News Wed Nov 24 2010

Quick Links: Thanksgiving Survival Guide Edition

By Anne Holub

Want some ways to escape the humdrum old Thanksgiving traditions this year? Here's a few ideas for how Chicago's making the holiday week sound great:

Shopping. Sure there's Black Friday at the mega-stores, or you could help yourself to some local music-oriented deals.

• Act now to get your hands on some just found Thrill Jockey vinyl released in honor of the shopping holiday. They've got the scoop on what they uncovered in the dark corners of the TJ warehouse. The stock is low, so quantities are limited.

• Hustle over to Wrigleyville to check out Metro's Black Friday deals on everything from show posters to Metro and Smart Bar emblazoned gear, as well as show tickets and a special $5 bin of bargains. You can also enter a raffle to upgrade your New Years Eve Yeasayer tickets if you buy them on the 26th. [Speaking of, check out our New Years Eve show roundup.] See the Metro's homepage for details on Friday — but note the deals are only good in person at 3730 N. Clark St.

• Buy some new tunes online from Bloodshot Records during their annual sale. Tip: If you also "like" Bloodshot on Facebook, you'll get the scoop on special deals from Bloodshot Rob's private stash during the sale, which runs through the end of 2010.

• Shop for Black Friday special release records (think mini Record Store Day) in person at Laurie's Planet of Sound in Lincoln Square, starting at a perfectly reasonable 10am. They've released what they'll have in stock. 4639 N. Lincoln Ave.

• Head out to grab some special Black Friday releases at Reckless Records (any location). Items will be up for grabs to anyone who makes the trip in (no special orders or holds). All three locations will open at 10am.

• Hit up Dave's Records for your vinyl-only Black Friday releases. They'll limit you to one of each item per customer until 2pm, then it's a free-for-all. List of releases to be carried will be posted today on Dave's MySpace blog. Dave's opens at 11am on Friday. 2604 N. Clark St.

• Head north to Evanston's 2nd Hand Tunes for their Black Friday releases (selection TBD, but might include some of this list). 800 Dempster St., Evanston. They're open 10am-8pm.

• Explore one of the newest Chicago record stores by heading to Saki in Logan Square for their Black Friday deals. No holds, limit 1 per customer for the first week of the sale. 3716 W. Fullerton Ave. Saki is open from 12noon-8pm.

• Dance the blues away while you shop for "speculative fiction-fantasy books and horror vinyl" at Bucket O Blood Records in Logan Square with a Black Friday dance party and record release celebration for J+J+J at 8:30pm. The store is open from 11am-10pm Friday. 2307 N. Milwaukee Ave.

• Get some bargains from Numero Group. Their "massive" sale started this past Monday, and will continue with one great deal per day until mid-December.

• Dance your way to some bargain dance music at Groove Dis in Chicago, in person only at their warehouse. They'll have sales for Black Friday starting at noon-9pm. Deals include 12" singles 3 for $20 and all CDs for $10. Import and domestic are each on sale, but not multi-record/disc sets. 346 N. Justine St., #202. (Near the intersection of Ashland and Lake.)

• Can't deal with work when you get done with a long weekend of gluttony? Check out Schubas' Cyber Monday deals on merch! [Update: Get $5 off all show posters November 29th in the Schubas online store.]

Shows. For when you need to hear some music that your parents will love, too.

• The Old Town School of Folk Music has two amazing shows lined up this week. Friday night means honkytonk with Junior Brown with two shows (at 7pm and 10pm). Saturday night, support not only a local soul legend, Syl Johnson, but the local label, Numero Group, who reissued his entire catalog in one amazing box set called the Complete Mythology (see Syl check out the set in this heartwarming video). Saturday night gets going at 8pm. Both shows still have tickets available. 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.

• Explore the sounds of Mar Caribe at the Hideout on Friday. They might be from Chicago, but they're bringing a melting pot of music with a little southwest flavor dipped in some South American style. Here's a cute lil' animated video for their song "Deux Petits Bateaux". They'll hit the stage just before fellow Chicagoans The Lawrence Peters Outfit and right after Majors Junction starting at 10pm. Tickets are $8 (21+). 1354 W. Wabansia.

• Need a friendly, dark place to hide? Grab a quick beer and have a breather at the Empty Bottle while enjoying the hard country honkytonk sounds of the Hoyle Brothers for free, starting at 5:30pm on this Friday, November 26th (and most Fridays).

• Check out Thrill Jockey artists The Sea & Cake at Lincoln Hall on Saturday November 27th for some dreamy experimentation that even your folks will groove on. Tickets still available ($18 adv/$20 door), 21+. 2424 N. Lincoln Ave.

• Want to get vocal? Take the whole herd to the Music Box Theatre for the Sound of Music Sing-a-long show. Caution: You will get yodels on this ride. Screenings start on Friday, November 26th through Sunday, November 28th. Tickets range from $8-$15. 3733 N. Southport Ave. 773-871-6604.