Here’s what’s going on in Chicago this week. As always, my picks are in bold.

The obvious highlight of the week is the Tomorrow Never Knows festival taking place at Schubas and Lincoln Hall, and, in turn, the highlight of the festival – for me, at least – is getting to see The Rural Alberta Advantage for the first time since last April. If you haven’t seen them yet, or even if you have, you really need to go to this show.

Aside from the RAA, I also strongly recommend Cincinnati’s Pomegranates on Sunday, Sharon Van Etten on Saturday, and the blog-buzz-tastic Surfer Blood/Freelance Whales/Bear In Heaven show on Thursday. Oh, and also the Waco Brothers at Martyr’s on Friday, though for $25, I’m probably just gonna wait until the next time they play.

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Monday, January 11
Beat Kitchen: Pat McCurdy
Empty Bottle: Hypno5e, Revocation, The Binary Code [FREE}
Martyr's: The Hurtin Kind, Cropduster
Schubas: New York Songwriters Circle - Chicago Showcase

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Tuesday, January 12
Beat Kitchen: Chicago Underground Comedy
Darkroom: Lockeroom Talk, Nite Nite, Martin Nutley
Empty Bottle: Transmontane
Hideout: Sanctified Grumblers
Martyr's: Samantha, The Black Tape
Reggie's Rock Club: Korpiklaani, Tyr, Shashbuckle, White Wizzard, Waves of Amphitrite
Ronny's: Cloud Mouth, The Reptilian, Former Thieves, Noumenon, Karoshi
Schubas: Nicholas Barron, The E-Mics
Subterranean:  Cottonseed, Faggy Pussy, Gods Guns

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Wednesday, January 13
Abbey Pub: The Coop, Slippy LaRue, Sean Shiel
Beat Kitchen: The Blind Shake, Wereworm, The Flips
Bottom Lounge: Anti-Flag, Aiden, Cancer Bats, The Menzingers
Darkroom: Writer's Wednesday
Double Door: Sure Fire Groove, Surrender Dorothy, Machine Gun Mojo
Empty Bottle: Derek Nelson & The Musicians, Mike Hardey & The Basterds, Stealth Like a Canoe, John Farrell and his Terrible Band
Hideout: Immediate Sound Series ft. Sound Is
Lincoln Hall: TMK Festival - The Cribs, Adam Green, The Dead Trees
Metro (SmartBar): Onefiftyone, Weaponry, Ross Kelly, Mister Joshua
Reggie's Rock Club: Willie Waldman Project, Chester Brown
Ronny's: Board Games, Damp Hay, Dirtybird, The Pear Traps
Schubas: TMK Festival - Laugh It Up, Kid ft. Prescott Tolk, Cameron Esposito, more
Subterranean: Bat Masterson, Modus Ponens, Coldwater Mystic, Paris Schutz Band

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Thursday, January 14
Abbey Pub: Grass Co., Nathan Blake Lynn, Sawbuck
Beat Kitchen: Color Card, Wiitalia Brothers, The Last Chivalrist
Bottom Lounge: Dulcet Road, The Treeshakers, The Low Hearts, St. Vitus Dance
Darkroom: Mondomega, This Magazine is Haunted, Shark Matter
Double Door: Knockhopper, The Moves, Welcome to Ashley, Halfwaynorth, Regal Standard
Empty Bottle: Todd Keeler & the New Folk, Cobalt & the Hired Guns, One & Only, Brice Woodall
Hideout: Singing in the Abbey, Can.Ky.Ree, Daniel Knox
Lincoln Hall: TMK Festival - Voxtrot, Solid Gold, Maps & Atlases, Gemini Club
Martyr's: The Powwows, Tallest Trees, Lakesigns
Metro (SmartBar): Tes la Rok, DJ C, Pah Je
Ronny's: Bikes Will Take Us, Paralyze Humanity Sequence, Piercing Music, Buffalo Heart
Schubas: TMK Festival - Surfer Blood, Freelance Whales, Bear in Heaven, Lasers and Fast and Shit
Subterranean:  Hail the Horizon, Viva La Muerte, Stone Kings

Surfer Blood: "Catholic Pagans" (acoustic @ Fader Fort)
Freelance Whales: I have no idea what the song is called (live on the Bedford Ave. subway platform)

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Friday, January 15
Abbey Pub: June's Got the Cash (Johnny Cash/June Carter Tribute)
Beat Kitchen: Lacona, Astronautalis, Me & My Arrow, Where Astronauts Go To Hide
Bottom Lounge: Alan Park, My Cold Dead Hand, The Rosen Association, Curio
Darkroom: Elev8tor, Mas Trueno, Sam Sinclair Trio
Double Door: Comasoft, The Secret Saints, Carta Marina, Killing the Enemy
Empty Bottle: Maximum Wage, Tiger Bones, Tyler Jon Tyler
Hideout: Satellite 66, Sissy Mena, California Wives
Lincoln Hall: TMK Festival - Atlas Sound, Icy Demons, Shapers, DJ Popstatic
Martyr's: Waco Brothers, Eric Howell's Greatest Hitch, Punch
Metro: City and Colour, Lissie
Metro (SmartBar): Omar S., David Powers
Reggie's Rock Club: Ballyhoo!, E3PO, Ital Conquerors
Ronny's: Bat Masterson, T'Bone, Seafarer
Schubas (2pm): Paul Green's School of Rock - Women Who Rock
Schubas (10pm): TMK Festival - Neon Indian, The Hood Internet, Truman Peyote, DJs
Subterranean: Parachute, Safety Suit [SOLD OUT] (who?!)

The Waco Brothers: “Cowboy In Flames” (live in James Park, Evanstone)

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Saturday, January 16
Abbey Pub: Bowling for Soup, Just Surrender, The Bama Lamas
Beat Kitchen: Joie de Vivre, The Field Auxiliary, Empire Empire, Mountains for Clouds
Bottom Lounge: Automata, Animate Objects, Sidewalk Chalk, The Inner Visionists, Room 11
Congress Theater: Discoteka Avaria
Darkroom: White Label Sessions w/ DJ Lego
Double Door: Magnets, The Sweeps, On the Run, Darmata, Passive Aggressor
Empty Bottle: The Yolks, Hollows, Rabble Rabble
Hideout: Contraphonic’s Winnter of Love 2010 ft. Frank Rosaly, more
Lincoln Hall: TMK Festival – Bowerbirds, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Julie Doiron
Martyr’s: Wolcott, Ode, Cyclesomething
Metro (6pm): A Kidnap In Color, The Highlife, Draft Week, Footlight Frenzy, Indecent Exposure
Metro (11:30pm): Skyler, Broken Disco 1980, Team Bayside High, more
Metro (SmartBar): Switch, Santiago, Sexual Chocolate
Reggie’s Rock Club: 88 Fingers Louie, The Bollweevils, Agent Orange, The Hallow, She Likes Todd
Ronny’s: The Catburglars, Sinks, Loose Dudes
Schubas (2pm): Paul Green’s School of Rock – Women Who Rock
Schubas (9pm): TMK Festival – Final Fantasy, Sharon Van Etten, Peter Wolf Crier
Subterranean: Molehill, The Gentlemen’s Club, Jackpot Donnie, The Upright Animals
The Vic: Rob Schneider

The Rural Alberta Advantage: “Edmonton” (live on HearYa)
Sharon Van Etten: “For You” (video)

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Sunday, January 17
Beat Kitchen: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Double Door: DJ Shotime
Empty Bottle: Jookabox, Truman & His Trophy
Lincoln Hall: TMK Festival – Lee Fields & The Expressions, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound, Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers
Ronny’s: Psychedelic Horseshit, Jeff the Brotherhood, Light Pollution, Hollows
Schubas: TMK Festival – Clues, Skybox, Pomegranates, Netherfriends
Subterranean: The New Diet, Universe, Young Jesus, Artists vs. Athletes

Pomegranates: “Everybody Come Outside” (live video)
Psychedelic Horseshit: “Are You On Glass” (live video)