Charlie Otto is in a league all his own, performing highly emotive and strangely beautiful pop songs with truly stunning millisecond-synced visuals. After Otto’s shows, fans are usually struck by the authenticity of the show, and his tireless loyalty to art, crafted and performed strictly for its own sake.

Before his current solo project “charlie otto + his gear,” he fronted two of Chicago’s favorite bands, This Must be the Band and DJ noDJ. The lessons learned and the relationships formed in those bands are put into full use in his live shows, and he even performs some of the songs of both acts.

When the pandemic hit, Charlie reached out to his suddenly available comrades in the music scene and asked them to collaborate remotely. Three years later, he presents a sampling of the results of that experiment, an album called “collaborations, volume 1.”

For the show on July 11, 2023, Charlie has invited 16 of his collaborators to join him on stage to perform the songs on the album, plus his previous band DJ noDJ will reunite to perform a couple of their past hits.

The guest list for this free show will be strictly limited, so please RSVP ASAP, and show up early to appreciate all the beautiful art on the walls of 21c Chicago.

Reserve a free ticket here.