Every Friday, Case the Producer rounds up the most exciting new tunes in music and serves them up in one easy-to-find blog for you, the Q101 Crew Members.

Bleachers: Tiny Moves

Hot off the heels of an electric performance at Q101’s Twisted XMAS, Bleachers are back with a new single in support of their upcoming self-titled record. The low-key, four-minute track sounds unapologetically like Bleachers. It lacks the boisterous chants of “Modern Girl” but still finds a way to get stuck in your head, even after just one listen.

Cage the Elephant: Neon Pills

It’s been four years since we got new music from Cage the Elephant, but the Kentucky-born band are finally back. “Neon Pills” is hopefully just the first of many new Cage songs we get throughout 2024. With appearances lined up for festivals like Bonnaroo already lined up, we can’t wait to see this band return to form this year.

glass beach: Plastic Death

glass beach (stylized lowercase intentionally) is an odd band. Their first album, aptly titled the first glass beach album, caught fire in the world of emo DIY and indie rock. It took them half a decade to usher new material into the world, but 2024’s Plastic Death is worth the wait. I could wax poetically about all of the faux-genres that this record pulls from. It’s jazzy when you least expect it, heavy exactly when you need it, and chaotic in a comforting way. If you are looking to widen your listening pallet, it’s hard to go wrong with glass beach.

Green Day: Saviors

The year of Green Day is upon us.

Still seven months away from their date at Wrigley Field with The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and The Linda Lindas, Green Day is kicking off the year with their 14th studio album, Saviors. You first heard “The American Dream Is Killing Me” with Brian & Kenzie on Q101. Since then, the band has continued pumping out singles, most notably “Dilemma”, the band’s strongest track since 2009’s “21 Guns”. Saviors proves that the punk rock icons still can pack a punch. At 15 songs in 45 minutes, Green Day put their best foot forward with Saviors.

Mumford & Sons: Good People

I did not have Mumford & Sons working with Pharrell on my bingo card, but here we are. The stomp-and-clap standouts are back and they’ve revamped their sound with the help of one of the most iconic producers in music.

Neck Deep: Neck Deep

Ahead of their upcoming show at The Salt Shed, this Welsh pop-punk band is back with their fifth studio album. Like we’ve come to expect from this band, the self-titled record is packed full of energetic, engaging tracks that harken back to a time when MTV2 and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater had a presence in mainstream culture.

Sleater-Kinney: Little Rope

The Carrie Brownstein-led indie rock legends have returned with their first new record since 2021. Little Rope offers more of the same for a band that has now spanned generations. Intense songwriting and beautiful arrangements make Little Rope a standout in the band’s lengthy discography.

Can’t stop, addicted to the shindig.

Deadline has reported that iconic frontman Anthony Kiedis has a biopic in the works based off of his 2004 autobiography, Scar Tissue. The book details his struggles with drug use and his eventual recovery. This project has been in the hands of both HBO and FX over the last decade, but nothing has come of it.

Who should play Kiedis in his bipoic? The conversation lives on Facebook!

With their fourteenth album, Saviors, on the way this Friday, Green Day and Jimmy Fallon combined forces to bring the citizens of New York City a once-in-a-lifetime performance.

Green Day has been popping up in various places to hype their new record. Notably, they showed up unexpectedly at a Saviors listening party in California over the weekend.

Tiffany Henyard is back in the news, and that’s never a good thing.

The Illinois’ Attorney General office claims that Henyard runs a charity for cancer patients and has failed to file basic information about how it collects and spends money. Township credit card records show charges totaling $10,248 for hotels along the route of a ‘Tiffany Henyard Cares” walk from Dolton to Springfield in 2022.  

The event occurred days after township trustees were asked to approve a $10,000 payment to the charity. 

Henyard has refused to comment on the situation.

G. Love & the Special Sauce at Park West (Friday) 

Join Brian at Park West on Friday for an intimate evening with G. Love & the Special Sauce, who are celebrating their 30th anniversary as a band. Get there early to catch Jakobs Castle, the son of late Sublime frontman, Bradley Nowell. Tickets are available here.

Poison the Well at Metro (Friday) 

Metalcore legends Poison the Well are storming Chicago this weekend with a sold-out show at the Metro on Friday and then a bonus, intimate show at Cobra Lounge on Saturday. These shows are in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the landmark record, You Come Before You.

Chicago Boat Show at McCormick Place (Friday-Sunday)

The 2024 Discover® Boating Chicago Boat Show, in partnership with Progressive® Insurance, a nearly century-old tradition is returning, and tickets to the event make the perfect holiday gift. As one of Chicago’s most iconic events and a Midwest boating destination, the 2024 Chicago Boat Show is ready to welcome boating enthusiasts and newcomers to discover why life is better on the water.  

Cubs Convention (Friday-Sunday)

Join the Cubs as they celebrate the 37th Cubs Con, which brings fans, players, legends and the front office together for three days of festivities and special experiences. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Cubs Charities and its mission to mobilize the power of sport to champion youth, families and communities. Tickets can be purchased here.

Hot Chocolate and Cookie Fest in River North (Friday) 

Indulge your sweet tooth with treats from some of Chicago’s finest dessert makers. Guests will get to enjoy delectable cookies paired with bottomless hot cocoa, courtesy of spots like JoJo’s ShakeBAR, Alliance Bakery, Mochinut and more. Tickets start at $15.

Bulls host the Warriors (Friday) 

The surging Bulls host the struggling Warriors on Friday, but more importantly, the Bulls kick off their Ring Of Honor festivities with a star-studded night. One could argue there are too many stars…

Oliver Tree at the Aragon (Saturday) 

“Professional Weirdo” Oliver Tree is bringing the Alone In A Crowd tour to the Aragon Ballroom on Saturday night for an evening of music, wrestling, scooter tricks, and more. Oliver Tree is one of the greatest performers we have going today. We cannot recommend this show enough. Tickets can be purchased here.

Hold My Own at Sub T (Saturday)

 Chicago music will be proudly represented at Sub T on Saturday night in Wicker Park. Local standouts Si Dios Quiere, Enervate (we count Milwaukee as local), and Hold My Own bring the fury alongside hardcore powerhouses End It and Bulldoze. We here at Q101 want to congratulate Hold My Own on the release of their new EP, In My Way.

Chicago Travel & Adventure Show (Saturday-Sunday) 

In the mood for a vacation? Start planning your next big trip at the Chicago Travel & Adventure Show, which gathers travel experts and ambassadors from destinations across the globe. This year, Phil Rosenthal (from Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil) and travel writer Rick Steves are among the keynote speakers. Guests can attend seminars on how to book cheap flights—an ever-salient issue, given airfare prices these days—get packing tips and snag sweet deals on trips at the convention.

Chicago Bacon Fest at Old Crow (Saturday) 

Picture it…you’re surrounded by your best friends and the savory smell of bacon tickles your nostrils as you press an ice cold beer to your lips. There’s a live band and they’re playing your favorite song! You and your friends all start singing along, taking bites of delicious bacon between verses…are you dreaming? You certainly are not. You’re at Chicago Bacon Fest.

Blackhawks host the Stars (Saturday) 

The Bedard-less Blackhawks limp back home to take on the surging Dallas Stars.

A coffee shop in Indianapolis, Indiana has gone viral for a “pop-up wedding” that crashed the store on New Year’s Eve.

Mansion Society Indiana reported that a couple entered the store on December 31st and “surprised” the store with a ceremony. The mansion had initially declined to share a video of the imposition out of respect but changed their minds due to a “lack of accountability” from the wedding crashers, per the post.

“When our barista asked your party to please move out of the way that you were blocking our customers, your photographer told us, ‘No, wait at least 5 minutes.”

Is this cute or cringey? The conversation lives on Facebook!

Case the Producer sat down with ALEXSUCKS moments before their incredible set at Twisted XMAS to discuss their relationship with The Strokes, how Ice Cube became famous, and so much more!