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H.O.T.H. at Danny\u2019s, 2016\/Photo: Beau Wanzer<\/p>\n
Weekly party Hot On The Heels (H.O.T.H.) is for the mutants and creatures of the night, according to the party series founder Beau Wanzer. Held on the first Tuesday of the month for twenty years, the day is an odd one for nightlife. It\u2019s the weekday for industry folk to gather for one last celebration before Wednesday starts the weekend prep. It\u2019s also the day weekend revelers might still be spilling into, and a night for corporate reprieve after the grind picks back up. True to its weirdo ethos, the series is free, offering a space for all to gather and let their freak flag fly. The recurring event celebrates its two decade anniversary on May 2\u2014a Saturday for the first time, breaking from its routine for a proper rager.<\/p>\n
Wanzer, a Chicago transplant, is no poser. Since moving to the city, he\u2019s worked in a range of record shops that drove his music production to the experimental and industrial edges. By planting deep roots in Midwest electronic music, he now is a staple of the city\u2019s nu-wave sound. Like most musicians hoping for bookings, Wanzer decided not to wait on others to catch up to the niche, instead organizing an evening for \u201cme and friends to bring our strange records and geek out about music for a couple hours,\u201d he explains. The night was a hit.<\/p>\n
After twenty years, 230 H.O.T.H. parties and over 600 performances, the foundation of the show comes from tapping musicians from a plethora of backgrounds, opting for those who are on the fringes of the mainstream. The shows are still a place for Wanzer to explore his own practice too, as he usually opens and closes the event. By taking the slots usually reserved for beginners, he not only better platforms the artists he books, but can expertly set the trajectory of the party and tie it back up in a bow. The usual format includes both DJs and live acts, and allows each the freedom to play whatever their heart desires, which is an important tenet of music that skews toward noise.<\/p>\n
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H.O.T.H.\/Artwork: Beau Wanzer<\/p>\n
Sometimes, a fire alarm set off by the fog machine is mistaken for part of the set, as in a recent Anti-Soul Organization performance. Or a perturbed audience member, not expecting an alternative night, might yell \u201cthis is the worst music I\u2019ve ever heard\u201d and throw beer on the artists, as during Orphan Schlitz\u2019s set. Regardless of what happens, H.O.T.H. will go on, whether that means holding up a collapsed table or finding a new venue, as when the series outlasted the beloved bar Danny\u2019s, which originally hosted it. Wanzer says he won\u2019t stop but \u201cjust keep doing it until I can\u2019t do it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
The series is now housed at the California Clipper and continues to be a blast, finding support over the years from many corners of Chicago\u2019s under- and above-ground music scenes. The original tag line, \u201can evening of uncomfortable music,\u201d has not been lost. It\u2019s in that discomfort, with the parties\u2019 wild lineups and their expert containment and release, which can still produce warm, fuzzy feelings. By the end of the night, H.O.T.H. parties spawn a reverence for life, however silly or chaotic it might be.<\/p>\n
Wanzer\u2019s closing track at two recent iterations is one example\u2014a children\u2019s chorus performs a rendition of Petula Clark\u2019s \u201cDowntown,\u201d where their angelic voices stumble and bump into each other, shouting \u201cWe can forget all our troubles, forget all our cares \/ So go downtown \/ Things will be great when you\u2019re downtown \/ Don\u2019t wait a minute more, downtown \/ Everything is waiting for you, downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n