You might be surprised to find out that the artist known as Beans on Toast wasn’t born with that name. His real name is Jay McAllister and he’s an integral part of the UK folk scene. Most years, he drops an album on his birthday – December 1 – something he has managed to do consistently. He has participated in Record Store Day for his album Best of Toast Pressed On A Vinyl and also toured with bands like Flogging Molly and Frank Turner. He’s kind of a big deal.

He’s only been around as a one-man-band since 2005, but he’s definitely put in work every single day since then. He recently released his newest album (not to mention the seventh one) entitled Rolling Up A Hill. This Chicago date is apart of the tour to celebrate the release and play it live for the first time.

Not only is his music relatable and extremely listenable, Jay deals with a lot of topics artists tend to stay away from these days. Many singers have traded in topics like politics and issues facing the public to sing about partying and getting rich. Don’t get me wrong, songs like that are fun to dance and listen to, but it’s always impressive when a musician uses their platform to get a message across. So if you want a singer-songwriter to get real with you, but with a folk twang, you came to the right place.

Beans on Toast @ Beat Kitchen

October 8 / 21+

Doors @ 6:00 PM

Tickets