The Localpalooza Chicago Showcase

Hi All – Mike Vogus here, guitarist for Chicago band Burnside & Hooker and founder of Localpalooza Chicago.

Anyone who has ever lived in or visited Chicago knows that there is no better city in the world…well, at least in the summer time. Chicago winters are brutal, but that’s what makes the summer so great; we have deep appreciation for the summer season and spend as much of it as we can outdoors taking in everything the city has offer. And with the warm weather comes the best season in Chicago…festival season.

Chicago has the best festival scene in the country, period. No other city comes remotely close to matching Chicago. Our festivals celebrate everything from world culture and arts to hot dogs, beer and bacon. While the warm weather, amazing food and seemingly endless supply of beer will draw you in, it is the unbelievably diverse and eclectic music that is the backbone of the festival scene.

Being a musician in Chicago, there is no greater feeling than playing to a festival crowd, and these shows are often the most sought after gigs in the city. Most festivals tend to bring in large “national acts” and generally ignore the local scene when filling their lineups. While a few local bands will break into a handful of events, there isn’t an entire festival devoted exclusively to the local music scene. Localpalooza aims to change that.

The Localpalooza Chicago Showcase is our inaugural event that features eight of the best bands currently in the city. Our goal is to grow this event into a full weekend festival devoted to celebrating the amazing bands and musicians who call Chicago home. Localpalooza will be taking over Schuba’s Tavern on Sunday, July 24th, beginning at 4PM. Bands performing this year include Jennifer Hall, The Fox & The Hounds, Simpleton & Cityfolk, Sayers, Burnside & Hooker, The New Switcheroo, Draft Week and Eugeine Grey.

We have also partnered with a fantastic local charity to raise money for ALS awareness and research. A $10 donation to the The Patrick Grange Memorial Foundation will get you in the door. We will have drink specials, raffle items and merch for sale with all proceeds going directly to the foundation.

You can get your tickets and make a donation to the foundation HERE!

The Patrick Grange Memorial Foundation was founded in January 2013. In November of 2010, former UIC and University of New Mexico soccer player Patrick Grange was diagnosed with ALS just two weeks after his 28th birthday. He was the youngest ALS patient ever in the state of New Mexico. Several of my good friends from grade school and high school had played with Pat during his time at UIC. Upon hearing word of Pat’s diagnosis, his teammates immediately rallied around him to raise money for his family in an effort to help retrofit their house for wheelchair accessibility and to help offset additional medical expenses. Pat ultimately lost his battle with ALS in April of 2012, less than two years after being diagnosed. ESPN covered Pat’s story on their E:60 program, and you can view the full episode here.

Please join us Sunday July 24th at Schuba’s Tavern to celebrate some of Chicago’s best local music and help raise money and awareness for a great local charity.