Sound check: The Footlight District calls for action with new video
The Footlight District on camera
Last fall, The Footlight District — comprised of the five Scarbrough siblings — released “War Paint,” a rhythm-heavy, Southern rock-influenced battle cry for change.
“The song is really about how you can make a difference by sticking to your guns and doing the right thing, no matter the adversity you face, no matter what everyone else says,” Faith, the band's guitarist, said. “It's really about being kind and inclusive and really showing love to everyone.”
This week, the band follows up that song with a music video, a release that channels the District's raucous stage energy while also showcasing the lessons embodied in the tune.
All five of the Chicago-based sibs — Sarah, Gracie, Faith, Hannah and Cecil, plus a few special young guests — are featured in the new video, which will be released Friday.
“I feel like music is one of those amazing things that everyone can hear something in,” Faith continued. “You can use music to change people, show them love or kindness, and really bring people together on the things that we all agree on versus just arguing about the things that we don't, you know? Instead of just feeling like ‘Hey, I disagree with you on that,' coming together on things that we do agree on and going from there.”
Watch the new video at noon Friday on YouTube.
Jonas Friddle at The Venue
Jonas Friddle may be better known now around the Chicago scene as a songwriter and a pro with string instruments of all types, but his childhood and musical roots are in downhome North Carolina folk. He taps that genre as he conjures old-school folk songs with a fresh-faced twist at The Venue this weekend.
8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, at The Venue, 21 S. Broadway Ave., Aurora. $15-$20 (plus $5 at the door). (331) 212-8490 or themusicvenue.org.
Phillip-Michael Scales at HOB
Soul singer-songwriter Phillip-Michael Scales, who last fall released his debut LP “Sinner-Songwriter,” returns to his Chicago base as he takes the House of Blues stage with jazz-influenced electro-dance quartet Caravan Palace this weekend.
6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, at House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. $35. (312) 923-2000 or houseofblues.com.
‘The Greatest Love of All'
College of DuPage's McAninch Arts Center presents “The Greatest Love Of All: A Tribute to Whitney Houston,” featuring Belinda Davids fronting a tribute to the late soulful singer. The show — which honors the 10-year anniversary of Houston's death — will include her poppier hits such as “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “How Will I Know” along with showstopping favorites “I Will Always Love You,” “One Moment in Time,” “Greatest Love of All” and much more.
7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, at the College of Dupage's McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. $49-$69. (630) 942-4000 or atthemac.org.
Dave Matthews tribute
Dave Matthews Tribute Band brings the intensity and the fun jams of the alt-folk Dave Matthews Band to the Raue Center for the arts this weekend.
8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, at Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. Tickets start at $30 ($21 for RaueNOW members). (815) 356-9212 or events.rauecenter.org.
In other news ...
• Joe's Live in Rosemont is fighting the gray days of February with a Winter Blues Flash Sale now through Feb. 15. Any three tickets purchased for the following shows will net buyers a fourth ticket for free: Randy Houser on Feb. 4, Dylan Scott on Feb. 25, Drew Baldridge on Feb. 26, Chris Cagle on March 4, Lauren Alaina on March 12, Chris Lane on March 25, Restless Road on April 7, Frank Foster on April 22 and Jessie James Decker on April 29. See joesliverosemont.com for tickets and info.
• Onesti Entertainment honors the late Meat Loaf with BAT: The Music of Meat Loaf, a tribute to the rock 'n' roll legend, at the Des Plaines Theatre Thursday, Feb. 24. Tickets for the show — featuring The Neverland Express and American Idol winner Caleb Johnson — are on sale now ($49-$99) at desplainestheatre.com.
• Chicago-born indie-rock band The Walters, which signed with Warner Records in 2021, made a late-night appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last week with the breezy and bubbly hit “I Love You So” that recently found a new audience online and catapulted the band back into the limelight. The fivesome is celebrating its reunion with that performance and announcements of new music coming later this year.
• Brian Shamie is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor and local music junkie. Email him at bshamie@dailyherald.com, find him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter (@thatshamieguy) or Instagram (@chicagosoundcheck). He also keeps tabs on the Chicago music scene at chicagosoundcheck.com.