Faith and begorrah, St. Patrick’s Day is coming up soon! Evanston has several musical events to celebrate the day – remember to consume your green beer in responsible quantities. Northwestern University is on spring break, so the Bienen School of Music is not presenting any music until the end of March. But no worries – lots of other good stuff is on the calendar. A hip-hop star of the 1990s will perform in Skokie, and Art Maker’s Outpost is hosting an awesome concert/dance party. Get out there and have fun, people!
Thursday, March 14:
- Jr. Smitty and the Cryin’ Pity, 7 p.m. at Double Clutch Brewing, 2121 Ashland Ave. These local blues-rockers will raise the roof at Double Clutch. Free admission.
- Tinsley Ellis, Naked Truth Tour, 7:30 PM at SPACE, 1635 Chicago Ave. Atlanta-based Alligator Records recording star Ellis brings his blues to Evanston. He will perform his new solo acoustic album, Naked Truth. Ellis’ influences include legendary bluesmen Muddy Waters, Skip James, Son House, Robert Johnson and Leo Kottke. Vintage Guitar Magazine described Ellis as “an exciting, emotional guitarist and a strong, evocative songwriter … One of modern blues’ greatest performers.” $17/$35.
Friday, March 15:
- Rodrigo Amarante, 7 p.m. at SPACE, 1635 Chicago Ave. Amarante is a Brazilian singer-songwriter with an eclectic and impressive background. He wrote the theme song for the Netflix drama Narcos and has collaborated with artists ranging from the Strokes’ Fabrizio Moretti to Norah Jones. Amarante will be performing his second solo album, Drama, at SPACE. $20.
- Reggae Music Night, 7 p.m. at Good To Go Jamaican Cuisine, 711 Howard Street. Lenice and Tony Levy have created a marvelous destination for Jamaican food and reggae music. Tony Levy is from Jamaica and has said, “I want to bring Jamaica here!” Music happens every Friday night – the Hurricane Reggae Band is one of the regular bands. Free admission.
- The League of Erics, 8:30 p.m. at Cary’s Lounge, 2251 W. Devon, Chicago. Yes, these two bearded singer/songwriters are both named Eric. They like to sing about drinking, debauchery, death and the devil. It’s great late-night saloon stuff. Free admission.
Saturday, March 16:
- The Rock and Roll Playhouse plays the Beatles, 2 p.m., at SPACE, 1635 Chicago Ave. A concert for kids and families focusing on Beatles covers, with some other classic rock tunes. $15.
- Al Rose and Steve Doyle, 4 p.m. at Cary’s Lounge, 2251 W. Devon, Chicago. These two singer-songwriters have been playing together for 20 years. In addition to entertaining audiences in Chicago, they have played in New York and Paris. Free admission.
- Charlie Otto and His Gear, 7 p.m. at Art Makers Outpost, 609 South Blvd. Otto is a guitarist, DJ and tech-forward artist who founded This Must Be The Band and DJ noDJ (two Chicago cult bands). His solo shows combine his guitar work with audio and video effects resulting in fascinating, danceable tunes. This is part of Art Maker’s Outpost’s Salon series. $25.
- Sons of the Silent Age: The Sound and Vision of David Bowie, 8 p.m. at SPACE, 1635 Chicago Ave. Sons of the Silent Age is much more than a Bowie tribute band. This group of stellar Chicago musicians curate and recreate music from Bowie’s 40-year career. The group launched in 2013, but its performances are rare events. This show is the next best thing to David Bowie returning from the dead. SOLD OUT, but tickets may be available at the door.
- Talib Kweli, 8 p.m. at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Nineties hip-hop fans, rejoice! Kweli first earned recognition for his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997 when they formed the group Black Star. This is a rare event – a major hip-hop concert in Skokie. $46/$66
- Superfrye and the Valient 72’s, 8:30 p.m. at Cary’s Lounge, 2251 W. Devon, Chicago. Superfrye is a singer/songwriter and guitarist with blues and country music roots. She will perform original music and covers with her band, the Valient 72’s. Free admission.
Sunday, March 17:
- One of the Girls, St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, 1 p.m. at SPACE, 1635 Chicago Ave. One of the Girls has been performing Irish folk music in Chicago for the past 20 years. They’ll be celebrating their 20th anniversary at SPACE, where longtime members Tommy Schorsch (vocals), Sean Sullivan (guitar) and Daniel Sherer (keyboards) will perform with guest musicians Al Scorch (banjo), Roger Sherman (bass), Jacques Rene Hebert (fiddle), Tripp Hudgins (mandolin) and Michael Duplessis (accordion). $12-$20.
- Irish Music Session, 1 p.m. at Sketchbook Brewing Evanston, 821 Chicago Ave. Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, Sketchbook is adding a Sunday afternoon traditional Irish music session to augment its popular Tuesday night session. Free admission.
- Eileen Keane feat. the Paulina Project Trio, 4 p.m. at Sketchbook Brewery in Skokie, 4901 Main St, Skokie. This St. Patrick’s Day performance will feature songs by Irish, American and U.K. artists – including Sinead O’Connor, The Cranberries, Van Morrison and U2. Free admission.
- Cyrile Aimee, 7 p.m. at SPACE, 1635 Chicago Ave. Raised in France within a highly musical Afro-Caribbean household, Grammy nominee Aimee has traveled the world performing her uniquely multicultural style of music. She’ll be performing her new album, A Fleur de Peau, blending jazz, pop and Caribbean rhythms. $20.
- Judy Roberts and Greg Fishman, 7 p.m. at Skokie Theater, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie. Judy Roberts and Greg Fishman are two of Chicago’s top jazz performers. Roberts is a renowned vocalist and pianist who has toured the world for decades. She battled significant health issues in recent years, but she’s back and thrilling audiences again. Her husband, Greg Fishman, plays sax and flute and is an educator who has performed with jazz greats including the Woody Herman Band and Clark Terry. $25
- Semyon Slepakov, 7 p.m. at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Slepakov is a Russian musician and comic who moved to Israel after Russia invaded Ukraine. He wrote a satirical song about the invasion, which is considered a criminal offense by the Putin regime. Slepakov originally was to perform last October but the event was canceled – this is the re-scheduled date for that performance. $79/$179.
Monday, March 18:
- Lauren Moldenhauer and Sarah Loisch, 12 p.m., St. Marks Episcopal Church, 1509 Ridge Ave. Moldenhauer is a busy freelance flutist and performs with symphonies, chamber music groups and as a soloist throughout the Chicago area. Pianist Loisch has collaborated with orchestras and other classical music groups as a concerto performer. She is also a sought-after piano teacher and was named the 2022 Top Teacher in Chicago by Steinway. Free admission, but a freewill contribution is sought to offset the cost of the music program.
- Fruition, Hard to Make Money Tour, with Willy Tea Taylor, 7 p.m. at SPACE, 1635 Chicago Ave. Portland-based Fruition is a quintet of excellent musicians (including three lead vocalists who produce great harmonies). They combine soul, blues and power pop into catchy original songs. The band will perform their new album Broken at the Break of Day. Willie Tea Taylor will open for Fruition – he is a folksinger/songwriter who lists Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and Weird Al Yankovic as major influences. $20.
Tuesday, March 19:
- Dave Specter, 7 p.m. at SPACE, 1635 Chicago Ave. The Chicago Sun Times said “Dave Specter is a global ambassador of Chicago blues.” He has performed for everyone from the mayor of the Chicago to the president of the U.S. Specter has performed with many blues greats and has appeared on 50 albums over his career. He has led his own band since 1989, and he is one of the business partners at SPACE. $15/$25.
- Irish Music Session, 7 p.m. at Sketchbook Brewing Evanston, 821 Chicago Ave. Traditional Irish music session with a shifting cast of players; Sketchbook owner Shawn Decker usually brings his fiddle and joins in the session. Folks who can play Irish music also can join in. Free admission.
Wednesday, March 20:
- Sierra Hull with Gabe Lee, 8 p.m. at SPACE, 1635 Chicago Ave. Sierra Hull was a child prodigy in the bluegrass music world – she had her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage at the age of 10. She is a phenomenal mandolin player and also a gifted vocalist, composer and lyricist. Hull is only 32 years old, and she has a large, growing fan base. She is touring to support her new album, Weighted Mind, which was produced by 15-time Grammy winner and banjoist extraordinaire Béla Fleck. Gabe Lee is opening for Hull. He is an up-and-coming country music artist with an interesting back story. He was raised by Taiwanese immigrants in Nashville. SOLD OUT, but tickets may be available at the door.
- Peter Schwendener Quartet, 9 p.m. at Prairie Moon, 1635 Chicago Ave. Schwendener is an accomplisher jazz pianist and Evanston resident who has been performing and teaching in the Chicago area since he arrived here in 1979 after completing his studies at the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is joined by Art Davis, one of the top trumpet and flugelhorn players in the U.S. Dan DeLorenzo (bass) and Phil Gratteau (drums) complete the group. $7