The Flesh Hungry Dog Show Turns Five

By Joseph Erbentraut in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 2, 2010 7:30PM

Tonight, the Flesh Hungry Dog Show, one of the city's premiere queer music showcases, celebrates its fifth anniversary of monthly musical mayhem at Jackhammer in Rogers Park. And owing to the birthday boys' and girls' generosity, they're the ones bringing the gifts. The showcase, created by Gary Airedale, is one of the longer running series of its type in Chicago. The "dog show" is known for exposing audiences to LGBT musicians and performers whose musical leanings lean a bit left of the mainstream and tonight's birthday party continues that tradition.

"When I started my show about five years ago, it just didn't seem like there were that many gay rock bands," the show's creator Gary Airedale told the Trib this week. "The growth that I've seen in the last five years has just been incredible. There just weren't places for them to play before unless you were a punk band."

The theme of the night - “Return to Glamor” - is reflected in the lineup, headlined by everyone's favorite Joan Crawford tribute drag band: The Joans, who we featured in an interview last autumn. The band's debut album We Are the Joans dropped last year and has grabbed the attention of some: The video for the band's hit "Mad at the Dirt" (posted below) has ranked among the top 10 on the Logo Network's Click List. They will be joined by rockers Bobby Conn + Burglars, electro outfit Brilliant Pebbles and DJ Sky.

The Flesh Hungry Dog Show, 9 p.m. Friday, Jackhammer, 6406 N. Clark. Tickets $15 door, $12 online.