Brooks Binau Grooves Over To Lakeshore

When you first hear Brooks Binau, you’ll be surprised to find out that he is not a 50-year-old jam band leader. However, with a soulful deep voice and expert musicianship you wouldn’t be too far off. The 20-year-old singer-songwriter was raised in the historic country fields of Hagerstown, Maryland and picked up his first guitar at the age of 10. It wasn’t long before Binau realized his adeptness for guitar and began taking lessons with one of the towns most acclaimed Blues Guitarists Lew Palladino. With Palladino’s guidance, he began to explore the roots of Soul and Blues in America and to hone in on his own original sound. By his mid-teens he was writing his own songs, perfecting his guitar playing, and working with his vocal abilities. Booking gigs at local coffee houses, he enlisted the help of Doug Groove who helped to bring a creative rhythm to Binau’s soulful tunes. In 2006 Brooks moved to Ithaca College in New York, and began hitting the college town’s streets and diving into the music scene. Binau collaborated with Groove again in late 2007 to release his first EP entitled Latte Roasted EP, giving homage to those local coffee shops.

Thoughtful and intelligent, Binau’s songs discuss everything from personal freedom and politics to the current state of the world and the local on-goings around him. Influenced by greats like Neil Young and Johnny Cash and newcomers like Ben Harper and Michael Franti, he blends old-world soulful rhythm and blues with classic funk to form an original sound that makes a statement.

Going on tour this July and August, Binau will be performing at this year’s Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival at 11:00 on the Main Stage.

Can’t wait until then? Check out Brooks Binau on iTunes or at this website brooksbinau.com!

Leading Lady of Blue Chicago

Lynne Jordan & the Shivers will be taking the city of Evanston by storm on July 8th at Twiggs Park for our seventh installment of the Starlight Concert Series. For over the past decade, powerhouse singer Lynne Jordan has traveled the world with her all-star band and has picked up numerous admirers on the way including Eric Clapton, Barack Obama, Roger Ebert, Buddy Guy and Rev. Jesse Jackson. Jordan started building her fame at Northwestern University as a Theater major and soon after began working with alternative rockers Urge Overkill and the legendary Tom Waits as a backup singer and harmonizer. This songstress now has the ability to capture every soul in her audience with her unparalleled talent, wit and stage presence. Jordan is also unmatched with her exquisite head dresses and stage props, giving her performance extreme theatrical flair. Reminiscent of Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Bette Midler or Janis Joplin, Lynne Jordan and the Shivers are will bring you back to when you bought your first R&B vinyl.

Be sure to check out Lynne Jordan up close and personal at Twiggs Park and in “In the Life of a Diva” – her very own blog! http://lynnejordan.com/blog/

This is Kristina signing out...

Opening Night For Starlight - Cordero

Opening night for the Starlight Concert Series was a big hit. Cordero played a fabulous and fun set. In no time at all kids and adults alike were dancing and having a ball. We've made a slideshow of the nights events, so even if you missed the show, now you can enjoy it!

Don't forget to stop by at the other concerts of the Starlight Concert Series going on throught the summer in Evanston!

Baby Alright TONIGHT

Born in 1959 in Chicago’s west side, Marvin Tate grew up in an era of change and became an artist to proclaim it. His thought-provoking poems and lyrics are filled with humor and imagination. He first began his career as a performer entertaining his friends, family, and every stranger he could find with poems and spoken word. He has since been featured on National Public Radio, This American Life, and HBO DefJam Poetry.

Tate has released many works into the music and literature world throughout the years, including a book of poems published with Tia Chucha Press and albums with his former band D-Settlement. In 2007, Tate released Family Swim, returning to work with his long-time collaborator LeRoy Bach. Having established a fifteen year musical relationship, the two men have created a complementary album that blends Bach’s insight and deft musicianship with Tate’s wit, imagery, and keen story telling.

One reviewer commented on Tate's Album saying the song "My Technicolor Garden" was “flat-out hilarious.” He continued describing it as:

“Executed in the style of a sloppy high-school musical (with sketchy upright piano and drunken doo-wop backing vocals), it’s the story of a relationship that starts out all g.t.'s, with Tate bellowing how the early days were 'Like a big dog sitting on your chest… / Like a big, ripe tih-tayy hangin' out of a blouse... / Like hot sex on a rainy day… / Like the first ride on a Ferris wheel.'”

Along with Bach, Tate has since been performing with musicians Emmit Kelly, Mat Lux, and Dan Bitney to form Baby Alright. A soulful quartet, they implement their own unique styles and expert musicianship to create a funk-like sound.
To experience Marvin Tate and his collective of musicians, come see Baby Alright perform TONIGHT, June 24th at Twiggs Park in Evanston