Official Claire (ft. former-Wilco members) / Lavender Blue / Blithe

DOORS

8:00 PM

SHOW

8:45 PM

Chicago singer-songwriter Official Claire combines laid-back indie rock with whispery folk, and her incisive, often witty lyrics sometimes make listening to her feel like pricking your finger on a hidden thorn on the stem of a beautiful flower. The five songs on the hilariously titled 2024 EP Midnight Dickbiter reveal an artist who’s just as comfortable recounting run-ins with the prying eyes of mediocre men under the fluorescent lights of a big-box retailer as she is confessing her hope for true love and connection. (She recorded the EP with drummer Quin Kirchner and multi-instrumentalist LeRoy Bach, crediting herself as simply “Claire.”)

The sparse, confessional “This Monthly Affirmation” celebrates avoiding unwanted pregnancy while seeking a romance that will last. “Don’t Ever Let Anyone Tell You to Be Yourself,” awash in dreamy acoustic guitar and shimmering chimes, retells the demise of a relationship. But while the music sounds somber and forlorn, the lyrics put a wry twist on the breakup song—her insistence that her ex was the whole problem, that he failed to be the man she told him to be, suggests that she’s either winkingly indulging her resentment (before, one hopes, self-awareness and accountability take over) or caricaturing a narcissistic jerk.

Official Claire’s combination of sensitivity and straight talk taps into a familiar Chicago spirit that makes it feel like just about anyone could be an unofficial Claire.

Lavender Blue - The vessel for the songwriting and guitar playing of Kayla Zuskin. Lavender Blue the band consists of Mike Henry Johnson on Pedal Steel and Synthesizers, Mary Steinbrecher on Electric Bass and Jack Victor on Drumkit and occasionally keys. They are in the process of recording and producing their second full length LP. Their music is best described as slowcore and alternative indie with a dash of Americana.

Blithe - avl indie art rock with hauntingly girlish undertones full of ancient rage and love