WAX TRAX! Records has begun asking fans to sign a petition to help preserve the original WAX TRAX! storefront on Lincoln Avenue, and designate it as an official Chicago landmark. Beginning in the 1980s and 1990s, WAX TRAX! was a center for underground music, with artists like Robert Plant, Lou Reed, Nick Cave, Black Flag, Buzzcocks, and the B-52s stopping by when passing through the city.
Founders Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher would utilize the storefront to advertise for then-unknown artists like Joy Division, Bauhaus, The Birthday Party, New Order, Einsturzende, Neubauten, Sisters Of Mercy, and Divine. Furthermore, artists such as Ministry, Front 242, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Revolting Cocks, KMFDM, Front Line Assembly, The KLF, Underworld, Coil, Psychic TV, and Laibach got their start through WAX TRAX! Records.
The petition states, “By signing our online petition, it will help support our cause as we explain to the city of Chicago the cultural and historic significance of this building. Not only did this location have a profound impact on Chicago, but also influenced countless people from around the world. If you have ever appreciated Ministry, Front 242, TKK, etc. or ancillary artist’s like Nine Inch Nails, this unassuming building on Chicago’s north side is where it all began.”
Chicago’s Department of Planning Development will meet to discuss the potential landmark around March 15, and the petition will be submitted by March 1. It currently as 2,389 signatures.
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