To celebrate thriving Black culture in Chicago and beyond, we’re amplifying the coolest content creators around. We’re forever grateful to these artists for their voices, truths, and inspiration to White Mystery. Support their art, watch their videos, and seek them out on social media NOW.
Clint is a pizza punk who always brings snacks to the party. You may remember Show You Suck from White Mystery TV Episode 2 with Cadien James from Twin Peaks. White Mystery has been a big fan of SYS since playing together at a Pitchfork after-party in 2015. For Chicago news and thought pieces, you need to follow Show You Suck on Twitter immediately.
Krystal is the kind of friend you feel you’ve known your whole life. Her unique blend of rock’n’soul unites her St. Louis roots with her Chicago spirit, and her performances are guaranteed to give you chills! You may recognize Krystal’s voice from the White Mystery Lightscape soundtrack for outdoor sculptures that played music on State Street during Lollapalooza. We met her cousin Mannie Metcalfe when White Mystery opened for Iron & Wine at the Pageant in STL in 2010, and he’s one of our favorite pals on Earth as well. Thank you for blessing us with your friendships, Metcalfes!
JC Brooks & the Uptown sound are absolutely unbeatable live, led by the exuberant, endlessly talented JC Brooks. White Mystery first joined forces with them at the Brooklyn Vegan SXSW showcase in 2012, and jammed many times since then. The Chicago Sun Times call these groovy dudes one of the “city’s hottest young bands” and you’d be lucky to experience them.
Psalm One is an incredible rapper, poet and artist we first played with at the Girls Rock! Camp jamboree in 2011. She is a talented MC and vocal critic of sexism and racism in the music industry. We’re forever grateful to Cristalle for inviting us backstage when she opened for Insane Clown Posse in 2017. Psalm One rocked the White Mystery Telepathic record release at the Hideout in 2013 and teamed up with the illustrious Angel Davanport as Big $ilky for the 4/20 x 420 x 420 Fest in 2020. Rapper Chicks are badass.
Jesse 5k is a born and bred Chicagoan introduced to us this year through his performance for Do312 MORE. Jesse 5k is an emerging rapper that blends poetry, psychedelic, spoken word, and hip hop into eye-opening music that blends indie genres. We deeply respect his perspective on being a young Black man in America, and encourage you to dive in with his experiences.
One part thespian, one part poet, another part musician, and one more part philosopher, Mykele Deville brings change through the depth of his voice. You may recognize Mykele from his groundbreaking record release performance at Thalia Hall not too long ago. Mykele graced us with his presence on White Mystery “WMTV” Episode 4, where Francis and he played video games and talked about politics, which is a great way to share real perspectives. We urge you to check out his recent work, “Maintain.”
You may recognize the brilliant Jolene from her DIY literary ‘zine, the Sick Muse. She is a multi-hyphenate super star that shares her truth by all means necessary and lifts up others in the process. White Mystery is blessed to have rocked with her barn-stomping punk’n’soul group Blacker Face at Rock ‘n Roll Market in 2019. Blacker Face will blow your hat off your head with their live performances, and you’ll emerge a changed person.
The Black Tones are Seattle-based twins Eva and Cedric, on guitar and drums respectively. They are a rock’n’roll duo, and White Mystery feels a particular kinship with them as a two-piece sibling band. The Black Tones’ unbeatable grooves are the best parts of garage and surf that only family can knit together so tightly. We love the Black Tones and you should too.
When Joseph Chilliams dances, the whole world dances with him. Named Chicago’s “Most Charming Rapper” by VICE Magazine, he founded the iconic Pivot Gang and transformed the profound losses into spiritual, musical magic. We’re honored that Chilliams joined us on White Mystery TV where he and Francis and Joseph bonded playing Super Smash Bros. Chilliams is a gentle soul who’s power comes through his words. You may also be familiar with his equally talented brother and Chicago rapper, Saba.
Manasseh Champion aka Doso is an emerging Chicago hip hop artist whose roots run deep with his family’s West Point School of music on the South Shore. You can hear the discipline of his music education flow and transform into freedom of expression. When he was a Music Business student at UIC, Manasseh interned for White Mystery and supported outdoor event production at Rock’n’Roll Market, and Season 1 of WMTV. Now, Doso carves his own path through independently booking shows and creating his own brand.
Just when you thought White Mystery couldn’t do 4/20 any cooler, we went ahead and produced the first ever weed video game based in Chicago for Dispensary 33! Waldos Forever features a little alien who hops L trains, nabs pizza and dodges rats to make his way to the cannabis emporium. We developed the concept and united with Raft Labs to bring this 8-bit NES style game to life on mobile and desktop. Play now!
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, White Mystery presented 4/20/2020 online with a 420 x 4/20 x 4:20 live virtual stream that featured performances by Fred Armisen of Saturday Night Live, Cadien from Twin Peaks, Shannon Shaw from Shannon & the Clams, Rylan Wilder of Monarchy Over Monday with Neptunes Core, Brian Hurd of Daddy Long Legs, Jason Narducy of Bob Mould, Psalm One, and more super stars. Thousands of folks tuned in worldwide, and you can watch archived footage on YouTube here!
2019 CHICAGO
White Mystery rocked Dispensary 33 for thousands of people at Waldo’s Forever Fest in Andersonville. Big Freedia headlined and made the shake stage with authentic New Orleans Bounce Music! It was bonkers.
2018 CHICAGO
10 year anniversary…1000th show…9th record release…April 20, 2018 is the date White Mystery concludes it’s decade-long social experiment. For the past ten years, we’ve stayed 100% independent, and duked out the good fight of rocking and rolling worldwide. We will always be White Mystery, though, what happens next is truly…the mystery.
2017 Los Angeles
White Mystery “F.Y.M.S” record release wants to wine you, dine you, and 69 you at the Monty with Jesus Sons and Zig Zags! A good time was had by all in Los Angeles, California.
2016 Grand Rapids
Michigan is an important mitten-shaped state to the White Mystery history and we are thankful for all that attended the OUTTA CONTROL record release party at the Pyramid Scheme!
2015 Chicago
White Mystery premiered it’s first ever feature-length film, “That Was Awesome” to a sold out audience at the Logan Theatre on April 20, 2015 for the Chicago International Music & Movies Fest. Guests walked the “green carpet” and enjoyed the critically acclaimed psychedelic dark comedy produced and directed by Miss Alex White! See the trailer on VICE.
What better place to spend 4/20 than the Netherlands? White Mystery released “DUBBLE DRAGON” to a packed house at dBs near Amsterdam on April 20, 2014. The gatefold of the double album was even designed by a Dutch artist named KIKI and High Times featured the event.
2013 San Francisco
White Mystery invited 12 of it’s favorite West Coast bands to play the “PSYCHEDELIC MELTDOWN” at Brick & Mortar in the Mission on April 20, 2013 to release the third album, “Telepathic” in San Francisco. Orange Amps, Cutty Sark, and Airheads sponsored the event, and we released a White Mystery coloring book! Click for more.
2012 Brooklyn, New York
Inspired by the Rolling Stones, White Mystery organized a “Rock’n’Roll Circus” with bands, a ventriloquist, acrobats, contortionists, and video projection artists at Big Sky Works in Brooklyn, New York. The show sold out to celebrate the release of “People Power” and a memorable night was had by all— captured by Impose Magazine in these incredible photos here.
2011 Chicago
Back in 2011, there was an up-and-coming neighborhood called Logan Square, and a old dive called Pancho’s. White Mystery sold out a double header with two concerts in one night on April 20, 2011— an all-ages early show with Loose Dudes and adult show later that night with Rabble Rabble. The Onion donated a quarter page print advertisement to promote the release of White Mystery’s second album, “Blood & Venom.” More info in the original post.
2010 Chicago
The first ever White Mystery 4/20 event was a hot box at the old Miss Alex White apartment, 2826 W. Dickens. Friends gathered on the street at 4:20pm and were led upstairs for a White Mystery show in the dining room to celebrate the first ever White Mystery album. While the party was small, The Chicago Reader was there!
We gave 13 artists Levi’s Denim Jackets and told them to use as their inspiration.
We featured jackets and art by Kelly Ward, DONT FRET, Revise CMW, Lauren Asta, Jaz-On, Kate Lewis, Victor Montañez, White Mystery, Katherine del Real, Hannah Douglas, Zitlali Yunuhem, Sara Enigmann and Zissou Tasseff-Elenkoff. DJ Genghiswon was spinning all night.
Turn up your holidays with all the bells and whistles at the White Mystery ‘Winter Funtacular!’
Games, give-ways, gifts, slime-making with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Glitter Guts retro photo booth with Pabst Blue Ribbon, DIY fun with Ilegal Mezcal, live-streaming pinball with Jack Danger of Dead Flip, a live vocal choir with the Blue Ribbon Glee Club, and the ultimate place to shop for your friends & fam. THE EVENT IS FREE!
•First 50 people to arrive receive a complimentary drink ticket and arcade tokens
•First 150 people to arrive receive a free pass to the Museum of Contemporary Art
Thank you to the Sponsors:
Pabst Blue Ribbon, Ilegal Mezcal, Dead Flip, Museum of Contemporary Art
Entertainment by:
Blue Ribbon Glee Club, DJ E2H2, White Mystery DJs, Pinball wizard Jack Danger
Holiday Market Featuring:Lost Girls Vintage, Sencillo Vintage, Think Unique, Wybo Design, ShopConcentrate, Rachie Jenn Originals, Girl Fawkes Pins, Mojo Owl, Limba Gal Jewelry, Creativ Peace, Greetings By Jenny, Mixtape Your Life, Rhymes with Twee, Honey Girl Vintage, Twenty Thou, Range Life Shop, StephxStitch, E.E.Mercantile & Co., Soothsayer Hot Sauce, Morbid Orchid Co., Harnesses by Emma Alamo, Little Alice, Madre Monte, Crystal Gravy, Found Indiana, Ace High Vintage, Sun Baby Tarot, Diane Alexander White Photography, Museum of Contemporary Art
