FLASH GIVEAWAY-- 3 FREE Pairs of Tickets To Dirty Dozen Brass Band & Van Ghost at Bottom Lounge THIS Sunday #NCMF13

ChiIL out with ChiIL Live Shows and enter here through midnight TONIGHT 8/29 to win a pair of tickets to this official North Coast Music Fest after show!  (3 pairs available/ $24 value each). 17+
Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter.   

**a Rafflecopter giveaway**

Disclosure:  Thanks to NCMF and Bottom Lounge for kicking us review & giveaway tickets for our readers. 

Bottom Lounge

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
featuring Van Ghost

Sunday, Sep 01, 2013 10:00 PM CDT 
Bottom Lounge, Chicago, IL
17 years and over

Call me old school, but I still dig bands that play INSTRUMENTS, and Dirty Dozen Brass Band can PLAY.   Don't get me wrong, I do my best work on a silver Macbook Pro.   And I've got nothing against DJs.   Still, there's nothing like some down n dirty R&B and New Orleans brass to get your groove on to!

Whether you scored tickets to the sold out North Coast Music Festival or not, anyone can go to the after shows.   And even better, ChiIL Live Shows can get you there for FREE!   We're your music source in Chi, IL and beyond.   

Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often for great giveaways, free downloads, original content video band interviews, pit photos, tour coverage, music reviews and more.

*Click here for some of our past original photo filled coverage on local Chicago favs, Van Ghost.

*Click here to check out Dirty Dozen Brass Band via their YouTube Channel.

To describe how the Dirty Dozen Brass Band has arrived at its 35th Anniversary, trumpet player Gregory Davis employs a tried-and true New Orleans-centric analogy: “It ends up being like a pot of gumbo – you drop in a little okra, drop in a little shrimp, you drop in some crabs. Before you know it, you’ve mixed in all these different ingredients and you’ve got a beautiful soup. That was our approach to music early on and it still is today.”

Baritone sax player Roger Lewis — who, like Davis, has been with the combo since its inception in 1977 — echoes that sentiment: “It’s a big old musical gumbo, and that probably made the difference, separating us from other brass bands out of New Orleans. It put a different twist on the music. We were not trying to change anything, we were just playing the music we wanted to play and not stay in one particular bag.”

An appetite for musicological adventure, a commitment to honor tradition while not being constrained by it, and a healthy sense of humor have brought the world-traveling Dirty Dozen Brass Band to this remarkable juncture in an already storied career. To celebrate its 35th, the band is releasing Twenty Dozen, the septet’s first studio release in six years. The new album, cut at the Music Shed in New Orleans, reunites the band with producer Scott Billington, who helmed DDBB’s first major-label release, Voodoo, in 1989. 

It’s a resolutely upbeat effort that seamlessly blends R&B, jazz, funk, Afro-Latino grooves, some Caribbean flavor, and even a Rihanna cover. Twenty Dozen mirrors in flow and feel a vibrant DDBB live set. The disc reaches an exuberant peak with a medley of New Orleans staples, including a particularly high-spirited rendering of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” The final track – or, as Lewis puts it, “the after-party” – is an audience encore favorite, the ribald “Dirty Old Man,” with Lewis doing an outstanding job in the title role. 

Twenty Dozen, says Lewis, is “classic Dirty Dozen. It’s got something for your mind, body, and soul. We’re gonna get you one way or another.”

Disclosure:  Thanks again to NCMF and Bottom Lounge for kicking us review & giveaway tickets for our readers. 

Also check out these Fri/Sat night NCMF after shows at Bottom Lounge:

The Elephant & The Whale Ticket Giveaway & Original Video Interview With Three of The Creative Masterminds Behind The World Premier #originalvideointerview #giveaway #review #ad

ChiIL Out with ChiIL Mama.   Pop a bowl of popcorn and get ready to see something amazing.  We're so excited to bring you our original video interview with the Co-Directors of The Elephant and The Whale, Frank Maugeri (Redmoon) & Leslie Buxbaum Danzig (500 Clown) and with actor, David Catlin (Lookingglass).   All 3 are parents and theatre professionals and they graciously took time out of their busy lives for an interview with us about the show.  They also shared their insights on "How Creatives Parent and How Parents Create" for ChiIL Mama's long running series on the theme.



We generally try to keep our original videos around 15 minutes, but these three had some seriously sweet gems of info on parenting and great stuff about The Elephant and The Whale, so we're going to go ahead and run it as a longer feature.   I'll also break the material down into shorter 15 minute individual interviews at a later date, to add to our Creative Parenting series.




Win 4 Free Tickets:

ChiIL out with free tickets to Chicago Children's Theatre & Redmoon's stellar collaboration!   Our last giveaway was so successful, we're going to do it again!  Enter now through midnight on 5/13.   This giveaway is short, sweet & hard to beat.    We highly highly recommend you catch this show before it closes May 26th.

Click The Rafflecopter Link Below For Your Chance to Win 4 Tickets To The Elephant & The Whale AND a free pizza party Thurs, 5/16, 6:30 pm.

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ChiIL Live Shows caught the opening weekend of The Elephant & The Whale at Chicago Children's Theatre and we were enormously impressed by this mammoth undertaking.   We've long been fans of Redmoon's mission statement "engineering wonder" and of the fabulous physical comedy and energy of 500 Clown.   These world collided in a BIG way for this show and adults and hard to please tweens and teens will dig this one, too!   Yes, Chicago Children's Theatre is not only for the littles, my friends.   A lot of blood, sweat & prep went into this production, but the end result is pure magic.

Credit for all Production Photos Charles Osgood

Click here for ChiIL Mama's past coverage of The Elephant and The Whale including ticket links, show times and plot points as well as more show footage & stills.

Check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often for loads of original content, fabulous happenings and great giveaways.   

**Final footage footnote:  It took me longer than I'd hoped to don my editor's hat and finish the interview above.  There were so many insightful comments in the interviews that I tried to chop it to about 20 minutes for days, and finally surrendered, and decided that this needs to be published as a longer piece... at least once.
   
We also got caught up in crazy busy parenting land over here, with two kids in and out of their own performances with CircEsteem, 2 Roller Derby halftime shows, a school variety show and 2 gymnastics team showcases.   And I had a 4 day International film fest to cover, and a German filmmaker to interview.

Thanks for your patience.   It's worth the wait!   






SPECTACLE IN MINIATURE TELLS THE TALE OF A GIANT FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THE LARGEST ANIMALS ON OUR PLANET, APR. 10-MAY 26 AT THE RUTH PAGE CENTER  


This all-new family fable features sea voyages, wild mechanical objects, circus songs, panoramic paintings, exquisite shadow puppets and an innovative sound design. Performances through May 26, 2013 at Chicago Children's Theatre's new home, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn, Chicago.

The Elephant and The Whale is recommended for all ages.

Schedule through May 26:  Tuesday at 10 a.m.; Wednesday at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.; Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Friday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Saturday at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.; and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2p.m. 

Run time is approximately 60 minutes with no intermission.

FREE PIZZA PARTIES ON THURSDAYS & ART PARTIES FRIDAY

As if you need any more reasons to see this show...

Note:  Family-friendly 6:30 p.m. Thursday shows are preceded with a free pizza party starting at 5:45 pm.  Thursday evenings are $25 for dinner and show. On Friday evenings, families are encouraged to kick off their weekend at the 6:30 p.m. show, and stay after for a fun post-show craft party.  Friday evenings are $25 for show and party.

Regular single tickets are $26 for children, $36 for adults. To purchase, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org or call (872) 222-9555. For discounted school, scout, playgroup, extended family and other group rates, visit GroupTix.net or call (773) 327-3778. 

Disclaimer:  Thanks to the fabulous folk at Chicago Children's Theatre for giving us family 4 packs of tickets to share with our readers.   All opinions are our own.

WIN Four Pairs of Tickets To Funky Meters, The Greyboy Allstars & More (18+) THIS Fri at The Congress #CIMMfest

ChiIL out with ChiIL Live Shows at The Congress Theater THIS Friday.   We're giving away FOUR pairs of FREE tickets for the show through midnight Wednesday, 4/17.   So enter like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often.   (Thanks to Congress Theater and the fine folk over at Silver Wrapper & React for kickin' us tickets to give away.)


Click the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win.   Winners will be contacted by e-mail and listed here Thursday.


a Rafflecopter giveaway





Come get funked up Friday.   With Funky Meters, Greyboy Allstars, JC Brooks and The Uptown Sound and more, all under one roof, it's sure to be a good time!   ChiIL Live Shows will be there...  will YOU?!   We'll also be out covering all 4 days of CIMMfest, bringing you the best of rock n film.


Click here to order Congress tickets & for more show details


Click here for our coverage on CIMMfest 2013 including more official highlights

Win 4 Free Tickets to CircEAU High-Seas Circus Adventure #giveaway #sponsored

ChiIL out with ChiIL Live Shows & family friendly circus arts from Chi-town's own CircEsteem! Click here for your chance to WIN 4 FREE tickets ($64 value).   Entries accepted through midnight 4/18. (Disclosure:   Thank to CircEsteem for providing the tickets for our giveaway.   All opinions are our own.) WHEN: Saturday April 20th          11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Sunday April 21th              2:00 p.m. Friday April 26th                7:30 p.m. Sunday April 28th              1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Buy your tickets now for  CircEAU A High-Seas Circus Adventure    April 20th, 21st, 26th & 28th

CircEsteem, Chicago's largest youth circus, invites you to CircEsteem's CircEAU - a performance by the youth of CircEsteem, taking place April 20th, 21th, 26th, and 28th 2013 at Alternatives Inc., 4730 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60640. CircEAU will take you on an undersea adventure including shimmering mermaids on the trapeze (including ChiIL Mama's own Sagezilla) and salty pirate clowns juggling.   Don't miss the chance to see CircEsteem's amazing performers.  Tickets are going fast. Buy yours today!

General admission is $16 for adults and $5 for children. Purchase two general admission adult tickets and receive a child's ticket free.  VIP reserved seating is $35 and parking is available for $20. For tickets and more information please

click here

FILM OPENING & TICKET GIVEAWAY: The End of Love #review #giveaway

OPENING at Facets Multimedia, Chicago 
March 15th.   

ChiIL out with ChiIL Live Shows and win a pair of tickets to The End of Love showing of your choice here.   Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter through midnight 3/12.   Recommended for ages 15+ (MPAA RATING:  Not rated. Contains some strong language and mild drug content.)

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We had a chance to check out a press preview of The End of Love and we were blown away by the poignant plot and genuine rapport of Mark Webber and his toddler son.  The fact that they have an actual father/son relationship and bond makes the characters realistic and the improvised dialogue natural in a way even a great script struggles to approach.  It's intriguing to me that Mark pulled this off without a crew, generally in single takes.  My husband's been in the film/TV industry for over 25 years as a location sound engineer, and I know what a behemoth behind the scenes production usually is!  Mark is on to something vital and dynamic with his hybrid reality show/art film genre.

The End of Love is a must see.  This film has beautiful camera work and deals with matters of life and death, the intensity, fear and exhaustion of being responsible for another little life, and conversely the pure creativity and silly joy that spending 24/7 with a toddler can bring.  It's tough to grieve and recover from the loss of a loved one, through death or even a break up, and far more so when you've got to mentally and physically keep it together for a child.  This is a tribute to that struggle; a coming of age story and a family love story unlike any other I've seen.   

When the mother of his two-year-old son suddenly passes away, down-on-his-luck actor Mark (filmmaker Mark Webber) is forced to confront his shortcomings. He can no longer avoid his responsibilities, but he continues to cope with his reluctance to mature, struggling with the demands of being a single father. When he has a meaningful encounter with a young mother, Mark is no longer able to live in the comfort of denial, as this relationship offers not only a reprieve from loneliness, but a glimmer of hope for the future as well.

The End of Love is an intimate and honest slice-of-life portrait of a father and son (played by Webber's real life son, Isaac) in transition. This semiautobiographical drama is an achingly honest portrait which tells a story about the universal pain of loss and the courage it takes to change. With Michael Cera, Amanda Seyfried and Aubrey Plaza.

Directed by Mark Webber, U. S.A., 2012, 90 mins.

Onion AV Club     Los Angeles Times     RogerEbert.com            

Facets Showtimes:
Fri., Mar. 15 at 7 & 9 pm
Sat., Mar. 16 at 3, 5, 7 & 9 pm
Sun., Mar. 17 at 1. 3, 5 & 7 pm
Mon.-Thurs., Mar.18-21 at 7 & 9 pm   

NOMINATED Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Feature Sundance Film Fest

"The threat [of economic collapse] is brought home by the extraordinary intimacy and tenderness with which The End Of Love captures the relationship between father and son"
  -Onion AV Club

"Exceptionally intimate... Told in a loose, surprisingly involving cinema verité style, the film is as successful depicting the smallest daily routines between parent and child...as it is at portraying life's more overwhelming moments"
  -Los Angeles Times

 "The End of Love excels at conveying the moment-to-moment frustrations and exhilarations of being a dad"
  -TimeOut NY

"The End of Love connects and lingers by making incredible effort seem natural"
  -RogerEbert.com

DIRECTED BY Mark Webber

STARRING

Mark Webber (Save the Date, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), Shannyn Sossamon (Rules of Attraction, 40 Days & 40 Nights)

Michael Cera (Juno, Superbad, Arrested Development), Jason Ritter (Parenthood) Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia, Chloe), Aubrey Plaza (Parks & Recreation, Safety Not Guaranteed)

When the mother of his two year old son Isaac suddenly passes away, struggling actor Mark (played by writer/director Mark Webber) is forced to grapple with his ability to grow up.

 

As he kindles a relationship with a young single mother (Shannyn Sossamon, 40 Days and 40 Nights), he begins to realize that he can no longer remain in denial about the real life consequences his choices have on Isaac (played by Webber’s real life son to phenomenal affect).   

Set against the backdrop of Los Angeles, The End of Love is an intimate and stunningly honest portrait of a young father in transition between the life he’s been working for and the one that’s waiting for him.

A Here Now Production

in association with

Poor Rich Kids

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

I starting writing The End of Love right after the relationship with my son's mother was coming to an end.   My son was a year old at the time. My passion for making another film was reaching a fever point.   I've always been obsessed with realism in film, and I knew my next project needed to explore that obsession.

It hit me suddenly: why not take what I was going through in my life and use that to build a character and create an ultimate situation where I could live in character for the duration of the shoot.  I never had a father growing up, and I myself at the time was a brand new dad.  One night playing with my son, the story of The End of Love was born.

I rehearsed with my cinematographer Patrice Cochet on how we could film the movie in a way that would not obstruct the real life moments happening.  He came over and played with my son and me for a full month before we even got started.   

The filming was very experimental in nature. It is mostly shot in real time utilizing just single takes.   

We had no crew.

Patrice and I got to the point of being so in synch with one another, I would make a small gesture or glance and 

he knew where to move the camera. 

In this day and age where millions of people are tuning into reality television, I hope audiences will connect with my cinematic version. In so many ways as an artist, my work is a reflection and reaction to what I'm experiencing in my life. I love leaving a film where I felt a connection with its characters, where I feel I have related somehow, and I believe The End of Love successfully blurs the line between reality and fiction in a way where the raw emotion is so easy to tap into.

It's been a huge eye opening journey for me, and I hope you enjoy the film as much as I do. 

Thank you.

MW

Got Littles? Loads of Chi-Town Tickets & American Girl Doll #Giveaways

       ChiIL New Year 2013      Photo Credit:  Dugan Kenaz-Mara (11)

Happy New Year!   Come ChiIL out with ChiIL Live Shows & ChiIL Mama in 2013.  We try not to duplicate content much, with our sister site, but these local fam friendly ticket giveaways are too good to keep quiet about!   

Winning Wednesdays are back, where we sum up loads of our great giveaways in one place.  We have a bunch of sweet Chicago area tickets for live music and theatre and our CDs, books, toys, etc. giveaways are open to anyone 18+ anywhere in the USA.  Enter like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.  Good luck and enjoy!


**ChiIL Mama's your source for great urban-funky-fun-alternative family friendly original content, photo and video filled features, rockin' giveaways, news, and reviews.**

**ChiIL Live Shows is your source for theatre and music reviews, original band interviews, pit photos, live show footage, free downloads and tour news for the big kids--AKA:  adults--in a variety of genres.   

Don't let the ChiIL name fool you.   We cover the rock, punk, alternative and metal scene, cover large music fests like Lollapalooza-Riot Fest-Summer Camp Music Fest & North Coast Music Fest, and shoot and interview touring bands that play Chi, IL.**

Current Chicago Ticket Giveaways:

Click the links to enter

• Win 4 Free Tickets to every Beat Kitchen Concerts for Kids Show (Shows are geared toward birth-age 8 with parents, every Sunday at noon)  New winners weekly.  

  *This week we also have a Deep Fried Pickle Project 5 song EP for our 4 ticket winner! 

Enter through Thursday midnight every week.   We'll have a review of 

Deep Fried Pickle Project's

 new full length CD, Green and Bumpy, along with 2 more 5 song EP CDs to give away soon, nationwide.   We'll also be video interviewing the band, and shooting their Beat Kitchen set this Sunday. 

   

• Win 4 Free Tickets to Disney On Ice presents Rockin’ Ever After in Chicago (all ages)

• Win 4 Free Tickets to Bud Not Buddy at Chicago Children's Theatre 

   (ideal for ages 8+)

• Win 4 Free Tickets to Chicago Shakespeare Leave it to Ludwig--family show in conjunction with 

  Chicago Chamber Musicians (ideal for ages 4+)

Current Giveaways Open to Anyone 18+ living in the USA:

• American Girl Doll-Girl of the year, Saige, doll & book set ($110 value).  Enter through midnight 1/31/13.

ACT OUT: Free Ticket #Giveaway SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody

Drew Moerlein as Hugh Hanson in "SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody"

We can't wait to check out SPANK! on opening night, November 30th!   We've also got 2 free opening night tickets for one of our lucky readers.   Enter right here for your chance to win.   Open through midnight November 26th.

SPANK! is written and directed by Jim Millan (Kids In The Hall, Marijuanalogues with Tommy Chong, etc.)  The show is not associated with, nor authorized by, author E.L. James or Vintage Press.

Drew Moerlein as Hugh Hanson, Michelle Vezilj as Tasha Woode and Amanda Barker as EB Janet in "SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody"

*Wait for Rafflecopter to load up right here (if you've gone through RSS feed or are scrolling down the blog and don't see it, click on the actual page title or "a Rafflecopter giveaway link" and it should pop right up).   Enter like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.

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The hilarious and naughty parody of Fifty Shades of Grey

will dominate audiences at Chicago’s Royal George Theatre

for three weeks only, starting Wednesday, November 28.

Tickets on sale now.

SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody, the hilarious and naughty new parody of Fifty Shades of Grey, will dominate willing audiences at the Royal George Theatre Main Stage, 1641 N. Halsted, in a limited three-week engagement starting Wednesday evening, November 28. The production, which premiered in Springfield, MA earlier this month, is produced by Mills Entertainment, and  is being presented in Chicago  by the Just For Laughs Group.

SPANK! is a high energy parody of Fifty Shades of Grey, the risqué novel which recently surpassed Harry Potter to become the fastest selling paperback of all time.  SPANK! was written and directed by Jim Millan, whose credits include The Kids in the Hall, Larry King Standing Up, Marijuanalogues with Tommy Chong, and Mythbusters Live. For all the dirty details on SPANK! visit spankshow.com.

Michael Mills, the producer of SPANK!, says audience members can expect “a laugh-filled evening that captures all the escapist fun and absurdity of the novel. TheFifty Shades characters are brought to life with sexy and fun musical numbers – think part SNL, part Chippendale’s - and even those who haven’t read the book will get it!”

SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody will be staged at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted, for a limited three-week engagement, starting Wednesday, Nov. 28. The performance schedule is as follows: Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7:30pm; Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 5 and 8pm; and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets, priced at $52.50 and $42.50, are now on sale online at Ticketmaster.com; by calling  (800) 982.2787 or (312) 988-9000; or visiting the Royal George box office. A limited number of VIP tickets, offering premium seating, a cast meet & greet, and beverage, are priced at $75 and available for each performance.  The perfect Girls Night Out or a sassy book group outing, discounted tickets are available for groups of ten or more.  For reservations, call GroupTix at 773/327-3778 or visitwww.Grouptix.net.

This show is not associated with, nor authorized by, author E.L. James or Vintage Press.

Founded in 1983, the Just For Laughs Group’s growth is concentrated on four major focal points: Festivals (in Montreal, Toronto and Chicago); television production (most notably Gags seen in 135 countries and on 95 airlines); live shows (Canadian tour dates for Jerry Seinfeld, Jeremy Hotz, John Pinette, Louis C.K., the Capital One Just For Laughs Comedy Tour, North American dates for Family Guy Live!); and talent management. The Group has offices in Montreal, Paris, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, and in a dark alley at the end of the street.

Mills Entertainment is a leading producer and promoter of branded live entertainment. Mills collaborates with top brands and personalities to develop, market and produce live theatrical events throughout the U.S. and worldwide. Current projects include The Cake Boss: Bakin’ with the Boss Tour, An Evening with Cesar Millan: Dog Whisperer, Clifford the Big Red Dog Live!, Theresa Caputo Live, and Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild Live. www.millsentertainment.com

Drew Moerlein as Hugh Hanson in "SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody"

SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody

Royal George Theatre Main Stage
Limited Run November 28 – December 16

SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody is the hilarious new musical that brings all the naughty fun of the best-selling book to life in a parody that captures the escapist fun and absurdity of the novel in one laugh-filled, high-energy show. A bit SNL, a bit Chippendales, SPANK! delivers non-stop laughs, sexy fun, and lots of surprises. Don't miss the show that has Chicago all a buzz!








Drew Moerlein as Hugh Hanson in "SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody"



Click here for Royal George Theatre's official site for advanced tickets and more information.








Michelle Vezilj as Tasha Woode and Drew Moerlein as Hugh Hanson in "SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody"