Once a month CRC (Chicago Recording Company), 232 East Ohio, hosts a small happy hour get together at the studio with beer and wine and a band, and this month they have My My My. The event is this Thursday (April 22nd) at 6pm and it is FREE!

Chicago’s Coke Rats (the sole project of Tim Tsurutani of CAW! CAW!) kicks off the new mixtape from Slanty Shanty Records’ Tape Club. The mixtape was designed to celebrate the 10 releases the tape club has put out. Coke Rats’ debut Smooches was released by in August in a limited run of 50, and it was the first release of the 10. These releases also include a tape from former Chicago band The Heligoats.

Vivian Girls eat your hearts out! Chicago is in love with Hollows, and you need to check out their new session with Giant System.

Hollows will be performing at Cal’s on April 24th with Wooly Bullies and The Alright Alreadies.

Over the weekend we sent our photographer Daniel Bartel to The Metro to photograph Ok Go as they returned home to rock the crowd. You can find all of Daniel’s picture from Saturday here.

Yes, tomorrow is Record Store Day, and instead of recreating what others have done I thought I would point you to three great run downs of multiple events, and point out my favorite event. You find solid lists at Via Chicago, Loud Loop Press, and Gapers Block Transmission.

My favorite event tomorrow will be The Loneliest Monk performing at Cyklopx in Forest Park. They perform at 1pm.

Here is a new video directed by Martin Rodahl for Yea Big & Kid Static’s classic song “Heavy Catamaran” from their 2006 ep The Heavy 7”.

Just hours after the band had finished mastering and arranging the final tracks for their debut album, Purien Arbours, I was listening and tapping along to this alt-country gem. I say alt-country, but I don’t want to simplify this album too much. Leaf Bird’s sound has many dimensions, including an Americana core, but reaches into folk, psych-pop, and even more avant-garde elements. Their sound is gentle and goes down smooth. A perfect example of this sound is the track “Deeply Dearly”. It’s a mixture of passionate vocals, layer instrumentals, a wide variety of instruments, and plenty of sun-drenched sounds.

Leaf Bird will be performing three times around town the remainder of the month. You can catch Tyler Beach of Leaf Bird tonight (April 16th) at Elastic Arts for the Homeroom Open Mic, and then on April 18th at Uncommon Ground. Finally, Leaf Bird will be performing at a benefit for Rumble Arts on April 24th at The Music Lounge. The band has also been accepted to play at LOLA (London Ontario Live Arts) Festival 2010 in September.

If you are looking for something to do tonight you should check out Royal Pines at Cole’s Bar (2338 Milwaukee Ave). This is the band’s first show since last October, and they are sure to give you your fix of roots rock. Also performing tonight will be Nonagon and Blackout Dates.

On April 20th, Joyful Noise Records will be releasing the latests effort from Prizzy Prizzy Please entitled Chroma Cannon. A couple months months ago we gave you a sneak peak with the track “Large Hadron Collider”, and now we bring you the track “Lost”. This track demonstrates the sonic diversity that PPP put in play through out the album. Mixing high-energy, compulsive electronics, with laidback horns and falsetto vocals, it is a fascinating track.

Prizzy Prizzy Please will be celebrating the tomorrow night (April 16th) at Beat Kitchen with Sass Dragons before heading out on a nationwide tour.

What is not to love about Chicago Music project and cmpTV? They have asked me to share this video with everyone, and I am happy to support this great Chicago-based organization.

I am really begin to love the “video flyers” for upcoming shows. On April 17th at The Hideout Lazer Crystal (Nicholas Read (electronics & vocals), Josh Johannpeter (percussion), & Mikale De Graff (vocals & electronics)) will celebrate the release for their Thrill Jockey debut, MCMLXXX. Lazer Crystal rests on the darker side of electronic retro-pop. Their sound hints to references of Joy Division or very early Depeche Mode, but with much more advanced electronics and layers of various elements.

The album will be officially released by Thrill Jockey on May 4th, and Lazer Crystal will be heading over seas for the month of May.

During the night, 3am to be exact, Tiny Engines announced that they will be releasing the sophomore album from Castevet. The 8 song 12” LP will be called The Echo & The Light, and if that title sound familiar to fans then I will explain. Originally pressed in CD and tape format as an extremely limited six-song EP for the band’s 09 Winter tour with Grown Ups, the six tracks – plus two brand new offerings – have been re-recorded and engineered by Dennis Pleckham at Comatose Studio in Bradley, IL and mastered by Carl Saff (Melt Banana, Young Widows, Ghosts And Vodka) at Saff Mastering in Chicago. The four piece explosive punk band broke through last year with their debut Summer Fences and this album is really an extension of that effort. Tiny Engines will release the album on June 29th, and there will be 200 copies on 180 gram black vinyl and 300 on white vinyl.

You can preorder the album today, and you can catch Castevet on June 12th at Beat Kitchen.