Gossip Wolf can’t think of a better cure for the inauguration blues than learning how to help local communities likely to be hurt by the goons in the Trump administration. Luckily, former Geronimo! front man Kelly Johnson, Kickstand Productions owner John Ugolini, and iO Chicago performer Jennifer Cumberworth have organized an all-day event at Beat Kitchen on Saturday, January 21, to give you a head start. No Walls: A Benefit for Marginalized Chicago Communities will feature a panel on getting involved in local politics, plus comedy, poetry, visual art, storytelling, and a concert that includes Troubled Hubble, the Avantist, postpunk three-piece No Men, and rap duo Mother Nature. The $10 suggested donation benefits HIV/AIDS support service Chicago House, Chicago Women’s Health Center, Howard Brown Health, and mental health advocates Thresholds.
Last week the label run by Logan Square watering hole and venue the Whistler launched a music service called the Weekly Free. Every Monday it will make a brand-new track (or several tracks) available free to download. After a week it becomes possible for you to donate money for the songs, and all proceeds go to the artists. The music is recorded live at the Whistler, and upcoming artists in the series include Fred Lonberg-Holm, Matchess, and Wild Belle’s Elliot Bergman. v
