INCOMING: Dunn Dunn Fest #2 THIS Weekend

Harmonica Dunn’s Dunn Dunn Fest 

is Back THIS Weekend!

You might be done done with Winter madness, but a bit of Dunn Dunn Fest will have you grinnin' again.  We've marked ChiIL Live Shows' must sees below.

DUNN DUNN FEST – 2014 - “3 Nights. 4 Venues. Celebrating American Music”

Dunn Dunn Fest 2013 was such a great success, that they're back at it again this year.
Over 700 people attended the inaugural Dunn Dunn Fest! 

A limited amount of 3-Day passes are now on sale for only $30! Save $20 and gain access to all 4 shows.

Act fast and buy one here: http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/420501

MOON TAXI will headline Dunn Dunn Fest 2014 on Saturday, February 22nd, 2014 at Subterranean.

VENUES & DATES:

Thursday, February 20th, 2014 at Tonic Room w/ TRISTEN, CHICAGO FARMER, and RYAN JOSEPH ANDERSON
GET TICKETS

**ChiIL Picks List:  Friday, February 21st, 2014 at The Hideout w/ *MARTIN VAN RUIN, THE WHISKEY GENTRY, & MICHELE MCGUIRE

GET TICKETS

**ChiIL Picks List:  Friday, February 21st, 2014 at Beat Kitchen w/ the SOIL & the SUN, *GREAT DIVIDE and SAFE HAVEN

GET TICKETS

Saturday, February 22nd, 2014 at Subterranean w/ MOON TAXI, DANIEL ELLSWORTH & THE GREAT LAKES and SANTAH | GET TICKETS 

Interested in volunteering with Dunn Dunn Fest?
Email harmonicadunn@gmail.com 

Click here for the full fest site.

BLACK TUSK Announce New Headline Dates-11/17 Subterranean

**Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.   We have an exclusive video interview with Black Tusk and more live show shots from their set at Reggies Rock Club coming soon.** In addition to their North American headline tour scheduled to begin this October, Savannah, Georgia's BLACK TUSK have announced three new headline dates.   These dates are part of the release party weekend for the new Split 7" that BLACK TUSK recorded with fellow Savannah metallers Dead Yet?  The 7" is being released on Hyperrealist Records.  These dates are scheduled for the weekend of September 21st in Jacksonville, FL, Savannah, GA, and Columbia, SC BLACK TUSK will be embarking on a North American headline tour beginning October 13th in Johnson City, TN and wrapping up October 24th in Portland, Oregon.   Following their headline run, BLACK TUSK will be on the road providing direct support to label mates Red Fang.  This run will kick off October 26th in Sacramento, CA and run through November 21st in Boise, ID.   A complete list of all dates can be found below. BLACK TUSK is touring in support of their latest release Set The Dial which is streaming in full at this location.  The album is available for purchase via Relapse.com here and iTuneshere.  Updated BLACK TUSK news and tour information will be made available at the Relapse Records website and BLACK TUSK Facebook page. Split 7" Release Party Weekend 9/21: Jacksonville, FL @ Burro Bar 9/22: Savannah, GA @ The Jinx 9/23: Columbia, SC @ The New Brookland Tavern Fall North American Headline Tour:  10/13: Johnson City, TN @ The Hideaway 10/14: Nashville, TN @ The End w/ Skeletonwitch 10/15: Louisville, KY @ Magbar 10/16: Chattanooga, TN @ JJ's Bohemia 10/17: Indianapolis, IN @ The Jukebox 10/18: Peoria, IL @ Brass Rail 10/19: Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews 10/21: Billings, MT @ Manny's 10/22: Spokane, WA @ The A Club 10/23: Seattle, WA @ Highline 10/24: Portland, OR @ Plan B *** Oct 26-Nov 9 w/ Red Fang & Lord Dying *** 10/26: Sacramento, CA @ Harlow's 10/27: San Francisco, CA @ Slim's 10/28: West Hollywood, CA @ The Troubadour 10/30: San Diego, CA @ The Casbah 10/31: Tucson, AZ @ Plush 11/1: El Paso, TX @ Tricky Falls 11/2: Amarillo, TX @ 12052 Event Center 11/4: Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's Downstairs 11/5: Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves 11/6: Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone Café 11/7: Atlanta, GA @ Club 529 11/8: Raleigh, NC @ Kings Barcade 11/9: Richmond, VA @ Kingdom *** Nov 10-21 w/ Red Fang & Indian Handcrafts *** 11/10: Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts 11/11: New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom 11/12: Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus 11/13: Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East Downstairs 11/15: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern 11/16: Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick 11/17: Chicago, IL @ Subterranean 11/19: Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater 11/20: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge 11/21: Boise, ID @ Neurolux BLACK TUSK Headlines 11/28: Little Rock, AR @ Downtown Music Hall

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar--Callers at Sub-T 9/15

CALLERS       Photo Credit: Aaron Stern This September, Callers are hitting the road with Wye Oak for a string of North American tour dates in what is the first series of live performances to celebrate the release of their new album, Reviver. Out October 9th on Partisan, the record bursts with charisma, highlighted by its bold instrumentation and the unmistakable electricity of Sara Lucas' soaring vocals, evident in their current single "Howard 2 Hands." That voice, combined with the addition of two new members, makes for an ambitious live show that will intrigue even the toughest of critics. And in another sonically fitting match, Callers will be playing with Dirty Projectors this Sunday, August 19th, in Boston at the Paradise Rock Club. Check out their full run of dates below and don't miss out on a chance to see some truly exceptional musicians take the stage.  Reviver is a statement on power, rhythm and beauty. The third LP from Callers, made up of long time collaborators Sara Lucas and Ryan Seaton, will be released on October 9th on Partisan Records. While Sara grew up enveloped by R & B, Motown, gospel and jazz in St. Louis, Ryan was 400 miles away in Little Rock, nurtured by a community of eccentric artists and musicians, collaborating on ad hoc punk shows by the riverbank. Both musicians intuitively grasped the commitment to craft in their peers and mentors, shaping their purpose to create a strong, clear statement of their own. New Orleans was the place that brought them together, the place where their first song was recorded over a landline, their first EP from a mic hanging on the ceiling fan. Sara's freedom of expression, her ease of phrasing, the effortlessness and transcendence of her voice drew Ryan to working with her, while Sara was undeniably drawn to his vast arrangements, particular style, and grasp of musical realms. Providence emerged as the hub for support and sustained creative advice, a second EP recorded amongst ghosts in the attic, and the source of collaboration with Keith Souza and Seth Manchester of acclaimed recording studio Machines with Magnets (Battles, Fang Island, Psychic Paramount.) Finally, Brooklyn became the city they now call home, leading to the creation of two LPs, Fortune and Life of Love. With Brooklyn also came transition: after offering a new interpretation on Life of Love and Reviver, Don Godwin amicably moved on from the project at the latter's completion. Meanwhile, Keith and Seth's involvement in the production and development of Reviver thrived, ultimately inspiring them to join the band. Reviver stands as the most fully realized vision Callers has as artists. Influenced by the poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks,  "Heroes" and "Reviver" capitalize on a fierce spirit with driving rhythms and a hardened determination, while "Good Years" and "Your Finest" emphasize grandiose crescendos, idiosyncratic melodies and the complexity of surprise. On the album's title track, one witnesses the satisfaction and strength they feel by attaining clarity: "We are older than ourselves / I'm your Reviver."   Links / Callers Official Website Callers Official Facebook Follow Callers On Twitter Partisan Records Upcoming Tour Dates / 08/19 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA *09/13 - Mr. Small's Theatre - Millvale, PA # 09/14 - The Bishop - Bloomington, IN # 09/15 - Subterranean - Chicago, IL09/17 - Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, ON # 09/18 - Bug Jar - Rochester, NY # 09/20 - Music Hall Of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY #09/21 - Maxwell's - Hoboken, NJ # 09/22 - Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA # 09/23 - Black Cat - Washington, DC #  * with Dirty Projectors # with Wye Oak  Reviver | Tracklisting / 01. Good Years 02. Heroes 03. Your Finest 04. Crush Times 05. Long Control 06. Reviver 07. Turning 08. Its A Ringer 09. Antenna 10. Howard 2 Hands Release Date: October 9th on Partisan Records   Quotes / "Callers move in mysterious ways. The Brooklyn-by-way-of-New Orleans trio mixes a sort of jazzy folk with snatches of wildly disparate stuff like prog and slowcore, Eastern-flecked drone, gauzy 50s pop, turn-on-a-dime post-punk. It's stark in execution, dazzling in effect." Pitchfork "Brooklyn's Callers make an indescribable, codeine-ready micro-ruckus that straddles some downtown-via-Bedford line between grandiose indie rock gestures, art-jazz slither, dusty folk, and swooning soul." Village Voice "The spare and powerful guitar-and-drums arrangements of Callers provide a dynamic setting for the extraordinary voice of singer Sara Lucas. These former southerners have moved from New Orleans to Brooklyn, bringing with them a bluesy vibe that fits nicely with their sense of daring and experimentation." WNYC "A textural/experimental streak runs through Seaton's guitar playing, showing influences of Ben Monder when in jazz mode, Loren Mazzacane Connors in bluesier settings. Lucas' octave-jumping and sudden shifts from sweetness to sorrow evoke the young Joni Mitchell, although she has her own personality. Folk singers-songwriters aficionados need to pay attention: either Callers will be the next big thing on the scene." All Music Guide "Like a dark horse on a crooked mile, Brooklyn duo Callers kicks up dusty folk & blues on its intensely intimate debut, Fortune." Austin Chronicle

Play Locally-Highly Recommended Tonight--Blane Fonda Record Release & Goodbye Cruel World Opening at Theater Wit

Rock Out Tonight:



Blane Fonda Record Release @ Subterranean, Friday June 15 (17+)

Chicago electro-rockers Blane Fonda will celebrate the official release of Foolish Croon with a show at Subterranean tonight, Friday, June 15:

Blah Blah Blah and Volcanoes Make Islands will be the supporting acts.

House Call Entertainment, Inc. Presents!!

Blane Fonda/ Blah Blah Blah / Volcanoes Make Islands

Friday, Jun 15, 2012 9:00 PM CDT (8:30 PM Doors)
Subterranean
, Chicago, IL

17 years and over

Click here to purchase tickets

Check out the band's main site here for more info.





Act Out Tonight:



 

Production Photo Credit:  Tyler Core   Goodbye Cruel World at Theatre Wit



THE STRANGE TREE GROUP PRESENTS THE MIDWEST PREMIERE OF GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD


A SATIRICAL SOVIET FARCE PLAYING NOW THROUGH JULY 22 AT THEATER WIT

Adapted from Nicolai Erdman's 1928 play “The Suicide”, Strange Tree GroupBrings this Stalin-Banned, Side-Splitting, Sausage-Filled, Suicidal Story to Chicago



  

We've been promoting this show on our FB and Twitter feeds and are looking forward to checking it out.  ChiIL Live Shows will be there for opening night tonight and we'll have a full review up for you shortly.
 

The Strange Tree Group (STG) is proud to play a part in the torturous production history of Nicolai Erdman's The Suicide, “a spectacular mixture of the ridiculous and the sublime” that caused Joseph Stalin to send its playwright straight to Siberia before the thing could ever be produced. Adapted by Robert Ross Parker of New York’s Obie Award-winning Vampire Cowboys Theatre, with the literal translation by Marina Raydun, Goodbye Cruel World, crackles with comedy, 38 costume changes and terrible tuba playing. In the vein of Strange Trees 2010 Jeff Award-winning Shakespeare’s King Phycus, the ensemble is made up of six fearless actors portraying 27 distinctly different parts.

Directed by Strange Tree Group ensemble member Bob Kruse, Goodbye Cruel World is currently playing at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., in Theater 1, through July 22, 2012. Tickets are available at theaterwit.org or by calling 773.975.8150.

In this acclaimed 2010 adaptation our hero, poor Semyón Semyónovich, lives in a glorious worker’s republic, and yet, he has no job! His most recent scheme – to become a world-class tuba player and spend his fortune on vast quantities of eggnog – has fallen to ashes. In the depths of despair, Semyón contemplates bringing it all to an end…but that’s when his troubles truly begin. Before long, ambrosial actresses, passionate priests, and policy makers plot to exploit Semyón’s death for their own gain and, while they’re at it, topple an entire regime.

Goodbye Cruel World has only been produced once before by The Roundtable Ensemble in 2010 at Arclight Theater in New York. Of the production Jason Zinoman of the New York Times raved, “A rarely produced gem...Robert Ross Parker’s target is pure, silly farce. And he hits it, dead-on.”

One of the finest plays to come out of Communist Russia, Nicolai Erdman's The Suicide is a comic masterpiece, but unfortunately its production history is not as funny. Written in 1928, three of Russia’s acclaimed theatre companies, the Vaktangov Theatre, Stanislavski's Moscow Arts Theatre, and the Meyerhold Theatre all battled for the production rights.

The Meyerhold Theater won; however, after a closed dress rehearsal before members of the Cultural Propaganda Department of the Central Committee, the Stalinist government banned the play before its first public performance. Playwright Nikolai Erdman was arrested and exiled. The play wasn't produced in the USSR until 50 years later, after Erdman’s death. 
The Strange Tree Group is a collective of multifaceted individuals dedicated to creating intricate, intimate theatrical experiences that extend beyond the boundaries of a traditional stage. The company produces works that inspire creativity not only in its actors but also its audience. The Strange Tree Group is committed to producing pieces that celebrate the strange and the magical; the dangerous and the fantastical; and the surprisingly usual nature of unusual behavior.

The Strange Tree Group won a Non-Equity Jeff Award for Best Ensemble for their 2010 production of Shakespeare's King Phycus. The STG ensemble was nominated again for The Three Faces of Dr. Crippen, presented as part of the Steppenwolf Garage Rep, and Artistic Director Emily Schwartz won the Jeff Award for New Work for Dr. Crippen (which also picked up the Jeff Award for Best Director, given to Jimmy McDermott). For more information, visit strangetree.org.






Schedule & Ticket Information
The show runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. through July 22 at Theater Wit, 1229 West Belmont Ave., in Theater 1.

Tickets are $25 for general admission and $15 for Industry offered on Thursdays and Sundays (20 industry tickets available online per show, first come first serve); $15 for preview performances on June 13 and 14; and $13.50 for students with valid ID.

$20 discounted tickets available for groups of six or more. To reserve, call 773.975.8150.

$50 RIP (Really Important Person) seats, also known as the best seats in the Republic, along with a cast signed limited edition screen print are available.

Click here for tickets at Theater Wit's main site or call 773.975.8150. 

Akasha Opening for The Toasters at Subterranean-11-3-11

It was our pleasure to hear Chicago locals, Akasha, bring their sweet Reggae to Sub-T last Thursday, opening for the legendary Toasters.   

  
Check 'em out around town where they frequently play some of our favorite venues like Hideout and Double Door.

They've got a new release out and you can check out all the details on their main site.