Chief Xcel: Not your typical beats-and-scratches DJ set
Chief Xcel, DJ/producer for hip-hop duo Blackalicious, has collected records since the age of 12, and says he stopped counting when his stash hit 20,000. Considering his skill as a sample arranger as well as that formidable library, this solo show should be far more interesting than a typical beats-and-scratches DJ set. Openers include DJ Sol, Tim G, Abducted and Justin Nemesis.
Facts: 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, at Durty Nellie's, 180 N. Smith St., Palatine. $10. (847) 358-9150 or durtynellies.com.
Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Fest
This daylong celebration of roots music boasts co-headliners the David Grisman Quintet and the Avett Brothers. Missouri's Ha Ha Tonka and a host of Chicago artists (including Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials, Majors Junction and Dollar Store) round out the impressive 18-act bill. Proceeds benefit the Saving tiny Hearts Society's congenital heart defect research efforts.
Facts: 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Congress Theater, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. $31 advance; $35 day of show. (888) 512-7469 or cbgbfestival.com.
El Guincho
We were sad when Spanish one-man band El Guincho canceled his appearance at the 2008 Pitchfork Music Festival. Now, local fans of exotic blends can finally see him re-create the joyous tropical-electro-rock cornucopias of this year's "Alegranza!" (He also DJs for free at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art.)
Facts: 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25, at Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave., Chicago. $10. (773) 276-3600 or emptybottle.com.