Curation By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk
You shoulda been there.
1. Kevin Abstract at Reggies on Tuesday night.
Posted on July 11, 2014
Here Comes Wally! A Chicago Polk-Rock Opera
By Don Hedeker
Forget Lollapalooza, it’s time for WALLYPALOOZA!!
That’s right, on Saturday, August 2nd, The Polkaholics will perform their polka-rock opera Wally! in its entirety at Quenchers (2401 N. Western, 773 276-9730) in their seventh annual celebration of Li’l Wally’s life and legacy (Li’l Wally’s birthday was August 1, 1930, and he passed away on August 17, 2006). Admission is $5 and the event will begin at 10 p.m. The amazing I Love Rich will open the show with their fun and entertaining brand of in-your-face ROCK!
Li’l Wally revolutionized polka in the 1950s by slowing it down to a danceable tempo, which became known as the “Chicago Style.” He is considered the Muddy Waters or Charlie Parker of polka. Though he retired to Florida in later years, The Polkaholics brought him back to Chicago for several memorable shows together before he died in 2006.
Posted on July 9, 2014
The Weekend In Chicago Rock
Curation By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk
You shoulda been there.
1. Hurray for the Riff Raff at the American Music Festival at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn on Saturday night.
Dickinson: “Alynda Lee Segarra is a twenty-something feminist singer-songwriter with a very old soul. The Americana artist is her own woman, all the while drawing on a mix of vintage and contemporary influences including Robert Johnson, the Carter Family, Townes Van Zandt and Gillian Welch.
“A triple threat as a vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, Segarra tours and records under the name Hurray for the Riff Raff. She is joined in the studio and on stage by a collective of musicians including her long-running musical partner and fiddler Yosi Perlstein.”
Posted on July 7, 2014
The Week In Chicago Rock
Curation By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk
You shoulda been there.
1. Mazes at the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival on Sunday.
Posted on July 4, 2014
The Wonder Of Oak Park’s Charlie Carpenter
“While he has difficulty with everyday tasks like making change for a dollar, he plays pipe organ at genius level”
“Carpenter, 22, has Cat Eye syndrome, a rare chromosomal disorder that gives him certain intellectual disabilities,” Dave Pierini writes for OakPark.com.
“Simple tasks like buttoning a shirt, removing a stem from a strawberry or making change for a dollar can at times seem like insurmountable challenges to Carpenter.
“While musical ability is closely associated to some developmental disabilities, nothing about Carpenter’s disorder explains how he can play Bach’s ‘Trio Sonatas’ with such ease, each hand working different keyboards while his feet shift along the floor pedals.”
Now Carpenter is the subject of a new documentary that will premiere this month.
Posted on July 3, 2014
Local Music Notebook: Sting Is Just The Worst
So Is Veruca Salt
“Rock ‘n’ roll royalty came out for the world premiere of Sting’s musical, The Last Ship, in Chicago before the show debuts on Broadway in October,” the New York Post reports.
“At the Bank of America Theatre, Sting’s wife Trudie Styler was seen sitting with Paul Simon and James Taylor, who were both decked out in hats.
“For a curtain call, Sting joined the cast onstage to lead a song himself.
“At an after-party on a boat docked on Lake Michigan, Styx singer Dennis DeYoung was seen circulating, and AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson had a bartender in stitches when the rocker made it to the front of a long line for booze and then proceeded to ‘pour himself two glasses of Champagne.'”
Ah ha ha ha ha! The bartender was in stitches; he’d never seen such shenanigans before!
Posted on July 2, 2014
The Weekend In Chicago Rock
Curation By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk
You shoulda been there.
1. Twin Peaks at Animal Kingdom on Saturday night.
A fundrager for Lemon.
Posted on June 30, 2014
The Week In Chicago Rock
Curation By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk
You shoulda been there.
1. Ramshackle Glory at Township on Monday night.
Posted on June 27, 2014
Local Music Notebook: The Wild Hare Prevails
Plus: Earth, Wind & Fire, The Orwells
“Chicago’s famed Wild Hare reggae club finally has the OK to host live music at its new Lincoln Park location,” <em reports.
“The club was originally denied its license at a hearing brought by petitioners from the neighborhood.
“In August, a Cook County judge ruled that the club, which had operated in Wrigleyville for 25 years, had been wrongly denied its license.
“The City of Chicago quickly appealed that ruling and the case had been stuck in court until Friday’s granting of the license.”
Which is great, but commenter Scott is right when he says the story contains “no explanation for the crux at the end. What happened? Did the courts reject the City’s appeal or did the City drop it?”</em
Posted on June 24, 2014
The Weekend In Chicago Rock
Curation By The Beachwood Rock Local Affairs Desk
You shoulda been there.
1. Foxy Shazam at Lincoln Hall on Saturday night.
Posted on June 23, 2014