Off the Record at saki

WHAT: Off the Record (music series)
WHERE: saki (3716 W. Fullerton Ave.)
HOSTS: saki, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events

OUR RATING: Do It!

(sakistore.net)

Storefront City ventured to Logan Square for the kickoff to Off the Record, a new monthly music series presented by saki, a record store/art gallery/performance space in Logan Square, and the City of Chicago’s DCASE. The first in the series featured a live performance from Brokeback, hors d’oeuvres from Provenance, beverages from Goose Island, and a DJ set from Thrill Jockey Records.

(sakistore.net)

Founded in 2010, saki is by far one of the cooler venues we’ve visited in the past few months. From the outside it might just look like your average hipster vinyl record store (although, they also sell DVDs, CDs, books and other knick knacks). Inside, the bright and eclectic space beams with energy and attracts discerning clients who know what record they want. The selection is huge and includes modern LPs as well as the more vintage varieties.

Brokeback performs live!

Anyways, back to the music series. Off the Record’s monthly events celebrate a new record, sometimes in advance of its release. During the 2013 season, there will be live performances and sometimes even interactive portions for each event. For the opening of the series, the instrumental rock band Brokeback performed tracks from their new album “Brokeback & the Black Rock,” which is their first release in ten years, and there was even a Q&A with the band and an aforementioned DJ set.

Not good enough for you? How about this: all Off the Record events are free and for all ages. And saki provides a really amazing backdrop with remarkably good acoustics. Right now they have an amazing show going on by Delicious Design League (“Yuck”) with a bunch of their screen-prints hanging up around the store. But this exhibition space is only temporary: Amanda Olbrys’ show “Balance” will be taking its place on the walls on Friday, February 1.

(sakistore.net)

So, can we even really call this a record store? Not really, considering you’ve got a performance space and gallery built in. It’s definitely the new chic when it comes to mixed media spaces–combined art forms are catching on as people realize that using a space in multiple ways has tons of benefits, from cost efficiency to audience sharing.

Definitely head over to their next event. It’s well worth the trek.