Music in April is a shower of possibilities, especially in the neighborhood clubs. Here’s a list of 10 must-see shows that rise above the fray.
Alan Sparhawk
8:30 and 10:30 p.m. April 4 at Constellation
The band Low played its final show in Chicago at Metro in early 2022 before drummer-singer Mimi Parker died of ovarian cancer and the band was at the height of its powers. Helmed largely by guitarist Alan Sparhawk and Parker, Low were minimalists who cast powerful moods through their music due to their haunting harmonies, graceful musical instincts and epic rock peaks. Their 30-year career saw them evolve out of the post-rock scene and flirt with the mainstream due to covers by none other than Robert Plant. With his wife and bandmate gone, Sparhawk is performing sporadic solo shows and plans to release new music by the end of this year. 3111 N.Western Ave., tickets from $25.
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Matthew Sweet with Abe Partridge
8 p.m. April 5 at Metro This show marks the long-awaited return of Chicago favorite Matthew Sweet, the pop musicauteur best known for making 1991’s Girlfriend, the perfect pop record. Proudly influenced by Big Star and the Beatles, Sweet since then created a solid catalog of records that delve into psychedelic pop, country rock and post-punk. This show is part of a six-city mini tour in support of a new live record — one that captures a great rock moment in July 1993 recorded by WXRT. The concert in Grant Park featured a perfect band of collaborators: the late guitarist Richard Lloyd of Television, drummer Will Rigby of the dB’s and bassist Tony Marsico. 3730 N. Clark St., tickets from $20.
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Chicago Soul Jazz Collective Featuring Dee Alexander
8 p.m. April 11 at Fitzgerald’s
Get in the groove with this hardworking Chicago quintet that features many of Chicago’s greatest jazz players, particularly trumpeter Marques Carroll and tenor saxophonist John Fournier. Carroll and Fournier are coming together to play both covers and originals that harken back to the “soul jazz” era of the 1950s and 1960s — think artists like Jimmy Smith, Ramsey Lewis, Horace Silver and Lee Morgan. This show features jazz vocalist Dee Alexander, a frequent collaborator, who recently recorded a full-length record, On the Way to Be Free, with the band. 6615 W. Roosevelt Road, tickets from $20.
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George Freeman’s 97th Birthday Bash
8 p.m. April 12 and April 13 at the Green Mill
Here’s an opportunity to toast a Chicago legend. Jazz guitarist George Freeman is still performing with his band at age 97, and these two shows present a rare opportunity to hear the master at work. Freeman has a lengthy resume that includes touring with Charlie Parker andGene Ammons and collaborations with his brother, saxophonist Von Freeman, another jazz trailblazer. George Freeman has not slowed down, and this show features an all-star band including pioneering jazz, soul and junk drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie who has similarly played with everyone from Aretha Franklin to Steely Dan and has the distinction of being known for his own beat, the “Purdie Shuffle.” 4802 N. Broadway Ave., $20 cash cover.
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Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche
7 p.m. April 15 at Space
One month before Mother’s Day comes this mother-daughter duo who are in the upper echelon of folk dynasties. Suzzy Roche is one-third of the renowned vocal trio The Roches, and her daughter Lucy Wainwright Roche has a lengthy singer-songwriter career influenced, no doubt, by her mother and father, Loudon Wainwright III. Their last record, I Can Still Hear You, was released at the beginning of COVID-19 and deserves a rediscovery for its haunting intimacy, perfect blood harmonies, rich storytelling and deadpan humor. 1245 N. Chicago Ave., Evanston; tickets from $30.
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PinkPantheress
7 p.m. April 17 at Metro
Known to her friends as Victoria Walker, PinkPantheress is a Gen Z British singer-songwriter from Bath who became one of the few post-pandemic breakout stars after a few instrumentals she uploaded to TikTok from her laptop caught the attention of audiences. Her minimal electro-pop, lined with nuanced samples, gave her prominence on theUK club scene these two years and a steady place on Billboard’s charts. 3730 N. Clark St., resale tickets from $116.
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International Pop Overthrow
April 19-27 at Montrose Saloon
This annual power pop festival in Chicago started in 1997 and borrows its name from a classic Material Issue album, considered a local milestone for the genre. This year, IPO runs an astounding nine days and features more than 70 Chicago pop bands throughout the afternoon and evening. Some to watch out for this year: Penthouse Sweets, the Bon Mots, A.M. Slingers, Brian Krumm and His Barfly Friends, the Unswept and a new project from Ralph Covert of the Bad Examples. The action takes place solely at the Montrose Saloon. 2933 W. Montrose Ave., tickets from $15.
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Hey, Hey, the Gang’s All Here: A Chicago Barn Dance
5:30 and 8:30 p.m. April 20 at the Hideout
April 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the Barn Dance, a pioneering radio show credited for the first mass marketing of country music using the new technology of radio. Broadcast on WLS for decades, the Barn Dance was instrumental for creating the genre’s first million-selling stars and giving rural string band music from Appalachia the sophistication it needed to appeal to a commercial audience. These two shows imagine what an episode of the Barn Dance would sound like in 2024 if it never went off the air. Adopting the live radio format, this Hideout revisiting will feature a range of Chicago all-stars, including Kelly Hogan and Marvin Tate. Plus, expect a genuine square dance called by Paul Collins, himself a pioneer in the 1970s for helping shape the original dance program at the Old Town School of Folk Music. 1354 W. Wabansia Ave., tickets from $20.
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Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials
9 p.m. April 20 at Reggie’s
Time should always be made to go hear this seminal Chicago blues band that features the exciting slide guitar work of Lil’ Ed Williams. Lil’ Ed plays in the tradition of his uncle, the legendary J.B. Hutto, as well as Hound Dog Taylor and, even earlier, Elmore James. The Blues Imperials emerged as one of the shining lights of Chicago’s Alligator Records, which helped create a global touring audience for its brand of house-rocking blues. This bill also features Funky Mojo Daddy, a collective of musicians who have served as sidemen for a long roster of blues greats including Buddy Guy, Carl Weathersby and the Kinsey Report. 2105 S. State St., tickets from $20.
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Alejandro Escovedo
7 p.m. April 25 and 29 at FitzGerald’s
Texas troubadour Alejandro Escovedo long ago solidified his legacy as one of the greatest songwriters to emerge from his home state. A succession of late-career solo records combine elements from his punk past in bands like Rank and File and the Nuns with poetic imagery in his lyrics resulting from his shift into a singer-songwriter. Every incarnation has featured setting those songs in different settings, from within either a chamber string group or a scorching rock band. Echo Dancing, his latest album, was released in late March. 6615 W. Roosevelt Road, tickets are sold out, but you can join the waitlist.
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Mark Guarino is a journalist based in Chicago and the author of Country & Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival.
