Given that artist and bartender Greg Shirilla bartends at Humboldt Park 4 AM spot the Continental, where he serves rowdy revelers into the wee hours, it’s remarkable that he’s still one of Chicago’s friendliest dudes—dealing with humanity at its drunkest tends to make a person surly! Shirilla needs a hand, and Gossip Wolf is happy to pitch in: On June 28, he fell three stories while cleaning windows at another job, breaking his wrist and ankle and cracking two vertebrae. Though he’s insured, he’ll be laid up in rehab for another month and unable to work for even longer. Pals have banded together to help with his mounting bills, and on Saturday, September 2, they’ll throw a raffle, barbecue, and silent art auction at the Continental, beginning at 3 PM—artworks up for bid include a painting of late comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory by Big Boys guitarist Tim Kerr and an unpublished photo of Black Flag on tour in Chicago in 1980. Get well soon, Greg!
On Friday, September 1, the Hideout hosts the Back to School Ball to benefit Intonation Music Workshop, a Chicago nonprofit that empowers kids by teaching them how to play in bands. The theme is “school dance,” so you could dress up for homecoming—or you could dig out that ratty Cat Butt T-shirt you got in trouble for wearing to class. A few fine local acts will help get folks moving: soul combo the Daytonics, indie-pop group the Good, and genre-blending singer Drea the Vibe Dealer. Admission is $10, $8 in advance, and you can kick a few more bucks Intonation’s way by buying raffle tickets (for a shot at sweet prizes from Smoque BBQ, Lagunitas, and Letherbee Distillers).
Chicago’s festival calendar is beyond packed, but this wolf isn’t mad about the arrival of the Breaks. The new hip-hop fest takes over Soldier Field on Sunday, September 3, with such heavy hitters as Tech N9ne, Method Man & Redman, Cam’ron, and local legends Crucial Conflict and Do or Die. v
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