Chicagoooooo. My man Dawen Wang, a Chicago-based musician with some very smooth sounds, informs me that he's organizing his very first showcase next week, July 3. He's brought together four Chicago Asian American singer-songwriters for a night of music and entertainment at Subterranean in Wicker Park. The show is called Declare INDIEpendence! How Sweet the Sound! with Dawen, David Wycoco, Paolo Escobar & the Prescription and Imelda de la Cruz, with Chic-A-Go-Go's Mia Park (Miss Mia) as guest emcee.

I've mentioned Dawen before, when he competed in the Starbucks/WXRT radio contest last year. After winning the competition, he's decided to take opportunities into his own hands and this show is the first fruit of that labor.

So if you're in Chicago or the surrounding areas, go check it out. I love Dawen's music. Not only does it have this cool, soulful sound, he's got some interesting, socially conscious lyrics poking through the tunes. Good stuff. To learn (and hear) more about Dawen visit his website here and his MySpace profile here. His self-titled EP is available for download through iTunes and Amazon.com.