For two decades, The Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest (GAAF) has presented a free, weekend-long arts festival featuring 120+ artists, open studios, and live entertainment on two outdoor stages. This year, Miss Alex White & Francis White are booking all 32 bands for the Chicago-based street festival. Attendees view and purchase handmade artworks directly from the creators. The Fest brings free live music, performances and art demonstrations — along with street food and craft beer from local merchants on the cobblestone streets of the Glenwood Avenue Arts District in Chicago’s historic Rogers Park neighborhood.
The 20th annual Fest will take place the weekend of August 20-22, 2021.
As music fans across Chicago and beyond mourn the loss of live music, the industry has been left wondering what comes next. In our 8th month of the Pandemic, everyone from musicians, to fans, to venue workers have felt the devastating effects of these unprecedented times. Though the network of live music has come to a halt, the community of caring, generous, motivated Chicago creatives continues to uplift and support one another. situationchicago, created by Trey Elder of the Quiet Pterodactyl non-profit, has become a shining example of the resilience of the music community. Featuring 25 Chicago musicians, this project is a massive collaboration of creative energy aiming to support local venues struggling during the Pandemic. “The situationchicago project was a direct response to the pandemic and the unknown closure times of our venues. 2020 was originally supposed to be events-driven for Quiet Pterodactyl, so when those events were cancelled, it just felt right to brainstorm to see what else we could do to help the music community in it’s time of need. “First to close, last to open” is a phrase that summarizes the current state of music venues, theaters…anywhere people gather indoors to enjoy the arts…and it’s not looking good that they will be able to re-open anywhere close to functioning capacity soon.”
Available via Bandcamp, situationchicago has created a 25 track vinyl record with 100% of the proceeds going directly to the venues needing it the most. From Jeff Tweedy, to Rick Wilson, to OK Go, this record supports a meaningful cause on top of being an awesome compilation of the city’s music. “We wanted to represent different music styles and parts of the city, as well as a variety of “bigger name” and local, up and coming, amazing talent that Chicago has to offer. Some we already had personal connections with, some were recommended by the music venues that are also a part of the project, and others were just artists we had appreciated from afar. All of the artists were excited to be able to give back to these venues they all know and play (have played) in. Smaller, local venues are the lifeblood of where artists develop their craft, and many of Chicago’s venues have been supporting the diverse scene here for decades.”
Upon speaking with featured artists Girl K, Rich Jones, and Miss Alex White of White Mystery, it seems these artists were equally as passionate about the mission as Trey was when he created situationchicago. Rich Jones speaks to situationchicago saying that “It resonates because it’s us using our music as a way to sustain many of the venues that have hosted us over the years. Also pretty cool to have a collection of songs featuring multiple generations of artists, many of whom myself and others are indebted to in regard to the groundwork they laid for us to have what we enjoy today.”
Not only is 2020 the Year of Chicago Music, it’s also the 35th year for the nonprofit Arts & Business Council of Chicago (A&BC), which provides business expertise and training to creatives and their organizations citywide. To celebrate, the A&BC has launched the #ChiMusic35 campaign at ChiMusic35.com. It includes a public poll to determine the consensus 35 greatest moments in Chicago music history (the Reader will publish the results on July 23) and a raffle to benefit the A&BC’s work supporting creative communities struggling with the impact of COVID-19 in the city’s disinvested neighborhoods.
Another part of the campaign is this Reader collaboration: a series spotlighting important figures in Chicago music serving as #ChiMusic35 ambassadors. For this final installment, we hear from Cadien Lake James, vocalist and guitarist in prolific indie-rock band Twin Peaks. The group is part of a young garage-band explosion that came out of Chicago around 2010. Their newest release, the four-song EP Side A, consists of material they finished remotely or under socially distanced conditions after the pandemic shutdown in March; it includes contributions from Ohmme, V.V. Lightbody, Lala Lala, and Tom Reeder, and it comes out Friday, July 3.
This interview was conducted by Ayana Contreras, who’s a DJ, a host and producer at WBEZ radio, and a columnist for DownBeat magazine.
Ayana Contreras: What is your favorite Chicago musical moment?
Cadien Lake James: I love the idea that Larry Heard—who was a jazz musician growing up—in 1984, when he was 17 or 18, bought a synthesizer and a drum machine and just dived headfirst into [the house-music] world. Within a week he had made “Washing Machine” and “Can You Feel It,” very groundbreaking singles. Given the influence he ended up having on the club scene in Chicago and house music, and how integral that is to Chicago’s music community, I think that’s a cool moment.
It’s not the easiest thing to draw a correlation with Twin Peaks’ music, but it’s still very influential to me.
Larry Heard’s single “Washing Machine,” released in 1986 under the name Mr. Fingers
How so?
First of all, it’s what I listened to the most traveling on the road around the country. I got into house music, specifically Chicago house, and then discovered how integral it was to an inclusive Chicago music community. . . . I feel like Chicago notoriously had this DIY inclusive scene [when Twin Peaks], White Mystery, the Yolks, and all these bands were cutting our teeth playing shows in Chicago. We made it playing in people’s basements and raw spaces and houses.
And I don’t know if Chicago would have developed that in its garage-rock community if it wasn’t for the organization done by the Chicago house community, setting the precedent that there were spaces to be made to play music that didn’t have to be in venues, and places that were inclusive to everyone.
You kind of tiptoed around this next question without even knowing it. What do you think it is about Chicago that’s made it a place that has continually given birth to music that’s influential around the world?
Well, I mean, it’s so indebted to Black artists. And the Black music community here, whether it was blues or jazz going into rock ‘n’ roll and then the house community, it’s just been an epicenter for the arts, and there’s so many legendary musicians who came out of here.
Maybe back in the day, with the blues record labels, there was more of an industry presence, but as we entered the 70s, 80s, 90s, there was less of the industry being in Chicago, which I think also created space for artists to collaborate and perform without the competition that you might see in an LA- or New York-based scene, where people are catering to “My big break could come from playing this show, who’s going to be there, who can help my project.”
I think Chicago has been able to just produce so much wonderful music and other art that’s current and pushing ground, which I don’t think [Twin Peaks are] a part of, but it’s still happening in Chicago.
ALERT! ALERT! White Mystery is selling a LIMITED EDITION vinyl of “People Power.” 100% of the sales will go to financially support venues. The fundraiser “Situationchicago – Music For Independent Venues” is a project made up of venues and artists who have joined together to support Chicago’s local venues! You can support the cause on Situation Chicago’s BandCamp, Instagram, and Facebook. Keep an eye out for more surprises on the way…… Below are the amazing artists and venues that are participating!
