Sound check: Jeff Tweedy, Cuban jazz fest, Superkick streaming
Tweedy time
As the Chicago-area music scene lockdowns have gone on, livestreams have taken on new growth. Artists and venues have been stepping up the game, some moving to full-production, onstage events, bringing the feel of a full-band performance directly to you. Folk-rocker Jeff Tweedy of Wilco fame celebrates the release of his new album, “Love Is The King,” with such an event. Taking the spotlight at Chicago's famed jazz and progressive club Constellation, Tweedy and some friends will present a Saturday night of musical escape, along with a live Q&A. Singer-songwriter Trevor Hall will kick off the livestream show. 6 p.m. (Tweedy at 8 p.m.) Saturday, Jan. 23, streaming at BandsinTown Plus; a subscription is required to watch, but a seven-day free trial is also available.
Hot Cuban jazz
Chicago nonprofit arts presenter HotHouse has been working with the Institute of Cuban Music to bring top-tier jazz streaming to the Chicago area with the four-night “HotHouse Meets Havana.” The annual Jazz Plaza festival celebrates the best of Latin jazz artists, and this year's partnership with HotHouse introduces the Cuban festival globally for the first time and injects a number of hot American artists into the lineup. The festival will feature performances by Chicago-area artists, including Tomeka Reid with Junius Paul, Roscoe Mitchell, James Sanders with Leandro Varady, Coco Elysses with Alexis Lombre and Ivan Taylor, Ben La Mar Gay, Hamid Drake and Ari Brown with Yosef Ben Israel and Charles Heath. Each night kicks off with a dance and cocktail party before the prerecorded performances start streaming. 7 p.m. (6:30 p.m. cocktail and dance party) Thursday through Sunday, Jan. 21-24, at hothouse.net; tickets are $25 for each performance or $75 for all four nights. Streams will be available for 24 hours following each event's start time.
Superkick streaming
With one foot stomping through post-punk rock and the other bopping away in indie-alternative land, Superkick's flexibility suits it well. The trio — Mike Vaughn, Joey Mirabelli and Tom Ruby — sounds just as intense banging away on high-energy dancers like “Doomberg” as they do earnest on the modern ballad “Sure Thing.” Catch the DIY dudes as they join with Bathe Alone, Emseeemotion, Dream Chambers and Combat Naps for Dreamhouse Chicago's weekly streaming gig on Twitch this weekend. 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22, on Twitch.tv/dreamhousechi.
• 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 local music scene at chicagosoundcheck.com.