Cobrafest Saturday With Coathangers, Heavy Cream, White Mystery and Habibi #live show shots

This is ChiIL Live Shows full set of original photos of bands Coathangers, Heavy Cream, White Mystery and Habibi.   They played Cobrafest 2012, Pitchfork after party at Cobra Lounge, Chicago.   Sailor Jerry provided drink specials, swag, and free tattoos for VIPs and musicians in their classic Airstream!    Check out SmugMug for our searchable photo galleries.

I had the sweet opportunity to cover Sailor Jerry's Cobrafest, Pitchfork After Party at Cobra Lounge on Saturday for The Local Tourist.  Our original coverage along with a preview of Sunday's sick lineup appears here.   Below we've included an excerpt from that piece.

When I hear sailor, I think rum, tunes and tattoos in that order.   Saturday night, thanks to Sailor Jerry, we partied old school, like a bunch of sailors on shore leave.      

Cobrafest was the ultimate Pitchfork after party within short walking distance of Union Park.  Sailor Jerry was even giving out wooden nickles worth a free spiced rum drink of your choice, and black VIP armbands for free drinks all night.  On the back patio, they had sweet swag like free black t's, buttons, and CDs for everyone.  I tried a Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum/ lemonade/ iced tea combo, refreshing after a hot day in the sun.   My favorite was the Sailor Jerry's Spiced Rum/ ginger beer/ ginger ale.    Spice up and cool down your summer.

This Cobra's got bite.   

Bites to eat and eats with a bite that is!    We thoroughly enjoyed the jalapeno and chedder corn fritters and Buffalo hot wings.  We also went for the comfort food and had some unbelievably tasty mac and cheese.  Highly recommended in the beyond bar food genre.

    

Last night we met up with a slew of band members getting free tattoos in the Sailor Jerry's Airstream from Chi-Town artist, Nick Colella, of Great Lakes Tattoo.  After they got inked up,  we saw them rock the stage from around 10pm when the crowds left Pitchfork, to well after 1am.  It was "Ladies Night" and truly a pleasure to check out girl bands Habibi, White Mystery, Heavy Cream, and Coathangers.  We're old school punk/metal fans at heart and these girls (and token boy--Francis Scott Key White, drummer in White Mystery) rocked!  

Cobra could have been playing our ipod before and between sets.    They had some seriously sweet playlist going on....heavy on the 80's punk and metal.    Then on the back patio, things were chill with a DJ spinning mellow, retro 50's classics.    


All night on stage, the girl punks killed it.    Check out their web sites below:  

The Coathangers from Atlanta

Heavy Cream from Nashville 

Chi-Town's own Miss Alex White and Francis Scott Key White aka White Mystery

Habibi from Brooklyn

Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often.   We have live HD show footage and loads of our original band video interviews coming soon including:

Band Interviews:

Clutch

Black Tusk

Municipal Waste

English Dogs

Veronica Falls

Royal Baths

Yakuza

Bobby Bare Jr.

Cymbals Eat Guitars

Oberhofer

Ellis Paul

Laura Viers

Revocation

Sabaton

Suidakra

Decapitated

Theatre/Circus:

Dennis Watkins-Houdini at House Theatre

Dave SaLoutos-The Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI

*We've also got press credentials again for Lollapalooza, so we'll have a ton of advance press, and photo filled recaps in the coming weeks.

CLUTCH Summer Tour With Prong and Lionize # live show shots #tour news

Clutch opening for Motorhead--Congress Theater, Chicago 

Maryland metal heads, Clutch, have been one of our favorite bands for decades.  We always make a point to catch their Chicago shows.   This tour they're skipping Chi-town, so we're actually road tripping down to Indy this Friday and have a video interview set up with frontman, Neil Fallon.  

Blast from the Past:  Click here for our original Clutch show shots from Congress Theatre, Chicago when they opened for Black Label Society with Children of Bodom in 2010.     

They're playing a bit closer to home at Mojoe's in Joliet on 11/2, but that's months away and we wanted to catch 'em with Prong (*click here for our original video interview with Tommy Victor and Alexei from Prong and live show shots from their recent show at Cobra Lounge, Chicago).

Maryland rockers CLUTCH are kicking off their summer tour 7/11 in Fayetteville, AR at George's Majestic Lounge.  Support will be provided by Prong and Lionize.  The tour also features festival appearances at the "Forecastle Festival" in Louisville, KY and the "Artscape Festival" in Baltimore, MD. The run is scheduled to wrap up July 22nd in Richmond, VA at The National.

CLUTCH will also be playing select dates in August with Lionize as well as performing at WWBN's "Dirt Fest" this August.  These shows are scheduled for August 9th - August 12th.  Opening these dates will be the band Monster Truck from Toronto, ON.

The band has rescheduled the two shows that were postponed this May.  These dates are now scheduled for November 1st through 3rd.   Lionize will be providing direct support and MonstrO will open these dates.  Please note that the Flint, MI and Detroit, MI shows are already sold out, tickets for the Joliet, IL show are still available.

Recently CLUTCH released a limited edition picture disc single of the track "Pigtown Blues" via Weathermaker Music.  The single is also available digitally.  The A-Side is "Pigtown Blues" and the B-Side is an acoustic version of the track "Motherless Child".  The disc can be found at your favorite record store as well as online at www.clutchmerch.com.  This is the first new studio material from CLUTCH since 2009's Strange Cousins From the West, and the first simultaneous worldwide release for Weathermaker Music.

Want to be the first to know about everything CLUTCH related?  Be it tour dates, breaking news and exclusives, make sure to sign up for the CLUTCH Mobile Mailing List by texting CLUTCH to 94253.

Neil Fallon, Clutch at Congress Theater-Chicago opening for Motorhead with Valiant Thor 2011

WITH PRONG AND LIONIZE

7/11: Fayetteville, AR @ George's Majestic Lounge - Tickets 

7/12: Lawrence, KS @ Granda Theater - Tickets 

*7/13: Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue - Tickets 

7/14: Vienna, WV @ Fishbone Gill & Grill - Tickets 

7/15: Louisville, KY @ Waterfront Park (Forecastle Festival)* - Tickets 

7/17: New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues - Tickets

7/18: Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall - Tickets

7/19: Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club - Tickets 

7/20: Charlotte, NC @ Amos' Southend - Tickets

7/21: Baltimore, MD @ Artscape Festival* - Free Festival 

7/22: Richmond, VA @ The National - Tickets

WITH LIONIZE AND MONSTER TRUCK

8/9: Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance - Tickets 

8/10: Buffalo, NY @ The Town Ballroom - Tickets 

8/11: Birch Run, MI @ Birch Run Expo Center (WWBN Dirt Fest)* - Tickets

8/12: Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues - Tickets

WITH LIONIZE AND MONSTRO (*click here for our original MonstrO live show shots from Ultra Lounge, Chicago).

11/1: Flint, MI @ The Machine Shop (Sold Out - Rescheduled from 5/13)

*11/2: Joliet, IL @ Mojoes - Tickets

11/3: Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall (Sold Out - Rescheduled from 5/12)

*CLUTCH only

For More Info Check out Clutch's main site here or their own label site Weathermaker Music Here.

Want more ChiIL Live Shows/ChiIL Mama Past Clutch Coverage?

Pigtown Blues

Neil Fallon-Sweden?

Clutch Coming to Chi-town with Motorhead & Valiant Thor

Ragnarok Indeed

Burlesque Audition Notice-Go Gorilla

Seeking [female] performers for GORILLA TANGO BURLESQUE! Gorilla Tango Burlesque (Provocative Parody for the Discerning Nerd) is seeking bright, funny female comic actresses who move well and are comfortable with their bodies to join the cast of three different shows: Temple of Boobs: An Indiana Jones Burlesque (auditioning new cast members on 7/12/12 to begin in August) Superboobs: A Superhero Burlesque (auditioning new cast members on 7/18 and 7/19/12 to begin in August) and Boobs of the Dead: A Walking Dead Burlesque (auditioning on 7/19 and 7/21/12 for its initial October 2012 run). NOTE: These are sketch comedy burlesque productions; all roles perform classic burlesque striptease and will appear in panties and pasties. Please do not audition unless you are comfortable undressing in front of an audience! No prior burlesque experience is required but you must be 21 or older to audition. NOTE: you can audition for multiple shows. Performers are paid a percentage of ticket sales plus tips. To receive more detailed information and schedule an audition: - for Superboobs or Boobs of the Dead, please send headshot and resume to kelly@gorillatango.com - for Temple of Boobs, please send headshot and resume to sadiehotkins@gorillatango.com

S.O.S.-- SHAMS Band ON SCHUBAS Stage--Month Long Residency!

The Shams Band have put together a stellar line-up for their July residency @ Schubas Tavern. The residency celebrates the release of their sophomore album, Cold City:

Monday, July 9: w/ Shovels & Rope and Jeremy David Miller (Rambos)
Monday, July 16: w/ Derek Nelson & the Musicians and Elephant Gun
Monday, July 23: Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes and Young Jesus
Monday, July 30: Archie Powell & the Exports and Young Hines
http://www.schubas.com/Page/Shows?Month=July&Year=2012
http://www.theshamsband.com/

• Practice Space presents:
• THE SHAMS BAND
• Shovels & Rope
• Jeremy David Miller
• DJ Sets By: Mr. Gac

• MONDAY 07/09/2012 8:00 PM 
• |
 
• 21+
 
• |
 
• $6.00 ($15.00 - FOUR SHOW RESIDENCY TICKET PACKAGE)
 

Click Here To Reserve Your Copy of Cold City And A Ticket To The Show.

Click Here For A Four Show Residency Ticket Package

The Shams Band will be celebrating their second full length record, Cold City by hosting their own July residency at Schubas Tavern.

Music is supposed to be fun, exciting, thought provoking and daring. On every live performance, The Shams Band makes sure that their audience leaves each concert with a personal feeling of satisfaction. Drawing heavily from their Kinks, Rolling Stones, and Wilco influences, singer/songwriters Biggins/Gulyas create distinct, personal songs. Once completed with unique four-part harmonies, the songs come to life, tell stories, and send audiences singing all the way home.

The Shams Band features music trapezing the line between blues, country, and pop music. They have opened for national acts Drive-By Truckers, Dawes, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes and Grace Potter & The Nocturnals.

The Shams Band is the epitome of a "do-it-yourself" group. They get every audience excited and dancing from their catchy hooks and rock 'n roll atmosphere. It's whiskey-driven. It's a party. It's rock 'n roll with a banjo.

Play Locally: Beauty and The Beast, Gruesome Playground Injuries, West Fest, Ren Faire and More

This morning we caught the opening of the stunningly spectacular production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast at Chicago Shakespeare.   We'd seen the Broadway version, so our expectations were high, and we were not disappointed.   We'll have a photo filled full review up soon.




The next two days West Fest is going down.    Temps are finally a high of 88 and going down to a high of 81 Sunday, which feels downright spring like after 100+ heat index all week.   So venture outta the air conditioning and see some fun bands, theater, or Ren Faire Fun.   




We'll bring you our photo filled adventures from Bristol Renaissance Faire after Sunday.   Check out our recent Ren Fair coverage & details here.




Click this link for free 12 & under kids' admission and a printable coupon for $4.95 off for adults for opening weekend, along with announcements of new acts.








Opening Tonight:

Tonight we're super stoked to be going to the opening of Gruesome Playground Injuries at The Chopin Theatre!

In Rajiv Joseph’s masterful play, an accident prone dare devil and a corrosive masochist navigate friendship, love and the squishy parts that lie in between. 8-year-olds Doug and Kayleen meet in a school nurse’s office, beginning a lifelong intimacy which is revealed through the physical and emotional injuries they sustain over 30 years. Gruesome Playground Injuries tells a different kind of love story through sharp humor and even sharper insights into the human condition.

Our full review will be up shortly.

West Fest

West Fest 2012 Saturday & Sunday, July 7th & 8th 12-10pm on Chicago Avenue between Damen and Wood There is something for everyone at West Fest, the Chicago street fair that reflects the eclectic persona of its West Town environs. Held annually on Chicago Avenue at Damen, the two-day party features live cutting edge music on 3 stages! The main stage is booked by Empty Bottle Presents, then there is a DJ Stage, and a Kid Fest Stage. There are Kid Fest activities and entertainment, PUPFest with pet product vendors and dog activities for charity, plus a multitude of booths from popular neighborhood restaurants, retailers, and artists. The Music The biggest difference between West Fest and other cookie-cutter Chicago street festivals is the high quality live music. West Fest is all about up and coming local and national artists playing original live music. West Fest also features a DJ stage, one of the first at a Chicago street fest since it's inception in 2004. The main stage is booked by the renowned local venue Empty Bottle Presents. Click here for the complete 2012 live music line up. **We highly recommend checking out He's My Brother She's My Sister today at 4pm!   They were amazing at Empty Bottle a few months back and we'll have loads of live video footage and show still for you soon.   They're fronted by a talented actual brother/ sister duo and have a rockin' girl drummer who tap dances on one drum while wailing on the rest.   Amazing! The Activities Kid Fest (on Wolcott & Rice): Join us for the 8th annual Kid Fest held in conjunction with West Fest July 7th & 8th from Noon to 10pm - located on Wolcott Ave between Chicago Ave and Rice. A jammed packed two-day family fun event. This year Kid Fest will feature the usual pony rides and face painting for the little ones, plus will also focus on arts and music programming for those hard to please tweens and teens. Older kids and all ages will enjoy the programming by The Opus Institute  with live music, arts lessons, B-Boy Battle and music workshops presented by The Opus Institute, Maestro Chroma, Ground Lift Media and Chicago Tribe.  Live art demonstrations by Czr Prz, Des One, Daze, Celr, Fel 3000, Sintex, Rift, Cero, Revise, CMW and more... Click here for complete Kid Fest stage line up.  PUP Fest: Each year West Fest features another large ‘fest within a fest’ dedicated exclusively to pet product vendors, canine bathing pools, and plenty of pet activities for charity hosted by West Town's own Doggy Style Pet Shop and Green Dog Inc. With a $5 donation, dogs who attend can participate in a variety of activities at no additional charge - including an agility course, an additional obstacle course fun area (with mud pit!), dog "tattooing", face painting and paw painting, paw cooling stations, raffles and spin-the-wheel prizes. With a $15 donation dogs can participate in the above activities PLUS the Suds For Strays Charity Dog Wash. After getting all messy in the mud pit (but prior to getting tattooed), volunteers from the 5 rescues will be washing dogs all day.  Each dog that gets washed will also receive a gift bag containing freebies and coupons. ALL PUPfest proceeds benefit these 5 pet rescues and charities: Alive Rescue, One Tail At A Time, Treehouse Humane Society, Friends of Animal Care and Control, and Leaving Tracks. $5 donation requested for admittance to West Fest offsets the costs of the event and benefits local non-profits providing services for the immediate neighborhood. This year the gate proceeds will benefit the West Town Chamber of Commerce, a non-profit providing programs and services for West Town businesses; and also a new benefactor brought in by The Opus Institute for their part in organizing Kid Fest, and the Magi Cultural Arts Center, a community and culturally-based art center which empowers individuals with the entrepreneurial spirit to reinvest into their community.

Kids Free This Weekend at Ren Faire & New Acts Announced

*Click here for a printable coupon for adult discount tickets.   Kids 12 and under are free this weekend and kids under 5 are free all season.

Join us as we kick off the 25th Celebration!
Save $4.95 off each Adult Admission and All kids 12 & younger are free!  (July 7 & 8, 2012 only. Coupon must be presented at Box Office.) 

Bigger, bolder and more boisterous than ever, this summer’s 25th annual Bristol Renaissance Faire promises patrons an unparalleled celebration, filled with all the first-rate revelry Faire-goers have come to expect over the past two-and-a-half decades and a queen’s ransom of special surprises. More than 200,000 visitors are expected to attend Bristol’s special anniversary celebration, which begins July 7 and runs for nine weekends through Labor Day, Sept. 3. 

“We’re going to party like it’s 1599,” said Linda McFeters, producer of the Bristol Renaissance Faire, promising streets brimming with a commedia del arte kaleidoscope of frolicking fools and masquerading merrymakers who will sweep patrons into a world far removed from the stresses of the 21st Century. 

  

Sagezilla rocks the Steampunk Invasion weekend at Ren Faire 2011



Complementing a perennially popular array of jousting knights, swashbuckling swordsmen, mud beggars, rope-walkers, period dancers and musicians, the season will be one of the most extensive line-ups of special entertainment the Faire has ever assembled, including limited-engagement appearances by many of the most sought-after performing groups on the national Renaissance fair circuit. Travelling to Bristol for the first time this summer will be the explosively-entertaining steampunk bagpipe group, Klaxton, and juggling juggernaut London Broil. Also announced, the all-female Seelie Players will lure audiences with their debut of “Sirena: From Down Below We Sing,” an original musical tribute to the Sirens of Greek legend, featuring tribal drums and staffs, lithe dancing and all-new music.

Among favorite guest headliners returning to Bristol on select weekends to help celebrate the Faire’s 25th anniversary are Doktor Kaboom, with his side-splittingly funny scientific diversions, Celtic rock phenomenon Tartanic, and the Clan Tynker family circus, an enchanting cacophony of music, juggling, magic, sword-swallowing, fire-eating and dangerous stunts. Also returning this summer is a performer who literally turned heads during her 2011 debut, aerialist Lauren Murray, who suspends herself from the treetops above the Faire in a graceful and gravity-defying silk act.

For 25 years, the Bristol Renaissance Faire has been captivating visitors with an incomparable spectrum of experiences, from unabashed revelry to first rate people-watching.  For those who want to check their inhibitions at the gate, there’s ample opportunity to whoop and holler at jousting knights, get down and dirty with raucous, earth-clad mud beggars, or hurl a ripe tomato at a blustering braggart.  Those inclined toward more serene pursuits will find a comparable bounty of enjoyments, from watching glass-blowers create one-of-a-kind works of art, to joining in a round of 16th Century court dancing, or listening to the dulcet tones of world-class minstrels.

Among the most popular attractions at the Faire for the past four seasons, Bristol’s live action fantasy-play game, RenQuest, will return this summer with an entirely new storyline. RenQuest brings the worldwide phenomenon of multiplayer online role-playing games, like World of Warcraft, into the live action dimension of the Renaissance faire,  creating an interactive theatrical experience that offers gamers an unprecedented opportunity to test their mental and physical skills beyond the realm of their computer screens.

For the Faire’s youngest patrons (a.k.a. “nipperkins”), Kids Quests provide two daily opportunities to embark on their own, age-appropriate adventures. Kids Quests set out from the vicinity of Bristol’s Kids Kingdom, an enclosed play area filled with oversized sand boxes, a huge climb-aboard pirate ship, and an entertaining cast of Renaissance fairytale characters presiding over interactive games, crafts and other child-friendly activities. 

Festivities at the Faire take their framework from the summer day in 1574 when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth visited the English hamlet of Bristol. Queen Elizabeth and other historically based characters are juxtaposed with fictional scenarios, such as the popular street-fighting escapades of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Faire streets are lined with game and ride areas, food vendors offering a palate-pleasing array of epicurean delights, and merchants selling everything from sterling silver jewelry to rare-edition books and hand-caned brooms. Strolling minstrels, jesters and other era characters mingle with faire-goers, many of whom come dressed in their own period costumes. 

Located on 30 wooded acres, just west of I-94’s Russell Road exit, near Kenosha, Wis., the Bristol 

Renaissance Faire will be open rain or shine, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., every Saturday and Sunday, July 7 through Sep. 2, and on Labor Day Monday, Sep. 3. Tickets are $19.95 for adults and $9.50 for children. Advance ticket discounts are available at renfair.com or (847) 395-7773.

Vote Gorilla Tango for IndieWire's Project of the Month by 7/6 #theatre review

Gorilla Tango Says:  THANK YOU FOR VOTING US CHICAGO READER'S 2012

BEST BURLESQUE TROUPE!

ChiIL Live Shows had a chance to check out Superboobs:   A Superhero Burlesque Adventure and also Attend The Tale of Danny Tanner:  A Full House Musical.    


Their Burlesque is playful, grrrl powered fun for couples or a night out.   All body types are represented, not just sleek, airbrushed Barbie types.   Most of all, the actors look like they're having a great time, thoroughly enjoying their campy parodies.   Seeing a Gorilla Tango Burlesque show is kinda like spying on a girly slumber party or 21+ kids playing R rated charades with a costume bin.


There's even a lobby bar!    Gorilla Tango is not just hooters.....their shows are a hoot....clever, smart, sexy spoofs.    Come check 'em out.    Highly recommended adult fun.


We're super stoked  Attend The Tale of Danny Tanner:  A Full House Musical has been extended into July.  Check the link for show dates and times.  This show was horribly wrong in ALL the right ways.   I haven't laughed this hard in ages.  The audience was on the floor laughing from the time the opening number echoed forth.  The actors' parodies were so funny I can't believe the cast actually made it through the whole show without cracking, though I saw a few tell tale facial twitches.   Attend the tale....before it's too late.   If you drove, you might want to forgo the lobby bar on this one...lest someone in the audience gets any ideas!   There's always the blue line el--Western stop a short walk away.    However you get there, go already.

EXTENDED INTO JULY!!!!

In this darkly comedic musical, the true life of Danny Tanner and is family is exposed; promises will be broken, sinister paths explored, lives may be lost, and yes, songs will be sung. Whether you're a member of the Full House fan club or scoff in a superior fashion when you hear someone utter "Cut It Out"; you will find both a touch of nostalgia and an illuminating light shining brightly on the Tanners' most clandestine realities. Come see the Tanners as you've never seen them before. Attend the Tale.

Written by Chris Gorton, Katie Johnston-Smith, and Tara Trudel
Directed by Kelly Williams.
Choreographed by Nikki Pierce.
Fight Choreography by Bobby Hoffman
Musically Directed by Rhapsody Snyder.
Costumes and props by Vanessa Walilko.


"An hour of gleefully over-the-top songs about murder and pinky swears..."
Centerstage Chicago

READER RECOMMENDED!
"Cheerfully morbid musical goof!"
Chicago Reader

"An interesting, dark twist on the "Full House" we all know and love. The choreography is stylistic and interesting, the actors believable and the harmonies pretty perfect."
Lady Art Chicago

"This show isn't just good, it's pretty brilliant."
Gapers Block

Produced by GTT.

Show Rating - R

Show Type - Musical

Gorilla Tango Theatre [Bucktown] 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60647 773-598-4549

Gorilla Tango Says:

Haven't seen one of our new shows? Check us out - Fridays and Saturdays at 9pm and 10:30pm;
visit www.gorillatango.com or call 773-598-4549 for tickets and showtimes!

HEY! WE LIKE WINNING!
PLEASE ALSO CONSIDER VOTING FOR Gorilla Tango Motion Picture's upcoming film

"YOU ARE NOT ALONE"

for IndieWire's Project of the Month:
http://www.indiewire.com/article/decide-who-talks-to-the-tribeca-film-institute-vote-for-junes-project-of-the-month#**Voting ends TOMORROW (Friday, July 6 at 5pm).**