AVONDALE — Chicago has no scarcity of main tune gala’s, however what number of of them pass heavy on heavy steel? Even Rebel Fest caters extra to punks than heshers.
The excellent news for enthusiasts of blast beats and tool chords is that Chicago is ready to get a bit extra headbanger-friendly, simply in time for Halloween.
Beginning Saturday, the primary Heavy Chicago competition will deliver an eclectic lineup of steel and hardcore bands to Avondale Track Corridor, the midsized live performance venue at 3336 N. Milwaukee Ave. Headliners of the inaugural match come with Chicago’s personal doom pioneers Hassle, bluesy steel lifers Corrosion of Conformity and thrash legends Grimy Rotten Imbeciles (or D.R.I.), recently traveling in birthday celebration in their fortieth anniversary.
The stacked invoice of native and nationwide acts has been stretched throughout 3 nights and two weekends, with bands scheduled to play this Saturday, in addition to Nov. 4 and Nov. 5. Lots of the featured artists haven’t carried out in Chicago in years — or, when it comes to Repulsion, a long time. Heavy Chicago would be the most effective reside look through the “grandfathers of grindcore” in 2023.
From left: Heavy Chicago organizers Dave Hornyak and Sean Duffy. Credit score: Equipped
Previously a mambo membership, Avondale Track Corridor appeared like the very best position to position in combination a multi-night birthday celebration of steel, mentioned tune supervisor Sean Duffy. He and fellow Heavy Chicago founder Dave Hornyak noticed “a gap” for a distinct more or less “walkable” group tune competition in Chicago, and for a technique to shine a mild on a stretch of companies nonetheless improving from COVID-19.
Duffy drew the lineup from an extended listing of private favourite bands and acts he’s booked sooner than.
“Virtually everybody [performing] has a connection to town in a technique or any other,” he added.
That comes with Lori S., who grew up within the Chicago house and labored with Duffy at an area file retailer sooner than shifting to San Francisco in 1993 to shape Acid King. Her seminal stoner steel outfit is taking part in with Hassle, Bongzilla and Novembers Doom Saturday.
On albums like this 12 months’s “Past Imaginative and prescient,” Acid King sounds downright cosmic. It’s a mode a lot other than the doom, loss of life and thrash acts at Heavy Chicago. However that’s a part of the joys of a giant competition.
“It’s an opportunity to show your self to another target market,” mentioned Lori S. “You’ll extend your fanbase. Or no longer, in the event that they hate you!”
Native band Novembers Doom opens the fest on Friday evening. Credit score: Equipped
The wide variety of sounds represented is a draw for adventurous metalheads on level and rancid.
“One of the crucial absolute best presentations I’ve performed in recent years within the town have had numerous lineups,” mentioned Garry Naples, who drums for Novembers Doom, any other iconic native band functioning at Heavy Chicago.
Naples has performed steel within the town for greater than two decades. In that point, he’s noticed probably the most once-rigid partitions isolating more than a few subgenres disintegrate — an aftershock of higher get admission to.
“The entire tune is to be had to everybody now,” he mentioned. “Folks’s tastes evolve faster on account of that.”
Duffy consents that the web has unfolded Chicago’s once-more-insular steel scene.
“For those who sought after to peer or meet folks [in the ’80s], you needed to pass to presentations or file retail outlets,” Duffy mentioned. “The group is a lot more virtual now.”
However has that made the scene larger or smaller?
“It’s a tight-knit group,” mentioned Kevin Kelly, guitarist for Speedfreak, some of the sooner bands on the competition. “Everyone is aware of every different. It’s a a laugh town to play steel in.”
Like Naples, Kelly has twenty years of revel in at the Chicago level. And each males are excited to peer one specific band on the competition: Corrosion of Conformity.
“It’s nonetheless more or less unreal that we’re going to be taking part in with them,” Kelly mentioned.
Hornyak, who’s identified Duffy for the reason that ’80s, is founder and managing spouse of LiveWire Living room, any other venue down the road. As a part of the fest, the smaller membership will host aftershows, a struggle of the bands and the tribute band Phat Kiss on Halloween.
There will likely be a burger unlock birthday party at Kuma’s Nook, the Avondale bar well-known for serving burgers named after steel bands at 2900 W. Belmont Ave. Kuma’s chefs will even turn patties from a pop-up sales space within Avondale Track Corridor.
By means of involving companies like Kuma’s and goth-apparel establishment The Alley, Duffy and Hornyak dedicated to creating Heavy Chicago a in particular Avondale competition — and an inherently DIY undertaking. The impartial side of the competition is essential to each organizers, who mentioned they see it as a blue-collar match for a blue-collar the city and a blue-collar style.
“Whilst you bring to mind steel and punk, that’s what you consider,” Duffy mentioned. “Exhausting-working guys who paintings all day after which pop out to slam dance or pump their fists.”
Hornyak mentioned Heavy Chicago most effective has a couple of sponsors. And there are, in fact, demanding situations to striking on a competition with out the company infrastructure of one thing like Lollapalooza.
“Whilst you’re flying in bands for a one-off look after they’re no longer on excursion, it prices much more,” Hornyak mentioned.
However what’s the tradeoff? “Steel or punk had been all the time higher executed through indie folks,” Duffy mentioned. “It used to be by no means supposed to be a company soundtrack.” At the big-promotion selection, he’s unequivocal: “Reside Country is hurting steel.”
“We don’t have heaps of cash,” mentioned Hornyak, who mentioned he’s no longer anticipating to make a fortune off of the competition. “We’re doing this for the affection of doing this.”
So far as Hornyak’s involved, Heavy Chicago is already a success as a result of they had been “ready to get everyone on board and get most of these bands in combination to play.” Duffy stocks a an identical sentiment: “It used to be like herding cats for some time, but it surely’s all come in combination.”
Each organizers hope to make the competition an annual match, and so they’re already having a look forward.
“I do want we will have gotten a metalcore band, or a punk band with a steel affect,” Duffy mentioned. “Perhaps subsequent 12 months.”
Heavy Chicago kicks off Saturday at Avondale Track Corridor and likewise runs Nov. 4-5. Tickets are $35-$45 for a single-day price tag or $100 for a three-day go. For more info, consult with the development web site.
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