Q&A: August Hotel

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Jessica Braun Gervais in Music, Q&As and tagged August Hotel, Chicago music, indie pop, Lincoln Hall, music, q&a.

A year after August Hotel dropped their single “12 am”, which has been listened to nearly 100,000 times across streaming services, the indie pop group has finally put the finishing touches on their 4-song EP Charms. Although the band has a number of tunes available online, Charms will be the first official collection of music released by the current Chicago lineup which includes guitarist Ryan Lammers, bassist Cale Singleton, keyboard player Craig Schwartz, vocalist Joe Padilla and drummer Dean Sinclair.

In preparation for their release, including the single “Michigan Again” available Wednesday, August 9, August Hotel will be closing out the summer with two Chicago shows. The first will be on Tuesday, August 8th at Schubas and the second on Wednesday, August 16th at Reggies.

Lammers, Singleton and Schwartz gather in a studio on Northwestern’s campus in Evanston while Padilla and Sinclair join in on Skype to discuss their new music and semi-concerning band dynamic.

Profile: Localpalooza

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Jessica Braun Gervais in Music, Profile Features and tagged ALS, ALS research, Bad Bad Meow, benefit concert, charity festival, Chicago, Elle Casazza, Honey & the 45s, Lincoln Hall, listen live and local, Localpalooza, music festival, Namorado, profile, Rich Jones, Sayers, Simpleton & Cityfolk, The Dyes, The Fox & the hOUNDS, The Ivorys, The Patrick Grange Memorial Foundation.

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.

Show Preview: Dunn Dunn Fest (2/18-2/20)

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Jessica Braun Gervais in Music, Show Previews and tagged American Grizzly, Beat Kitchen, BoneLang, Calliope Musicals, Chicago music, Dunn Dunn Fest 2016, Falcor Friends, funk, Harmonica Dunn, jam bands, jazz, Lincoln Hall, listen live and local, live music, local music, Low Spark, music, OBY, Schubas, show preview, Sidewalk Chalk, soul, Spare Parts, Strange Americans, Subterranean, The Hideout, Tonic Room, Woo Park.

This week Chicago promoter Harmonica Dunn will be hosting Dunn Dunn Fest; a three night, six venue showcase featuring a number of local (and non local) bands. The fest will run from Thursday, February 18th to Saturday, February 20th with performances at Beat Kitchen, Subterranean, Tonic Room, Lincoln Hall, Schubas and The Hideout.

With so many great local bands at some of Chicago’s top venues, you really can’t go wrong with any show. Nonetheless, here’s who we’re excited to see: