Saturday, April 30th - Rahsaan Patterson & Avery*Sunshine live

Buy tickets while they last via www.theshrinechicago.com (click here)

Bilal - Little One (video)

The realest sh*t he (Bilal) ever wrote! This song is based directly on Bilal’s personal experience raising a child with autism, which apparently touched his firstborn son (not to mention millions of other American kids). And for those of you (us) who actually have kids, it could be kind of a gutwrencher, be warned. Get into more Bilal by purchasing his current LP Airtight’s Revenge and learn more about what he’s singing about at AutismSpeaks.

Pusha T at The Shrine on Friday, April 29th.

On Friday, April 29th join Chicago's hippest and flyest social moguls for an evening of G.O.O.D. Music & Quality Socializing as we welcome Rap Icon Pusha T to the G.O.O.D. Music Family.

Pusha T is one 1/2 of the Clipse and 1/4th of the Re-Up Gang, and the newest artist on Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label!

Music by IBHappy x DJ 33 1/3 x Mark Fullaflava.

Sade - I Would Never Have Guessed

This new Ultimate Collection from Sade is shaping up to be the ultimate original album, based on the brilliant new material they keep leaking from this thing. We’re running out of superlatives to describe this but suffice it to say this is the purest, deepest Sade ballad she may have ever recorded (??) no subtle polyrhythms, no complicated arrangements, just piano and raw emotion.

I Would Have Never Guessed by SadeOfficial

?uestlove on Saturday, April 23rd | FREE 8pm - 9pm | $10 before 11pm

The Shrine will not stop!

Legendary drummer, producer & dj "?uestlove" (pronounced Quest Love) will be rocking the house on Saturday, April 23rd at The Shrine!

We are also featuring a special early performance by the "Chicago Afro Beat Project" (C.A.B.P.). An amazing Afro Beat band from Chicago.



The premiere screening of "The Return of Chicago Cool: The Creation of The Shrine"

Doors open at 8pm, viewing of documentary starts promptly @ 8:30pm.

All in attendance will recieve complimentary admission to a special DJ set by ?uestlove & a hosted cocktail bar courtesy of CIROC.

$10 entry from 9pm to 11pm & $25 after!

See you Saturday, April 23rd!

Doors open at 8pm, party til 3am.

Loose Ends - Videography

The Shrine: Loose Ends live on Saturday, April 16th.

Doors open @ 8pm, performance at 9pm!

Get tickets now @ The Shrine box-office (open Monday through Thursday 11am - 6pm) or online!

Public Address

Dear People of Chicago,

Since June 2009, the Shrine has been dedicated to bringing celebrated, unique live concerts to Chicago in an upscale, intimate setting. The Shrine team works passionately to offer its patrons just what they hope to deliver: excellence in music, ambiance, and service. More often than not, the Shrine achieves in this aspiration.
This past weekend, the Shrine scheduled a live performance by J* Davey with Res as the opening act. Unfortunately, Res cancelled her performance shortly before the show due to illness. In her place, the Shrine scheduled local talent to open for J*Davey. In addition to the local talent, there was an additional impromptu performance by a member of J*Davey’s entourage. Unbeknownst to the Shrine team, the individual performs under the name Reese, pronounced the same as Res.

The Shrine is an establishment of integrity and has a solid commitment to customer service. As such, we found it necessary to address the attendees the night of the concert to announce that Res would not be performing. The Shrine also offered complimentary tickets for its upcoming shows as a courtesy for any inconvenience it may have caused its patrons. Again, no process is perfect. Every endeavor at the Shrine is taken seriously and we stand equally committed to being an integral part of the urban nightlife experience. Our posture, our commitment, and our practices are always done with the best of intentions.

Respectfully,

The Shrine Team

The Weeknd - House of Balloons

A few Sundays ago, a Canadian collective called the Weeknd released their nine-song mixtape, House of Balloons, on their web site. Though they were quick to deny the direct involvement of Drake's sonic architect, Noah "40" Shebib, the apparitions in The Weeknd--no official members have yet come forward--have been heavily co-signed by the Toronto star. Why? Because they are Canadian countrymen? Because the Weeknd's spacious, moody r&b deconstruction further cements Drake and 40's reinvention of the genre? Is it just pure aesthetic appreciation? They're all probably true. What is irrefutable is the calculation that has thus far gone into this project.

House of Balloons is impressive. It's patient, often gorgeous, and consistently louche--sex, drugs and drink seem to be the raison d'etre--with the sort of blown-out underbelly and echo-laden crooning that has already made Drake's less-than-a-year-old Thank Me Later such an influential guidepost. The cover, a photo of a nude woman in a bathtub, her face obscured by black and white balloons, is pure Purple Diary.

Download (Right click save-as)

Beastie Boys – Make Some Noise

After three years of waiting, the moment has finally arrived that the Beastie Boys present their new single, “Make Some Noise.” The song is also the lead single of the reworked and retitled eighth LP Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2. Mark your calendars as the single is due for a release on April 12, whereas Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2 arrives May 3 via Capitol Records.

Download (click here).

Detroit: Reborn. Dilla: Eternal

It seems only appropriate that the announcement of a new J Dilla project was made on a lovely, lively spring day like today. Dilla’s “Ma Dukes” Maureen Yancey released a statement today that the venerable, late super producer will once again breathe life into hip hop this fall. The project, entitled The Rebirth of Detroit will be a trifecta of tributes. It will debut unreleased tracks from Dilla, feature only musicians who have previously worked with him, and be dedicated to the musical mecca that is Detroit. Between The Rebirth of Detroit and the Dilla-centric documentary “Shining Down” released in February, it’s proving to be a pretty big year for this prince of production. Legends never die.

Blitz featuring Les Nubians "Dear Africa"

Blitz The Ambassador plans on releasing his new album, Native Sun, on May 6th. As highly acclaimed as his last album was (Stereotype), I personally think this is Blitz’ finest work to date. It’s music people of all generations can enjoy. Below you can listen to the first official single “Dear Africa” featuring Les Nubians and produced by Blitz and Optiks. “the song is at once an ode to her beauty and history, honest first-hand narrative, roll call of her capital cities and a call for change. Laced with slinky sax, blaring horn lines, west African guitar licks and booming 808s, the song packs a prolific call to the world in under five minutes.”

Also Les Nubians will be performing live at The Shrine on May 14th (click here for tickets).

Pete Rock & Camp Lo are 80 Blocks from Tiffany's.

Need some good ol' fashioned East Coast boom-bap in your life? Well, Camp Lo and Pete Rock -- (I know, right? what a combo) -- have joined forces to satisfy your New York-rap cravings. As it turns out that this mixtape, 80 Blocks from Tiffany's, is just the precursor for a full-length album from the group that's due out this summer.

(CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD)

Also check out a clip from the 70's documentary also titled "80 Blocks from Tiffany's; which refers to the distance between Tiffany's jewelry store in Manhattan and the South Bronx.