It's a big weekend for amazing events in Chicago! And with the weather turning away from the April showers, you have no excuse for not getting out there and exploring your city and all it has to offer! Concerts, beer, art, and street fests are waiting to be experienced. Get out there and enjoy Chicago!
Let's get on with your curated weekend!
THURSDAY, MAY 2nd
Jon Langford's Skull Orchard @ Montrose Saloon, 2933 W Montrose Ave, 8:00pm -11:00pm, 21+
WHAT: A legendary musician giving you a great show!
SO WHAT: Jon Langford’s amazing mix of folk, country, and punk rock has been delighting music fans for decades. Whether it’s as a solo performer, with The Mekons, the Waco Brothers, or one of his many collaborative groups, Langford always delivers a fantastic show full of great tunes. Check him out with performing under his Skull Orchard project!
NOW WHAT: Entry is $10 in cash at the door!
Kendrick Scott Oracle @ Constellation, 3111 N Western Ave, 8:30pm, 18+
WHAT: An eventful evening of jazz
SO WHAT: Drummer
Kendrick Scott and his band Kendrick Scott Oracle will be stopping by Constellation in support of their upcoming release
A Wall Becomes A Bridge. The album centers on overcoming obstacles both personal and collective. Scott evokes the album’s title as he and the band reach out to connect listeners together, rather than let walls divide them. Scott adds another musician (turntablist Jahi Sundance) to his long-running quintet for this latest release, joining guitarist Mike Moreno, pianist Taylor Eigsti, reedist John Ellis, and bassist Joe Sanders to expand Oracle’s already mesmerizing sound.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $20 for this sure to be amazing performance.
The Felice Brothers / Johnathan Rice @ Sleeping Village, 3734 W Belmont Ave, 9:00pm, 21+
WHAT: An evening of beautiful songs at a great venue
SO WHAT: Join
the Felice Brothers just a day before the release of their latest album,
Undress. Their first album in three years,
Undress finds the band at their most reflective, creating personal songs that were cut live to tape with minimal dubbing, making for an incredibly thoughtful and intimate listening experience. Joining them on the Sleeping Village stage will be the wonderful songs of Jonathon Rice.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 day of show!
FRIDAY, MAY 3rd
SqueezIt Can Release @ Corridor Brewery & Provisions, 3446 N Southport Ave, 2:00pm, 21+ (to purchase beer of course)
WHAT: Another year, another canning of the excellent SqueezeIt!
SO WHAT: Corridor Brewery & Provisions is doing another official canning of their beer SqueezeIt! SqueezeIt is an original Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with Mosaic and Citra hops. This will be the only place to get these beers!
NOW WHAT: They will have 100 of these 4-packs of the 16-ounce cans for $18 each, so get there early and join in on the fun!
Check out their event page for more info!
MC Lars / MC Frontalot / Mega Ran / Schaffer the Darklord @ Cobra Lounge, 235 N. Ashland Ave., 6:00pm, 18+
WHAT: Riot Fest Presents the pop culture hip-hop you need in your life
SO WHAT: Have you ever craved hip-hop that catered to your nerdy needs? Well look no further as this lineup of insanely good MCs make their way to Chicago for a night of rap dripping with pop culture. Nerdcore legends like
MC Lars, the Godfather of Nerdcore
MC Frontalot, former teacher now geeky hip-hop maven
Mega Ran, and the horror-infused style of
Schaffer the Darklord will be gracing Cobra Lounge stage for a night of all encompassing nerdy bars and flows.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $15 for this great night!
Old Time Relijun & Quasar Wut-Wut @ The Hideout, 1354 W Wabansia Ave, 9:30pm, 21+
WHAT: Weird sounds from some great bands!
SO WHAT: Old Time Relijun is a cathartic listening experience, one full of maddening experimentalism and noise you wouldn’t have thought could be enjoyable, most certainly are! Punk rock energy mixed with gruff vocals and a monolith of insane instrumentation that will have you dancing into a trance in no time. Joining them will be the psychedelic sounds of
Quasar Wut-Wut!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $15!
SATURDAY, MAY 4th
17th Annual CHIRP Record Fair & Other Delights @ Plumbers Hall, 1340 W Washington Blvd, 8:00am - 6:00pm, All ages
WHAT: Chirp Record Fair’s 17th year of vinyl love!
SO WHAT: Spring is here, so that means the
CHIRP Record Fair is here! Join CHIRP at Plumbers Hall to dig over 100 tables full of crates of vinyl records, DVDs, CDs, posters, and more. It’s a music collector’s paradise!
This year you’ll get to enjoy live sets from OVEF OW, The Jellies, Baby Money & the Down Payments (solo), DPCD, Charming Hokum (Bob Gerics & Megan Donahue) and other local acts; DJ sets from Van Paugam, Miss Alex White of White Mystery, DJ Chuck Wren, and Joe Shanahan of Metro Chicago; and comedy from Groovebox On The Beat Tho! There will also be plenty of food and drinks to re-energize you between crates!
Check out the event page for more info!
NOW WHAT: You can get your
advance tickets here! $8 for general admission (10:00am) or $25 for early admission (8:00am). Go and shop to your retro desires!
Chicago Print Crawl @ Various locations, Various Times, All Ages
WHAT: A chance to experience Chicago's printmaking scene
SO WHAT: Join
Chicago Print Crawl, a free self-guided tour of printmaking production, publishing, exhibition and sales venues throughout the City of Chicago! The crawl offers a behind-the-scenes peek into Chicago’s vibrant printmaking industry with 37 eclectic printmaking venues throughout the city inviting the public to stop by for the day. There are free activities throughout the venues including studio tours, print sales, hands-on art projects, gallery exhibitions, and printmaking demonstrations.
Be sure to take a look at their event page for more details!
NOW WHAT: It's free!
Check out the full lineup here and
download the map!
Off Color Six Year Anniversary Party @ Off Color Brewing – Mousetrap, 1460 N Kingsbury St, 11:00am - 11:59pm, 21+
WHAT: Celebrate
Off Color’s six-year anniversary!
SO WHAT: Party with this excellent brewery as they tap their favorite beers (both their own and guest brews) and unveil some new merch! Off Color will also be introducing two brand new beers for their sixth birthday, Polar S’moretex, a high gravity version of Dino S’mores brewed on the coldest day in Chicago history, as well as Chicxulub, their Mexican hot chocolate inspired Russian Imperial Stout. There will be a limited amount of both of these beers available to-go when they open that day as well (first come first served).
NOW WHAT: Entry is free! Just bring some cash for the brews and merch and you’ll be all set!
Chicago Beer Classic @ Soldier Field, 1410 Museum Campus Dr., 11:00am - 7:00pm, 21+
WHAT: Beer, beer, and beer!
SO WHAT: This event will be filled with games and activities that will break out all the awesome beers that you’ll be trying! You’ll get to learn about the brewing process all the while enjoying the end product. You’ll also get to meet the brewers and even vote for the best beer at the fest!
NOW WHAT: General admission tickets are $69 per session (11:30am – 2:30pm or 4:30 – 7:00pm) and VIP tickets are $89 ( early entry and more!).
Naivety Scene by Blake Jones Opening Reception @ Rotofugi Designer Toy Store & Gallery, 2780 N Lincoln Ave, 7:00pm - 10:00pm, All Ages
WHAT: A fun exhibit at Chicago’s best toy store
SO WHAT: Rotofugi has collaborated with Chicago-based (via Houston, Texas) artist Blake Jones on several projects over the years. Blake’s style draws on a huge range of influences from comics to abstract art, always maintaining a colorful and cute approach to his work. For this exhibit, Jones has opened up his sketchbooks and will be sharing his awesome art with the world! Blake Jones will be in attendance at the opening reception!
NOW WHAT: It’s free! Check out some great art and enjoy music by DJ Sean Doe plus complimentary snacks and soft drinks (BYOB if you want to have alcohol). The exhibit runs through May 26!
¡Pachanga! De Mayo @ East Room, 2354 N Milwaukee Ave, May 4th 8:00pm - May 5th 5:00am, 21+
WHAT: A chance to start celebrating Cinco de Mayo a little early!
SO WHAT: ¡Pachanga! De Mayo will get you dancing some of the best tunes from Cumbia, Salsa, Merengue, Reggaeton, Hip Hop and so much more being spun by some great local DJs! Solmeca, DJ Ca$h Era, DJ Iggy, Dewey Depp (Pachanga Resident DJ), Memo Duarte, and Roger McFly will be your DJS for the evening while Navarro, Zianna, & Mariachi Sirenas will be providing live music! There will also be a Caballo Dorado Contest at midnight (8 random contestants will be picked to compete, 1st place gets a bottle of Jagermeister) and vendors selling their awesome wares!
NOW WHAT: Cover is $10 and the first 50 people get a Paleta!
SUNDAY, MAY 5th
Cinco de Mayo Street Party @ Bangers & Lace, 1670 W Division St, Noon - 8:00pm, All Ages
WHAT: Solemn Oath are taking over Paulina Street with the fine folks from
Bangers & Lace,
Cream City Skateboard Park,
Pardon My Thrashing and more.
SO WHAT: Spend Cinco de Mayo with these cool folks in a slew of awesomeness. The Cream City skate ramp will be on-site all day (BYOB - bring your own board). A skate trick competition will be hosted by Pardon My Thrashing (there will be prizes!). Bangers & Lace will be offering specials in honor of Cinco de Mayo featuring Woodford Reserve, el Jimador Tequila, and Solemn Oath Brewery's Lü (Kölsch) that will turn into a "Lü-garita" for the day. Other Solemn Oath beers will be flowing throughout the day including End All, White Van, Punk Rock For Rich Kids, Lü, Questionable Couch, and more. There will also be street vendors including Pardon My Thrashing,
Locked and Layered, Ryan Duggan,
The Crystal Collective,
Apothecary CBD, and more.
NOW WHAT: This event is free to attend and kid-friendly.
Victoria Reeves: Brassy + Intrepid!
Women Speak: Empowerment and Storytelling @ Gibbs Morrison Cultural Arts Center, 1823 Church St, Evanston, IL, 5:30pm - 7:30pm, All Ages
WHAT: Victoria Reeves with her solo show "Brassy + Intrepid" heads a group of women storytellers speaking true stories. The theme is strong, independent, creative women finding their own voices, following their own paths and stepping into their power.
SO WHAT: Performing eight-minute true stories will be: Lisa Collen, writer, instructor and producer, who also hosts Inspired! Live Lit on the first Tuesday of the month in Lockport; Lee Melchior, who hosts three shows in the storytelling scene: "Do Not Submit Open Mic" in Edgewater, "Chimera Loft" in Evanston and "The Story Rug" at Evanston Farmers' Market; Kim Vanbiesbrouck, a singer, dancer, actor and writer, is also a yoga, barre and kickboxing instructor; and RC Riley,
a queer warrior woman, writer, performer, and storyteller who began writing as a means of healing after a sexual assault. Reeves' "Brassy + Intrepid" is a compilation of six coming-of-age stories, woven together with musical and visual transitions. Reeves tells true tales of discovering feminism, surviving as a creative, forging a gypsy-road-show life with her partner and surviving motherhood on a Suzuki TU250X. The event ends with a CommUnity Dance Party mixed by Turntablist/DJ Johnny Price.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $10; find more info
here. You also can pay $10 cash at the door.
A Dope Art Show: "Keep it 100" @ Slippery Slope, 2357 N Milwaukee Ave., 8:00pm, 21+
WHAT: Chicago based artists showing off their work!
SO WHAT: 21 amazing Chicago-based artists will have pieces hung up at Slippery Slope and all will be available for purchase. All pieces are being kept to $100 or under so it’s a great opportunity to grab something awesome while on a budget. Artists will be mingling throughout the evening so you’ll also have a chance to meet the person who made your soon-to-be-new-favorite piece of art! Resident Dope Show Host, Bird Milk will be buying a Don Julio Cocktail for the first 25 people to purchase art.
NOW WHAT: Entry is free!
Tim Atlas + Rich Jones with Carlile @ Schubas, 3159 N Southport Ave, 8:00pm, 18+
WHAT: A taste of excellent local and LA based tunes!
SO WHAT: Tim Atlas is a Los Angeles-based singer and songwriter. His bright and undeniably smooth songs have been gaining traction since the release of his EP
All Talk! With a new EP on the way, Atlas’ sound will pair well with
Rich Jones' awesome R&B grooves (
you can check out our review of his latest release here) and
Carlile‘s immaculate voice!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $12!