Occupying the street that shares its name from Kedzie to Diversey Avenue, the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival turns five this weekend with loads of pop-up art galleries and food vendors plus two stages of (mostly) local music. On Friday moombahton disciples Milo & Otis kick out the jams at 5 PM on the Community Stage (Milwaukee and Diversey), followed by Latin-ska band Los Vicios de Papa and Krautrockers Cave. Future-boogie auteur Dam-Funk headlines the Culture Stage (Milwaukee and Kedzie) after sets by locals Jugo de Mango and Bare Mutants. Music starts at 12:30 PM on Saturday, and the Community Stage features minimalist synth-pop band All Tiny Creatures as headliners, plus scuzz-punk five-piece Basic Cable (whose lineup includes Reader music-listings wrangler Luca Cimarusti), honky-tonk combo the Lawrence Peters Outfit, Emmett Kelly’s group the Cairo Gang (this year’s Best of Chicago pick for “Best Rock Band“), and others; on the Culture Stage, glitch-pop experimenter and Black Moth Super Rainbow mastermind Tobacco headlines, and openers include Bill MacKay & LeRoy Bach, starry-eyed pop band Santah, and garagey ramble rockers Dumpster Babies. Music starts at 12:30 PM on Sunday too, with alt-country veterans the Waco Brothers topping the Culture Stage lineup after Columbia-bred fusion band M.A.K.U. Soundsystem, pizza-obsessed MC ShowYouSuck, and more; Puerto Rican trombonist, percussionist, and bandleader William Cepeda headlines the Community Stage with an army of guests, including AfriCaribe, and openers include rock-apella group the Blue Ribbon Glee Club, unhinged rock unit Football, and one-man concept-pop band Netherfriends. The many restaurants setting up food tents include the Chicago Diner, Lula Cafe, and Reno; Cards Against Humanity, Sonnenzimmer, Galerie F, and about 40 other vendors will hawk their wares. Admission to the whole shebang is a $5 suggested donation. For more info, see Fairs & Festivals listings by day or visit milwaukeeavenueartsfestival.org.
Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival 2013
The “arts” in this case include music from Cave, the Cairo Gang, and William Cepeda.
