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

The 4th Annual Summer's Last Stand NORTH COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL 2013

ChiIL Live Shows has been there every year since the start, bringing you photo filled features.   

Click here to check 'em out here.

More of our favorite recaps:

NCMF Friday 2010 NCMF SATURDAY 2012 NCMF SUNDAY 2012 North Coast Music Festival is thrilled to announce the fourth annual DOS EQUIS TOAST OF THE COAST! NCMF will pick one DJ and one live act to perform at the 2013 North Coast Music Festival! Last year, Vapor Eyes, Second City Citizens, and Indigo Sun won the contest and performed at the festival on one of the main stages. In the previous years, local hip-hop artist ProbCause won the contest, and was invited back to perform at the festival in its second year. Full rules and details below:  Artist Submissions: Between June 25th and July 9th, upload your favorite track and begin to rally your voters.  Hopefully others will agree with your choice  and help propel your case. Enter your submission here. Voting: Between July 9th and July 22nd, vote once per day, every day, if you want to make a life-changing difference in the life of one live act and one DJ. Each e-mail address will be allotted one vote per day, so encourage your supporters to vote early and often! VOTING ENDS midnight on July 22nd! The Decision: On July 23rd, the votes will be tallied and out of the top 20 vote getters, 4 DJs and 4 live acts will be chosen to round out our 8 Finalists.  These finalists will each play a short set on July 31st for organizers and their fans at The MID (306 North Halsted).  Wow them, and you'll be one of two winners.  They'll pick one live act and one DJ to join the main stage lineup at this year’s fest.   If you or your friends create multiple accounts (or try to use bots to vote for you), it’s cheating, and we will disqualify those votes. So please, don’t waste your time or ours cheating. Tickets are on sale now for the festival through Clubtix.com! Ticket link HERE North Coast Music Festival August 30th - September 1st, 2013 Union Park Chicago, IL 60607 All Ages Friday: 3 PM - 10 PM Saturday/Sunday: Noon - 10 PM www.northcoastfestival.com www.clubtix.com

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SAVE THE DATE: GHOST THE MOVIE NOW A MUSICAL will play Chicago’s Oriental Theatre Jan. 7 – 19, 2014.

THE TIMELESS FANTASY ABOUT THE POWER OF LOVE 

      

Playing Chicago’s Oriental Theatre
 January 7 – 19, 2014

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce that the new Broadway and West End musical GHOST THE MUSICAL will play Chicago’s Oriental Theatre (24 West Randolph) from Jan. 7 – 19, 2014. Relive the iconic and magical moments from the Oscar-winning movie Ghost in a brand-new Broadway musical.  Ghost The Musical breathes glorious new life into a timeless love story.  

Ghost The Musical is directed by Tony Award-winner Matthew Warchus (God of Carnage, The Norman Conquests, Boeing-Boeing) and created by a team of Grammy and Academy Award-winners, including an original score by Dave Stewart (half of the multi-Grammy Award-winning Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson's Man In The Mirror, Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill).  GHOST THE MUSICAL features a book by Bruce Joel Rubin (Ghost, Jacob’s Ladder, The Time Traveler’s Wife) who has adapted his Academy Award-winning original screenplay for the stage.  This brand new score also includes the iconic song “Unchained Melody,” famously performed in the film by The Righteous Brothers.  

Set in modern day New York City, GHOST THE MUSICAL is a timeless fantasy about the power of love.  Walking back to their apartment one night after a romantic dinner, Sam and Molly are mugged, leaving Sam dead on a dark street.  Sam is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next and unable to leave Molly, who he learns is in grave danger. With the help of a phony storefront psychic, Sam tries to communicate with Molly in the hopes of saving and protecting her. 

GHOST The Musical has been enjoyed by over 500,000 people worldwide and has been nominated for numerous awards including five Olivier Awards and three Tony Awards.  The Associated Press calls GHOST The Musical “Eye-poppingly brilliant” while Variety assures the audience will experience “A limitless array of dazzling effects.”  Newsday promises that GHOST The Musical is “Unlike anything seen on stage before” and the Daily Telegraph says that GHOST The Musical “Will keep you gasping!”

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film in 1990, Ghost became a blockbuster hit and an instant classic, winning numerous awards worldwide.  The film starred Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Tony Goldwyn and Whoopi Goldberg and was directed by Jerry Zucker.  Bruce Joel Rubin’s script won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Whoopi Goldberg won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of psychic Oda Mae Brown.

TICKET INFORMATION
GHOST THE MUSICAL is part of the Broadway In Chicago 2014 Spring Season.  Group tickets for 10 or more are now on sale by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Individual tickets for GHOST THE MUSICAL will go on sale at a later date.  For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com or www.ghostthemusical.com.

Kut U Up "Worse Than Wolves" July 2nd #indierock

To Be Released Digitally and on Limited Edition Swirl Vinyl, July 2 Record Release show on 7/2 - The Saloon - Encinitas, CA syndicated at StageIt.com Kut U Up has returned to form with the band's first newly recorded material in more than a decade. They entered Double Time studios on El Cajon California, under the masterful ears of Jeff Forrest, recording six tracks-some unheard, some live show mainstays. The Worse Than Wolves EP will be available July 2 digitally and on limited edition vinyl (black and clear swirl, limited to 500, image below) through MVD Entertainment Group. It can be pre-ordered at Aggronautix.com or at See of Sound. The band's record release show at The Saloon in Encinitas, CA on July 2 will also be syndicated online at StageIt.com for fans across the globe.  Kut U Up's first release, 2002's Pulled Over: Your Eyes Are Telling Me Different Son... , and the band's star-turn in the cult-classic, rock-doc, Riding In Vans' With Boys have helped the band garner a loyal, rabid, and very patient fan base around the world. Fortunately for the fans, the wait for new Kut U Up material is over... "It's crazy that it took us so long to go back in to the studio," says Kut U Up founding member, Chris Cote. "We never 'broke up', and we've been playing live here and there for the last ten or so years, but it became evident through fan interaction and the response we've been getting at shows that we really needed to record some new material. The fans deserve it, and we feel like our legacy does too-we don't want to just be remembered as, 'the band that was all f-ked up in that one movie with Blink and Green Day'-we feel the new songs will speak for themselves. The fans that have stuck with us will love the new jams, and hopefully we'll open the eyes and ears of a whole new generation of Kut U Up fans as well! We're very excited to start this new chapter of the Kut U Up saga." The band's lineup remains strongly bonded, with Chris Cote on Bass and vocals, Brandon Parkhurst on guitar and vocals, Brendan Raasch on drums, and the most recent addition, Matt Amador on guitar. Listen to "Make It Out Alive". For more information go to: http://kutuupmusic.com/ https://www.facebook.com/KutUup Track Listing:  1.Trust 2. Shut It Down 3. Worse Than Wolves 4. Last Time 5. Give A Shit 6. Trap's Set  About KUT U UP Kut U Up is an indie-rock band from San Diego, California. The four piece has been together since sometime in the middle of 1996. If memory serves, the band was formed on the basis of making loud music for partygoers. In the last decade, the band has taken it's signature sound and refined it, adding melody, intricate guitar work, rotating vocals, pounding drums, all while keeping the loose attitude and high volume rawness Kut U Up has become known for. Kut U Up's live shows are better than ever with classic Kut U Up tracks shining alongside new material. Rock and Roll will never die, and neither will Kut U Up.

Poeina Suddarth Plays The Bar 10 Doors in Chicago 7/22 #SubduedThrasherBluegrass

Poeina Suddarth

Poeina Planes, Trains, & automobile Tour

Indie Rock | Americana/Roots

Poeina Suddarth’s genre was coined as subdued thrasher bluegrass by producer and long time friend Smoke of Oldominion. Though Poeina has been inspired and closely knit into the NW hip hop community, her music has been more often compared with Janis Joplin, Jeff Buckley and Billie Holiday.  poeinasuddarth.com

Up and coming performing artist and songwriter, Poeina Suddarth, is relentless in her pursuit of bringing her music to her nationwide fanbase. Although her van broke down almost a year ago she has been hitch hiking, ridesharing, and using fan funding to tour on foot while toting her guitar and suitcase of handmade merchandise behind her.  

Poeina used to be a music teacher and volunteer community organizer.   Three years ago she dropped everything in pursuit of her dream to play and perform her original music.  Although she is currently independent and has no financial backing, Poeina takes whatever studio work and odd jobs she can find between tours to attempt to make ends meet.  "Touring is a grueling and intense way to make a living but I can't give up." ~Poeina

Poeina will be spending the next eight months touring nationally and internationally to promote her iTunes EP Poeina which was released on February 18th, 2013.  The versatile vocalist, Poeina Suddarth, meets with musicians and dancers all over the country to put on performances.  Every show is - unique and ever evolving - intense and emotive - and encompassing a range of human expression.

Touring the states is tough but since there is no way to hitch hike to Europe for her upcoming winter tour, Poeina will be launching a kickstarter campaign to fundraise to bring her music across the ocean.  To find more information about the fundraiser & tour schedule you can follow Poeina on facebook and twitter.

CONCERT START TIME:	8:30pm
VENUE:	The Bar 10 Doors
VENUE ST. ADDRESS:	1259 W Taylor St
VENUE CITY, STATE:	Chicago, IL
VENUE ZIP:	60607
VENUE LINK:	Click here
TICKET PHONE:	312-226-1611

SPIRALARMS Sign with Steamhammer/SPV #musicvideo #heavyrockers

Steamhammer / SPV is proud to announce that East Bay Heavy Rockers SpiralArms just inked a worldwide deal with Steamhammer / SPV. Their second album "Freedom" is scheduled for an October 2013 release. SpiralArms rose from the ashes of millennial bands Systematic, Forbidden and Man Made God. This sextet has one mission. That mission is to save today's music scene by bringing true heavy melodic rock to the forefront. Tim Narducci (SpiralArms) comments: "We're very proud to be a part of the SPV/Steamhammer records! SPV is the perfect home for us to grow into the band that we had envisioned when we started. Their belief in SpiralArms has only inspired us to rock harder then ever! We always felt like we just needed a crack in the door so we can kick it all the way open with our brand of heaviness." Georg Schröder (A+R Steamhammer/SPV) ads: "This band rocks hard! Their debut album 'Highest Society' which was released in 2010 already showed that these guys are really able to deliver some true, honest and super heavy melodic Rock. The upcoming album 'Freedom' goes one step further and just blew us away. The songs recall on the times of the really big rock songs of the past but the band managed it to sound amazingly fresh and modern. We can't wait to release this Rock Monster in October!" Check out "Dropping Like Flies" The first Video from the upcoming album "Freedom" here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT8MmiJC43U SpiralArms are: Tim Narducci - Vocals/Guitar Craig Locicero - Guitar Anthony Traslavina - Guitar Cornbread - Bass/Vocal Brad Barth - Keyboards Ron Redeen - Drums www.spiralarms.com

Hear the first single from Dent May's forthcoming album Warm Blanket out Aug. 27 on Paw Tracks

Photo by Aaron Beasley 

STREAM: Dent May - "Born Too Late"  Dent May previously shared a teaser video for this upcoming new album, Warm Blanket. Now, you can hear the first single from the album, "Born Too Late," over at The FADER.  About Dent May: Warm Blanket is the third album from Mississippi songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Dent May. Recorded in solitude in a reportedly haunted Victorian house by the bay in St. Augustine, Florida, the album arrives just barely a year after the release of his previous LP, Do Things. Dent's most ambitious undertaking yet, Warm Blanket is another kaleidoscopic odyssey through the restless musical mind of a DIY pop auteur. He played almost all of the instruments on the album, making use of the house's antique grand piano and recruiting Florida locals to fill in on horns, strings, and pedal steel guitar. The result is an album of existential pop, psychedelic funk, and melancholy soul with soaring arrangements ripped from the pages of classic American songwriting. Lyrically, Dent investigates life's timeless mysteries, touching on youth, mortality, alienation, and unrequited love with startling honesty and humor. A delightful mix of organic textures, analog synth squiggles, inventive vocal melodies, and sincere wordplay, Warm Blanket is a bold step forward for an artist who shows no signs of slowing down.    DENT MAY    06/24 - Fargo, ND - The Aquarium  06/25 - Iowa City, IA - The Mill +  06/26 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups +    + = w/ Dead Gaze Dent May  Warm Blanket (Paw Tracks) Street Date: August 27, 2013 Formats: CD / LP / Digital     1. Turn Up The Speakers 2. Let Them Talk 3. Born Too Late 4. Yazoo 5. Corner Piece 6. Do I Cross Your Mind? 7. It Takes A Long Time 8. I'm Ready To Be Old 9. Endlessly 10. Found A Friend 11. Summer Is Over  DENT MAY LINKS: Official Site - www.dentmay.com     Facebook - www.facebook.com/dentmay  Twitter - https://twitter.com/dentmay Label - http://www.paw-tracks.com

Spin Premieres Alela Diane's 'About Farewell' Video About Farewell Out June 25th (Digitally) And July 30th (Physical) On Rusted Blue Records

'About Farewell' Track Listing: 1. Colorado Blue 2. About Farewell 3. The Way We Fall 4. Nothing I Can Do 5. Lost Land 6. I Thought I Knew 7. Before The Leaving 8. Hazel Street 9. Black Sheep 10. Rose & Thorn Praise For Alela Diane: "Diane’s work here is hauntingly honest, strongly suggesting that the emotional wallop of About Farewell won’t be easy to shake off" --Pitchfork "Diane unspools such gorgeous melody that you can't help but experience what she's feeling" --Spin "Diane's warm alto provides an ideal vehicle for her minor-key meditations on matters existential and elemental. With a lyrical style that tends more toward dreamlike imagery than straightforward narrative, she creates music with timeless character."-- NPR "Alela Diane's songs are campfire pipe dreams filled with picket fences, desert sands and paths leading back to you." -- The Guardian [UK] "Her sincere, timeless voice and songwriting earning her country-flecked brand of folk comparisons to 70′s folk godmothers Karen Dalton and Vashti Bunyan." -- Consequence Of Sound Links: Alela Diane Website Alela Diane Facebook Watch 'About Farewell' Video At Spin! Pre-Order About Farewell on iTunes  "I heard somebody say that 'the brightest lights cast the biggest shadows,' so honey, I've got to let you go, I've got to let you go". ...So croons the elegant folkstress Alela Diane on the title number from her forthcoming record, About Farewell. Over the last year, Alela has finished recording and mixing this new album, to be self-released in the summer via her own label, Rusted Blue Records. It serves as an eloquent goodbye to lovers from years past, coupled with some poignant last walks down memory lane. While the lyrics deal most directly with her recent divorce, the album explores her entire last decade of relationships with tremendous honesty and nuanced insight. To call the experience "cathartic" would almost be an understatement - for Alela, this was a record which direly needed to be made. In the writing process, she was able to lucidly articulate her emotions about her marriage, a process which led her to realize the necessity of ending one chapter of her life in order to begin a new one. Her art helped to guide her, as ever, along the proper path. The process of writing and recording About Farewell cemented her intention to say a firm goodbye. Yet in releasing it - surrendering it to the world - this songbird can find new levity with that weight off her wings. She's flying towards what the French call l'avenir - the "yet to come." These songs are somber and achingly truthful, yet always glimmering with her exquisite poetry. In these new songs, Alela's staggering voice is able to take center stage, as she's turned away from the full band that she last employed with Alela Diane & Wild Divine. The entirety of About Farewell was built around her voice and simple guitar arrangements. With an unprecedented level of creative control, Alela could explore her own ideas for harmonies and melodies and create a wholly unique piece of self-expression. While the record is a step forward for her in this way, it also represents a return to her roots as a songwriter. Hailing from Nevada City, CA, the homespun charms of her origin place have never left her. Alela's first record, The Pirate's Gospel, featured hand-drawn and hand-sewn sleeves. It is this handcrafted DIY aesthetic which is revisited anew, both in her decision to self-release the album, and in her self-possessed approach to recording Alela laid much of About Farewell to tape with John Askew at Flora Recording Studios in her current home of Portland, Or, in late 2011 and early 2012. Over the course of 2012 she enlisted the help of some very talented friends to flesh out the sound: Heather Broderick (Horse Feathers, Efterklang, Loch Lomond) arranging and playing piano and flute, Holcombe Waller arranging strings, and Neal Morgan (Joanna Newsom, Bill Callahan touring bands) playing drums. In early 2013, she finished mixing the album with John Askew at Scenic Burrows and Mix Foundry. We find these stripped-down folk songs to be a perfect vehicle for Alela's impressive emotional range. She's able to convey heartrending vulnerability at one moment, then bold wisdom and unflinching directness at the next. Nowhere is this palette so rich as in the live shows, an intimate treat for audiences lucky enough to catch her this year.  In the season of spring, the heart has thawed and we turn to the promise of budding possibilities. A once-heartsick Alela has said her farewells, and now is the time to meet the new, more fully actualized woman.

BLUE MAN GROUP SEEKS NEW BLUE MEN AT OPEN CASTING CALL AT CHICAGO’S BRIAR STREET THEATRE 7/9

Blue Man Group is one of our long time favorites.   Click here to check out loads of our photo filled past coverage.    ChiIL Mama was even quoted in their ads :). You too could be blue! What does it take to be a Blue Man?   Blue Man is an egoless, genderless being.  Male and female performers are encouraged to audition.  All necessary audition equipment will be provided.  The basic criteria for Blue Man performers are: Height between 5’10” and 6’1” tall (athletic build) Solid drumming skills Excellent acting skills Willingness to relocate Open Casting Call to be Held Tuesday, July 9 – 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.   Blue Man Group, the international entertainment phenomenon, announces the 2013 Blue Man Group open casting call on Tuesday, July 9 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Briar Street Theatre (3133 N. Halsted Street). The Blue Man Group casting department is searching for talented performers with a unique combination of qualities to be a Blue Man for the existing and upcoming productions and multimedia projects.   The Blue Man cast features performing artists with a diverse mix of disciplines: classically-trained actors, rock musicians and dancers.  Once cast, the new Blue Men will have the opportunity to perform in one of the nine ongoing theatrical productions in Chicago, New York, Boston, Las Vegas, Orlando, Berlin, Australia, Brazil and on tour throughout the U.S. In addition, the Blue Men can be seen onboard the new Norwegian Epic by Norwegian Cruise Line – the Official Cruise Line of Blue Man Group.   The Blue Man Group open casting calls have been instrumental in finding the next generation of wide-eyed explorers of contemporary civilization. In the most recent Chicago open casting call, a local, Nick Rush, auditioned and now performs as one of the ever-curious and creative Blue Men at the Briar Street Theatre.   What does it take to be a Blue Man?   Blue Man is an egoless, genderless being.  Male and female performers are encouraged to audition.  All necessary audition equipment will be provided.  The basic criteria for Blue Man performers are: Height between 5’10” and 6’1” tall (athletic build) Solid drumming skills Excellent acting skills Willingness to relocate This open call audition is for Blue Man performers.  Musicians who do not meet the above criteria can be considered for Blue Man Group band positions by submitting application information on bluemancasting.com.  For more information about ongoing Blue Man Group casting efforts, performers may visit bluemancasting.com. ABOUT THE SHOW In the show, the Blue Men encounter a variety of environments to discover, engage with and explore of-the-moment situations with cutting-edge technology.  Many of the signature scenes that have made Blue Man Group one of today’s best-loved theatrical productions have been in the show since its opening and new material has been integrated regularly. Newer passages include Blue Men interacting with “GiPads;” a funny and perceptive look at contemporary communication vehicles; and a pulsating finale featuring an original Blue Man Group music score.  The company’s music, featuring custom made instruments and signature, percussive sound, can be heard on five albums, including the Grammy-nominated “Audio,” as well as various film and television projects. As the company grows, it remains true to its vision of providing exciting experiences in a variety of media, appealing to a broad range of age groups and cultural backgrounds.  Blue Man Group’s appeal is multi-generational, with several projects specifically designed for young people, including “Making Waves,” a popular touring exhibit for children, and the national “Invent an Instrument” competition. Through August 1, 2013 Blue Man Group will be hosting the Blue Man Group Art Competition. Up to six winners will be chosen by a panel of local Chicago judges to have 10’ x 10’ reproductions of their Blue Man-inspired works hung in an outdoor art gallery on the exterior wall of the Briar Street Theater. Winners will also receive a $5,000 cash prize. Interested artists can visit entrythingy.com/www.blueman.com for more details, full rules and regulations and entry requirements. BLUE MAN GROUP TICKET INFORMATION   Tickets are available from $49-$99. Tickets may be purchased at the Briar Street Theatre by calling the box office at (773) 348-4000; by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787; at all Ticketmaster ticket centers or via the Internet at www.ticketmaster.com.  For more information, visit www.blueman.com/tickets/chicago. Blue Man Group Chicago Open Casting Call at the Briar Street Theatre (3133 N. Halsted St.) Tuesday, July 9 – 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

ACT OUT OPENING: 5th Annual Salon des Naked July: Art Stripped Down 2013

The National Pastime Theater Presents

Salon des Naked July: Art Stripped Down 2013

Fifth Annual Summer Festival

At The National Pastime Theater the entire month of July is filled with lovely, provoking and aggressive bodies. As the temperature rises, the clothing falls. The National Pastimes’ festival reveals the human body as beautiful in every shape, size and color. By exposing these physical differences, audiences discover the innate similarities in all human bodies. We are all made of the same material both natural and beautiful.

In our fifth annual Salon, Naked July: Art Stripped Down, NPT offers a series of shows and exhibitions. We offer multi-disciplinary pieces that explore the many aspects of beauty in art featuring the nude human body. There are Life Drawing Sessions, Aggressive Movement Theater and Dance, Audience Participatory workshops and classic Burlesque Big City Butterflies. The National Pastime Theater transforms our world into a human form art gallery for one month. Only at The National Pastime Theater.

June 28^th through July 27^th

Only at The National Pastime Theater

The 2013 line up includes:

Le Chat Noir, Gary Schirmer and Friends. Fridays at 8 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. 90 minutes

Urban Jungle, Vaudezilla. Fridays at 10 p.m. -11 p.m. 60 minutes

Kill Your Boyfriends, Pride Films and Plays. Begins Saturday July 5^th.Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays 3 p.m. and special performance Friday July 26 at Midnight. 70 minutes.

Naked People 2013 Gary Shirmer Figure Study Visual Art Opening Friday July 12 only, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Free

The Living Canvas, Performance Saturdays 10 p.m. including post show discussion. 90 minutes. Workshop 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., lunch break 1 p.m. Workshop 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Tickets are $20.00 for each live performance and $10.00 each film screening per adventurous patron. Individual tickets are available for purchase at nakedjuly.com.  Discounted festival passes are available by calling the box office at 773-327-7077, group rates are also available.

The National Pastime Theater is located within the rediscovered historic Preston Bradley Center at 941 W Lawrence Ave. 4th Floor in Chicago. The curious and bold can discover us via the Red Line Lawrence train stop and bus routes 36, 81, 145 and 151 are all within 3 blocks. $5 parking in Weiss hospital parking at 4650 N. Clarendon. Voucher at box office.

For tickets go to nakedjuly.com (tickets on sale 6-11-13 p.m.)

Details:

 Le Chat Noir, Gary Schirmer and Friends. Fridays at 8 p.m. Hosted byNaked July Art Stripped Down’s long time Art Curator. (Live Nude Studies, Music, Salon, Naked July)

This is an interactive Toulouse-Lautrec inspired Salon with a figure drawing seminary, live music, audience participation if desired and an enjoyable safe atmosphere in our hidden away antique speakeasy theater. The atmosphere like no other place in the world. Figure study virtuoso Gary Schirmer will lead all who wish to improve or begin their figure study skills or still modeling skills. Anyone can play. You may also BYOB and walk about the room. Observe the studies and enjoy the atmosphere and music. All supplies will be included for those that wish to draw. “Like nothing you have ever seen.”  Guaranteed!

Urban Jungle, Vaudezilla. Fridays at 10 p.m. Vaudezilla is the Official Burlesque Troupe of Naked July: Art Stripped Down 2013. (Burlesque, Vaudeville, Performance Art, Naked July)

Join Vaudezilla as we take a walk on the wild side in our “Urban Jungle” cabaret, a fast-paced 60 minute show that lets us examine the hot, hot heat of the Windy City at night.  In this stunning combination of burlesque and performance art, we follow a variety of cabaret performers on a journey through missed connections, public transportation foibles, and what it’s like to be a starving artist in the big city.

Kill Your Boyfriends, Pride Films and Plays. Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. starting July 6^th, with a special midnight performance on July 26th. (July 06, through July 27 and Midnight July 26.) This is Pride Films and Plays second appearance at Naked July: Art Stripped Down. (Dance, Theater, Naked July)

Two couples in a single bed. Finding each relationship at a moment of strain, we watch as the characters try to make it through one more night, each unable to sleep, refusing to rest.  A fever dream of movement and text, the performance combines the words of several writers to voice the panic and obsession that threaten to consume.  Fear of sex.  Fear of death.  Fear of sleep and the fight against its tranquil oblivion.  You always hurt the one you love.  Or, at the very least, the one who sleeps next to you.  “You must kill your boyfriends”, poet Alex Dimitrov tells us. “You must kill what wants, like death, to keep you”.

Choreographed and Arranged by Derek Van Barham. Authors: Richard Siken, Alex Dimitrov, Sylvia Plath, Sharon Olds, Thom Gunn, Shakespeare, and Walt Whitman (among others).

The Living Canvas, Saturdays 10 p.m. The Living Canvas returns to Naked July: Art Stripped Down in 2013 with its freshest and most collaborative approach yet. (Movement, Dance, Theater, Workshop, Naked July)

A delightful mix of professional directing, performing, and writing joins up with startling new ideas developed in workshops with Living Canvas fans.  Patrons will have the opportunity to attend and participate in the workshops on the performance day and have input into that night's performance. Sign up for the workshops after purchasing tickets.

The Living Canvas celebrates the beauty and expressive power of the human form through performance art, nurturing a sense of body acceptance for performer and audience. It is spectacle and storytelling, utilizing creative lighting, sound, and multi-media imagery that interact with the human canvas.

WIN a Jack the Giant Slayer Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet) US & Canada $44.95 value #giveaway #ad

ChiIL out with ChiIL Mama and win a Jack the Giant Slayer Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet).  Giveaway open to residents of the USA and Canada).    

Click here to check out our photo filled past Jack the Giant Slayer coverage & our full movie review.   

We were thrilled to give away 100 family four packs of tickets to a special advanced screening  of Jack the Giant Slayer and loads of cool swag to our readers.   Now YOU can own it to watch again and again.  Thanks to Warner Bros. for providing us with a Jack the Giant Slayer Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet) for our giveaway.


Enter here for your chance to win 

Open through midnight July 9th to any residents of the US or Canada.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Warner Bros. is proud to announce the arrival of Jack the Giant Slayer now released on DVD & Blu-ray as of June 18!

Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of this life to stop them and rescue the princess! 

The question is... are you courageous enough to rescue the princess? Are you brave like Jack?  Take the quiz to find out!

Celebrate this classic story with NEW content exclusive to the Jack The Giant Slayer Blog App! 

• Control the Action! - Move your mouse across the GIFS and take control of action-packed scenes from Jack the Giant Slayer. YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF THE ACTION!

• How Brave Are You? QUIZ - Are you brave like Jack? Do beanstalks and "giant" challenges make you afraid or courageous? Take the quiz to find out!

• Giant Soundboard - Jack the Giant Slayer is filled with epic giant stomps, sword slashes and thunderous sounds! Play with official sound effects from the movie and compose your own "giant hit song"! 

Get Social With It!

• Tweet with the #JackTheGiantSlayer hashtag 

About Jack the Giant Slayer:

Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of this life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom and its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend... and gets the chance to become a legend himself! Directed by Brian Singer (X-Men, Superman Returns)

Starring: Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy), Ewan McGregor (Star Wars, Moulin Rouge!), and Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones).

Thanks to Warner Bros. for providing us with a Jack the Giant Slayer Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet) for our giveaway.