Reggies Round Up-Past Photo Features and Upcoming Shows on Our Radar

Reggies Rock Club is one of our Chi-Town favorites for great sound, a sweet selection of beer for those who go for quality or cheap quantity, and excellent line ups.  

Check out ChiIL Live Shows archives for loads of live show shots from Reggies with many more to come.   We've shot an eclectic assortment from a bunch of hard core and punk shows, to Nashville Pussy and Steampunk burlesque.   
 
Check out our past coverage of one of our up and coming home town favs--O' My's right here.


Past Reggies favorites shot by ChiIL Live Shows.   Click the links for our photo filled features:

Nashville Pussy
Carnivale Delirium (steampunk music, burlesque & side show oddities)

Supersuckers

D.R.I.

The Stranger

World Inferno Friendship Society

Macabre-Yakuza-Novembers Doom-A Corporate Death

Pig Champion & War Brides

Coming Soon:   
ChiIL Live Shows video interview with The English Dogs with a cameo appearance by The Casualties.   Live show videos and stills!


Here are Reggies upcoming shows on our radar.

Friday, April 13 • 8:00 PM • Ages 21+

NERD CITY PRESENTS C2E2 AFTER-PARTY "MONSTER'S BALL" $10 ADV / $15 DOS

BUY TICKETS!

CHICAGO AFROBEAT PROJECT Website As the world’s cultural and political climate evolves, so does its music. Rooted in the turbulence of social change, afrobeat coalesced decades ago from a fiery political landscape of Nigeria in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Now, with the polarized state of the world since the turn of the millennium, afrobeat again grips the world – this time, the American musical climate. EUFORQUESTRA Website The band is known for their diverse sound and eclectic repertoire, covering a number of traditional and progressive sounds ranging from (but not limited to) reggae, dub, afrobeat and samba to ska, highlife, funk and jazz.

Saturday, April 14 • 8:00 PM • Ages 18+ • $15.00

Steampunk Chicago & The Squidling Brothers Circus present:Gearbox Fantastique II

BUY TICKETS! $15.00

THE SQUIDLING BROTHERS Website With glass walking, human block head, sword swallowing and other such feats to shock and amaze by The Squidling Brothers Sideshow! JELLYBOY T CLOWN Website Master of Ceremonies and clown extra-ordinaire Jellyboy T. Clown HELLBLINKI Website Live gothic cabaret by Hellblinki! V IS FOR VILLIANS Website Theatrical electro rock by V is for Villains STEAMPUNKS! And steampunk DJs The Lords & Ladies DJs on the Fusion-O-Scope!

Friday, April 20 • 8:00 PM • Ages 17+

$8.00 ADV / $10 DOOR

BUY TICKETS!

THE O'MYS THE O'MYSWebsite The O'My's are a band of scoundrels and hooligans holding down Rock'n'Soul for the windy city. They will not be stopped and are taking all of the booty. "Free your mind and your ass will follow" WILD JESUS & THE DEVIL LETTUCE FAMILY PARTY BAND Website Wild Jesus and The Devil’s Lettuce Family Party Band is a community of musicians with the uncanny ability to surprise you every time they take the stage. As one might expect from such a strangely named group, Wild Jesus’ sound ranges from noir waltzes all the way to effects laden, impressionistic, psychedelic grooves. KIRBY KAISER Website A melting pot of soul, jazz, doo-wop, vintage pop, and harmony-driven '60s girl group music.

Saturday, April 21 • 9:00 AM

RECORD STORE DAY IN RECORD BREAKERS!!

We'll have exclusive RSD releases, free hot dogs & soda, and in-store performances including... SWIMSUIT ADDITION Website Swimsuit Addition embody both the fierceness of Rrrrriot Girrrrl rock and the melodic sense of power pop. ELECTRIC TOUCH Website Incendiary rock band originating in Austin, Texas fusing classic and contemporary influences resulting in a high energy live show and arena-ready anthems. MAGICKS Website The beauty of Magicks sound is that it is as accessible as it is indecipherable. Although the Chicago native cites hip hop, rhythm and blues and shoegaze as initial influences, the end product is much more. Magicks is a high minister in the "Church of What's Happening Now", managing to blend a virtual primer of today's most influential sounds into one cohesive package that actually sounds good (to even the most jaded critic). This is dreamy pop music crafted by a psychick warrior. Equal parts pleasure and challenge to the modern ear. SEAN AND TOM OF EMPIRES Website A HARD DEDICATED BAND GOING THROUGH THE TOUGH TIMES IN LIFE AND STILL MANAGING TO PUT OUT GOOD MUSIC AND PLAY SHOWS CLOSE OR FAR...AND AFTER THE UPS AND DOWNS WITH BAND MEMBERS THAT ARE DEDICATED AND THE NON DEDICATED ONES WE APPRECIATE AND RESPECT YOU FOR THE HELP.. OWEN Website In the past decade, Chicago's Mike Kinsella has played a variety of instruments in a handful of bands including Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc, The One Up Downstairs, American Football, Owls, Maritime, and Aloha. Owen is his solo project. THE SWEEPS Website The Sweeps could never disappoint. Their songs are catchy, their stage presence is amazing, and the energy from their fans is intoxicating! MITCH MEAD Website Mitch Mead's songs are equal parts heartbreak and humor, misery and mirth, sci-fi and fantasy. And each one is roughly 25% alcohol by volume. This Michigan-born, Chicago-based singer/songwriter wields an energetic and highly literate brand of folk rock that is as much melancholy as it is euphoria. Call it what you will, this is folk music that refuses to sit down. NEW DIET Website

Wednesday, June 13 • 6:00 PM • All Ages

mPshows.com presents facebook.com/mpshows twitter.com/mpshows

BUY TICKETS!

SIX FEET UNDERWebsite Tampa, FL's SIX FEET UNDER (SFU), featuring legendary godfather of death metal vocals Chris Barnes, has been delivering unapologetic death metal since 1993. SFU continue to do what they do best; delivering bludgeoning slabs of metal that leave fans hungering for more. Legendary death metal vocalist Chris Barnes, along with guitarist Steve Swanson continue to follow the dark and demented path that merges what Outburn Magazine calls "tried and true death groove" with stomach-turning lyrics and themes. DYING FETUS Website Self-reliance and musical integrity are two principles which Dying Fetus have always lived by. The band formed in 1991, during the height of the death metal explosion of the early '90s, and have matured into one of the premiere extreme death metal/grind-core acts ever to come out of the massive global metal underground. The band is recognized worldwide as a prime example of songwriting perfection, combining an innovative mix of technical virtuosity and catchy song structures to create the ultimate blend of death metal, hardcore, and grindcore. Intensity unparalleled, and musical power unrivaled, they are the leaders of the new generation in extreme music. Their sounds and lyrics are a brutal response to the everyday stress and pressures of reality in our age, while also providing the ultimate escape from it. REVOCATION Website REVOCATION combines the energy of old-school thrash metal and the twisted musicianship of death metal. In May 2008, Revocation self-released their debut full-length CD 'Empire of the Obscene.' It highlights each band member's individual talents and showcases their ability to write memorable songs, while still maintaining complexity and aggression.

Saturday, June 16 • 7:00 PM • Ages 17+

PUNK ROCK PSYCHOBILLY! TICKETS $12 ADVANCE, $15 DAY OF SHOW

BUY TICKETS!

KOFFIN KATS KOFFIN KATSWebsite With over eight years of touring internationally and 1000+ shows, the Detroit based Koffin Kats new home is on the road. This trio kicked it off in June of 2003 with the mission to not stop for anything. Vic Victor (Lead Vocal, Upright Bass) would join forces with long time friend Tommy Koffin (Guitar) and start laying the ground work for the sonic assault known as The Koffin Kats. They put together songs with subjects ranging from Sci-Fi to dealing with the horrors of the real world. With Eric “E Ball” Walls (Drums) they began in small local bars playing for beer and eventually made their way out of the Mid West. The next couple of years proved to be up with numerous North American tours and down with drummer changes. During this time they released their first three albums - S/T (2003), Inhumane (2005), and Straying from the Pack (2006). These releases and the tours caught some attention and helped get the name of ”The Koffin Kats” noticed in the wide world of punk & psychobilly. In 2007 Vic and Tommy hooked back up with Eric to get ready for the fourth album, Drunk in the Daylight (2008), and began what the Kats are now known for… NON STOP TOURING & TRYING TO MAKE EVERY SHOW A PARTY. With their love for their fans and for the road they set out to play everywhere willing to listen to them. In the recent years they have been able to make a name for themselves in Europe as well and have been included on tours with some of the tops acts in psychobilly such as Mad Sin, Nekromantix, & The Meteors. In 2009 they released “Forever For Hire” and at the years end Tommy left the band to pursue a normal life. Shortly thereafter EZ Ian Jarrell took over the guitar and hopped on tour. While on the road they worked on material that would become featured on a split album with The 12 Step Rebels in released in Spring of 2011. Now The Koffin Kats are currently on a North American Tour and have signed with Sailors Grave Records to release the next full length "Our Way & The Highway" in January 2012. HORROR IS DEAD Website Horror Is Dead was formed in the lifeless, grey city of Bartlett, IL in 2006. With harmonized vocals, intricate bass lines, technical drumming, and dramatic guitar riffs, HID brings a new element to the Horror Punk genre. The outspoken, now mastermind behind HID, Johnny Marland has given a new way to look at horror lyrics, and a new chemistry to the music. With original member "Mega" Mark Harrison, and new drummer Brian Leh, HID intends to beat the life back into what is believed as a dead form of punk music.....

Saturday, June 23 • 1:00 AM • All Ages • $10.00

SCHOOL OF ROCK

BEST OF THE SPRING SEASON BEST OF THE SPRING SEASON Website The Best of Season show is an arrangement of the best songs from the School of Rock spring show season. This show is special because we get to see the students perform their best one more time and we partner up with the other schools in the region (Chicago, Highwood, Evanston, Mokena and Naperville!)

Saturday, September 22 • 7:00 PM • Ages 17+ PSYCHOBILLY ALL THE WAY FROM BERLIN/UK!!! $15 IN ADVANCE AND $18 AT DOOR BUY TICKETS! FRANTIC FLINTSTONES FRANTIC FLINTSTONESWebsite THREE BLUE TEARDROPS Website Three Blue Teardrops formed in the fall of 1991. A three piece trio of drums, upright bass and guitar, the band began writing and performing original songs that combined elements of 1970’s punk , gut bucket blues, jungle swing, gospel, garage rock, hillbilly jazz and country harmony to the 1950’s style raw rockabilly sounds of our Rock-N-Roll forefathers to create their own contemporary sound that was not stuck in the trappings of rockabilly, psychobilly, punk, blues or any single musical sub genre. GAMBLERS MARK Website It all started in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley, where a young David discovered great Blues music at the local pub in the city of Arcadia. It wasnt long before False Idols was formed, they became an eclectic trio whose music style was difficult to coin. After invading the local music scene for nearly three years, the trio dedcided to go their separate ways. Meanwhile, the skills of a young musician were forming, as Dan-e took on the task of learning to play the drums. Inevitably, Dave and Dan-e decided to join forces and establish Gamblers Mark. They had a great run the first time around, but were faced with obstacles to overcome. In reinventing themselves and reinforcing the GM unit, they decided to let Dan-e take over the upright bass and call on Ricky Lobo to take over the drums and back-up vocals. With over nine years drumming experience Ricky proved to be a good choice for the missing link. Gamblers Mark fronted by guitarist and lead vocalist David Arechiga, with Dan-e Arechiga on bass and back-up vocals, and Ricky Lobo on drums and back-up vocals remains a trio whose style isnt easily coined. They bring together many sounds including Rockabilly, Psychobilly, Surf, Ska, Corridos para mover las nalgas, and reved up 50s rock n roll. NOTHING TO GAIN Website From the fires of hell they rise with powerful guitar riffs, pounding bass lines, and intense drummming to make a permanent scar on the Chicago music scene. With influences such as The Koffin Kats, Mad Sin, Eddie Cochran, and Johnny Cash they're not here to tell you how to dress, who to be, or what to believe in. They sing of your nightmares and quiet possibly some of your dreams. Lifes to short to worry about money, politics, and religion so fuck all of that and lets have a good time!!

CIMMfest Kick Off This Thursday-Queens of Country Film

ACTORS LIZZY CAPLAN & JOE LO TRUGLIO
ATTEND CHICAGO PREMIERE OF QUEENS OF COUNTRY FILM,
THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 12
***OPENING NIGHT OF CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL MOVIES & MUSIC FESTIVAL

WHO: Actors Lizzy Caplan (Mean Girls, Bachelorette) and Joe Lo Truglio (Wanderlust, Super Bad)… 

WHAT: will attend the Opening Night of the 4th Chicago International Movies & Music Festival, featuring the Chicago Premiere of their film, Queens of Country… 

WHEN: Thursday, April 12

7pm - film screening; 8:15pm - Q&A 

WHERE: Wicker Park Art Center, 2215 W. North Avenue

MORE: Also in attendance are directors Ryan Page and Christopher Pomerenke, and producer Chris Topper McDaniel.

Queens of Country stars Lizzy Caplan as the prettiest girl in a small Arizona town, obsessed with old time country stars, who finds a lost iPod filled with songs that speak to her sensitive heart. Jolene Gillis is convinced the owner is her soul mate and she is thrust into a sexy, heartwarming and hilarious adventure of mistaken identities, ATVs, line dancing competitions, kidnappers, time machines and doppelgangers. 

Queens of Country is among the 50+ films from over 20 countries that will be screened at the 4th Chicago International Movies & Music Festival taking place throughout Wicker Park and Logan Square through Sunday, April 15. For more information, visit www.cimmfest.org.

Help Locally: Rock for Rescue & Book Sale for Virtually Home Animal Rescue

Helping Rocks!   Check out Virtually home, a non profit, Chicago animal rescue.

Rock for Rescue - a benefit for the animals of Virtually Home!

Where:  The Store @ 2002 N. Halsted (near Armitage)

When:  Saturday, April 14th     8pm - midnight

Join us for an evening of LIVE MUSIC featuring an acoustic set by Shannon Richardson of the Shannon Richardson Band and a performance by Catfish and the Dogstars!

Doors open @ 8 pm and music starts @
9 pm. The suggested $15 donation will help cover food and medical costs
for the animals in our care!

A HUGE thank you to ShannonRichardsonBand.com and Catfish & the Dogstars for their support!

Let us know you're coming!  RSVP on the facebook event page http://on.fb.me/H7HAFM

We look forward to seeing you there!

Virtually home is presently collecting book donations! So peck through your piles and bring in any of your unwanted libros! Bring donations to Rewster's from 6:30pm-7:30pm on Friday, April 20th.

Mark your calendars and join us at Rewster's NEXT Saturday! Bring your friends, your kids, your grandma! The book sale will be from 10am-4pm. All proceeds (and donations!) will go to Virtually Home!

The Cribs TONIGHT at Schubas

Don't miss The Cribs at Schubas tonight!  21+/ $20.   Click here for more show specifics and to buy tickets.   ChiIL Live Shows has been promoting the show and new upcoming album on our FB and Twitter feeds and we'll be there to shoot the show and possibly snag a video interview, too.  

93XRT welcomes…

• The Cribs
• The Hounds Below

 
Their newest album, In the Belly of the Brazen Bull, has a killer team behind it. With rock mastermind Dave Fridmann and producer Steve Albini behind it, you can't go wrong.

This will be the first show playing songs from this latest release. You do not want to miss it.

The Cribs Premiere "Come On, Be A No One" On Noisey You Tube Channel
In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull Out May 15th On Wichita Recordings
Now On Tour  
Tour Dates

04/03 - Portland, OR - Holocene
04/04 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile Café
04/07 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
04/09 - Chicago, IL - Schubas
04/10 - Pontiac, MI - The Pike Room
04/11 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace
04/13 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
04/14 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall

UK Tour Dates

05/07 - Nottingham - Rock City
05/08 - London - The Troxy
05/09 - Bristol - O2 Academy
05/11 - Glasgow - Barrowlands
05/12 - Manchester - Academy
05/13 - Eastbourne - Winter Gardens 


Tracklist
1. Glitters Like Gold                                             
2. Come On, Be A No-One
3. Jaded Youth
4. Anna
5. Confident Men                                             
6. Uptight                                                         
7. Chi-Town
8. Pure O                                                        
9. Back To The Bolthole
10. I Should Have Helped
11. Stalagmites
12. Like A Gift Giver
13. Butterflies
14. Arena Rock Encore With Full Cast

Check out The Cribs Website here



Here's what The Cribs have to say:
So here's the video for our new single "Come On, Be A No-One"! Our good friend Patrick Stanton made this with us, while we were doing a short UK tour a couple of weeks ago....we usually hate making videos so this seemed like a good way of getting around all that extra nonsense that comes with the typical video shoot. Not good for self-conscious types like us.

Anyway, we love it - no make-up, soft lighting, or posing - just some good rocking...or whatever. Check it out!" - The Cribs
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The official video for 'Come On, Be A No-One', the brand new single from The Cribs, is currently premiering on the Noisey YouTube Channel. Set for release on 16th April, 'Come On, Be A No-One' is the first single to be taken from band's forthcoming album 'In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull' which is out on May 15th through Wichita Recordings.

This video premiere of 'Come On, Be A No-One' marks the latest from the Noisey YouTube channel's ever expanding presence as a world-leading online music destination. The channel made its debut in February with M.I.A.'s 'Bad Girls' and VICE-produced A$AP Rocky video 'Wassup'. Noisey.com launched in March 2011 at SXSW and is dedicated to uncovering the best new bands and music scenes from around the world. Through their YouTube channel, Noisey offer music fans the most extensive slate of original online music programming to date, covering not only the artists that matter most, but the trends and opinions that make up today's music culture.

‘In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull’ is the fifth studio album from Wakefield trio The Cribs. The recording process for this album saw the band split their time between Abbey Road in London, Steve Albini’s EAR studio in Chicago, and David Fridmann’s Tarbox Road studio in Upstate New York which is where ‘Come On, Be a No-One’ was born.

Released on April 16th, ‘Come On, Be A No-One’ is  available via Wichita Recordings  on  7” (WEBB337s) and digitally (WEBB337sdl) through all usual outlets.

The Cribs will be playing songs from ‘In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull’ and their four previous albums when they play selected shows this spring.

Streams 
Click Here To Stream "Come On, Be A No One" On Stereogum

Click Here To Stream "Chi-Town" On SPIN

Copyright © 2011 Tell All Your Friends.

Play Locally-April Highlights: Theatre Openings, Music and #Giveaways

It's an eventful, event filled April in Chi-Town. 

Scroll All The Way Down For A Month Full of Adult & Family Friendly Highlights Below Including 21+ punk & metal shows, Ticket Give Aways, original video interviews, live kids' show footage, Beat Kitchen Concerts for Kids, Bloodiest vinyl release, C2E2, CIMMfest 2012, Human Nature The Motown Show, 20 FREE copies of Just Kids book by Patti Smith, Prong, recommended bands at Cobra
Lounge & Empty Bottle, Reggies, Schubas, & Sub-T, Theatre openings, CD releases, and more:

FAMILY FUN: 





Sunday 4/15   Beat Kitchen's Concerts for Kids features The Boogers (Ramones style punk for the punk kin) at noon.   ChiIL Mama's stoked to sponsor the series aimed at birth through 10 year olds with parents.   Infants are free.   Everyone else is just $6!   Win 4 free tickets right here, to see The Boogers.   We pick new winners weekly and have 4 free tickets to all kids' shows at Beat Kitchen and many other venues throughout Chicago.   Then check out ChiIL Mama's YouTube Channel for loads of live Boogers show footage and our exclusive video interview with the band.

*Wait
for Rafflecopter to load up right here (if you've gone through
RSS feed or are scrolling down the blog and don't see it, click on
the actual page title and it should pop right up).   Entries are easy.   Winning rocks!   

ACT OUT: OPENING-FISH MEN AT GOODMAN

HIGH STAKES GAME OF URBAN CHESS HUSTLERS ON THE HOOK FOR FISH MEN BY CÁNDIDO TIRADO, PREMIERING AT GOODMAN THEATRE

****EDWARD TORRES MAKES HIS GOODMAN DIRECTORIAL DEBUT WITH THIS TEATRO VISTA COLLABORATION, THE SECOND OF THREE NEW WORKS BY LATINO PLAYWRIGHTS, APRIL 7 – MAY 6, 2012***

Goodman Theatre and Teatro Vista team up for their second world-premiere production with Fish Men, Puerto Rican playwright Cándido Tirado’s new comedic drama about a group of urban chess hustlers drawn together by a shared need to overcome their individual demons. Edward Torres, Artistic Director of Teatro Vista, makes his Goodman directorial debut with this second play of a three-year producing partnership between the Goodman and Teatro Vista, Chicago’s first and largest not-for-profit professional Latino theater company. 

Fish Men runs April 7 – May 6, 2012 (Previews start today.  Opening Night is April 16.) in the Goodman’s Owen Theatre. Tickets ($12-$42; prices subject to change) can be purchased at GoodmanTheatre.org by phone at 312.443.3800 or at the box office (170 N. Dearborn). Sara Lee Foundation is the Owen Season Sponsor. Baxter and Blue Cross Blue Shield are Contributing Sponsors and Hoy is the Spanish Print Media Sponsor.

Cándido Tirado, Teatro Vista’s newest resident playwright and a highly-rated chess master by the United States Chess Federation, explains, “When I graduated from college, I decided I wanted to combine two great loves of my life: writing plays and playing chess. But it wasn’t until 2000, as I was walking by the chess tables in New York’s Washington Square Park, that the play suddenly revealed itself to me. Outwardly, Fish Men deals with the cruel art of the ‘chess hustle’—but underneath it is an exploration of man’s inhumanity towards his fellow man. I am thrilled to premiere this play in Chicago, with Teatro Vista and Goodman Theatre.”

Fish Men plays out in real time on a hot summer day in New York City’s Washington Square Park, where Rey Reyes (Raul Castillo), a survivor of the Guatemalan genocide who is going through his own personal hell, gets snared by a group of chess hustlers. Ninety Two (Howard Witt), a Holocaust survivor, tries to intervene, exposing Rey’s need for vengeance. As the game progresses, the circumstances that stoke the fire of each player’s obsession with the game and their inner demons are revealed. Fish Men features a multi-ethnic, multi-generational ensemble cast including Raul Castillo as Rey Reyes, Dan Cantor as Stuart, Howard Witt as Ninety Two, Cedric Mays as Cash, Ricardo Gutierrez as Jerome, Kenn E. Head as Pee Wee, Ben Chang as Dr. Lee and Mike Cherry as John. The creative team is set designer Collette Pollard, costume designer Christine Pascual, lighting designer Jesse Klug and sound designer Mikhail Fiksel.

“Fish Men is an ideal project for Teatro Vista and the Goodman,” says Edward Torres, artistic director of Teatro Vista. “Together, we are exploring the cultural intersections of our communities through ourcollaborative development of new plays by Latino writers. While Cándido’s work comes from the Latino perspective, with the multi-cultural, multi-generational cast of Fish Men, we have the opportunity to share with a large and appreciative audience what we have in common as people. This play is special and Chicago audiences are in for a real treat.”

Cándido Tirado (Playwright) is a New York-based playwright. His play Momma’s Boyz, produced by Teatro Vista earlier this season, was chosen a “Chicago Top Ten in 2011” by the Huffington Post. His off-Broadway productions include Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz (co-written with Carmen Rivera) which premiered at New World Stages and was also performed in Chicago’s Athenaeum Theater, Las Bellas Artes in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Tenerife and Miami; King Without a Castle; Checking Out; First Class (Puerto Rican Traveling Theater); The Barber Shop and Momma’s Boyz (Repertorio Español). Other productions include The Missteps of a Salsa Dancer, From Dating to Death in Five Easy Steps, Ilka: The Dream, Hands of Stone, King Without a Castle (also workshopped at Sundance Theater Lab); Some People Have All The Luck, produced at the National Theater of the Dominican Republic and New York; Heart Stopping Sex, produced by Soho Rep, and The Kid Next Door, Hey There Black Cat, Abuelo, The Missing Colors of the Rainbow and Palladium. He co- wrote with Alfredo Bejar the award winning short film Getting to Heaven and was a staff writer for the TV show Ghostwriter where his episode was nominated for a Humanitas Award. His screenplays include Da Bronx, El Casique del Poker and The Milagro Boyz. He’s a four-time winner of the New York Foundation of the Arts Playwriting Fellowship. Publications include First Class, Recent Puerto Rican Theater: Five Plays from New York (Arte Publico); Some People Have All the Luck, Nuestro New York: An Anthology of Puerto Rican Playwrights (Penguin, Mentor Books); Ilka the Dream: Positive/Negative: Women of Color Living with H.I.V. (Aunt Lute Books). Mr. Tirado is a co-founder of Educational Plays Production with his wife Carmen Rivera, which tours public schools presenting plays with social issues concerning youth.

Edward Torres (Director, Teatro Vista Artistic Director) directed the world premiere of Kristoffer Diaz’s The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Victory Gardens Theater (produced in association with Teatro Vista) which was named Best Play of 2009 by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and Time Out Chicago, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, and earned Jeff awards for Best Production and Best Director. He also directed subsequent productions off Broadway at New York’s Second Stage Theatre (2010 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play and Obie Award for Best Play), and at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles to critical acclaim. Mr. Torres has produced more than 25 plays as the artistic director of Teatro Vista over the last 12 years. His Teatro Vista directing credits include The Show Host, Jamie Pachino’s Aurora’s Motive, Romulus Linney’s Ambrosio, Edwin Sánchez’s Icarus, Reuben Gonzalez’s The Boiler Room and Karen Zacarías’ The Sins of Sor Juana. Other Chicago directing credits include Amparo Garcia- Crow’s Cocks Have Claws and Wings to Fly and Migdalia Cruz’s Lolita de Lares. As an actor he will be seen in Victory Gardens Theater’s upcoming production of Oedipus El Rey. Most recently he was seen in El Grito del Bronx, a co-production with Collaboraction in association with Goodman Theatre; the Goodman’s production of The Cook; and Teatro Vista’s productions of Massacre (Sing to Your Children) at the Goodman and Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble as part of the Visiting Company Initiative at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Other Chicago acting credits include roles at the Goodman, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Victory Garden Theater, Latino Chicago Theater Company, Court Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Teatro Vista. He was the recipient of a 2010 3Arts Artist Award, and was featured as guest director at the 2011 Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. Mr. Torres has a BA in theater from Roosevelt University in Chicago and an MFA in film from Columbia College Chicago. He serves on the Illinois Arts Council, and has served on the National Endowment for the Arts Theater Panel (2005 – 2007) and on the MAP Fund Theatre Panel (2008).

Insider Access is a series of public programs that provides insight into the Goodman’s artistic process. With Artist Encounters, audiences meet the names and faces behind the work on stage, including playwrights and directors.

Artist Encounter: Fish Men Featuring Playwright Cándido Tirado and Director Edward Torres Wednesday, April 11; 6 – 7pm | Chicago Cultural Center 78 East Washington Street | Chicago, IL Free; for tickets please call 312.443.3800

Tickets to Fish Men ($12-$42) are currently on sale at GoodmanTheatre.org. Tickets and 2012/2013 subscriptions can also be purchased at the box office (170 North Dearborn), by phone at 312.443.3800 or at GoodmanTheatre.org. 

Mezztix are half-price mezzanine tickets available at 12 noon at the box office and at 10am online (promo code MEZZTIX) day of performance; Mezztix are not available by telephone. 10Tix are $10 rear mezzanine tickets for students available at 12 noon at the box office and at 10am online on the day of performance; 10Tix are not available by telephone; a valid student I.D. must be presented when picking up the tickets; limit four per student with I.D. All tickets are subject to availability and handling fees apply. Discounted Group Tickets for 10 persons or more are available at 312.443.3820. Purchase Goodman Gift Certificates in any amount at GoodmanTheatre.org. The flexibility of Goodman Gift Certificates allows recipients to choose the production, date and time of their performance. Artists, dates and ticket prices are subject to change.

The Artist Encounter series brings together audiences and the artists who create the work on our stages, in an intimate environment, for a behind-the-scenes look at the plays and the playmaking process. Join us for an intimate conversation with Fish Men playwright Cándido Tirado and director Edward Torres before a 7:30pm performance.

About Teatro Vista
Teatro Vista, Theatre with a View, was founded in 1989. Today, Teatro Vista is celebrating its 22nd season, having grown to be Chicago’s largest non-profit Equity Latino theater company producing full scale, Latino oriented, theatrical productions in English. Just within the last year, Teatro Vista was celebrated as one of 25 of “Chicago’s cultural leaders” by the Arts & Business Council of Chicago, and received the League of Chicago Theatres’ 2011 Artistic Leadership Award.

Teatro Vista is firmly committed to sharing and celebrating the riches of Latino culture with all Chicago theater audiences. This commitment stems from the belief that there are as many similarities between us as there are differences, and that the answer to breaking down the walls of prejudice and stereotypes lies in understanding these differences. Ultimately, it is through this “view” that Teatro Vista bridges the gap between Latino and non-Latino cultures in Chicago.
Teatro Vista is supported in part by Alphawood Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, a CityArts Program grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Hispanics In Philanthropy, Illinois Arts Council, Joyce Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, National Association of Latino Arts and Culture, and The Shubert Foundation. For more information, visit teatrovista.org

Fish Men Rehearsal Photos
Playwright Cándido Tirado plays a game of chess with cast member Raúl Castillo (Rey Reyes) during a rehearsal of Teatro Vista and Goodman Theatre's Fish Men.

About Goodman Theatre
Currently on stage in the Albert Theatre (ENDING THIS WEEKEND) is Camino Real by Tennessee Williams, directed by Calixto Bieito running through April 8, 2012.

The 2011/2012 Season includes: The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O’Neill, directed by Robert Falls (April 21 – June 10, 2012); and Crowns, written and directed by Regina Taylor (June 30 – August 5, 2012).

Goodman Theatre, “the leading regional theater in the nation’s most important theater city” (Time), is a major cultural, educational and economic pillar in Chicago, generating nearly $300 million in economic impact over the past decade in its state-of-the-art two-theater complex on North Dearborn Street. Founded in 1925 and currently under the leadership of Artistic Director Robert Falls, “Chicago’s most essential director” (Chicago Tribune), and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, Chicago’s oldest and largest not-for- profit resident theater has welcomed nearly two million patrons to productions and events—including 10 festivals celebrating playwrights such as David Mamet, August Wilson and Horton Foote, as well as the biennial Latino Theatre Festival—and served legions of students through its Education and Community Engagement programs (including the FREE Student Subscription Series and other interactive programs). 

The Goodman has earned more than 90 awards for hundreds of productions, including the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined by Lynn Nottage—one of 25 new work Goodman commissions in the last decade. Ruth Ann M. Gillis is the Chairman of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees and Joan Clifford is President of the Women’s Board. American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre. BMO Harris Bank is the Major Production Sponsor of A Christmas Carol, and Aon Corporation is the Corporate Sponsor Partner. 

Visit the Goodman virtually: watch artist interviews, view production photos, catch the latest news and more at GoodmanTheatre.org. Like us on Facebook.com/GoodmanTheatre; follow us at Twitter.com/GoodmanTheatre; and peek behind the scenes at YouTube.com/TheGoodmanTheatre.

Fela! Review & Fela! On Tour-Afrobeat Orchestra Tonight At Lincoln Hall

Lincoln Hall & Knitting Factory Present:

FELA! On Tour (Featuring The Fela Band with members of Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra and cast members of the 3 time Tony Award winning musical

DJ Ron Trent

Saturday, April 07 2012 10:00 PM
21+ $16.00
($18.00 Door)

ChiIL Live Shows was there for opening night of Fela! in Chicago at Oriental Theatre and we were blown away by the passion, the politics and the power of this Broadway Musical!  Tonight, you can hear the music Fela! is famous for, with members of the cast, The Fela Band and Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra.    We'll be there to shoot the Lincoln Hall show tonight.   Lincoln Hall is 21+.   For the musical at Oriental Theatre, parents are strongly cautioned due to mature themes, political violence, drug use, and language.   The historical and political story of Fela! makes this musical a worthy "must see" for older teens and adults.

The sheer spectacle of the colorful costumes, choreography, phenomenal acting, and superior set design all contribute to make a lasting impression.  The wrenching drama of this oppression story is still timely today.  Fela's history is a story that should not be forgotten, told with such passion and joyful dance that patrons will hardly realize they're learning.   We particularly loved the execution of the dream scene, where Fela! visits his dead mother to seek her wisdom.

Fela! the Musical is playing at The Oriental Theatre through April 15th.   Highly recommended, whether you're a Fela fan or a newbie to the Afrobeat scene! 



FELA!, the joyous dance, theater, music spectacle, has thrilled
audiences in three continents. The Tony Award® winner, directed and
choreographed by Bill T. Jones explores the extravagant world of
Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti. FELA! comes to Chicago's Oriental Theater
following its sold-out run at London's prestigious National Theatre
where The Guardian's Michael Billington exclaimed, "It breaks down
conventional barriers between stage and auditorium and joins passion and
politics. The dancing is ecstatic, the music lifts the spirits, and
the stage is alive with movement." After Ben Brantley of the New York
Times raved, "There should be dancing in the streets!" Bill T. Jones
earned a Tony Award® for Best Choreographer. He was also given the
Astaire Award and received a 2010 Kennedy Center Honor along with Oprah
Winfrey.

Ticket prices are $25 to $90.
Groups of 15 or more, now on sale!


Call 312-977-1710 or click here for tickets.

FELA!, the most critically acclaimed musical of the season,
received three 2010 Tony Awards®: Best Choreography, Best Costume Design
for a Musical and Best Sound Design of a Musical! His story inspired a
nation. His music inspires the world. FELA! tells the true story of the
legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, whose soulful Afrobeat rhythms
ignited a generation. Motivated by his mother, a civil rights champion,
he defied a corrupt and oppressive military government and devoted his
life and music to the struggle for freedom and human dignity. FELA! is a
triumphant tale of courage, passion and love, featuring Fela Kuti’s
captivating music and the visionary direction and choreography of Tony
Award® winner Bill T. Jones. 

Fela! first came to life in 2000 when New Yorker, Stephen Hendel,
stumbled across a CD of the Nigerian firebrand, iconoclast,
rabble-rouser and composer of genius, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. He was so
impressed with the music and with Fela’s keen sense of social justice
that he determined to create a theatre piece expressing the timeless and
universal message contained in how Fela committed his gift as a voice
for the disenfranchised.

In 2004 Steve Hendel joined forces with Tony Award-winning
choreographer, Bill T Jones, who he invited to direct the play. Bill
then brought in writer Jim Lewis and together the three set about
mounting a series of workshops, involving musicians, actors, dancers and
technicians. It soon became clear that attempting to compress the
entirety of Fela’s turbulent and event-filled life into a stage play was
impossible. They elected to create a painting; an ode to determination
and truth to power by concentrating on one short, highly-charged period
during the late seventies, using it as a vehicle through which to
present a prime example of commitment and courage and art used as an
expression of human dignity.

Fela had used his extraordinary big-band music as a medium in which
he created biting, satirical diatribes against the excesses of
successive military regimes in his native Nigeria. Any form of
injustice, oppression, mismanagement, corruption was fearlessly and
ferociously attacked, using eloquent harangues that specifically named
the perpetrators.

He had paid a steep price for his bravery in the face of powerful and
implacable enemies, with 200 arrests and countless beatings that left
scars all over his body. But even these beatings didn’t stop him. “Ah
well, they didn’t kill me”, he would proclaim as he wrote yet another
acerbic lyric and gave inflammatory quotes to the press.

Fela died in August 1997. AIDS, they said, but as far as those close
to him were concerned, he died of one beating too many. He was a giant
of a man, but a man nevertheless. The system can only take so much. One
million people attended his funeral.

His legacy was a testament of incredible courage, together with
almost 50 albums of music that are now available globally through
Knitting Factory Records. His message of transparency, honest government
and justice for all is still as relevant today as when it was when
first released 4 decades ago — not just in Nigeria but globally.

Inspired by Fela’s courage and incredible musical mastery, it
nevertheless took two years of development for the creative and
technical team to reach the stage where they were ready to begin
mounting the piece Off-Broadway at a New York theatre complex, 37 Arts.

They spent three months at 37 Arts perfecting the production before
they were ready to open “Fela! The Musical”. The show was an immediate
and unmitigated critical and public success. Celebrities flocked to see
the show; Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Christine Amanpour, Charlize
Theron, and countless others. The decision was taken to go to Broadway.

With the blessings of the Kuti family, in 2009 the show opened at the
Eugene O’Neill Theatre and with Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Will &
Jada Pinkett-Smith coming on board as Producers, over the next 15
months, played to half a million people. Celebrities kept coming;
Madonna, Denzel Washington, Ben Stiller, Mick Jagger, Sting, Harry
Belafonte, Spike Lee (8 times!) Kofi Annan and Michelle Obama, to name
but a few. 

The show received 11 Tony nominations and three Tony Awards
for Best Choreography, Best Costumes and Best Sound. In 2010, whilst
still on Broadway, a second company was formed to present a sold-out
season of performances at London’s prestigious Royal National Theatre.

Since its 15 month Tony Award-winning run on Broadway an amalgam
company was created from members of the American and European casts.
Audiences in their many hundreds of thousands on both sides of the
Atlantic, including a triumphal series of performances in Fela’s beloved
Lagos, have risen to their feet in admiration of the play’s ethos and
execution. We would be surprised if you would not do the same.

The show is currently on tour in the United States. Visit felaonbroadway.com to see the tour schedule. Don’t miss it!

Notable Quotes

“THE HOT (AND SERIOUSLY COOL) ENERGY that comes from the musical
gospel preached by the title character of FELA! Feels as if it could
stretch easily to the borders of Manhattan and then across a river or
two. There should be dancing in the streets!”

- Ben Brantley, the New York Times

“FELA! Is as rowdy as it is rousing. (It) is one of the most ORIGINAL and EXCITING shows to come around in a long while.”

- Joe Dziemianowiez, Daily News

“A great humane and transcendental fable come to life, with
everything “fable” implies; MYTHIC, FABULOUS and a supreme lesson in
living, here supplied magisterially by choreographer BILL T. JONES and
his star, SAHR NGAUJAH.”

- John Simon, Bloomberg News

“FELA! RADIATES JOY.”

-Tom Geier, Entertainment Weekly

“FIVE STARS (out of five) FELA! Is more than a musical…an ECSTATIC PHENOMENON.”

- Dave Cote, Time Out New York

“BILL T. JONES wildly loose-limbed journey into the throbbing heart of Afrobeat BREAKS BOLD NEW GROUND IN MUSICAL THEATRE.”

- David Rooney, Variety

“There’s enough energy in the first act of FELA! to short circuit
Con Ed. It spills over from the stage and into the orchestra seats.
BOUNDLESS AND JOYOUS: This is as close as Broadway gets to fully
immersive theatre.”

- Elizabeth Vincentelli, New York Post

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