A mainstay of the Chicago music scene for more than 20 years including work with seminal bands The Eternals and Trenchmouth, Option welcomes bassist, guitarist, and composer Wayne Montana for a set of original sound making. Come and close out the 2019 Option series with a legendary musician from the city we call home!

As part of our Sun Ra/El Saturn Commissions series, ESS asked Damon Locks (The Eternals) to create a new artwork responding to ESS’s extensive archive of Sun Ra recordings. In lieu of a solo work, he teamed up with writer/performer Terri Kapsalis, The Eternals’ Wayne Montana, and animator Rob Shaw to collaborate on an 18-minute video. Throughout the process, Locks has been working on a new series of related prints that will be on display in ESS’ Audible Gallery through April 4. At the opening of the exhibition of these prints on Saturday February 4th, the video—Noon Moons—will screen at 7:30 and 8:30pm.

We are excited to introduce SummerSonic: a series of three casual parties at ESS, featuring live music in the agarden by some of the most accomplished experimental bands in Chicago, and new video work by filmmaker James Fotopoulos projected in Studio A.