When we were writing our Top 10 Open Mics in Chicago feature last month, one that were planning to include was the 20hzx20kHz open mic held by West side Chicago independently run art space Quennect4.

Unfortunately, shortly before the post was to go up, we learned that Quennect4 had been forced to shutter its doors in January by the city after four years of being a performance venue for local artists.

Well, the fine folks who run Quennect4 are not going away so easily. They’ve started a massive fund raising effort to help legitimize the Quennect4 Gallery, aka Q4, as a non-profit organization in a new location. The fund raising efforts are on going until May 13, and the final push comes with the release of the Quennect4 Benefit Compilation.

The Q4 Benefit Compilation, scheduled for a May 7 release, features 21 tracks from artists who have performed at Quennect4 events over the past four years. The comp’s entirely local artist lineup is an eclectic mix of Chicago hip-hop and indie rock that includes Phillip Morris, The Minneapolis Henrys, BBU, Big Splashes and many more. (Complete track list can be found here.)

The Q4 Benefit Compilation May 7 release will be accompanied by a record release party the same night at Elastic Arts (1923 N Milwaukee Ave) in Logan Square. The all ages event will kick off at 9 p.m. with live performances from the Chicago Gypsy Experiment (Eyes Manouche / Ode mashup), Rambos, and Wake Up Siouxsie.

You can preview the Q4 benefit compilation now at Quennect4.bandcamp.com. Once the May 7 release rolls around, you can obtain a code to download the full compilation with a $10 donation to the Quennect4 Kickstarter Page or make the suggested $8 donation to attend the compilation release party the same night.

Here’s a quick roundup of important links:

Donate here.
Preview the comp here.
Record release party information is here.
Here’s an exclusive free download of the Eyes Manouche track “djelem djelem” from the comp.

Finally, here’s a video trailer for the Quennect4 Benefit Compilation:

Quennect4 Benefit Compilation – Available May 7th from Quennect4 Gallery on Vimeo.

Please, help out this excellent cause and donate. There’s nothing more important than sustaining supporters of local music and art.