Sound check: Sons of Ra release show in Lombard; Carole King tribute at ECC
Sons of Ra release show
Tightly blending its metal base with rock and jazz influences, Sons of Ra has created a progressive instrumental act that crackles with electricity, especially on the band's new “Cognitive” EP, released at sonsofra.bandcamp.com last week and out for streaming and purchase everywhere else Friday. The band celebrates the new release with prog-rock friends Nomadic Horizon, Kadooge and Colonel Chloroform at BrauerHouse Live this weekend. 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, at BrauerHouse Live, 1000 N. Rohlwing Road, Lombard. $10-$12. (630) 495-2141 or brauerhouse.com.
Carole King revisited
Growing up with Carole King in fairly regular rotation in our house, I developed an appreciation for the heart in her performances. Friday, Suzanne O. Davis draws on that with her soulful tribute, “Tapestry: The Carole King Songbook,” at Elgin Community College. Her stunning recreation of King and her heartfelt '70s-era songs (plus a preshow dinner package also available) would make a perfect date night for all you Valentines out there. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, at Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. $34; dinner pack for an additional $29. (847) 622-0300 or visit tickets.elgin.edu.
Reggies rock showcase
Reggies and Grow the Scene present a stellar lineup of local talent at the Chicago Loves Rock & Roll showcase, featuring Iris Blue, HeetDeth, Modern Daybreak, The North and Wells Band, First Round's On Me, Chance & the Arrow, Status Code, The K.R.A (The Kozmik Rebel Alliance) and Cxpital. The show, which kicks off midafternoon, is all ages, so bring the whole family out to catch some amazing up-and-coming artists. 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, at Reggie's, 2109 S. State St., Chicago. $12-$15. (312) 949-0120 or reggieslive.com.
Helping out Australia
After seeing the destruction caused by the raging Australian wildfires, Out of Context Entertainment and Beat Kitchen are teaming up with some great acts to rally Chicago's support for the cause. Sleep On It's Jake Marquis, part of the team facilitating and promoting The Koala-ty Care Benefit: Helping Out Australia, spent time there as a student ambassador when he was 15. “As a kid it was really eye-opening. I had this great appreciation for the country,” he said. “And when I was younger I wanted to be a biologist, so I was really interested in the animals there. When I heard about all the terrible things happening there it really affected me. This is one of my favorite places in the whole world, and I felt really powerless to do anything.” The benefit features a stacked local lineup, with Cliffhanger, Bleak, Cleveland Avenue, Bad Planning, Guardrail, Jaclyn Heuser and Caving all taking the stage to help raise funds. The show will also feature a raffle — with prize packs from Malort and CH Distillery, Fall Out Boy, Sleep On It and more — to help WIRES Australian Wildlife Rescue Organisation, Koalas In Care and Lions Australia. 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. $15-$20. (773) 281-4444 or beatkitchen.com.
Elmhurst College Jazz Festival
From Thursday, Feb. 20, through Sunday, Feb. 23, Elmhurst will be awash in jazz. The Elmhurst College Jazz Festival brings high school and college ensembles and featured performers — including the Count Bassie Orchestra, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Bobby Floyd, Dennis Mackrel, Bobby Shew and Gary Smulyan — to the college's Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel. Tickets are available for individual performances or for the full weekend. 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20; and 11:30 a.m. Friday through Sunday, Feb. 21-23; with evening performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; at Elmhurst College's Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel, 190 S. Prospect, Elmhurst. See the website for various ticket packages. (630) 617-5534 or elmhurst.edu.
• Brian Shamie is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor and local music junkie. Email him at bshamie@dailyherald.com, find him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter (@thatshamieguy) or Instagram (@chicagosoundcheck). Brian also keeps tabs on the Chicago-area music scene at chicagosoundcheck.com.