If You Build It ...
WDCB’s Gary Zidek talks to Chicago resident Sergio Castro about building a stage in his front yard.
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“I’ve gotten people walking up to me, telling me this is such a great thing, ‘I really miss live music’. They come every week, I’ve have regulars that show up, and they know what to do, they go out on the grass and spread out a blanket and just chill out.” - Sergio Castro talking about the response he’s received from people coming to check out his front yard concerts.
The stage set-up in Castro’s front yard
There’s not a lot of options for live music right now. Most outdoor concert events have been canceled this summer because of concerns regarding social distancing. Chicago resident Sergio Castro is among the thousands of local music fans missing live music this summer, so he decided to do something about it. He built a stage in his front yard and started inviting local musicians to perform on it.
Danny Bauer and his band playing in front of an apartment building in the Old Town neighborhood
Castro’s skillset makes him uniquely qualified to take on a project like this. By day, Castro is a location manager for local film and TV projects like Chicago Med. He’s also a former musician and woodshop instructor. And Castro already had many of the supplies needed to build a stage in his basement. Once the stage was built, Castro put the call out to some local musicians, including renowned saxophonist Pat Mallinger, that there was an outdoor stage available to play on. Several musicians have responded with interest. Local musician Danny Bauer, who inspired Castro to set-up the stage, has performed at the Logan Square front yard several times. Brazilian guitarist Luciano Antonio took the stage on Sunday June 26. A group called The Hat Stretchers are set to perform there on Saturday August 1.
Sergio Castro standing in his front yard in the spot where he erects a stage every weekend
You can find out more information about Castro’s front yard music venue and see who will be playing in upcoming weeks at the Live on Logan facebook page (click here). People who come to watch the music are encouraged to socially distance themselves and take proper safety precautions.
The front of Castro’s house at 2653 W. Logan Blvd.
