COIN, Juliana Hatfield among acts heating up Chicago's music scene

Chicago is gearing up for concerts this month, but before the huge festivals overwhelm us there are plenty of live acts to see now.

While some headed out to see The Chainsmokers at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, staying in city limits and attending concerts in smaller venues is more my preference. It is a good time to catch artists before they explode in popularity. Seeing some performers from the past rekinlding their careers with new music is also fun too.

The band COIN are the new kids on the block and did a superb job at Lincoln Hall recently. It is nice to see a band humbled by their fans and honestly having a good time playing new music. Their lead single "Talk to Much" should have radio play matching "Shut Up and Dance." Chase and the gang had a sound that matched major acts and we nice enough to accommodate an interview before the show.

Afterwards I headed over to the House of Blues for The Damned concert. It was jammed packed from the band that has been around since the '70s. This 40th anniversary tour was a real rarity for Dave Vanian and his band. The group has influnced tons of musicians over the years and plans of releasing new music soon. It was great hearing "Disco Man" live and in person.

Back at Lincoln Hall Juliana Hatfield came back into town. It was the end of her tour as the rocker plans to go back to Boston. She had a well put together set list that included

"My Sister" as well as new music from Pussycat. We chatted backstage about her appearance on the television show My So-Called Life where she said she felt like a fish out of water.

Related: Interview with Juliana Hatfield

Finally it was a return to House of Blues to see British act Clean Bandit. While I miss openly gay cutie Neil Amin-Smith's violin playing, Grace Chatto was still onhand to dance around. Opener Zara Larsson talked backstage about the tour and her single "Symphony" with them. Her powerhouse vocals are leading up to a headlining tour in the upcoming months.

While the weather may be sketchy in Chicago the music heading into town isn't, so check out these concert hall's upcoming shows today.