Monday-Tuesday, July 24 & 25
$35/$38/$45/$48
GZA/The Genius is a founding member of the seminal hip hop group the Wu-Tang Clan. GZA's 1995 solo debut Liquid Swords is considered one of his best albums. In 1998, Liquid Swords was selected as one of The Source Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums of all time. Steve Huey of Allmusic called him "one of the best lyricists of the 1990s," while the editors of About.com ranked him #17 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987-2007), making him the highest-ranking Wu-Tang Clan member on the list.
Sunday, July 30; 6:30 & 9pm
$28/$36/$42/$46
Soul vocalist and songwriter Rahsaan Patterson is another in the line of new-school R&B singers. After singing in church from the age of six, Patterson moved with his family from New York to California to star in the children's show "KIDS Incorporated". He later moved back to the East Coast, resuming his career with small TV roles and assorted commercials, but returned to Los Angeles in the early '90s to record demos and contribute backing vocals to albums by Martika and Brandy, among others. Patterson proved himself a more than competent songwriter as well, penning hits like Tevin Campbell's "Back to the World" and Brandy's "Baby." Those successes finally earned him a recording contract with MCA, which issued his self-titled debut album in early 1997. Love in Stereo followed two years later. After a hiatus from the performance spotlight, he released After Hours in August 2005 and Wines & Spirits in September 2007. These two albums placed him at the top of the R&B underground. His most recent album, Bleuphoria, is his most eclectic and creatively ambitious album.
Max Weinberg's Juke Box
Tuesday, Aug 15; 7pm
$45/$50/$55/$60
In the spring of 1974, Max Weinberg saw a notice in the Village Voice that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were looking for a new drummer. He blew Springsteen away at an audition and was hired just as work began on Born to Run. It's impossible to imagine how that album would have sounded without Weinberg's taut pulse. When the E Street Band split in 1989, he found work as Conan O'Brien's bandleader, though when the band reformed in 1999, he managed to fit both jobs into his busy schedule. This summer, Weinberg goes on his own tour with a four-piece rock band - Max Weinberg's Jukebox. The group will take audience requests including hits from the Beatles, Springsteen, and the Rolling Stones, and tell short stories about Weinberg's connection to the song. A limited number of Meet and Greet tickets will be available for $150 each, and include a signed 8x10 drum head.
Monday-Tuesday, August 21 & 22
$30/$35/$40/$45
Known for his finger-picking style, Minneapolis-based, two-time Grammy-nominated acoustic 6- and 12-string guitarist Leo Kottke, absorbed a variety of musical influences growing up in 12 different states. The resilient American Folk guitarist extraordinaire suffered hearing loss as a teenager and developed tendonitis in the early '80s but has released dozens of studio, compilation and collaborative albums during a career spanning more than four decades. Kottke began his career as a fixture at Minneapolis' Scholar Coffeehouse, home to Bob Dylan and John Koerner before releasing numerous albums with Capital records, including his U.S. Top 30 album "Chewing Pine" in 1975. Kottke is also known for his numerous musical collaborations including Phish bassist Mike Gordon.
Shelby Lynne & Allison Moorer
Wednesday-Thursday, August 30-31
$30/$35/$40/$45
Sisters Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer, now with 24 albums and Grammy, Oscar, and numerous other awards and nominations between them, share a transcendent musical bond. It's as deep, haunting, knowing, and beautiful as the Alabama woods they once called home. Their new duet record, Not Dark Yet, to be released August 18, offers a glimpse into their musical bond for the first time after years of trying to get it made at the right time. The album provides a potent look at their individual and collective artistry through eclectic song choices from writers ranging from the Louvin Brothers, Nick Cave, Kurt Cobain, and back to Jessie Colter. Not Dark Yet is not a creation, but rather a celebration of something that has always been, two voices becoming one and finding home within each other.
Friday, September 8
$28/$32/$35/$38
Celebrated American folk singer-songwriter Joe Purdy is a storyteller of folklore through song. Raised in Bluegrass Country of Fayetteville, Arkansas on a diet of Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Buddy Holly and the oldies station, Purdy's songwriting is heavily influenced by his environment and his albums act as a travel guide for his experiences. Purdy's hushed moments, crystal-clear voice and reverberation of his acoustic guitar strings are his stories coming to life. Amy Vachal is a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and artist. She was introduced to the global music stage through her successful run on NBC's The Voice, where she was mentored to the semifinals by Adam Levine and Pharrell Williams, landing on the overall U.S. iTunes top 10 four times, and twice on Billboard's Artist 100. After the show, she began touring across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, sharing the stage with artists including Jamie Lawson and M. Ward. After a tour-packed 2016, Vachal has honed in on producing and engineering her own recordings, the first of which is showcased on her highly anticipated single, "Wait", released independently on March 3, 2017.
Sunday, September 10
$15/$18/$22/$25
Ian Moore took up the violin at age six, moving to guitar nine years later. The Austin-based blues-rocker's early influences included the Beatles, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, and Sly & the Family Stone. Moore gained experience touring as a guitarist with Joe Ely which led the way to a solo tour opening for the Rolling Stones and ZZ Top. He then signed with Capricorn; three records followed from 1993-1995: Ian Moore, Live from Austin EP, and the last of which, Modernday Folklore, that suggested that the Texan was looking beyond the blues-rock roots of his home state toward a more expansive sound. Hints of Southern soul, gospel and Beatlesque pop shook hands with the blues riffs that Moore had previously traded in exclusively. In the past 24 years Moore has released 14 albums including his most recent album Strange Days, which was released this past February.
Wednesday-Thursday, September 20-21
$38/$45/$48/$52
With her thunderous, gospel-bred pipes and heart-to-heart content, singer-songwriter Avery*Sunshine can't help spilling the truth in her music. Her feel-good tunes have helped plump her portfolio with accolades including a turn as choral director on the theatrical production of Dream Girls, featuring Jennifer Holliday. Her videos "All in My Head" and "Ugly" landed heavy rotation on Music Choice, VH1 Soul and Centricm, she's toured with Ledisi and shared the stage with Kem, Musiq Soulchild, Eric Benet, Rachelle Ferrell, and the legendary B.B. King, among others. In 2010, Avery won Best New Artist at the Reader's Choice Awards. The following year, JET Magazine named her one of their 5 rising Indie Artists. Popmatters.com said her most recent album, The Sunroom, "feels truly authentic and friendly, keeping classic soul sensibilities alive and well."
Dan Wilson - Words & Music
Saturday, September 23
$25/$28/$30/$32
"Words & Music by Dan Wilson" is an evening of songs and stories which pulls back the curtain on the art of songwriting. Between stripped down renditions of some modern-day classics he has written on his own and with collaborators including Adele, Dixie Chicks and Carole King, Grammy winning singer-songwriter and producer Dan Wilson shares his insights into writing and tells the stories behind the songs, including some of his most successful collaborations. Before each show, he creates illuminated set lists as a way to help himself map out the shows; at the end of each of show, copies are handed out to members of the audience so that they have a keepsake to remember the evening.
City Winery Chicago also announces Robbie Fulks joins international Bob Dylan tribute on June 28 and James Maddock opens for Graham Parker Duo featuring Brinsley Schwarz July 12.
All City Winery events are open to all ages and start at 8 p.m., unless noted.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday, June 8 at noon. Only members of City Winery Chicago's signature VinoFile program have access to ticket sales today in addition to receiving: a waiver of ticket service fees; free valet parking; Restaurant Loyalty Rewards, such as a free pair of VIP concert tickets for every $500 spent on food & beverage in the restaurant; exclusive membership-only events; and access to the proprietary City Winery Virtual Sommelier, which helps make suggestions for wines one might enjoy based on past consumption at the venue.
GZA, Rahsaan Patterson, Max Weinberg Juke Box, Leo Kottke, Shelby Lynne & Allison Moorer, Joe Purdy and Amy Vachal, Ian Moore, Avery*Sunshine and Dan Wilson join a diverse mix of the most respected names in pop, rock, jazz, blues, world music, theater, dance, spoken word and comedy presented at City Winery Chicago, including previously announced headliners and supporting acts Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers (Jun. 6 & 8); Shannon McNally (Jun. 7); Cathy Richardson Band with Maisie Bull (Jun. 9); John Waite and the Axemen with Leslie DiNicola (Jun. 11); Micky Dolenz: The Voice of the Monkees (Jun. 13-14); Garland Jeffreys with Nicholas Tremulis (Jun. 15); Nancy & Beth (Jun. 16); Josh Kelley (Jun. 18); Jean-Luc Ponty (Jun. 19-20); Funkadesi (Jun. 21); Lynne Jordan & the Shivers (Jun. 23; 7:30 pm); Wasabassco Burlesque (Jun. 23; 10:30 pm); Griffin House (Jun. 25); William Elliott Whitmore (Jun. 26); Michelle Shocked Short Sharped Shocked (Jun. 27); International Bob Dylan Tribute (Jun. 28); Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers with Gabriel Kelley (Jun. 29); Holly Bowling (Jun. 30-Jul.1; 1pm); Eric Roberson with D Maurice (Jun. 30-Jul. 1); The Church (Jul. 3-4); Zoso (Jul. 5); FrEddy Jones Band with Brian Collins (Jul. 6); Dweezil Zappa (Jul. 7); Rhett Miller (Jul. 9); Les Nubians (Jul. 10); Louis Prima Jr. & the Witnesses (Jul. 11); Graham Parker Duo (Jul. 12); Matthew Sweet with Tommy Keene (Jul. 13-14); Squirrel Nut Zippers (July 16; 5 pm & 8 pm); The Everly Brothers Experience (Jul. 17); Tommy Castro & the Painkillers (Jul. 18); Mac McAnally (Jul. 19); Todd Sheaffer of Railroad Earth (Jul. 26); Michelle Shocked Captain Swing (Jul. 27); Chris Smither (Jul. 28); Pat McGee (Jul. 29); Ann Hampton Callaway (Aug. 3); Rachelle Ferrell (Aug. 4, 7 & 10pm; Aug. 5, 7pm); Jake Clemons (Aug. 8); Delbert McClinton (Aug. 9); The High Kings (Aug. 10); Ana Popovic (Aug. 14); Roomful of Blues (Aug. 17); Dave Barnes (Aug. 18); Rickie Lee Jones Trio (Aug. 20); Michelle Shocked Arkansas Traveler (Aug. 23); Alejandro Escovedo & Joe Ely (Aug. 24-25): John Gorka (Aug. 27; 7:30 pm); The Alarm (Aug. 28); Joan Osborne Sings the Songs of Bob Dylan (Sep. 5-6); Jesse Colin Young (Sep. 7); Vicente Amigo (Sep. 17-18); Madeleine Peyroux (Sep. 24-25); Ben Ottewell (Sep. 27); Rik Emmett of Triumph (Sep. 28); Isaac Mizrahi: Does This Song Make Me Look Fat? (Sep. 29; 7:30 pm); Arlo Guthrie (Oct. 1-3); HONEYHONEY (Oct. 4); John Popper with Katrina Woolverton (Oct. 6); The City Church of the Reverend Horton Heat (Oct. 11- 15); Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors (Oct. 28; 7pm & 10pm) and Sons of the Never Wrong with Jonas Friddle (Oct. 29; 7 pm).
Opened in 2012, City Winery Chicago is a fully operational winery, restaurant with outdoor patio, concert hall and private event space located in the heart of the West Loop at 1200 W. Randolph, in the historic urban Fulton Market district. Once a refrigerated food distribution warehouse, the 1911 building has been transformed into a contemporary 33,000 square foot haven for those passionate about wine, music and culinary arts. The décor evokes the romance of being in wine country, from the exposed stainless steel fermenting tanks and French oak barrels, to the aroma of fermenting grapes. Chicago's only fully operation winery has produced dozens of in-house wines sourced from vineyards in California, Oregon, Washington, Argentina and Chile, including a Wine Enthusiast 90-point 2012 Bien Nacido Vineyard Reserve pinot noir. With more than 400 unique producers from around the world City Winery is recognized with 2014 and 2015 Best of Awards of Excellence "for having one of the most outstanding restaurant wine lists in the world" by Wine Spectator. The globally inspired, locally sourced, wine-focused food menu is conceived for pairing and sharing. The concert hall accommodates up to 300 guests, all seated at tables with complete beverage and dining service, ensuring a comfortable "listening room" experience enhanced by a state-of-the-art Meyer Sound system. Riedel is the official and exclusive provider of glassware, showing City Winery's commitment to enjoying quality wine in a quality vessel. American Airlines is the Official Airline and Virgin Hotels Chicago is the Official Hotel of City Winery. For more information, please visit www.citywinery.com.
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