I knew that the Bottom Lounge was closing due to the El track renovations, but I guess I didn't realize it had already happened. Looks like they'll be opening in a new space in the West Loop in February '06- I'll be interested to see how that shapes up. The Bottom Lounge was never one of my favorite venues due to its low stage and mostly punk-pop lineups, but I saw a few good shows there in my time.

It also appears that Brian Peterson, the owner of MP Shows and promoter for the Bottom Lounge has started booking shows at Beat Kitchen, which explains the recent rash of great lineups that have been popping up at that venue.