It’s been hard to get into a wintry state of mind this January, given the season had been such a non-starter in Chicago. So I’m taking the recent thermometer drop and falling flakes as a much-needed jump start from Jack Frost. But if you don’t enjoy this weather take heart - like gardeners around the world music programmers are already planting visions of spring. Coachella announced their line-up this week - I got the word via two of my favorite music junkies: long-time Chicago music curator Brian Keigher and my niece, Jessica! Kevin Warwick’s column in the Reader also taps into the fan frenzy some reunions in the line-up are feeding. And it’s not just “desert in the spring” tunes folks are singing. Essence Music Festival posted its roster of R&B, soul and gospel, including the recently engaged and festival three-peater Aretha Franklin. That fest goes down in July at the Superdome in New Orleans. And Treefort Music Fest debuts in Boise Idaho this March – with acts like native sons Built to Spill and the Brooklyn based “Bubu King” Janka Nabay, who hails from Sierra Leone. But if you want your music fest and you want it now then all hail Tomorrow Never Knows. The five-day, multi-venue fest kicked off this week and runs through Sunday. Tickets have gone fast but you can still catch some shows, including Theophilus London. That’s just one of my weekend recommendations – the rest are below. Don’t let the snow stop you - get out there and enjoy!

Friday 9am-5pm   Saturday 12pm-5pm

Columbia College Glass Curtain Gallery  1104 S Wabash Ave, First Floor

Saturday and Sunday 10am-4pm

Northerly Island   1400 S Lynn White Drive

3. Tomorrow Never Knows Festival

Continues Friday - Sunday

Schubas, Lincoln Hall, Metro, Smart Bar, The Hideout

Sunday 8pm

The Hideout   1354 W Wabansia Ave

Featuring Jon Langford and many, many more

The Journey, The Dream: Annual Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sunday 3pm   Wentz Concert Hall   Naperville, IL

Monday 7:30pm   Symphony Center   220 S Michigan Ave

6. CAPCA: Literacy Fair

Monday 9am-2pm

West Town Neighborhood  

1400 W Augusta Blvd

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