November 10,2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SMART BAR NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH FEATURES ALL CHICAGO DJ LINEUP

For more information, please contact:

Jenny Lizak @ Metro/Smart Bar: 773.549.4140 ext. 212 / jenny@metrochicago.com

SMART BAR NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH FEATURES ALL CHICAGO DJ LINEUP

New Year’s Eve 2009 at Smart Bar will cap off a fantastic year of DJs with a hometown celebration featuring an all Chicago DJ lineup including Chris Santiago, The Hood Internet, John Patterson, Sassmouth, Bald E. and Nate Manic. A night of excellent music, great Chicago DJs, and affordable ticket options, the Smart Bar New Year’s Eve Bash promises to be one of the hottest tickets of the year. Tickets will go on sale this Saturday, November 14, at noon at the Metro Box Office and online at smartbarchicago.com.

Headlining the evening is one of Smart Bar’s most beloved resident DJs, Santiago. Chris Santiago began working his way up the Chicago's nightlife hierarchy in 2000. Within one year of DJ-ing live gigs, he secured a Friday night residency at Zentra Nightclub's House Arrest and held the residency for seven years. In addition to his work as a DJ, Santiago is a talented producer. Since teaming up with Tim Bushido in 2001, he has released numerous EP’s and remixes under the moniker Santiago and Bushido on some of the most well respected labels around including Potty Mouth, Om, and Ultra. In addition to belting out club tracks earning them critical moxie in Chicago and beyond, Santiago and Bushido were involved with Chicago native Colette's 2007 artist album Push for Om Records. The duo's For What EP on Potty Mouth Music was released to critical praise and support from DJs across the globe including Switch, Jesse Rose, and Johnny Fiasco. The two longtime friends were Beatport’s most downloaded artist in January 2008 and released their Potty Mouth label debut, Santiago & Bushido vs. DJ Fame For The People, last year. In addition to spreading their unique blend of tech-tinged house beats and killer remixes across the globe, including tours in the U.K. and Australia, they also worked with Colette on the Make Me Feel EP, as well as a remix, Thirst, released this summer.

In an age of immediacy, The Hood Internet gives the people what they want on a daily basis — even if they don’t know they want it yet. Marauding the pop, rap and R&B landscapes like laptop-armed alchemists, DJs STV SLV and ABX (Steve Reidell and Aaron Brink) drop the unlikeliest elements into their pot and make gold—— from Dirty South rap to Canadian indie rock to “French Touch” electro to pretty much whatever else you got. Longtime collaborators and occasional rivals STV SLV and ABX first “met” on the internet, downloading each other’s songs and taking occasional shots at each other on wax before joining friends to start Chicago art-pop band May or May Not. The pair staked out www.thehoodinternet.com in spring 2007 and started cooking up full song mash-ups complete with Photoshopped glossies for each title. When the rest of the internet heard what was going on in the hood, the phone got to ringing, and in the past two years The Hood Internet has tore the roof off all over North America, sharing bills with Diplo, the Hold Steady, the Cool Kids, Wu Tang’s GZA, Matt & Kim, Flosstradamus, Blackalicious, RJD2, Kid Sister, and so many more—when not holding it down at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Monolith Festival, SXSW, CMJ and Canadian Music Week. With the world wide web on lock (at a million-plus downloads they’re “internet platinum”) The Hood Internet has racked up over 300 original mash-up tracks, four full-length mixtapes including one devoted entirely to bands and rappers from the Hood’s home base of Chicago, some straight-up remixes for bands like Blitzen Trapper, The Rosebuds and El Perro Del Mar, a 10-track collaboration with Bay Area rappers/Vans aficionados The Pack, and a 7-song EP melding raps from Aesop Rock and cohorts with the aural wizardry of Black Moth Super Rainbow’s Tobacco. Plus, there are few people who can get your feet moving like these guys!

John Patterson began his foray into spinning records in 1996 while a student at the University of Illinois, DJing at several bars and small parties in college. A long time fan of 80s synth-pop and hip-hop, John quickly developed an ear and appreciation for different forms of electronic music. It was only when he graduated from school, moved to Chicago, that all boundaries dissolved and he was able to truly refine his skills, obtaining his first pair of turntables in 1998. As he began his true ascension into DJing, John experimented with several styles of electronic music, constantly searching for the elements that would help him define a unique and personal sound. Over the next two years, John continued to hone his skills and began to gravitate largely towards only spinning techno. By 2000, John was a resident DJ for Koncept and began spinning at well-known Chicago clubs including Crobar, Moonshine, RedNoFive, Smart Bar, Sonotheque, Sound Bar, Spy Bar, Vision and Zentra, as well as opening for local and international talents such as Joey Beltram, Adam Beyer, Cajmere, Mike Dearborn, Richie Hawtin, Laurent Garnier, Richie Hawtin, Derrick May, Michael Mayer, Jeff Mills, Superpitcher and more. He continues to help pace the growing, local techno movement in Chicago with his three-turntable sets. These sets showcase his ability to move effortlessly in and out of various musical styles, which is further accentuated by his seamless mixing style, focused on Eqing, trickery, and holding mixes for extended periods of time. His sound clearly reflects the broad spectrum of music to which he was exposed as he refined his Djing skills, and the bleeding edge of the larger, global techno movement.

Sassmouth settled in Chicago from San Francisco via New York City in 2000 where she rapidly reoriented her life to the weekly rhythm of electronic dance music culture. Using her musical training and diverse experience performing live as both a member of string quartets and punk bands, she aggressively attacked the techno question throughout the first decade of the millennium. Sam’s DJ sets reflect her love of dialectics, a tribute to her early explorations into musical yin and yang. Stripped down sounds mutate into jacking funky house, punchy techno, and beautiful sub bass lines and melodies. Samantha performed regularly throughout the U.S., promoted a variety of underground and club events in her home town, and built a friendly and supportive online home for the electronic dance music community with her website naughtybadfun.org. Now working out of her creative base in London, she regularly contributes original tracks and remixes to projects for the Detroit-based label Hej Records while continuing to play dates in the Americas and Europe. Sassmouth, always the social being, is currently working on musical joint efforts with Jason Dunlap of Chicago, djing back to back with the Punisher of Detroit, and as 'Pimpi Vampi' with Chilean partner in crime, Ivan Stipicic.

Bald E., also known as Chris Baronner, began Djing over six years ago, when he and Mother Hubbard founded the highly successful Life During Wartime dance parties at Chicago’s Hideout. Inspired by a love of music and desire to see indie kids dancing, Bald E. has refined his skills over the years, branching out as a member with the Chicago DJ, production and design collective Only Children, as well as partnering with STV SLV on the seasonal smooth music party Stay Smooth. Having opened for such esteemed acts as Switch, A-Trak, Basement Jaxx, MSTRKRFT, Treasure Fingers and Soulwax, Bald E. continues to embrace and blend numerous genres into a wonderful world for all.

Starting out the night is Nate Manic, also known as Smart Bar’s new talent buyer Nate Seider. A Wisconsin native, Nate began DJing in 1997 while attending the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he had a full music scholarship to study voice. He started at Cardinal Dance club, opening for Minneapolis techno artist Woody McBride, and was quickly hooked. As his interest in DJing grew, so did his talent, and Nate was soon receiving attention from local promoters, national DJs and local hip hop artists with whom he supplied instrumentals. After enjoying success in his college town, Nate set his sights on the city of Chicago. In 2000, Nate set off for Chicago to further pursue a music career, and was soon booked at a variety of clubs including Crobar, Zentra, Big Wig and what would grow to become his favorite, Smart Bar. He was hired as the Music Director of Wicker Park hangout Moonshine, where he began to assert his musical tastes, booking up and coming local DJs. In 2003 he began to concentrate on more underground communities and along with DJ partner Duke Shin, achieved notoriety within the Burner community around the Midwest. In 2006, Nate founded Bad Advice Inc, a record label specializing in House, Tech House and Techno music. The label features production work not only from local legends Derrick Carter, Angel Alanis and Gene Farris, but also international talent including Full Phat, HeavyFeet and Cheap As Chimps. In October, he joined the Metro / Smart Bar team as the Smart Bar talent buyer.

In addition to an amazing lineup of Chicago DJs, the New Year’s Eve bash will offer a variety of ticket packages to fit every budget. Basic general admission tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the show. Reserved seating tickets, which include admission for one, a reserved seat, six drinks and a gift bag, are $75 and available in advance only. A limited number of VIP Table Packages, which include admission for four people, reserved VIP table seating next to the DJ booth, six drinks per person, one bottle of champagne, and four gift bags, are available for $400 for the package in advance only. Tickets are on sale this Saturday November 14 at noon at the Metro Box Office or at smartbarchicago.com.

Thursday, December 31:

Smart Bar's New Year's Eve Bash, featuring…

CHRIS SANTIAGO * THE HOOD INTERNET * JOHN PATTERSON * SASSMOUTH * BALD E. * NATE MANIC

General Admission: $25 advance, $30 day of show; Reserved Seating: $75 advance only; VIP Table Packages $400 per package, advance only / 21 & over / Doors: 9PM / Show: 9PM

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT:

Metro/Smart Bar Box Office in the Official Metro Store (no service fee)

Smart Bar website www.smartbarchicago.com

About Smart Bar

Smart Bar is Chicago’s independent nightclub, celebrating over 25 years of showcasing new and exciting dance music and the most cutting edge DJ’s from around the globe. Smart Bar is located in the lower level of Metro, Chicago’s premier independent music venue, at 3730 North Clark Street. For more information call 773-549-0203 or visit www.smartbarchicago.com