Poi Dog Pondering

Sunday, July 24th
8 p.m.

Poi Dog Pondering has been a Chicago favorite for nearly twenty years. Starting with the song "Everybody's Trying (to figure it out)" in 1989, numerous Poi Dog songs gained major airplay here in Chicago as well as nationally, including "Jack Ass Ginger," "Complicated," "Big Constellation," "God's Gallipolli," and "That's the Way Love Is." The eclectic world beat/folk-rock outfit Poi Dog Pondering was formed in Waikiki by Frank Orrall, Susan Voelz, and multi-instrumentalist Dave "Max" Crawford, all of whom remain in Poi Dog today. Named in part for a Hawaiian expression meaning "mutt," Poi Dog Pondering relocated to Chicago after a short stop in Austin, TX in the early 90s. With their varied instrumentation, easygoing humor, and offbeat fusions of world music and folk-rock along with a band that usually exceeds 10 artists, Poi Dog has been packing Chicago-area music venues for years with their phenomenal live shows. Poi Dog has released more than 10 albums, many earning Poi Dog critical acclaim and a devoted cult following. Their most recent CD, Audio Love Letter, was released this year and will be heavily featured at the SGW.

New Orleans Suspects

Sunday, July 24th
6 p.m.

The Sheffield Garden Walk is excited to feature a unique new group of veteran musicians from New Orleans. Collectively, they have experience and versatility that rival any other band that legendary New Orleans has ever produced with members coming from The Radiators, The Neville Brothers, and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Reggie Scanlan’s career has been defined by his thirty-three years playing bass in the Radiators, the longest running rock act in the history of New Orleans. “Mean” Willie Green has been the drummer for the Neville Brothers band since the 1980s. His unique attack has defined funk drumming for a quarter of a century. Jake Eckert is the sterling-toned lead guitarist in The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. He has performed with Warren Haynes, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, & Dave Matthews to name a few. Kevin Harris is a founding member of The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. His tenor saxophone work has graced recordings across the gamut from pop stars Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews, and the Black Crowes to zydeco legend Buckwheat Zydeco, jazz songstress Norah Jones, Modest Mouse, Widespread Panic, and many more. Completing the group is CR Gruver, a classically trained pianist who was bitten by the bug known as New Orleans music after stints touring with nationally known bands such as Outformation and the Atlanta-based singer/songwriter Angie Aparo. Together these five musicians create music that is firmly rooted in the modern New Orleans sound with compelling originals and exciting covers in the spirit of rock, funk, and R & B.

Hello Dave

Sunday, July 24th
3:45 p.m.

Hello Dave has been a frequent performer at the Sheffield Garden Walk, dating back to their first appearance in 2004. Spending almost a decade developing and redefining their place as one of the best bands to come out of Chicago, Hello Dave continues to spread their sound to fans across the country. Beginning in college at Eastern Illinois University, Hello Dave has grown into an internationally touring band, playing throughout the US and overseas in Europe and Southeast Asia. With a sound uniquely their own, Hello Dave combines the sounds of classic and southern rock with pop, country, and rhythm and blues. The band’s ability to involve and connect with their audience during every performance has earned them an intensely devoted fan base with a great love and enthusiasm for the band. Hello Dave’s most recent CDs are Perfect Day and Chicago Twang.

See their performances of "Golden" and "Soulshine" on YouTube.

Canasta

Sunday, July 24th
2:30 p.m.

Canasta is a Chicago-based indie pop-rock sextet. Their most recent full-length album, The Fakeout, The Tease and The Breather, was released in May of 2010 on the label RWIM Chicago. Prior releases include one EP, Find the Time, one full-length CD, We Were Set Up, and one remix album, We Were Mixed Up. Their song, "Slow Down Chicago," was used in the trailer for the film Diminished Capacity. Canasta songs are nothing if not eclectic; you’ll hear everything from bouncy, horn-spiked ditties and sweeping, heart-breaking epics to moody, country-tinged narratives and rollicking, guitar-driven anthems. But what’s constant is an emphasis on sophisticated songwriting, dramatic dynamics, and meticulous orchestration. Ian Mathers of PopMatters writes that "the styles here veer from dub to disco to folk to orchestral to rap to electro country to just about any other spin you could put on these sounds."

See their performances of "Microphone Song" and "Slow Down Chicago" on YouTube.

The Congregation

Sunday, July 24th
1:15 p.m.

The Congregation plays a righteous combination of blues, soul, and rock & roll. They do it the old-fashioned way, the way Otis Redding, Ike and Tina Turner, Howlin’ Wolf, Aretha Franklin, and Bo Diddley did it– real instruments, raw and powerful vocals, down and dirty soul. This female-fronted powerhouse will take you from "aw, shucks" to "Goddamn!" before you know what slapped you in the face. When it comes to the songwriting, you won't find any sugarcoated love songs here; you'll get a little bit of longing and a whole lot of wronging. The Congregation's recently released debut EP, Not for Sleepin, showcases their signature style of bluesy garage soul.

See their performances of "I Wanna Be Your Dog," "I Know You Will," and "You Need My Love" on YouTube.

School of Rock

Sunday, July 24th
12:15 p.m.

The School of Rock made their Garden Walk debut in 2008 and have opened the main stage on Sunday every year since then. School of Rock is an educational program for kids ages 9 to 17 who want to learn how to play music and to play in a rock band. Their goals at School of Rock are to help their students realize their potential as artists, to put them on stage in front of as many people as possible, and to help foster a new generation of incredible musicians. School of Rock has schools in many cities around the country, and their students have played over 500 shows a year. The Chicago school is located on Ashland near Belmont and will be presenting approximately 18 of their students who qualify to be in their “touring” band. This promises to be an exciting show for kids and adults of all ages as the School of Rock band will be playing rock and pop songs from the last four decades.

See their performance of "Bob Dylan's Down in the Flood" on YouTube.