Sound check: Face Time Police, Villains take on Anime Midwest
Police and Villains, together again
Two sets of brothers from the 'burbs lead the local entertainment at this weekend's Anime Midwest in Rosemont. Brian and James Serra of Schaumburg will be decked out in their Face Time Police gear as they sling original metal-speckled rock and some anime-oriented tunes at 6 p.m. Friday, July 7. Channel your darker side next when electronic industrial rock band V Is For Villains takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. The costumed Villains - with the Brothers Santiago, Nicholas (Mr. Agitator) and Jonathon (Fallon Flynn) at the core - will be joined by a slew of former and current Villains celebrating the release of the new album, “Murder in the Art.” Also catch Kid Yuki and the Otakus at 4:30 p.m. Friday, with Deadlift Lolita closing out the day's musical entertainment at 9 p.m. Anime Midwest is at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont. $60 three-day admission; $40 single-day admission. (847) 692-2220; see animemidwest.com for tickets and schedule information.
Heavy Brew
Get a double dose of metal when south suburban-based Fools' Brew plays two shows in the area this weekend. Friday night, catch the band at Penny Road Pub with Synovial, Absentia and Alethia, and Saturday with hard rock and hair metal tribute band Black Diamond at BaseCamp Pub. Get a taste of Fools' Brew with the recent single “The Parade” on Spotify and Soundcloud.
7 p.m. Friday, July 7, at Penny Road Pub, 545 Penny Road, Barrington. $10. (847) 428-0562 or pennyroadpub.com.
8 p.m. Saturday, July 8, at BaseCamp Pub, 5750 Lakeside Drive, Lisle. $5. (331) 777-4712 or basecamppub.com.
This ain't no disco
Sheryl Crow's debut album, “Tuesday Night Music Club,” rolled out to little fanfare in 1993. But she hit pay dirt the next year with the album's third single, “All I Wanna Do,” which helped usher in an era of country-tinged pop that wafted through the mid-'90s airwaves. The Grammy Award-winning Crow brings her “Be Myself Tour” to Ravinia Festival with Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real for what promises to be a lovely outdoor show. Ravinia Festival, 200 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park. $49-$115. (847) 266-5000 or ravinia.org. 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 7
Feel-good Gorillaz
The hip-hop-esque British rock of the cartoon-fronted Gorillaz carries some significance - a counter to the vapidity of certain musical outlets 20-some years ago, as well as an example of the good that can come from musical collaboration. The band (the real-life one) came off a lengthy hiatus to put together a new album, “Humanz,” released earlier this year; online purchases of tickets for their Northerly Island show include a copy of the new album. Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, 1300 S. Linn White Drive, Chicago. $114-$343. (312) 540-2668 or livenation.com. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 8
Shuffled tracks
“Back-Up Plan,” on past Suburban Chicago's Got Talent winner Dennis Caravello's recently released EP, “Hopeful Eyes” (on iTunes, Spotify)
“I'm in Love with My Best Friend's Girlfriend,” from Gallery-81's latest EP, “Freight Trains” (on iTunes, Spotify)
“Dreamers Never Die,” off Marina City's upcoming EP, “Terminal” (YouTube)
“Washin' + Wonderin',” by Stroke 9. This song slips into my rotation as soon as the weather warms up.
Concert highlights
<b>RavenEye, Bubbles Erotica, Bullet to the Heart:</b> 8:30 p.m. Friday, July 7, at Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. $12. (773) 281-4444 or beatkitchen.com.
<b>Stop Light Observations:</b> 9 p.m. Friday, July 7, at Gman Tavern, 3740 N. Clark St., Chicago. $10. (773) 549-2050 or gmantavern.com.
<b>Acoustic singer-songwriter night with Jessica Brown, 8-19-98, Jedidiah Romnek (Flat Soda), Nick Sky, Jonathan Servais, Self Medicated, Korye Champion (of Ghost Machines):</b> 6 p.m. Saturday, July 8, at Cracken Cakes, 38594 N. Sheridan Road, Beach Park. $5 suggested donation. (847) 603-4966 or crackencakes.com.
<b>Chachuba:</b> 9 p.m. Saturday, July 8, at BrauerHouse, 1000 N. Rohlwing, Road, Lombard. $6-$10. (630) 495-2141 or brauerhouse.com.
<b>Emanation 13 featuring Reid Karris, Jordan Wesolek, Whisky Tales:</b> 9 p.m. Saturday, July 8, at Century Mallet, 1770 W. Berteau Ave., Chicago. $5-$10 suggested donation. (773) 248-7733 or centurymallet.com.
<b>Sidewalk Chalk, Akenya, Mykele Deville:</b> 9 p.m. Saturday, July 8, at Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake St., Chicago. $14. (312) 666-6775 or bottomlounge.com.
<b>Post Animal, The Evening Attraction, Jude Shuma, Condor & Jaybird, Lucille Furs DJ Set:</b> 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 10, at Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave., Chicago. $12. (773) 278-6600 or subt.net.
<b>Creedence Clearwater Revisited:</b> 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 11, at the Elk Grove Village Green, 901 Wellington Ave., Elk Grove. Free. (847) 439-3900 or elkgrove.org.
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AfterSound, Moonwalker, Everyone Says:</b> 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 12, at Township, 2200 N. California Ave., Chicago. $10. (773) 384-1865 or townshipchicago.com.
<b>The Phonographs, Parlor Voice, The Psychodelics, Nightcrawler:</b> 9 p.m. Thursday, July 13, at Quenchers Saloon, 2401 N. Western Ave., Chicago. $5. (773) 276-9730 or quenchers.com.
<i> Brian Shamie is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor. He may not be a musician, but he plays one in Guitar Hero. You can follow him on Twitter at @BShamieDH.</i>