Illinois Entertainer August 2018 | Page 6

No Ups , No Extras

Fear appear at Riot Fest

Got CDs ?

When Riot Fest ’ s first 2018 Festival shows were announced in late May , the timing couldn ’ t have been worse for their online ticket service ( Ticketfly ) to go down via a hacking incident . While tickets became available later on Eventbrite . com , thousands of users were prevented from buying passes in the early hours of the festival announcement . When the time came for a settlement from Ticketfly for lost sales , founder Mike Petryshyn didn ’ t do the corporate thing and stick the money in the bank . He ’ s giving it back to the fans .
" For me , there was only one proper thing to do : find a way to give it all back to you . Riot has been and will continue to be the festival that ’ s simply … different . Just like you , we take pride in living leftof-the-dial . For those who ’ ve yet to purchase Riot Fest 2018 tickets , we ’ re going old school by releasing a limited number of three-day passes at $ 99.98 . For our fans who ’ ve already purchased tickets for this year ’ s Riot Fest , we ’ re offering you an additional single-day GA pass that you can use to bring a friend , family member and so forth for any day of your choosing … additionally , for Riot Fest 2019 , you ’ ll have the option to purchase a three-day pass for $ 99.98 .”
This is a limited time offer , check out Riotfest . org for details . At press time Riot Fest also announced that Fear , Cypress Hill , Bad Religion and other bands would be performing classic albums live at the festival . See their website for details .

08 • 2018

Remembering Val

Val Camilletti with XRT ' s Terry Hemmert
If a tree falls in the forest , will anyone hear it ? If CDs aren ' t sold at Best Buy , will anyone notice ? Following a Spring 2018 news alert from Billboard magazine which reported the giant appliance , TV and music equipment retailer discontinued was planning to discontinue sales of CDs on July 1st , the retailer has done just that . No more CDs .
At one point , " Best Buy was the most powerful music merchandiser in the U . S ., but now it ' s a shadow of its former self ," according to the report . According to the magazine " the company ' s CD business is currently only generating about $ 40 million annually . While it ' s discontinued selling CDs , Best Buy will continue to carry vinyl for the next two years , keeping a commitment it made to vendors . The vinyl will now be merchandised with the turntables ."
With Chicagoland ' s abundance of independent physical music retailers , it seems the slack from Best Buy pulling CD sales will be absorbed by the likes of Rolling Stones , Laurie ' s Planet Of Sound , Blue Village Vinyl , Reckless Records and Purple Dog Records among dozens of others outlets .
Martyrs '

A Barn Raising

The legendary owner of Val ' s Halla record store in Oak Park , Val Camilletti , passed away last month after a two year battle with breast cancer . It ' s hard to measure what a mark Val made on the Chicago area music scene and record buyers , but her store thrived and survived in the modern music era thanks to Val ' s never-ending charm and knowledge of music and her die-hard customers .
As we learned of her passing , hundreds of tributes poured in online and in print from famous patrons and ex-employees of the store , including WXRT ' s Terry Hemmert : " She was a friend and mentor to countless people . Especially young people . She supported musicians , venues and kids who were crazy enough to want to work at a record store . I was one of those kids .". BRYHNH music podcast curator Perry Bax : " Val and my years spent working in her store can absolutely be traced to every Best Radio You Have Never Heard episode ever produced . Just ask her ." And Oak Park Village Trustee Deno Andrews : " Oak Park has lost a legend . Val was one of the most authentic people I ’ ve ever met . Val was a staple of our community ."
Store manager Shayne Blakeley told the Oak Leaves the store would continue on as Val hoped it would . A fundraising event online ( gofundme . com / val-camilletti-memorial-fund ) will help keep Val ' s musical dream alive .
Owning and operating a nightclub is a labor of love for venue owners , and sometimes circumstances dictate that your friends and patrons give a bit extra in a time of need . Such is the case for Chicago rock club Martyrs '. When a commercial tenant left an adjacent space owing club owners nearly $ 45,000 in rent - friends and patrons stepped forward to help replenish needed lost rent .
GoFundMe fundraiser / organizer Susan Sullivan wrote on the donation page : “ If you need a location to host your benefit , they are there . If your kids need a safe place to play music and listen to their friends ’ bands , they are there . They have contributed to the artistic community in every way possible . They ’ ve hosted our weddings , our birthday parties , our special events … Martyrs ' is more than a place to hear great music in our own neighborhood ; it ’ s been a place to celebrate with our friends and neighbors .”
“ Now our good friends need our help … It ’ s our turn to give back , to symbolically ' raise a barn ' for them . Please consider a donation to our neighbors in need at this critical time ( and time is of the essence )." If you ’ ve enjoyed a show at Martyrs ' or you believe in their mission of giving upand-coming bands a place to perform . Give what you can at gofundme . com / a-community-barn-raising .
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illinoisentertainer . com august 2018