Oh finals, so close yet so far way. What is even farther away it seems is summer, but since graduation is May 15 then we have just over one month until summer shenanigans commence. I don’t know about you, but my favorite part of living in the Chicago land area is all the fun summer festivals and outdoor concerts. No weekend is left unfilled by neighborhood block parties and festivals. To get you through finals and the summer weeks in between the big weekends we have a wide variety of music available for check out. While we do have some Bach for the classical fans among us, you may be surprised at other albums in our collection. We try to have something for everyone, from The Clash, to Toby Keith to Dr. Dre. Below are some suggested festivals in Chicago this summer and some of the artists whose works you could check out in preparation for concert going.
First big shin-dig of the summer is Chicago Blues Fest, which will be June 12-15 in Grant Park. Not only is this fest free, but its headliner is a legend in the Blues world, Buddy Guy. Highly recommend Hard Time Killing Floor, it is a song the embodies the voice, feel and humm that makes Blues the Blues.
Come mid summer its time to head over to Union Park for Pitchfork Festival for the weekend of July 17-19. This year the line up is full of contemporary artists you wont want to miss out on, but don’t forget Chicago’s very own Wilco who is headlining this year. Wilco’s lead singer Jeff Tweedy recently went solo and his hit Summer Noon is just the song to get you in the mood for lemonade and porch sitting. Neko Case who has a solid solo career in recent years will be back in Chicago with The New Pornographers at this year’s Pitchfork. Its hard to keep your head from bobbing along to their latest hit Dancehall Domine.
Lollapalooza, its the big one, the festival we hear the most about and long to be one of the lucky few to have gotten a ticket. Come July 31st through August 2nd Grant park will be filled with music fans of all variety basking in the sun (or rolling around in the mud like music goers did in 2012). Headlining this year is a former member of the Beatles, Sir Paul McCartney. If the Beatles member isn’t your cup of tea another big name in music, Metallica, will be performing.
Now, as I mentioned we have a wide variety of music and if none of these festivals tickle your fancy then I recommend utilizing our collection of music to your advantage. Be it for your cruise across the nation soundtrack or background music at your BBQ, we may have just what you are looking for. Below are just a few of the many artists we have in our M 1600 section of the collection. In fact, I dare you to not find at least one artist below that you have heard of and want to hear more or are an old favorite.
Alan Jackson, N.W.A., Pearl Jam, Aretha Franklin, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Madonna, Elvis Presley, Sonic Youth, Kenny Chesney, Green Day, Nat King Cole, Public Enemy, Billie Holiday, Paul Simon, The Roots, Amy Winehouse, Queen, Radiohead, The Highwaymen, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Cash, Tanya Tucker, David Bowie, The Wailin’ Jenny’s, Mudhoney, Eminem, Norah Jones, Willie Dixon, U2, Melissa Etheridge, and so so much more. And remember, if you have any questions about how to find our music or look up a particular genre or artist you can always ask a librarian.