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On top of another reunion show from Snapcase and dozens of other performances, Riot Fest 2010 features bands such as Bad Religion, Anti-Flag, Propagandhi, Jello Biafra, Smoking Popes, Negative Approach, High on Fire, Torche, Kylesa, Circle Jerks, The Bronx, Corrosion of Conformity, Agnostic Front, and Cap'n Jazz.

Five-day passes are sold out, but you can still buy three-day passes and individual tickets for any show. In addition, VIP passes are available for the Congress Theater shows for $75. With a VIP pass, you'll get admission to that night's show, admission to the TBA secret shows, access to the VIP/press area, re-entry into the venue, free beer, and a premium stage view.

Take a look at the full lineup at riotfest.org/chicago.

Photo by Kevin J. Bradley

Chicago's own Riot Fest made its return this year, once again kicking down doors to several venues for the annual punk rock festivities. Things started in high gear on Friday, October 12 at the House of Blues with the lineup of The Frankl Project, Das Kapital, Shot Baker, The Bouncing Souls, and The Lawrence Arms.

Due to my day job, I was unable to make the five o'clock show time and arrived at the tail end of Shot Baker's set. It was a rowdy crowd with punk rockers both young and old throwing arms on a packed floor.

The Bouncing Souls were welcomed with a roar and their fast-paced energetic set – a Souls standard – immediately took off. Songs like "East Coast Fuck You" and "Here We Go" fueled the crowd and I personally enjoyed their rendition of "Lean on Sheena".

Local punk rock heroes, The Lawrence Arms, headlined opening night and with good reason. As usual, Brendan Kelly (bass) and Chris McCaughan (guitar) brought their drunken yet engaging stage presence. The band played what seemed to be a perfect set, and fans showed their love by the continuous flow of crowd surfing and throwing cigarettes up on the stage. Kelly and McCaughan were very appreciative of the latter. The highlight for me was Kelly's intoxicated shit talking with regards to how much Sarah Palin sucks. Golden indeed.

- Tanya Van Kampen

Riot Fest: www.riotfest.org
The Lawrence Arms:www.myspace.com/thelawrencearms 
The Bouncing Souls: www.bouncingsouls.com

Photo By: Bryan Sheffield

Chicago turns into a punk rock haven this weekend for the 4th year in a row with the return of Riot Fest. 40+ bands will be playing throughout the weekend at the Double Door, House of Blues, the Cobra Lounge, and an all ages show Sunday at The Congress Theater. The line-up is filled with a diverse mix including the reuniting of ALL. Also on the list are Jay Reatard, Horrorpops, Paint it Black, and Reagan Youth among others.

ALARM's Picks:

Horrorpops (Sunday @ Congress Theater): Danish pyschobilly three-piece hits the main stage Sunday as part of their supporting their recent release Kiss Kiss Kill Kill (Hell Cat). Featuring Patricia Day's sultry vocals and Kim Nekroman's "coffin bass," their Chicago stop on their "All Hallows Eve Tour" will undoubtedly put concertgoers in the mood for Halloween.

Lawrence Arms (Friday @ HOB): Outspoken Chicago pop-punk trio headlines House of Blues on opening night, launching the festival with their rowdy

D.O.A.: (Sat. @ Double Door, Sun. @ Congress): With 30 years behind them and no signs of slowing down, the legendary Vancouver hardcore trio, led by Joey "Shithead" Keithley, are one of the most anticipated acts of the weekend.

Paint it Black (Sunday @ Congress): Fronted by Dan Yemin of Lifetime/Kid Dynamite fame, the Philly-based hardcore quintet hits the Congress Theater in time to help close out the festival.

Municipal Waste (Sunday @ Congress): If you haven't been to one of Municipal Waste's shows, you might not know that this trash band is Out. Of. Control. Bring a diaper and be ready to take a ride on the "wall of death."

Riot Fest: www.riotfest.org/

Friday

Nora O'Connor (shown above) @ Evanston SPACE

You might not know Nora O'Connor by name, but odds are that you've heard her stunning voice. She has contributed to albums by Neko Case, Andrew Bird, The New Pornographers, Mavis Staples, Otis Clay, Archer Prewitt, and a score of other musical heavyweights, and she boasts a beautiful solo album on Bloodshot. Her real claim to fame, however, is being married to a coworker of the girlfriend of web editor Scott Morrow.

Riot Fest @ House of Blues, Double Door, Cobra Lounge, and the Congress Theater

Music editor Jamie Ludwig will be bringing whomever she can to Riot Fest, a three-day bonanza of punk rock, highly anticipated reunions, and special guests. Check back on Friday for our festival picks.

Blind Faith Café, My Morning Jacket (canceled)

Before Friday's show at the Evanston SPACE, Scott and his lady will be eating at the Blind Faith Café, an inventive vegetarian restaurant that also resides in Evanston. The meals aren't overly cheap, but if you're veg around Chicago, it looks like a dream; Blind Faith lays claim to a lengthy menu that includes tofu crab cake, eggplant lasagna, lemon seitan, Tunisian couscous, roasted butternut squash, and a pear and goat cheese salad.

Editor, publisher, and all-around boss man Chris Force planned to see My Morning Jacket later in the evening at the Chicago Theatre, but the group had to postpone its Chicago shows after vocalist Jim James sustained injuries in Iowa City.

Saturday

Dan Deacon @ Epiphany Episcopal Chicago Church

What? Spastic electro nerd Dan Deacon performs on sacred ground. This can only be awesome.

Religulous, W.

After Deacon's show, some of us may see Bill Maher's potentially brilliant documentary Religulous or Oliver Stone's unprecedented biopic W., a film about the travails of George W. Bush's life that opens on Friday.

97^th Anniversary of National Day in Republic of China

Earlier in the day, Scott and his Chinese-American lady (and maybe his Chinese-American boss) may attend the Double Ten Parade in Chicago's Chinatown (celebrating Chinese independence and featuring a 100-foot mystical dragon). Either way, Scott, Chris, and Jamie will be drinking bubble tea somewhere.

Sunday

Millennium Chamber Players @ Chicago Cultural Center

With beautiful renditions from classical and contemporary canons, the Millennium Chamber Players perform for free at the Chicago Cultural Center's Preston Bradley Hall. This mid-afternoon performance includes music by preeminent Mexican composer Carlos Chávez, Cuban pianist Rubén González, and a host of others.

Monday (Columbus Day)

When we're not posting something on this here site, we'll likely be sleeping or going to a barbeque.

Chicago's Riot Fest has just gotten even more riotous! The annual punk festival has recently added  Philadelphia hardcore quartet Paint it Black and a rare appearance from influential pop-punk group Big Drill Car to the 2008 edition of their annual festival taking place October 10-12.

Paint it Black, whose recent release, New Lexicon (Jade Tree) hit shelves earlier this summer, were recently featured in the June issue of ALARM.

After a string of successful reunion dates in California over the summer, Big Drill Car will make their first Chicago club appearance in over a decade when they headline Riot Fest's Friday night showcase at The Double Door.  Both group are slated to help close out the festival with performances at Sunday's all day, all ages show at The Congress Theater with the likes of DOA, Municipal Waste, The Horrorpops, and Jay Reatard.

For the full lineup of Riot Fest 2008 click HERE

Riot Fest: www.riotfest.org
Paint It Black: www.paintitblack.org
Big Drill Car: www.bigdrillcar.com

Big Drill Car- "Take Away" and "16 Lines"