It’s Spring, Time To Live Laugh Riot Fest
Available while supplies lastYou know what time of the year it is… today is Black Friday, and we’ve got deals, exclusive (and limited quantity) holiday merch, re-stocked popular items from this year’s Riot Fest, and a few of our greatest hits from the past
Your Favorite Bands’ Favorite Band – An Interview with Jimmy Flemion of The Frogs
The world had never experienced a band quite like The FrogsBrothers Jimmy and Dennis Flemion emerged from Milwaukee with a joyful love of music and a defiant, provocative spirit that made them impossible to ignore. (The silver lamé suits and giant bat wings didn’t hurt, either.) While their work courted controversy and ruffled feathers in right-wing circles, it also resonated with some of the era’s […]
Photos: The Wonder Years, Hot Mulligan, Carly Cosgrove at Concord Music Hall, 03.16.23
Pics of the bands and you at Concord Music HallPhotos from the weekday soldout show at Concord Music Hall with The Wonder Years, Hot Mulligan, and Carly Cosgrove. Photos by Michael Herrick. Did you take pics at the show? Include it in the gallery by uploading it to us here. The Related Rabbit Hole Photos: Thrice at Concord Music Hall, 1.31.20 Photos: The All-American […]
Music For Mall Goths – A Playlist By Softcult
See Softcult + Soft Blue Shimmer in a few weeks at Cobra LoungeIn just a few weeks, Softcult will stop in Chicago at Cobra Lounge for a show with Soft Blue Shimmer–capping off the end of another season of intermittent sunshine, rain, or snow, or hail and rain.. and snow here in the Midwest. And what better way to embrace your inner darkness than with a dreary […]
Who The Heck Is Softcult?
See Softcult at Cobra Lounge March 24th with Soft Blue ShimmerIf you spent any part of your teenage years trying to ride escalators in platform boots, Softcult is for you. But while the Canadian duo describes themselves as “music for mall goths,” they might be selling themselves a bit short. Their sound transcends food courts and fluorescent lighting with layered sonic landscapes that will remind […]
Photos: Free Throw + Can’t Swim at Cobra Lounge, 03.09.23
Pics of the band and you crowd swimming on FridayPics from the weekday punk show at Cobra Lounge with Free Throw, Can’t Swim, Equipment, and Early Humans. Did you take pics at the show? Include it in the gallery by uploading it to us here. The Related Rabbit Hole Photos: Dune Rats, Devon Kay & The Solutions, Telethon at Cobra Lounge, 02.18.23 Photos: Radkey […]
2023 CYCSE Book Drive
The Riot Fest Foundation is partnering with Chicago Youth Center – Sidney Epstein location for its first book drive. Starting on March 11th through April 1st, we are welcoming both new and gently used books. We’re happy to give your books a new home to help expand a child’s imagination. Age ranges are 8 – […]
Frozen Pizzas Ranked By Resident Pizza Experts: The Riot Fest Staff
Almost any keyword search for pizza on the RiotFest.org website will show how you just how much the Riot Fest staff loves pizza and pizza-centric content. But one thing no one can agree on is: which frozen pizza is the best? Since there’s absolutely nothing to do in Chicago during the winter, we took time […]
Under The Radar: Episode 2 – Hoity-Toity, Arrows in Action, + Mallavora
The March episode of Under The Radar featuring bands you missed while you mindlessly scroll TikTokThis week’s episode features a band so under the radar that their debut album hasn’t even dropped yet…
Photos: Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Drug Church, Anxious, + Webbed Wing at Bottom Lounge, 03.03.23
Pics of the band and you crowd swimming on FridayPunks swimming through the crowd with inflatable inner tubes at the Prince Daddy & The Hyena, Drug Church, Anxious, and Webbed Wing show at Bottom Lounge last Friday night. If you took a picture at the show and want to include it in the gallery below, upload it here. The Related Rabbit Hole Prince Daddy […]
Chicago’s Triple Fast Action Digs Deep with Collection of Rare and Unreleased Tracks
Plus, drummer and co-founder Brian St. Clair looks back on the band’s whirlwind career.At this point, Chicago’s early-90s alternative scene has taken on a near-mythological status. The rise of bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Veruca Salt and Smoking Popes are an essential part of the city’s musical history. The story of Triple Fast Action is just as important. They were a “Chicago band” through and through, playing their first […]
Braid’s “Frame & Canvas” 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Release from Polyvinyl
Braid hits the road this July with tour dates across the USThe entirely remixed and remastered album from Jawbox’s J. Robbins’ original tapes also features unseen photos from Andy Mueller and expanded liner notes. The band also announced 11 tour dates in the US starting in July. As the original recording and mixing session of the album was done in a five-day panic, we’re thrilled that […]
