Jennie DeVoe and Nicholas Barron

 

"Jennie DeVoe's voice is smoked honey on a sultry summer evening...smooth, sweet and warm, steeped in the kettle of blues/R&B - but with a rare and wonderful flavor all her own. Only a handful of girls will ever get to sound this good."- Krista Detor, singer/songwriter.

Nicholas Barron is an artist. He's a songwriter, a guitarist, singer, and painter. He began his career in Europe as a busker and ended up in Chicago where he founded C.A.S.A.(The coalition for the advancedment of street art) when the city was trying to ban Street performers. He and his fellow buskers won the right to perform on the street and in the subway. He has had a couple of well known Chicago based bands including MIND THE GAP with Guitar virtuoso Fareed Haque (currently with Garaj Mahal) and SWIMMER (with FILTER drummer Steve Gillis). Swimmer put out 2 records that we're both called "the best of Chicago" on Richard Milne's weekly Chicago radio show called Local anesthetic on 93.1 WXRT.

 

 

Genre: Soul

 

 

 

8PM - $10 in advance // $14 day-of // $18 reserved table seating - Jennie's site - Nicholas' site

Tributosaurus Trio & Friends

 

The Tributosaurus Core is comprised of 5 of the top musicians in Chicagoland. These players consider themselves the Civil War re-creationists of rock and roll, as they skillfully learn a brand new set of material every month, note for note.

 "Tonight they perform a variety of their favorite acoustic tunes from some of the artists that they've become over the years."

 

Genre: Rock

 

 

 

7:30PM - $15 in advance // $20 day-of // $25 reserved table seating - Tributosaurus' site

Dear Companion Tour featuring Ben Sollee and Daniel

Martin Moore

Dear Companion is a collaboration between three Kentucky musicians; the songs were written and performed by Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore, produced by and featuring Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket and Monsters of Folk. Recorded in the first half of 2009 in their home state, Dear Companion explores their ties to the place they love and aims to draw attention to the problem of Mountaintop Removal coal mining (MTR) and its impact on the people and heritage of central Appalachia. A portion of the proceeds from Dear Companion will benefit Appalachian Voices, an organization devoted to ending MTR and finding a better way forward.

 

 

Genre: Singer/Songwriter

 

 

 

10:30PM - Doors open at 10PM - $10 in advance // $12 day-of // $18 reserved table seating - Ben's site - Daniel's site

Pinetop Perkins

with Willie "Big Eyes" Smith

 

Pinetop Perkins is one of the last great Mississippi bluesmen still performing. He began playing blues around 1927 and is widely regarded as one of the best blues pianists. He’s created a style of playing that has influenced three generations of piano players and will continue to be the yardstick by which great blues pianists are measured.

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith traditional shuffle style has been regarded as the heart and soul of the Chicago blues sound, with Willie laying the beat behind many of the blues classics.  But these days fans are just as likely to find Willie "Big Eyes" Smith holding on to a harmonica, his first instrument, as a drum stick. Turns out, this award-winning blues drummer is also an accomplished harmonica master and dynamic vocalist.

 

 

Genre: Blues

 

 

 

8PM - $22 in advance // $25 day-of // reserved table seating SOLD OUT - Pinetop's site - Willie's site

Club Zumba

with Suzy Crawford and Iida Borges

The Zumba® program fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that will blow you away. Our goal is simple: We want you to want to work out, to love working out, to get hooked. Zumba® Fanatics achieve long-term benefits while experiencing an absolute blast in one exciting hour of calorie-burning, body-energizing, awe-inspiring movements meant to engage and captivate for life! The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat. Add some Latin flavor and international zest into the mix and you've got a Zumba® class! In the past years, the Zumba® program has become nothing short of a revolution, spreading like wildfire, and positioning itself as the single most influential movement in the industry of fitness

 

Genre: Latin/Fitness

 

 

 

7PM - $12 in advance // $15 day-of - Zumb site - Suzy's site - Iida's site

Chi-Town Jazz Series

with Don Stiernberg Trio and Kick The Cat

 

For decades Don Stiernberg has been known around Chicago as a busy and versatile musician, turning up on recording sessions and at performances of all kinds to play mandolin, guitar, other string instruments, and sing. Recently he has established a focus on playing jazz on the mandolin. \

Kick the Cat is Chicago's most highly acclaimed fusion ensemble. Since forming in 1996, the band has been wowing audiences with their high energy shows. Their compositions are grounded in the traditions of jazz, rock and funk and feature complex harmony, odd time signatures, and extended improvisations. The group's spontaneity and uncanny communication make each of their live performances a unique adventure in interactive music-making.

 

 

Genre: Jazz

 

 

8PM - $12 in advance // $15 day-of // $20 reserved table seating - Don's site - Kick The Cat's site

Blues Harp Night featuring

The Jim Liban Trio and Joe Filisko & Eric Noden

 

Don't miss this rare Chicago appearance of Milwaukee harp legend Jim Liban. Singer, songwriter and stellar blues harmonica player Jim Liban was known throughout the midwest in the 1970's as the leader of Short Stuff, the innovative Milwaukee based ensemble that pioneered the blues/rock sound later identified with bands like the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Stevie Ray Vaughn. He continues to perform in a more traditional vein with his trio. He has international cult status as one of the foremost post-war blues harmonica stylists, and many of his original songs have been recorded by national blues artists like Johnny Winter and Lonnie Brooks.

Joe Filisko & Eric Noden’s first CD“Live” featured versions of early blues and roots songs by Sonny Terry, Daddy Stovepipe, Fred McDowell and the Gwen Foster. The CD’s success led to several European tours as well as festival and workshop appearances in the US. Their new release “I.C. Special” continues to draw on American music from the 1920’s & 30’s. All 15 tunes on “I.C. Special” were written by either Joe or Eric and each represents a different branch of American roots music. This new work brings Joe & Eric into a realm that embraces their influences while blending them together in unique ways

 

 

Genre: Blues/Roots

 

 

8PM - $10 in advance // $14 day-of // $18 reserved table seating - Eric's site  - Joe's site

Chicago Catz R&B Dance Party

The Chicago Catz are one of the Windy City's best kept secrets and treasures. For more than 21 years, this group of professional musicians have performed at some of the most prestigious private parties and events in Chicago. "High society hors d'oeuvre music", you're thinking. To the contrary, The Chicago Catz serve up and dish out the hottest "get out of your seat and dance" music in town!

 

 

Genre: R&B

 

8PM - $12 in advance // $15 day-of // $22 reserved table seating - Chicago Catz's site

Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues

Walking the line between Beethoven and B.B. King and armed with the creative genius and instrumental prowess that have defined his career for nearly four decades, Corky has pioneered an original, genre-busting Chamber blues - a fresh, innovative sound capturing the sparkling qualities of classical music merged with the emotional melodic style of blues, all within an intimate chamber setting.

Under Corky's lead, The West End String Quartet and percussionist Frank Donaldson complete the Chamber Blues Band. Described by critics internationally as: remarkable, astonishing, extraordinary, hot, mesmerizing, joyous and outrageous fun, their music and concerts have delighted diverse audiences globally and their genre-defying presentations are drawing new and old concert-goers to places they have never been before.

 

 

Genre: Blues/Classical

 

7PM - $20 in advance // $25 day-of // $32 reserved table seating - Corky's site

An Intimate Acoustic Evening with Tyrone Wells

and special guests Tony Lucca and Roy Jay

Tyrone Wells has delivered an epic pop/rock album with his second major label effort, Remain. Pursuing a more collaborative process and having added a more lush production to his singer–songwriter roots, the new album proves to be a great showcase for his powerful and emotional voice.

Tony Lucca is an innately gifted singer/songwriter with a resume any musician would find gratifying. He's written and self- produced five studio albums, three EPs, several live recordings and a popular DVD. He's won the L.A. Music Award for Best Male Singer/Songwriter. His music has been featured in film and television (including Friday Night Lights, Brothers & Sisters, Shark, Felicity and Kevin Costner's "Open Range"). Lucca has been featured on E! Entertainment, A&E Biography and performed numerous times on NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly. He's performed with notable artists including pop icons NSYNC, Marc Anthony and Joss Stone, as well as indie favorites Josh Kelley, Jason Mraz and Bob Schneider. He's galvanized an international following and has sold out premier venues coast-to-coast, including Joe's Pub in New York and the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles.

Roy Jay’s music is made for a simple reason – the love of creating it.  It has been a long road to get here, but he is now firmly on it, and walking easy.  “I don’t do this for money,” he says simply.  “It’s just about making as much good music as possible, continually learning and growing as a musician, and following this path, wherever it leads.” On Lucky Guy, Jay takes the listener inside of the creative mind of a musician who is now on a journey that expresses the most authentic elements of his being.

 

 

Genre: Singer/Songwriter

 

 

 

10:15PM - Doors open at 10PM - $15 in advance // $18 day-of // reserved table seating SOLD OUT

- Tyrone's site - Tony's site - Roy's site

An Evening with John Oates of Hall & Oates

with Matt Duke

 

Since the formation of their partnership in the early 70’s Hall & Oates have gone on to record 21 albums which have sold over 80 million units making them the most successful duo in rock history. They have scored 10 number one records, over 20 top 40 hits and have toured the world for decades. Their involvement in the original “Live Aid” concert and the ground breaking “We Are The World” charity recording have further established them as legendary artists who have personally and through their music, stood the test of time. Their influence on modern pop music has been cited by numerous contemporary bands, like the Gym Class Heroes and the Killers, who have credited and acknowledged H&O’s considerable contribution to American music.

In addition to their numerous American Music and MTV awards, in 2005 they were inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame and in May of 2008 will be presented the prestigious BMI Icon Award for their outstanding career achievement in song writing.

John has recently been invited to become a member of the board of directors for the R&B Foundation and continues to support many national and local charities. He has just finished recording his second solo album entitled: “1000 Miles of Life” in Nashville featuring an amazing collection of some of the world’s top musicians.

Matt looks super-young – almost teenage – in photographs, but the sound of his voice and the gravity of his lyrical content make you believe he is an old soul who has been through a lot. “That’s exactly the image I am hoping to project,” says Matt, who incorporates pop, folk, jazz and rock into his repertoire. His stadium-ready Vedderesque voice may have mass appeal, but for now you are more likely to see him in a coffeehouse setting, following in the footsteps of some of his heroes, such as Ani DiFranco and Conor Oberst.

 

Genre: R&B/Roots

 

 

7PM - $35 in advance // $40 day-of // reserved table seating SOLD OUT - John's site - Matt's site

Cowboy Junkies welcomed by 93XRT

 

 

Few bands have lasted nearly as long with their original line-up intact, and fewer still have created as consistently satisfying a body of work. Albums like The Trinity Session (1988), Black Eyed Man (1992), Miles From Our Home (1988) and Early 21st Century Blues (2005), to isolate just a few high points, chronicle a creative journey that is impervious to trends. Each of those albums sounds as fresh and current today as when it was made. You don't stay together and produce work of that quality and depth without learning something about family and permanence - what lasts, what doesn't, perhaps even what shouldn't.

 

Genre: Folk/Rock

 

 

SOLD OUT

 

 

8PM - Cowboy Junkies' site

Musical Offering Benefit Concert

 

A special concert benefitting The Musical Offering's community music programs. 

Chicago Choro is a new Brazilian instrumental music group on the scene. Formed in the summer of 2009, Chicago Choro brings to the Chicago area a taste of a typical "roda de choro" or "choro jam session" common in Brazil. Musicians include Linda Binder, mandolin; Julie Koidin, flute; Jeff Binder, guitar; Steve Ramsdell, guitar; and John Beard, 7-string guitar/cavaquinho/pandeiro. 

Chicago Klezmer Ensemble develops modern klezmer music that draws directly from historical sources, building upon tradition to create original interpretations and compositions. The result is equally at home on a concert stage or at a celebration: earthy, emotional music, elevated in spirit yet deeply, warmly human. Musicians include Kurt and Annette Björling and other stars of the Chicago klezmer scene.

Musical Offering Divas offer gems from the operatic stage repertoire in a manner that is engaging, informative and accessible. The Divas are Kirsten Hedegaard and Victoria Holland, sopranos, and Susan Payne and Sarah Ponder, mezzo-sopranos, with Jennifer McCabe at the piano.

The Dennis O'Sullivan Band is Chicago's hottest new Irish music group. A diverse lineup from Clare, Kerry, England, Chicago, and Minnesota presents a sound with great character and lift, accompanying the heartbreaking, timeless singing of Dennis O'Sullivan. Dennis O'Sullivan, voice; Gerry Carey, accordion; Pauline Conneely, banjo; Devin Shepherd, fiddle; Jesse Langen, guitar.

 

 

 

 

8PM - $25 general admission // $40 reserved table seat with one free drink - The Musical Offering's site

Adrian Legg

Impossible to categorize as a player, Adrian Legg incorporates virtually every genre on his guitar in a virtuosic instrumental style with effects. He brought electric approaches to acoustic playing, creating a modern cross-over amalgamation in the tradition of eclectic folk playing that goes back to the 1960s."

- Guitar by Richard Chapman, 2000

"There are guitarists, there are axe-wielding maniacs, and then there are wizards. Adrian Legg is one of the wizards. He has enough technique to do just about anything he wants, but also the sensitivity to honour the contours of a melody."

- Philadelphia Enquirer, Aug. 5, 2000

 

 

 

Genre: Fingerstyle Guitar

 

 

8PM - $15 in advance // $20 day-of // $25 reserved table seating -Adrian's site

Ellen Rosner & Friends

After two years in the works, Ellen Rosner’s latest CD Ready, Steady, GO! started its engines at a release party June 4 at the Hideout nightclub.

Although she has the timeless rock ‘n’ roll and soulful sound of a young Chrissie Hynde, Chris Isaak or Melissa Etheridge on most of the album, Ellen delivers blues flavoring on the songs “Same Old” and “Simple Release,” showing her influences courtesy of Ruth Brown and Chicago’s own Mavis Staples.

While the Midwest has produced outstanding female singer-songwriters like Etheridge and Sheryl Crow, Rosner is Chicago through and through. Born and raised in the Windy City, as a teenager Ellen would play guitar along Lake Michigan in Rogers Park. Like her material, she sports the approachable attitude that Midwesterners are renowned for.

 

 

 

Genre: Rock/Pop/Soul

 

 

8PM - $10 in advance // $14 day-of // $18 reserved table seating -Ellen's site

The Musical Offering presents... “The Twelve Olympians”

 In "The Twelve Olympians," businessman Carl Richtenberg comes into possession of the head of Medusa; Hermes and Athena solve a divine murder mystery;and Zeus engages in chef-off with the gods' new favorite cook, Jonas.  Complete with lightning bolts, sharks, and the terrifying Cantelops, "The Twelve Olympians" is sure to thrill and delight!  Join students and artists from The Musical Offering, the ChicagoAcademy for the Arts and the Dal Niente Players for our 2nd annual student-composed opera project.  Winning entries from our Musical Offering/CAA/Dal Niente Student Composition Competition will also be performed!  Hear some of the brightest compositional voices of tomorrow today!

 

 

 

3PM -  adults $12 in advance // $15 day-of //  students/seniors $8 in advance // $10 day-of - MO's site

Harry Manx

Harry Manx has been called an “essential link” between the music of East and West, creating musical short stories that wed the tradition of the Blues with the depth of classical Indian ragas. He has created a completely unique sound that is deliciously addictive to listen to.

Born on the Isle of Man, Manx spent his childhood in Canada and left in his teens to live in Europe, Japan, India and Brazil. He honed his hypnotic live show on street corners, in cafes, bars and at festivals. But it was Indian music that captured Manx and in the mid 80's he began a five-year tutelage with Rajasthani Indian musician Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Grammy winner with Ry Cooder for "A Meeting by the River"). He also received the gift of Bhatt’s custom-made, self-designed mohan veena—a 20-stringed sitar/guitar—that was the catalyst for Harry to forge a new path with his now signature east-meets-west style of music. Playing the Mohan Veena, lap steel, harmonica and banjo, Manx quickly envelops the audience into what has been dubbed “the Harry Zone” with his warm vocals and the hauntingly beautiful melodies of his original songs.

 Harry is a prolific artist and has released nine albums since his first outing, Dog My Cat, in 2001.

 

 

Genre: Blues/Roots

 

 

7PM - $20 in advance // $25 day-of // $32.50 reserved table seating - Harry's site

Dave Specter's Adventures in Guitar with special guest

Jimmy Johnson

 

Previewing their appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 2nd.

Opening set by Ambassadors to Earth

 

Dave Specter’s "Adventures in Guitar" will feature Dave and his band performing with a featured guest guitarist from the musical worlds of blues, jazz and rock & roll in a series of six annual performances at SPACE.

Guitarist, producer and Delmark Recording Artist Dave Specter straddles the fence between blues and jazz with a hip disregard for arbitrary restrictions. His soulful, reverb drenched sound is featured on dozens of recordings including his latest Delmark CD/DVD "Live in Chicago" which was named to Downbeat magazine's best recordings of 2008. He’s headlined Chicago’s Millennium Park and clubs and festivals worldwide.

“A gifted instrumentalist with a variety of styles at his disposal, Specter is an unsung talent on the Chicago blues scene. Specter is no blues purist, but rather an enthusiast who incorporates elements of bluesmen like T-Bone Walker, Magic Sam, and Otis Rush in his work, along with jazzier influences like Kenny Burrell” – About.com - best blues recordings of 2008.

Specter's featured guest for this special "Adventures in Guitar" performance is world renowned Chicago bluesman Jimmy Johnson.

Jimmy recently celebrated his 50th anniversary as a singer, guitarist and bluesman extraordinaire on the Chicago music scene.

A former welder who cut his teeth behind Otis Rush, Freddie King and Magic Sam, Jimmy Johnson has carved a distinctive niche in a Chicago blues scene teeming with talent. A consummate bandleader, his soulful vocals and jazzy guitar licks are rendered with tasteful passion.

Specter and Johnson have been performing together for nearly 25 years and were featured together at Chicago's Millennium Park at Specter's critically acclaimed Blues/Jazz Summit. They appear together on a number of recordings including Delmark Records 55th Anniversary DVD, Specter's Live in Chicago CD/DVD and Blues Guitar Heaven featuring Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy.

 

 

Genre: Blues/Jazz

 

 

 

8PM - $12 in advance // $15 day-of // $22 reserved table seating - Dave's site