It was great to get out on a Friday. There is a 100% chance my wife and I will be together on a Friday, but when a cameo from the oldest child happens, well then you got a party. We were guests of Anna Fermin to sit in on the Happy Hour Show featuring Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel. The show took place at the new Public Craft Brewing and being our first time in the new place, everyone is pretty impressed. Anna’s show was lights out! If you have never seen or heard Anna Fermin’s Trigger Gospel, you need to…immediately. A KTown local who has become an international favorite and a well respected Chicago artist, Anna’s skills are equaled only by her humility and her sense of purpose in this world. Her band is made up of long-tenured, professional musicians that have played together long enough to deliver a polished sound.
It had been a minute since I had seen Anna live and during the show, I leaned in to tell her husband Wally how much her voice had evolved and matured. Mind you, I know nothing about the details of singing…I just know what I hear. In my head she had gone from “voice like an angel” to “voice like an angel..that can kick your ass”. After the show, I was talking to Michael, her long-time friend and outstanding bassist, and I mentioned I thought that show was a cross between BB King, Loretta Lynn, Bob Dylan, and Beth Hart. There was a Gibson Les Paul, an electric steel slide-guitar, some classic rock piano followed up with a squeeze box, and the drums and bass on the low-end just groovin’. I can’t explain it, I just know it is good.
And then we strolled across the street to Gold Standard Social Club to see Courtney Burrell. A world-class tattoo artist, Court and his wife Jill have become a power couple in KTown, while raising a great family and remaining true to themselves. Getting older by the day kinda sucks, but seeing people that have blessed your lives, continue to grow and thrive is a pretty excellent byproduct of aging. Gold Standard and Jill’s business, Textures RX, have become staples of the community and the quality of those businesses are direct reflections of the quality of people that own them. Funny thing is, Anna, Court, and myself, all crossed paths in a serendipitous circumstance almost 20 years ago now that had nothing to do with either one of these artist’s fields of expertise. It all comes full circle.
It was a great date night. And having our oldest daughter there was icing on the cake. One can and should travel the world seeking beautiful art. There is good everywhere around us. There is beauty everywhere around us. One of the great things about KTown is you can just roll downtown and see amazing art almost all of the time. And for my money, two of the great artists with deep local ties are Anna and Court. And for me and my family to be able to spend the evening with both of these two rare talents was special. Make it a great summer…eat good…laugh often…enjoy the arts…maybe have a drink or two.
