Thanks to Mike Vogus, organizer of the Annual Localpalooza Chicago Showcase, supporting a worthy cause as has never been so easy. Simply show up at Lincoln Hall on Saturday, July 22nd to enjoy seven Chicago bands, great beer and a chance to win kickass prizes. All proceeds from the event will benefit The Patrick Grange Memorial Foundation, a charity for ALS Research organized in the memory of a local college soccer player.
Patrick Grange was a former University of Illinois-Chicago and University of New Mexico soccer player who was diagnosed with ALS, a nervous system disease that weakens muscles and impacts physical function. In November 2010 at age 28, Grange’s diagnosis made him the youngest person to be diagnosed with the disease in his home state of New Mexico. In hopes of subsidizing medical costs, Grange’s teammates held benefits and fundraisers in Grange’s name. After Grange passed in April 2012, his former teammates were inspired to officially launched The Patrick Grange Memorial Foundation in January 2013. Today, the charity hosts a number of events to raise funds for research, awareness and support for families dealing with ALS.
Ryan Lindgren, a founder of the Foundation, was approached in 2016 by his friend and Burnside & Hooker guitarist Mike Vogus with the idea of starting an annual benefit concert supported by local musicians. With Chicago being a major hotspot for summer music festivals, a lot of which don’t offer opportunities for local bands, Vogus pushed for a summer date, ideally something to coincide with the hype of Lollapalooza.
“Aside from raising money for the charity, which is the big deal, I also want to provide that same platform for [local] bands; to have them reach an audience they might not normally reach,” says Vogus. “It kind of goes both ways. It’s nice cause the charity typically has done things like golf events and beer tastings, so this gives them a different audience too. It plugs them into a totally different group of people they normally would never reach.”
Lindgren agreed to the festival and the two partnered with the team at Schubas for the first annual Localpalooza. It was put together on a whim, but even so, the festival raised nearly $5,000 for The Patrick Grange Memorial Foundation and featured a number of well-known Chicago bands such as Simpleton & Cityfolk, The Fox & The Hounds and Sayers.
In just one year, Vogus says the interest from bands and sponsors wanting to participate in the event has grown so much that the festival has been moved to Schubas’ larger sister venue, Lincoln Hall.
“We’re in a bit [of a] growth mode. We’re bringing in some additional sponsors. And by sponsors, we mean people donating things for the raffle,” says Vogus. “But also [growth] on the band side. I don’t want to say better because the bands last year were awesome, but it’s just starting to grow within the music community. We are able to draw in a different level of bands this year. We had an open submission online and 73 bands responded this year whereas last year we had like 12.”
This year’s bill will include performances by Elle Casazza, The Ivorys, Rich Jones, Honey & the 45s, Bad Bad Meow, Namorado and The Dyes. Attendees are encouraged to pay a $10 suggested donation or $20 for a bonus package which includes a poster and a download code to the Localpalooza mixtape featuring a song from each band on the night’s bill. Audience members can also participate in various raffles for a chance to win signed posters from Localpalooza bands, Cubs tickets, Green Day at Wrigley tickets, gift cards and more.
Tickets can be purchased via the Localpalooza Eventbrite Page.
Learn more about The Patrick Grange Memorial Foundation by viewing their website.