Do you like your adventures caffeinated? Caffentures offers regular coffee crawls to introduce Chicagoans to the specialty coffee scene.
The next Blue Line Coffee Crawl will be held Saturday, August 25 at 9 a.m. in Bucktown and Wicker Park. Admission is $30 per person and includes drink samples and tasting notecards. Learn more about the event in my post for Chicagoist.
Posted in bucktown, chicago, drinking, exploring, wicker park
Tagged bucktown, chicago, coffee, drinking, wicker park
Green was the theme of the Chicago Green Music Festival, held near Wicker Park on June 23 and 24. Along with street festival fun and a music lineup programmed by Subterranean, the Green Music Fest aims to promote environmental sustainability and introduce Chicagoans to eco-conscious products, companies, and ideas.
Posted in chicago, events, exploring, festivals, street scene, wicker park
Tagged chicago, events, festivals, green music fest, street scene, wicker park
Tara’s long striped skirt, denim vest, and Western-esque hat and bag assemble elements of a perfect outfit for summer festing.
Enjoy more images from a rad weekend at Do Division Street Fest 2012!
Posted in chicago, events, festivals, street style, wearing, wicker park
Tagged chicago, do division, festivals, street style, wearing, wicker park
As mentioned in my June fest recap, Chicagoans pack in their fun in the sun while they can all summer long. While there are hundreds of neighborhood street festivals, here are my picks for the best fests of July 2011.
Chicago Folk & Roots Festival: July 9-10, 2011
Organized by the Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago Folk & Roots festival features an eclectic lineup of folk, funk, global, and rootsy music from all over the world. Located in Lincoln Square’s Welles Park, the fest draws hippies, families, and music lovers of all kinds for a crowd of 30,000 over two days. This year I took in stage plummeting acrobatics by The Soul Sonic Sirkus, Congolese hip-hop/soul artist Baloji, and shimmied my way through my first salsa lesson to the energetic Caribbean beats of Cuban flutist Maraca.
Roscoe Village Burger Fest: July 9-10, 2011
Nine local vendors competed for the battle of the burger at the second annual Roscoe Village Burger Fest. Restaurants including Goose Island, Hamburger Mary’s, and last year’s winner John’s Place, served up full size burgers and sliders in variety of carnivorous flavors. Attendees texted in their votes with Stanley’s Kitchen & Tap taking top burger.
[Photo Credit]
West Fest: July 9-10, 2011
Whether grooving to the garage soul of King Khan, rocking out to Local H, or dancing the night away with Derrick Carter, West Fest’s allure lies in its musical lineup. Programmed by The Empty Bottle, the fest’s diverse live music draws a hip crowd and is a great reason for exploring west Chicago Ave.
Pitchfork Music Festival: July 15-17, 2011
90-degree days spent outdoors, sweaty strangers, and up-and-coming indie rock are an incredible combination in my opinion. If you’re not sure why Pitchfork is my preferred Chicago music festival check out my 4 favorite things and enjoy my photos from this year’s fest.
Wicker Park Fest: July 23-24, 2011
Boasting names like Blitzen Trapper, Wild Flag, Wavves, and Flosstradamus, Wicker Park Fest is another summer street event that’s known for its musical lineup. Check out Chi-town indie darlings Company of Thieves performing “Modern Waste” from their latest album.
Sheffield Garden Walk: July 23-24, 2011
Strains of Verdi lilt through the late afternoon while sunlight filters through garden leaves, casting different patterns on the mossy stone paths below. Beyond the sidewalk, through a verdant archway, I feel worlds away from the street I’ve rambled down so many times, invited to share in Lincoln Park’s personal city retreats.
Now known as the “Garden District of Chicago,” this neighborhood was not always blooming. By the mid-1950′s, much of Lincoln Park had fallen into disrepair. The Sheffield Garden Walk was first organized in 1969 to draw attention to the beauty of the neighborhood. The lovely trees and street planter boxes you see lining the lanes of this neighborhood are due to the work of the Sheffield Neighborhood Association. While that first festival featured 16 local gardens, 78 local residents shared their gardens for this year’s Garden Walk.
A Garden Walk map guides you through the neighborhood, including a botanical background of each featured property. There’s a community feel to the festival and homeowners are happy to tell you about their gorgeous places and rare plants. The Sheffield Garden walk makes you feel like a neighbor no matter which ward you hail from…at least for the weekend.
Taste of Lincoln Ave: July 30-31, 2011
With a kid’s carnival, beer and food vendors, and the addition of the Lill Street Craft Fair, the Taste of Lincoln Ave. is a summer standard in Lincoln Park. The festival’s 28th edition featured five stages of live music, including blues legend Johnny Winter. Jam with Johnny to “Dust My Broom,” below.
Posted in drinking, eating, events, exploring, festivals, lincoln park, lincoln square, listening, roscoe village, union park, west loop, west town, wicker park
Tagged chicago, chicago street fest, drinking, eating, events, festivals, folk and roots fest, lincoln park, lincoln square, listening, pirchfork music festival, roscoe village burger fest, sheffield garden walk, taste of lincoln ave, union park, west fest, west loop, west town, wicker park, wicker park fest
“Why?” It’s a question Chicagoans often encounter regarding the choice to trudge through each inhibiting winter (all 5 months of it) for a few short summer weeks. Why? Because we make it count. Between miles of beaches and the Lakefront Trail, outdoor sports, massive summer concert festivals, and alfresco dining or drinking on every rooftop and slice of sidewalk that can be called a patio Summertime Chi makes even the worst blizzard worth it.
Street festivals in every neighborhood are another warm weather fixture, and with over 400 to attend in Chicago you have to set your schedule wisely.
Here’s a recap of the best fests of June 2011.
Do Division: June 4 – 5, 2011
Perhaps my favorite summer street fest, Do Division is a great way to kick off Chicago’s festival season. Wicker Park is packed with craft and artist tents, food & booze booths, interesting live music, and prime people watching.
Printer’s Row Lit Fest: June 4 – 5, 2011
Each June, the Printer’s Row Lit Fest attracts booksellers, bibliophiles, publishers, authors, performers, and organizations to the historic neighborhood for a celebration of all things literary. Read more…
Chicago Blues Fest: June 10 – 12, 2011
Chicago’s largest music festival has featured the world’s most renown blues musicians for nearly thirty years. This free fest is a great way to take in the city’s skyline from Grant Park while enjoying the best blues has to offer, whether seated on the lawn or dancing with fellow fest-goers.
Old Town Art Fair: June 11 – 12, 2011
Art booths are a staple at many summer festivals, but the Old Town Art Fair boasts 620 of the best from all over the country. The featured artists are judiciously selected by a panel of professional artists, gallery owners, and museum curators. The inspiring array includes mediums from painting, photography, and 2D- and 3D- mixed media to sculpture, metalworking, ceramics, and jewelry, so ensure you allot enough time to explore it all!
Block prints by Kreg Yingst capture the imagination of music.
The intricate sculptures of Ted Gall open to reveal worlds within.
Ella Richards captures life with her paper cut art.
Kyle Fokken‘s sculptural self-portrait is “Difficult to Fathom.”
Each of Amy Flynn’s Found Object Robots comes with a story of its own.
Posted in arts, chicago, exploring, listening, old town, printer's row, reading, shopping, south loop, the loop, wicker park
Tagged arts, blues, chicago, chicago blues fest, chicago festivals, do division street fest, exploring, festival, grant park, listening, live music, magnificent mile, old town, old town art festival, printer's row, printer's row lit fest, reading, shopping, south loop, summer, the loop, wicker park
Do you like movies? Do you like music? Do you like movies about music?
The Chicago International Movies & Music Festival returns for its third annual installment April 14-17.
Twenty countries are represented in the 2011 film selection and music is at their center, as well as in the concerts, discussions, and exhibitions included in the festival. Although Wicker Park is the home base for this year’s CIMMfest, events are located throughout the city. All events held at the Chicago Cultural Center are free, although donations to the city’s storied center are encouraged.
“We strive to shed light on the interconnectedness of all people, around the world, shown through the lens of music and moving image, both recorded and performed live,” states CIMMfest’s mission. The extensive range of festival events accomplishes just that, broadening horizons, bridging the seemingly disparate, revealing the various manifestations of music’s evolving and enduring power. Musical focus on film includes Ministry, Mott the Hoople, Jose Gonzalez, Fishbone, Sarah Brightman, The Replacements, Alice Donut, Le Tigre, and a cameo by Olivia Newton John.
Film and documentary topics span the Internet’s influence on the music industry (for better or worse), England’s earliest endeavors in house music, the power of music held by international refugees, South by Southwest’s cultural evolution, dubstep’s roots at the Roxy in the 1970′s, and much more. Do you have an opinion on the best music video ever made? One CIMMfest panel will attempt to settle the ongoing debate.
Among the ten live concerts on this years itinerary are a Punk Rock Night at the Double Door as well as a performance by Eyes Manouche at the Cultural Center. This Slavic girl will be checking out the “gypsy jazz” trio consisting of a Croat, Serb, and Bosnian – just another example of connective power of music.
A compete event program is available at CIMMfest’s website. No word yet on the response if you arrive requesting the screening of Never Say Never.
Posted in arts, chicago, exploring, listening, music notes, viewing, wicker park
Tagged chicago, chicago cultural center, double door, listening, music & movies festival, viewing, wicker park
Behold the Robyn and Diamond Rings photos from their show at the Riviera Theater last Monday. After eager months of rigorous dance routine rehearsal, carefully conceived outfits, and one out-of-state flight, a friend and I were ready for Robyn. The Swedish songstress, however, was not. Having contracted Something-or-Other and canceling shows all week, Robyn proved that even Fembots break down.
We took our talents to Berlin all weekend, but my guest had to head home and I was left without a date to the rescheduled show on Valentine’s Day. I tried picking up some guys at the club, even had a few promising leads, but alas I was destined to dance on my own once again.
Going solo to shows, exhibits, and events is something I do all the time. Of course one loves to enjoy experiences with friends, but it’s an empowering feeling to embrace your interests independently. If you have not tried this, I absolutely encourage it the next time you are lacking a plus-one.
So I kept my sassy outfit, sold the extra ticket on the street, and gave my heart to Robyn, her opener Diamond Rings, and the dance floor. I’ve been to many shows at the Riv, but the crowd showed Robyn love like I have not seen before and she killed it, as expected. I wish I could look as cool as her for just five minutes. Robyn even ended with an acoustic rendition of her 1998 hit, a rarity at her shows.
I also ended up with a new V-day crush in Diamond Rings. I reviewed his set on a music blog called Indieball, and here is an excerpt:
Diamond Rings was my Valentine this year. Well, I shared him with 2,500 others when he opened for Robyn last Monday, but he definitely stole my heart. Rocking a New Wave feel with a definite Bowie glam factor, his synth-driven pop was the perfect dance party warm-up.
Read the rest here!
So whether or not you had a Someone-or-Other this year, shouts out to living, and loving, and dancing on your own!
Would Robyn be proud of my outfit?
1. Multicolor Clutch – Aldo, 40; 2. Thrifted Vintage Sequin Sweater – Buffalo Exchange, $15; 3. Gold Leaf Earrings – Forever 21; 4. Homemade Denim Cutoffs – The Brown Elephant, $8; 5. Magenta Tights – Hue, $12; 5. Vintage Ankle Boots – Store B, $80; 6. MAC Lipstick in Snob, $14.50.
Posted in music notes, shopping
Tagged berlin, diamond rings, lakeview, listening, music notes, robyn, shopping, uptown, wicker park
