Quick Access
Welcome to our Fourth Annual Porchfest!
Spend this afternoon strolling through Buena Park and enjoying live music from porches, courtyards, and gardens while connecting with our wonderful community.
Scheduling
Plan ahead! Take a look at our performance schedule and band bios to plan out your day based on the musical acts you want to see.
PorchFest Etiquette
Feel free to bring any portable/fold-out lawn chairs with you so you can relax while enjoying PorchFest performances. Please ensure you are not blocking any roads or vehicles. You are welcome to pack food and beverages, but we ask that you refrain from using glass bottles. Please dispose of your trash appropriately to keep Buena Park looking clean and beautiful.
Food & Drink
Need to secure some snacks for today? Why not swing by North Buena Deli, Clarendon Food Wine & Spirits, GNS Market, BoJono’s Express, or New York Food Mark & Deli?
Looking to grab dinner after PorchFest? Consider stopping by one of our local Buena Park establishments like The Reservoir, Bar on Buena, Michael’s Pizza.
Tipping
If you love what you hear today, show our musicians some love by tipping using this link. Donations to this “tip jar” go directly to the our PorchFest performers.
Tap any of the porch addresses below to see set details
1 • 4039 N Kenmore Ave
Mikaela Sullivan 1-1:45pm
Chicago-based performing artist, songwriter, and creative.
Bob Leininger 2:15-3pm
Acoustic folk playing guitar and singing covers.
Napoleon Tabion 3:30-4:15pm
Blues, jazz, and roots music playing a mix of originals & covers.
Matt Augustine 4:45-5:30pm
2 • 4055 N Kenmore Ave Ginko Gardens
Ian McKinley 1-1:45pm
Lyric-driven country-folk is flavored with dust and sweetened twang
Andrea Dirkes 2:15-3pm
Folk, with alt country, punk, and indie-rock influences
3 • 4124 N Kenmore Ave
Jacob Revels 1-1:45pm
Indie-pop gems filled with dramatic choruses and catchy hooks.
Sue Fink 2:15-3pm
Folk with a hint of jazz and a large dollop of humor, playing a mix of originals & covers.
Müsila 3:30-4:15pm
Bluesy, folksy, raspy, third-world drivel.
Val Leventhal and Patrick Reninger 4:45-5:30pm
An eclectic mix of original folk, alternative, country, blues, and more.
4 • 929 W Buena Ave Uptown Public Library
OBSIDIAN 1-1:45pm
Chicago’s very own pop punk vampire.
DOWNSTAIRS 2:15-3pm
Sungrazer 3:30-4:15pm
5 • 4220 N Sheridan Rd St. Mary of The Lake
Ducksaliva 3:30-4:15pm
Indie/alt rock playing a mix of originals and covers.
Rizing Deity 4:45-5:30pm
Blend of progressive rock, jazz fusion, and African and Caribbean folk.
6 • 4309 N Kenmore Ave
Big Vic Energy 1-1:45pm
Musician, comedian, and pop-up event producer based in Chicago
Shavon Reznikov - Battle Orchestra 2:15-3pm
Mystic punk folk, playing original songs.
7 • 4325 N Kenmore Ave
Andres Valenzuela 1-1:45pm
Illinois River and Route 66 Ghost Music.
8 • 931 W Cullom Ave
Lunch Break Tigers 1-1:45pm
Hobbyist 2:15-3pm
Chicago experimental electronic-pop duo, post punk beats
9 • 839 W Hutchinson St
Repeat Player 1-1:45pm
2000s alternative rock, with dashes of classic and psychedelic rock, pop punk, funk, and grunge.
Nickolas Kaplan Trio2:15-3pm
Musician • Composer/Arranger • Educator
3rd Sunday String Band3:30-4:15pm
Old Time Appalachian songs, Midwestern fiddle tunes, early country, bluegrass, folk, and rock favorites.
10 • 4322 N Clarendon Ave
Ukulady Lisa 1-1:45pm
Army veteran, singer-songwriter, performer, and music educator with a heart for veteran mental health and music education.
Crocodilerockstar 2:15-3pm
Elton John tribute artist with hand-made costume replicas of Elton’s wilder years.
Daniel Tobin 3:30-4:15pm
Justin Frosch 4:45-5:30pm
Mellow yet fun Pop/Indie/Rock artist, playing a mix or originals & covers.
11 • 740 W Hutchinson St
Red Star Ramblers 1-1:45pm
String band specializing in old time, early country, and Americana.
Jacob on the Moon2:15-3pm
Beachy pop rock
Saint angels 3:30-4:15pm
Pop • Rock • 80s-90s–Now
Paid Vacation 4:45-5:30pm
We’re Chicago-based pop rock band
12 • 700 Irving Park Rd The Paddington
Elysium Nights 1-1:45pm
Mix of pop, indie, r&b, lo-fi, and disco in a signature retro, dreamy sound.
Memory Blvd 2:15-3pm
Spanning 1940s Big Band, 1950s Rock ‘n’ Roll, 1960s British Invasion, and 1970s Classics.
The Chicago Swing Project 3:30-4:15pm
Captivating swing with unique instrumentation for dance
Angry Ankles 4:45-5:30pm
Jazz, swing, and blues tunes, with a focus on the 1930s-1950s
* • Surprise Stage
-To Be Announced-
-To Be Announced-
Want to see more about the performers? Tap below!
Band Bios
3rd Sunday String Band
Andrea Dirkes
Andrea (she/her) is a Chicago based singer-songwriter. Her music is best described as primarily folk, with alt country, punk, and indie-rock influences. With a background in classical guitar, her music features the acoustic and electric guitar and mandolin. She is known for her storytelling and evocative songwriting.
Angry Ankles
Haley LeRand (vocals/guitar), Dov Salkoff (violin), and David Malatesta (bass) are Angry Ankles. They cover a mix of jazz, swing, and blues tunes, with a focus on the 1930s-1950s, and have been playing together since early 2024. They have performed at a variety of small venues and events, such as the Green Mill for the Paper Machete show, The Hideout, and various outdoor events. They especially love playing for swing dancers (and are dancers themselves!) who regularly attend their shows. Haley, Dov, and David have played their instruments since a young age, and have been involved in various music projects.
Big Vic Energy
Musician, comedian, and pop-up event producer based in Chicago
Bob Leininger
Local Buena Park Resident. Acoustic folk playing guitar and singing covers.
The Chicago Swing Project
Crocodilerockstar
Crocodile Rockstar is a high-energy, high-visual-impact Elton John tribute artist who sings and rocks the piano in hand-made replicas of Elton’s original costumes.
He’s performed at venues like Chicago Blues Fest, Wrigley Field (for the Gay Games) and House of Blues, and has been a professional musician much of his life.
Elton is a brilliant artist to tribute because his costumes and music are colorful, fun and appeal to a huge variety of people. The show is great for people of all ages who are always welcome to sing along.
Daniel Tobin
Porchfest Performer
DOWNSTAIRS
BPN Porchfest Performer
Elysium Nights
Elysium Nights is a rising Chicago-based musical duo representing shared passion, creativity, collaboration, and love between music artists Mike Lee and Maddie Hanna. They blend pop, indie, r&b, lo-fi, and disco into their signature retro, dreamy sound. Infusing their chemistry on and off the stage, Elysium Nights provides a unique, authentic listening experience that is unforgettable.
Hobbyist
Ian McKinley
Canadian-born, Chicago-based Ian McKinley is a purveyor of lyric-driven country music, playing story-heavy songs about purpose, love, and regret. As a solo artist, McKinley leans into acoustic folk, drawing comparisons to James Taylor and John Prine. With The Ian McKinley Band, McKinley and bandmates turn up the intensity, adding healthy doses of volume and grit to a base of sweetened twang.
Jacob Revels
Indie-pop gems filled with dramatic choruses and catchy hooks.
Justin Frosch
Mellow yet fun Pop/Indie/Rock artist, playing a mix or originals & covers.
Napoleon Tabion plays blues and roots with a primary focus on the Chicago and Mississippi Delta blues traditions. During his time at DePaul University, Napoleon spent evenings at Chicago’s Blues venues, learning everything he could about the music and tradition. Today, he plays a mixture of originals and arrangements of classic blues and roots music. Napoleon has appeared around town as both a sideman and as a solo act at many of Chicago’s music venues including Reggies, the House of Blues, and the Chicago Blues Festival.
Lisa Mannion
Lisa Mannion, or Ukulady Lisa, is an Army veteran and Chicago songwriter dedicated to healing through music. She’s rated top 25 Illinois Veteran Leaders for traveling with 15 ukuleles and teaching group ukulele classes to veterans and her community. She performs original music, sings the national anthem, and gives away free ukuleles because she believes, “Anybody can play the ukulele!”
Lunch Break Tigers
BPN PorchFest Performer
Matt Augustine
BPN PorchFest Performer
Memory Blvd
Spanning 1940s Big Band, 1950s Rock ‘n’ Roll, 1960s British Invasion, and 1970s Classics.
Mikaela Sullivan
Mikaela is a Chicago-based performing artist, songwriter, and creative hailing from Normal, Illinois.
Past roles include Helen in Fun Home (Madison Street Theater), Lilli Vanessi/Kate in Kiss Me, Kate (Big Noise Theatre), Atropos in String (Towle Theater), Female Ghost in Whisper House and Madeleine in Amour (Black Button Eyes Productions), Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute (West Virginia University), Belinda in Dido and Aeneas (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville), Munkustrap in CATS! (Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts), The May Queen in Merrie England and Lady Psyche in Princess Ida (Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company).
In addition to writing her own music and performing her “sad little songs” at open mics on the north side of Chicago, she frequently collaborates with electronic composer Cody Kauhl. She premiered Kauhl’s Excursus – Three Art Songs for Soprano and Flexible Media in 2014, and they released their first indie/electronic EP under the name Catherinette in 2017.
Mikaela is a proud Mortified Chicago alum and can be heard playing original songs from her angsty teenage years in her cabaret, “They’ll Be Sorry When I’m Famous.”
Müsila
Napoleon Tabion
Napoleon Tabion plays blues and roots with a primary focus on the Chicago and Mississippi Delta blues traditions. During his time at DePaul University, Napoleon spent evenings at Chicago’s Blues venues, learning everything he could about the music and tradition. Today, he plays a mixture of originals and arrangements of classic blues and roots music. Napoleon has appeared around town as both a sideman and as a solo act at many of Chicago’s music venues including Reggies, the House of Blues, and the Chicago Blues Festival.
Nickolas Kaplan Trio
Musician • Composer/Arranger • Educator
OBSIDIAN
Red Star Ramblers
Red Star Ramblers are a Chicago based string band specializing in Old Time, Early Country, Americana, and Originals. With a repertoire spanning The Carter Family, to Hank Williams, to modern greats like Steve Earle, Red Star Ramblers deliver an authentic and unforgettable musical experience that resonates with audiences of all ages.
Repeat Player
Repeat Player is a Chicago-based indie band with a genre-bending sound we like to call “cathartic angst.” With lyrics reflecting on mental health struggles, ongoing historical oppression, and the rise in authoritarianism, our music embodies the phrase, “the personal is political.”
Our music is strongly influenced by 2000s alternative rock, with dashes of classic and psychedelic rock, pop punk, funk, and grunge.
We are in the process of recording our first EP, with our first single releasing in May. While we mostly play original music, we sprinkle in a cover here and there.
Rizing Deity
Saint angels
Pop • Rock • 80s-90s–Now
Shavon Reznikov - Battle Orchestra
Shavon Reznikov is sometimes a person, sometimes a band with an always changing but consistent lineup that plays Mystic Punk with Metamodernista sensibilities and a Hofi agenda . We’re based in Chicago, and have been active since 2020, although the “project” has some continuity with Shavon and Mathew Small’s old band, .
Shavon the person is originally from St.Petersberg, Russia. Although the rest of the band of the band is from Skokie.
Sue Fink
Chicago-based singer-songwriter Sue Fink has been enchanting audiences since 2001 with her whimsical perspective on the world. She is a witty social commentator and perceptive observer of the human condition. Her genre, which she calls “urban campfire cabaret,” is folk with a hint of jazz, a large dollop of humor, and a drop of sadness for good measure: think Christine Lavin, with a dash of Rickie Lee Jones, Melanie, and Nellie McKay.
Sungrazer
BPN PorchFest Performer
Thank you,
neighbors!
Donate
If you loved this event and want to see more great events continue to be put on in and around Buena Park, please consider making a donation to us HERE
Join The Buena Park Neighbors Association
Learn more about becoming a member of our BPN Association HERE.
Upcoming Events
Check out everything that’s happening in Buena Park at our events calendar HERE