Band

Chicago is welcoming cats back to the stage. Not Broadway "Cats. " Literally, cats. Chicago-based “The Amazing Acro-Cats,” one of four traveling domesticated cat shows in the nation, is set to play four shows June 6 through June 9 at the National Pastime Theatre, along with “The Rock Cats.” What exactly does the show entail? (Pun very much intended.) “…Feats of agility pushing carts, riding skateboards, rolling barrels, ringing bells, turning on lights, walking tight ropes, jumping through hoops and much more,” according to a press release announcing the shows.

Well, we're happy to say we told you so. Today Milwaukee Summerfest announced its Emerging Artists Series, and several of the names are familiar: RedEye 2013 Rock 'n' Vote finalists AboveWaves (June 27), and 2011 finalists Aktar Aktar (June 27). That's not it for the Chicago representation, either. Gemini Club (July 2), Blah Blah Blah (June 26), Great Divide (July 5) and Bonzie (July 6) will also appear on the U.S. Cellular Connection stage June 26-July 7. Other highlights on the calendar include Kitten (who just opened for Paramore at Chicago Theatre)

**1/2 (out of four) Every dude, I think, likes to imagine himself as the sort of rugged, all-American badass who drives vintage muscle cars and looks cool in his emotion-concealing Ray-Bans. This guy does not actually exist anymore, if he ever did, but, in the age of Instagram, it's not too hard to look the part. Throw on a plaid shirt and put a Johnny Cash album on your iPhone and you're all set. This safe, time-honored way to be cool is basically the deal with Band of Horses, a Seattle indie rock band that moved to South Carolina and became the sort of throwback country band it's...

No Memorial Day travel plans? No problem. The city's the place to be this weekend, as two perennial summer favorites return with even more entertainment, beer and shopping. On Saturday and Sunday, West Loop vintage mecca Randolph Street Market toasts its 10-year anniversary while Lakeview packs in more cover bands than you ever thought possible during Belmont-Sheffield Music Fest. Bonus: A Monday holiday means you'll have an extra day to recover from the springtime shenanigans. kbernot@tribune.com @redeyeeatdrink Belmont-Sheffield Music Fest Where: ...

Start growing those beards now. Why? My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses will appear Aug. 22 at Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion. Tickets ($59.50-$64.50; $20 lawn tickets for listening only) go on sale noon Saturday for one of the better Millennium Park bookings we can remember. Band of Horses, in particular, continue to impress as not just a band with a great live reputation but one that consistently nails it in the studio, where the songwriting matters as much as the performance.

Don't like your Prince at the United Center? Now picky fans (or anyone else) have the option to catch the legendary pop star at another Chicago venue instead. The House of Blues announced it will host official Purple After Jam shows, featuring Prince's New Power Generation band, following each of the United Center shows on Sept. 24, 25, and 26, in support of the Rebuild the Dream foundation. Tickets for the after-shows go on sale today at noon.

Band leader of The Libertines Carl Barat will play something of a secret show in Chicago on Nov. 29. According to both the band and Barat's Facebook pages, the show is set to take place, but the location has yet to be determined. The posted status from the band read, "Carl will play a free show in Chicago somewhere on 29th November. He will be accompanied by Gary Powell, Anthony Rossomando and Callum Ryan. " Powell and Rossomando are current and ex-bandmates of Barat's, respectively.

This week: Justin Vernon's indie folk act Bon Iver has risen from playing venues like Schubas to playing Chicago Theatre and, on Friday, UIC Pavilion. The group recently received several Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist. The question: Does all this mainstream success damage Bon Iver's indie cred? Yes How much street cred can a band really maintain once it's reached stratospheric fame? Sure, Bon Iver is playing to the man (and mainstream fans) with a UIC gig, but what might suffer more is their sound.

Guns 'N Roses announced they will be making a pit stop in Chicago during their 2012 tour, according to Rolling Stone online. The band will be playing Feb. 19 at the House of Blues Chicago. Check out more info at Rolling Stone .

Mumford & Sons may seem like a blend of some of the world's most annoying archetypes, from the guy who starts playing the guitar at parties to the guy who dresses like a mixologist. The Brits' songs all tend to follow a similar formula: bluegrass hoedown crescendos into bombastic indie-rock sing-a-long. These things can make a band easy to resent, particularly for the cynical observer who might also note the group's air of focus-grouped appeal. But there are certain benefits to being such a seemingly risk-averse band.

Chicago is welcoming cats back to the stage. Not Broadway "Cats. " Literally, cats. Chicago-based “The Amazing Acro-Cats,” one of four traveling domesticated cat shows in the nation, is set to play four shows June 6 through June 9 at the National Pastime Theatre, along with “The Rock Cats.” What exactly does the show entail? (Pun very much intended.) “…Feats of agility pushing carts, riding skateboards, rolling barrels, ringing bells, turning on lights, walking tight ropes, jumping through hoops and much more,” according to a press release announcing the shows.

The Ravenswood 'hood, already home to a craft beer bar, Fountainhead , and a brewery, Begyle , could see the arrival of even more beer courtesy of a brewpub called Band of Bohemia. Led by a team that includes an Alinea sommelier, Craig Sindelar, and a Half Acre brewer, Michael Carroll, the proposed brewpub currently is in its early planning stages. Construction of the new bar and restaurant would require a zoning change in the area, from M-1 (Limited Industrial District)

The question prompted by this year's remarkably underwhelming array of (repeat) Lolla headliners (including The Killers, Vampire Weekend and Mumford and Sons) was, “Where are all the headliner-caliber rock bands that have never played Lolla and, you know, are actually good?” At Thursday's sold-out Chicago Theatre show, Paramore had the answer. Tiny Hayley Williams is leading a giant revolution, shooting sweet darts into the hearts and lungs of fans that belt out every cathartic word.

The first time Tennessee pop-rockers Paramore headlined a tour, they started it at Beat Kitchen in 2006. Seven years later, the band will play the much larger Chicago Theatre on Thursday as part of its first U.S. tour since 2010. Paramore then and Paramore now, singer Hayley Williams says, are like night and day. “I don't want it to sound like I'm ever bashing the band that we were before, but I definitely feel like we are a new band now,” says Williams, 24. Paramore's two founding members, brothers Josh and Zac Farro, departed about a year and a half after the...

It's been 32 years since the Beastie Boys were founded, but the band's fan base is as strong as ever. And although no one can replace the now-defunct band, Chicago fans can pay tribute to Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock thanks to their female counterparts in She's Crafty, an all all-female Beastie Boys tribute band. "We're bringing other peoples' memories of music alive and sharing it and having a good time," said Amy Sumpter, 35, of Lakeview. "I love that. People just get so excited about an all-female Beastie Boys tribute band.

Near the close of Youngblood Hawke's debut album, "Wake Up," frontman Sam Martin sings, "You don't get a second chance to make the same mistakes. " Yet a second chance is exactly what Martin has been given. Prior to forming the Los Angeles-based sextet, the singer and his bandmate Simon Katz spent six years grinding away in Iglu & Hartly, a California-by-way-of-Colorado rock band that scored a major label deal and briefly flirted with mainstream success before disintegrating in 2011.

Another day, another musical reunion. This time, it's Van Halen and David Lee Roth consummating their third marriage Tuesday with the release of the single and video "Tattoo. " It represents the first new music from a Roth-fronted Van Halen since 1996, when the band released two new tunes on a greatest hits disc. And the band's new album due Feb. 7, "A Different Kind of Truth," will be their first in almost 28 years. But, enough about that. How's the new stuff sound? Not great, but good enough.

Chicago rockers the Hudson Branch answered our Chi-Tunes questionnaire . Do the same and your band could appear in RedEye! What makes your live show great? We are a five piece band, and everyone in the band is a multi-instrumentalist.  We also like to include multimedia aspects in our live show, including video, live storytelling, re-purposed audio and song/story hybrids. Describe your sound in five words or less. rock 'n' roll, sometimes soft Tell us something random about the band, and why that's significant.

UPDATE: 2013 Rock 'n' Vote voting has closed. RSVP for the show (required for attendance) and click here to get to know this year's acts better. See you there! The abundance of great Chicago bands never ceases, or ceases to impress. That's obvious again as more than 150 local acts entered our 10th annual Rock 'n' Vote contest. These are the 10 best who now compete for your votes - read about them here and, more importantly, listen to them to hear why they were chosen.

 * (out of four) In recent years, the Flaming Lips have worked hard to sacrifice the maximum amount of their once-abundant goodwill by making their music synonymous with weird stunt releases and overwrought visual accompaniments. In the sense that the band's latest album, “The Terror,” doesn't arrive encased in a neon-painted ostrich egg or recorded as a transcription of a brain wave or delivered via submarine, it's a success. “The Terror” puts focus on the band's music and thoroughly explores its central theme.