There is something substanstial or possibly profound about creating something new from things that are broken. On his new ep, Nick Butcher only uses old and broken things to make sounds: ancient dictation and GE cassette recorders, first-generation Casio keyboards, a nylon-stringed guitar with only four strings, and cassettes he's unscrewed, cut, looped, and taped together by hand. Guitar Machine was actually recorded March 10, 2007, and precedes last years Bee Removal (Hometapes).

Guitar Machine was released this week by the unique label West Main Development that specializes in b-sides and lost recordings. While Nick is more widely known for his work as a visual artist with Nadine Nakanishi and Sonnenzimmer, his music is ghostly collection of sounds and captured movements. When you listen closely all of those clicks you hear are Nick pressing buttons, and the "whoosh" sounds are his feet as he moves in between artifacts on the table in front of him. You can also occasionally hear the gallery door opening and closing, people breathing, and various other human sounds. Ghost Machine is an exploration of sound at its fundamental core. You can stream and buy the album digitally here.

It may not seem logical to launch a “Monday Mixtape” project on a Thursday, but who am I to turn away free music from Mannequin Men and Flameshovel. The first mix makes you want to riffle back through MM’s catalog to figure out what bands they have written about, but here is how they introduced the mix. “If there's one thing that musicians love singing about more than themselves it's other musicians. We have a few songs about other bands that we love or hate or both. So in the spirit of people singing about other people who sing, here's the first official Mannequin Men Monday Mixtape. Please avoid noticing the fact that we missed our deadline so it isn't actually Monday.“ We will have to see what day the next mix is released. The mix includes tracks from Joan of Arc, Mahjongg, Sonic Youth, Pavement, and more. Grab it here and stay tuned.

I typically do not post live performances but this video was put together by the bands label. Driftless Pony Club is a band that plans to make some noise this fall following the release of the new ep, Expert, on DFTBA Records (Dont Forget To Be Awesome). The band has been around for years, and released their debut LP in 2004 with a follow-up in 2006. Both album were self-released, but it was lead singer Craig Benzine recent adventure as Wheezy Waiter that brought the band to the attention of DFTBA Records. If you have not, you need to check out his videos here , and keep an eye out for the DPC Ep on August 15th.

Local trio, Bailiff, successfully fuses blues and experimental rock, in their guitar-laden musical outfit, which takes the Schubas stage tonight (Thursday). The group (which opens for Gringo Star and Buffalo Killers), will showcase tunes from their latest EP, Mm Hmm, as well as songs from their forthcoming full length (the band is currently scouting out recording studios in which to record their upcoming release). Having just rounded out their trio with new bassist, Adam Schneider, singer/guitarist, Josh Siegel and drummer, Ren Mathew, are eager to showcase their new material, including their newest, never-before-heard song, Amelia (which was inspired by an African-funk set by Vieux Farka Toure, which Siegel recently dotingly caught at the Hideout).

With standout tracks like Emptied Out and Off and On, Bailiff is sure to deliver a quality show, mingling rock, blues, and even middle-eastern flair with raw vocals and haunting guitar tones.

Tonights ( July 2nd) show begins at 9pm, with Bailiff taking the Schubas stage at 10pm. Tickets are $8. - Neph Basedow

Netherfriends depart Saturday for another two week long tour that will take down to Texas and back. You can follow all of their antics here, and don’t forget to pick up a copy of Calling You Out Ep on July 21 via Emergency Umbrella. Above is another track from the ep.

David Davison has one of those voices, magnetic and unforgettable, and as the front man of Maps & Atlases he has been able to find his place in a group dynamic. Yet, there are always limitations when creating in a group setting, and Davison has found a new outlet for his thoughts and melodies. His new project is called Cast Spells , and he will be release a debut ep via Sargent House next month. Bright Works And Baton features six songs filled organic imagery, and humble melodies that truly cast a spell over the unknowing listener.

Cast Spells will embark on their first tour next month with Southern Illinois band So Many Dynamos , (Vagrant Records). The tour wraps up at Beat Kitchen on August 2nd.

Has the phrase indie-pop been overused yet? Is it offensive to say that a band plays indie-pop? Maybe we default to that label when we can clearly define a sound. In their bio, Soft Speaker uses the word psychedelic to describe the band, but when I hear the synths and harmonies, begin tapping my feet, and can almost instantly hum along, I cry indie-pop! Alright, enough with the titles, Conditions in the latest release from the quintet known as Soft Speaker . Now it may just be the fact that I grew up as the biggest Dinosaur Jr. fan on my block, but I find myself hearing their influence more and more in younger bands, and Soft Speaker is not exception. From the raging guitar solo in the opening seconds of Mercury Park to the fuzz and feedback of Danger Red, this albums driving force is the complex and inventive guitar play. Yet, the solos are restrained enough to allow the rhythm, the melodies, and even the handclaps to keep the songs moving and for the most part danceable. In just seven songs, Soft Speaker manages to balance raging guitar solos, alt-country ballads, and an electrified remix track. Conditions clearly sets the stage for bigger things in the near future for this eclectic four piece.

There's a little room on Chicago's Northwest side where this thing is happening. There isn't much to say about the room itself. It has walls that give if pushed and would fall over if pushed hard enough. There's a wood floor. There's a dirty, thin carpet on top of the wood floor. There are old cigarette butts that belong in other mouths that live on the carpet, in the burn marks they have created. The history of the room has been scribbled in mostly tacky, generic markings by its past inhabitants, drawings of tattoo style roses, dragons and lists of the best group of friends who will never die. There are pipes near the ceiling. There are Christmas lights wrapped around them. Their ends have been cut, so they can't do what they were born into this world to do. But what matters is what happens within those walls, on those floors, under the unlit lights and pipes, among the burned out cigarettes and black marker drawings that grace the walls. Somewhere in the midst of all of these things, sounds that belong in other places find their ways together and make a home with each other, market places of old world Baghdad, choruses of classic Bollywood, forests filled with beasts and fields where flying, flickering fairies brush the tops of the long grass and swaying wheat. The people who bring all of this together and carefully form it into A Lull are Nigel Dennis, Mike Brown and Todd Miller, among others, various friends who have been kind enough and willing to lend a hand or two along the way. All three are formerly of other Chicago based bands, Nigel and Todd (and Mike briefly) of The Evaluation, and Mike of The Skies We Built and Mike (and Nigel briefly) of Ateriavia. A Lull's debut E.P is entitled "Ice Cream Bones", and they are currently hard at work molding, crafting and perfecting their debut full-length album entitled Confetti.

You can catch A Lull on July 3rd with Percolator at The Beat Kitchen and on July 16th at The Bottom Lounge as they kick off their tour. 

This coming Independence Day weekend we’re all making plans to rock out in honor of what this country stands for: Freedom & Beer. So why not come down to Miska’s and check out Sissy Mena at 9:00 P.M. it’s free (if you wear red) and there will be beer. A proper tribute to the holiday and a great way to start off the weekend: Awesome local rock and an all night party. Miska’s is throwing an event dubbed “The Red Coat Party” and pulling out all the stops. Starting with free entrance if you’re wearing red, then Rock Bands till late and a DJ to take the good times home, the decision on what you’re doing this Friday should be simple. Sissy Mena serves up a heaping helping of Indie Rock a-la shoegaze and will not disappoint. Tyler, Adam and Taylor have been working hard in the studio lately to bring us a new EP called “Young Girl” and hopefully we should have it soon via electronic distribution. Serving up sweeping hooks and a beat present enough the song is always easy to dance to, Sissy Mena is a honed performance. The gents always enjoy themselves on stage and It always translates back to the audience. I had the delight of seeing them at the bottom lounge a while ago and was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable they were and how easily the notes flowed forth. It’s a unique, enjoyable Indie-rock band that hardly ever stops being a breath of fresh air. I was lucky enough to sit Tyler down over some beers this past weekend and talk about the songwriting process, his time as a Chicago musician, and his friends in We Make Thunder. You can read Ben's full conversation here.

Naledge "Focus" from Okayplayer on Vimeo.

I do not claim to know what Britney Spears is talking about in her song Circus. I do not care for circuses in general, so how would I know what it is like to be in one? Taking my first steps into the Hornitos Mischieve in the Garden of Agave party at the Ravenswood Billboard Company let me know what it was like to be in a circus. Or rather one that Britney Spears would attend. Beautiful women hanging from the ceiling, dominatrixs on swings, even a man that would spiral down from the ceiling only holding onto a red piece of cloth. Hornitos knew how to throw a good party without making it too sexual.

The real draw was not the booze or the women however. It was the music. Hollywood Holt, though his name has become increasingly popular in the past year. In a city that breeds the next big hip hop artists (Kanye, Lupe, Common), you want to keep your eye out so you can say I remember when once they hit it big. Hollywood Holt definitely has the energy and skill of his predecessors, but he does not have the swagger yet. His set was extremely energetic but I was not pulled away from the conversations I was having. In fact, his music became less like a show and more like background music. Holt is still young and the talent is there, so maybe time will tell how proficient he gets at his stage show.

By the time YACHT went on it was safe to say everyone was good and liquored up enough to enjoy their strange set. YACHT has the skill to draw an audience, something Hollywood Holt can take a note on. Maybe it is because their odd costuming and video show demands attention, or maybe it is because they are so gosh-darn adorable. But once they hit the stage all conversation ended and my attention was devoted to them. I wish the Chicago hitters would have stepped up to the plate a bit more, but all in all it was a fantastic night with great music and good drinks. Maybe a bit too good. Amy Dittmeier

Stars Like Flowers at Night from panda riot on Vimeo.

One of the more exciting duos in Chicago right now is the combination of Million Dollar Mano and Drea Smith (aka He Say, She Say). Drea has the soul and Mano has the rhythm. Their music is raw, but extremely catchy. They have been working on their unique style of electro-pop mixed with r&b for the last five years but didn’t make it official until 2007. They made some noise last year with the song “Crash Test Dummies”, and they are currently working a project for Lupe Fiasco’s FNF Records.

He Say, She Say will be performing at Lollapalooza this year, but over the weekend they opened for Thunderheist along with Money Penny and local photographer Dakota "Blue" Harper was front and center. You can check out all of his images here.

The new Kayne West video for Street Lights may not be the best example of animation, but it does manage to capture the loneliness and isolation in one of the best songs on last years 808s and Heartbreaks.

Local H “Bound to the Floor” from their 1996 release As Good as Dead (Island Records)

Looking for something to do on this steaming summer night? May I suggest heading over to Schubas for a FREE concert. Last months The Poison Arrows released their debut full-length on File 13 Records, and it has been blowing through my speakers ever since. First Class, and Forever is mixture of electronic sounds and hard rock attitude. Rcd Lbl recently posted a very cool remix of “An Unexploded Dream”. You can check them out in person tonight for free with Bottomless Pit. The show starts at 9:00pm. The Poison Arrows will also be appearing at next months Wicker Park Fest.

Last fall Hands Organic released Yourself and The Air’s second EP, Friend of All Breeds. It came on the heels of the bands debut album Cold Outside Brings Heavy Thoughts to Think. Through all of this activity the band has nearly perfect their faux-new wave sound. It a sound not unlike early Cure or perhaps Modest Mouse, and it is a compelling contrast to a lot of what you hear today in Chicago. Today, Daytrotter posted a session with the boys that features three unreleased songs and "So You’ve Come To Mingle (or Friend Of All Breeds)" from their ep.