Chicago's HotHouse and Center for International Performance and Exhibition has been presenting multicultural events and promoting artists from across the globe for the last two decades. Over the past several years, the organization has been working toward securing a new permanent space to host performances and events. A benefit bash will be held tonight, Friday, March 27, at 826 Chicago (1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., 312-957-6073), a nonprofit writing center in Wicker Park, with, of course, two emerging, globally inspired bands as the evening's entertainment.
You'll get to hear the musical stylings of The Sound Conspiracy, a duo made up of Shannon Fortune (vocals, guitar and electronics) and Daniel Crane (drums and percussion) who combine everything from jazz, hip-hop and mash-ups to samba, Afro-Cuban beats, indigenous folk music and something they call "live electroacoustic" with exciting, one-of-a-kind results.
Also on the event's bill is Kevin Leeds, a composer, singer and musician who blends Spanish and English vocals with guitar and percussion into eclectic folk songs. His compositions are inspired by the world's cultures and musical genres, which he weaves into something completely his own.
The benefit's venue, 826 Chicago, is the home of 826CHI, a writing center developed in San Francisco by acclaimed author Dave Eggers along with other committed community-minded peers. The program is designed to support students' creative and expository writing skills and to help teachers inspire their students to write.
Tonight's event will benefit both HotHouse and 826 Chicago. Doors open at 8:30PM, and the show begins at 9:30PM. Tickets are $5 in advance (better get clicking here) or $8 at the door tonight.
