News RoundUp • Ric Wilson Lands Coveted Audiotree Session, Alex Wiley Recruits Kembe X for National Tour
Ric Wilson Brings 'Soul Bounce' to Audiotree's Livestream
Chicago's own Ric Wilson will perform on Audiotree's coveted livestream on Monday, January 23rd at 1:00PM CST. Backed by a full band, Wilson will likely play a few tracks off his 2016 release Soul Bounce. The full live stream can be watched at Audiotree.tv/live. Audiotree is an in-studio livestream session with artists of all genres from around the world. Audiotree's ownership group also has ownership in Lincoln Hall and Schubas. Wilson is featured alongside several other Chicago stories in our January 2017 These Days Cover Story titled "Chicago Renaissance Continued:Meet The City's Next Wave Of Musicians."
Old Friends Alex Wiley and Kembe X Toke Up for 28-Date 'Stoner' Tour
Alex Wiley has recruited his frequent collaborator Kembe X to join him on his 'Stoner Symphony Tour' which was announced over the weekend. Tickets and additional tour information can be found at StonerSymphony.com. The 28-date tour kicks off in Wiley's adopted hometown of Los Angles on February 22nd, hits his proper hometown of Hyde Park in Chicago on March 31st at The Promontory, bookending the tour with a follow up LA date. The tour also includes three dates at SXSW 2016. Wiley even made sure to make note of a special April 20th date in Seattle, so have your trees ready.
The tour is planned to coincide with the recent release of Wiley's latest project Village Party III: Stoney Symphony which dropped on Jan. 18th complete with guest features from the likes of Mick Jenkins, Kembe X, Jay Prince, Jean Deaux and more. Kembe X, who will play direct support for Wiley after joining him in a similar capacity for dates throughout 2016 dropped his highly-anticipated collection, Talk Back, last year, ending up at #10 on our '2016 Chicago Albums of the Year.'
Stoner Symphony tour in seattle on 4/20 is gonna be a moment. very thankful for the opportunity to turn in an upward motion with y'all
— Alex Wiley (@Alex_Wiley) January 22, 2017
Chief Keef Announces New 2017 Tour
Keef is up to something. While the announcement of a new tour over the weekend certainly put that thought into many fans heads, it was only subsequently compounded by the workings of the Internet and more. Appropriately, Chief Keef laid out plans just before the weekend regarding his upcoming 'Two Zero One Seven" Tour which kicks off Jan. 28 in New Orleans and runs through fourteen dates before culminating in Cincinnati.
The tour announcement is interesting for a few reasons. One, Keef hardly, if ever, tours. I've often likened the Drill superstar to Michael Jordan in the sense that he seems to have walked into a perfect storm of media, socioeconomics and many more that vaulted him to his current standing before he was even off of house arrest. It also came with much disappointment, as no Chicago date made it onto the lineup. It's often said around Chicago that Keef has been banned from the city and even hologram performances have been shut down by local police. While the disappointment is understandable, it appears Andrew Barber over at FakeShoreDrive might be up to something, cryptically tweeting some optimism for "Don't Like" fans.
Keef's last Chicago-associated performance was in Los Angeles late last year as part of Red Bull's '30 Days In LA' concert series, so there's always a chance Mr. Barber can make some more history happen. For now, we'll have to wait and see, or book a trip out to Detroit or Ohio.
