Put your headphones on and listen to “Stab My Face.”

If someone ever makes a Spinal Tap about a screamo band, this should be the theme song. It’s a minute and a half of screaming, head-banging, testosterone and all that is rock. Warning: There are some expletives in the song (I think -- it's kind of hard to tell, what with all the screaming) and also on the page (after all, it is a MySpace page).

The band is called Blood Baby, and I’m pretty sure it's part of the Baltimore-based Wham City artists collective.

Rock over London, rock on Chicago.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

So much happens after hours in this city.

Bars open and close, and new bands form and fall apart almost every day. It’s pretty much impossible to fit everything worth noting into the LIVE entertainment section on Thursdays.

Hence this blog, which will be a home for nightlife and local band news of note that might not normally get mentioned in the rest of the paper.

Here, we'll also answer your nightlife and local music questions and share tips on where to go out for dancing, live jazz, drink specials, indie rock, or artists or events to check out. If you have any questions or suggestions, leave a comment.

Maybe we'll see you out this weekend. 

And to start, here's a heads up: Ryleigh’s in Federal Hill is back after 10 months of renovations and bigger than ever.

Anybody been back since it reopened? What did you think?

I went there for dinner and drinks one night last week and was impressed at what owners Tom Strawser and Brian McComas had done with the place.

They scrapped the adjacent brewery in favor of more space, added large folding paneled windows to the front of the building, installed a raw bar and expanded the menu and wine list.

They also redid the bathrooms. Thank God! The old ones were naaaasty. Port-A-Potty nasty. To be honest, the new ones aren’t that much better, but at least they’re new.

The new ventilation system can heat or cool 30 houses, and all the renovations cost about $800,000, Strawser said.

It paid off. Sit inside and the place looks twice as big. The changes magnified Ryleigh’s classic, semi-upscale pub feel by adding to its exposed brick walls and dark stained wood.

“There’s a niche people are missing in Federal Hill and we’re attacking it right now,” Strawser said.

Ryleigh’s is at 36 E. Cross St. Call 410-539-2093.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)