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2023 MUSIC LINEUP

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FRIDAY

Momma

9:15PM NORTH Stage

Fresh indie rock from L.A., Momma perfects a balance of heavy riffs, deep emotions, inviting sonic production, and a lighthearted, wry sense of humor, creating a singular lane in today's world of alt rock. Momma embraces their ‘90s influences while also bringing the sonics forward with a contemporary freshness.

Squirrel Flower

7:15PM NORTH Stage

Squirrel Flower’s heart-rending sophomore album Planet (i), following her 2020 debut I Was Born Swimming, is exactly that. A singular planet, a world entirely of artist Ella Williams’ making. Buoyed by her steadfast vision and propelled by her burning comet of a voice, the record is a love letter to disaster in every form imaginable. Tornadoes, flooding, gaslighting assholes, cars on fire - these songs fully embrace a planet in ruin. As Williams rides from melancholy to jubilance to complete emotional devastation over the course of twelve songs, she carves out a future for herself and those she loves.

Aunt Kelly

5:30PM NORTH Stage

Chicago power-pop/rock trio Aunt Kelly features glam-rock-inspired guitars and piano, with crisp production that harkens back to a bygone era of stadium rock and piano-pop while simultaneously embracing modern indie-pop sensibility and nuanced songcraft.

Mucca Pazza

8:15PM SOUTH Stage

Mucca Pazza assembled itself in a steel mill parking lot along the Chicago River in 2004. Combining marching band traditions and street theater spectacle with rock and roll sensibilities, Mucca Pazza quickly found a home for its 30-odd members in the thriving Chicago underground music scene. An unparalleled eccentric, frenetic visual presence and genre-bending original compositions earned Mucca Pazza critical praise and a loyal local following.

Edward Carpio Salguero

6:45PM SOUTH Stage

Get ready to dance the night away at our South Stage with one of Chicago’s hottest salsa orchestras led by Edward Carpio Salguero!

Disaster Kid

5:15PM SOUTH Stage

Disaster Kid is a nostalgic indie rock band from Chicago composed of three friends (Seamus Kreitzer, Connor Criswell & Mason Stahl). Reflection is at the core of Disaster Kid’s music. Their songs are full of nostalgia and catharsis - packed together by vivid detail, energetic melodies, and lyrical storytelling. Disaster Kid’s sound is human and emotive.

SATURDAY

Superchunk

9PM NORTH Stage

Indie rock pioneers Superchunk close out Square Roots on Saturday night with their uplifting and energetic live show. Formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1989, the group has run the gamut of milestone albums: early punk rock stompers, polished mid-career masterpieces, and lush, adventurous curveballs.

Eleventh Dream Day

7:15PM NORTH Stage

A veritable Chicago institution of underground rock, Eleventh Dream Day recently celebrated its 40th “bandiversary". Since first hitting the road in a battered Econoline van in the 1980s, Dream Day continues to build on their history by moving forward musically, while never forgetting what inspired them. As a live unit, they remain a sonic force to be reckoned with.

Cosmic Country Showcase

5:30PM NORTH Stage

Cosmic Country Showcase is a fantastic homage to country variety shows like Grand Ole Opry with an extraterrestrial-psychedelic twist featuring Chicago’s queer country crooner Andrew Sa as the host of this out-of-this world revue along with a diverse group of guest vocalists singing country classics with an all-star band. Hop in and suit up! Get your spurs shined for this all-new show!

Split Single

3:45PM NORTH Stage

When he’s not touring as bassist for Bob Mould or Superchunk or as guitarist in Sunny Day Real Estate, Jason Narducy focuses on his band Split Single. “…a first-rate songwriter and band leader.” - Greg Kot, Chicago Tribune

Nathan Graham

2:15PM NORTH Stage

Nathan Graham is a musician born and raised in Chicago. His music bridges the gap between South Side Soul and Nashville Americana, creating a new inclusive vision of singer-songwriter. He built his career over the last ten years as a guitar-for-hire, touring internationally with major label and indie acts, all while focused on songwriting and honing his skills as a solo performer.

Jonas Friddle’s Jug Band Happy Hour

12:45PM NORTH Stage

Come celebrate the launch of “Jug Band Happy Hour,” Jonas Friddle’s sly and modern take on the jug band blues. Jonas Friddle is a North Carolina born singer, songwriter and Old-Time banjo player whose songs have received numerous accolades including The John Lennon Songwriting Award. His most recent project “The Jug Band Happy Hour” is a tribute to his early days in the Windy City, playing the jug band blues at the Hideout Inn. The music has a raucous sound that takes good time music to the next level. Get ready for banjos, horns and songs about gravy.

Divino Niño

8:30PM SOUTH Stage

Divino Niño are no strangers to bold reinvention. When Camilo Medina and Javier Forero, friends whose bond dates back to their childhoods in Bogotá, Colombia, moved to Chicago and recruited guitarist Guillermo Rodriguez to form a band, they were psych-pop outsiders playing live shows with a drum machine. The addition of drummer Pierce Codina solidified their place as local indie rock mainstays with their unrelentingly collaborative beats, immersive dance floor heaters, and mellow vibes for frenetic doses of reggaeton, electropop, and trap.

Gabacho

6:30PM SOUTH stage

Based out of Chicago, sentimental singer-songwriter Gabacho employs a nostalgic blend of psychedelic Latin rock. In the end, his sentimental lyrics all communicate Gabacho’s fascination with antiquity and the past.

Jon Langford & Sally Timms

4:45PM SOUTH stage

Jon Langford co-founded punk band The Mekons at the University of Leeds in 1977. Vocalist Sally Timms joined in 1986. Since then they’ve continued to work with The Mekons and on a host of solo projects melding country, punk, and commentary. Both currently based in Chicago, they remain frequent collaborators.

Elizabeth Moen

3PM SOUTH stage

Musically, Elizabeth Moen teases sounds from alt-country, contemporary Nashville, and indie soul but mostly settles into the less genre-specific tone of early 20’s weariness via haunting guitar twangs, ethereal rhythms, and her voice to guide us through the eerie minimalism.

Angela James

1:30PM SOUTH stage

You might call Angela James’ voice arresting. Her rich, crooning style is clearly inspired by singers from her upbringing in Tennessee; names like Hazel Dickens and Neko Case aren’t far reaching comparisons. Her songs are intimate and honest portraits reflecting the challenges and the beauty of change.

Holy Joke

12:15PM SOUTH stage

Holy Joke burst onto the local Chicago scene in 2023 with a dynamic live show that toggles between moments of twangy bombast and gentle whispers of pedal steel. Inspired by alt-country greats and modern indie rock artists, their songs are both thematically introspective and delivered with infectious energy. The band's debut EP "No Way Home" is available everywhere on June 8.

Los Vicios de Papá

9:30PM Maurer Hall (inside Old Town School West Building - 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.)

Los Vicios de Papá drops immigrant beats with a passion for reggae, ska, and cumbia. Their lyrics stem from their struggling and undocumented youth experience. LVDP was born out of a crumbling public education system and failing immigration policy in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood.

Vagando

7:30PM Maurer Hall (inside Old Town School West Building - 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.)

Vagando is a world music dance band fusing Latin, Middle Eastern, pop, and rock music. Founded in 2006 by Ferris Hermes, an Assyrian Iraqi immigrant, the band members have lived and played all over the world.

OvejaNegra

5:45PM Maurer Hall (inside Old Town School West Building - 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.)

OvejaNegra is a “PunkSteady” band from Chicago that incorporates sounds from rocksteady, chicha, calypso, roots ska, and cumbia, with some psychedelic soul, funk, hip-hop, and punk mixed in.

Shanta Nurullah’s Sitarsys

4:00PM Maurer Hall (inside Old Town School West Building - 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.)

Shanta Nurullah is a sitarist, bassist, composer, bandleader and storyteller focusing on positive, uplifting recordings and live performances. Her group Sitarsys brings together western and eastern instruments played by a group of creative musicians in a variety of groupings, from trio to octet, performing originals and covers.

Old Town School’s Teen Music Collective

1:15PM Maurer Hall (inside Old Town School West Building - 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.)

Cool off inside as the Old Town School’s Teen Music Collective struts their stuff on the Maurer stage. With an emphasis on creativity, expression, and collaboration, OTS Teen Music Collectives are a place for experienced teen musicians to gather and learn, write, and perform music together.

The Dreamtree Shakers

4:15PM Sunnyside Kid Zone

Bring the whole crew by the Family Stage to see The Dreamtree Shakers as they invite the audience to join in the journey of the show in various ways, such as singing along, moving their bodies, and using their imaginations.

THEM queers

3:15PM Sunnyside Kid Zone

A genre defying folk punk group giving you silly and moving originals and quirky covers and a whole lot of talent. THEM queers is a two piece band founded by Molly Smith (they/them) on tap and percussion and Nate Kistler (he/they) on vocals and instruments, and they are here to give you a wildly charming time.

Bollywood, Bhangra & More!

2:15PM Sunnyside Kid Zone

Swing by the Family Stage for some interactive, Indian dance with Old Town School teaching artist Alka Nayyar including Bhangra, popular Bollywood, and regional folk styles!

Clamor & Lace Noise Brigade

1:15PM Sunnyside Kid Zone

Clamor & Lace Noise Brigade is Chicago’s first street marching band composed solely of musicians and performers of marginalized genders. In Clamor & Lace, musicians, dancers, and artists of all backgrounds and skill levels collaborate to create joyful, raucous, and high-energy performances. The band’s eclectic repertoire embraces and promotes female and non-binary composers–with cover songs by new wave and riot grrrl goddesses, pop divas, and outsider music legends, as well as an ever-expanding collection of strange and wonderful originals.

SUNDAY

Real Estate

8:00PM NORTH Stage

Since the release of their self-titled album in 2009, indie rockers Real Estate have become "expert at communicating a particular type of suburban ennui... and fantasizing about life elsewhere" (The New Yorker) with their deeply reflective, and beautifully adventurous music.

Slow Pulp

6:15PM NORTH Stage

Formed in Madison, Wisconsin and now living in Chicago, the dreamy rock songs and grungey pop sounds of indie rock outfit Slow Pulp draw on moody shoegaze, hooky grunge, and intimate lo-fi fare.

Brigitte Calls Me Baby

4:30PM NORTH Stage

Brigitte Calls Me Baby plays a unique style of pop with a wistful hope for more while embracing the tropes of desire, despondency, and solitude. The sound of "sixties pop classics are absolutely drenched in hormones and melodrama...Elvis meets Scott Walker, with a dash of Morrissey…” - No Distance Records U.K.

Tuvergen Band

2:45PM NORTH Stage

Tuvergen Band is a Mongolian folk-fusion group based in Chicago. Each member of this trio brings a different musical tradition to the table, fusing ancient Mongolian and Tuvan melodies with modern sensibilities and idiomatic world music rhythms. Their music is a modern take on nomadic music.

Chicha Roots

1:15PM NORTH Stage

Get ready to dance at the North Stage with Chicha Roots, a psychedelic cumbia and chicha music band based in Chicago!

Mariachi Cuatro Vientos

12:15PM NORTH Stage

Founded in Chicago in 2018, Mariachi Cuatro Vientos strives to showcase the art of mariachi music around the city.

Lala Lala

7:30PM SOUTH Stage

The music of Lala Lala, the project of Chicago-based musician Lillie West, "has the rippling feel of a psychedelic experience” (Bandcamp). Her alto voice intones over murky, melancholy sonics, and in a quick turn, expands with synth, a jockeying beat, and warped vocals that hover in the background.

Disq

5:30PM SOUTH Stage

Disq, from Madison, Wisconsin, have assembled a razor-sharp, teetering-on-the-edge-of-chaos melange of sounds, experiences, memories, and influences. As they careen from their teens into their 20s, their sound is a gnarled mix of power pop, anxious post-punk, warm psych-folk, and hectic, formless, tongue-in-cheek indie rock.

Etran de L’Aïr

3:45PM SOUTH Stage

Etran de L’Aïr (or “stars of the Aïr region”) welcomes you to Agadez, the capital city of Saharan rock. A family band composed of brothers and cousins playing for over 25 years, Etran has emerged as stars of their local wedding circuit. Beloved for their dynamic repertoire of hypnotic solos and sun schlazed melodies, Etran stakes out a place for Agadez guitar music. Playing a sound that invokes the desert metropolis, “Agadez” celebrates the sounds of all the dynamism of a hometown wedding.

Samba Parade

3:25PM SOUTH Stage

Dill Costa

2PM SOUTH Stage

Raised in Rio de Janeiro, Dill Costa is one of Chicago’s best samba instructors and performers representing the authentic Carnaval tradition that is part of Brazil’s rich musical legacy. Catch her dynamic performance on the South Stage, then stick around and join in the Samba Parade up Lincoln Ave!

Urban Twang

12:30PM SOUTH Stage

Urban Twang’s quixotic songwriting team features lead vocalist Trish Clausen and guitarist Max Twang. Because of Max’s enthrallment and bemusement with bolo ties they redefined themselves with Americana vibes becoming Urban Twang. Urban Twang has performed at festivals and legendary venues around Chicago, opening for nationally touring acts, and with songs appearing in indie films.

Live Band Karaoke

6:45PM Maurer Hall (inside Old Town School West Building - 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.)

Old Town School teaching artists John Mead, Alton Smith, Tommi Zender, Gregg Ostrom & Peter Manis will be your crack backing band for Live Band Karaoke! Sign up to sing your favorite song from the list. It’s your time to shine!

Song List & Sign Up

Steve Dawson & The Lucid Dreams

5PM Maurer Hall (inside Old Town School West Building - 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.)

A singer-songwriter of the highest order, member of Dolly Varden, and Old Town School teaching artist extraordinaire, Steve Dawson leads The Lucid Dreams in a set that beautifully blends Americana and classic pop featuring Diane Christiansen, Alton Smith, Tommi Zender, Larry Brown, and Mike Bradburn.

Moontype

3:30PM Maurer Hall (inside Old Town School West Building - 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.)

Moontype is an indie rock band consisting of Margaret McCarthy, Ben Cruz, and Emerson Hunton. The group originally met attending Oberlin College and coalesced as a trio here in Chicago. “...a giddy shot of joyful power pop. McCarthy’s restrained, gossamer vocals carry a dreamy hopefulness...her voice coasting along waves of shoegaze distortion with a serene poise that suggests all her desires are within reach…” - Chicago Reader

Sabine McCalla

2PM Maurer Hall (inside Old Town School West Building - 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.)

Timeless, angelic, and evocative - these are the words that come to mind when describing the musical stylings of Sabine McCalla. McCalla turns an old page in an old book. She combines American roots of r&b, folk, and gospel with lyrical poetry that speaks to the soul. McCalla takes the listener on a journey through the depths of the human experience. Whether it’s a lamenting ballad or a rollicking dance number, McCalla keeps you enchanted with superb storytelling and melodies to make your heart melt.

Old Town School Teen Open Mic

12:15PM Maurer Hall (inside Old Town School West Building - 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.)

Bilingual Dance Party with Renée

12:15PM Sunnyside Kid Zone

Renée Nanzer will take us all on a song-swept journey that will make you want to shake and groove, play and move! Featuring songs in Spanish and English, Renée brings her sweet and skillful set to the Family Stage this year. A longtime teaching artist and a talented performer, Renée can't wait to dance and canta with you!

Bill Brickey Soul Singalong

1:15PM Sunnyside Kid Zone

Time for a celebration of Chicago, soul music's rhythm and melodies and the freedom of mind, body, and soul that we all seek. Led by teaching artist, performer, composer, and producer Bill Brickey, this interactive performance will brighten and enlighten.

Abby Lyons

2:15PM Sunnyside Kid Zone

Abby Lyons is a folk/pop singer-songwriter, whose music is honest, introspective, and sweet. Her stories are derived directly from her life and personal experiences, often diving into the subtle challenges of relationships with friends, lovers, chasing success, and the idea of fame.

Brandi Berry Benson

3:15PM Sunnyside Kid Zone

Enjoy a set of Baroque & Bluegrass with Old Town School teaching artist Brandi Berry Benson! Brandi grew up playing bluegrass in her home state of Texas alongside her classical studies. She's performed with numerous bluegrass, country, and rock bands, continues to teach and perform folk music, and research historical fiddling traditions of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Family Barn Dance with the Silver Trotters

4:15PM Sunnyside Kid Zone

Join the fun and dance til your heart's content at our Family Barn Dance delivered by the always-engaging Silver Trotters! Led by longtime and beloved Old Town School teaching artist Barb Silverman, this performance is one you can just watch, but you'll likely be inspired to move. Come one, come all to the outdoor dance hall (that is, the Family Stage at Square Roots)!