Time Out Chicago has been showcasing Chicago’s best rooftops and tonight, Epic Sky is on the agenda. Tickets are only $25 and include drinks, light food, great people and the wonderful view.

Click Here For Tickets
Tonight 7/27
7pm to 9pm
Epic Sky
112 W. Hubbard St. [google map]

There are still a couple hours left to buy raffle tickets for the Matthew Leone benefit concert at Metro, featuring The Smashing Pumpkins and Kill Hannah (more details HERE).  If you miss out on that, there are several other benefit concerts listed in the RedEye this morning.  Details below:

August 17th
6pm
Reggie’s
2109 S. State St.
$20 -Liquid Soul, The P1 Move, Fifth World, Dirty MF & Smoking Sexton and Just Infinite

August 21st
8pm
Double Door
1572 N. Milwaukee Ave.
$25 -AM Taxi, The Lifeline, David Costa and Madina Lake (Nathan and Mateo acoustic set)

August 22nd
8pm
Hard Rock Hotel
230 N. Michigan Ave.
$25 -The Lovehammers, Kill Hannah, Scott Lucas, Makeshift Prodigy and The Frantic

If you’re a fan of good beer, good whiskey, and good food without the chaos of overcrowded bars, then the Bar on Buena is the place for you. Located a few blocks north of the Sheridan Red Line stop, the Bar on Buena is known for their eclectic beer selection and their wide array of whiskeys. Starting tonight, July 23rd, the Bar on Buena is hosting its annual Laugunitas Fest. The fest will feature new, and rare, brews and brands, along with food and live music. The fest will be going on all weekend, so there’s plenty of time to stop by and check it out!

The Bar on Buena
910 West Buena Avenue
Chicago, IL 60613-1614
(773) 525-8665

For the ninth straight year, Mother’s Too at 14 W. Division, Chicago will host “Party with Marty”, with Marty, a celebrated regular of Mother’s Too. Marty loves to party, and fifteen lucky Cubs fans will win the opportunity to party with him.
 
Potential partygoers can enter to win one of the fifteen all-inclusive Cubs suite tickets at Mother’s Too.  Entrants must be 21 or over and should stop in Mother’s Too now through August 17th to enter (no purchase necessary). 
 
The winners will be selected at 2pm on August 18th. The fifteen selected will “Party with Marty” at the Cubs v. Pittsburgh game on Wednesday, September 1, 2010.  A roundtrip party bus to Wrigley Field from Mother’s Too will be provided for all attendees.

Through September 1, $6.00 Jameson drinks will be on special at Mother’s Too.  It’s Marty’s favorite.
 
Mother’s Too is located at 14 West Division, Chicago.   For more information visit www.RushAndDivision.com

We’re still working on getting the “tweet this” buttons (on the bottom of each post) to work with this, but for now they will still produce a bit.ly link.  We’ll let you know when that has been updated.

(DOWNERS GROVE, IL) – The Seventeenth Annual Barkapalooza, a fundraiser for the West Suburban Humane Society, will take place on Sunday, September 26, 2010, from 10am to 2pm at Patriot Park at 55th Street and Grand in Downers Grove, Illinois. This dog-friendly event allows pet owners, prospective pet adopters and all-around pet lovers to raise money for homeless pets through a Dog Walkathon. Participants are encouraged to collect pledges for the walk, and all proceeds will support the West Suburban Humane Society.
 
Visitors may also explore the Pet Expo, where a group of pet-focused vendors such as the K9 Cookie Company, The Happy Dog Barkery, Mark Pastor Photography, Belle Aire Kennels and Fabien’s Paw Station and others will be featured along with breed specific rescue groups. Owners may also have pets micro chipped for a discounted rate of only $35. A blessing for the animals will be given at 10am to kickoff the event, and the Frisbee Sky Dog Team will also do a demonstration. For the kids, there will be clowns, face painting and balloon sculptures, all free of charge, along with a “Kids and Kindness Zone”.
 
Once again, each participant in the Dog Walkathon can create their own Barkapalooza fundraising web page by logging on to www.firstgiving.com/wshs. When walkers set up their page through Firstgiving.com, they will be entered into a Split-the-Pot Raffle drawing.  For every $100 of donations received, another entry for them will be placed in the drawing.  The winner of the raffle is guaranteed a minimum $1,000 prize.
 
Visitors to Barkapalooza can enjoy a day of food, fun, music, and even receive a free goody bag for their pet.  Local restaurant, Chics and Salsa, will vend burritos, guacamole, chips and salsa, along with other food purveyors.  Registration is $10 per adult, and children 12 and under are free. Walkers with $100 or more in collected pledges will have their registration fee waived.  For more information on Barkapalooza, please visit www.barkapalooza.org.
 
About the West Suburban Humane Society
Founded in 1972 as a lost and found referral service, the volunteer based West Suburban Humane Society, located at 1901 West Ogden Avenue in Downers Grove, Illinois, is dedicated to operating an animal shelter for the purpose of finding safe, permanent, compatible homes through the adoption of domestic dogs and cats. Servicing the six counties of DuPage, Will, Cook, Kane, Kendall, Lake and McHenry, the WSHS believes in educating the community on humane and responsible dog and cat care as a means of ending the unnecessary euthanasia of adoptable companion animals, as well as controlling pet overpopulation by spaying and neutering all animals in their care and encouraging pet owners to do the same.  The WSHS works for animal advocacy, care and education through fundraising.  For more information about the West Suburban Humane Society or to donate, please call 630-960-9600 or visit www.wshs-dg.org .

The Smashing Pumpkins will perform a benefit concert next Tuesday, July 27 at Chicago’s Metro to raise money for medical care for Matthew Leone, bassist for Chicago band Medina Lake.  Tickets will go on sale Wednesday July 21 at noon and the information is below.

Last month, Madina Lake bassist Matthew Leone was hospitalized with severe brain trauma after intervening to stop a woman he passed on the street from being beaten by her husband.  Matthew had left twin brother Nathan’s Chicago apartment to meet a friend at a bar a few blocks away when he walked past the man beating his wife on the 1300th block of Ohio St. Even though the attacker was twice his size, Matthew immediately intervened and managed to subdue the attacker but as he waited for police to arrive, the attacker suddenly turned on Matthew, beating him severely.  He then walked away with his wife, leaving Matthew unconscious on the street.  Matthew was taken to UIC Hospital for emergency brain surgery wherein a third of his skull was removed to alleviate swelling.  He’s currently in stable condition awaiting an additional brain surgery to reapply the removed portion of his skull.  Alleged suspect Justin Pivec is currently charged with Aggravated Battery Causing Serious Bodily Harm and out on bail pending a forthcoming hearing.  As a musician, Matthew spends most of his life on tour and unfortunately his medical insurance had lapsed just two months prior to the incident.   Friends of the band and the Chicago music community are rallying to help provide for Matthew’s medical needs.

There will be a raffle for tickets.  Individuals can enter the raffle as many times as they wish for $10 each entry.  A majority of the venue will be sold to raffle winners.  Each winner will receive two tickets to the concert.  Tickets are not transferable and winners must show ID matching their raffle entry.  Raffle tickets will be available for sale through Metro website only beginning Wednesday July 21 at noon at http://www.metrochicago.com. The raffle will end at 2pm on Saturday July 24, 2010, and winners will be notified via email at 5pm on Saturday July 24, 2010.

There will also be a very limited amount of balcony VIP tickets put onsale for those fans who want to make a larger donation and ensure entry into this special event for $100 each.  Balcony VIP tickets will go on sale Wednesday July 21 at noon.

Additionally, a limited amount of soundcheck VIP tickets will be available for $500 each.  The soundcheck VIP event (approximately 30 minutes), set for the late afternoon, includes a meet and greet/photo with the Pumpkins and merchandise items, plus a seat at a table in the balcony for the show; this package is priced at $500 per person.  Soundcheck VIP tickets will be available Wednesday July 21 at noon at http://www.metrochicago.com.

All proceeds from the raffle and concert will go to the Matthew Leone Fund at Sweet Relief. Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is a non profit 501(c)(3) organization provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.  For more information on Sweet Relief, visit http://www.sweetrelief.org.

Metro is the club where, on October 5, 1988, the Pumpkins truly landed on the musical map. They also chose the venue for a farewell concert on December 2, 2000, a four-hour-long show that featured 38 songs spanning the group’s career at that time.  The Pumpkins have a long history of supporting other Chicago musicians.

“Matthew and I have been completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of compassion and support during this impossible time. It has proved that there are far more amazing people in the world than any other kind and we’re grateful beyond words,” said Nathan Leone, Matthew’s twin brother and Madina Lake bandmate. “Being among the biggest Smashing Pumpkins fans in the world, we still haven’t processed the fact that they are contributing in such an unprecedented way.  Not only is this going to be a monumental event in our lives but more importantly it’s a massive statement against domestic violence, violence against women and violence in general.”

Tuesday, July 27:                                    ON SALE WEDNESDAY 7/21 @ NOON:

Q101 Welcomes…

A Benefit For Matthew Leone…

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS * KILL HANNAH

$10 raffle entry, $100 Balcony VIP tickets, $500 Soundcheck VIP Tickets / All Ages / Doors: 6:30PM /Show: 8PM

TICKETS:
All tickets will go on sale Wednesday, July 21 at noon at the Metro website, http://www.metrochicago.com.

Raffle Tickets – Raffle tickets are $10 per entry and you can purchase as many entries as you wish, but you can only win one pair of tickets.  Raffle ticket sales end at 2pm on Saturday July 24 and winners will be notified via email on Saturday July 24 at 5pm.  Tickets to the event are not guaranteed with the purchase of a raffle ticket.  Winning tickets will be redeemed the night of the show and the winner must arrive with their guest and a valid government ID to claim winning tickets.  All tickets are non-transferable.

Balcony VIP Tickets – A limited amount of balcony VIP tickets will be available for $100 each.   There is a limit of 2 balcony VIP tickets per person. Duplicate purchases via credit card number or billing address will be cancelled.  Balcony VIP tickets will be picked up at will call the night of the show and the ticket holder must arrive with their guest and a valid government ID to pick up tickets.  You will not receive your tickets until you enter the venue and there is absolutely no re-entry. All tickets are non-transferable.

Soundcheck VIP Tickets – A limited amount of soundcheck VIP tickets will be available for $500 each. There is a limit of 2 soundcheck VIP tickets per person. Duplicate purchases via credit card number or billing address will be cancelled.  Soundcheck VIP tickets will be picked up at will call the afternoon of soundcheck show and the ticket holder must arrive with their guest and a valid government ID to pick up tickets.  You will not receive your tickets until you enter the venue and there is absolutely no re-entry. All tickets are non-transferable.

This is great!  Which album do you vote for?  I say “As Good As Dead”, mainly because that album brings back so many good memories. *sigh*

These Chicagoans never could do anything the easy way, and playing a random record chosen by the audience the night of the show is the next challenge in store for the band.  Local H has kept on going through trying times that would have finished off most others. Although Scott Lucas is the sole remaining member of the original band—which once numbered four, then dwindled to three and finally the two-man lineup that’s been in place since 2000—Local H has always been a maverick outfit. The deliberate decision to work sans bassist—Scott covers the bottom via bass pickups added to his guitar—confused some record labels but Lucas has remained insistent that his vision would not be compromised. The earliest albums—Ham Fisted (1995), As Good as Dead (1996) and Pack Up the Cats (1998)—went a long way toward establishing Local H as a new creative force. Formed in Zion, Illinois, the band quickly established a loyal following, with both the second and third albums, as well as the single “Bound for the Floor,” making their way into the Billboard charts.

But Local H didn’t truly find a unique voice until Brian St. Clair came aboard at the turn of the century. Formerly of the band Triple Fast Action, Brian had been working as a drum tech for another Illinois institution, Cheap Trick, when Scott auditioned him for the recently vacated drum spot. All it took was one song and they instantly formed an alliance that continues to strengthen today. Here Comes the Zoo (2002), the first album by the new duo, kept the buzz going, and both 2004’s Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles? (named after the actress who’d starred in the Ramones’ flick Rock ’n’ Roll High School) and Alive ’05 were well received by fans and critics alike. 12 Angry Months, their seventh album in a career well into its second decade, was released in 2008.

This year, it’s all in the numbers… To promote their first live DVD, 68 Angry Minutes, Local H is taking a cue from their sold out, 7 night stand in Chicago and taking all 6 of their studio albums on the road.  68 Angry Minutes was filmed on the final night of a week of shows which saw the band performing every one of their records (plus a night of B-sides) in their entireties. It worked out so well, the guys have decided to take it on tour. One problem, though – Is it really a good idea to have Local H in every city for that many days in a row? We think not.  The solution? Every night, all 6 of their records will be put in a hat (sorry, guys. No B-sides); one lucky (?) member of the audience will be selected to pull a record out of that hat-and Local H will play it front to back. On the spot. No…really. The odds of hearing your favorite record live-plus an encore of choice cuts? 1 in 6. Odds of seeing a Local H show like you’ve never seen before? Well, that depends on if you were in Chicago for one of those 7 nights.

And the nominees are:
Ham Fisted
As Good As Dead
Pack Up the Cats
Here Comes the Zoo
Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?
12 Angry Months

Sunday, May 23:
Q101 Welcomes…
LOCAL H * KINCH
$13 adv. – $15 day of / All Ages / Doors: 6PM / Show: 7PM
Local H will perform one of their six albums, randomly selected, in its entirety

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT:
The Metro Box Office in the Official Metro Store (no service fee)
Internet sales at www.metrochicago.com

I have to admit that I have never been on a pub crawl.  I know.  I’ve been missing out.  But this one may get me to come out of my shell!  Check it out:

The most anticipated event of the Summer is BACK…..BIGGER and BETTER than ever before. What started 8 years ago as a smaller chaotic pub crawl in Roscoe Village, has evolved into the biggest rock-star Pub Crawl in all of Chicago. Join us for a the biggest most fun celebration in wrigleyville short of the cubs winning the world series. Music, drinking, prizes, 80’s costume contest, beer gardens and more will fill the day.

What: $10 entry fee gets you an official Back to the Pub Crawl T-shirt, 22oz cup, slap bracelet, beads, plenty of beer, drink, food, and shot specials, and performances by 2 Live Bands, Mer and Red Pop Fury. There will be a raffle with plenty of great prizes, beer pong and flippy cup tournaments, and plenty more entertainment along the way.

Visit crawlchicago.com for more info