EDGEWATER — On Saturday, twin brother musicians Martin and Stefan Filipovski will make their U.S. debut at Bar 63 in Edgewater.
"I think for me, it was a dream, it was a country with opportunities, you know?" Stefan Filipovski said. "You have one chance, or maybe two chances, but you must give your best to prove yourself. Maybe one day you'll become something that you only can dream of."
Stefan said as kids in Macedonia (a Balkan territory in Europe, formerly part of Yugoslavia, tucked between Kosovo, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria and Greece), he and his brother would watch the Chicago Bulls play during their classic Michael Jordan era.
Don't worry, they say, they're still fans.
That time left an impact on the young boys, who then set their sights on one day making it to the United States.
Linze Rice explains how the Chicago Bulls influenced the band:
All grown up now as popular Macedonian musicians, they say they've played some of Europe's top festivals — but have never made it overseas — until this week.
"We make contact with some of our friends who live there and they say it's great, it's great city and it has a lot of things to visit, so Chicago reputation is really one of the melting pots, so it's great city," Filipovski said. "We've heard of the great neighborhoods, of the foods and the Sears Tower, deep dish pizza. And also we would like to visit the arena of the Chicago Bulls."
They said aside from meeting new people, making new friends and seeing "where the Bulls play", they also want to see Lake Michigan, which, from their understanding, is like Chicago's "ocean" (they're not wrong).
"I thought it was an ocean, but they told me no, it's a lake," he said.
A Next Time single, "Svetot vo Race" [YouTube/Next Time]
Stefan said not only does the United States embody a sense of unbridled opportunity to the duo, but they are looking forward to embracing Edgewater and Rogers Park specifically because of the dense cultural diversity, including small pockets of other Macedonians who call the city's Far North Side home.
Plus, they said, Loyola's campus and student body will give them the "perfect audience" with which to share their music and become inspired to write new songs in English.
Bar 63 "is located in an area populated by lots of Eastern and Western Europeans, also a majority from the Yugoslavian republics," Filipovski said, adding that although he's sure Macedonians will be present for their performance, he's looking forward to meeting many other locals.
At 10 p.m. Saturday, Next Time will take the stage at Bar 63, 6341 N. Broadway, to perform the band's music in their native Macedonian tongue and say they expect a somewhat Macedonian-heavy audience because the bar is owned by an old family friend.
Not fluent in the Southeastern European language? Not a problem, the band says.
They'll also be performing cover songs, some inspired by the duo's favorite musical artists like Gavin DeGraw, One Republic and 30 Seconds To Mars.
Tickets are $20 at the door, and people can call ahead to reserve tables at 312-375-6154.
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