Local Musicians Celebrate The Life Of Fabian Guerra

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 22, 2009 8:30PM

On June 6 avid storm chaser Fabian Guerra died in a car accident to meet up with two of his compatriots, leaving behind his wife and 12-year-old daughter. Fabian also left behind a bereaved Chicago music community, many of who he haad given their start in the back room of The Big Horse in Wicker Park.

I worked with Fabian frequently during the front end of this decade when I was talent buyer for a club and then an independent promoter. Sometimes I sparred with him over local music, especially when I'd taken his advice and booked a local band that turned out to be a stinker. More often than not though, his advice was good, and he had a knack for sniffing out interesting and talented bands that weren't cool enough for the indie scene but too weird for the mainstream. And he found the buried treasures because he had a fanatical love of music and was willing to follow his internal dowsing rod to uncover deep reservoirs where others saw shallow ground.

He had big ideas -- one of my favorites was trying to set the world record for "most paid performances in 10 hours in one city" with Wolcott -- and big ambitions. I think he really believed every band he worked with deserved to be superstars, and he did everything he thought he could do to make that happen.

To celebrate his life, many of what I believe were the top-tier bands he managed have gotten together to play a fundraiser for his family at Double Door this Saturday. The line-up includes Forty Piece Choir, the newly regrouped Wolcott, a reunited Ruck La' Rou, Waste, Nave, and Troy Petty.

Double Door, 1572 N Milwaukee, Saturday, July 25, 8 p.m., $8, 21+