Jefferson Park Forward Community Stage at Jeff Fest on July 29-31 to feature array of local talent: Invisible Cartoons, Fury, Sheep Numbers & much more

JEFFERSON PARK FORWARD Community Stage Lineup
Higgins & Linder avenues in Jefferson Memorial Park
$7 admission.  The JPF Community Stage features a wide array of local talent.
Friday, July 29:

6:30 – Poppa-Da-Poppa-Da-Pop (Sen. Rob Martwick and Friends)
7:45 – Invisible Cartoons
9:00 – Fury

Saturday, July 30:

5:00 – Belleisle
6:30 – Sheep Numbers
7:45 – Rum Velvet
9:00 – The Love of Ppl

Sunday, July 31:

2 p.m. – Chicago Ballet Center
3:15 p.m. – Chicago Music & Acting Academy
4:30 p.m.—Jefferson Park Songwriters Group

Poppa-Da-Poppa-Da-Pop: 6:30 pm Friday. A five-piece rock bandinfluenced by R&B and classic rock, featuring the Senator of Strum Rob Martwick, State Senator for Illinois 10th District, along with a cast of veteran musicians connected to the Chicago and Champaign-Urbana music scenes.

Invisible Cartoons: 7:45 pm Friday. A high energy rock band that loves blending catchy melodies, bounce-inducing beats, spine-tingling keytar riffs and lots of dancing to make audiences smile.

Fury:  9 pm Friday. A Chicago based rapper whose moniker stands for Finally Understanding the Real You. Fury has taken her ability to mix powerful lyricismwith socially conscious themes to become a force in her community. Her recent work has focused on the revitalization of Chicago’s West Side. Her latest project FURY REVOLUTION will document howher community activism and musicare coming together to make an inviting creative scene for Black and Brown people in underserved communities.

Belleisle:  5:15 pm Saturday. With resonant vocals, acoustic guitars, and haunting strings, Belleisle’s wistful original compositions evoke the dusty barrooms and outlaw heroes of the Old West.

Sheep Numbers: 6:30 pm Saturday. Channeling British Invasion bands of the ’60s, lo-fi rock of the ’80s and ’90s, and the 2000s indie rock that was popular during the formative years of the band’s members, Chicago-based Sheep Numbers came to lifewhen songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mike Martello took a job dog sitting for three weeks and challenged himself to record an album using what was on hand:an acoustic guitar, a microkorg, and an empty Christmas tree box for percussion. The resulting album was full of fun, ramshackle pop/rock nuggets, and from this seed, Sheep Numbers was born.

Rum Velvet: 7:45 pm Saturday. A brass band inspired by early American jazz and musical traditions from West Africa, Eastern Europe, India, and other far off lands. They put their own spin on the classic jazz format, with a unique mix of covers and original songs that have entranced audiences and critics for years. Added to this are some outlandish tales (which may or may not be true) which all add up to some fun, style, and great cocktail jazz.

The Love of Ppl: 9 pm Saturday. Combining the voices of three distinctly different musical talents, TheLoveofPpl. are contemporary neo-soul at its finest. Made up of vocalists Blake Davis, AnaiAkuei, and producer Blank Face Villain, TheLoveofPpl. are as forward-thinking as they are retro-reminiscent, a daring combo of old and new that is sure to find a sweet spot in the heart of any R&B-heads. Amid the chaos, disappointment and uncertainty of 2020, the trio found solace in their shared affinity for clean production, poignant vocals, and moments of true collaboration.

Sponsors of the JPF Community Stage include the Gale Street Inn Chicago, Eris Brewery & Cider House, Triple R Gallery, REPCHI, Weston’s Coffee & Tap, Lopp Mathias Law, State Rep. LaPointe, State Senator Martwick. The community stage manager is Adele Nicholas.