random early monday morning news

just a few thoughts about music and chicago...

caribou plays the pritzker pavilion tomorrow, monday, for FREE
the city of chicago does a better job each year in hosting unique music talent from around the country and world at various free public functions. as part of the 'downtown sound: new music monday' event series, psychedelic pop artist(s) caribou will grace the big stage of the pritzker pavilion in millennium park tomorrow evening, with budos band opening. show starts at 6:30... and it's FREE!

matthew dear to headline saturday's green dolphin's 'bbq and beats' day party
an at-capacity nightclub prevented me from seeing matthew dear earlier this year, so i'm hoping for good things on green dolphin's outdoor patio this saturday. dear headlines the festivities, with kate simko and a few other locals supporting. check out the RA event page for more info.

'are podcasts the new rave?'
the concept of dj podcasts and mix series has gained tons of popularity as a way to promote artists, events, and promotions groups... and as a (usually) free way to socially connect with other dance music enthusiasts. read this article at the UK's guardian for more thoughts about the phenomenon.

read about the east-coast 'nitrous mafia'
allegedly, there is a highly-organized crew of drug dealers aggressively pushing nitrous all over the east coast. the laughing gas, which is transported in pressurized tanks and sold by the balloon, is a pretty fucking annoying occurrence outside music concerts: the hissssing sound is unmistakable, as our the discarded balloons and over-indulgent users blacking out and falling limply to the ground like a sack of potatoes. check out this lengthy article on the drug and its culture.

first photo of a planet outside our solar system confirmed
science! according to this article at space.com, a celestial mass initially found in 2008 has finally been confirmed as a young planet orbiting a correspondingly young star. the star system, 1RXS J160929.1-210524, is located about 500 light-years from us and is 'only' about 5 million years old (our solar system is about 1000 times older). the planet is about 8 times the size of jupiter, and muuuuch hotter.

chicago music, podcasts, drugs, outer space... happy monday!