Avoid Valentines Day With The Anti-Valentine’s Day Cabaret Show

I love to hate love. For me, love is like going to an abandoned carnival, it looks like it used to be a lot of fun, but all of the attractions are rusted and there are far too many raccoons. There’s only one place I know that a V-Day Scrooge like me can go to avoid getting my heart stabbed in its pulsing bloody back: an anti-Valentine’s Day cabaret! Letters/X is a performance pieced together by real letters, emails, text messages, Facebook posts and other publicly written submissions that are presented as monologues and original songs.  The cabaret was produced in 2004 with Groundup Theatre and has been going strong for nine years. The show has fresh material and is guaranteed to be a savvy way to not celebrate a certain senseless societal holiday. The show runs in the Apollo Theater from February 2^nd through March 10^th and starts at 8pm. You can grab your tickets at the Apollo box office, or  through Ticketmaster.com, but hurry, nearly all performances of the anti-Valentine cabaret sold out last year.

Among the Letters/X ensemble and crew are Jessica Jane Childs, a 7 year veteran whose credits include Steep, Halcyon, Dream Theatre and The Lakewood Manor players, Stephanie Clark who has worked on several Tennessee Rep Theatre productions includingSweeney Todd, Rabbit Hole and Darwin in Malibu, and Anthony Roberts, Chicago’s resident playwright, composer, singer, guitarist and actor who has been involved in productions at American Blues Theater, Chicago Dramatists, Groundup, Serendipity, and American Theatre Company.

The affair is sure to be an absolute solute to all things love, and will allow you to reminisce on true love, lost love, and shady yet necessary affairs. Don’t be left home alone this Valentine’s day. Make sure you hop, skip, and jump over to the Apollo Theater to catch Letters/X soon!

Wanjiku K </3

Tags: Anti-Valtentines Day, Apollo Theatre, Cabaret, chicago, Comedy, Latters/X, Love, Real, songs, theatre, Valentines Day

Send A Local Chicago Band To SXSW With Reggies Rock Club

What does a local Chicago legendary rock venue and a thriving Texas arts festival have in common? After the Reggies SXSW Throwdown, quite a bit! Started in Austin in 1987 South By Southwest has grown into a week long music, film, and culture festival attended by nearly 20,000 people every year. Their lineup, consisting of musical acts, films, speakers, and others, features a great collection of current hot names but also tons of great up and coming artists.

This year, local venue Reggie’s Rock Club is putting on a Showcase at SWSW and will be taking a local Chicago band with them! Vying for the title is Gun, Tracer Bullet, Yellow Jacket, The Welcome, Yer Mother Lovers, and Fates Furies and Men. Help choose the band that will represent Chicago on Saturday February 4th. Tickets (18+) will only cost you $10 for a night of great local rock. This huge opportunity could help launch one of these bands to national attention so make sure to come out and support Chicago music by casting your vote!

Each band has it¹s own link to buy tickets so, so support your favorite: Tracer Bullet , The Welcome , Yer Mother Lovers, Fates, Furies and Men, Gun.

-Kevin Hartmann

Tags: Austin, chicago, Fates Furies and Men, festival, film, Gun, Music, reggies, Reggies Rock Club, Rock, SXSW, The Welcome, Tracer Bullet, Yellow Jacket, Yer Mother Lovers

4th Annual Winter Block Party For Chicagos Hip Hop Arts

On January 21^st from 12 pm to 6 pm the 4^th Annual Winter Block Party for Chicago’s Hip-Hop Arts is going down for FREE at the Metro! Thousands of people attended WBEZ 91.5’s Off Air Events Series last year and 2012 will be no different. This free party will feature graffiti galleries, breakdancing performances, a film screening of “The People Speak”, and the best music by some of Chicago’s BEST DJ’s. The list of fun & free things to do goes on and on but what caught my eye was the Emcee Olympics hosted by Urban Music & Hip-Hop Barbershop!!

If you’re not ready to stop the party there you can end your night at the 2012 “Legends of the BodyRock: An All-City 3-on-3” at 8 pm! Based on the history of breakdancing in our city- the Legendary Brickheadz will host final rounds of a LIVE head-to-head “3 on 3” battle! If you’re not on the dance floor, no worries because this evening will feature interviews, past footage, and you get to cheer for your favorite!

Chicago’s DJ’s participating in the event:

Vocalo DJ Collective, Pumpin Pete, Big Once, Trancid, Charlie, and Jesse De La Pena

Hosted by former members of Liquid Soul : Luis Perez and Dirty

This is an all-city event that celebrates lyrics, style, art, dance, community so come one come all!

-Amanda Rivera

Tags: 91.5, Block, breakdancing, hip hop, party, Urban Music, WBEZ, winter

Two-Day Marathon Of Beatles Song Performances Take Place To Celebrate A Grand Opening

Tags: 2, chicago, dance, Grand Opening, Music Performance, Old Town School of Folk Music, Sing a long, The Beatles

Eat to the Beat $5 Lunchtime Series at The Harris Theater Returns

I found the perfect lunchtime getaway!

Most of us have less than an hour to chow down on whatever Chicago grub we set our eyes on but with this good find you can literally “Eat to the Beat”.

On January 12^th, The Harris Theater for Music and Dance continued the 3^rd season of its celebrated Eat to the Beat lunchtime series with a one-hour performance by DanceWorks Chicago and featured guests for only FIVE DOLLARS! DanceWorks Chicago’s commitment is to “Community” not “Company”, the Participatory, rather than the Proprietary. Touche!

This crowd-pleasing series, Eat to the Beat, is aimed towards those Chicagoans who work, live, shop, or just find themselves in the vicinity of the Harris during the workday lunch hour. It’ll take your mind off the workday still ahead and add some excitement in your lunch break that I guarantee you didn’t have before!

DanceWorks featured multiple dances within the hour:

Paradigm by Christian Spuck

A preview of Addio Amore by European choreographer Nelly van Bommel

Western Michigan University’s dance department

& last but certainly not least, James Gregg’s Nocturnal Sense

So instead of sitting in your cubicle, come enjoy your lunch during the Eat to the Beat performances! If you didn’t bring your lunch to work then no worries, food will be available to buy from Chicago’s finest food trucks that are on-site during performances outside the Theater on Lower Randolph Drive.

For just $10 more you can buy an “all you can experience cultural buffet” Lunch Pass that allows you to enjoy the full Eat to the Beat performance series for only $15 (there are two upcoming events in March & one in May).

Individual tickets and lunch passes are available at the Harris Theater box office located in Millennium Park at 205 E. Randolph Dr., by calling 312-334-7777 or by visiting www.harristheaterchicago.org

-Amanda Rivera

Tags: chicago, Dance and Music, Danceworks, Eat to the Beat, Lunch Pass, The Harris Theatre

From NYC to Chi Town: A Clever Move

I moved to Illinois from New Jersey a month ago with big plans of starting my young life in Chicago. Almost every day a Chi-town veteran asks me one question, why Chi? You would think that having been so close to New York City I would get sucked into its gravitational pull, but no, I found asweet escape from those filthy streets. Coming from the NYC area few peoplerealize how delightfully overrated NYC truly is. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking my tri-state, but I certainly had a few clear reasons to leave the city that never sleeps for its Midwestern equivalent. Here are my top ten reasons to move to Chicago!

#10 Super Speedy Service – I ordered a sandwich for lunch today and as soon as she handed me my receipt the chef handed me my sandwich. Nice.

#9 Gorgeous and safe parks – No doubt you’ll find a park that fits your recreational needs in the largest park district in the US!

#8 Travelling with the Chicago Grid System – It’s impossible to get lost when the street signs tell you how far you are from your destination. Who needs a GPS when you’ve got the grid?

#7 Reasonable rent – Seriously I pay $550 a month and have a gorgeous room, gigantic closet and excellent roommates. This must be heaven.

#6 Swimming in Lake Michigan! – Clear water, hot beach bods, endless sunshine and waves

#5 Beautiful and clean streets with an amazingly clear skyline – With everything that Chicago has to offer I’m not surprised that it looks like a Winter Wonderland in January and a Shore side Metropolis in July.

#4 The food will make your taste buds dance – There’s no need to be fearful of where your fish came from or how long the veggies have been out. Food here is fresh and delicious, from subs to soups to brie sandwiches, you’re pallet will thank you.

#3 Summer festivals – What beats Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago, Chicago Air & Water show, Chicago Jazz and World Music Festival?

#2 Endless labyrinth of night activities – Besides bar/club hopping, crazy last minute suggestions from friends will lead you to a verysuccessful night

#1 Reason to move to Chicago: The amazing Midwesterners who always seem to have time for a conversation – This is an excellent way to find out what’s going on around the city and make cool new friends.

Having never been to Chicago prior to now I had no idea what to expect of the city, but what I found was something I wasn’t willing to let go of any time soon. Chicago is a gorgeous, clean, whimsical town full of quality entertainment and class A people. Why would you ever leave?

-Wanjiku Kairu

Tags: 2012, chicago, Clean, festival, food, Lake, lollapalooza, Michigan, Midwestern, Music, nightlife, Parks, Reasons, Taste, travel, World

Celebrate The Kings 77th Birthday With Elvis Fest 2012

Celebrate “The King” and what would have been his 77^th birthday on Sunday, January 8^th with Elvis Fest 2012! Elvis Presley was the top hunk back then and he still is to many today. Girls wanted him and guys wanted to be him! Honor who he was, what he did, and how he made people feel with his music by partaking in this event at The Original Mother’s.

Fans will gather from all over to be “all shook up” at this Elvis Fest! Radio Hall of Famer Dick Biondi will be hosting and broadcasting the event live from 7-11pm. There will be numerous Elvis Tribute Artists taking the stage to perform classic songs “that made Elvis The King!” Don’t forget to come dressed in your best Elvis attire too because the winner of the look-a-like contest wins a trip for two to Vegas, yes I said VEGAS, Baby!

When you need a break from shakin’ it all night hydrate with Absolut “All Shook Up” cocktails, Malibu “Aloha from Hawaii cocktails, PBR, and more! Don’t forget to try the FREE peanut butter and banana buffet and sing “Happy Birthday”!

The doors to Elvis Fest 2012 open at 7pm and there is no entrance fee- but there is a $5 suggested donation that will benefit The Original Mother’s favorite charity- the New Orleans Musicians Clinic.

Get your Elvis suit on and I’ll meet you on the dance floor!

-Rhea Drougas

Tags: 77, birthday, chicago, Elvis, King, Music, Presley, The, Vegas

Free Download of Chicagos Best Local Music: The 24 Seven Chicago Mixtape!

A FREE download of a mixtape is music to my ears, literally… especially when all seventeen tracks are from local Chicago artists!

Chicago Mixtape is a project that Casey Meehan started in February 2011. Every single Monday morning through Chicagomixtape.com, Casey sends out an email blast of free high-quality music from local musicians to all of his subscribers. The first track includes a personal message to all the listeners from the creators of the mixtape: Casey Meehan and Marisa Ruiz, who works for 24/7 Chicago & brokehipster.com. They candidly explain that the purpose behind creating this best of the best compilation is to promote talent coming out of Chicago!

It’s super easy to sign up and I’m living proof (I’m jamming to track six already as I type!)

Here’s the link: http://www.chicagomixtape.com/

Sign up ASAP because this exclusive mixtape is only available until January 2, 2012!

The top five to seven songs each week are selected from a list of a couple hundred bands so you’re guaranteed to hear the best of the best.

The 24 Seven Chicago Mixtape features songs from Soft Speaker (http://www.chicagomixtape.com/calendar/24-7-mix/) who made the list of  ‘Chicago Tribune’s Best Music of 2011’, Louis & The Hunt, Cool Devices and many more.

-Amanda Rivera

Tags: 24/7, chicago, mixtape, Music

Movie Classics and Carols at the 28th Annual Music Box Christmas Show

Take a night out of the week to go out with your family and friends to see this special Christmas tradition! This holiday season is the 28^th anniversary with the Music Box!  It all started in 1983, when an operator in Chicago shows two old holiday movies in Christmas Eve. People came out to watch these vintage movies and sing Christmas carols during their intermissions.

By this being able to keep going 27 years later you know many people have made this their favorite family holiday tradition! If you haven’t ever experienced it you should definitely make it a priority this year. When you enter the Music Box Theatre you’re greeted with a jolly hello from Santa Claus.  He even leads you in Christmas carols to classic Christmas songs. If you happen to not know the words to the carols being sung, no worries, lyrics are projected on the theatre’s screen.

The movies that are being played are White Christmas and It’s A Wonderful Life. You can see either one or stay for both! You can check out the single and double feature prices here http://bit.ly/rycwjC. Reserve your tickets today- you don’t want to miss out on this holiday event!

-Rhea Drougas

Tags: Carols, chicago, Chicago Christmas Events, christmas, It's A Wonderful Life, movies, music box theatre, Santa Claus, White Christmas

Irish Christmas in America

It’s absolutely no secret that I adore all things Irish (have you seen me on the streets between March 16th-18th, I’m a blissful mess) and all things Christmas (I may or may not tear up at the sight of a lit Christmas tree).  So when I stumbled upon Irish Christmas in America, I had to take some deep breaths, remind myself I’m not 8 years old anymore and dove right into finding out more about this fantastic fusion!

Oisin Mac Diarmada is the mastermind behind this insanely popular tour – he hails from the award-winning Irish group, Teada. Irish Christmas in America is comprised of top Irish musicians, singers and dancers and features Lumiere, one of the most talked about vocal groups to come out of the emerald isle as of late.

Not only is the show family friendly but it’s taking place at Old Town School of Folk Music, a wonderful, whimsical performing arts school, actually they’re the biggest independent community arts school in the country and they’re right here in Chicago. On December 14th if you’re in the mood for Irish ballads, Christmas carols, fine fiddle action and some serious Irish dancing, click here: http://irishchristmasinamerica.com/,  pick up a couple tickets and hit me up, I’ll be the one in the front row clutching my Irish family ancestry tree and singing along at the top of my lungs.

-KatieRose Cronin

Tags: chicago, Chicago Irish, Christmas concerts, holiday events, Irish Christmas in America, Lumiere, Oisin Mac Diarmada, Old Town School of Folk Music, Teada