Reporting Jason Thomas
January can be a month with very little going on. People are cleaned out from the holidays, some are sticking to new year’s resolutions that can hinder a night on the town, and for whatever the reason may be, touring bands don’t usually have Chicago on their list of places to play in the first month of the year, but TNK Fest has been working for years to correct this. A series of shows for five consecutive nights (Wed-Sun) that mostly highlight up-and-comers, but there are a few established acts thrown into the mix as well. The complete list of TNK Fest shows can be found here, but please feel free to continue on and check out my three TNK picks below…
Niki & The Dove @ Lincoln Hall, Friday, January 18
A two piece band from Stockholm that’s been at it for a few years now, Niki & The Dove continue the tradition of great pop music from Sweden. “Pop” is used as a general term here because it’s pretty hard to tag their music, but if it’s catchy enough and synths are involved, it’s pretty safe to throw the “p” word out there. Tix here.
Lucero @ Metro, Saturday, January 19
The band started back in 1998 when they played their first show in a little warehouse in downtown Memphis. Not long after that, they’d stashed away enough money to buy a van, and that was it. They were off. Fifteen years later they’re still going strong. One of the best country/soul/punk bands you’re ever gonna see. Tix here.
Chelsea Wolfe @ Schubas, Saturday, January 19
She comes from beautiful Northern California and it takes several words to begin to describe her sound, but one look at her bio and this line jumps out at you… “Hues of black metal and deep blues.” Try to wrap your head around that. If you’re looking for something adventurous and new this weekend, this show definitely stresses the “Tomorrow” in “Tomorrow Never Knows.” Tix here.
