Pink Frost released Sundowning back in September and the beer-guzzling video for "Ruins" was one of the most disturbing and entertaining videos of the year.

White Mystery released the tremendous album "Telepathic" in April of 2013. It was hard to pick a standout track from this wonderful garage-pop album, "Break A Sweat" just makes me smile every time I hear it.

Psychic Twin (Erin Fein & now Sean Hutchinson) released a fantastic single this year called "Strangers" on Polyvinyl and then relocated to Brooklyn. The b-side to "Strangers" was the synth heavy "Dream State" and truly out shined the it’s A-side in my opinion.

Into It. Over It. (aka Evan Weiss) released the album "Intersections" in September of 2013 via Triple Crown. "No Amount of Sound", along with "Spinning Thread", was truly a stand out track this year.

Jamarcus Drake of Evasive Backflip has released a solo holiday/winter themed album under the name MaoTzu called Stripped Down and Out in The Cold. The album kicks off with a 35 second version of "Angels We Have Heard On High" and delves futher into the snow from there.

You can order physical copies with handmade and unique covers for just $5.

Magicks has release a video for their track "Solstice". This was the first single from their forthcoming album Their Satanic Majesties Third Request which is due in March 2014.

You can catch Magicks at The Burlington on January 25th.

Pet Peeve is currently trying to fund their new album "Broken English". The band’s kickstarter campaign runs through Jan. 2nd and as of this morning the band’s has reached it’s initial goal. The album is set to be released this spring.

"World’s Strongest Maniac" is the b-side to the latest single, "Kneegrass Blues" from House of Normandie, but at 1:38 it is a strong shot of indie rock bliss!

Red Cent has a new album, Strange Machine, and they recently funded the release via kickstarter. The campaign still has a week left and the band is looking to reach a stretch goal and fund a new video. The album itself is energetic and fantastic.

The band released video this week for a track, "Hard to Say", from Strange Machine.

You can catch Red Cent at Township tonight, December 20th, with Too Close To Perfect, Sticky Valentines, and Northheart.

Ember Oceans released their debut EP Chromatic earlier this month. The band claims to blend "classic rock and new-age alternative", but despite not knowning what new-age alternative would be, I would compare their sound to a young and bluesy Alice In Chains. Perhaps it is just me, but you should give it a listen for yourself. Below is my favorite track from the EP, "Baltimore".

You can catch Ember Oceans at Metro on December 27th with Blue Dream, Free Radical, Zoo, The Boxers.

JBTV has been a mainstay in Chicago for the last 29 years and worked to expose music fans young and old to emerging music. Every year, since 1987, the show runs a marathon in late December to help spread the word on distracted and impaired driving. The Annual Don’t Drink or Text and Drive Live Music Marathon will take place on December 28th from 12pm to 10pm and will feature over 100 bands.

The live performances will span the history of the show and will be curated by JBTV Head of Programming and Kill Hanna bassist, Greg Corner. This is the first year that the Don’t Drink or Text and Drive Live Music Marathon will be streamed in HD and optimized for mobile and tablets with wireless connectivity to televisions via their website. The marathon will also be broadcasted on Chicago’s CAN TV channel 19.

The lineup is headlined by Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins, but will also feature local like Gemini Club.

Is it ok to be late on a mixtape called "Fashionably Late"? Probably not, but it is time to stop sleeping on Bebe O’Hare. Her mixtape dropped back in October, but it was this video that came out last week that made me say "Whoa".