Sarah Staskauskas has long been a familiar face to anyone who’s been going to rock shows in Chicago over the last two decades. She’s been a bartender at Wicker Park’s long-gone Dreamerz (in the space that now houses Nick’s), the Empty Bottle, Lounge Ax, and more recently at the Hideout. And she’s fronted a number of local bands over the years, most prominently the Dishes and the Camaro Rouge. But shortly after Thanksgiving Staskauskas and her boyfriend, actor Ben Redgrave, are moving to Los Angeles, where she hopes to find work in the film industry, specifically in costuming and wardrobe. Between 1999 and 2001 she ran the Wicker Park vintage clothing boutique Hot Damn, unwittingly operating as a pioneer in the neighborhood’s bustling fashion business, and it was while running the shop that she began selling her own wares. Her Peel Out label specializes in quirky designs, most notably dresses constructed from hosiery.
On Thursday, October 26, the Hideout hosts a farewell party for Staskauskas, with a number of her friend’s bands performing 15-minute sets, each of which will include a Camaro Rouge cover. The bill includes Sally Timms, Sweet Cobra, Eleventh Dream Day, Danny Black & Laurie Stiratt, Velcro Lewis & His 100 Proof Band, and several others. The show starts at 9 PM.