With cooler weather and the start of fall, Chicago’s outdoor festival season is drawing to a close. But to give up on outdoor music until 2013 would be to overlook the criminally under-reported Black Dot Music Festival. The fest, happening this Saturday night September 29 at Elastic Arts (2830 N. Milwaukee Avenue), aims to shine the spotlight on local African-American rock music and culture. Bands on the bill include outstanding singer-songwriter Jerome Holloway, the self-described “ballroom rockers” Blah Blah Blah, and folkster LeAnna Eden. It’s the first such festival here in Chicago, though similar such events, like the annual AfroPunk Fest and events thrown by the Black Rock Coalition, have dotted the New York music landscape.
Keidra Chaney, a local music blogger and black musician, said “the potential of this festival to connect such a diverse musical community is incredibly exciting. I hope it’s the first of many and that it gets enough traction that the larger music scene here actually takes note.” It’s a subset of the city’s local rock scene that’s often overlooked and deserves more attention. Hopefully the fest will be just the first of many such events.
Source: Marcus Gilmer, WBEZ 91.5
