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Concert Fri Nov 16 2012
A Time to be Thankful... for Music
Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful. Not only for good friends and family, but also for live music. Every year this delectable holiday provides a long, wonderful weekend filled with fun. The festivities begin on Black Wednesday, the biggest party night of the year. Since many people return to their hometowns for the holiday, it is a common time of reunion that is apparently best celebrated with binge drinking.
On Thanksgiving Day you can sleep off your hangover and then later refuel with a massive turkey dinner. Whether you choose to continue the party after grandma and grandpa go home is entirely up to you. Many people choose to get a good night's rest so they can wake up at the crack of dawn for some notoriously American shopping on Black Friday, but this year you might want to consider spending your money on memories instead of material objects. There are plenty of deals at local bars and venues that will help you do so.
Here's a preview of a few of your many musical options before and after Thanksgiving.
Wednesday
American English will play at Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace St., at 9pm. This Beatles tribute band that really does the "fab four" justice. American English's performances aim to take its audience on a musical journey through the distinct Beatles' eras by playing the appropriate songs and wearing authentic costumes. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door, 21+.
JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound (right) will play at the Metro, 3730 N. Clark St., at 9pm. They are an energetic local band that blends soul and punk into its unique music. Archie Powell and The Exports, I Kong Kult and DJ Ross Kelly (Kokoroko) will also perform. Tickets are $15, 18+.
Greensky Bluegrass and Strange Arrangement play at Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave., at 8pm. The two bands routinely play shows together in Chicago because their musical sounds compliment each others' well. Both incorporate many different genres into their songs. Tickets are $17.50, 18+.
Indie pop band Never Shout Never headlines a show at the House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St., at 5:30pm. Man Overboard, Mod Sun and Me Like Bees will also play. Tickets are $20 in advance or $23 at the door, all ages.
Thursday
Thanksgiving tends to be a quiet night for shows, but the Metro is spicing it up with a "Thanksgiving Jam" dance party produced by Urbano. Atlanta's DJ Maestro will spin hip hop, R&B and reggae from midnight to 5am. $15 early bird admission midnight-1am ($10 with text from the co-promoter, Clubhouse), $20 after 1am. 21+Friday
Curren$y will perform at the Congress Theater, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave., at 7pm. The rapper has been gaining a lot of momentum in Chicago throughout the past few years, including his notably popular performances at Pitchfork and the Mad Decent Block Party last summer. Tickets are $25, 17+.
Local bluegrass band Cornmeal will play at the Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave., at 8:30pm.
A special guest, Jeff Austin of Yonder Mountain String Band, will join Cornmeal on stage. Van Ghost, another Chicago-based band, opens. Tickets are $17, 18+.
Chance the Rapper (left) headlines at the Metro, 3730 N. Clark St., at 7pm. The 19-year-old rapper from Chicago recently partnered with Childish Gambino on his track "They Don't Like Me." Sir Michael Rocks and Milo & Otis will also perform. Tickets are $9 in advance or $12 at the door, all ages.
Viva Fest, a Latin musical festival, comes to the Aragon Ballroom,1106 W. Lawrence Ave., at 7pm. Grammy Award-winning pop singer Alejandra Guzman will headline, along with Hombres G, Miguel Mateos and Moenia & Moderatto. Tickets are $55.
Saturday
MiMOSA (right) will bring his Future Trill tour to the Congress Theater, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave., at 8pm. The music producer, who used to play his Chicago shows at the Kinetic Playground, has clearly benefited from the city's ridiculously popular EDM scene. The Cool Kids, UZ, JSMN, and Cosmic Revenge will also perform. Tickets are $20, 17+.
Ultraviolet Hippopotamus will play at the Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave., at 8:45pm. The improvisational progressive rock band from Grand Rapids is notorious for putting on fun and lively shows. IndigoSun, Genome and Jib 'n' Jab open. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door, 21+.
Family Groove Company play at Martyrs', 3855 N. Lincoln Ave., at 9:30pm. FGC is a Chicago-based rock band that incorporates jazz and funk into its sound to create songs that are impossible not to dance along to. Local bluegrass heroes the Henhouse Prowlers, who play at Chicago's Abbey Pub almost every Tuesday under the alias Sexfist, will also perform.
Tickets are $12, 18+.
Local band Kids These Days plays at the Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave., at 7:30pm. The band is made up of eight young and diverse musicians who just recently graduated from high school. Funk-rock band Mathien opens. Tickets are $12, all ages.
Sunday
Rock For Kids, a local non-profit that provides music education to undeserved youth, hosts A Rock For Kids Charity Jam at the Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave., at 6pm. Seven local bands will perform at the event: Rambos, Panda Riot, We Repel Each Other, The Hecks, Massive Ego, Shiloh, Tiny Fireflies and DJ Miss Alex White. A donation of $15 is suggested, all proceeds will directly benefit Rock For Kids, 21+.
Larry Nugent, a flute and whistle player, hosts a Traditional Irish Session at Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace St., in the Green Room at 6pm. There will be $4 drink specials on Guinness and Bloody Marys. Free, 21+.
An improvisational jam band trifecta will go down at Reggies Rock Club, 2105 S. State St., at 9pm. Local fusion rock band Thinner Teed, Minnesotan fusion rock band Circle of Heat and celtic pirate rock group Potcheen will play. Tickets are $5, 21+.
Punk/indie rock band Titus Andronicus headlines a show at the Metro, 3730 N. Clark St., at 8pm. The band is a champion of buying local and supporting small businesses. They even named their most recent album Local Business. Cermony and Coffin Pricks will open. Tickets are $18, 18+.