The First Time was just named "Best Lit Event" in the Best of 2017 poll by the Chicago Reader. The quarterly series which benefits the independent CHIRP Radio features six curated Chicagoans telling a thematic personal story and pairing it to be performed by series band The First Time Four. The First Time Four includes musicians Gerald Dowd, Steve Frisbie, Liam Davis, and Scott Stevenson. In addition to making their own music, the band has played with Mavis Staples, Eddie Vedder, and Robbie Fulks, among others, and earned a couple of Grammy nominations.
First Time features a diverse array of readers such as lawyers, sausage makers, broadcasters, chefs, non-profit leaders, and artists, but always at least one musician. Past readers have included Bill Ayers, Tony Fitzpatrick, Mindy Segal, Ben Jovarsky, and Len Kasper. The lineup for the July 12th show at Matrys' boasts a bill of actor Wes Needham, musician Natalie Grace Alford, musician/historian Steve Krakow aka Plastic Crimewave, creative director and editor Micki LeSueur, writer/comedian Dan Shapiro, and CHIRP's very own Marites Velasquez (also of local band Ovef Ow) reading stories of their "First Catch." The July 12th show will also include a raffle for a pair of "Hamilton" tickets for the August 22nd show. The show will run from 8:00 to 10:30 p.m. and tickets are $10.
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