Celebrate Go Skateboarding Day on the (fantasy) gig poster of the weekSalem Collo-Julinon May 6, 2020 at 5:30 pm

We’re excited to bring you another fantasy gig poster this week, honoring musician and professional skateboarder Tommy Guerrero. Skateboarding is conducive to social distancing, as sports go, and it reminds us that summer can still offer good times even if live music is on hold.

Local artist Erik Sanchez made a poster advertising a Guerrero solo show at the Empty Bottle (fast becoming a popular venue for fantasy gigs) on June 21, 2020, which is in real life Go Skateboarding Day, an annual holiday christened by the International Association of Skateboard Companies in 2004. Guerrero is a legendary street skater from San Francisco who got famous in the 80s riding with the Powell Peralta company’s professional team, the Bones Brigade. In the 90s he shifted his energy toward making music, and after stints in the bands Free Beer and Jet Black Crayon he started releasing indie rock under his own name.

“I had the pleasure of meeting him this year in Sacramento while playing a show. His tours have mainly been in Europe and Asia, so I asked him if he ever considered playing in Chicago, more specifically the Empty Bottle,” Sanchez says. “I am such a fan of Tommy’s music–I can listen to any of his albums on repeat.” Guerrero doesn’t seem to have played a solo show here (please correct me if I’m wrong), but he’ll definitely have to wait until Illinois is able to open to the public again. Perhaps like-minded skaters can listen to his music on June 21 while they celebrate the sport. Sanchez also encourages everyone to donate to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, an essential nonprofit organization in these precarious times.

The Reader continues to accept submissions of fantasy gig posters to be featured in this column. To participate, please e-mail scollojulin@chicagoreader.com with your name, contact information, and your original design or drawing (you can attach a JPG or PNG file or provide a download link). We won’t be able to publish every submission, but we’ll feature as many as possible while the pandemic continues. Your submission can also include a nonprofit, fundraiser, or action campaign that you’d like to bring to the attention of our readers.

Not everybody can make a fantasy gig poster, of course, but it’s simple and free to take action through the website of the National Independent Venue Association–click here to tell your representatives to save our homegrown music ecosystems. And anybody with a few bucks to spare can support the out-of-work staffers at Chicago’s venues–here’s our list of fundraisers. Lastly, don’t forget record stores! The Reader has published a list of local stores that will let you shop remotely.

ARTIST: Erik Sanchez
FANTASY GIG: Tommy Guerrero at the Empty Bottle on Sun 6/21
ARTIST INFO: etsy.com/shop/ErikBSanchez
NPO TO KNOW: Greater Chicago Food Depository

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