Wicker Park Festival - July 30th, 2005 and July 31st, 2005
Get ready Chicago! Over the past decade, millions have flocked to all over Chicago to countless outdoor festivals... not only to witness the music, but also to contribute and take part in some of the magic created by the Windy City's culture. This year will be no exception; however, for the first time ever, music lovers will have a multi-day opportunity to bring the good vibes that surround Silver Wrapper shows to the Chicago summer festival circuit.

The Wicker Park Festival is a two-day, all-day event featuring music presented by Silver Wrapper. It is a free event, and all of us here at Silver Wrapper have been working hard all year to make this ONE to remember. As a result the musical line-up is stacked. Silver Wrapper is proud to announce the line-up for the 2005 Wicker Park Festival South Stage, to take place outdoors, July 30th and July 31st, at the famous six-way intersection of Milwaukee, North and Damen (which will be blocked off):

MOFRO
Everyone Orchestra
Benevento-Russo Duo
Tortured Soul
Kaki King
Motherlode
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
Mocean Worker
Future Rock
Punsapaya


Festival Schedule

Artist Information

Raised in a small rural area on the outskirts of Jacksonville, John "JJ" Grey came up in the last vestiges of the North Floridian backwoods and it’s culture. As the creative force behind MOFRO, JJ's songwriting and voice can conjure up good times and good food, or cast a serious eye on the sad march of "progress" in Florida with its annihilation of the environment and culture. Daryl Hance, his guitar playing buddy, plays the guitar like a mirror of his personality. He might not say 3 words all day but when he does say 'em, you'll feel it." Back in 1998, JJ worked at a local lumber yard where he and fellow co-workers habitually used the term MOFRO to substitute for any other word. "It sounded Southern and was simple," says JJ. learn more about MOFRO

The Everyone Orchestra is a revolving cast of stellar musicians brought together by drummer/conductor Matt Butler for festival super jams and special benefit events. EO performances are designed to create space for each performer’s musical personality to shine, engage the audience as participants in the jam and to facilitate a massive celebratory coming together featuring a conductor directing both musicians and audience alike in interactive, lively, and highly danceable movements. Since its inception in 2001, The Everyone Orchestra has performed its shows nationally featuring such luminary musicians as The Derek Trucks Band, Steve Kimock, members of Phish, Ratdog, The Grateful Dead, String Cheese Incident, and many others. The Wicker Park Festival edition will feature Marc Brownstein and Aron Magner of the Disco Biscuits, Fareed Haque of Garaj Mahal and Cheme Gastelum of Robert Walter's 20th Congress. learn more about Everyone Orchestra

The chemistry between B-3 organ player/keyboardist Marco Benevento and drummer Joe Russo dates back to the eighth grade, but it lay dormant until they scored a weekly gig at the Knitting Factory in New York in 2001. Their Thursday-night residency, which is reported to have paid $100 a night, quickly drew the attention of musicians all over the city. Benevento's style - a wide-ranging amalgam of keyboardists like John Medeski, Jason Moran, Thelonious Monk, and Brad Mehldau - proved the perfect counterpart to Russo, whose playing boasts the maturity and dexterity of Brian Blade and the energy of Stanton Moore. Their subsequent collaborations landed them unclassified, as they write original tunes and cover everything from Madonna to Led Zeppelin. learn more about Benevento-Russo Duo

In the space where electronica and live music collide and the boundaries between current and classic dance music blur, you'll find Tortured Soul. It's a new concept in the world of house music: no DJ's, no loops, no sequencers... Tortured Soul performs completely live. The instrumentation is simple and organic - drums, electric bass, vintage keys, and vocals - but the sound is thick with layers of heartfelt soul, danceable grooves, and infectious hooks. On stage and in the studio, Tortured Soul blends modern pop and dance music sensibilities with American R&B to create a sound evocative of Jamiroquai, Stevie Wonder, and St. Germain. learn more about Tortured Soul

Kaki King is a feisty, five-foot, funny, outspoken Atlanta transplant who now lives in New York, a city whose energy is almost equal to her own. She also happens to be the most exciting solo guitarist/composer to have come along in decades. Her music is as contradictory as the city itself. For Kaki, the guitar isn't just a reverie machine; it's a percussion instrument, just like the drums she played with her high school band. Sure, there were guitars around the house - her father, a lawyer, was a music lover who spotted his daughter's talent early on. "When I was about four years old my parents wanted me to take music lessons, and I chose the guitar," she says. "But I didn't enjoy it, so when I was five I put it aside. Then I started playing drums when I was nine or 10. I still play them. That was how I got into playing pop music, and that feel was a big influence when I did go back to guitar." learn more about Kaki King

Motherlode was originally formed in the early nineties, as part of a DJ night, at the original Casbah in San Diego. What started out as an underground hang for local hipsters and vinyl junkies, quickly became a collective of young (some too young to drink), punk rock/funk musicians laying down solos to 60's and 70's funk and boogaloo records. Not soon after, Motherlode was formed as the house band, playing live versions of rare, classic soul and funk. While Motherlode was short-lived, the respective players have gone on to become integral members and leaders of the Greyboy Allstars, Robert Walter's 20th Congress, Black Eyed Peas and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe.learn more about Motherlode

You really can't say it much better than Dave Segal of Jazz Times: "JFJO burns with a quiet intensity rather than dramatically explodes. The musicians play with a coiled looseness, improvising with quicksilver yet deliberate force. You can hear the band's power and inventiveness creatively eroding structure, and the tension produced from that is exhilarating. If JFJO isn't moving jazz forward, it is shifting its center of gravity interestingly askew." From Tulsa, Oklahoma, Brian Haas, Jason Smart and Reed Mathis are one of the most creative and dynamic groups on the scene today. Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, constantly in evolution and innovation, blends melody and emotion with a ground-breaking musical approach. Mathis is free to wail on his bass while Haas holds the groove down on the keys and vice versa. The powerful improvisational instincts of drummer Smart boost the sound to an even higher level. learn more about Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey

Mocean Worker comes from a rich jazz pedigree. He is the son of legendary producer Joel Dorn (Roberta Flack, John Coltrane, Leon Redbone). Using samples and loop-based production, "MoWo" has created a zone where the far jazz past can talk to the present. His music combines elements of jazz, funk and electronic that co-exist in a lively, refreshing fashion. Mocean Worker's latest release, "Enter the MoWo!" (Hyena 2004), has been called by many some of most brilliant music to grace the listener's ears. His latest single, "Chick A Boom Boom Boom," is getting played all over the nation and he recently performed at Chicago Cubs opening day. One of the most charismatic, energetic and hilariously entertaining live performances you'll ever see. Gauranteed. learn more about Mocean Worker

Future Rock creates a raucous mixture of electronica, prog-rock & house. The formula: loop simple melodies over complex grooves. The result: beautiful, ambient soundscapes and explosive, sophisticated dance music. Coupled with a stunning light show, FR certifies an unparalleled multi-sense experience. The Chicago-based trio exhibits an uncommon grasp of minimalist, yet visceral, rock. Skillfully manipulating live loops, synthesizers, filters, and an electronic drum kit, the trio succeeds in creating a larger-than-life sound that sends crowds twirling. Future Rock is capable of rocking out with the heaviest of guitars, even though they don't have one. learn more about Future Rock

After taking home the Chicago Music Award for Best Rock Album and being the only band along with Umphrey's McGee to get nominated in both rock categories (runner up to UM: Best Rock Entertainer), the buzz on Chicago's Pünsapaya has been good. Constant touring has fostered them into one of the fastest growing bands in the live music circuit. "The Pun" have shared the stage with Bernie Worrell, Victor Wooten, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Wailers, Rachel Yamagata, Jennifer Hartswick, Fishbone. With their funky brand of rock music, and an energetic live show, Pünsapaya will definitely rock your socks off. learn more about Pünsapaya

Saturay, July 30th
South Stage
1:00 pm     Future Rock
2:30 pm     Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
4:30 pm     Motherlode
6:30 pm     Benevento-Russo Duo
8:30 pm     MOFRO

North Stage
1:30 pm     Catfish Haven
2:45 pm     Baby Teeth
4:00 pm     Scotland Yard Gospel Choir
5:15 pm     Head of Femur
6:30 pm     Turing Machine
7:45 pm     Okkervil River
9:00 pm     Olivia Tremor Control

Sunday, July 31st
South Stage
2:00 pm     Pünsapaya
3:30 pm     Mocean Worker
5:00 pm     Kaki King
6:30 pm     Tortured Soul
8:30 pm     Everyone Orchestra

North Stage
2:00 pm     Exit Clov
3:15 pm     Telenovela
4:30 pm     The Woggles
5:45 pm     Miss Alex White
7:00 pm     Reigning Sound
9:00 pm     Holly Golightly