Scene & Heard: Chicago, IL

posted in: Features

I’m excited to talk about the Windy City this week for a lot of reasons. First, having visited Illinois many times in my life (half my extended family lives there), I can attest to its cultural allure. With a rich history spanning Mob lifestyles and treacherous skyscraper construction, Chicago is the NYC of the Midwest. Visitors flock to the city every year to experience the tallest buildings in the country or perhaps just to taste some deep dish pizza. It doesn’t hurt that the city was the setting for the John Hugh’s classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”who could forget Ferris posing as Abe Froman, the “Sausage King of Chicago.”

As far as name recognition, Chicago is a heavy-hitter for many music genres. A style of blues fittingly known as “Chicago Blues” portrays the city’s gritty and soulful heritage. The genre has spread nationwide so much so that it isn’t a requirement to be from Chicago in order to play “Chicago blues.”.Some of these notable musicians (not necessarily from the area) are Buddy Guy, Blind Blake and Mississippi Slim. Of course, we can’t forget to mention The Blues Brothers. This SNL-inspired movie was set in Chicago and spawned a real touring musical act. The band boasts the distorted, rough rhythms of Chicago blues.

Of course, the other huge genre to find its origins in Chicago is a very unique brand of rap. While many other rap scenes in any one of the US coastal markets specifies a standard style and formula, Chicago seems to follow its own standard. Rappers often portray an alternative hip hop vibe with a gangsta rap flair. Some notable artists that have come out of the scene are Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and Common.

Now, I promised you a second reason as to why I’m excited to write Chicago’s music scene. Well, the area happens to be home to some of the best music festivals in the country. I’m talking about Lollapalooza, The Pitchfork Festival and the Crossroads Guitar Festival. This eclectic set of shows has taunted me for years because it’s often tough to get enough cash together to attend. If you have the means, however, the lineups and features of the all of these concerts are worth the trip. According to the Chicago Metromix, the top outdoor festival of the year is Lollapalooza. This year’s lineup is includes Soundgarden, Green Day, Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Phoenix, MGMT, The Black Keys, Spoon, Gogol Bordello, Mutemate (deep breath), Blues Traveler, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes. You get the point. The festival lineup speaks for itself.

It is my job, though, to give you some quintessential spots to check out while you’re in town. One of Chicago’s newest dance/electronic/hip hop clubs is VLive. This club contains a state-of-the-art sound system and the area’s best DJs. If you’re looking for a more rock- or blues-oriented live set, head over to The Empty Bottle for a reasonably priced draft and an intimate, historic music setting. By their own admission, they host every style of music imaginable. Post-this and pre-that, the club is honored to host as much of it as possible.

OurStage hip hop act, Animate Objects base themselves out of Chicago. I asked them what they thought was the best Chicago venue to play and the outcome seemed to be an even split. The verdict was in favor of the great support of local talent at The Metro and the great energy, history and sound team of The Double Door. The latter is, in fact, keyboard player Charlie Coffeen’s recommendation for a venue to stop by if you’re interested in checking out new music in Chicago.

“This is Chicago,” comments bass player Prashant Vallury. “On any night, you are liable to walk into a small venue and discover an act that will change your life.” The rest of the band recommends that a touring act hook up with a local band or promoter before heading into town. While every member of Animate Objects reflected that the scene is saturated with talent, Vallury mentions that ” Chicago fans are more often curious to check out bands from other markets than their own.”

While he goes on to call the scene “peculiar,” guitarist Steve Dobias says, “The music scene is full of highly talented, highly competitive individuals who are driven and passionate about their craft.” The band is rising to the challenge, though. Emcee S. Squair Blaq adds, “The music scene here is the roughest one in the country. This city crushes the egos and souls of anyone who is a pretender…It also has some of the most well-refined haters in the world.”

The band to continue pushing forward in Chicago, and their sound shows they clearly have what it takes to survive. With the ability to string together clever rhymes with an impeccable flow, their rapping skills are up there with the best. But the fact that they are a full band of rappers, producers and instrumentalists gives them an edge in the live scene (performing their own beats and creating unique, organic feels).

The band has won countless regional awards including an IMC award for Best Hip Hop Band, the Rock ‘N Vote Champion on Metromix and an Independent Music Award for Best Hip Hop Song. They’ve garnered similar regional press coverage and are scratching at the door to some major licensing deals. “Respect is what you need at the end of the day,” comments S. Squair Blaq.

Be sure to catch an Animate Objects show next time you’re in the area. Check out their OurStage profile to stay tuned for the next album. It’s sure to be full of Chicago flavor.