They’re losing bassist Tom Smith to the woolly wilds of SF later this summer, but until then 1900s side project Mazes are gigging up a storm, with shows Friday at the Empty Bottle and Saturday at the The Old Town Arts Festival Old Town School’s Chicago Folk & Roots fest. Despite rumors to the contrary, Smith’s departure doesn’t signal a breakup—the band is planning on keeping it up via long-distance collaboration and “the Internet,” says Jim Kelly at the band’s label, Parasol. Meanwhile the quintet are putting the finishing touches on a sophomore album, and a remix of their 2009 album and their latest seven-inch will be available as a free download June 15 on mazes.bandcamp.com
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Local hip-hop producer Mulatto Patriot is finishing up The New Deal, a concept album about life during the recession, with Czar Absolute of Animate Objects and the Chicago Afrobeat Project. He tells Gossip Wolf it connects “what President Roosevelt accomplished during his term to the work President Obama is doing to fix our economy,” but it also contains summertime and romantic jams for good measure. It’s slated for August release.
The third annual Blues on the North Shore Harp & Soul Festival happens Thursday, June 10, at 8 PM at SPACE in Evanston (1245 Chicago). Special guests include Chess legend Sam Lay, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, and Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith. Sunday at SPACE it’s David “Honeyboy” Edwards‘s 95th-birthday celebration. More info on both at bluesonthenorthshore.com. Several artists also play the Chicago Blues Festival, which kicks off tomorrow; see page 50 for details.
