CheekyChicago

In the latest edition of #FirstWorldProblems, I think we can all agree compiling a summer concert series is really effing annoying? May through September, seemingly everyone is on tour and ticket prices are increasingly outrageous. Determining in the budget those who are a “must-see” and a “see-ya-another-time” weighs on the conscience. Are you a super-fan or not? When AT&T U-verse® announced a FREE Lady Antebellum concert last Friday, May 31, I was so in. The special event was to celebrate the release of the band’s new album GOLDEN, taking place at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion.  There’s nothing like twanging along with your favorite country musicians with a cold beer in hand and …  Read more

Former American Idol winner Lee DeWyze returned to his Chicago roots on Saturday, June 1, for Barefoot Wine’s Beach Rescue Project in partnership with the Surfrider Foundation. The goal? To keep the world’s beaches “barefoot friendly.” Lee joined fans and volunteers at Oak Street Beach to remove trash, spread environmental awareness and toast to taking a stand in the sand. We caught up with Lee beachside to talk about his single “Silver Lining,” how he’s come into his own after Idol and his personal motto of positivity.   Cheeky: Tell us a little bit about why you’re excited to be here with Barefoot Wine’s Beach Rescue Project. Lee DeWyze: Growing up in Chicago, my …  Read more

If you ever meet Matt Hires, do not ask him what his music sounds like. The 27-year-old singer/songwriter says that he blanks every time when attempting to respond. “It seems like it would be an easy question to answer, but it’s hard to sum up in words when you make this music that means something to you and is really important and then you have to boil it down to some sort of genre or a couple of sentences.” To find out for yourself, listen to the songwriter’s new four-track EP Forever on iTunes here. Hailing from Tampa, Hires grew up surrounded by two drummers: his father and grandfather. Yet Hires …  Read more