Cole DeGenova & the People's Republic, Soul Vendor, Golden and Swamp Heat

SOUL VENDOR (11:30 pm): Since being born out of a weekly Forest Park open mic in July 2009, Soul Vendor has been rapidly growing as an original musical experience. Secret rendezvous in a converted funeral home basement led to the band's first name: The South Side Taxidermy Club - which didn't stick for long. However, since relocating spaces, the dark, but often uplifting and original sound, was not left behind. Now stationed primarily in the dank basements of the West Loop of Chicago, Soul Vendor continues to ambitiously perform at least one show a month throughout the city, drawing a larger more vibrant crowd each time!  https://www.facebook.com/soulvendormusic

COLE DEGENOVA & THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC (10:30 pm): Musician, poet, and songwriter Cole DeGenova has spent most of his life crafting his eclectic artistic voice. Born in Chicago and growing up in a family of musicians and artists, DeGenova began playing piano at age four and spent his childhood studying classical piano, the jazz and blues of his hometown, and the pop music of The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and D’Angelo. By age 15 he was playing professionally in jazz and blues clubs on Chicago’s South Side. His prodigious talents led him to study at Berklee College of Music in 2005 where he trained further with jazz piano great Danilo Perez. After forming his funky alternative soul group Cole DeGenova & The Peoples Republic with fellow Berklee students, they released their first album Just People Again in 2009. Three years later, and after thousands of miles of road covered, his second album, ANOTHER COUNTRY, is here this summer 2012; an inspired culmination of lessons learned on the road, soulful melodies, and the infectious grooves of his band. A troubadour in the truest sense, Cole DeGenova has performed alongside or opened for the likes of Saul Williams, Kurt Elling, Patricia Barber, Meshell N’degeocello, Paula Cole, J Davey, and rapper the GZA.  http://www.coledegenova.com/