Who saw a Cirque du Soleil show at age 12 and told her Mom, "That's what I want to do when I grow up"....and did it?! (Her mom just flew in from Orlando last week to see her daughter fly through the air on silks at Allstate Arena).
Who trains for and runs triathlons when she's not rocking the aerial arts in Dralion's graceful love story? (Her partner on the silks for the last two years is also her personal trainer and good friend.)
Who can you see LIVE at United Center through July 1, dazzling in cobalt blue, as Azala, Goddess of the Air? (this tiny but mighty girl has a lofty job description as keeper of the sun and the guardian of immortality.)
Meet Amanda Orozco, fascinating aerial artist with Dralion and world class athlete.
ChiIL Mama/ ChiIL Live Shows has 4 free tickets to see Dralion THIS Saturday at 3:30pm at Allstate Arena, for one lucky reader!
Enter right here through midnight this Thursday, for your chance to win, then check back Friday 6/22 when we'll announce our winner.
Spread the word and enter like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often!! This one's short and sweet.
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We're so stoked to be heading out to Allstate Arena this afternoon to shoot some hoops--not basketball, but Cirque du Soleil style, at Dralion's rehearsal. We'll likely even have another surprise performer video interview for you!
Check out our original Dralion Interviews With Vanessa and Vladik here.
Check out ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows interview with Vanessa, Senior PR Spokesperson for Cirque du Soleil's Touring Shows. She gave us the scoop on Dralion, the perfect show to see during 2012--the Chinese year of the Dragon! See clips of Dralion performers in action and get the story behind the show right here. Dralion is coming to both Allstate Arena and United Center in Chicago this summer, starting June 20th.
Check out ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows exclusive interview with Vladik, juggler with Cirque du Soleil's Dralion. It was truly a pleasure to chat with the 28 year old who was born into the Moscow Circus. He now combines elements of acro and dance with his juggling routines.
We thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Vanessa Napoli, Senior PR Spokesperson for Cirque du Soleil's Touring Shows. She gave us the scoop on Dralion, opening at Allstate Arena this Wednesday, June 20th, then playing at United Center the following week. Check out our original interview above, interspersed with Dralion live show clips, courtesy of Cirque du Soleil. We'll be there for opening night and will have a full show review up shortly thereafter.
One of the questions I asked Vanessa was about Cirque du Soleil's history of philanthropic partnerships in the cities they visit. She told us they do usually try to partner up with local circus arts organizations, especially deserving non profits, but she didn't have specific details at the time. We just got word that Dralion has indeed donated tickets to Chicago's CircEsteeem, so their young team and pre-team performers can catch the show. They will also be running some special workshops with the CircEsteem kids! Unfortunately, we'll be out of town shooting a travel piece, but if we can find another shooter, and if Dralion green lights it, we'll share stills and video from the workshop here as well.
Make 2012--The Chinese Year of the Dragon one to remember for your family!
Check out our original HD video interview with Nick, owner of Sundance Bikes of South Carolina. He created this rockin' SEVEN FOOT TALL BIKE and he's been ridin' high and makin' friends. Why settle for a fixie when you can DIY up a fun, funky, true original!
Portland Oregon's RED FANG are in the midst of wrapping up their European tour with a show tonight in Moscow, Russia and their final gig tomorrow in St. Petersburg, Russia. They've been out on a mad metal Euro tour with other colorful, toothy, metal favs of ours BLACK TUSK!
Before they head back state-side, RED FANG is pleased to announce that they have just confirmed a new batch of North American tour dates. Included in this run are headlining shows as well as shows serving as direct support to The Sword. All tour dates can be found below.
Rock for Grant High Art Dept: RED FANG will be headlining "A Benefit For Grant High Art Department" scheduled to take place Friday May 25th at the Hawthorne Theater in Portland, OR. Support will come from Lopez, Nether Regions and Grant High's own Hell's Parrish. Doors for the show at are 7:00 pm with the first band hitting the stage at 7:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased for the show HERE.
RED FANG will also be taking part in Metallica's inaugural "Orion Music + More Festival" June 23rd in Atlantic City, NJ.
RUSSIAN TOUR 5/7: Moscow, Russia Plan B 5/8: St. Petersburg, Russia Orlandina
"A Benefit For Grant High Art Department" 5/25: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
Headlining Dates 6/1: Seattle, WA @ Highline 6/12: Boise, ID @ Neurolux 6/13: Salt Lake City, UT @ Bar Deluxe 6/14: Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge 6/16: Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
Supporting The Sword 6/17: Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's Upstairs 6/18: New Orleans, LA @ The Parish @ House of Blues 6/19: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade 6/20: Raleigh, NC @ Kings 6/21: Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
"Orion Music + More Festival" 6/23: Atlantic City, NJ @ Bader Field
"MusicFest NW" 9/5: Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
ChiIL Live Shows caught up with Chris "Sandman" Sand of the award winning documentary, Roll Out Cowboy, fame and local fav, Tony Rogers.
Live footage shot at Chicago's own Hideout.
Generally our interviews average 15 minutes, but they had so much great footage, and interesting banter that this one turned into more of a full length feature! Hear about Septembeard, the little red bathrobe video, and Chris & Tony's take on everything from how creatives parent and how parents create, to two dead vocal coaches, and their current and upcoming musical endeavors. Check out the humor and talent of these two true originals!
Here's Pt. 1 of 2: Tony Rogers - "Call the press and send their best" ("making of" mini documentary) referenced in our interview above.
Pt. 2 of 2: Tony Rogers - "Call the press and send their best" (Official Music Video)
REVOCATION recently
released their video for the track "No Funeral" from their brand new
album Chaos of Forms. The clip was lensed with acclaimed director David
Brodsky of MyGoodEye NYC (Municipal Waste, The Black Dahlia Murder, All
That Remains, Devin Townsend Project).
Upcoming Tour Dates:
REVOCATION North American Headline Tour
Support to Come From Cannabis Corpse and Ramming Speed
Massachusetts shredders REVOCATION are on the road on their first North American headlining tour.Fresh off their recent tour with Children of Bodom, the band will start their trek Allston, MA and run through April 29th in Trenton, NJ. Support on the tour will come from Cannabis Corpse and Ramming Speed. A complete list of dates can be found below.
Front man Dave Davidson spoke about kicking off the headline tour:
"What's up guys, just wanted to let everyone know that our headlining tour is here, so make sure to come check us out if we're rolling through your area. We can't wait to play a longer set filled with songs spanning all of our records. We're also very pleased to bring out Ramming Speed and Cannabis Corpse on this run, it's going to be a rager every night for sure. Looking forward to getting ripshit in a city near you!"
In more REVOCATION tour news, the band will be hitting the road with DYING FETUS and Six Feet Under and Six Feet Under on the "18 Nights of Blood Tour". The tour starts June 8th in Atlanta, GA and will wrap up June 29th in Tampa, FL. Dates are listed below. The band will be keeping everyone up to date on all the mayhem on the road with their new tour blog on Metal Underground. REVOCATION on Tour With Cannabis Corpse and Ramming Speed 4/23: Chicago, IL @ Ultra Lounge
4/25: Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
4/26: Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
4/27: Philadelphia, PA @ The Barbary Coast
4/28: Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus
4/29: Trenton, NJ @ The Backstage at Championship Bar
REVOCATION Tour With Dying Fetus and Six Feet Under
6/8: Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
6/9: West Springfield, VA @ Empire
6/10: Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
6/11: New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
6/12: Columbus, OH @ AlRosa Villa 6/13: Chicago, IL @ Reggie's Rock Club
6/14: Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
6/15: Detroit, MI @ Harpo's
6/16: Des Moines, IA @ People Court
6/18: Denver, CO @ Gothic Theater
6/20: Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
6/21: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
6/22: Oakland, CA @ Oakland Metro Operahouse
6/24: West Hollywood, CA @ The Whisky
6/26: El Paso, TX @ House of Rock
6/27: Houston, TX @ Scout Bar
6/29: Tampa, FL @ Brass Mug
Fresh off their North American tour with Children of Bodom, Boston's REVOCATION are pleased to announce their North American Headline tour through April 29th. Support on the tour will come from Cannabis Corpse and Ramming Speed. Bassist Anthony Buda commented on the Children of Bodom tour and REVOCATION's headline run:
"Hey all thanks so much for coming out and raging with us for the past 5 weeks on the Children of Bodom, Eluveitie and Threat Signal tour! It was a wild ride, and we're sad to see it pass. But we are beyond psyched to now announce our headlining run in April with Cannabis Corpse and Ramming Speed. Expect a longer set with some new tracks and some old classics. These shows are gonna kill, see you there!!"
ChiIL Live Shows original shots--Revocation at Bottom Lounge 2/2012 opening for Eluveitie.
REVOCATION's Dave Davidson also recently posted an exclusive guitar lesson for Chaos of Forms track "Cradle Robber" online at JamPlay.com. Davidson is one of the newest teachers at JamPlay. A 5-minute demo of his new lesson can be viewed now at YouTube.
Grab their latest release, "Chaos of Forms", if you haven't already. Revocation says "It's rippin' metal...about 45 minutes long. There's like 12 songs on it. The cover's got a redish hue. The logo's hard to read on the front. It's pointy too. And no one likes it." Oh yeah.
Biography on iTunes
Boston,
MA trio Revocation is comprised of vocalist/guitarist David Davidson,
vocalist/bassist Anthony Buda, and drummer Phil Dubois-Coyne — all of
whom showcase incredible dexterity at their chosen instruments, even by
heavy metal standards, and came together as a group in 2005. Armed with a
super-technical thrash/death metal style prizing virtuosity as much as
heaviness and aggression, the group soon began attracting A&R men
from numerous labels with their self-released Summon the Spawn EP (2006)
and Empire of the Obscene album (2008). They eventually decided to sign
with Relapse Records, and delivered their second full-length, Existence
Is Futile, in September 2009, also to very positive reviews. Buy/Download Chaos of Forms and Revocation's past 2 CDs here.
Opening day of The Giver, Adventure Stage's latest offering, was fantastic. Newberry Award winning author, Lois Lowry, flew in for the first show and graciously signed books for a lengthy line of fans at the cupcake social after the show. We have fond memories of Gossamer, another Adventure Stage/ Lois Lowry adaptation they produced in Nov./Dec. 2009.
We'd been reading The Giver out loud as a family and it was truly magical to see the book transformed to stage in such an adept way. The baby, Gabriel, was effectively portrayed by a puppet, and the monochromatic, grey, distopia provided the perfect back drop for this cautionary tale. Highly recommended. Recommended for ages 9+. Nobody under 5 will be admitted. Playing through April 26th. Check out a full summary, show dates and details below.
Every performance includes a post-show audience talkback with the
cast. * Please note: Out of respect for our actors and audience members, children under
age 5 are not permitted in the theatre during a performance.
*ENTER HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE AT 4 FREE TICKETS FROM CHIIL MAMA/ CHIIL LIVE SHOWS THROUGH MIDNIGHT TOMORROW 4/3/12. WE'LL ANNOUNCE OUR WINNER ON 4/4.
The Giver at Adventure Stage-winners' choice of any Saturday night performancepending availability (That's April 7, 14 & 21 at 7:30pm.
*Wait for Rafflecopter
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scrolling down the blog and don't see it, click on the actual page
title and it should pop right up).Entries are easy. Winning
rocks! Please include your whole name as you would like it to appear
on the guest list/box office tickets, so there's no delay in reserving
if you win.
Houdini
Box at Chicago Children's Theatre opened to rave reviews and critical
acclaim. ChiIL Mama had the great opportunity to interview director,
Blair Thomas and book/lyrics writer, Hannah Kohl. Catch this show while
you can, before it performs a disappearing act worthy of the great
magician himself. Houdini
Box is suitable for kids 5 and up, but all ages through adults will
enjoy this magical production full of puppetry, excellent music, and a
mysterious, creative storyline. Houdini Box is playing in Chicago at
The Mercury Theatre through March 4th, then rematerializing in Skokie
from March 14th-25th.
Check out ChiIL Live Shows original interview with Brian Selznick & Mark
Messing on opening day of The Houdini Box, theatrical adaptation, at
Chicago Children's Theatre. I caught up with Brian and Mark hours
before the first performance of this world premier. Hugo, the movie,
adapted from Selznick's book and illustrations, was a huge hit in 2011
and has been nominated for 11 Oscars-the most of any film this year!
Hear how Brian first found out about the nominations, see him dabble
in set painting, hear about his stage adaptation of Houdini Box, and get
to know the man behind Scorsese's latest masterpiece. Hugo is one of
our family's favorite films of all times. The Houdini Box play was also
adapted from one of Selznick's original children's book. Mark Messing
wrote the score.
If you haven't caught this one yet, we highly recommend it! The Mercury Theater run ends March 4th. Then the show moves to Skokie. Catch Houdini Box before it magically disappears!
Cirque du Soleil Quidam's Skipping Rope Artist, Adrienn Banhegyi's Video Interview With ChiIL Mama We had the great pleasure of chatting with Adrienn, a young skipping rope artist from Hungary, who will be in town with Quidam, starting February 8th. We can't wait to see her act in person opening night!
Quidam
will be at the Ford Centre in Hoffman Estates February 8-12th only.
So get your tickets today!! Congrats to our family 4 pack winner:
**All
our readers are winners! ChiIL Mama's also got a cool 25% off
discount on non-peak performances on all price levels using the promo
code “CHILL”. Non-peak performances are all performances except for
those on Friday and Saturday.
Here
is Adrienn in action. Come see her and all the world class circus
artists in Cirque du Soleil's Quidam. Recommended for families with
kids 5 and up. Quidam makes a great "date night" too!
It was our great pleasure to interview Jessica, Publicist for Cirque du Soleil's Quidam. Quidam is returning to play Hoffman Estates near Chicago February 8-12th only!
Jessica tells us about the arena Cirqe shows versus the big top
style, how Quidam is family friendly but also great "boyfriend points",
and how they get in and out of town "rock and roll" style. Check it
out here in our original interview.
Good for the opening night performance, February 8th at 7:30pm.Enter through Thursday 2/2 at midnight.
**All
our readers are winners! ChiIL Mama's also got a cool 25% off
discount on non-peak performances on all price levels using the promo
code “CHILL”. Non-peak performances are all performances except for
those on Friday and Saturday.
We were so jazzed to meet all the members of Fitz and The Tantrums, and have the opportunity to shoot their private showcase at Chicago's Comma Music last week.
We caught up with their drummer/percussionist, John Wicks, after the
set. He's father to young, twin daughters and was happy to talk with
us about life after birth and how he balances fatherhood with touring with an in demand band. Check out this excellent, live version of their hit single, Money Grabber.
We were thrilled to get to see them at Metro, for the final show of their sold out 3 night run. FATT really shine live. Highlights were a smokin' cover of Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams, the whole audience sitting on the floor, then jumping up and going nuts, an awesome cover of The Raconteurs' Steady As She Goes, and of course, all their own crowd pleasing favs like Money Grabber, L.O.V., and so many more.
This week we'll be at a private showcase with Brandi Carlile, before her sold out appearance at Park West. So check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often!
It was sweet to meet Red Fang when they recently opened for Mastodon. The guys are as funny in person as their irreverent, hilarious music videos. We interviewed the drummer and bass guitarist/vocalist who also happens to be a dad. It turned out great as we could continue our video series on how creatives parent and how parents create. It's been pretty amazing to hear
insight from touring musicians and theatre people on how parenting
influences and seeps into music and art, and how to strike a balance
between being there for your family and still creating.
They
had me cracking up over their beard band/beer band reputation, plans to
pawn their 100% guaranteed metal Grammy , what's the big deal about
11-11-11, and their wacky, off the wall advice for kids who want to be
them. When they came out on stage, they opened by saying "Tonight's
11-11-11". The crowd roared. Then totally deadpan, they continued,
"Three numbers...in a row." If their music wasn't so freakin' heavy
and fun, I'd suggest they hit the comedy circuit. They're quick with
the comebacks, well worth a listen, and even better live. Here's our past coverage.
We
had a birthday party coming up shortly after the show, and they signed a
CD for Du-Jay's classmate and long time friend. The 11 year old was
thrilled to see the liner notes where they personalized it to him and
wrote "To Judah, Stay metal." Check out their main page for seriously funny videos, tour dates and merch.The interview we shot for ChiIL Live Shows is below
RED
FANG has announced a handful of headlining dates in addition to their
current North American Tour with Mastodon and The Dillinger Escape
Plan. A complete list of dates is listed below. Additionally, the band
is currently sharing war stories from the road via an exclusive tour
blog at Altpress.com.
Renowned for their sense of humor and penchant for over-the-top music
videos, RED FANG has recently finished shooting their eagerly-awaited
new clip for Murder The Mountains track "Hank Is Dead". The video
was directed by longtime friend of the band, Whitey McConnaughy (THE
GOSSIP, MUDHONEY, FLOGGING MOLLY) in Portland, OR. RED FANG has
previously worked with McConnaughy on their much-talked-about "Wires"
& "Prehistoric Dog" videos that can be seen on their main site.
Additionally, RED FANG have teamed up withEtnies to
offer fans and skate enthusiasts the chance to win some amazing gear
and memorabilia from both parties. More details on the contests,
including entry forms are available now via AbsolutePunk.net and Metal Wreckage.
RED FANG is streaming Murder The Mountains in its entirety at this location.The
band recorded Murder The Mountains with THE DECEMBERISTS' Chris Funk
and the album was mixed by three-time Grammy Award winner Vance Powell
(WHITE STRIPES, THE RACONTEURS). Murder The Mountains is now available
on CD, 12" vinyl, and digital download via the official Relapse store or
via iTunes.
RED FANG TOUR DATES
Nov. 28 Norfolk, VA The NorVa
Nov. 29 Asheville, NC Orange Peel
Nov. 30 Charleston, SC Jimbo's Rock Lounge
Dec. 1 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues
Dec. 2 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle w/ Mastodon, Black Lips, DEP
**Dec. 3rd - Dec. 10th RED FANG ONLY**
Dec. 3 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
Dec. 4 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's Downstairs
Dec. 6 Tucson, AZ Club Congress
Dec. 7 San Diego, CA Soda Bar
Dec. 8 Sacramento, CA Blue Lamp
Dec. 10 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
April 12 Tilburg, Holland Roadburn Festival
