WEEK OF 10/18/2019

Blacker Face / all 📷 : Kyle Land

Considering the history of social protest The Hideout embodies, and the iconic venues uncertain fate in the wave of gentrification sweeping the surrounding area due to the Lincoln Yards fiasco, it was the perfect venue for the record release party of one of Chicago’s most interesting and politically outspoken art rock bands. The night was full of anticipation for Blacker Face’s performance, fresh off the release of their Sooper Records debut Distinctive Juju, but there was plenty to entertain before the local powerhouse took the stage. 

A cool evening breeze brought in the relaxing jams of Augustine Esterhammer-Fic. The gentle voiced singer-songwriter was joined onstage by a trio of strings: Andrea Benavides Chaves (violin) Ayriole Frost (viola) and Kelsee Vandervall (cello) and Blacker Face’s drummer Noah Jones. After a few sea creature themed tunes (including “Lemoncello”), which he pointed out had become a central metaphor in his new work, the soft spoken artist produced the first of the evenings political leaned performances with a new work about the border issue sung entirely in Spanish (after receiving writing and pronunciation help from Chaves). Beautiful and poignant, the tune was a perfect entry point into the rest of the socially charged night. Hopefully he lays it down soon, so it can be shared with the world.

If you’ve been following Chicago Crowd Surfer you are well aware of the Why? Records crew. They’ve been taking over the local airwaves the past two years with a constant wave of releases from their four core members: Malci, Ruby Watson and Joshua Virtue (solo and together as Free Snacks), and most recently Davis the Dorchester Bully dropped the excellent Green Parakeet Suite. Why? Footclan brought all four of them together for a mixtape performance drawing from each of their projects. A greatest hits collection, that burned up the brains of everyone in the room. Accomplished wordsmiths all, the foursome absolutely destroyed, backed by their home cooked beats. Each emcee got their moment to shine, even handing the sampler over to Malci for a quick show of his superior mixing skills. With a new Free Snacks record on the way, and plenty more to come from this crew, it’s safe to say that Why? Records is here to stay. Anyone who was there hopes they make this Footclan show a regular occurrence  

As Blacker Face set up their gear the air of celebration grew into a wave of joy, that erupted from the stage as they launched into the relentlessly entertaining and eclectically outrageous performance. Centered around the expressive talents of singer Jolene Whatevr, the art rock collective combines elements of rock, punk, jazz, indie, and noise into a soup of epic proportions. With the equally entertaining PT Bell on bass leading the jams, Isaac Nicolas (guitar) and Louis Clark (piano) bring up the bright end of the spectrum, all glued together by Jones on the graffitied kit. Continuing the bold protest onslaught of last year’s EP Think Piece, Distinctive Juju brings these fives talents together to form a cohesive beauty that drives home the emotionally charged content with even more sublime detail. By mid set Jolene was hitting all the right emotional chords with “Parade,” detailing the impending water crisis that everyone seems to ignore, and “I Know More Things Than You Do,” a sarcastic look at the generational and social divide. As Blacker Face was all smiles and celebration of the moment, their artistically driven work leaves a lasting impression of seeking the change one wants to see in the world. While the archetypal Hideout sign hung over the whole night, the impending fate of the venue will  hang in the balance for months to come; a cause worth fighting for, and Blacker Face inspires such a battle.         

-Kyle Land