families, and become farmers. In 2008, they got the itch and hit the road, selling out headlining shows all over Europe. They are back with their sophomore record, "Pedals," which they describe as "a potpourri of slaying rockers and feel good jams."

Watch the Excorist-inspired video for "Wring It Out":