Recap • Stix Jam Night at Tonic Room

If we have learned anything from the recent onslaught of music from Chicago it's that the sound has benefitted heavily from increased collaboration on all levels of the scene at large and nowhere does that happen more organically than at the monthly Stix Jam. The event, hosted by Social Experiment drummer Greg "Stix" Landfair and Peter CottonTale, artists and performers from all sides of the city come together and hop in and out of sessions live on the spot. Last night the show returned to Tonic Room, its longtime home, for another installment that definitely did not disappoint.

The concert series is a jam in the truest sense of the world. Everything’s off the top, nobody’s afraid of making mistakes, everybody wants the stage. The process is crazy natural and consistently blessed with some of the brightest performers you’ll find in Chicago. Thursday night featured Thelonious Martin, with performances from Saba, Noname, Logan Cage, Supa Bwe , Ric Wilson, Drea Smith, and the list goes on. As important is the band, with the pounding drumming of Stix carrying the beat for hours, and strong support from bass, keyboards, sax and anyone else jumping on stage. It's an open vibe and less separation between the audience and the music. Things may start slowly but you have to see it all, because once the session and song gradually builds, it crashes down into some of the truest shit you’ll hear.

Aside from one evening, Stix Jam Night has been drawn to the small, 100 person capacity Tonic Room in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, a venue that has happily hosted local music on its unique stage for years. An intimate setting such as this is part and parcel to Jam Night's success. Now that Jam Night is a fairly well known monthly event for musicians and fans alike, each show is quick to sell out, including this most recent Jam that sold out the day of. If you're looking to attend next month's event, be sure to keep and eye on our events calendar to get a jump on acquiring some tickets.