They Liver is set to take place Friday, July 12th and Saturday, July 13th, at both Township and Ultra Lounge. Over 35 bands are scheduled to play, including local and national acts. The event gets underway at 5:00 PM on Friday at Township, with performances by The Slow Death, Vacation Bible School, The Brokedowns, M.O.T.O. and more. At 6:00 PM on Friday, Ultra Lounge hosts Meat Wave, Great Apes, Canadian Rifle and Sweet Cobra, as well as five additional bands. Saturday starts again at Township at 5:00 PM, with The Sky We Scrape, Hanalei, The Copyrights and others scheduled to play. The fourth and final show begins at 6:00 PM on Saturday at Ultra Lounge, and features Rollo Tomasi, The Mons, Explode and Make Up, Damp Hay, The Fur Coats, Lynyrds Innards, Haymarket Riot, Cooler by the Lake and more. All shows cost $12, but weekend passes are available too. The Township shows are 18+, while Ultra Lounge is 21 and over. We spoke with the men behind They Liver, Vito Nusret and Ian Floetl, and talked about how they organized the event, the various bands that are playing, what’s unique about these shows and more. Continue Reading…
Township is a new music venue/restaurant that’s owned by Brian Peterson of MP Productions and Tamiz Haiderali, former chef/owner of Treat Restaurant. The two acquired the space at 2200 N. California Ave., which was once occupied by Pancho’s, after the previous owner decided to retire. The partnering of Peterson and Haiderali in this business venture is significant for several reasons. For starters, Township is the first venue owned by Peterson after nearly 20 years of him booking shows at various Chicago clubs. Also, this is the initial culinary project for Haiderali since the closing of his celebrated restaurant last year. Although it’s barely been two months that Township has been in business, much of the groundwork has already been laid for what promises to be a uniquely positive concert going and dining experience. Continue Reading…