Friday, July 15, 2016

Localpalooza to raise money for ALS research




By ERIC SCHELKOPF

Prior to Lollapalooza taking over Grant Park later this month, a group of Chicago musicians will get together for Localpalooza Chicago, a benefit for The Patrick Grange Memorial Foundation for ALS Research.

Burnside & Hooker, Draft Week, Jennifer Hall, Simpleton & Cityfolk, The Fox & The Hounds, Sayers and The New Switcheroo will perform July 24 at Schubas Tavern, 3159 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. 

Localpalooza Chicago starts at 4 p.m., and there is a suggested donation of $10. More information is available by going to generosity.com.

 I had the chance to talk to Burnside & Hooker guitarist Michael Vogus, who organized the event:
 

Q - Great talking to you again. I understand that you were inspired to organize Localpalooza Chicago after seeing Patrick's teammates rally around him. Has the benefit come together as you envisioned?

  
I think for the most part things have come together as we planned. We tried to get this show off the ground last year and ran into some hurdles, but this year has been much smoother sailing.



Our goal is to make this an annual event and continue to grow it as big as we possibly can. 

Q - It looks like the benefit will feature a diverse lineup. How did the lineup come together? Did you reach out to bands to participate?

I did. Initially I had about 15-20 bands that I was targeting for the event knowing it would be tough to schedule bands during the busy festival season, but I don't think I had anyone say "no" to the event. Every band was really excited about the show, and all of the bands on the bill are amazing.


It really is a diverse and talented lineup, and I've been a fan of all of the bands on the bill for a while. It's great that we're all able to play together on the same night. 

Q - I understand that you hope the benefit will raise at least $7,500 for The Patrick Grange Memorial Foundation for ALS Research. Would you like the benefit to also raise awareness about ALS? 

Of course as awareness leads to dollars, so the more people we can engage and educate on ALS and Patrick's story, the more money we'll be able to drive to the foundation. 

Q - Can we expect any surprises at the benefit? Will some of the bands join each other on stage?

You can find out what surprises are in store by donating $10 and getting your ticket to the show! 

Q - Your band, Burnside & Hooker, will be playing as part of the benefit. What is happening with the band these days?

2016 has been a year where we decided to "catch our breath" a bit and focus on new material. We've been going pretty hard since 2013.


We released two albums and played a ton of shows and festivals, so our focus this year was to pull back a little and get our new material organized and ready to record at some point towards the end of the year. I can't guarantee that we'll have a full album released next year, but we will absolutely have something new released sooner than later.

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