HankFest 2003 Twangs Into Chicago

2nd Annual HankFest 2003 is Tuesday, Sept. 16, at Schubas Tavern

CHICAGO (PRWEB) August 31, 2003 -- The 2nd Annual HankFest 2003 will celebrate the 80th anniversary of country-western legend Hank Williams Sr.'s birth with a live music party featuring an All-Star band, jambalaya cookoff, songwriting contest and Hank look-alike competition Tuesday, Sept. 16, at Schubas Tavern, 3159 N. Southport Ave.

A $15 donation benefits Inspiration Corporation, a non-profit group helping people exit homelessness by teaching cooking as a vocation.

From 6 p.m. - 8 p.m, some of Chicago's best chefs put their jambalaya skills to the test in a no-holds-barred jambalaya cookoff. Guests will sample all the jambalaya, and see how their picks compare to the votes of the jambalaya judges. Using a blind taste-test, the judges will vote on who gets one year's bragging rights for "Chicago's Best Jambalaya." In the event of a tie, whichever chef belts out the best rendition of Hank's classic hit "Jambalaya" - determined by audience applause - will be declared winner.

Some chefs already scheduled to duke it out are Terry Bell (House of Blues), Mike "El Chef" Niksic (Northside), Danny Beck (Toons), Paul Fehribach (Schubas), with more chefs to be announced.

As for music, it will be "All Hank - All Nite," with tunes provided by an All-Star band. Numerous guest artists include Ruby Harris, the Lonesome Halos, Nite Watch and the Siderunners (more TBA). In all, HankFest 2003 will present nearly 60 Hank Williams selections ranging from signature pieces like "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "I Saw the Light" to underappreciated gems like "Pictures From Life's Other Side" and "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It."

Another musical highlight of the evening will be the announcement of the winner of HankFest 2003's "Ghost Writers In The Sky" (GWITS) Songwriting Contest. Borrowing a page from the annual Hemingway writing competitions (where contestants create new pieces in the style of the great author), GWITS challenges writers to compose an original Williams-flavored song. Deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 5.

The GWITS format and judging process are simple: A Chicago-area panel of industry and non-industry judges will hear new, original songs written in the style of Hank Williams. Songs will be judged according to various guidelines, including sounding the most like a Hank Williams tune, lyrical content and musical quality. From there, the top three songs voted best by the judges will be posted at www.HankFest.com, where online voting by the
general public will decide the winner.

The top songwriter will receive prizes including $100 cash, 12 hours of studio recording time - and the good folks at Chicago-based Bloodshot Records will give the song a good, hard listen for further consideration.

The winner also is expected to perform his or her song during the evening.

Tickets are available online at http://www.Schubas.com or at the door.

About Inspiration Corporation: Inspiration Corporation currently encompasses two agencies: Inspiration Cafe, located in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood, and The Living Room Café in the Woodlawn community on the South Side. Both agencies serve meals in a restaurant-style setting, and provide supportive services designed to help homeless individuals on their journey toward self-sufficiency. For more information, call (773) 878-0981 or visit www.inspirationcorp.org.

About HankFest: HankFest originally began as a house party, hosted by producers Scott Wills and Marty Larkin. For these two artist/musician friends who love great music and great food, the format was as simple as a salty tear in a beer: To celebrate Hank Williams' birthday (Sept. 17), they invited a bunch of friends (mostly musicians and singers) to get together and play "All Hank - All Night." What's more, in honor of one of Hank's best songs, they cooked some of the best jambalaya anyone had ever tasted (or so everyone claimed). Needless to say, the party was such a hoot, everyone wanted to do it again - next year, and every year. This year's event is at Schubas Tavern, Chicago.