Scott Morrow 
Are you in Chicago this Thursday, May 17, and want to get down and/or funky? ALARM is giving away a special package for soul crooner Mayer Hawthorne’s DJ set at Beauty Bar, following his regular performance at Park West.
Local DJs Major Taylor and DJ Castle join Hawthorne for the official after-party, and one lucky winner gets a table, four guest spots, and a bubbly bottle of champagne to enjoy the good times, all courtesy of ALARM Press.
Killer Mike: RAP Music (Williams Street)
“Don’t Die”
[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Killer_Mike_Dont_Die.mp3|titles=Killer Mike: “Don’t Die”]Like words themselves, Atlanta rap veteran Mike Render (a.k.a. Killer Mike) has the potential to be misunderstood. The hardcore southern rhymer — who first came to prominence thanks to his affiliation with Outkast — is a self-proclaimed “pan-Africanist gangster rapper, civic leader, and activist,” and his profile as the latter has been elevated recently by outspoken campaigns for Trayvon Martin, Troy Davis, and the Occupy movement.
“Wiped Out”
[audio:https://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Off_Wiped_Out.mp3|titles=Off!: “Wiped Out”]Sixteen tracks, sixteen minutes, and zero apologies — the first full-length album from Off! is exactly as one would expect. Led by Circle Jerks singer Keith Morris and Burning Brides guitarist Dimitri Coats, the side-project-turned-top-priority is an exercise in punk aesthetics, from the über-short running times to the incensed attitude.
Off!