Sat, May 4th - Doors 7:00PM - Show 7:30PM - NO COVER!
WZRD 50th Anniversary Party!
WZRD 88.3 FM, Northeastern's Radio Station, first signed on air 50 years ago on Monday, July 8, 1974. To commemorate these last five decades of broadcasting, WZRD is proud to invite our loyal listeners, fellow DJs, staff, alumni, musicians and anyone else who would like to support us in our 50th year to one of the best venues on the Northside of the city, Martyrs'! We will have four bands, vendors, merch, swag bags, and more. Not to mention the event will be absolutely FREE! Of course the bands booked will be of a freeform nature: punk rock, progressive jazz, funk rock, and electronic/synth music will dazzle and astound you the night of May 4th, 2024! Bring your friends and family to this wonderful event to help all of us here at the Wizard celebrate 50 years!
Featuring...
Charlie Otto & His Gear
Charlie Otto is from This Must be the Band, DJ noDJ, and Grood Music. Some of the songs he writes are best performed acoustically, and those are the ones he will play at this show.
Sons of Ra
Sons of Ra Hailing from the underground scene of Chicago, this eclectic ensemble draws inspiration from avant garde music, classic jazz fusion with post-progressive sensibilities, infusing their music with cosmic vibrations and experimental fervor. Drummer Michael Rataj lays an energetic and ever-shifting rhythmic framework for tenor saxophonist/bassist Keith Wakefield and guitarist Erik Oldman to weave angular, contrapuntal melodies with ethereal textures augmented by loops and synthesizer explorations. Sons of Ra are not merely a band; they are sonic sorcerers, weaving spells of experimental brilliance that transcend the boundaries of traditional genres. Their new six-part suite “Tropic of Cancer” is out now and will be available for purchase at this show!
Silver Abuse
Silver Abuse was one of the original punk bands in Chicago, forming in 1977. There were various versions of Silver Abuse, but the original version starred lifetime member Bill Meehan, along with Santiago Durango and Camilo Gonzalez, early members of Naked Raygun. Silver Abuse broke up for good in 1983. After the original version of Silver Abuse disbanded in the late 70s, most of the members of SA formed The Wayouts!. Even though The Wayouts! included many of the same members of Silver Abuse, their lazer-sharp sardonic and cartoonish one-minute pop missives varied so greatly from Silver Abuse's sloppy yet spot-on political and social dissections, that they are best not included in the greater Silver Abuse beastiary. Some of The Wayouts!' members became Silver Abuse again after their last show on New Year's Eve, 1980. There was also a later spin-off group called Burden of Friendship.
Cosmic Bull
Cosmic Bull is a Chicago-based four-piece band featuring Mark Vickery on vocals and rhythm guitar, Jim Dinou on keys and backing vocals, Patrick Dinnen on bass and Ben Domhoff on drums. (3/4 members were in the iconic Talking Heads Tribute Band, This Must Be The Band. Chicago-based singer/songwriter, Mark Vickery who leads the band sings in low vocal range about subjects we tend to need more than want.)