One of the best things about Chicago is the fabulous street performers.  You can find them sharing the gift of music all year long but there is an excitement in the air as the weather warms up and they come out of the train stations and spill onto the streets.  It’s truly the music in the summer that I believe electrifies the city.

There are many days that I will leave for work early or walk out of my way to see if my favorite guitar player or drummer is playing in their usual spot.  I love taking time out to show my appreciation for their gift.  I stumbled upon an amazing article in the Chicago Reader last week that introduced me to a not for profit organization supporting the street performers in the city.  The website www.chicagostreetmusicians.org launched a year and half ago and is gaining recognition quickly.  It is run by commuter, Gabriel Chapman, a musician himself, who started CSM to raise awareness of the performers talent and get them some club gigs.  Chapman’s story alone has been inspirational to me but the message he is trying to spread is larger than life.  This campaign launched with a showcase video featuring 16 musicians, most notably is likely to be singer Crystal Bowersox (prior to her audition at American Idol she was sharing her talent freely on our city streets).  This video shows everything that is unique and beautiful about this city.

Watching the street performers as a kid is one of my first memories of the big city and it is such a big part of how I fell in love with Chicago and why I live here today.  Tonight many dreams are coming true at House of Blues Chicago.  You can catch the talented street performers playing on stage live at their first ever “Street Home Chicago” concert.  Tickets are 10 bucks and the show starts at 9:30.  This is a great organization to support, hopefully they get a good crowd, they deserve it.