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Brass From The Past will play at the Levy Senior Center Friday. Credit: Brass From The Past Facebook page.
Northwestern’s on spring break and all the concert halls and recital rooms on campus are dark until April 4. Fortunately, there are still plenty of interesting musical events on the calendar.
There will be a dance party at the Levy Center on Friday evening when a huge R&B cover band takes the stage. There are some great opportunities to hear country music this week, including the legendary Western Elstons at SPACE on Saturday. While we will miss NU’s classical performances during spring break, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church will fill the gap with a lunchtime organ recital Monday.
Here are my best bets for the weekend and Monday.
Friday, March 21
- Brass from the Past, 5 p.m. at Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave. This cover band is huge — a seven-piece horn section, four singers and a four-piece rhythm section! The band covers the music of Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, the Temptations, Michael Jackson, Chicago, the Doobie Brothers, Prince, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Blood Sweat & Tears, Patti LaBelle, Bruno Mars, Chaka Kahn, the O’Jays, Tower of Power and more. Oh, my goodness — they are super-tight!!! This is part of the Levy Center’s Jammin’ Jean concert series, and there will be Hecky’s BBQ and beverages available for purchase. Come and watch the senior set dance like no one’s watching! Free.
- Andy Brown 10th Anniversary Concert, 8 p.m. at Studio 5, 1938 Dempster St. In March 2015, Studio 5 owner Steve Rashid was booking jazz shows at the Whiskey Lounge, an intimate bar and performance space upstairs from the now-defunct 27 Live music venue at 1012 Church St. Guitarist Andy Brown played a solo concert at the old Whiskey Lounge on March 19, 2015 (his 40th birthday). The set was recorded, posted on YouTube and it has attracted 3.8 million views. Rashid and Brown decided to honor that achievement with an anniversary concert at Studio 5. When Brown has a performance, the audience usually contains lots of other guitarists — he is held in high esteem by the jazz community due to his gentle, fluid style. Jazz guitar fans will love this show! $27.
Saturday, March 22
- Croozin’ the Loop, 7 p.m. at Double Clutch Brewing, 2121 Ashland Ave. I just love a solid, classic rock cover band! Croozin’ the Loop fills the bill perfectly! The band sings in glorious harmony, and their song selection includes hits from several decades of good ol’ rock music. These folks love to play the music people love to hear. Free.
- The Western Elstons, 8 p.m. at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave. The Western Elstons band is a swinging, honky-tonking group of killer musicians — Scott Ligon on guitar and vocals; Casey McDonough on bass and vocals; Joel Paterson on guitar; Alex Hall on drums. These musicians all have too many career highlights to list, but here are a couple of facts: Ligon, McDonough and Hall are part of the local super group, The Flat Five, and Joel Paterson is an insanely versatile player. He’s a jazz guy, a blues man and he can play pedal steel guitar like a Grand Ole Opry star. This band is a whole lotta fun. $18.
Sunday, March 23
- Annalee Koehn, 4 p.m. at Sketchbook Brewing, 4901 Main St., Skokie. Koehn has a strong, “bluegrassy” voice and she’s a fine songwriter. She released an album, Tools of an Unseen Hand, in about 2024, and she’ll play original songs from that record (and some covers, too). Koehn was formerly with a couple of roots music bands (The Blackest Crow and Ship of Fools). Free.
- The Country Doctors, 4 p.m. at Cary’s Lounge, 2251 W. Devon Ave., Chicago. The Country Doctors are a group of veteran country honky-tonk players who have been active in the Chicago region since 2001. The time together has made this group into a classic country music machine. I like the polished vocals, and they harmonize beautifully. This is old-school stuff; Tammy Wynette, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash et al. This is an audience-pleasing band! Free.
Monday, March 24
Ethan Mellema, organ 12 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1509 Ridge Ave. This concert is part of St. Mark’s spring concert series. Mellema received a degree in organ performance from Lawence University’s Conservatory of Music. He played recitals throughout the Midwest and has made concert appearances on the West Coast. Mellema serves as the director of music at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Northbrook. He also works as a staff accompanist for the Merit School of Music in Chicago and is a member of the American Guild of Organists. Free, but a free will offering will be collected.
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Chris Gillock is a blues harmonica player, vocalist, non-profit board member and retired investment banker. He is also an occasional blogger – you can find his blog at
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