$15 adv / $20 at the door (advance sales until 3pm day of show, then available at the door). Doors at 6:30pm, showtime 7:30pm. ALL AGES! General Admission ticket includes a combination of limited seating and standing room. Seating is first come first serve. Tickets are nonrefundable.

MATTHEW SKOLLER

MATTHEW SKOLLER is one of Chicago’s most respected harmonica players and Blues bandleaders. For the past 36 years he has played all of Chicago’s heaviest showcase venues and toured much of the world with his super tight ensembles. Deeply rooted in the tradition of the Chicago blues elders with whom he worked and studied, Skoller has developed a unique style that conjures the past while being firmly planted in the present. His songs explore many of the issues and realities of life during this age of technology, information and horrific upheaval. Skoller, known for his fiery and engaging performances, combines passionate harp playing and singing with original song writing and prodigious production skills. He has self-produced 5 of his own critically acclaimed cds. As a producer he has produced 2 award-winning CDs by Lurrie Bell: Let’s Talk About Love and The Devil Ain’t Got No Music. Skoller penned the title cut of the latter which was nominated for Song of the Year by the Blues Awards in the US. The same album was awarded the Prix Blues by L’Academie du Jazz in Paris, France in 2012. Between 2009 and 2016 Matthew played on four Grammy nominated CDs: Chicago Blues: A Living History and Still I Rise, by Heritage Blues Orchestra, Muddy Waters 100 (Raisin’Music) and Lurrie Bell’s Can’t Shake This Feeling (Delmark 2016)

Matthew collaborated with his brother Larry Skoller (producer) on the Grammy nominated, historical project, Chicago Blues A living History and co-produced and played on volume two The (R)evolution Continues which won Traditional Album of the Year at the Blues Awards in 2012. He lent his production experience, deep knowledge of Chicago Blues history, and his harmonica to this project that is now being hailed by critics as one of the greatest Chicago Blues events of our time.

In 2016 Matthew released his Blues Immigrant CD the title cut of which was nominated for Blues Song of the Year by The Blues Awards.

Matthew has played in Mali, Mauritania, Tunisia, Camaroon, asked to be a featured guest with Lurrie Bell at The Japan Blues Festival in Aomori Japan in 2012, only to be asked back in 2013 to headline the same festival with his own group! Matthew has been invited to perform twice at the Residence of the U.S. Ambassador to France in Paris. As well as playing the world renown Montreux Jazz Festival in 2012 and many other festivals throughout Europe and the US.

2013 Matthew was asked by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events to produce, organize and perform for the grand finale of the Chicago Blues Festival. Skoller’s theme was Old School, New Millennium. His mentor James Cotton headlined this star-studded event which was acclaimed as one of the best all-star events in recent Chicago Blues Festival history.

When not on tour Matthew and his group can be seen live in Chicago at many venues including Buddy Guys Legends who has been employing Matthew since their club opened in 1989. 33 years and counting! Matthew has emerged as one of Chicago’s most accomplished blues-based artists.

In 2018 Matthew was hired as the Program Director for the Logan Center Bluesfest by the University of Chicago. He continues to curate Blues programming for The Logan Center for the Arts.

Harrell ‘Young Rell’ Davenport

How does a 18-year-old kid raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi play his first gig in Chicago and wind up with 165,000 views and 4,000 shares of his performance on Facebook? Well, if you are Harrell ‘Young Rell’ Davenport, who started playing harmonica and guitar at seven years, the answer is easy: he is a rising star in the blues world.

A dexterous and inventive guitarist and a fat-toned harmonica phenom, Young Rell is already a commanding vocalist and a poetic and poignant songwriter. Whether he is accompanying himself on guitar while playing harmonica on a rack and singing, or alternating between guitar and harmonica with an ensemble, Young Rell sings his songs with sincerity and without a hint of affectation, working the stage with the poise and charisma of a veteran performer.

A prolific and engaging presence on social media, Young Rell has created a global community of fans and followers who have not only praised his talent but engaged enthusiastically with him on the subject of musicianship, musical instruments and past generations of famous and obscure blues inspirations.

As a child, Rell navigated personal struggles and trauma by immersing himself in music that was born in response to oppression and hardship. He found solace studying and expressing himself in the blues.

His community building and graceful social interaction have landed him relationships and experiences with the greatest blues artists alive today. He has been championed by Billy Branch, Kingfish Ingram, Bob Margolin, Bernard Allison and many others. He has already performed at the Notodden Blues Festival, King Biscuit Blues Festival, both of Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Clubs in Mississippi, Red’s Juke Joint in Clarksdale, and many more. He has also been nominated twice by Blues Blast Magazine for the Sean Costello Rising Star Award (2024 & 2025) and once by SPAH for the Bernie Bray Harmonica Player of The Year Award (2025).