🎸🎷 Golden Hour @Epiphany Center: FREE Blues, DJ Grooves & Art Adventures! 🎨

🎶🎷 Golden Hour @Epiphany Center: FREE Blues, DJ Grooves & Art Adventures! 🎨

🎶 Free Blues Friday @ Epiphany Center for the Arts in the West Loop! 🎸

We had such a great time last year, we’re heading back for more! Let’s enjoy a relaxed Friday evening at the Epiphany Center for the Arts, exploring live music, art exhibits, and their cozy café bar.

📅 Friday, November 14, 2025
🕕 6:00–10:00 PM
📍 Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave
🎟️ Free Admission — Registration Required
👉 Register here for DJ & Golden Hour: https://epiphanychi.com/events/golden-hour-featuring-julio-bishop-11-14/
👉 Register here for Free Friday Blues show: https://epiphanychi.com/events/live-on-the-lawn-featuring-smiley-tillmon-band-with-kate-moss-11-14/

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✨ Event Lineup:
🎧 Live DJ Sets from Julio Bishop — 5 PM–8 PM (FREE!)
🎸 Free Blues Friday featuring Smiley Tillmon Band with Kate Moss — 7:30 PM
(Performance will be outside in the Courtyard or in the spacious Epiphany Hall — weather dependent.)

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🍷 Golden Hour Happy Hour Specials (5–7 PM)

• SELECT ½-price bottles of house wine
• SELECT $4 craft beers
• SOME 2-for-1 “Lite Bites”
  (Outside in the courtyard or inside café/Sanctuary if it’s too cold)

If you can’t arrive until after 6 PM, no problem — we’ll grab tables early and hang out in the bar/café area to enjoy the DJ, then pop into the galleries to check out the art before heading over to the great hall at 7:30 PM for the blues show! 🎶

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🎧 About Julio Bishop (DJ):
If you were around during Chicago’s underground House Music movement or rave scene in the late ’80s and early ’90s, then you’ll know the name Julio Bishop. Whether from his legendary mix tape “Love Nation” or his iconic Midwest party sets, Bishop has been rocking dance floors since 1987.

Starting as a dancer and DJ in Chicago’s clubs and warehouses, he quickly expanded his influence to NYC, LA, Miami, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Germany, and Sicily — bringing deep, soulful grooves wherever he spins.
Known for his mastery of Afro-Latin, Jazz, Disco, Electronica, Club & Deep House, Bishop’s sets transport listeners beyond the ordinary. In the 2000s, he co-founded RealDEEP Recordings with Brian Cullen (aka Bjak), producing on labels like Deep Explorer Music (Madrid) and Eargasmic Recordings (Chicago).

With upcoming gigs across the U.S. and abroad, Julio Bishop remains a true house music veteran — a Chicago original still setting the vibe three decades strong.

https://www.instagram.com/badmixxbishop/

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🎸 About the Smiley Tillmon Band (with Kate Moss):
One of the busiest and most beloved blues bands in Chicagoland, the Smiley Tillmon Band is pure joy on stage. Led by veteran guitarist Smiley Tillmon, the band serves up high-energy blues and soul classics that keep crowds smiling from ear to ear.

Born Moses Tillmon in rural Georgia, Smiley’s musical journey began with gospel and country, later infused with Caribbean rhythms after moving to Florida. By the early 1960s, he was performing with Miami R&B acts before moving to Chicago, where he became a fixture on the South Side blues scene, playing with greats like Billy “The Kid” Emerson and Denise LaSalle.

After retiring from his day job in 2007, Smiley returned full time to the stage — teaming up with bassist Tom Rezetko, drummer George Baumann, and guitarist Kate Moss (whose powerful, Freddie King–inspired style and collaborations with Buddy Guy and Nick Moss make her a standout performer). Together, they form one of Chicago’s toughest blues combos.

🪶 “Smiley knows how to have a good time — and makes sure his audience does too.” — Bill Dahl

https://www.smileytillmonband.com/

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🎨 Current Art Exhibits:

• Melissa Weber – Ode to Common Things (Barcelona Room)
• Laurie LeBreton – Insisting and Maintaining (Slemmons Gallery)
• Margot McMahon – Ring of Fire: Friends, Reefs, and Bouncing Back (Guild Room)
• Laurie Buman – Santos y Milagros (Saints & Miracles)
• The Light Within the Darkness Series (Sacristy Gallery)
• Marianne Lovink – Counterweight (Catacombs Gallery)

🖼️ More info: https://epiphanychi.com
☕ Café Bar & Menu: https://epiphanychi.com/cafe-bar-menu/

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🏛️ About the Venue:
The historic Church of the Epiphany has been beautifully preserved and transformed into a 42,000 sq. ft. arts campus dedicated “For the Good of Art, Entertainment, and Events.”

Conceived with the vision of returning Epiphany to a gathering place for the community, the once-shuttered church has been thoughtfully adapted into an iconic cultural hub in the West Loop. The campus features three distinct venues, multiple art studios, classrooms, exhibit and gallery spaces, a café, commercial and catering kitchen, VIP suite, and a collection of artistically designed outdoor spaces — including a charming quarter-acre courtyard, spacious terrace, and stunning patio.

The property was acquired and lovingly restored by David Chase and Kimberly Rachal, who were married at the Church of the Epiphany 23 years ago. Together, they’ve invested $15 million to preserve its architectural legacy and reimagine it as a vibrant destination for art, culture, and community in Chicago’s West Loop.

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🚗 Getting There:

• CTA Trip Planner: https://www.transitchicago.com/planatrip/
• Parking: Metered street parking on Ashland & Adams + limited free spots on side streets (watch for signs).

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⚠️ Please keep your RSVP up to date and don’t be a no-show!