CHICAGO'S FINEST HOUR 
The Hideout: 1354 W. Wabansia 
1st Thursday of every month
9 to 10pm

Chicago's Finest Hour: five bucks, four bands, one hour, no excuses. The excuses flow like butter, swearing on ten stacks of Bibles that you'd be more on top of the Chicago scene if only there was more time, if only shows cost less, if only there were blinking neon lights pointing you to the holy grail of music... You have no excuses. Welcome to Chicago's Finest Hour, a once-a-month showcase on speed, a delightful sandwich of four bands and one hour. The brainchild of Matt Suhar, Chicago's Finest Hour takes over The Hideout from 9-10pm the first Thursday of every month. From its humble beginnings (Suhar kicked it off two years ago as an innocent ploy for hooking up a friend, who recently moved into Chicago, with other musicians), the evening has evolved into one of the top offerings of local sounds in the city, as well as one ofthe cheapest - the cover is a mere five bucks. Be careful not to confuse local with amateur though. Suhar's past list of players, which he refers to as "hardworking Chicago bands" includes Local H, Archer Prewitt, Verbow, Caviar, The Cells...the list goes on. The music is quality, and it's quality with a twist. "I thought how cool would it be if this guy covered this band covered this band",says Suhar, explaining basis for the show's rather unusual format. "I hear so much music, I can't sit through half an hour of one sound. I love stripped-down sets", Suhar picks the bands, then has them swap music. Each band plays two originals and one cover of one of the other bands participating. Sometimes it's the full band doing their thing, sometimes just a member or two. Regardless, it's different. "I've had bands do covers all with keyboards and electric drums",says Suhar. "When Anna Fermin'sTrigger Gospel played, she recorded her vocal track on a tape recorder, held a cassette recorder up to the mic and the band played to it. It gets really original" More than providing quality entertainment,Chicago's Finest Hour is a networking powerhouse. Bands quickly hook up with other bands, viewers quickly add four acts to their musical know-how. "It's just a cool way to check out the music scene in Chicago", says Suhar. "You can see some great music on a Thursday, go home and go to work in the morning. It just works."