I bought myself tickets to the King Tuff + OBNIIIs shows as soon as they were announced, months before the new King Tuff record Black Moon Spell came out or everyone heard about the shake-ups in OBN-ville, so I’m pretty stoked about this week. I’m gonna party at those shows and then get the fuck outta Chicago for a trip to House on the Rock’s annual Halloween exhibit, Haunted House on the Rock, with Store Brand Soda co-founder Hotdish Ramone.

Don’t be mad, though; we’re not abandoning you to your own little pop punk devices. We’ve put together plenty for everyone staying in Chicago to do this weekend, including an impressive array of DIY shows + instores for those of you looking to save a little money or skate by with an expired driver’s license.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15TH

Slushy, Sneaky Creeps, Earring, Vaguewaves
Wally World
9:05pm / 21+ / Don’t be a jerk or smoke inside

Eye Vybe DJ Night
Karissa of Eye Vybe Records will be spinning some hard-hitting noise rock, psych punk, biker lounge, deep space, and power rawk.
The Owl
2521 N Milwaukee
21+ / Free

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16TH

Ultimate Painting, Negative Scanner
Permanent Records
1914 W Chicago Ave,
Chicago, IL 60622
6pm / BYOB / AA

King Tuff, Cassie Ramone, The Lemons
How are you guys feeling the new King Tuff? At first I was like “whoa, this is super overproduced; since when are there layered vocals and female backup singers on a King Tuff record?” But on subsequent listens, I decided that lofi freak-folk is overrated and I’m kind of digging the overblown T. Rex rock-n-rollness of the whole thing.
Subterranean
2011 W North Ave
17+ / $15

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17TH

Vamos, Meatbodies
Last time I saw Meatbodies was at The Burlington. Instead of the stinky concrete bunker of a back room they played right inside the door, lit by a single heavy duty construction flashlight, against wallpaper patterned like the woods. It was incredibly loud and intimate and the drummer had a cool thrash metal thing going. My girlfriend at the time bought me a shirt that I have since lost.
Permanent Records
1914 W Chicago Ave,
Chicago, IL 60622
6pm / BYOB / AA

Hunters
Bric-a-Brac Records
3156 W Diversey, Chicago IL
5:30 / BYOB / AA

Peekaboos, Bad Bad Meow, Glad Rags, Elusive Backflip
Multikulti
1000 North Milwaukee Avenue
21+ / $7

Unmanned Ship, Beth Israel, Mumblr, Vamos
VAMOS IS SO GOOD YOU GUYS, THEY ALWAYS MAKE ME FEEL LIKE MY PANTS AREN’T TIGHT ENOUGH
Wally World
9:05pm / Donations

OBNIIIs, Meatbodies, Hunters
Word is that Austin’s Orville Bateman Neeley III kicked everybody out of the band and it’s a whole new line-up and a whole new sound and they’re not going to play any of their old songs so don’t ask? We’ll see, I guess.
The Empty Bottle
1035 N. Western Ave
21+ / $10

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18TH

Gringo Starr, Slushy, Juicy James
Juicy James is one of the many pseudonyms of James from The Lemons/Todayshits/etc, who wrote the song I get in my head whenever I eat pizza for the fifth time in a week (“every day I eat ya, pizza, pizza, pizza.”)
Bric-a-Brac Records
3156 W Diversey, Chicago IL
4:00pm / BYOB / AA

Apache Dropout, The Sueves, Son of a Gun
Apache Dropout has a song about Archie (like, the redhead from Riverdale) as the leader of an undead army of zombies, so that’s pretty much all you need to know about them.
Cole’s Bar
2338 N Milwaukee Ave
Free / 21+

Van Buren, The Flaccids, Ezra Furman, Bloodhype, Bricklayers Foundation
Help Fury Frat House raise money to repair their PA and soundproof their basement!
Fury Frat House
Armitage+Whipple / Ask a Punk / Donations