Kids & Family

Wicker Park Businesses Morph into Music Venues Saturday

New pop-up music event ChillFest will showcase more than 100 bands in 30-plus unconventional locations ranging from pet grooming salons to camera shops. And it's free.

By Jay Gentile

Dozens of Wicker Park businesses are transforming into live music venues to host an intimate series of acoustic “living room” sets during ChillFest, a new pop-up music event coming to Wicker Park/Bucktown on November 16 from noon to 6 p.m.

A grassroots collaboration between a team of local promoters and the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce has resulted in a one-of-a-kind musical experience that aims higher than the typical booze-soaked Chicago street festival.

Find out what's happening in Bucktown-Wicker Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“It’s not your typical beer-swilling, vendor-on-the-street type of festival,” said event co-organizer Paul Grachan, head of MOTU Artist Management, which helps local bands navigate the music business. “It’s a festival about connections. It’s a festival about community, versus just pushing people through the door to collect money.”

The free event will showcase more than 100 bands in 30-plus unconventional locations ranging from pet grooming salons to camera shops to fashion boutiques. Each venue will host four acts playing one-hour unplugged acoustic sets throughout the course of the day, as local business look to better acquaint themselves with the local music scene — and its fans.

Find out what's happening in Bucktown-Wicker Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We are thrilled to be bringing this pop-up music event to the neighborhood,” said Adam Burck, executive director of the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce. “This event unites the great musical heritage of the neighborhood with the fantastic selection of [local] shops and restaurants.”

One of those shops, Wicker Park’s Alliance Bakery, will be (like many ChillFest locations) hosting bands for the first time. “I think it’s a great idea,” said Alliance Bakery owner Peter Rios about ChillFest. “We thought it’d be nice to participate to help bring in a wider audience. It adds a little bit more allure to being in this neighborhood.”

In a city awash in music festivals, ChillFest stands out as a testament to the thriving local acoustic music scene that has quietly been experiencing exponential growth while most of the industry’s attention has been focused on the brash pulsating beats of the electronic music age.

“We have an underground acoustic circuit that’s been building for years,” said event co-producer Stewart Riske, director of ARG Artist Recruitment Group and member of Chill Fest band The Root Cause. “It’s a community and you can see it growing together. 

Whether it’s Pilsen rockers Malafacha performing at Emporium Arcade Bar, buzz-worthy rapper Deep Fayed at Sugarfly or singer/songwriter Emily Martin at Radiance Fine Jewelry, ChillFest promises a unique experience. “We wanted to be something different and special,” said Riske, adding that bands were selected by committee following an online submission period this summer.

Riske also hopes that the festival will shine a spotlight on the budding scene in a city that often gets overlooked by the music communities of New York, LA, or Austin. “From an acoustic standpoint, we are very strong,” he said of the local scene. “I think if people started looking in our direction, there could be a big buzz about what we’re trying to do.”

Organizers are looking to capitalize on that buzz in a networking event following ChillFest in the lounge of Subterranean from 6-7 p.m. that seeks to make meaningful connections for local business, music industry professionals and artists. The event precedes a closing party showcase of ChillFest bands on the venue’s main stage including The Voice star Jamie Lono, The Root Cause, Mike Golden & Friends, Moonrise Nation, and Mississippi Gabe Carter.

With the music business in the midst of a generational overhaul marked by ceaseless cascades of unrelenting audience splintering, bands and solo musicians are increasingly looking for new ways of reaching out to untapped demographics.

“I think if you’re doing the traditional thing of just playing late-night shows, it’s hard to connect with a wider audience,” said Tim Ryan, vocalist/guitarist for ChillFest band Black Oil Brothers. “I do think [ChillFest] will attract people that otherwise never would have heard of you. I think that’s the whole point.”

For more information on Chill Fest, including a complete list of bands, venues, and schedule, visit chillfestchicago.com.

Jay Gentile is a freelance arts critic based in Chicago.       


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here