The annual Estrojam Music and Culture Festival returns Sept. 27-30 at various venues including the Metro, Abbey Pub, Landmark Century Theaters, Wicker Park and La Craperie. The music series boasts a line-up of DIY rockers, activists and fashionistas supporting a worthy cause.
With her outlandish hair, make-up and outfits, Nina Hagen has been called the mother of punk while singing opera, funk, and rock. Do not limit Hagen to the new wave genre because her biggest hit was the '80s dance number New York. Her cover songs push her into cult status. Who else could redo Let the Sunshine In and Spirit in the Sky the way this German icon does? More importantly, who would expect Hagen to follow the originals' mold? There is no way that this woman and her range could be confined in interpretation. But some things have become her own, like her pop-punk cut Das Kommt Weil Ich So Schon Bin ( that happens because I am so beautiful ) and my favorite: Love, Sex and Romance. While she may seem like she shares George Clinton's hair tips, few know that Hagen is also an actress and fashion designer. Her line Mother of Punk features shirts and accessories, some with her mug gracing the merchandise as seen at shop-en.mother-of-punk.com . Hagen supports many organizations including animal rights groups. On Saturday, Sept. 30 Hagen will be headlining the late show at the Metro.
After a hiatus, Team Dresch makes its first reunited appearance in Chicago in over 10 years during Estrojam. This influential, beloved riot grrrl and queer core group from Portland was founded by Donna Dresch who lately has been focusing on running the label Chainsaw Records. Scheduled to rock out Thursday, Sept. 28 at the Abbey Pub, Team Dresch will remind all that they remain a significant queer female fronted band to rise during Seattle's prime.
The queer quartet from Montreal Lesbians on Ecstasy will segue the line-up. Having toured with LeTigre, this electro band is known for giving shout-outs to well known gay artists like Team Dresch and Melissa Etheridge in its lyrics and for sampling lesbian anthems to a point beyond recognition. Who would realize that the industrial stomper Kondstandt Kröving is in fact kd lang's signature tune? The remake sounds more like KMFDM than the Canadian songbird. Again, LOE's The Pleasure Principal is a far cry from Janet Jackson's hit The Pleasure Principle from her breakout album Control, but it is a clever take on Rough Trade's High School Confidential. Lesbians on Ecstasy will be sharing the bill with the Windy City Rollers, Fannypack and Leslie and the Lys at the Abbey Pub on Sept. 29 proving they are 'queens of noise.'
Best known for the novelty hit Cameltoe, Fannypack will be making its first appearance in Chicago during Estrojam. Despite critical acclaim for the 2003 debut album So Stylistic, many had a hard time looking past the humor of Fannypack's music. Combining wit and hip hop with dance, Brooklyn's Fannypack leads the next generation of freestyle groups like the Kooler Kids or Boomkat combining the sounds of the Beastie Boys with Expose. The outfit's latest See You Next Tuesday is out now on Tommy Boy Records.
Internet personality Leslie Hall will be taking to the stage with her group Leslie and the Lys. Anybody who actually reads forwarded e-mails will recognize Hall sporting a gem sweater or something glittery. Hall's video clip received overnight notoriety with her gem sweater collection. Just imagine the Bedazzler infomercial, but intentionally funny. Hailing from Ames, Iowa with a bouffant hairdo and blue eye shadow, Hall's music sparkles with titles like Can't Stop the Gems, Strike Gold and Gold Pants proving she is worthy of being more than just an internet flash in the pan.
Not just another teenager singer-songwriter armed with her guitar, Sierra Dawn is an impressive artist with a promising future. Dawn's career got the extra boost it needed as she was discovered while performing in a coffee shop in South Dakota. On her self-titled debut on Aberdeen Originals, Dawn embraces acoustic rock with a pop-folk cover of the classic White Rabbit, as well as her own material. The Kerosene singer is just one of the many acts at the Early Show at Uncommon Ground on Saturday, Sept. 30.
Veterans of Estrojam's Music and Culture Festival include the Gossip, Amy Ray, the Hazzards, and the Brazilian Girls.
Continuing with its efforts to promote social change through non-violence, this year Estrojam Music and Culture Festival will benefit Girls Rock! Chicago and the Chicago-based chapter of National Organization of Women ( N.O.W. ) . The Estrojam Music and Culture Festival is an annual 501 ( C ) ( 3 ) not-for-profit, community-based event featuring artists, educators, and activists in multiple events. Just this year, Estrojam hosted I Love Madonna at SPIN and a tribute to the late Nina Simone in Boulder, CO.
While Estrojam is organized by women and showcases female artists, the shows are open to all.
For complete information and to purchase tickets, see www.estrojam.org/schedule.html .
