Don't
be surprised if you stroll into Highland Park's newest tea shop one day
and see Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan behind the counter.
Corgan on Thursday opened Madame ZuZu’s teashop at 582 Roger Williams Ave., Highland Park.
Drawing from Corgan’s love of music from the
30’s, Madame ZuZu’s is a Chinoise inspired teahouse found in Paris
during this period.
“I’m
a tea guy and living in Highland Park since 2003, I’ve always wanted to
open a salon like this for everyone to enjoy,” Corgan said in a press release. “This
is a place with no age boundaries. We hope to attract everyone from
young students to seniors. With a blend of music, photo galleries, art
displays and speakers, I think Madame ZuZu’s offers something for
everyone.”
Singer-songwriter Claudia Schmidt is just as comfortable performing jazz and blues as she is performing folk music.
She shows off her versatility on the album "Bend in the River: Collected Songs," which features 16 songs from her five albums on Red House Records.
The Michigan-born singer, guitarist and dulcimer player will perform at 8 p.m. Sept. 14 at Lakeview Center in Gillson Park, 800 Gillson Park Drive, Wilmette.
I had the chance to talk to Schmidt about her current activities and her musical inspirations.
Great to talk to you. Regarding your album "Bend in the River," how did you select the songs for the album? Do you think it is a good retrospective of your career, or at least your career on the Red House label?
Yes, Red
House and I came up with a perfect selection (as perfect as it gets) of
my recordings with them. Even though they are are chronological, it
feels timely and current.
What made you want to become a singer? Who are your biggest musical inspirations?
I always sang...I didn't wonder 'would I
become a singer". ..it just WAS and I wandered into Chicago smack in the
middle of it. ..so that was serendipity! No
particular influences, I keep my ears open and am a musical sponge.
.what comes in finds its way back out eventually.
You
left the music business for a time to open a bed and breakfast with
your husband. What made you want to come back to the business?
While running the
B&B and restaurant, I was still writing and performing so no
momentum was lost there, though some was lost out on the circuit, when I
couldn't travel as much.
Do you have any unfinished goals or dream projects?
Life is continually unfolding and I have never been a real goal-oriented person, so stay tuned!
By ERIC SCHELKOPF Fans of Chicago area band Smoking Popes will have plenty to cheer about next month. Not only will the band reissue its landmark album, "Born To Quit," on Oct. 23, but will also perform the entire album on Oct. 20 at the Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $15, available at www.doubledoor.com.
The remastered album comes with a deluxe repackaging featuring new artwork, a memorabilia collage, new liner notes from Matt Skiba
(Alkaline Trio), Joe Shanahan (Chicago’s Metro) and comedian Kyle
Kinane, as well as a track-by-track analysis by Popes’ frontman Josh
Caterer and two bonus tracks - the Willie Nelson cover “Angel Flying Too
Close To The Ground,” and the previously unreleased duet “Blanket In The
Park”.
There will be limited edition red and blue vinyl in addition to a
CD. Red vinyl will be for sale at www.SideOneDummy.com while blue vinyl will be available on tour.
In 2010, I had the pleasure of catching up with Caterer on the band's latest activities:
After an eight-year absence, Prince will return to Chicago beginning Sept. 24 at the United Center in support of the Rebuild the Dream initiative.
Prince's "Welcome 2 Chicago" residency follows similar stints in New York City and Los Angeles. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Sept. 6 at www.LiveNation.com.
On site at the United Center, Prince and Rebuild the Dream will offer
opportunities to learn about, support, and take part in rebuilding
vibrant and sustainable communities. Socially conscious businesses, tech
start-ups, entrepreneurs, and other innovators will offer specific
tools that individuals and communities can use to improve their economic
situation in the short- as well as long-term.
The collaboration is part of ongoing efforts of Rebuild the Dream to
engage artists and the creative community in telling the stories of real
people affected by our broken economy and lifting up new, innovative
solutions to rebuild our communities and create a better and fairer
economic future.
"We couldn't be more excited about partnering with a legend like
Prince," said Van Jones, co-founder and president of Rebuild the Dream.
"Our economic system is broken. Rebuild the Dream exists to unite arts
and organize into a potent force to support the Dreams of Our
Communities. There are few artists who have Prince’s unwavering
commitment to a vision of a sustainable, fair economic future."
Additional information about the Rebuild The Dream initiative is available www.RebuildTheDream.com.
The upcoming Chicago dates will mark Prince's first return to the area since 2004.
