“The CheckOut is Chicago’s solely venue housed in a former 7-Eleven,” says composer Seth Boustead with a touch of humor. We stroll via the area just a few weeks earlier than its grand opening. The environment is each informal and alluring. An beautiful Yamaha CS-II graces the efficiency space, contrasted by relaxed decor—no extravagant velvet drapes or formal ushers right here. Vivid neon inexperienced plastic chairs populate the room, and the partitions are painted in a snug millennial grey. Notably, there’s no bodily barrier between the viewers and the stage, permitting for an adaptable setup for varied performances.
The CheckOut is the most recent initiative from Entry Up to date Music (ACM), a presenting group and academic nonprofit based by Boustead. Primarily a chamber music venue, The CheckOut may also host an eclectic vary of occasions, from piano classes to album listening events. Naturally, it features a slushie machine—a necessary characteristic for any reimagined 7-Eleven venue.
Situated on the intersection of Southport and Clark, The CheckOut sits straight throughout from the long-lasting Graceland Cemetery. It’s inside a mile of lots of Chicago’s cherished music and humanities venues, together with the Vic, Metro, Schubas, and the Music Field Theatre. Boustead explains, “My grant proposal to town emphasised our position as a essential hyperlink in an artwork hall. We hope to draw individuals who can stroll or bike to numerous native arts hotspots.”
Accessibility is a foundational facet of The CheckOut’s mission. A Divvy bike station is conveniently positioned on one aspect of the constructing, whereas a bus cease will be discovered on the opposite. Moreover, the CTA Crimson Line station is lower than a mile away. Boustead and ACM additionally emphasize affordability; they’re dedicated to protecting ticket costs round or beneath $25 to make sure inclusivity.
This dedication to reasonably priced entry goals to domesticate a various viewers—a specific problem in a metropolis typically divided by socioeconomic traces. Boustead aspires to create “a really built-in venue” that welcomes individuals from all backgrounds. Collaborations will likely be important to reaching this imaginative and prescient, with plans for partnerships with organizations like Truman Faculty and the Black writers’ workshop Kuumba Lynx.
The CheckOut’s programming is designed round themes, that includes consultants who can enrich the viewers’s understanding and appreciation of the matters at hand. Somewhat than strictly categorizing music as modern or classical, the venue goals to weave collectively completely different musical traditions. As an example, an upcoming occasion on Saturday, Sep. 27 will showcase a musical response to Yuval Noah Hariri’s e book Sapiens and embrace a dialogue led by an anthropologist from the Subject Museum. This mannequin prioritizes music as a way of dialog and contextualization.
The programming at The CheckOut is especially related as Chicago’s music scene seeks to recuperate from the challenges of current years. With the abrupt closure of Davenport Piano Bar, which had lengthy served as town’s house for cabaret, The CheckOut has stepped as much as introduce cabaret to its lineup, thereby filling a big hole within the native arts panorama.
As a part of ACM, The CheckOut may also carry ahead the group’s wealthy custom of commissioning new works. Boustead proudly notes that ACM ranks among the many high ten commissioners of chamber music within the nation. The 2-week Grand Opening competition, which started on Sep. 13, options greater than a dozen specifically commissioned works. The competition kicked off with a tribute to the Uptown neighborhood, and in an upcoming efficiency, the Black Oak Ensemble will current a rendition of Studs Terkel’s cherished oral historical past, “Working.” It’s a quintessentially Chicago lineup.
All the pieces about The CheckOut’s journey embodies the essence of Chicago. When Boustead first noticed the ‘on the market’ signal on the vacant 7-Eleven, he tried to achieve out to the listed quantity however acquired no response. Undeterred, he contacted the native alderman as a substitute. The forty seventh Ward Alderman helped Boustead receive the right contact data for the constructing’s house owners. With neighborhood assist in hand, Boustead secured letters from practically a dozen neighborhood associations to bolster a profitable software for a Neighborhood Growth Grant from the Metropolis of Chicago.
Nevertheless, securing the grant was only one a part of a posh journey. Boustead navigated varied twists and turns, together with points associated to the constructing’s possession and native media curiosity. The imaginative and prescient for The CheckOut sparked in February 2023, and now, after two and a half years, the remodeled area is lastly able to open its doorways to the general public.
Regardless of the anticipation, the financial panorama in September 2025 is decidedly unpredictable, with arts venues throughout the nation dealing with closures. “Occasions are powerful,” Boustead remarked. “At present, our signal was put up, and I might really feel the burden of all of it. Each enterprise has had its defining moments, watching the indicators go up and are available down.” In a sobering notice, he shared, “Someday, I’d witness them taking the log off this constructing.”
But that day appears distant. The CheckOut is already full for fall programming: live shows, classes, and even a marriage reception. The workforce is actively constructing and rising, with one marketing consultant humorously saying, “You’re setting up this prepare whereas it’s dashing down the tracks.” Boustead laughed, acknowledging, “That’s simply the way it goes.”
As we walked across the exterior of the constructing, Boustead identified the brick wall dealing with Clark Avenue, the place they plan to prominently show The CheckOut’s slogan: “Music Is Good For You.” After our dialog, I contemplated these phrases. Music undoubtedly enhances private wellbeing, however my wellbeing is deeply intertwined with the vibrancy of my metropolis. Currently, The CheckOut has change into a subject of pleasure in varied Chicago communities, sparking conversations in libraries, artwork facilities, and pop-up live performance venues.
Amid heightened anxiousness in Chicago, as residents face the opportunity of a Nationwide Guard presence and an ICE surge primarily based on the president’s actions, there’s a palpable want amongst Chicagoans to unite and discover pleasure amidst uncertainty. The CheckOut, as an modern venue for artwork, exploration, and neighborhood connection, symbolizes the collective spirit—it is not nearly particular person advantages; it represents a shared profit for all of us, collectively.
I CARE IF YOU LISTEN is an editorially unbiased program of the American Composers Discussion board, made attainable via beneficiant donor and institutional assist. The opinions expressed listed here are solely these of the writer and should not mirror the views of ICIYL or ACF.
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