As the flyer says, everything is 25-50% off tonight at Knee Deep Vintage in Pilsen!

Knee Deep carries all kinds of antiques, apparel for men and women, modern accessories, jewelry, furniture, luggage, shoes and more.

1425 W. 18th Street
(312) 850-2510

Courtesy of Slate.

Do you ever get the feeling someone else is living inside you, giving insight into your actions? Matryoshkas, or Russian nesting dolls, know how you feel. These wood-and-paint dolls have traditionally featured a series of women that fit inside one another since their introduction in 1890. Chicago’s very own A.Okay Official boutique is currently hosting an exhibition featuring modern spins on this classic art form.

From humans to monsters to flowers, Nesting features work from multiple artists, including Shawn Smith and Max Bare, each applying their unique voices to the medium. The attention to detail in all pieces is astounding, and the subjects range from humorous to contemplative. The exhibit will be held in the gallery behind A.Okay until April 28, so check it out before they pack it up.

—Kevin Sparrow

A.Okay Official
3270 N. Clark
773.248.4547

I haven’t gone out and tried every single chat application out there, but that’s mostly because Nimbuzz rocks and I don’t need anything else!

If you’re looking for an all-in-one chat client, try this one out. Nimbuzz supports a ton of chat and social networking platforms and it’s easy to set up if you know your login info for each of the platforms you’re using.

It also has little icons that are labeled Phone Calls and Messages but I never bother with those. Apparently you can use a VoIP (”internet phone”) account, your cell, or Skype Out to call people but I’ve never had the occasion to use it… nice to know the option’s there, though.

I wish Nimbuzz would perform more advanced functions like hiding me from people I owe money to, but it’s free and it’s great so I guess I won’t look this gift horse in the mouth.

Nimbuzz is available on  iTunes for FREE

Contributed by iPhone app connoisseur Michael McCauley. Read more of Michael’s reviews at iphoneappreviews.net.

www.twitter.com/tamaletracker

So if you’re like us, you already have The Tamale Guy as your friend on Myspace and have seen his Yelp reviews, yet somehow you are constantly missing him and his oh-so-delicious tamales at the bars. My dear readers and fellow tamale lovers, with the advent of Twitter and plently of tamale fans throughout the city of Chicago comes a solution:  tamaletracker! Followers routinely post updates on the page when there is a Claudio spotting, allowing others to track his progress throughout the night. A little stalkerish, yes, but won’t it be worth it when you’re biting into a delicious cheese-filled Mexican delicacy at 2am? Plus, it beats sitting at Rainbo for hours wondering when he’ll stop in.

—Jamie Sebold

And a week later, we get to the rest of SXSW. It really picked up after the first day.

Thursday, I checked out the Fader Fort (free SoCo!) and probably heard some of the most unpleasant music of the whole festival. Sorry, but not worth it. We went on to Canvas for the Lose Control party and heard The Twelves, a fantastic DJ group that you should check out as soon as possible. As long as you like to dance.

Hurray For The Riff Raff

Friday, I got to see Hurray for the Riff play at the San Jose Hotel. I had heard a little of their work before heading out to Austin, and their eclectic folk style definitely translates to sparkling live performance. I had to run over to the amazing Domy Books to watch Mirah play in the back yard, which was a rough trek. Temperatures had surpassed 80 degrees, so getting around proved sweaty and uncomfortable. I cooled off inside Domy after the show, which was very impressive; they have an incredible collection of art books, obscure DVDs (from The Cremaster Cycle to Disney’s most racist film, Song of the South) and even a gallery space. Some of the art appears below.

Lisa Lovemaker

Later on Friday night, I checked out The Lovemakers set. They had a rough going with the monitors at first, but about three songs in really rocked it and brought so much energy that we all forgot about the early troubles.

Pretty And Nice

Saturday, I was able to walk right outside the apartment I was staying at to a pool party featuring Pretty and Nice, Savoire Adore, Kap10Kurt and French Horn Rebellion. It may have been a low-tech affair, but everyone was relaxed and had a lot of fun and the bands sounded excellent. We traveled out and ate at El Mercado (Thanks, Kimmie!), then went roller-skating at Down & Derby, a traveling roller rink that was hosted by MyOpenBar. We got there too late to see any bands, but we spent a good forty minutes skating around (and only fell three times). Afterward, we traveled over to Apple Bar to watch Magic Magic. I can mostly describe it as loud, poppy rock, but it was a lot of fun to dance to. We stayed around while our friend Rob from French Horn Rebellion DJed, and even got a dance circle started, Spin-The-Bottle style. When the PBR pointed at you, you had to shake your groove-thing in the center of everyone else. Let us make it a Chicago tradition ASAP.

Overall, SXSW was a fantastic experience where free music reigns supreme. Though a bit out of the way for Chicagoans, it was worth it to see a ton of artists for little to no money that any other music festival would charge much more to see. The best part is being forced to hear new music; just walking down the street and having something interesting play in your ear was definitely an enlightening experience. We definitely recommend the concert experience of SXSW over others, especially for the money-conscious. Just make sure to keep a stomach open for free booze and Mexican food.

—Kevin Sparrow

An app like this comes along! Don’t bother untagging yourself from those photos your friends took of your 21st birthday celebration in which you’re passed out at the bar with throw up dribble on your chin because if they’re on Facebook, they can probably be found. Face.com is a new app that allows your Facebook friends to search untagged images of you using facial recognition. Face.com refers to this technology as Photo Finder, and it is sure to uncover some less than savory images from your past. So much for thinking it was safe to add family members and co-workers to your social networking profiles!

According to Face.com’s blog, a test run of the app started yesterday with about 1,000 people and invites will be continued to be released if all goes well.

NbN’s advice: Ditch Facebook, revive your Friendster account!

Kevin Sparrow, founder of Cul de Sac Magazine and Nerdy by Nature music/art/culture writer, interviewed Mirah this past week at SXSW. Check out what she had to say about her songwriting process, her love of Chicago and more!

Listen to Mirah on Myspace

The first day of SXSW is always the slowest, which just means that you can actually get around downtown Austin. There is still a ton of shows to see, parties to attend and restaurants to gorge yourself in. In this respect, you need to find somewhere with awesome queso dip. We stopped by Darwin’s Pub for $5.50 gyros and nachos, and the dip was a great blend of cheese and pico de gallo.

Rainbow Arabia

One of our new favorite bands is Rainbow Arabia from California who played at Soviet Union-themed Red 7. Their crunching drum loops reverberated in our bones, and the decidedly Indian influence was a welcome difference from the rest of the shows playing there. The M.I.A.-style vocals are fit to for anyone who jams to the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack, so definitely check them out if that’s you. If you just like good music, give them a listen as well.

Lisa and Stephen of The Golden Filter

Penelope of The Golden Filter

Speaking of good music, we also saw The Golden Filter out of New York City. Although they have only been together since July 2008, their tight set was a highlight. Their effusive energy and percussive sound—each member of the three-person outfit had at least one drumstick on hand the whole time—scored with the audience. Afterward, Golden Filter’s members, Penelope, Lisa and Stephen, took a few minutes to talk with us:

Nerdy by Nature: What are some things you need as inspiration on a daily basis?

Lisa: Coffee.

Stephen: Coffee.

Penelope: Coffee. Coffee, yeah. And I’m actually starting to like dark chocolate.

NbN: Is this your first time playing in Austin, and how do you like it?

Stephen: Our first show was three hours ago. That was our first time.

Penelope: It’s been great. The river is beautiful here.

NbN: Are you planning on coming to Chicago?

Penelope: Yes. We played there recently at Sonotheque, and we’ll be back.

Stephen: At the Metro.

Penelope: In April.

NbN: Anything else you want to let us know?

Penelope: There’s more to come.

And there will be plenty more to come from Nerdy by Nature going into the next three days of SXSW.

—Kevin Sparrow