Bluegrassin' It Up

By Marcus Gilmer in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 19, 2008 10:10PM

This Saturday, the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival descends upon the Congress Theater. The 12-hour festival will feature 18 bands on two stages, over 50 artists and vendor booths, sketch comedy by Second City’s “Cell Camp,” jam sessions and picking circles, and tons of other reasons to brave the cold and head to the fest. The plethora of home-grown talent includes The David Grisman Quintet, The Avett Brothers, Ha Ha Tonka, Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials, Majors Junction, Dollar Store, Blue Mother Tupelo and Billy Childers. The festival will also feature a “Last Banjo Standing” contest where musically inclined patrons can enter for a chance to win a spot on the main stage and perform for the masses.

Tickets for the festival are $31 until the day of the show, a portion of which goes to the Saving Tiny Hearts Society, a Chicago-based non-profit that raises money for congenital heart defects research. The all-ages show starts at noon and goes until midnight, with an after-party at the Elbo Room immediately following the fest. The Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival Festival is the first of its kind in Chicago and the only winter music festival held in the city – even though November 22 is technically still fall.

So come on out to the Congress Theater (2135 N. Milwaukee) this Saturday, November 22, and enjoy some great music while helping a worthy cause.

By Amy Wilschke