FRIDAY - CHICAGO FARMER - AMERICANA MUSIC FEST

The Venue is pleased to present American Fest - a 3 day outdoor musical extravaganza with Chicagoland's favorite Roots and Americana Music artists, August 12, 13 & 14.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12: Doors open at 6

7pm - Nora O'Connor & Casey McDonough

8pm - Nathan Graham

9:15pm - Chicago Farmer & The Fieldnotes

Advance General Admission - $25

+$5 door

Bring Your Own Chair or Blanket. *This is a rain or shine outdoor concert.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Nora O'Connor - Nora O’Connor is a Chicago-based musician whose vocal talents are the secret weapon behind some of the city’s best performances and recordings. For much of 2013, O'Connor toured internationally as a singer in Iron and Wine, and she continues to record and perform with longtime collaborator, Andrew Bird. Nora also plays bass and sings back-up for Kelly Hogan (she recorded and toured with Hogan for her release I Like To Keep Myself In Pain on ANTI- Records) and in 2010, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy enlisted her and Hogan as primary vocalists on gospel legend Mavis Staples’ Grammy Award-winning album You Are Not Alone. She has been most recently been touring with The Decemberists, singing harmonies and playing a bunch of their really nice guitars

In the studio and on the stage, Nora has backed (among others) Neko Case, Jakob Dylan, The New Pornographers, Archer Prewitt, Chris Mills, The Aluminum Group, Otis Clay, Justin Roberts and Robbie Fulks. Though she may be primarily known for her signature honey-sweet vocals, Nora is also revered among her musician peers for her chops and versatility. She's a solid sender on guitar and bass, an enthusiastic and inspired collaborator, and always ninja-nimble and professional to a T -- just a few of the reasons why this lady's phone never stops ringing.

Along with Kelly Hogan, she's part of the vocal one-two punch for the soul/pop/AM radio geek out band The Flat Five.

Casey McDonough -

Nathan Graham - Nathan Graham is a musician born and raised in Chicago. His music bridges the gap between South Side Soul and Nashville Americana, creating a new inclusive vision of singer-songwriter. He built his career over the last ten years as a guitar-for-hire, touring internationally with major label and indie acts, but all the while focused on songwriting and honing his skills as a solo performer.

“My goal is to show a different kind of singer-songwriter. I don’t look or sound like you’d expect, but I’m writing about universal experiences of love, loss, uncertainty and anxiety. I’m writing music to connect my story to yours, show you all that we have in common, and maybe help both of us feel less alone.”

Chicago Farmer - The son of a small town farming community, Cody Diekhoff logged plenty of highway and stage time under the name Chicago Farmer before settling in the city in 2003. Profoundly inspired by fellow midwesterner John Prine, he’s a working-class folk musician to his core. His small town roots, tilled with city streets mentality, are turning heads North and South of I-80.

“I love the energy, music, and creativity of Chicago, but at the same time, the roots and hard work of my small town,” he shares. Growing up in Delavan, Illinois, with a population less than 2,000, Diekhoff’s grandparents were farmers, and their values have always provided the baseline of his songs.

He writes music for “the kind of people that come to my shows. Whether in Chicago or Delavan, everyone has a story, and everyone puts in a long day and works hard the same way,” he says. “My generation may have been labeled as slackers, but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t work hard - many people I know put in 50-60 hours a week and 12 hour days. That’s what keeps me playing. I don’t like anyone to be left out; my music is for everyone in big and very small towns.”

He listened to punk rock and grunge as a kid before discovering a friend’s dad playing Hank Williams, and it was a revelation. Prine and Guthrie quickly followed. The name Chicago Farmer was originally for a band, but the utilitarian life of driving alone from bar to bar, city to city - to make a direct connection to his audience and listener, took a deeper hold.