Sidewalk Chalk w/ ION
The Mill — Thursday, August 7 at 9 p.m.
Jazz and hip hop fans alike will be wise to catch Chicago’s Sidewalk Chalk when they play The Mill this Thursday. The eight-piece group, which includes an emcee, jazz singer, horn section and even a tap dancer, makes for an on-stage spectacle, but boasts plenty of raw talent to back it up. AWTHNTKTS’ ION will be filling out the rest of the bill.
After two years of relentless touring, Sidewalk Chalk’s live show has become near-legendary. They recently won a spot in this year’s Afropunk Fest in Brooklyn after competing against 900 (900!) other acts in a national Battle of the Bands. They’ve brought their high-energy to bills with De La Soul, ?uestlove, and Action Bronson, and members of the band have played behind legendary artists like Buddy Guy and Talib Kweli.
Their latest album, Leaves, is a product of their impressive live chemistry. Each element of the album, from Maggie Vagle’s playful jazzy vocals to their smooth horns and snappy tap danced percussion, gets its chance to shine. What’s more, the octet is largely classically trained in their respective instruments (most of the members met as music students at Columbia Collge), so fans of either hip hop or jazz should find something impressive in Sidewalk Chalk.
The show kicks off at 9 p.m. with an admission price of $8. And hey, eight bucks for eight excellent musicians is a pretty sweet deal!
