Downtown Sound: New Music Mondays

By Veronica Murtagh in Arts & Entertainment on May 6, 2009 7:45PM

Yesterday we clued you in to the Chicago Department Of Cultural Affairs' Edible Audible Picnic noontime summer music series. The fine folks at the Department of Cultural Affairs have pulled out all the stops to make this a musically memorable summer as they follow up the lunchtime tunes with Downtown Sound: New Music Mondays, an evening series featuring both local and international indie-rock and pop voices.

Like the Edible Audible series, Downtown Sound will take place at Millennium Park and all performances are free to the public. You're sure to find something that strikes your musical fancy amongst the diverse offerings of the six performance dates which include the intricate compositions of Mexican-American, Chicago-based trio Allá, New Jersey rock/punk outfit The Feelies' first Chicago reunion show alongside the Icy Demons and the ethereal magic of Shearwater.

Our choice for the standout show of the series goes to locals The Sea and Cake, playing with Brooklyn's Dirty Projectors. Led by Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt, the jazz-influenced indie rock sound of veterans The Sea and Cake, will provide the perfect complement to the unconventional songwriting and conceptual compositions of the Dirty Projectors. The June 22 show date couldn't be timed better. The Dirty Projectors release their eighth project, the ambitious Bitte Orca, on June 9. You might want to leave the blankets and coolers at home for this one, we suspect it will be standing room only. The full schedule is after the jump.

All shows start at 6:30 p.m. with the exception of the June 29th show, which starts at 7:30 p.m.

Monday, June 8
Special Headliner and Allá

Monday, June 22
The Sea and Cake and Dirty Projectors

Monday, June 29
The Feelies and Icy Demons

Monday, August 10
Rokia Traoré and Shearwater

Monday, August 17
Otto and NOMO

Monday, August 24
Red Red Meat and Rural Alberta Advantage