(Robbie Fulks appears Friday, June 11 at Ribfest)With summer just around the corner, the city's schedule of street festivals is just now starting to kick into high gear.
This weekend (June 11-13) is proof of that, as Ribfest (corners of Lincoln/Damen/Irving Park) offers some damn fine BBQ ribs, beer and, of course, some great music to help you digest it all.
The festivals music line-up goes a little something like this:
Friday, June 11
South Stage
4000 N. Lincoln Ave.
5:00 TBA
6:30 Mucca Pazza
9:00 The Ike Reilly
Assassination
North Stage
4128 N. Lincoln Ave.
6:00 RIB-MANIA!! (Professional Rib-Eating Contest)
7:45 Robbie Fulks
Saturday, June 12
South Stage
4000 N. Lincoln Ave.
12:15 Furious Frank
2:45 Unicycle Loves You
5:15 Generationals
7:45 Califone
North Stage
4128 N. Lincoln Ave.
1:30 Deep Cricket Night
4:00 John Henry & The Engine
6:30 Those Darlins
9:00 Bottle Rockets
Sunday, June 13
South Stage
4000 N. Lincoln Ave.
1:30 Tell Your Friends
4:00 Holding Mercury
6:30 The Dig
9:00 The Whigs
North Stage
4128 N. Lincoln Ave.
12:15 Ceiling Stars
2:45 The Shams Band
5:15 These United States
7:45 Langhorne Slim
As if that weren't enough, the FREE Chicago Blues Festival goes down this very same weekend in Grant Park (Jackson and Columbus Drives), beginning at 11am on Friday June 11 and running through Sunday, June 13.
The music schedule is as follows:
Friday
Front Porch Stage
11:30 a.m.: Blues in the Schools featuring Eric Noden, Katherine Davis and the Stone Academy Blues Students
1:30 p.m.: Henry Gray and Andy Cornett
3 p.m.: Jimmy Dawkins with Taildragger
5 p.m.: Cafe R&B
6:30 p.m.: Big George Brock and the House Rockers with George Brock Jr.
Crossroads Stage
12 p.m.: Dave Weld and the Imperial Flames
1:45 p.m.: Mary Lane and the No Static Blues Band
3:45 p.m.: Grady Champion
Juke Joint Stage
12:30 p.m.: Grady Champion
2 p.m.: Sam Lay
3:30 p.m.: Stevie J and the Blues Eruption
5 p.m.: Adib Hasser
6:30 p.m.: Mississippi Jam
Roadhouse Stage
12 p.m.: Beginning Delta Blues Harmonica Lesson with Joe Filisko
1:30 p.m.: Discussing Wolf: 100 Years of Remembrances moderated by Dick Shurman, with Betty Kelly. Barbara Marks, Eddie Shaw, Hubert Sumlin and Josh Hecht
4 p.m.: Wildsang
5:30 p.m.: East of Edens Soul Express
Petrillo Music Shell
5 p.m.: Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang with Jody Williams, Sam Lay, Henry Gray, Abb Locke, Corky Siegel and Hubert Sumlin
6:05 p.m.: Otis Taylor Band
7:10 p.m.: James Cotton Blues Band with Matt "Guitar" Murphy
8:20 p.m.: Zora Young's Tribute to Wolf and Sunnyland with Hubert Sumlin
Saturday
Front Porch Stage
11:30 a.m.: Ramblin' Rose
1 p.m.: Bobby Dixon Blues Band
2:45 p.m.: Nora Jean Wallace
4:30 p.m.: Andre Williams
6 p.m.: Johnny and Destiny Rawls
Crossroads Stage
12 p.m.: Toronzo and the Cannonball Express
1:45 p.m.: Sugar Blue Band
3:30 p.m.: Sonny Rhodes
Juke Joint Stage
12:30 p.m.: Jarekus Singleton with Keeshea Pratt
2 p.m.: David "Honeyboy" Edwards
3:30 p.m.: Bill "Howlin Madd" Perry with Alphonso Sanders
5 p.m.: Dexter Allen
6:30 p.m.: Festival Jam featuring Blue Plate Special
Roadhouse Stage
12 p.m.: Beginning Southern Blues Harmonica Lesson with Joe Filisko
1:30 p.m.: Joe Filisko and Eric Noden
3 p.m.: Rev. K.M. Williams and the Amazing Trainreck
4:45 p.m.: Larry Hoffman interviews William Ferris
6:15 p.m.: East of Edens Soul Express
Petrillo Band Shell
5 p.m.: Nellie Tiger Travis
6:20 p.m.: Bobby Parker and the Blues Night Band
7:35 p.m.: Chicago Blues A Living History featuring Billy Boy Arnold, Billy Branch, John Primer, Lurrie Bell and Carlos Johnson
Sunday
Front Porch Stage
11:30 a.m.: Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir
1:30 p.m.: Dancin’ Perkins
3:30 p.m.: Ramblin’ Jack Elliott
4:45 p.m.: Guitar Shorty
6:15 p.m.: Lubriphonic
Crossroads Stage
12 p.m.: Quintus McCormick
1:45 p.m.: Carl Weathersby and Larry McCray
3:30 p.m.: Roy Roberts with Barbara Carr
Juke Joint Stage
12:30 p.m.: Jimmy Duck Holmes and Terry "Harmonica" Bean
2 p.m.: Bobby Rush
3:30 p.m.: Homemade Jamz
5 p.m.: Jarekas Singleton with Keeshea Pratt
6:30 p.m.: Mississippi Jam
Roadhouse Stage
12 p.m.: Beginning Chicago Blues Harmonica Lesson with Joe Filisko
1:30 p.m.; Larry Hoffman rambles with Ramblin' Jack Elliott
3 p.m.: Blues Books: University of Illinois Press
5 p.m.: East of Edens Soul Express
Petrillo Band Shell
5 p.m.: Erwin Helfer's Chicago Boogie Woogie Ensemble
6 p.m.: Vivian and Vance "Guitar" Kelly and the Backstreet Blues Band
7:10 p.m.: Chicago Blues Reunion featuring Barry Goldberg, Corky Siegel, Nick Gravenites, Harvey Mandel, Charlie Musselwhite and Sam Lay
8:30 p.m.: T.K Soul