March Fourth Montage LIVE at Martyrs Chicago 6-2012. ChiIL Live Shows went back in the archives to bring you nearly a half hour of never before seen footage from March Fourth LIVE in a small club in Chicago. Check out their hula hooping, circus pole act held by a stilt walker, and much more. This circus, punk, gypsy, brass, funky, freaky band defies easy description and they are too much fun to see live. Footage by Bonnie Kenaz-Mara for ChiIL Live Shows.
New Orleans princes of funk, Ivan and his cousin Ian Neville (sons of Aaron and Art), continue the family tradition as touring musicians with a talented lineup in Dumpstaphunk. It was our great pleasure to score an interview with them at Summer Camp Music Festival 2013, over Memorial Day weekend.
Check out our interview for their account of a harrowing, near death experience the night before, when another driver fell asleep with the cruise control on, careened across the median and came within feet of a head on collision with their van!!
They're baaaaack. March Fourth is one of our all time favs, and not just because these kick ass Portland performers put on a rockin' birthday bash every year for my little sis who lives in Portland and was born on 3/4. We're immersed in the circus arts world and love what March Fourth does.
One of these days they'll play outdoors in Chi-town so they can break out their full blown fire show and we can bring underagers ((hint hint)). My own 9 & 12 year olds who perform with CircEsteem LOVE March Fourth on line and I'm sure they'd be even more blown away live.
For now, we'll be there, but do note, their Martyr's gigs are 21+. Come early. Chicago's own Polkaholics who also rock are the openers!!
Yesterday as we were loading up the tour bus for another trip across the USA, the sun was shining in our hometown of Portland. Daffodils were blooming, the cherry blossoms were out, but I guess we've got a hankering for a bit more winter because we're heading east to the Rockies, then out to the Great Lakes and finishing up this trip on the east coast. This is the first tour of our new year (which starts on March 4th of course!) and we are so excited to present some new tunes, new routines and even a new band member or two! You'll never know quite what you're going to get since every show is different, but it's a guaranteed good time. Do us a favor and take a moment to spread the word to any friends and family about our shows, particularly in Madison, WI and Ames, IA and Lincoln, NE and Philadelphia, PA. It helps a lot, thanks!
Huge armfuls of gratitude to everyone for all the birthday wishes over the past few weeks. We've really been feeling the love from our fans all these years, and especially in March as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of our first show. Wow, ten years! It's been so fun to look back over the years and see where this project has been. It was especially great to have so many of the M4 alumni back on stage for an encore song at our birthday show! If you want to take a peek back, check out this fun slideshow of M4 pics through the years, as seen through the lense of one of our Seattle fans. Our very own Kevin Balmer of Diggable Monkey did this 10-year retrospective mini-short film for Portland Monthly's feature in March.
Check out all our spring tour dates below and we'll see you on the road. Don't fret if you don't see your town on this route...we've got another 150 or so days on the road this year and there's a pretty good chance our paths will cross again soon! As always, you can check our online calendar for the latest info since our summer tour is starting to take shape!
*If we lived just a little closer we'd be all over this!
JOY NOW:
Imagine your child playing alongside MarchFourth! Well, now they can! The Joy Now Arts Project is a circus, music and performance program for youth 4-18 taught by members of MarchFourth. Registration is now open for our teen performance progam, summer camp and NEW circus classes for kids 4-12! Fnd out more at www.joynowproject.org.
Romance is alive and well. Check out this rockin' surprise wedding proposal ON STAGE the last time Badfish played Chi-town!! Luckily Vanessa said yes. Are you a bad fish too? Come on out and rock out this Saturday at The House of Blues.
Lovesick Teenagers by Bear in Heaven LIVE at Schubas 4/19/12 ChiIL Live Shows Bear in Heaven will be back at Schubas this Wednesday as part of the Tomorrow Never Knows Festival. ChiIL Live Shows will be there shooting stills.
Saviours LIVE at Reggies in Chicago 1-6-13--ChiIL Live Shows Check out ChiIL Live Shows for original coverage of touring bands playing Chi, IL....Chicago locals, free downloads, reviews, tour news, original band video interviews, pit photos, videos and more.
SAVIOURS
Saviours are a heavy metal band from Oakland, California in the United States. We formed in September 2004 and have released four albums and seven EPs and we have played some shows in 21 countries on Earth.
Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often for tour news on bands coming through Chicago, free downloads, giveaways, and loads of original content including band video interviews, live show footage, pit photos and more.
ChiIL Mama caught up with self proclaimed "Swamp Metal" band, Black Tusk, for an interview in the basement of Reggie's Rock Club--Chicago 6/21/12. They were on tour with Municipal Waste, and we'll have our original interview with Municipal Waste, along with our live show footage and stills, up in the very near future.
Check out our LIVE show photos from Black Tusk at Reggies Rock Club 6/2012 here. Footage coming soon.
Black Tusk just came back through town Saturday 11/17 and killed it at Subterranean, opening for another favorite of ours, Red Fang. Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often. We'll have original stills and live show footage from Sub T up very soon. It was a rager indeed!
March Fourth (triple stilt walker partner acro!!) LIVE at Martyrs Chicago 11-3-12 HD Video by ChiIL Live Shows November 3rd, it was our great pleasure to check out Portland's Punk Circus Brass....March Fourth back in Chi-town again. When their big bus pulls into town, a party's sure to break out! This time was no exception. Local boys, Whysowhite, got the crowd warmed up, and March Fourth took it to the next level. Our favorite freaks got everyone shakin' their booties, screwing their lightbulbs, and having a raucous good time. Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often. We'll have loads more mind blowing March Fourth/Martyrs live show clips and a review of their latest album, Magnificent Beast! March Fourth LIVE at Martyrs, Whysowhite opens, Chicago 11-3-12
The New Folk (Todd Kessler) LIVE at Schubas 8/27/12 ChiIL Live Shows.com
Chi-Town's own Todd Kessler's been making waves on NBC’s The Voice this season as part of Team CeeLo (@TeeamCeeLo)! Back at the end of August, The New Folk rocked Schubas with their CD release party, as part of a the Monday night residency series, and ChiIL Live Shows has exclusive, unreleased stills and HD videos right here. Check out our past coverage here.
New Folk celebrated the release of their debut album Sea Fever with an August 2012 “Practice Space Presents:” residency at Schubas, but the story behind The New Folk began in 2005 as Singer/Songwriter Todd Kessler went in to the studio to record his debut album. That album, entitled We Are The MusicMakers, was released in 2006 and with the backing of his original band helped Kessler to make his name and music known in the local Chicago music scene. In 2007 and 2008, in the midst of touring the Midwest, Kessler teamed up with Producer Greg “G-Ball” Magers to record his next two albums, The Veronika EP and Boomerang, only garnering him more praise and recognition on the road and at home.
It was while recording The Veronika EP that The New Folk began to take root with the addition of Bob Parlier on Drums, Sam Smiley on Guitar and Graham Burris on Bass. The quartet began playing out in 2008 in support of Boomerang, still under the name of Todd Kessler, but it was during the next two years and the addition of a String section (Elana Hiller and Chris Bauler), a Horn section (David Ben-Porat and Ben Bell Bern) and a second vocalist (Molly Parlier) that the band began to make waves with their signature Alt-Folk-Pop sound. 2009’s double-single release Golden Bird, along with headlining shows at Schubas, Lincoln Hall, Double Door and Millennium Park, solidified the bands place as a respected group in Chicago, and in 2010, the band began playing shows under the name Todd Kessler and the New Folk.
With over two years, countless shows and a slew of new material, the band, now billed simply as The New Folk, teamed up with producer Manny Sanchez to begin work on their debut album, Sea Fever, in August of 2010. Two years and hundreds of studio hours later later, Sea Fever was released in August under Kessler’s label Wyzguy Records. ChiIL Live Shows HD Video--Holes in the Floor, The New Folk (Todd Kessler) LIVE at Schubas 8/27/12 *Apologies for missing a bit of the beginnings of some of the tracks. I was originally just going to splice shorter bits in to a video interview, but there have been so many requests for the whole songs I decided to run them intact.
Todd Kessler covers Radiohead's High and Dry & performs his own new track, Intangible, with The New Folk LIVE at Schubas 8/27/12 ChiIL Live Shows HD Video Listen to Todd between songs, talking about L.A. and his recent foray into national TV. He's on NBC’s The Voice this season on Team CeeLo (@TeeamCeeLo). Dear Lover, The New Folk LIVE at Schubas 8/27/ ChiIL Live Shows HD Video We'll have live videos of 3 more live songs from The New Folk coming soon, so check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often. Want to hear more Todd Kessler &/or The New Folk? Check out their main site here.
Check out ChiIL Live Shows HD footage from the press conference. Here are producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig with background on the movie the show was based on and exciting tidbits about the musical adaptation.
Kinky Boots is in pre-Broadway production in Chicago! They've been in previews since October 2nd, and opening night is TONIGHT 10/17. ChiIL Live Shows will be there and we'll have a full review up shortly. We adored the movie and can't wait to check it out the live, stage adaptation!
Cyndi Lauper & Harvey Fierstein press conference for Kinky Boots currently in previews. Opening night October 17th.
Here's our round up of Chi, IL Live Theatre Shows Opening, Closing, Postponed & Extended(also check out our highly recommended list):
Opening:
Black Watch by National Theatre of Scotland at Broadway Armory -ChiIL Live Shows caught opening night and we were shocked and awed. This action packed war drama is raw, real and disturbing without glamorizing combat. In a brilliant way, the seduction of honor, history, and the warrior way stand in stark contrast to the soul killing, psychologically damaging, desert warfare of today. Black Watch is political without being heavy handed and loud, bright and intense enough to get the message heard. Highly recommended!
Check back with ChiIL Live Shows/ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often. We have loads more original video clips and photo filled features coming!
Closing:
Equivocation at Victory Gardens (review)
If you haven't seen this show yet, go already. Equivocation unequivocally rocks! Bard nerds will find this show a laugh riot with plenty of Shakespearian references and in jokes. Yet Equivocation is something utterly unique and new, with biting political commentary, compelling characters, and multilayered meaning. Highly recommended. Click here for our past coverage and show details.
Postponed:
Due to major funding that did not come through, the production of “Unspeakable,” which was scheduled to start performances at the Royal George Theatre Oct. 16, has been postponed until the spring. More details to come. Refunds available at point of purchase.
Extended:
After at Profiles Theater (review)
There are plenty of prison dramas, but what happens after? This slice of life exploration of the aftermath of wrongful conviction is a thought provoking social commentary. What price can you put on a life unjustly snatched away in a miscarriage of justice. How does jail time inextricably alter a man? The characters go well beyond stereotypes and are a unique blend of traits and surprises. Check it out.
Three weeks added: now playing through November 4, 2012
Profiles Theatre will extend the Midwest premiere of After by Chad Beckim, directed by guest artist Matt Hawkins. The production, which opened September 5, will extend for an additional three weeks through November 4, 2012. All original cast members continue in their roles including guest artists Alice da Cunha, Carlos Rogelio Diaz, J. Salome Martinez, Stephenie Park, Gabriel Ruiz and Foster Williams, Jr. Performances are held at Profiles original venue, The Alley Stage, 4147 N. Broadway.
When a wrongfully imprisoned man is exonerated by DNA evidence after seventeen years in prison, he is forced to re-assimilate into a cold, foreign world of toothbrush shopping, doggy day care, and a friendship with an anxious young woman with secrets of her own. Afteris a compassionate portrait of a man struggling with the challenges of socializing and the anger he still feels for having his youth unjustly destroyed.
After, written by Chad Beckim, received its World premiere production in September 2011 by Partial Comfort Productions in New York where he is co-Founder and co-Artistic Director. His playwriting credits include …a matter of choice, `nami and Lights Rise on Grace which won Outstanding Play at the 2007 New York International Fringe Festival and finalist for the 2007 Princess Grace Award. Chad holds an MFA in Playwriting from Mac Wellman’s Brooklyn Colleges Program and in July 2007, he was named one of 50 Playwrights to Watch by the Dramatists Guild.
After is the second production of Profiles Theatre’s 24th season. The 20th Anniversary production of Hellcab by Will Kern opens at Profiles’ The Main Stage on November 15, 2012.
