Chicago’s 20 Most Hard-working Musicians in 2023
Can you believe 2023 is over????
Well, it is, and the best way to celebrate the new year is by giving props where props is due. I have the lucky task of seeing what musicians are playing Chicago week in and week out, and I came up with a list of 20 emerging artists this year that have hustled both on and off the stage. Whether playing live EVERY SINGLE WEEK, creating innovative and unique residencies, or putting out tons (and I mean tons) of new music, these twenty musicians are busting their ass to prove that Chicago truly is the most hard-working city out there. You’ve probably already seen their names a ton this year, but get to know them a little bit better.
Huge shoutout to all these musicians and every other artist out there with the guts to get on stage and do what they love. And an additional thanks to you, the readers, promotion teams, show-goers, fans, managers, roadies, and EVERYONE else. Live music is important and it would be nothing without you.
Let’s get to it.
1) Ariel Zetina
2023 is the year of Ariel Zetina. She’s everywhere. Club residencies, major festival sets, co-running a party series, playing Boiler Room, and not to mention taking home the Tribune’s Chicagoan of the Year for Pop Music. Take all of the live appearances and mix them with new music and a constant presence in the crowd supporting other musicians, and she easily tops the list.
2) Macie Stewart
You might recognize her from the project FINOM (FKA as OHMME) with collaborator Sima Cunningham or maybe even alongside experimental favorite Lia Kohl, but maybe after this year you just know Macie Stewart by her solo projects. No beginner to the Chicago music scene, with each new appearance at venues like Constellation playing solo or at Epiphany Center for the Arts with a 12-piece orchestral performance, she reinvents herself to something new each time she plays.
3) Anthony Bruno
If you have ever looked through a Show Calendar you’ve seen Anthony Bruno. It’s no small feat to play almost EVERY SINGLE WEEK (sometimes more than once) and not get old. But yet, Anthony Bruno is able to make time to invent different sets for his residencies at jazz favorite venues Andy’s and Dorian’s and even a complete Christmas show at Hideout to end off the year.
4) Pixel Grip
Pixel Grip as a group is already busy enough with putting out new music and playing sold-out shows across the city at venues like Thalia Hall and Metro. Add on lead singer Rita Lukea’s Audiotree hosting gig and producer Jonathan Freund’s discotheque Club Drippy, you’ll have multiple touchpoints into the 2023 Pixel Grip universe.
5) Minor Moon
The first concert I saw this year was Minor Moon at Metro. They were the opening act, but I had heard of them for years and wanted to see them live for the first time. At the show I’d be surprised to hear one of the best-sounding bands I’ve seen in Chicago since moving here, and even more surprised when I purchased the Minor Moon x Co-Op Hot Sauce at the merch table from the frontman Sam Cantor himself. Outside of the hot sauce hobby (and helping partner VV Lightbody make homemade saurkraut), Minor Moon has had multiple residencies at venues like Judson & Moore and Color Club and put out two new singles in October.
6) M.E.H
Multiple new singles with multiple different features mixed with opening, headlining, and festival sets at Cole’s Bar, Schubas, and Avrom Farm Party just to name a few, M.E.H. is easily one of Chicago’s brightest up-and-coming artists. If you haven’t already caught her name on a previous Show Calendar, trust and believe she is only trending higher. Don’t miss the opportunity to be the person who gets to say “I listened to her before she was famous.”
7) Kara Jackson
We all knew Kara Jackson was incredible but somehow it still felt like this year she came out of nowhere and took the entire world by storm. Her debut album “Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?” was named Pitchfork Best New Music and earned Album of the Year from Best Fit among loads more Best Of list features. If it’s not obvious enough that she’s been hitting the ground running with multiple sold-out shows, check out her captivating and unique visuals that accompany her singles, further funneling her into the inevitable stardom we all know she’s on her way to.
8) Derrick Carter
Derrick Carter doesn’t need an introduction. He’s been a part of the world-famous Chicago house scene for years and continues to pioneer that space with the powerhouse dance party QUEEN! held at Smartbar (and Metro sometimes if you’re lucky enough to go to an all-venue night). With new mixtapes out, sets at Fire Island, and his headlining slots into the more dance music-focused venues like Radius, if you ever had a feeling Derrick Carter was slowing down, you were extremely incorrect.
9) Family Junket
If you’ve never heard of Family Junket that’s okay. To be honest, I hadn’t heard of them until later last year when I was helping plan a small music festival. But if you talk to anyone who is anyone in the Chicago music scene, Family Junket is probably one of their favorite Chicago bands right now. With very little music online to stream, the eight-piece relies heavily on their incredible live performances to gain notoriety, so you can imagine how much time, effort, and work is put into making each show better than the following one.
10) Isaiah Collier
A list like this wouldn’t be complete without the mention of Isaiah Collier. If you don’t already know of him from his constant presence on the weekly Show Calendars either as a solo act, with his band The Chosen Few, or on any one of his several other collaborations, then buckle up. A “singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, curator, activist, motivational speaker, and educator”, he is a continued representation of the hustle Chicago is so well-known for.
This write-up is dedicated to Don Crescendo. Featured as number 20, Don is someone who will be memorialized in the Chicago music community by how much dedication and love he brought into every room. The impact he will continue to have on the music industry will live on forever. Rest in power.
Credit to OhMyRockness for the idea.
Listen to the full playlist below.