Sat 1/19 The Blow headlines Break the Chains @Bella Luna Restaurant and Milky Way Lounge 9pm 21+ $ome Cost

As we all continue to read the daily headlines and navigate the surreal present, the need to search for reprieves from the day to day drudgery of our social and political situation becomes all the more prescient. For me, that escape has often been music and for many more, one event jumps out in particular as an opportunity to mentally recuse ourselves from reality. Break the Chains is a recurring night highlighting women, femmes, queers, trans, non-binary, and more folks who are unfortunately still too often left out of the ebb and flow of both the above and underground music scenes. Activist, musician, performer and all around Renaissance individual Evan Greer books and runs these often dance centric parties providing a truly safe and welcoming space. They bring top shelf headliners to perform alongside locals making up an always eclectic conglomerate of sounds, words, and visual expression. January sees the event at the Milky Way with fabulous electro-pop duo The Blow. With a prolific output of records you can barely count on two hands over the last 15+ years including releases on Calvin Johnson’s K-Records, the catchy bass driven music with faint echoes of their twee forbearers soundtracks your middle school mindscape. Songs about love, life, loss, and all the things that fill the void inside us all pour out of singer Khaela Maricich with a vulnerable sense of honesty that resonates with any listener. It’s relevant, relatable, and often invokes dancing. So if you’re like me and are in search for the next bright light to guide you through the dark, short days ahead, look no further.