The latest video on Giant System comes from Golden Birthday.

Garage rock is alive and well and is currently taking shape in a band called Rambos. This collective of musicians, including Julie Meckler on vocals, has released a two track digital sampler through bandcamp. The band plays a raw style of junk rock that is catchy and gritty. The band has big plans for 2011, and this first sample is a good sign of things to come.

Mtn Dew’s Green Label Sound is home to The Cool Kids, and they have been teasing about a debut album from the duo years. Yesterday, the label released a new single from the duo called "Bundle Up", and said they will be "releasing When Fish Ride Bicycles, the long-awaited full-length album from The Cool Kids, via iTunes this Spring". We will have to wait and see.

We mentioned awhile back that Ezra Furman & The Harpoons will be releasing a new album this Spring, but now we have the first single from the album. Mysterious Power is due out April 5th, and the band will be hitting the road with the lovely Tristen following 6 shows at SXSW. Here is the track "Hard Times in a Terrible Land".

The Chicago stop on the tour will be 4/23 at Subterranean.

It could be true. Rolling Stone has opened it up to fan rating and of the bands in the running is our Empires. There are 16 bands in the running in this first round, and we are encouraging everyone to support Chicago and vote Empires.

Alex Katz has an incredibly story, and he tells it so well in the video above. Coming back from brain surgery, and a place where he could not comprehend music let alone play it, to a where he is today is amazing. Through Kickstarter he has raised more than enough to release his new ep "The Surgery Sessions" this Friday at Subterranean. The release of the ep will be the perfect to encapsulate how he has taken a dark period in his life and turned it into a positive one.

Katz will be donating 50% of all proceeds from the EP’s sale to Children’s Hospital where he had his surgery. If you would like to donate to his project at any of the levels the Kickstarter page is up for three more day. Whatever you do be sure to catch Alex at Subt this Friday (2/25) at 9pm with Carbon Tigers and Fly Phoenix.

Daniel Knox announced today that his debut album Evryman for Himself will be "re-vised, re-mastered, and only slightly re-recorded" and released by the Philly label La Société Expéditionnaire in May. The label is also home to Chicago favorites Judson Claiborne and Mako Sica.

Knox will be performing at The Hideout with Anni Rossi on April 14th.

Hey Champ is looking for local help in filming a new video for their track "Silver City". To film this they are basically throwing a party. The shoot will be Sunday night starting at 7pm. Just dress as you would going out normally. It will filmed at a bar in the Ukranian Village area, and there will be great drink specials and some hosted beverages. If you meet the requirements below email the band for the exact location (info@heychamp.com).

1) can dance (no "dad" dancing)
2) are 21+
3) are fun and not debbie downers
4) are not gypsies
5) will not drink too much where they can’t take orders from the director/crew

If you want an exclusive look into the living rooms of Chicago’s independent music scene than you should follow what the folks at Living Room Songs are doing. Their Coach Potato Series is producing a lot of great and intimate video of many talented local musicians. My favorite video of late is the one above with Henry Mosher.

Daytrotter has posted it’s final session with Owen Ashworth as Casiotone For The Painfully Alone. After 13 plus years Owen retired the name last year to pursue other projects. This was his fifth appearance on Daytrotter.

The Dogs are back with a new album called Camping. The album recording almost entirely on their own with a few microphones and a laptop, but they did use the four hours of studio time that they won in one of our polls. Camping is an example of how mobile the process has become, and the wide range of sounds you can capture. The Dogs are a close group that feels like family, and nothing brings a group closer than roughing it in the woods of Wisconsin.

Camping officially comes out on March 1st. You can grab the first singles from the album on the band’s bandcamp page.

Heartichoke (aka Thomas Fricilone from Raise High The Roof Beam) has released a free Tribute EP to Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk album. These recordings incorporate a lot of experimentation and are uniquly beautiful little tributes. You can stream or download the Tusk Ep here.

Heartichoke will his first live show on April 29th at Viaduct Theatre.