Free concerts, Beatles series highlight The Venue’s August lineup

The Venue, a live music performance room in downtown Aurora, recently announced its August lineup, which kicks off with a free First Fridays show and ends with a new Beatles night series.

On Friday, Aug. 2, The Venue will host a free concert from 6 to 8 p.m. for First Fridays. Anthony Padilla Trio will perform for the free First Fridays show. Doors will open starting at 5 p.m. for an open house during the downtown-wide event. Throughout downtown, the First Fridays event lineup includes more than two dozen activities for all ages to enjoy at no cost.

The Venue’s Summer of Blues continues with Blues rocker Melody Angel when she returns to The Venue on Saturday, Aug. 3. Angel has performed on the main stage at the Chicago Blues Festival, and her electrifying guitar playing has a contagious energy. Tickets cost $20-$25 in advance. $25-$30/door.

Noah Gabriel will return to his hometown for another career spanning set to celebrate the release of his 14th studio album “Peg-Leg Killer Jonez and The Pitchfork Pine” on Friday, Aug. 9. The night will feature three distinctly different sets of music with three different groups fronted by Gabriel and featuring local musicians Justin O’Connell, Chad Watson, Dave Ramont, Dave Nelson, Gary Belniak, Michael Addymann, Andrew Szymanski, Ryan Carney, and Chris Palmerin. Tickets are general admission and cost $20.

HW3 will be coming to The Venue on Saturday, Aug. 10. Enjoy the music stylings of Howard McCullum (Howard and the White Boys), Stephen Asma (co-host of the popular Chinwag podcast with Paul Giamatti), and Jim “Bucka” Christopulos. The trio plays traditional blues and contemporary funky blues. Tickets are general admission and cost $15.

Lynne Jordan will present Nina Simone at The Venue on Friday, Aug. 16, a popular show that sells out in major cities. Known as The Diva, and Roger Ebert’s “favorite diva,” Jordan has recorded with Tom Waits; The Punk group Urge Overkill; Alligator Records Blues artist Toronzo Cannon; featured amongst Taj Mahal, Etta James and Koko Taylor on “Blues Down Deep: A Tribute to Janis Joplin.”

Jordan will be backed by her band, The Shivers, for a special evening where she brings her special brand of storytelling, raw humor and performance to her show, “A Musical Tribute To Nina Simone.” Tickets cost $20-$25 in advance. $25-$30/door.

Grammy-Nominated Kim Richey will perform live on Saturday, Aug. 17 at The Venue.

Richey is widely known from her critically acclaimed self-titled 1995 debut album. She has become a favorite of many singer-songwriters, and will be opening for Jason Isbell when he tours this fall. Tickets cost $20-$25 in advance. $25-$30/door.

Eddie 9V will return to The Venue on Friday, Aug. 23. Called a “Soulman” by Paste Magazine, Eddie 9V brings electricity to the stage and to the R&B hits he plays. His recently released, highly rated album “Capricorn” including his own songs is deeply soulful. Tickets cost $15-$20 in advance. $20-$25/door.

The Heavy Sounds will present a tribute to the legendary Al Green on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 8 p.m. Four of Chicago’s finest Soul singers; Renaldo Domino, Gina Bloom, Gerald McClendon, and Christopher Brian Neal will join them for a celebration of the Memphis soul man. Tickets cost $20-$25 in advance. $25-$30/door.

On Friday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m., The Venue along with Crossroads Blues Society will screen “Cheat You Fair: The Story of Maxwell Street,” a documentary from 2006. Believing that the film never received a proper introduction to the blues and music community, Crossroads Blues Society worked with Phil Ranstrom, the producer of the film to re-release the film on DVD. The film is 90 minutes and is narrated by the famed Chicago actor Joe Mantegna, and details the rise and fall of Maxwell Street, Chicago’s great outdoor market, the birthplace of the electric blues and where “the only color that mattered was green.” Register for the free screening at themusicvenue.org.

The Venue will present Ob-La-Di, a new series featuring Phil Angotti and Friends playing The Beatles on Saturday, Aug. 31. The legendary Angotti will play The Beatles on The Venue stage with a little help from his friends. Tickets cost $20-$25 in advance. $25-$30/door.

On the following Tuesdays, Pete Ellman Big Band will perform on The Venue stage with their summer concert series: August 20 and September 17. Tickets cost $20-$25. Doors open at 7 p.m. Show starts at 8 p.m.

Unless otherwise noted, doors open for all shows at 7 p.m. Shows start at 8 p.m. The Venue, located at 21 S. Broadway in downtown Aurora, offers a wide selection of craft beer and other beverages at the bar which is open for all shows.

Free street parking is available along with free surface lot parking located across from City Hall, 44 E. Downer Pl. at the corner of Downer Place and Water Street. The Venue’s entrance is located along Water Street Mall, adjacent to City Hall and Mundy Park.

For tickets and additional show information, visit themusicvenue.org.