Music

On January 21^st from 12 pm to 6 pm the 4^th Annual Winter Block Party for Chicago’s Hip-Hop Arts is going down for FREE at the Metro! Thousands of people attended WBEZ 91.5’s Off Air Events Series last year and 2012 will be no different. This free party will feature graffiti galleries, breakdancing performances, a film screening of “The People Speak”, and the best music by some of Chicago’s BEST DJ’s. The list of fun & free things to do goes on and on but what caught my eye was the Emcee Olympics hosted by Urban Music & Hip-Hop Barbershop!!

The Beatles were an astounding British group that brought fans to their knees as soon as they came on stage. John, Paul, George and Ringo made the front page several times for their outrageous following and funky tunes. This Saturday and Sunday Jan. 21 & 22 the Old Town School of Folk Music will give you the chance to sing along to your entire collection of Beatles tunes from 1963-1970. Every album being sung will have a different set of teachers and students, and will be under the supervision of resident guitar guru Steve Levitt. Saturday at 7pm will cover all of Beatles for Sale, and Sunday at 5pm will cover Magical Mystery Tour. It’s guaranteed to be a great two days, and you’ll even get to hang out with tons of Beatles ensemble members from the past few decades! The event will be a grand scale sing-a-long inside of the beautiful Myron R. Szold Music & Dance Hall located at 4545 North Lincoln Ave from 3pm to 11pm both nights. There’s a suggested donation of $10 at the door, and you’re encouraged to bring your own instruments, voice and love.

I found the perfect lunchtime getaway! Most of us have less than an hour to chow down on whatever Chicago grub we set our eyes on but with this good find you can literally “Eat to the Beat”. On...

I moved to Illinois from New Jersey a month ago with big plans of starting my young life in Chicago. Almost every day a Chi-town veteran asks me one question, why Chi? You would think that having been so close to New York City I would get sucked into its gravitational pull, but no, I found asweet escape from those filthy streets. Coming from the NYC area few peoplerealize how delightfully overrated NYC truly is. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking my tri-state, but I certainly had a few clear reasons to leave the city that never sleeps for its Midwestern equivalent. Here are my top ten reasons to move to Chicago!

Celebrate “The King” and what would have been his 77^th birthday on Sunday, January 8^th with Elvis Fest 2012! Elvis Presley was the top hunk back then and he still is to many today. Girls wanted him and guys wanted to be him! Honor who he was, what he did, and how he made people feel with his music by partaking in this event at The Original Mother’s.

Chicago Mixtape is a project that Casey Meehan started in February 2011. Every single Monday morning through Chicagomixtape.com, Casey sends out an email blast of free high-quality music from local musicians to all of his subscribers. The first track includes a personal message to all the listeners from the creators of the mixtape: Casey Meehan and Marisa Ruiz, who works for 24/7 Chicago & brokehipster.com. They candidly explain that the purpose behind creating this best of the best compilation is to promote talent coming out of Chicago!

Take a night out of the week to go out with your family and friends to see this special Christmas tradition! This holiday season is the 28th anniversary with the Music Box! It all started in 1983, when an operator in Chicago shows two old holiday movies in Christmas Eve. People came out to watch these vintage movies and sing Christmas carols during their intermissions.

It's absolutely no secret that I adore all things Irish (have you seen me on the streets between March 16th-18th, I'm a blissful mess) and all things Christmas (I may or may not tear up at the sight of a lit Christmas tree). So when I stumbled upon Irish Christmas in America, I had to take some deep breaths, remind myself I'm not 8 years old anymore and dove right into finding out more about this fantastic fusion!

Join the Chicago Children’s Choir December 11th at 3:00PM as they start to celebrate the holiday season. Under the direction of Josephine Lee, this Emmy Award-winning Concert Choir can sing!

rab your holiday sweaters, candy canes and...party cups? Corn Productions, the producers of one-act plays, music monologues, and comedy sketches would like to wish you a Happy Holly-daze by inviting you to a drinking game performance. From December 8th-30th they will be “sharing all of their favorite holiday stories, songs, and beverages with you.” Each sketch is a drinking game, giving you the chance to celebrate the season in style. It is BYOB so you can bring anything from eggnog to bottled beer - whatever gets you into the holiday spirit(s).