ALTON BROWN LIVE! THE EDIBLE INEVITABLE TOUR TICKETS ON SALE NOW #foodiefun

ALTON BROWN LIVE! THE EDIBLE INEVITABLE TOUR

ADDED PERFORMANCE DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND!

FEBRUARY 8, 2014 AT 3:00 PM

TICKETS ON-SALE NOW

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce a 3:00 p.m. performance of ALTON BROWN LIVE! THE EDIBLE INEVITABLE TOUR will be added on February 8, 2014 at the Oriental Theatre (24 West Randolph).  Alton Brown, Iron Chef host and renowned television personality, is taking his brand of quirky humor and culinary science on the road with the ALTON BROWN LIVE! THE EDIBLE INEVITABLE TOUR.  Tickets for the evening performance at 8:00 p.m. are sold out.  Tickets for the added 3:00 p.m. performance NOW on-sale to the public.

Recently named Best Food TV Personality at The Munchies, Brown’s tour promises to be an eventful evening of stand-up comedy, talks show antics, multimedia lecture, live music and food experimentation.  Be prepared.  Ponchos will be involved.  The show will offer an interactive component in which audience members will have the opportunity to serve as Brown’s trusted assistants on stage.  For those hoping to sip at the pure source of Brownian wit and wisdom, this is a must-see extravaganza for the whole family. 

Brown said, "I've been cultivating material for this show for about a decade so it'll feel pretty darned good to finally get it out of my head and onto a stage.  I feel we've come up with some pretty amazing food demos, and the multi-media segments are solid….but I do have to say I'm a bit nervous about the singing parts."

ABOUT ALTON BROWN

Although Alton Brown spent plenty of time in his mom’s kitchen growing up, his real interest in food sparked in college when he discovered that girls who said “no” to dates sometimes said “yes” if he offered to cook for them.  His social life never ignited, but the food spark did and after spending a decade behind the camera in the commercial industry, he headed to culinary school in hopes of one day creating a new kind of cooking show.  Good Eats, the show that Brown would go on to write, produce, and host ran for 13 straight years on Food Network before making the jump to Cooking Channel where it airs to this day.  Combining food science, pop culture, skit humor, innovative cooking, and the occasional belching puppet, Good Eats has millions of fans and garnered a coveted Peabody Award for broadcast excellence in 2007.

Brown has also served as the culinary commentator of Iron Chef America for 11 seasons, and hosted Next Iron Chef for 5.  In 2012 he joined the cast of Food Network Star as a mentor and yes...one of his team members won.  Brown took home the James Beard Award for top food show host in 2011 and the medal bookends match nicely with the one his first book nabbed in 2002.  Speaking of books, he’s written 7, the last three of which made the New York Times Best Sellers List.

Brown’s newest venture is his touring stage show which combines many of the elements that made his television shows so unique with some new tricks such as live music, highly unorthodox culinary demonstrations, multi-media presentations, and lots of audience participation. 

ABOUT MAGICSPACE ENTERTAINMENT
MagicSpace Entertainment is headed by Lee D. Marshall, Joe Marsh, John Ballard, Steve Boulay and Bruce Granath and has been producing and presenting national tours, Broadway shows and concerts worldwide for over 30 years. Consistently one of the top promoters in North America, MagicSpace Entertainment typically produces and presents more than 250 events in 75 cities per year.  Broadway credits include Donny & Marie – A Broadway Christmas, Hello Dolly! starring Carol Channing; The Who’s Tommy, American Idiot and RAIN - A Tribute To The Beatles On Broadway.  National tour credits include Lord of the Dance created by Michael Flatley, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage starring in Mythbusters - Behind The Myths, Alton Brown Live, Post Secret – Unheard Voices, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis, Donny & Marie Christmas, Experience the Beatles with RAIN, David Copperfield, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Chorus Line and concert tours by Nathan Pacheco, Janet Jackson, Cher, Fleetwood Mac to name just a few.  In the UK, MagicSpace credits include Let It Be in the West End and an eleven city tour of Donny & Marie Live. Special tours and events produced or presented on the road includeTutankhamaun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibition, Titanic: The Exhibition and Diana – A Celebration.  MagicSpace Entertainment has offices in Park City and Salt Lake City, UT. www.magicspace.net

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for ALTON BROWN LIVE! THE EDIBLE INEVITABLE TOUR the Oriental Theatre ranges from $25-$65.  A special package featuring premium seating and a pre-show meet and greet with Alton Brown is also available.  Tickets are available now for groups of 15 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710.  Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnut), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Kiosk at Water Tower Place (845 N. Michigan Ave.), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000, all Ticketmaster retail locations and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. 

For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com or www.AltonBrownTour.com.   

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar: Shams Band Summer Fest Dates, CBS Morning News, Old St. Pat's and More

ChiIL Live Shows has been shooting the Shams Band for years.  They're some of our favorite rockin' locals.    Check 'em out right here at home this summer.

Shams Band Says:

Live TV Performance - CBS Morning News 6:30am on Friday, June 28th, 2013

Please set your DVR today for a chance to see us on live TV. 

Street Festivals (Chicago):

+ FRIDAY, JUNE 28TH - WORLD'S LARGEST BLOCK PARTY - 5:30PM 

We are honored to be a part of Old St. Pat's World's Largest Block Party. We will kick off the festival on the main stage at 5:30pm. Following us will be PUNCH BROTHERS and EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROES. We are giving away 2 FREE tickets via our Facebook & Twitter accounts. Please click through the links for a chance to win. 

Ticket Link

http://worldslargestblockparty.com/facts/

http://www.theshamsband.com/

http://vintagebluemusic.com/

+ SUNDAY, JUNE 30TH - ULTRA VIOLET PETTING ZOO - 6:30PM

The 'Ultra-Violet Petting Zoo' is back in its third year at The Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club Carnival on June 28 and 30 -- commemorating the carnival's 66th anniversary as Chicago's largest and longest running carnival. We play at 6:30PM | $5 Donation

+ SATURDAY, JULY 6TH - AMERICAN MUSIC FESTIVAL - FITZGERALD'S NIGHTCLUB

We are so excited to be a part of our home town summer music Festival. We've been playing Fitzgerald's from day one and are honored to play American Music Festival. 

Here is the lineup for the day:

IN THE CLUB: Jimmy LaFave (11 pm), NRBQ (9 pm), Dolly Varden (7:30 pm), Warren Hood Band (5:45 pm), The Shams Band (4:15 pm), Expo '76 (2:30 pm)

IN THE TENT: Tributosaurus becomes Tom Petty (10:15 pm), Marcia Ball Band (8:15 pm), Max Baca & Los Texmaniacs (6:30 pm), Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet (4:45 pm), Jeffrey Broussard & the Creole Cowboys (3 pm), Girl Group Chicago (1:30 pm)


WEEKEND OF SHAMS - SCHUBAS TAVERN - AUGUST 16TH & 17TH

Save the dates! We headline Schubas for two nights in August. Last Summer, our July residency was so successful (thanks to you), that we are back to headline Schubas for the first time ever on a weekend. We'll be bringing up our good friends Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes + The Howlin' Brothers from Nashville, TN. Plus two more bands TBA

We will be promoting this event for the entire summer and we ask that you save yourself some money right now and purchase the limited $20 Two-Day Pass to our weekend celebration. 

http://www.ticketfly.com/event/292769-shams-band-chicago/

That is it for now. We hope to see some folks out at our upcoming street festivals. Thank you for your support and continue to dance and enjoy yourselves at our shows. That is what music is all about.

HELP OUT: The Luck of Eden Hall Kickstarter for London Gig With Limited Edition Vinyl Premiums

Chicago’s The Luck of Eden Hall will be opening for the legendary band The Pretty Things at The Borderline in London on August 10! 

The band has set up a Kickstarter campaign with some amazing limited edition vinyl premiums to raise money to get across the pond: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1353737515/the-luck-of-eden-hall-london-calling

They've just made what they need for the trip but you have a chance to score sweet collector vinyl till their campaign ends on June 30th.

Click here for ChiIL Live Shows prior coverage on The Luck of Eden Hall including live show shots.

Here's our interview with Curvey and his young daughter, Seda.

Click here for the band's main site.

ACT OUT OPENING TONIGHT: Piccolo Teatro di Milano's Inner Voices at Chicago Shakespeare

Chicago Shakespeare joins the Italian Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago to commemorate the 2013 Year of Italian Culture in the U.S.

We've been excited about this acclaimed production since our first posts about Inner Voices back in December.   Tonight's the night we'll finally be there to review.   The macabre premise of a man who dreams so vividly of a murder that he convinces himself that it actually occurred is so compelling.   We love black comedies and we'll bring you the full scoop soon.   This is a short 5 day run at Chicago Shakespeare, so book your tickets today!

Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often.   It was our great pleasure to kick off the "Year of Italian Culture in the US" with a luncheon at the Chicago Cultural Center with Italian dignitaries, multicultural poets and members of the press.   We'll have much more to come on the wonderful Italian theatre, art, food and cultural events in store for Chicago in the months to come.

Click here to check out the Inner Voices Photo Gallery.

by Eduardo De Filippo
directed by Toni Servillo

in CST's Courtyard Theater
June 25–29, 2013

A World’s Stage Production from Italy

Performed in Italian with projected English translation.

co-production Piccolo Teatro di Milano-Teatro d’Europa/Teatro di Roma/Teatri Uniti
preview at Théâtre du Gymnase, Marseille, European Capital of Culture 2013

“Toni Servillo is divine...supported by a razor-sharp piece and surrounded by talent. ” –La Marseillaise (France)

“Genius...moments of pure comedy within a noir frame.”
–Avvenire (Italy)

Chicago Shakespeare joins the Italian Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago to commemorate the 2013 Year of Italian Culture in the U.S. First written and performed in Milano in 1948, Inner Voices tells the story of a man who dreams the murder of a friend so vividly that he believes the crime has actually been committed by his neighbors’ family. This gripping production features Toni Servillo, hailed by The New York Times as “the best Italian stage and screen actor of his generation,” leading a multi-generational cast of celebrated Neapolitan actors. It also marks the return of Italy’s renowned Piccolo Teatro di Milano, which last played Chicago in 2005 when CST presented Arlecchino, Servant of Two Masters. Inner Voices has been coproduced with Teatri Uniti from Naples and Teatro di Roma.

Approximate Running Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes (no intermission)

Inner Voices is presented in the Jentes Family Auditorium.

International programming at Chicago Shakespeare Theater is supported, in part, by the Julius Frankel Foundation.

"Inner Voices". Between dreams and reality with the Servillo brothers

"The tragedy of Italy is not having revolted, of not having killed the father, as Umberto Saba said, and suddenly we have become fratricidal" - this is one of the acute considerations that Toni Servillo makes on the ethical dispute between what is admissible and what is not in the post-war period lived by our country as described by Eduardo De Filippo in Inner Voices, a play with which the actor-director has recently debuted in Marseilles and which is now at the Piccolo Teatro, Milan, before departing for the Argentina in Rome on Tuesday 7. "For a certain loss of sense and rules of civil living, the people of today have also fallen into a relationship crisis from which it seems difficult to escape" says Servillo, who returns after 11 years to take on Eduardo, after the exceptional Saturday, Sunday and Monday The opportunity here is provided by a weaving of nightmares and evil deeds presumed real, in a climate of monstrosity and restless sleep. "Alberto Saporito, my character, unmasks his own guilty conscience and that of everyone else when he accuses a neighbouring family, which he sees as irrefutably guilty, of a crime, a crime which he then realises he has only dreamt of. It is however too late, and the bad situation creates further reciprocal suspicions, accusations and betrayal." Here it is, an intense theme ofInner Voices: disloyalty, u-tums, mistrust, even between relatives or cohabitants..."

Rodolfo Di Giammarco, La Repubblica

The restless sleep of monsters

They begin and end in sleep, the Inner Voices with which Toni Servillo returns to Eduardo, a few years after that Saturday, Sunday and Monday which seemed to us to have been the most beautiful and moving treatment of a piece by the Neapolitan master since his death. And we all know well what sleep can create when the grip of reason is loosened. It is a black comedy of dreams, shadows, visions, nocturnal nightmares, Inner Voices. The restless souls of the dead nest, they creep into the house, into the nooks and crannies, even, shamelessly, into clothes- into the tie which will not knot. The maid Maria - who we see at the beginning lying on a chair at the kitchen table - dreams, unable to work in the early hours of the morning. And even in her young innocence, the dream is a surreal film of images which drip blood. Alberto Saporito dreams. And in this dream he is convinced that his neighbours - the good family Cimmaruta which lives off the work of its womenfolk- have killed his friend Aniello Amitrano. He spied on them, he saw how they had drawn him into a trap and where they had hidden the blood-soaked shirt and the incriminating documents: in a hole behind the dresser. He thus hastens to formally accuse them and now there in their kitchen he waits together with his brother for the arrival of the police, stealing glances at the clock which prolongs the cruel pleasure of being able to openly throw in their faces the still concealed rancour. Bum them alive, he cries, with the zeal of a religious inquisitor, as they are lead away. But did Alberto Saporito really dream? He himself is no longer sure. He no longer knows what is real in this melting pot of reality and dream, in front of the procession of relatives who accuse each other of the crime. They believed it possible, they accepted it, maybe they were ready to commit another, as he claims in the moralistic finale, when a blinding light floods the stage and brings what should be the moment of truth. Everyone thinking that he withdrew out of fear. Everyone repeating to him, produce the documents, there's no point saying he doesn't have them.

Gianni Manzella, 11 manifesto

Eduardo, Servillo, and the "moral postwar" of today.

On Sunday afternoon I went to the Piccolo Teatro di Milano to enjoy Inner Voices by Eduardo De Filippo with a Toni Servillo who speaks with his eyes and hands, his brother Peppe, a white table, a dresser and a couple of chairs. A neo-realist joumey through the guilty conscience of humanity which begins in the rubble ofthe Second World War and which strips bare the fall of the values of the "moral postwar" of today. Small and great miseries take to the stage, characters with their vileness and suspicions, stains of hatred and the usual dose of hypocrisy, gestures and (bitter) portraits of a "guilty conscience" of both the young and the old. A piece of miraculous foresight which only the talent of Eduardo could have conceived in 1948, and which only the talent of Servillo could interpret so faithfully as to conduct us through the meanders of a soul devoured by envy and the (unfortunately) evermore frequent trails of the moral corruption of today..."

Roberto Napoletano, II Sole 24 Ore

The soul of Eduardo in the clothes of The Tramp

"It is clear that the Inner voices, the voices of conscience, reflect the traumas of a country where everyone suspects everyone else, where values seem to have disappeared, where the wisest prefer to remain silent because they know they will not be understood; such as the old and almost invisible Uncle Nicola who communicates to the world by letting off firecrackers and who only Alberto can understand. The world of dreams here mixes and is confused with reality, and this is expressed well (the second act played in chiaroscuro is wonderful) through Toni Servillo's direction which translates everything with subtle intelligence into a metaphor. With moments of pure comedy within a noir frame, Toni Servillo excels: dressing in that baggy suit "à la Tramp", he gives his character that Chaplin touch. This too is genius."

Domenico Rigotti, Avvenire

Divine Comedy
"As a director, Servillo shines for his winning attitude, for which Naples "understands more that one sees". Suddenly, the simple costumes serve only to define the era, in the same way that the minimalist scenery enhances the musicality of the Neapolitan dialect. A dialect which Servillo and the dozen actors who accompany him (among them his real-life brother, Peppe, a perfect bigot, more suited to scrounging than bowing) play with, dragging the words and transforming the consonants to better prolong the vowels. Although the subtitles at times delay the reactions of the audience by a few moments, they are reduced to a minimum, just enough to help follow the conversation without interfering with the acting. Apropos the acting: Servillo stands out for all that he is, one of the most talented Italian actors, able to transmit to all the lowliness of humanity of the post-war period simply by holding his head in his hands. Supported by a razor-sharp piece and surrounded by talent, he is divine."

Paul Goiffon, La Marseillase

The ruin of Italy as seen by De Filippo
Toni Servillo stages "Inner Voices", written in 1948, which recalls the current crisis.
"In Naples it is raining. Italy has never seemed so confused, irritable, divided, such a caricature, than after the elections of 24 and 25 February. In Genova, an elderly comic, Beppe Grillo, holds politics hostage. In Milan, the deathwatch of members of Silvio Berlusconi's party, among them an ex minister of justice, have demonstrated against the judiciary. In Rome, the search is on for a government. A little light is needed. We enter the theatre in order to see better ( ... ) "I had already staged Saturday, Sunday and Monday by De Filippo - explains Servillo - a perfect play which foresaw the economic boom of the 1960s. This is darker, more difficult to stage. Written in 1948, at the end of the war, it speaks of the moral ruin which followed the material ruin of Italy. I chose to tell of this precipice in which truth and lies, legal and illegal, are confused. The war changed the nature of man and we no longer know how to communicate or understand each other." One of the characters, who expresses himself simply by lighting firecrackers, illustrates this abyss: he has chosen silence "because the world is deaf.'"

Philippe Ridet, Le Monde

Mavis Staples releases “One True Vine” TODAY & Plays Hideout Block Party/AV Fest

Mavis Staples ONLY Chicago performance of 2013 will be at the Hideout Block Party/AV Fest!

Get your tickets NOW!

Mavis Staples has been a guiding light for all of us our entire lives.  It was overwhelming to us when she decided to record her 2008 live album the Hideout.  "Hope at the Hideout” was released it on election night, November 4, 2008.  Jeff Tweedy and Wilco were in the audience that magical night.  That night at the Hideout, Jeff and Mavis decided to record some songs together.  This amazing relationship, led to the Grammy winning “You Are Not Alone”, and now to today’s release of “One True Vine”.   And the reviews are amazing!

Jon Pareles in the New York Times says:  “Far Celestial Shores,” written for Ms. Staples by Nick Lowe, envisions heaven not only as a realm of abundance and joy, but also as “a place I know for certain I will someday see.” …determinedly celebratory…as a whole, “One True Vine” is as introspective and diffident as a gospel album can be. Bravely and intimately, it leaves room for doubt.

Rolling Stone says: “One True Vine shows there isn't much the ex-Staple Singer can't make gorgeous...”

NPR says: “the album blooms into something more celebratory — as Staples begins to find salvation and comfort — the joy in One True Vine peeks through like slivers of sunshine.”

The Guardian UK says: “We think it's great”

Mavis Staples has had a 60 year career where she marched with Martin Luther King and helped change America and the world.  She has become the vine that ties generations, races and genders together.

She has decided to make the Hideout her home. We are beyond honored!

For the next week you can enter a raffle to win a pair of tickets to the party!  Donations will benefit the Betty Hemmert Memorial Music Scholarship Fund at Rock For Kids

The new album is available for purchase here.

Mavis Staples will perform her ONLY Chicago performance of 2013 at the Hideout Block Party/ AV Fest!

Get your tickets NOW!

ACT OUT OPENING: World Premier of Mojada at Victory Gardens 7/12 and Dig Deeper Events

Rehearsals have just begun for Mojada... ...and much of the team from Oedipus el Rey has reassembled to work on this summer's sizzling interpretation of the Medea myth. The press has already taken notice, with Mojada featured in both the Tribune and Sun-Times.  ChiIL Live Shows will be checking out an open rehearsal soon, as we did for VG's The Whale and Disconnect.   It's incredible to see a show morph and grow from a staged reading into a full blown production in the hands of pros.   It's fascinating to hear audience feedback and be part of the process.   We can't wait for our sneak peek and to see this powerful world premier come to fruition.   Book your seats today. (Check out photos and initial designs from rehearsal over on Victory Gardens' Facebook Page.) For every production, VG constructs a series of public programming based around the issues present in the show. Mojada is no exception. In fact, this is the widest array of events they've ever had for a single production.  For more information on this and other events, visit their website. Check out the full list below: DIG DEEPER - MOJADA PROMISE LAND A Conversation and Film Excerpt July 13 | 6:30pm reception and screening | Post-show Conversation | Free for Mojada ticketholders This world premiere film examines the way immigration affects all of us in different ways. Join filmmaker Kevin Delvi and actor Kamal Hans (Victory Gardens' Disconnect, Rasaka Theater) for an excerpt of the movie and a discussion on its themes of Asian immigration between Resident Company Rasaka Theater and playwright Luis Alfaro. A PATH OR A LABYRINTH? A Town Hall Discussion July 14 | Following the 3pm performance of Mojada | Free for Mojada ticketholders As SB744--the immigration reform bill--works its way through the Senate amidst cheers of support calling it the "biggest victory for advocates of immigrant rights in a generation," one question among many looms large-Might this proposed "path to citizenship" be, in fact, a labyrinth? WEDNESDAY NIGHT OUT! presented in association with Center on Halsted July 17 | 6pm Margarita Hour | Post-show Discussion | Free with ticket to Mojada Start the evening with a margarita at Fiesta Mexicana as we toast playwright Luis Alfaro. Next, head into the theatre to witness his stunning re-imagining of Medea. Then, hang back with us for a special post show conversation featuring respected immigration attorney, Michael R. Jarecki, as we discuss the LGBTQ themes in Mojada. BACK THERE Luis Alfaro in conversation with Marcus Gardley July 21 | Pre-show conversation | Free with ticket to Mojada Both Mojada (by Luis Alfaro) and The Gospel of Lovingkindness (by Ensemble Playwright Marcus Gardley) are set in Chicago neighborhoods with deep cultural roots. Mojada focuses on the Mexican immigrant community in Pilsen, and Lovingkindess focuses on the Black community in Bronzeville with deep ties to the American South. Join these playwrights to discuss how their plays are informed by migration and heritage in Chicago's communities of color. AN EVENING WITH TEATRO VISTA presented in association with Teatro Vista July 26 | 6:30pm reception | Post-show Discussion | Free with ticket to Mojada Mojada cast members Sandra Delgado, Sandra Marquez, Juan Villa, and Charin Alvarez are all company members of Teatro Vista, a VG Resident Theatre and venerable Latino ensemble. Join Teatro Vista as they host a pre-show reception and post-show conversation around Mojada. EMPANADA FOR A DREAM presented in association with Teatro Vista July 28th | 7:30pm | Tickets: $15 or Pay-What-You-Can for Mojada ticketholders Juan Villa (cast as Jason in Mojada) brings his critically acclaimed solo show to Victory Gardens in this special one night only event! Empanada for a Dream is Villa's haunting love song to New York's Lower East Side, where his family immigrated and raised him. Join him for this dangerous and hilarious living memoir about growing up and leaving home. THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY + IMMIGRATION presented in association with Access Living and VG Access Project August 9 | 6:00pm | Free for Mojada ticketholders Join celebrated disability rights activist, Rene David Luna (Access Living), for this special pre-show discussion! Luna leads a panel on the current immigration system and explores the positive and negative impacts the proposed bill might have on persons with disabilities. MOJADA by Luis Alfaro directed by Chay Yew final play of the season Jul 12 - Aug 11, 2013 From the playwright of last season's critically-acclaimed Oedipus el Rey, Mojada is a breathtaking re-imagination of Euripides' Medea transported to Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. With her husband Jason and companion Tita in tow, Medea crosses into the United States illegally to escape a past filled with betrayal. Once here, she is caught in a struggle to adapt to the new country and to keep her family from breaking apart. Alfaro's stunning modern take on the Greek myth tackles American immigration, family, tradition, mysticism, and the explosive moment when they all collide. Victory Gardens Theater announces the world premiere of Mojada by VG Associate Artist Luis Alfaro as its final play of the 2012-2013 season.  Mojada will replace Ensemble Playwright Marcus Gardley’s previously announced Chicago is Burning. Mojada will run July 12-August 11, 2013. From the author of last season’s critically-acclaimed Oedipus El Rey, Mojada is a breathtaking reimagining of Euripides' Medea transported to Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood.  Medea, a young, gifted curandera (healer) in exile, is running from a past filled with betrayals.  With husband Jason and her son in tow, the illegal immigrant is caught in a struggle to adapt to the modern world. Alfaro's stunning modern take on the Greek myth tackles American immigration, family, tradition, culture and the explosive moment when they all collide. Chicago is Burning has been postponed while Marcus Gardley continues work on the play.  Victory Gardens intends to find the appropriate time to present Gardley’s play when it is ready for production. We’re very excited to welcome Luis Alfaro back to Victory Gardens with the world premiere of Mojada. When Luis was in rehearsals with Oedipus el Rey this past summer, we talked much about his writing a new play specifically for the Mexican American community here in Chicago,” says Chay Yew.  “We explored the possibility of producing his new play Bruja, his adaptation of Medea. However, during our dramaturgical sessions and his frequent visits to Pilsen, Luis began to see Bruja with a different set of eyes. Starting with a page one rewrite, Luis and I spent time collaborating and workshopping the new and different version of the play, relocating the play to Chicago. Emotionally raw, political, poignant and powerful, Luis’ Mojada was born.” Chicago has become both an artistic home and a source of great inspiration for me.  I am so excited to be invited back to Victory Garden’s Theater to collaborate with a great group of artists, led by good friend Chay Yew”, comments Luis Alfaro.  “I spent the summer meeting the communities that make up every neighborhood in this amazing city and I was taken by the diversity and politics that Chicagoans wrestle with daily.  Chicago is the third largest Latino city in the country.  Neighborhoods like Pilsen, Little Village and Humboldt Park come with celebration, as well as challenges. Once again, I am using the Greek myths as a way of having a conversation with the Victory Gardens’ audience about the issues that all of us face as citizens in this great country.” Full performance schedule Previews of Mojada are July 12-July 21, 2013: Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 3 pm. Previews are $20-$40.   The Press opening is Monday, July 22 at 7:30 pm.  Regular performances run through August 11, 2013: Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm; Saturday at 4 pm; Sunday at 3 pm.  Regular performances are $20-$50. Performances are at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, in the heart of Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.  For tickets and information, call the Victory Gardens Box Office, 773.871.3000 (TTY: 773.871.0682), email tickets@victorygardens.org , or visit www.victorygardens.org .  Ask the Box Office about student tickets ($15), senior, Access, 20 for $20, and rush discounts.  For group discounts, call 773.634.9874. A full and updated schedule of special events, post show discussions and presentations centered around performances of Mojada is available at www.victorygardens.org . Victory Gardens is the winner of Best Accessible Theater, Deaf Illinois Awards 2009.  See www.victorygardens.org  and click on “Enhance Your Visit” for information on other Access services including large print and Braille programs, assisted listening devices, and artist development workshops as well as a full schedule of special events, post-show discussions and presentations. Logistics and Amenities Parking $11 valet parking is available for all performances except weekday matinees. Metered and street parking is available, but mind the neighborhood parking restrictions. Public transit By CTA train, take the Red, Purple or Brown lines to the Fullerton stop.  Walk east on Fullerton to Lincoln, then north 1/2 block to the theater.   The #8 Halsted, #11 Lincoln,  #37 Sedgwick/Ogden, and #74 Fullerton CTA buses all stop at the corner of Fullerton and Halsted, 1/2 block south of the theater.  See transitchicago.com  for times and routes. Pre- and post-show dining See www.victorygardens.org  for a list of Victory Gardens’ neighborhood dining partners.  Each is within walking distance of the Biograph, and all offer a special discount to patrons who present a Victory Gardens ticket stub.  About Victory Gardens Theater Under the leadership of Artistic Director Chay Yew and Executive Director Jan Kallish, Victory Gardens is dedicated to artistic excellence while creating a vital, contemporary American Theater that is accessible and relevant to all people through productions of challenging new plays and musicals. Victory Gardens Theater is a leader in developing and producing new theatre work and cultivating an inclusive theater community. Victory Gardens’ core strengths are nurturing and producing dynamic and inspiring new plays, reflecting the diversity of our city’s and nation’s culture through engaging diverse communities, and in partnership with Chicago Public Schools,  bringing art and culture to our city’s active student population.   Since its founding in 1974, the company has produced more world premieres than any other Chicago theater, a commitment recognized nationally when Victory Gardens received the 2001 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Our commitment to developing, supporting and producing new theatre work makes Victory Gardens an American Center for New Plays. In 2006, Victory Gardens successfully completed an $11.8 million renovation of Chicago’s famed Biograph Theater, and moved two blocks north from its longtime venue at 2257 N. Lincoln Avenue, to its beautiful new home in one of Chicago’s most celebrated historic landmarks.  Renamed Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, the new venue is a state-of-the-art 299-seat mainstage which has greatly expanded the company’s artistic flexibility. In 2009, Victory Gardens completed the second phase of renovation at the Biograph, building an intimate, new, 109-seat studio theater on the second floor.  On March 1, 2010, at a special launch event for Victory Gardens $1 million Campaign for Growth, the theater’s new studio was officially named the Richard Christiansen Theater, in honor of the Chicago Tribune chief critic emeritus and longtime champion of Chicago’s live theater scene.  Visit www.victorygardens.org  for more details. Victory Gardens Theater receives major funding from Alphawood Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Boeing Company, Allstate Insurance, Polk Bros. Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, Leo S. Guthman Fund, National Endowment for the Arts and REAM Foundation. Additional funding is provided by:Illinois Arts Council (a state agency), The Edgerton Foundation, Charles & M.R. Shapiro Foundation, Venturous Theater Fund, McVay Foundation, The Seabury Foundation, Wrightwood Neighbors Conservation Association, The Charles H. and Bertha L. Boothroyd Foundation, John R. Halligan Charitable Fund, Illinois Tool Works, Motorola Mobility Foundation, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, a City Arts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, The Irving Harris Foundation and The Saints.

DEVO Reissues Hardcore Volumes 1 & 2 Digitally and on Vinyl TODAY

Janet Macoska--Photo Credit

DEVO

DEVO Reissues Hardcore Volumes 1 & 2 Digitally and on Vinyl

Indie Rock | Electronica/Dance | Rock

ChiIL Live Shows recently caught up with Devo on their tour with Blondie, hilariously named The Whip Her to Shreds Tour.  They've still got it.  Chicago Theatre was hopping and the guys put on an excellent, high energy show.   Now were happy to announce they're reissuing Hardcore with two new releases from the archives.

Seminal Recordings Available Now For The First Time Since 1991
Pre-orders for previously unreleased demos and rare live recording launched in conjunction with release of Hardcore

DEVO is pleased to announce that Hardcore Volumes 1 & 2 have been reissued and are available at digital retailers worldwide today.  Hardcore has also been released today as a limited pressing of vinyl, with the double CD album to follow shortly after with a July 9 release date, via Superior Viaduct.

DEVO's Hardcore Volumes 1 & 2 document DEVO history with early 4-track recordings made between 1974-1977. Containing some of the earliest DEVO output, Hardcore includes rarely-heard tracks alongside demos of classic songs like "Satisfaction," "Jocko Homo," and "Mongoloid." The collections were only briefly released in the early 90s and have been long out of print.

Reminiscing on the process behind these essential pieces of punk history, Gerald Casale says:

1974. The rough beginning of our Hardcore Devo recording struggles began in a basement in Akron, Ohio. Bob Mothersbaugh and myself would get right to work after our day jobs deconstructing various sonic fragments, picking and pulsing into the late hours interrupted only by a mandatory fast food break. Soon, Mark and Jim Mothersbaugh joined the nightly sessions. By late 1976, when the rental location changed and the basement was bigger, we had all 5 Devo cylinders pumping in galvanized, industrial force with Mark Mothersbaugh on keyboards and Moog and Arp synthesizers, Bob Mothersbaugh on lead guitar, Bob Casale on rhythm guitar, Alan Myers on drums and myself on bass. By the summer of 1977 we had over 40 songs including the finished 4-track versions of all the songs that would eventually appear on the first two albums of our label deal with the devil. The beginning really was the end. However, beginnings, no matter how rough, are always good. Listen and see for yourself.

Listen to “Auto Modown” from Hardcore Vol. 1 exclusively at RollingStone.com 

To celebrate the release of this classic album, DEVO has selected two additional releases from the archives to be made available digitally for the first time. Something Else for Everybody and Live 1981 Seattle are now available for pre-order digitally on iTunes. Something Else for Everybody features demos and outtakes from the 2010 release Something for Everybody, while Live 1981 Seattle contains a rare live recording from the “New Traditionalists” tour. Both albums will be released on July 23.

In addition, all of these digital albums are available at http://devohardcore.com, either individually or bundled with both Hardcore volumes. 

For more information:

http://clubDEVO.com

http://facebook.com/clubDEVO

http://twitter.com/DEVO