Sleeping Village, the new Avondale bar from the team behind Logan Square cocktail lounge the Whistler, has been serving drinks from its 56 draft lines for the past few weeks, cementing itself as a neighborhood destination. However, the gigantic beer selection and spacious digs are only half of the equation at Sleeping Village—there's also a 300-capacity music venue tucked into the back of the building.
The venue will host its first shows later this week, kicking off a live music lineup that currently stretches into May. In a release, Sleeping Village partner and head of music programming Billy Helmkamp said, "Our programming isn't genre-specific. It'll be as eclectic as my taste in music: everything from rock and jazz, to electronic and experimental." All acts that take the stage will be using a state-of-the-art sound system that was created for the venue by a team of six physics students from the University of Chicago.
Sleeping Village's live music program will kick off with a trio of free shows, featuring headlining sets from local R&B artist Ben Burden (March 9), indie-rockers Sunjacket (March 10) and free jazz ensemble Sura and the Side-Pocket Experience (March 15). From there, visitors can expect a jumble of local and touring acts that's not unlike the mix of performers that the Whistler typically books. Highlights of the current bookings include local funk, jazz and Afrobeat purveyors the Eternals Sextet (March 24); Portland DIY indie-pop outfit Wild Ones (April 27); and Alex Zhang Hungtai, who formerly made music under the moniker Dirty Beaches (April 4).
Check out the current lineup of shows at Sleeping Village below and snag tickets via the venue's Facebook page.
Mar 9: Ben Burden + Charlie Coffeen & Friends, free
Mar 10: Sunjacket, Graveyard Club, free
Mar 15: Dance of the Comets: Sura and the Side Pocket Experience + Gira Dahnee, free
Mar 24: The Eternals Sextet + Slipshod, $10
Mar 29, 30: DALLASxCHICAGO featuring Jon Bap + Black Dynamite + Raché + Liv.e + Lord Byron + Rami + theMIND + special guests, $15
Apr 4: Alex Zhang Hungtai + Hangtag, $12
Apr 5: Pseudo Slang + Akasha + LXL, free
Apr 7: Drama, $10
Apr 20: Blue Dream + Engine Summer + Faux Furrs, $10
Apr 27: Wild Ones, $12
May 27: The Life and Times + The New Trust + Pink Avalanche, $10