The Fourth is behind us but we're still moving forward with that special celebration of I-N-D-E... you know the rest. Fireworks are gonna keep sparking up the Empty Bottle stage and these fresh streams will persuade you to get your summer-self on in here. Grab your drink, grab your butt, and enjoy the finest of the fine.Moods, baby, moods... pair 'em with music, friendly, dancing and you have got yourself one of the finest evenings of the week. Sonny & the Sunsets are headed to the bottle this evening with that California sunshine following right behind them. Their sixth studio outing Moods Baby Moods invites you to take a dive into the creative mind of Sonny Smith for his fresh perspective on life supported with groovy base lines and spacey-synth beats sure to keep your shoulders swinging. Take a listen to the full album via Stereogum and grab your tickets for tonight's show here.Cinematic in scope and sound, Inter Arma’s newest release doesn’t hesitate to relish in opportunity to experiment. Clocking in at just over an hour, Paradise Gallows takes its time to cover as many languages of metal as the Richmond, Virginia based band can muster. Although the run-time can seem daunting, the breathability of the album allows the listener to settle in to the experience led by countless electric guitar solos and forays into instrumental motifs reminiscent of the 70s. Take a listen over at NPR before the album drops on Friday July 8th and make sure to grab your tickets for their show here at the bottle July 13th.The Julie Ruin are on their way to Thalia Hall next Thursday July 14th and NPR has a preview of their newest release, Hit Reset, set to hit shelves on July 8th. Tackling issues of her personal past and present, Kathleen Hanna and her band have a handful of tracks, here, set to propel them to the future. With an album closer that'll make your eyes wet, Hit Reset will get you nothing short of excited for a start-over. NPR has the album for streaming and Thalia Hall has your tickets for purchasing.

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This past weekend of  LEVITATION CHICAGO at Thalia Hall was quite the time! Spring is upon us and we find ourselves on the other side of a killer three days of music at LEVITATION CHICAGO music festival.  Let's dive on in to revisit how great of a time we had music-friendly-dancing (and drinking LAGUNITAS beer)all over Thalia Hall. [Pictures by Allison Taich ]First things first, thank you to everyone that came out. We hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did!DAY 1Thursday began withthe jaw-dropping performance (both musically and acrobatic) by  EARTHEATER aka Alexandra Drewchin. Israeli shoegaze group VAADAT CHARIGIM followed, their strictly Hebrew lyrics resonate with us all. The always entertaining GARY WILSON came next with his taboo experimental performance, backed by an entirely local band, including favorites JIMMY WHISPERS and BEN BILLINGTON. LA metal dudes HEALTH played the crowd with a serious lesson in head-banging.. This set the scene perfectly for headliner ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER, who's experimental set is still thumping in our eardrums. HAUSU MOUNTAIN DJS killed it spinning between sets.VAADAT CHARIGIMGARY WILSONHEALTHONEOHTRIX POINT NEVERDAY 2Australian postpunk band NITE FIELDS began Friday night by propelling the crowd into outer space. Next was the electronic drone solo project of Benjamin John Power, aka BLANCK MASS, who was blowing minds and taking names. Chicago folk musician RYLEY WALKER made everyone feel at home before Sir Richard Bishops' latest project RANGDA burned that house down. LIGHTNING BOLT, probably the best known (and perhaps only) noise band of their kind, parked their set on the ground for a more intimate experience. The reunited ROYAL TRUX proved that one big breakup and a decade of barely speaking did not hinder their musical chemistry. Through it all, THRILL JOCKEY  DJS kept the party going in between sets.Additional photos + a recap of day two can be found via The Line of Best Fit.LIGHTNING BOLTRYLEY WALKERDAY  3The last day of LEVITATION CHICAGO began with METHYL ETHEL nailing it with their cozy indie-rock. NATURAL INFORMATION SOCIETY & BITCHIN' BAJAS were up next, a unbeatable combination with synths and sintir abounding. NIGHT BEATS were next, bringing along their garage-psych set, which made us feel like teens who just discovered their parents album collection. The awe-inspiring  CIRCUIT DES YEUX left her ethereal home planet to grace the crowd with her presence, and then Stoner-prog instrumentalist EARTHLESS lead the audience on a musically induced trip. Direct support German krautrock godfather's fAUst gave an unpredictable, experimental Psychedelic set that was a privilege to witness. Headliner doom-folk goddess CHELSEA WOLFE closed out LEVITATION CHICAGO 2016 breathing life into her haunting yet entrancing songwriting. PERMANENT RECORDS DJS kept the party going in between sets.CIRCUIT DES YEUXEARTHLESSFAUSTNIGHT BEATSPERMANENT RECORDS DJs----NEXT UP on our EBP festival radar is Do Division Fest:  Friday, June 3rd 5-10pm... Saturday & Sunday, June 4th & 5th 12-10 pm.

Our friends in the folk-rock band Martin Van Ruin stopped by Thalia Hall in Pilsen to play some songs a few weeks ago and we were lucky enough to get some video footage of their performance... Sure looks pretty in there. It'll look even better when we fill that room with more people. Take a peek for yourself.

Jeez, my head hurts a bit (but in a good way). How great Thalia Hall looks with close to 400 friends and folks basking in the glow. A lobster roll and a nice glass of beer sure doesn’t suck, too – it’s the opposite of suck, really. Numerous glasses of punch put it over the top. For all of you who attended, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your warm praises are music to our ears. We are finishing stuff up getting ready to open our doors to the public on the 28th. Hope to see you soon. - Bruce Finkelman (head cheese)

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As you may have noticed, we've been featuring specialty punches for sale - and drink - at the Empty Bottle over the past several months. Earlier this month, we made a video of punch master Will Duncan brewing a batch of fresh punch over at Thalia Hall, the new multi-purpose property in Pilsen being opened by our head honcho, Mr. Bruce Finkelman (and others). Punch House, located in the basement of Thalia Hall, will specialize in these delicious concoctions, offering an array that will be available by the glass, carafe, or bowl, as well as on tap in a carbonated form.Our main man Nick Brazinsky shot and created this video that gives viewers insight into how much goes into making punch. See if you can follow all the steps and be sure to come by on September 17th when Punch House & Dusek's both officially open! See you here.