FOUR New Music Venues in Chicago

Yeah, FOUR.

It's hard to believe, especially in this economy, but I LOVE it. I think I might check out LaSalle Power Co tonight, but I'll FO SHO be at Double Door tomorrow to see Office, Loyal Divide, Kyle Andrews, Coltrane Motion, The Seedy Seeds and DJ Brad Owen. CAN'T WAIT for that! :)

Read more details about food, drinks, and cover here.

LaSalle Power Co.

LaSalle Power Co.
Grand opening: May 1
Music: The Eat Well, Drink Better folks (English, Grand Central) are behind this 22,000-square foot, tri-level River North bar-restaurant-concert venue, located in the former Lalo’s space. The top-floor performance area, only open during shows, will house live music Thursday through Saturday, with two of those nights occupied by a house band comprising a DJ, drummer and bassist.
Local focus: At least one night per month will be devoted to hosting local bands.


3116 Club
Grand opening: Already open!
Music: Open since Monday, this 4,500-square foot Garfield Park hang plans to run the gamut from rock to salsa to jazz to techno. Shows will be held Tuesdays (all ages), Fridays and Saturdays (21+).
Local focus: 100 percent! 3116 is exclusively dedicated to local artists. Sorry, U2.


VLive
Expected opening: May 20
Music: Located above Logan Square’s Fuego Mexican Grill, the tri-level, 30,000-square foot VLive will book regional Mexican, salsa and rock bands, plus booking by LiveNation and the folks at Aragon. Rock bands normally will hit the stage Thursday, with more cultural acts on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday, and national and international DJs on Friday and Saturday.
Local focus: Theoretical. Manager Rafael Mendoza intends to represent artists from all over the world. While no specific local angle is in place, Mendoza is considering booking a “Hometown Heroes” night.


The Shrine
Opening: Soft opening May 22; grand opening June 4.
Music: Housed in the former Chicago Legends space and overseen by Joe Russo, who helped open Funky Buddha in 1996, this 8,000-square foot South Loop club expects to hold DJ events three nights a week and host live bands every Thursday and occasionally on Sundays. Represented genres: Neo-soul, hip-hop, R&B, funk, Latin and Afrobeat. The space’s separate but connected lounge, Coup d’etat, will host DJ events six nights a week.
Local focus: About three local band events per month.

Props to MM