Our (fairly) regular roundup of Music & Arts related news from Chicago-based web media, featuring thoughts and insight from some of the city’s most dedicated writers.
- Video: Eddie Vedder Continues 7th Inning Stretch "Tradition" At Wrigley
Longtime Chicago Cubs fan and lead singer of Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder, was back at the Friendly Confines to continue an informal tradition the musician and baseball fan likes to indulge in almost annually. [ more › ]
- Towkio Set to Electrify The Metro on May 16
If you haven’t heard Towkio’s fresh beats, now is the time. A member of the talented, much-loved SaveMoney crew alongside Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa, 21 year-old Towkio’s eccentric musical stylings are drawing listeners into the unique world he is able to curate. Seamlessly blending hip hop and electronic dance genres, Towkio’s music keeps listeners interested and engaged, as well. Adding layer upon layer of production, rhythmic effects, and one-of-a-kind phrasing, Towkio’s tunes make us want to dance and stop to listen to his rapid fire lyrics, all at the same time. The beats comprise a sensuality that allows each ballad to contain a rampant emotional tone, which seeps into the production of his newly released album, .Wav Theory.
Take a listen to his new album below, and if you enjoy what you hear, Towkio will be performing for a packed house at The Metro on May 16. My personal favorite? Free Your Mind, with its summery vibes and horns by Donnie Trumpet. A part of Chicago’s strong hip hop scene, Towkio is sure to impress during his upcoming hometown show.
Towkio will be at The Metro on Saturday, May 16, with Kehlani and DJ Spinn as support acts. Tickets are $18 in advance, and $21 at the door for this all ages show, with sets beginning at 7pm and doors opening at 6pm. The Metro is located at 3730 N. Clark Street.
- Pulling Strings: For Classical Music in Chicago, You Got a Guy – May and June 2015
Special edition double month column to kick off the summer’s music!
Third Coast Percussion: Wild Sound
TCP hits the MCA with an explosion of Glenn Kotche music, including the Wilco drummer’s “Wild Sound.” Composed for the TCP, “Wild Sound” incorporates field recordings from nature and urban life; during the performance, the ensemble constructs and performs on instruments designed by Kotche. The program includes works by Steve Reich, Joao Gilberto, and pieces performed by Kotche himself. Get tickets fast to to the May 21 performance — the May 22 concert is already sold out. Tickets are $28 nonmembers, $22 MCA members, $10 students. Thursday, May 21, 7:30pm. Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave. (Photo: Saverio Truglia)Spektral Quartet: Comic Cadences
What’s the deal with classical music? Have you ever noticed how sometimes you clap, but sometimes you don’t? Spektral Quartet closes its 2014/15 season with jokes in Comic Cadences. The Spektrals debut “Hack,” an ambitious new work by Chris Fisher-Lochhead, using rhythm and pitch from comedians Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Dave Chappelle, Tig NOtaro, and more. Read an interview with the composer and dig this sample featuring Richard Lewis. The program leads off with Sarah Macklay’s “Many Many Cadences,” and Haydn’s “The Joke.” No word on whether Doyle Armbrust will tell viola jokes during intermission. Tickets are $12; age 18+ only. Saturday, May 30, 7:30pm. Constellation, 3111 N. Western Ave.Rush Hour Concerts
Rush Hour Concerts launches its 16th summer of popular early-evening concerts featuring some of Chicago’s best-loved artists and ensembles and wide-reaching programs. The season opens with an unlikely pairing of music for trumpet (the CSO’s Christopher Martin) and organ (Nathan Laube), and continues with the Civitas Ensemble (members of the CSO), Fifth House Ensemble, Haymarket Opera Company, and Axiom Brass. Still the best deal in summer chamber music: 30 minutes of free music every week in the lovely St. James Cathedral. Doors at 5pm, concert at 5:45pm. Every Tuesday, June through August, corner of Huron and Wabash.Grant Park Music Festival
Jerks who say classical music is dead haven’t seen the crowds who flock to the GPMF. Witness it for yourself when GPMF and music director Carlos Kalmar open the 2015 season with a couple of war horses: Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Yevgeny Sudbin, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Throughout the summer, you can hear favorites by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Mendelssohn, as well as Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 6, and William Walton’s Viola Concerto from 1929. Bring your friends, a blanket, and all the food you can eat and experience some of the best programming in downtown classical music. You can also attend the orchestra’s free open rehearsals throughout each week. Admission is free. Opens Wednesday, June 17, 7:30pm. Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park.~*~About the author: Elliot Mandel photographs classical concerts and you should hire him for your next show. He also writes reviews and plays cello.
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