Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
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Thursday, April 25
Yes, it's "u-u-ultra eccentric super cult punk pop band" Shonen Knife! Playing at the Bottom Lounge tonight, with Visqueen and the Manhandlers opening. Show starts at 8:00 PM, it's an 18+ show, and tickets are $10 in advance ($12 at the door). Bottom Lounge: 3206 N. Wilton (at Belmont). (773) 975-0505 or (800) 594-8499. Tickets can be purchased online.
Trumpeter/composer Dave Douglas returns to Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center, at 78 E. Washington St., on Monday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. with one of his newest and most exciting ensembles, NOMAD. This concert is presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs as part of the New Millennium/New Music series of avant-garde and improvised music. Douglas and NOMAD are on a nationwide tour in support and celebration of Mountain Passages, the award-winning trumpeter's 22nd recording of original music, and the first on his new label, Greenleaf Music, which he runs with Chicagoan Michael Friedman. NOMAD features Dave Douglas with Myron Walden (alto sax & clarinet), Rubin Kodheli (cello), Marcus Rojas (tuba), and Tyshawn Sorey (drums). For information on this admission free concert, call 312-744-6630.
To kick off the 2005 season, the GOAt series takes place in yet another premier music venue, The Hideout (located at 1354 West Wabansia), bringing with it a provocative topic that’s sure to engage a diverse audience. This program focuses on the similarities and differences of revolutionary and terrorist organizations and will address how public perceptions clash concerning the two. Additionally, it will examine revolutionary tactics ranging from violent overthrow of governments to non-violent opposition. Speakers include Thomas Mockaitis, Professor of History, DePaul University and Eboo Patel, founder and executive director, Interfaith Youth Core. For further info., call (312) 821-7529. Tickets are $10.
WLUW takes over Fitzgerald's, 6615 W. Roosevelt Rd. in Berwyn, for a day-long show called the Winter Music Festival, hosted by Tom Jackson and the Somebody Else's Troubles crew.
1:30 Anna Fermin's Trigger Gospel
2:00 Eric Noden
2:25 fm smith & Rob Bonaccorsi
2:50 Corky Siegel
3:15 Kelly Kessler & Whipporwill
3:45 Econosize Swing Orchestra
4:15 Nick Tremulis
4:40 Danny Black & Laurie Stiratt
5:05 Deep Chicago Rhythm Owls
5:30 Mark Sheehy
5:55 Bucky Halker & Don Sternburg
6:20 Nora O'Connor & Liam Davis (Frisbie)
6:45 Jon Langford
7:10 Elizabeth Conant & Fareed Haque
7:40 Rhythm Futur
8:10 The Delafields
8:55 Professor John & The Big Hands Band
This is a family friendly event, but attendees under 21 must be accompanied by a parent. Admission is $10. More info on the WLUW website.
The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs puts on a Sunday Salon Series of innovative music and performance programs. The series is one of the most popular at the Chicago Cultural Center, and regularly draws capacity crowds.
Today's program features music from the time of Anne Frank, a performance of compositions by Dutch Jewish composers persecuted by the Nazis
The performance begins at 3 pm at the Chicago Cultural Center, (78 E. Washington St.) Admission is free.
Always wanted to learn the hula, but never had the time? The Old Town School of Folk Music has you covered. This afternoon at 2:00, you can take a one-hour introductory workshop presented by Lanialoha Lee, the school's scholar on Pacific island culture. Admission is $10 per person, and the class will meet in the concert hall in the school's newer building (4544 N. Lincoln). Call up the school at (773) 728-6000 for more information and registration.
Tonight, German techno stable Traum hits Chicago, making a rare stop at Subterranean in Wicker Park for an evening of funky, eclectic beats. Label owner Riley Reinhold (aka RRR) headlines, with support from Ontario's Jesse Somfay, Kate Simko of Detalles, and Dave Siska of Clinically Inclined fame. $4 gets you in, 21 and up. Subterranean is located at 2011 W North Ave, right under the North Avenue El tracks. Co-sponsored by Detroit Underground and Subsystence. More information available on the Interrupt Media website.
GB staff member KM will be in attendance.
It's Behind the Lions Day (scroll to Special Programs) at the Art Institute! Today you and your family can visit the museum and do all sorts of arty, crafty, music type things, including going on a treasure hunt through the galleries and participating in a 20 minute guided tour. You can even meet Artie, the museum's mascot. Who doesn't love a giant, anthropomorphic, cartoon-faced lion?
After The Bacon Brothers, I bet you never thought you'd see another Hollywood star with his own band, but you were wrong. Steppenwolf actor, screen gem, and CSI: New York star Gary Sinise is touring through Chicago with his very own Lt. Dan Band, stopping tonight at Joe's Bar. The Lt. Dan Band's sound is a "unique blend of oldies, classics and current radio favorites" with Sinise on bass. Tickets are $15 in advance/$20 at the door and the show is actualy a benefit for the USO (active duty military and their dependants get in free with ID). Music starts at 8:30pm. Joe's is located at 940 W. Weed Street, Chicago near North and Sheffield. Call them up at (312) 337-3486. (Admit it, you just kind of want to see Gary play bass? Don't you?)
The Carnival of Love is rollin' into town! The Chicago Kings burlesque show turns the Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N Kedzie Blvd., into a carny freakshow tonight, along with all their sword-swallowing, snake-charming, contortionist friends! And it's 18 and over, for once. Doors open at 9pm, show starts at 10pm. Tickets are $10.
Come on out to the Gallery Caberet at 2020 N. Oakley in Bucktown for a night of SPAM Carving fun. Bring your own can of SPAM and some handy things to use when decorating it, or purchase your SPAM on site. After all of the sculptures have been considered, win a prize medal to take home.
Costumes are strongly encouraged but not required, as is a food donation to benefit the R.E.S.T shelter in Uptown. 6-8pm at the Gallery Cabaret. Check out www.planetshwoop.com/noise for more info.
The Gene Siskel Film Center presents a program of Oscar-nominated short films. If you've ever wished that you had a chance to see the nominated short films, now's your chance. The program starts tonight at the Film Center and runs through March 3. See the Film Center Website for complete showtimes. Tickets are $10, $5 for Film Center members, and $4 for SAIC students. Film Center: 164 N. State. (312) 846-2600.
DJ Hell, whose International DeeJay Gigolos label helped set off the electro[clash] movement several years ago, brings his eclectic mixing all the way from Berlin to Sound Bar. Traxx is also on the bill. 226 W. Ontario, 21+, 11pm, $13 pre-sale.
GB staff member JD will be in attendance.
Gapers Block staffers, readers and friends gather on the last Friday of every month to meet, sip cocktails (or beers) and talk geek. We'll be getting drunk at the bar at Rodan in Wicker Park this month from 9pm onwards. Look out for faces from the Proprietors page or for t-shirts, or buttons with the four stars. Rodan is at 1530 N. Milwaukee, close to the intersections of Damen, North and Milwaukee. See ya there!
Guitar virtuoso Fareed Haque enjoys a career that spans the spectrum of musical styles. Moving easily between jazz and classical guitar, Fareed's versatility has created a demand for him with prominent jazz and classical artists including Paquito D'Rivera, Dave Holland, Sting, Joe Henderson, Kurt Elling, Arturo Sandoval, Robert Walter, Carl Denson, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Kahil el Zabar, Edgar Meyer, members of the Vermeer Quartet and many symphony orchestras in the U.S. and abroad. He has performed all of the major guitar concertos, is an active transcriber of baroque as well as South American music and has had numerous modern works dedicated to him. Fareed performs tonight with Goran Ivanovic at Marytrs' located at 3855 N. Lincoln, Chicago. Music at 10pm, tickets are $10, 773-404-9494.
Who knew the deep secrets lurking beneath the surface of the Glessner House Museum? Apparently, the Glessners. In a new exhibit, Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death, which opens today, visitors can explore Glessner Lee's own incredibly detailed dioramas of crime scenes, complete with tiny shell casings and blood stains. The exhibit is open until April 30, and the Glessner House is located in the South Loop at 1800 South Prairie Avenue, Chicago, call (312) 326-1480 for more information. Admission is a teeny tiny $2 (and is free tonight during the opening reception from 6-8pm).
"Parody of Pleasure" hits the Abbey Pub tonight, featuring performances by Three Dollar Bill (it's their CD release party), Stewed Tomatoes, 8" Betsy, Hellcat Hussies Burlesque and members of Heartless B!tch Entertainment. Doors open at 8pm and show starts at 9pm. Tickets are $8 in advance via TicketWeb or $10 at the door. More info at threedollar.net.
Kris of Angst-ident Prone and Aaron of 601am are throwing the city's first ever Gay Chicago Bloggers Bash, at Roscoe's Bar (Halsted & Roscoe). It's all happening tonight at 7 pm.
Gay bloggers and their friends, fans, and families are all welcome to join in the fun.
GB staffer KV wil be in attendance.
GB staffer CC wil be in attendance.
Broadway in Chicago gives us a pre-Broadway engagement of Sweet Charity, starring Christina Applegate of all people. Can Kelly Bundy sing and dance? Now's your chance to find out. (Or go here for a video promo.) Tonight through March 13. Tickets at Ticketmaster, 312-904-1900, or in person at the Cadillac Palace box office, 151 W. Randolph.
Poet Mary Jo Bang will read tonight at 5:30 at the University of Chicago's Classics building, room 10 (1010 E. 59th Street). A reception will follow. Mary Jo Bang is the author of Apology for Want, a debut collection of poems that won the 1996 Bread Loaf Bakeless Prize, "The Downstream Extremity of the Isle of Swans," and "Louise in Love." Individual poems have appeared in The New Yorker, The New Republic, Denver Quarterly, New American Writing, The Paris Review, Fence, Best American Poetry (2001, 2004), and elsewhere. The recipient of numerous awards, including a fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation, a Discovery/The Nation Award, and a Hodder Fellowship from Princeton University, Bang is a poetry editor for Boston Review and a member of the permanent faculty of Washington University in St. Louis. Her fourth book, The Eye Like a Strange Balloon, was recently published by Grove Press. For additional information, contact Julia Klein at (773) 834-8524 or email jnklein{at}uchicago{dot}edu.
[C]Spaces and Glass Curtain Gallery present "Creative Space: Fifty Years of Robert Blackburn's Printmaking Workshop," January 31 – March 25, 2005. Please come out at 6pm on February 24th as co-curator Deborah Cullen, curator El Museo Del Barrio, New York City, will discuss Blackburn's legacy. This is a Library of Congress exhibition realized in collaboration with International Print Center New York (IPCNY) and the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, and features artwork from the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop Archives and Collection, on deposit at the Library of Congress. Blackburn (1920-2003) changed the course of American art through his graphic work and the Printmaking Workshop, which he founded in New York City in 1948. His pioneering contributions to the technical and aesthetic development of abstract color lithography are as legendary as his generosity in encouraging and training thousands of diverse artists to experiment in the graphic medium. Creative Space includes a key selection of Blackburn's own work and a dazzling array of prints by students and noted collaborators and colleagues since the 1940s. The exhibit is on display at the Glass Curtain Gallery, 1104 S. Wabash, Chicago. Admission is free, call 312.344.6650 for more information.
Medea Benjamin (of Code Pink and Global Exchange [also infamous for getting arrested at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions for unfurling the "End the War" banner]) is being brought to town by Lincoln Park Neighbors United For Peace with Chicago Against War and Injustice American Friends Service Committee, and Peace Pledge Chicago. Benjamin will be in town tonight and will speak at 7pm at Assumption Church located at 323 W. Illinois Street (between Orleans and Grand). Take the Brown Line to the Merchandise Mart stop.
After Luna plays upstairs at the Metro, Panic tonight as DJ Pogo spins indie/Britpop/nu-wave/classic alt./English 80's tonight and every Wednesday at Smartbar located at 3730 N. Clark, Chicago. Music is going 10pm-late (21+, tickets are a measly $5).
Also of note: Panic's official hours are going to be 9pm until 2am...the Smartbar folks want to then extend to you the opportunity to spin from 2am until 4am. Have you been hoping to find a gig? Any gig? Have you been spinning records in your room hoping to find a place to play in front of other people? Want to impress your friends by spinning at a place like Smartbar? The folks who run Panic have been charged with finding a rotating group of guest dj's for this slot...and there's a chance that once you get in, you could become semi-permanent. Contact DJ Pogo at: pogo{at}q101{dot}com if you're interested.
A former artist-in-residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem, Adia Millett will discuss the themes of identity politics and concern for social consciousness that inform her installations, photographs and recent embroidery projects. 6:30pm - 7:30pm at 623 S. Wabash, room 203. Admission is Free. Contact the Student Life Office at 312/344-7569 for more information.
The sweet sounds of the Kings of Convenience will flow through the Double Door tonight, with doors opening at 8pm. Tickets are a mere $15 and are available online or at the door. The Double Door is located at 1572 N. Milwaukee, Chicago. Call them up at 773.489.3160. (Update: At last check, this show has sold out.)
GB staff member ASH will be in attendance
The monthly Drum Circle Series features various drum leaders while promoting a communal experience for Columbia College students through the universal language of music. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to bring a percussion instrument and join the circle of music. This event is free and open to the public. The drumming gets started at 1pm and continues until 3pm. This week's circle will take place at the Hokin Gallery, 623 S. Wabash, 1st Floor. Contact Julie Caffey at 312-344-7188 for more information.
The next session of classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music starts up next week on Monday, February 28. If you're mulling over the possibility of making time in your busy schedule for music, voice, theater or dance lessons (a full schedule of classes can be found at the Old Town School Website), don't delay! If you register for a class by today, you'll save $15 off the regular class price. This is YOUR chance to become the folk-rock musician that you always knew you could be! The Old Town School of Folk Music: 4544 N. Lincoln. (773) 728-6000.
Debbie Stoller, author of the new knitting bibles, Stitch n' Bitch and Stitch n' Bitch Nation, and editor of BUST magazine will be at the Knitting Workshop, located at 2218 Lincoln Park Avenue, tonight at 7pm (note: time change) to sign copies of her book, and to gab about knitting. Bring your projects for show and tell, and make sure to get there early! GB staff member ASH will be in attendance
The Siskel Film Center presents, as part of their ongoing Music Movies program, an evening of short films featuring performances by mythic jazz musician Sun Ra and legendary New York folk-rock band The Fugs. The program starts tonight at 5:15 PM, and will be repeated on Wednesday, February 23, at 8:30 PM. Tickets are $9, $5 for Film Center members, and $4 for SAIC students. Siskel Film Center: 164 N. State. (312) 846-2600.
Country Legends don't always come in three's, but Hank Williams III (or, known simply as Hank III) is in some ways both just like and completely unlike his dad and grandad. He'll be performing tonight at Joe's Bar with his metal band "Assjack", with some old WIlliams' country tunes mixed in for good measure. The Hazard County Girls open. Tickets are $13 in advance/ $15 at the door available from Ticketmaster, and music starts at 9pm. Joe's is located at 940 W. Weed Street, Chicago near North and Sheffield. Call them up at (312) 337-3486.
Gapers Block staff member ASH will be in attendance
The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs puts on a Sunday Salon Series of innovative music and performance programs. The series is one of the most popular at the Chicago Cultural Center, and regularly draws capacity crowds.
Today's program features some of Chicago's finest Steinway piano artists. A Steinway Piano Celebration is held in honor of the Cultural Center's Steinway Concert Grand piano, provided through the courtesy of the International Concert & Artist Activities division of Steinway & Sons, New York and The Beautiful Sound, Inc.
The performance begins at 3 pm at the Chicago Cultural Center, (78 E. Washington St.) Admission is free.
Join poetry and literature lovers alike for the Chicago Book Release Reading and Signing of Gary Copeland Lilley's wonderful new book of poetry: The Subsequent Blues from Four Way Books today at The Black Water Cafe in the Amce Artworks at 1741 N. Western, Chicago. The event starts at 2pm and goes to 6pm. Wine, music from players invited players, and poems from my new book . Hope you have the opportunity and will join the author in the festivities within this wonderfully artistic place.
For the first of two local signings, Debbie Stoller, author of the new knitting bibles, Stitch n' Bitch and Stitch n' Bitch Nation, and editor of BUST magazine will be at the Arcadia Knitting, at their new location at 1613 W. Lawrence Avenue, just west of Ashland this afternoon at 1pm to sign copies of her book, and to gab about knitting. Bring your projects for show and tell, and make sure to get there early! GB staff member ASH will be in attendance
Learn to Knit today at Nina, a young yarn store in Chicago, located at 1655 W. Division. The classes run for 2 sessions, and cost $50. Classes will teach the skills needed to complete a scarf (casting on, knitting, purling, and binding off). You can call 773.486.8996 to register, or visit the shop. Once you've registered, they'll suggest the appropriate class materials and offer a 10% discount for that purchase. The last winter Learn to Knit classes are today, from 3–5pm and February 27 from 3–5pm.
This Sunday Paul Rusesabagina, the former proprietor of the Milles Collines Hotel, whose story was vividly captured in the film Hotel Rwanda, will be speaking at St. Sabina church. The discussion is scheduled to take place immediately following the 11:15am service. St. Sabina is located at 1210 West 78th Place in Chicago.
Looking to score your fifteen minutes of fame? The Apprentice is holding an open casting call for its fourth season, today at NBC Tower, 454 N. Columbus Drive. Interviews begin at 9am, but wristbands are handed out at 8am, so be sure to get there nice and early because only those with wristbands are guaranteed an interview.
The Lincoln Park Young Professionals (LPYP) present their annual "Diamond and Ice Ball" at Marshall Fields downtown. Mingle with professional models wearing diamonds, sample caviar and fancy desserts, and enter your name in a drawing to win a two-year lease on a 2005 Mini Cooper convertible.
If this sounds like your kind of event, it all takes place tonight from 7-11 pm. Tickets will set you back $60 at the door (only $40 for LPYP members).
The First Coat CD Release Show for their latest album "Move Like Sparrows " will get down tonight at Gunther Murphy's at 1638 W. Belmont, Chicago. Show starts 10pm, (doors at 9pm) Tickets are a cheap cheap $7. (21+) Support provided by The Passerines, Jeff Rufo of Swansea Mass, and Hidden Mitten.
Tony Childs, who earned his DJ name Surgeon with flawless mixing of clean, hard techno, is headlining a two-room party at the Logan Square Auditorium. A supporting lineup of techno locals includes Frankie Vega, Gabe Palomo, and many others. Full event info here. 2539 N. Kedzie, 9pm - 3am 18+, 21 to drink. $12 pre-sale, $15 at the door.
GB staff member JD will be in attendance.
Sure Fido can drag you from a burning car, but could you give him mouth-to-mouth? Learn Pet First Aid and CPR today at the Anti-Cruelty Society from 9 am – 1 pm. This course, taught by an American Red Cross certified instructor, will cover Pet First Aid and CPR techniques. The emphasis will be on cats and dogs. Cat and dog manikins will be used; please do not bring your pet to class. The course length is 4 hours. The course fee of $40 includes all course materials. To register for this class, call Tammie Bouschor at (312) 644-8338 ext. 344. Payment must be received at least two weeks prior to your scheduled class to confirm your registration. This class will be held in The Anti-Cruelty Society's Education and Training Center, located at 169 W. Grand Ave.
North Lakeside Players present A. R. Gurney’s play Ancestral Voices: A Family Story today and tomorrow at 1pm at the North Park Village Nature Center (5801 N. Pulaski Rd). Tickets are $12. For reservations call 773-293-1358.
"If the family is the key theme of American drama, playwright A. R. Gurney's Ancestral Voices: A Family Story is a beautiful example of that great tradition. Eddie is eight and loves fishing with Gramp. He doesn't understand why Gram moved to the country with "Uncle" Roger. The fire will be blazing at the North Park Village Nature Center as this elegy for Buffalo, New York is heartbreakingly evoked in ways reminiscent of The Magnificent Ambersons. The play is a kindly memory of a small town, and the changes made to friends and family by divorce." -North Lakeside Players
Ancestral Voices: A Family Story is directed by Linda LeVeque features Rob Baker, Phil Carlin, Devin Kirk, Helen Merrier and Keta Roth.
Encyclopedia of Chicago co-editors Jim Grossman and Ann Durkin Keating will be giving a lecture at the Oak Park Public Library today at 2pm. The lecture is free and is co-sponsored by The Historical Society of Oak Park. The OPPL is located one block north and one block west of the Oak Park Green Line stop; call 708-383-8200 for more info.
Are you annoyed by the way women are portrayed in the media and wish someone would do something about it? So was Jennifer Pozner. Amidst all of her writing for Ms., Bitch and many other publications, Jennifer created Women In Media & News which not only critiques the media, but also hopes to create POWER sources for journalists to call to get experts in any subject, who also happen to be women. She'll be in Chicago today at my house giving a short speech and raising funds to promote her efforts beginning at 2pm. If you'd like to come meet Jennifer, or Christine Cupaiuolo of Ms. Magazine, Karen Young of Media Democracy Chicago, Anne Elizabeth Moore who is the associate publisher of Independents’ Day Media, and Paula Kamen who is a journalist and author of Feminist Fatale and Her Way. You'll also get to see GB staffer Cinnamon Cooper and for a small donation you'll get to see the kitchen she can't stop writing about. Please send an RSVP to cc@gapersblock.com for driving/transit directions.
Opening February 19 and running until March 12, every Saturday at 11pm at the Strawdog Theatre (3829 N. Broadway) catch LATE NIGHT…by Improv, a fully improvised take on late night talk shows. Each week a special guest host will interview characters created from audience suggestions, but unlike your run-of-the-mill talk show, you'll get the chance to see what the guests are really like backstage as they deal with the show's crew and the other guests. Using improv games and scenes, director Eric Rampson leads the cast of The CIA (Chicago Improv Anarchy) in exploring the difference between who we are, who we seem to be, and who we want others to think we are. At LATE NIGHT…By Improv the interview is only half the story. Tickets are $9. Call for reservations (773) 419-4606 or order online.
Collaboraction is hosting their annual Carnaval tonight at 9:30pm at the Congress Theater, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave. Join in for cocktails, body painting, aerial artists, jugglers, stilt walkers, and this year, a "Motorized Mini-Car Demolition Derby," too. DJ Julio Bishop spins.
Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Proceeds benefit the premier of the Guinea Pig Solo, the groups upcoming show. More info, pictures and ticket ordering at the Collaboraction site.
"Sanitary & Ship," a new compilation of works by Chicago zinesters and self-publishers, celebrates its debut at Quimby's, 1854 W. North Ave., tonight at 8pm. Readings by:
Brandon Wetherbee (Foul)
Kate Sandler (Brainiac)
Emerson Dameron (Wherewithal)
Leonard Pierce (ludickid.com)
Andrew Mall (Living Proof)
Jeff Disler (Time All At Once)
Grant Schreiber (Judas Goat Quarterly)
Hosted By Aaron Cynic of Diatribe Media. The event is free, all ages.
It's an all-out immersion experience in Chicago's comedy theaters. The Chicago Comedy Tour takes off from the Chicago Cultural Center (77 E. Randolph) at 2:45pm. In the afternoon you'll see mini-perfomances at the Neo-Futurarium and ComedySportz, each followed by Q&A sessions with the artists and tours of the theaters. The evening portion begins with dinner at Marcello's, followed by a full-length show at Second City e.t.c., with one last trolley depositing you back at the Cultural Center by 10pm—plenty of time left for drinking. The whole shebang runs $75 a ticket, tax and tip included; get them at any Hot Tix location or from the League of Chicago Theatres, 312-554-9800.
It's Theater Fever 2005, the eighth annual day of family fun with Chicago's theatre companies at the Chicago Cultural Center (77 E. Randolph). From 10am to 3pm today the Cultural Center will be packed with workshops, fun and games, like a stage combat workshop with Babes With Blades, a circus arts intro from CircEsteem, and a lecture on theatre etiquette by Late Night Catechism's Sister. Other Theater Fever activities include behind-the-scenes tours at five downtown theaters. For a full details on activities and participating companies, click here or call 312.742.1079.
The monthly dance party Pure Pop for Now People returns for another installment at the Underground Lounge; expect "power pop, new wave, indie, mod, soul, post-punk, brit pop & more" from DJs Jennifer Reiter, Jessica Rogers, Jason Beauchamp, and Martin Stocks. 9pm, 21+, no cover. Underground Lounge, 952 W. Newport (at Clark). Visit PurePop.org for more info.
See the Kill Bill movies the way they were meant to be seen: back to back! The Siskel Film Center presents both movies screened every night, from tonight through Thursday, February 24. Showtimes for Volume 1: weeknights at 6:15 PM and weekends at 3:15 PM (with an added show Saturday night at 8:15 PM). Showtimes for Volume 2: weeknights at 8:30 PM and weekends at 5:30 PM. You'll get a discount if you buy tickets for both movies at the same time. Siskel Film Center: 164 N. State. (312) 846-2600.
Nobody Knows, the latest film from Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda, opens today at the Music Box Theatre. The director's previous films were Maborosi (1995) and After Life (1998), which were meditations on life, death and dying from the point of view of the relatives of the dead and the deceased themselves. Obviously we're talking heavy topics here, but Koreeda's pictures are filled with wonderful observances of life and character, and his pictures are always involving and ultimately moving. Highly recommended. Music Box: 3733 N. Southport. (773) 871-6604.
Award-winning poet Kevin Young will read from his new book, "Black Maria," at 7pm tonight at 57th Street Books, 1301 E. 57th St. in Hyde Park. For more information, call (773) 684-1300 or visit the Seminary Co-op. Kevin Young follows his acclaimed exploration of the blues in "Jelly Roll" with another riff on an American art form, giving us a film noir in verse. Young, a master of syncopated verse and witty rhyme, is rightly considered one of the leading poets of his generation. Kevin Young is a professor of creative writing at Indiana University. He is the author of several volumes of poetry, including "Jelly Roll," "To Repel Ghosts," and "Most Way Home"; he is the editor of "Giant Steps: The New Generation of African American Writers" and "Blues Poems."
Fans of the television show "Enterprise" will be rallying to protest its cancellation in a night of music, fun and solidarity at the Logan Square Auditorium tonight starting at 9pm. At 10:30pm, a webcast of the attendees cheering the show will be recorded and sent to Paramount executives and advertisers. $10 gets you in the door. Check out trekunited.com for more information.
From 8pm to 11pm tonight, a fundraiser is being held at the John Barleycorn Pub, 3524 N. Clark St., for the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders' activities in the Darfur region of Sudan. Admission is $25 and includes an open bar and hors d'oeuvres. More information here.
Volunteers from Doctors Without Borders have worked tirelessly and at great peril to assist the displaced civilians of Darfur since the start of the crises. Their mission, which involves setting up clinics and food centers, has brought much needed relief to the western Sudan. However, as the situation in Darfur grows worse the financial strain on humanitarian organizations also increases and the need for charitable contributions grows.
The Sister to Sister Foundation helps prevent death by heart disease by providing women with free heart-health screenings at the third annual National Woman’s Heart Day Health Fair on February 18, 2005, in the lobby of the Merchandise Mart from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The fair includes interactive activiites, screenings, seminars, demonstrations and more. Free entry; call 773-475-4310 for more info.
Part of the Out at CHS program, the Chicago Historical Society will present Friends or Lovers? Same Sex Relationships in the 19th Century. Victoria Brown, of the Univeristy of Iowa, Jay Grossman, of Northwestern University, and Martha Vicinus, of the University of Michigan, will discuss such figures as Jane Addams and Walt Whitman and how historians interpret 19th century same sex relationships. The program reception begins at 5:30pm, followed by the 6:30pm-9:30pm discussion. Admission is $10 and can be purchased online.
The Siskel Film Center presents a program of animated shorts on the subject of love. Lots of good stuff here, from Don Herzfeldt's "Lily and Jim" to the classic Chuck Jones cartoon "Feed the Kitty". See the Film Center Website for a complete schedule. The program runs 85 minutes, and starts at 8:00 PM tonight. Admission is $9, $5 for Film Center members, $7 for all students and $4 for SAIC students. Siskel Film Center: 164 N. State. (312) 846-2600.
Head up to Joie de Vine -- the most adorable little wine bar in Andersonville -- for a Brazilian Girls Listening night sponsored by New City Chicago, who describes the band as "Grace Jones, Blondie, The Sugar Cubes, and Astrud Gilberto having a wild party."
Joie de Vine is located next door to breakfast landmark Pauline's at 1744 W. Balmoral. The listening party begins at 7:30 p.m. and features complimentary wine and cheese.
Tonight from 6–7:30pm at the Chicago Cultural Center (78 E. Washington Street, 5th floor) public art group Anti Gravity Surprise will present a talk along with Tom Tresser from the Creative America Project, and AIDS activists Michael McColly and James Tuong Nguyen. This talk is in conjunction with the photographic exhibition "PANDEMIC: Imaging Aids" and part of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs' Artist at Work Forum. Admission is free.
The Newberry Library will host Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Rhodes this evening for a discussion of his new biography, "John James Audubon: The Making of an American" (October 2004, Knopf).
Rhodes sets Audubon's life in the historical context of the War of 1812, the Louisiana Purchase, the wars against Native Americans, and the decimation of the American wilderness. In this comprehensive biography, Rhodes reveals Audubon as both a major American artist and a charming, volatile, ambitious and creative man.
"John James Audubon: The Making of an American" will be free and open to the public at the Newberry Library (60 W. Walton St). A book signing will follow the lecture. For more information, please call (312) 255-3700.
The CTA is holding a meeting tonight at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, 836 W. Wellington, to discuss the Brown Line expansion project, with emphasis on the renovations of the Fullerton and Belmont train stations. See the CTA site for full information. The meeting runs from 7:00 to 9:00.
The recently formed Chicago Transit Coalition, composed of chicago organizations including Break the Gridlock, Metro Seniors in Action, Jane Addams Senior Caucus, Equip for Equality, The Pilsen Alliance, Lawndale Neighborhood Organization, the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Gray Line Initiative, and others, is planning an action today at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle, 5th floor starting at 9am, for a press conference at 9:30am. The rally will reach out to our city and state representatives, letting them know that we are counting on their help in pushing for an acceptable solution to the transit crisis.
Cafe Finjan presents "Muslim and Jewish Comedy Nite" tonight from 7pm to 9pm at Jones College Prep Academy, 606 S. State St. "Mixing stand-up and sketch comedy, kippah and kufi, puns and politics - don't miss it!" Scheduled performers: Azhar Usman, Avi Lessing, Farheen Hakeem, Kumail Nanjiani and Triplette. More info here.
Co-sponsored by the Muslim Civil Rights Center, Jewish Council on Urban
Affairs, Muslim Bar Association and Inner-City Muslim Action Network. Tickets are $20 ($12 students), RSVP to zubairjd{at}ameritech.net or rsvp{at}jcua.org. Free Parking in the "Park 1" Lot at State and Balbo.
Hope & Nonthings Publishing and The Neo-Futurists host a book release party for 200 More Neo-Futurist Plays from Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, the third book collection of scripts from The Neo-Futurists' cult theatre phenomenon, a long-running, ever-changing, weekly presentation of 30 plays in 60 minutes. The event begins at 7 pm tonight at The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Avenue. Admission if free.
Playing a mixture of classic electronic music and more contemporary material, Subsystence Radio is focused on promoting a fusion of styles. Join us every other Wednesday night from 9:30-11 PM for a selection of music that moves us. Broadcasting live from 89.3 FM WNUR, the show features rotating DJ sets from Chicago's very own Ken and Karl Meier. You can also tune in online at WNUR.org.
The PBS documentary on the late Shirley Chisholm, Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed, will be shown tonight at the Chicago Historical Society. Filmmaker Shola Lynch and author/activist Amy Richards will be in attendance, and will have a Q&A session after the screening. The screening starts at 7:00 PM, and reservations are recommended. Chicago Historical Society: 1601 N. Clark. (312) 422-5580.
Eve Ensler will be signing Vagina Warriors tonight at Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark, from 5:00 - 6:30pm. The book is described as "a call to arms to stop violence against women around the world." Pow-Wow, Inc. is sponsoring the appearance.
Impress your dearest with a poem tonight: Make Magazine, an upcoming "Chicago literary magazine with a focus on publishing new area talent, as well as exploring Chicago traditions," has a poetry booth at "The Tainted Love Make-Out Party." tonight at Gunther Murphy's, 1638 W. Belmont. Originaly poems will be created on the spot, based on information offered by the customer, and the new poem will then be delivered aloud to the purchaser's beloved by an improv actor. There'll also be a kissing booth, DJs and three bands: Belfrie, Coupleskate and Pearly Sweets. All this for only $5! Doors open at 8pm, 21 and over. A little more info here.
Get out and help some pooches tonight at HotHouse's Valentine's Day Prom. Come join the Five Star Boogie Dancers, great DJs, and real live dogs in a Valentine's Day party. All the proceeds will go to Furry Friends Foundation (FFF), an all-volunteer, no-kill shelter founded in 1998, and has found homes for over 3200 animals. One of the focuses of FFF is placing animals that would be considered hard to place because of their age, breed, or special needs. Tickets are $25, and the event (21 and over) gets started at 8 p.m.
Celebrating Bucktown's love affair with Cans, this "cozy neighborhood bar" will again be featuring sappy romance movies from the 70's and 80's all evening. Bartenders will be adorned with fluffy angel wings honoring cupid while serving up love potion cocktails. There will be a love doctor on hand taking photographs of couples who are struck with the love bug. Lovers can steal a kiss or two in the St. Valentine's Official Kissing Booth. Plus, don’t miss this rare Reality TV moment and join one of the bachelors from The Bachelorette for a very special Valentine's Day viewing party. Spend Valentine's Day with Wendell as he stars as the Valentine Guest Bartender. Call 773.227.2277 for more information. Cans Bar is located at 1640 North Damen just north of North Avenue.
Verse Press hits Chicago with a V-Day treat tonight celebrating the publication of thier new title Isn't It Romantic: 100 Love Poems by Younger American Poets tonight at The Hideout. The evening will feature music by L’Altra, Charlemagne, DJs Kid Levitra and Joel Craig and poetry by Bridget Bates, John Beer, Suzanne Buffam, Joel Craig, Arielle Greenberg, Richard Meier, Srikanth Reddy, Jesse Seldess, James Shea and David Trinidad. The Hideout is located at 1354 W. Wabansia, Chicago. Phone: 773-227-4433. $5 Suggested donation.
Okay, so I hate Valentine's Day, but that doesn't mean you do. Tonight, Make Magazine will host a poetry booth at the Coupleskate Special Valentine's Day Show. The poems will be improvisational, created on the spot by information you provide, and will then be delivered to the object of your affections for everyone to hear. There will be music, dancing, and eats, so, if you must, get your sappy V-Day on at 8pm, Gunther Murphy's, 1638 W. Belmont. It actually sounds like fun.
This evening at 7:00 PM, Chicago Public Radio presents a half-hour interview with the late actor Ossie Davis, who was interviewed by CPR host Richard Steele in 1991.
Possibly the most intriguingly appropriate pairing of the theatre season: Lookingglass premieres an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Opens tonight, through March 27. Tickets $30-58. Available through TicketWeb or by calling 312-337-0665.
This weekend marks the Around the Coyote Winter Arts Festival, with visual art, theater, performances and film screenings taking place Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights in Wicker Park and Bucktown. Visual art can be viewed today, Sunday, from 11-6pm. There will be exhibitions and performances by more than 100 visual artists exhibiting a diverse collection of photography, paintings, sculpture and mixed-media works in the Flat Iron Arts Building at 1579 N. Milwaukee. The ATC Winter Theatre Festival provides a venue to examine the unique collaboration between playwright and director. This festival features several short, raw plays--each of which has been born out of artistic partnerships between local playwrights and emerging directors. The ATC Short Film & Video will be held at Rodan, 1530 N. Milwaukee, on Friday and Sunday. They'll have some of the moviemakers at the screening both nights to field your comments and question. There will also be voting for the winter winner of the Audience Choice Award. We will show two sets each night, one nice and the other "naughty".
Chicago's historic Old Town School of Folk Music presents the latest in a series of workshops designed to give students an overview of a specific musical or dance topic in just one day. Today's workshop is dedicated to learning the basics of starting a band. Topics to be discussed include: song arrangement; running rehearsals; and preparing for a gig. The instructor is Charles Kim, one of the school's highest-profile instructors. The workshop starts at 3:00 PM, and costs $30. More information at the school's Website. Old Town School of Folk Music: 4544 N. Lincoln. (773) 728-6000.
It's time for the Garfield Park Conservatory's 6th Annual Chocolate Fest! Come enjoy free chocolates from more than a dozen vendors, see Chicago's only fruiting Chocolate trees and learn about the health and beauty benefits of your favorite sweet. 11am to 5pm. A donation of $1 is suggested. Check the Conservatory's site more information.
Stories on Stage, Chicago’s dramatic short-story reading series, presents “Synchronicity,” featuring three stories about discovering or affirming love. The pre-Valentine’s Day performance takes place at 3 pm and the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave. Stories on Stage is a production of Chicago Public Radio.
Ed Sobel directs Chicago actors reading the stories “The Wonder Spot” by Melissa Bank, “Next of Kin” by Lily Tuck and “Small Degrees” by Kevin Brockmeier.
This weekend: Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind Valentine's Edition: 30 Loving Plays in 60 Passionate Minutes. Written and performed by The Neo-Futurists. Patrons are encouraged (but not required) to dress in costume, for which they may be rewarded with candy. Friday and Saturday, February 11 and 12 at 11:30 pm (doors open 11 pm) and Sunday, February 13 at 7 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm). Tickets are $7 plus the roll of a six-sided die (i.e. $8 - $13). Performances take place at the Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland (at Foster). Free and metered street parking spaces are available. No reservations are accepted. For more information, call the Neo-Futurists Hotline at 773-275-5255.
MoJoe's Cafe Lounge and Diatribe Media present a zine reading tonight, "in celebrating our first anniversary of a loving union between Diatribe Media and MoJoe's". Among the people scheduled to read tonight are CT Ballentine of 24 Hours, Emerson Dameron of Wherewithall, Eric Labrat of gentleman junker, Andrew Mall of Living Proof, and GB's very own Andrew Huff. The reading begins at 7:30 PM (arrive early, because MoJoe's is tiny), and it's free and open to the public. MoJoe's Cafe Lounge: 2256 W. Roscoe. (773) 388-1236.
Studio 9 Gallery, 1450 W. Webster Place, is throwing "One Red Hot Artist Party" from 7pm to 10pm tonight. In addition to more than 20 artists and crafters displaying their wares, the event will feature the musical stylings of Bakelite 78 and tarot readings by Sarah Wilson. Free. More info available at studio9gallery.com.
Mike Huckaby, one of the most respected techno/house DJs from Detroit, brings his dancefloor-moving diverse sound to the Darkroom. Presented by Wax Addict and Soul Foundation, with support from Bjak and Brian Gardner. 2210 W. Chicago, 21+, free before 11pm, $5 afterwards.
GB staff member JD will be in attendance.
Sure Fido can drag you from a burning car, but could you give him mouth-to-mouth? Learn Pet First Aid and CPR today at the Anti-Cruelty Society from 9 am – 1 pm. This course, taught by an American Red Cross certified instructor, will cover Pet First Aid and CPR techniques. The emphasis will be on cats and dogs. Cat and dog manikins will be used; please do not bring your pet to class. The course length is 4 hours. The course fee of $40 includes all course materials. To register for this class, call Tammie Bouschor at (312) 644-8338 ext. 344. Payment must be received at least two weeks prior to your scheduled class to confirm your registration. This class will be held in The Anti-Cruelty Society's Education and Training Center, located at 169 W. Grand Ave.
This weekend marks the Around the Coyote Winter Arts Festival, with visual art, theater, performances and film screenings taking place Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights in Wicker Park and Bucktown. Visual art can be viewed Saturday 11-10pm and Sunday 11-6pm. There will be exhibitions and performances by more than 100 visual artists exhibiting a diverse collection of photography, paintings, sculpture and mixed-media works in the Flat Iron Arts Building at 1579 N. Milwaukee. The ATC Winter Theatre Festival provides a venue to examine the unique collaboration between playwright and director. This festival features several short, raw plays--each of which has been born out of artistic partnerships between local playwrights and emerging directors. The ATC Short Film & Video will be held at Rodan, 1530 N. Milwaukee, on Friday and Sunday. They'll have some of the moviemakers at the screening both nights to field your comments and question. There will also be voting for the winter winner of the Audience Choice Award. We will show two sets each night, one nice and the other "naughty".
It's time for the Garfield Park Conservatory's 6th Annual Chocolate Fest! Today and tomorrow, enjoy free chocolates from more than a dozen vendors, see Chicago's only fruiting Chocolate trees and learn about the health and beauty benefits of your favorite sweet. 11am to 5pm. A donation of $1 is suggested. Check the Conservatory's site more information.
The Oyez Review, the literary magazine of the Creative Writing Program at Roosevelt University, celebrates issue #32 of the magazine this afternoon at 2:00 with a reading at Quimby's. The event is free and open to the public. Quimby's: 1854 W. North. (773) 342-0910.
This weekend: Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind Valentine's Edition: 30 Loving Plays in 60 Passionate Minutes. Written and performed by The Neo-Futurists. Patrons are encouraged (but not required) to dress in costume, for which they may be rewarded with candy. Friday and Saturday, February 11 and 12 at 11:30 pm (doors open 11 pm) and Sunday, February 13 at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm). Tickets are $7 plus the roll of a six-sided die (i.e. $8 - $13). Performances take place at the Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland (at Foster). Free and metered street parking spaces are available. No reservations are accepted. For more information, call the Neo-Futurists Hotline at 773-275-5255.
Local promotional teams Meiotic, Koncept, and Reverse team up to present this intimate electronic music showcase at Logan Square's Tini Martini. Featuring performances from Matt Martin, John Patterson, and Matt Mercer, this party is in celebration of the latter's recent release on Neuton entitled Secrets 2. No cover, 21+. Tini Martini is located at 2169 N. Milwaukee Ave.
The 8th Annual Critical Mass Art Show opens today from 6-11 pm at HighSchool (1542 N. Milwaukee, 3rd floor). The show features bike-themed art, anti-car art, and art about public transportation. The opening is a potluck, so bring food to share and meet some of Chicago's coolest cyclists while taking in all kinds of interesting art.
Attention Red Line riders! Starting tonight, the Lake stop will be closed on weeknights (9:00 PM to 5:00 AM) and all day on the weekends. The closure will be in effect until late summer, due to construction being done on the station. See the CTA site for details.
This weekend marks the Around the Coyote Winter Arts Festival, with visual art, theater, performances and film screenings taking place Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights in Wicker Park and Bucktown. Visual art can be viewed Friday 6-10pm, Saturday 11-10pm and Sunday 11-6pm. There will be exhibitions and performances by more than 100 visual artists exhibiting a diverse collection of photography, paintings, sculpture and mixed-media works in the Flat Iron Arts Building at 1579 N. Milwaukee. The ATC Winter Theatre Festival provides a venue to examine the unique collaboration between playwright and director. This festival features several short, raw plays--each of which has been born out of artistic partnerships between local playwrights and emerging directors. The ATC Short Film & Video will be held at Rodan, 1530 N. Milwaukee, on Friday and Sunday. They'll have some of the moviemakers at the screening both nights to field your comments and question. There will also be voting for the winter winner of the Audience Choice Award. We will show two sets each night, one nice and the other "naughty".
I'm not sure putting what we got about this one into sentence form would do it any justice, so here's the info we received:
an evening of Love and Pain featuring:
CRUSHIN'
a crush reunion & international art show curated by rebecca grady
after party with performances by:
HANDSTRING HEARTJOB
THE JEALOUSY
BRRRN
and special events:
LOVERS and FIGHTERS PRIZE BOXING
MULTIMEDIA KISSING BOOTH & CONFESSIONAL
ZINE SALE, VALENTINE & TELEGRAM DELIVERY
djs:
CASTRATION DJ, JOHNNY LOVE & SURRA THE HUN*_Diamonds on Archer (1st floor)_
3012 S. Archer Ave.,
Chicago, IL 60608*
(on Archer between Lock St. and Broad St.)*_To get there:_*_ _
*by train:* take the orange line to ashland, walk two blocks northeast along archer ave.
*by bus:* take the #9/ashland bus or #62/archer bus to lock st.
*by highway:* I55 - exit at Damen, head south on Damen, left on 33rd, left on Archer and continue to Lock St. I90/94 - exit at 18th, head west on 18th, left at Halsted, right on Archer
4Art Gallery invites you to attend the opening reception of "Nude," an exhibition of all nude artwork, in many different styles and media. The human form will be portrayed through the sculptures, paintings, drawings, digital art, and video of more than a dozen Chicago artists. The opening reception is tonight from 6 pm to 10 pm. Featured Artists: M.R. Shebesta, Vince Chiaramonte, Jerod Schmidt, Susan Clinard, Nefty Centeno, Ned Broderick, E.K. Buckley, Phil Onofrio, Melanie Lieb, Clara Batton Smith, Zsofia Otvos, Andy Barker. The show runs through March 3, 2005. While you are there, explore the rest of the Chicago Arts District. There will be more than a dozen galleries and studios open this Second Friday, all within walking distance of each other. The 4 Art Gallery is located at 1932 South Halsted, Unit 100. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday–Saturday, 10 am–6 pm. For more information about the gallery or its services, please contact Jerod Schmidt or Robin Rios at 312.850.1816.
Everyone needs love, even diabolical supra-geniuses and unholy demon princesses. But relationships are tricky, even if you're perfect for each other. Just because you're both interested in the same things (bullying subordinates, panda enslavement, world domination) doesn't mean that you won't have your problems. And that those problems won't be hilarious! The Dr. Wolfram and Zordak Show is a romantic comedy about the trials and tribulations of love viewed from the dark side. Because even super-villains can be brokenhearted. This show has it all - video, music, and a giant panda! The Dr. Wolfram and Zordak Show runs Friday nights, February 11 - March 4, at 9pm at Donny's Skybox Theater, 1608 N. Wells, 4th Floor Piper's Alley. It is presented by ChicagoImprovAnarchy.
In honor of PISTIL’s forthcoming Idol issue(due in mid-March), the magazine will host The Idol Rock Revue at the Empty Bottle (1035 N. Western Ave.) on Friday, February 11. The show will feature the music of Comasoft, The Grackles, The Manaconda, Vee Dee and M.O.T.O. Attendees are asked to dress up as their idol, and PISTIL will be rewarding the top idol costumes. The party starts at 9:00 p.m. and has an $8.00 cover. All proceeds benefit PISTIL Magazine.
This weekend: Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind Valentine's Edition: 30 Loving Plays in 60 Passionate Minutes. Written and performed by The Neo-Futurists. Patrons are encouraged (but not required) to dress in costume, for which they may be rewarded with candy. Friday and Saturday, February 11 and 12 at 11:30 pm (doors open 11 pm) and Sunday, February 13 at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm). Tickets are $7 plus the roll of a six-sided die (i.e. $8 - $13). Performances take place at the Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland (at Foster). Free and metered street parking spaces are available. No reservations are accepted. For more information, call the Neo-Futurists Hotline at 773-275-5255.
The 2005 Chicago Auto Show opens to the public today, and runs through Sunday, February 20. The nation's largest auto show includes numerous auto-related exhibits, competition vehicles, antique and collector cars, and some sneak previews of various auto makers' upcoming models. The show happens at McCormick Place; see the auto show Website for complete details.
Live music returns to the Fireside Bowl! But the shows are now 21+, boo hoo. Still, it's good to see the old place being used for shows again. Tonight: the Watchers, and the Eternals. Show starts at 10:00. Fireside Bowl: 2648 W. Fullerton. (773) 486-2700.
Join Evanston researcher Doria Dee Johnson tonight for "Anthony Crawford Remembered," a look at lynching in America and the experiences of her great-great-grandfather, who was lynched in South Carolina in 1916. The event takes place from 7 to 9 pm at the Evanston Historical Society (225 Greenwood St.) Tickets are $5, free for EHS members. Reservations recommended. Call 847-475-3410.
If you're of the opinion that gays and lesbians should have the ability to marry the person they love, then you'll want to attend tonight's reception at High Risk Gallery (1113 W. Belmont) from 7-9pm. Patricia M. Logue, the Senior Counsel with Lambda Legal Defense and Education, Inc., will speak on the current climate surrounding the push for marriage equality. She argued the 1995 case that established second-parent adoptions in Illinois, and later defended that precedent in cases where adoptions were blocked by an anti-gay judge. Admission is free, there is a cash bar, and people interested in attending tonight's event are asked to send an rsvp email to: RTijerina@lambdalegal.org. The 2005 Freedom to Marry Reception is hosted by Lambda Legal and co-sponsored by Chicago NOW, Dignity Chicago, the Metropolitan Community Churches of Illiana and others.
Barbara's Bookstore will hold a reading and discussion led by Martha Nussbaum on What We Do Now, a collection of "passionate manifestos outlining new ideas for the post 11/2 world." The book features contributions by such notables as Howard Dean, Greg Palast, and Nussbaum herself and discourages right-wing opponents from giving in to post-election despair. The free reading will be at the UIC location, 1218 S. Halsted, and will begin at 7:30 pm.
This year's Around the Coyote Winter Arts Festival gets going tonight with poetry by Chicago poet Cin Salach along with the Curator's Choice Exhibition & Silent Auction in the Flat Iron Arts Building's north entrance at 1939-1/2 W. North Avenue. Party-goers can enjoy complimentary food, drink, and music while bidding on their favorite piece of art, and unlike in the past, the Curators' Choice show and silent auction will close at 11pm the same evening. There's also plenty of Film, Theater and Performances to check out each of the three regular festival nights. See the Around the Coyote website for a full schedule.
Second City comes home for a free performance at the University of Chicago's Mandel Hall for all university students, faculty, and staff (ID required). Co-founded by U of C alums, the group will take the stage at 7:30pm, but be sure to get there early, as doors open at 7pm and the theater is likely to be packed. (With any luck the group will invite Off-Off Campus, the U of C's student comedy group, to perform and the most hilarious part of the evening will be watching the aspiring comedians flounder about and be shamed by their far more apt guests.)
The City Lit Theater company stages Doctor Knock, or the Triumph of Modern Medicine, a 1923 satire by the French playwright Jules Romain about an ambitious doctor who turns a small town full of healthy citizens into hypochondriacs. City Lit's production is adapted by the director, Richard Hesler. Tonight through March 27 at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr (in the Edgewater Presbyterian Church). Tickets are $18-25; call 773-293-3682.
GroundUp Theatre presents Letters/X, a show of readings from break-up letters given to (or found by) the GroundUp performers and writers. The show runs at the Hungry Brain (2319 W. Belmont) through February 26; see GroundUp's site for a complete list of dates and further information.
Love Chocolate? Who doesn't! Tonight from 6-9 pm, BIN 36 (339 N. Dearborn) will host the Art of Chocolate to benefit Youth Outreach Services. At this second annual dessert competition and wine tasting event, guests will indulge in chocolate dessert creations from Chicago's premiere pastry chefs and sample chocolate-friendly wines selected by BIN 36 Wine Director, Brian Duncan. The festivities will include a raffle and silent auction. Tickets are $36 and can be reserved by calling (312) 755-WINE. For more information,call (312) 755-9463.
Watch Jacques Becker's 1952 masterpiece Casque d'or tonight at 7 pm at the University of Chicago's Doc Films.
"This tale of love and tragedy in the gritty underworld of Belle Epoque Paris is based on a real-life incident. Sultry, poetic, and beautifully made, at the time of its release the film was denounced as immoral by the French establishment, but was championed by younger critics. It went on to become a touchstone for the new wave. The story concerns a love triangle involving a gangster's moll (Simone Signoret) whose surface cynicism belies her inner tenderness. Signoret is vibrantly sensual and excitingly charismatic; this is the performance that made her a star. Becker went on to direct the noir classics Le Trou and Touchez Pas au Grisbi." -Doc Films
Attention electronic musicians: here is your chance to connect with local artists, chat about gear, and share demos. Join the folks from Modsquare tonight at Sonotheque for an evening of networking and IDM, featuring performances from Miles Tilmann, Justin McGrath, and Liz Revision. Bring at least 10 copies of your CDR to share, and you’ll get in for free. More information is available on the subVariant website.
Today is Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent. To celebrate Mardi Gras, and New Orleans' style cooking, the Davis Street Fish Market (which is also a restaurant) is sponsoring a parade through the streets of downtown Evanston beginning tonight at 6pm. They'll also have a special Mardi Gras menu going, along with other festive flairs. The Davis Street Fish Market is located at 501 Davis Street, Evanston.
Facets Multimedia welcomes Mel Stuart, who directed the movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Mel Stuart will be conducting a special workshop for 125 Chicago area students today, and there are still tickets available for the 11:00 screening of the film and Q&A session. For more information, please contact Kasia Iverson at (773) 281-9075.
WGN host Nick Digilio is the host at tonight's "Nick at Night" double feature at the Brew & View. The schedule: Shaun of the Dead at 8:00 PM; Dawn of the Dead (the recent remake) at 10:00 PM. It's an 18+ show, admission is $5, and there will be prize giveaways. According to the Brew & View Website, "The whole Nick at Night crew will be there, including Nick, Ted, The Count and Broham." So all you Broham fans, you know what YOU'RE doing tonight!!! Brew & View: 3145 N. Sheffield. (773) 929-6713.
An expert in vegetarian nutrition, Dr. Michael Greger will speak at the University of Chicago to discuss his new book Carbophobia: The Scary Truth Behind America's Low Carb Craze. The discussion on the unhealthy part of the anti-carb lifestyle (mmm...carbs...) will be at 5706 S. University Ave., in Hutchinson Commons, at 8pm.
The Evanston Arts Council will sponsor the second installment of a new
quarterly series of free events entitled "Talk Arts", informational evenings for artists of all disciplines. Each of these gatherings will consist of a panel of experts sharing their knowledge and personal experiences in an informal and
interactive exchange with other artists who are looking to further their understanding of what it takes to build a successful career in the arts. The upcoming event, "Talk Arts: The Business of Art - Bottom Line Basics", is set for Monday, February 7, 2004 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center (located at 927 Noyes Street in Evanston, IL). The panel consisting of Greg Kot (Chicago Tribune music critic/columnist), Peter Strand (entertainment lawyer), Preston Klik (musician/record label owner), Amy Lombardi (PR firm owner/representative) and moderator Lois Roewade (Evanston Arts Council chairperson) will discuss a variety topics related to marketing, promotions, media relations and accessing consumers, which will benefit writers, musicians, filmmakers, actors, designers and visual artists alike.
If you're a football fan, you already know about this. If you're not a football fan, you probably already know about this too. Nonetheless, the SUPERBOWL is TODAY! At 5:30 pm. Cook up some weenies, crack open a beer and enjoy the action. Or the ads.
Waltz down to Hyde Park this weekend to participate in the 45th annual University of Chicago Folk Festival. A diverse line-up of concerts take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. Saturday and Sunday during the daytime, check out lots of interesting-looking workshops on fiddling, drumming, dancing and lots more.
Tickets are $15-20 or $7 for students.
GB staff member RAH will be in attendance
Every Sunday the Oriental Institute (1155 E. 58th St.) shows free documentaries on the ancient Near East at 2 pm.
Today's featured film is Mount Nemrud: Throne of the Gods
"Discover the eighth wonder of the ancient world in this film highlighting the massive ruins located on Mount Nemrud in Eastern Turkey. A source of mystery and debate for more than 2,000 years, these ruins are the focus of a documentary that presents archival footage of excavations, on-site interviews with scholars, 3-D computer animations, and superb battle re-enactments." -Oriental Institute.
INXS is looking for a new sensation...and a new singer since the untimely death of Michael Hutchence. If you're looking to score your fifteen minutes of fame, head down to Schubas Tavern and the Harmony Grill at 3159 N. Southport to audition for the CBS reality show promising to deliver just that. The auditions are free and last from 8am to 4pm.
Tired of your old dog's tricks? Get out and learn some new ones to liven up your winter afternoons. During this introductory Anti-Cruelty Society class, today, from 1 pm to 2:30 pm, ACS dog obedience instructor, Janice Triptow, will introduce you and your dog to positive methods to make training fun. Three core tricks will be introduced. The class will also equip you with the knowledge to get the behaviors that you want from your dog. Pre-registration is required and there is a 20 dog/handler limit. This event is free of charge. To register, call Tammie Bouschor at (312) 644-8338 ext. 344. Please include your name, day time telephone number and the name of the program that you are registering for. The event will be held in the Education and Training Center at 169 W. Grand Avenue.
Today is the last day of Clown Around Town, a new program from The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, which celebrates the circus arts with acrobatic workshops, clown performances, and a circus museum exhibit.
Highlights of today's events include: Navy Pier's free Circus Extravaganza, "Subversive Clowning: The Politics Of Laughter," a workshop led by 500 Clown's Adrian Danzig at the Chicago Cultural Center, and a performance by Kapoot at the Storefront Theater (66 E. Randolph St).
Waltz down to Hyde Park this weekend to participate in the 45th annual University of Chicago Folk Festival. A diverse line-up of concerts take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. Saturday and Sunday during the daytime, check out lots of interesting-looking workshops on fiddling, drumming, dancing and lots more.
Tickets are $15-20 or $7 for students.
Whether you have nagging memories of high school, have children in high school, or are currently in high school yourself, you'd be hard pressed to deny that the period of time has lasting effects on a person. The Chicago Historical Society, with its Teen Council, presents Negotiating High School, answering such questions as "What would it be like if students could shape their own learning experience?" Running from 10:30 am-2:00 pm, the event will feature a panel of Chicago students discussing their high school experiences. Admission is free and, hey!, you could receive extra credit for participating in the program.
Clown Around Town, a new program from The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, celebrates the circus arts all weekend long with acrobatic workshops, clown performances, and a circus museum exhibit.
Highlights of today's events include: Pippi Goes to the Circus from 11 am-2 pm at the Swedish American Museum Center (5211 N. Clark Street), The Actors Gymnasium Presents A Circus Workshop from Noon-2 pm at the Chicago Cultural Center (77 E. Randolph Street), and Navy Pier's circus extravaganza from Noon-5 pm.
Archer Prewitt lays down some tunes and celebrates the release of his latest album Wilderness tonight at The Empty Bottle. From the Bottle: "As an artist, Archer Prewitt has been making significant contributions to underground culture for over fifteen years now. An acclaimed illustrator, Prewitt has also found considerable success musically, first with the Coctails, then with Sea & Cake and as a solo artist. The release of his latest solo endeavor, Wilderness, will be celebrated here. The Early Day Miners will themselves be celebrating a new release, Secretly Canadian longplayer All Harm Ends Here. The album is perhaps their strongest offering to date, engrossing pastoral music that is cinematic and richly textured. Independent music luminary Chris Brokaw will open." Tickets are $10 and music starts at 10pm. The Empty Bottle is located at 1035 N. Western Ave. Chicago.
Local creative bassists Tatsu Aoki and Yosef Ben Israel
will present Dreaming of the Master, a series of solo and duet improvisations honoring legendary Chicago bassist Malachi Favors Maghostut tonight at 9 pm at the Spareroom (2416 West North Avenue).
Malachi Favors Maghostut died from pancreatic cancer nearly one year ago on January 31, 2004. For roughly half a century, Favors was “a catalyst for new ideas in jazz and innovative approaches to the bass, influencing generations of players and anchoring one of the most widely esteemed bands in the musical avant-garde, the Art Ensemble of Chicago.” - Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
Waltz down to Hyde Park this weekend to participate in the 45th annual University of Chicago Folk Festival. A diverse line-up of concerts take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. Saturday and Sunday during the daytime, check out lots of interesting-looking workshops on fiddling, drumming, dancing and lots more.
Tickets are $15-20 or $7 for students.
The Chicago Craft Mafia, a group of local crafty businesspeople you may have seen at various DIY craft shows in recent years, is throwing a launch party tonight at TOJO Gallery. And while you're there, Craft Mafia people will be holding a Valentine's Day sale, so you can also pick up some handmade gifts for your loved ones. An offer you can't refuse! The party goes from 7:00 to 11:00 tonight. TOJO Gallery: 1418 W. Division.
Richard Linklater's two films Before Sunrise and Before Sunset are playing at the Siskel Film Center starting tonight and running through Wednesday, February 9. If you've missed one or both of these films, now's your chance to see them both back-to-back! And yes, you will get reduced admission if you buy tickets for both movies at the same time. Siskel Film Center: 164 N. State. (312) 846-2600.
Clown Around Town, a new program from The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, celebrates the circus arts all weekend long with acrobatic workshops, clown performances, and a circus museum exhibit.
Today's events include "Vito's Circus on a Shoestring," a free circus workshop at the Indian Boundary Cultural Center (2500 W Lunt Ave) from 1:30-3 pm, and The Actors Gymasium presents: Daredevils and Dolls from 12:15-1 pm at the Chicago Cultural Center (77 E Randolph St).
The Dollar Store is a monthly show featuring some of Chicago's top literary and performance talents together. Each performer receives an item purchased from a local dollar store one month in advance, which they then use to craft a short story, monologue or performance piece. Each piece is written specifically for the show. This month's performers include, THE2NDHAND Co-Editor Todd Dills, I AM SPAM author and poet Larry O. Dean, and Dancer/Choreographer Asimina Chremos. The show is co-hosted by Jonathan Messinger, editor of THISisGRAND.org and comedian Sean Gardner. The Dollar Store takes place at The Hideout at 1354 W. Wabansia, Chicago starting tonight at 7 pm. There's a $1 suggested donation. Contact: Jonathan Messinger, thedollarstorechicago{at}yahoo{dot}com.
There’s a new alternative to Friday nights spent in smoky bars and clubs. Bloom Yoga Studio hosts their now monthly Midnight Yoga class tonight from 10:30 pm – Midnight. Midnight Yoga is an invigorating candlelit yoga class taught by Kerry Maiorca and accompanied by live music by local DJ Jesse Hozeny. The late-night mood, fun and challenging flow, and ambient beats combine to make a yoga class unlike any other. Following the class, Midnight Yogis relax in Bloom’s reception area for wine, light snacks, dessert, and good conversation. Whether you come alone or with friends, Midnight Yoga is a great night out. For those looking to connect with like-minded individuals, Bloom’s Midnight Yoga provides a fun, unique, and healthy way to spend a Friday night. The workshop costs $20 and pre-registration is recommended. For more information or to register, visit Bloom.
The BackStage Theatre Company presents Anton in Show Business, by the pseudonymous playwright Jane Martin, author of Talking With... and Keely and Du, for which "she" was a Pulitzer finalist. Anton, a backstage (ha ha) comedy about a doomed production of Chekhov's Three Sisters in San Antonio, is billed as a satire on the state of theatre today; an all-female cast portrays fifteen characters of both genders. Tonight through March 13, at the Heartland Studio Theatre in Rogers Park (7016 N. Glenwood, behind the Heartland Cafe). Tickets are $12-15; call 312-683-5347 for reservations.
Clown Around Town, a new program from The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, celebrates the circus arts all weekend long with acrobatic workshops, clown performances, and a circus museum exhibit.
Today's events include a circus exhibition all day at the Museum of Science and Industry, "Silliness 101" at the Chicago Children's Museum, and an Astro Beat Circus Dance Party from 7-9 pm at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Susan Jane Gilman, author of the snarky girls' guide Kiss My Tiara: How to Rule the World as a SmartMouth Goddess, reads from her new book at Barabara's Bookstore in Oak Park. The book, Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress, is a collection of coming-of-age non-fiction focused on becoming a woman in America. The reading, at 1100 Lake St, begins at 7:30pm. Call 708-848-9140 for more information.
The Evanston Historical Society presents authors Stuart Cohen and Susan Benjamin for a discussion and signing of their book North Shore Chicago: Houses of the Lakefront Suburbs, 1890-1940, a look at the residences and noted owners who created the famous suburban residential area north of Chicago. Part of the Society’s ongoing Under the Buffalo lecture series, the talk takes place at the Evanston Historical Society (225 Greenwood St). The event runs from 7-9 pm, and tickets are $5 per person, or free for EHS members. Reservations recommended. Call 847-475-3410 to reserve a spot or get more information.
This installment of Funk the Mental, a techno monthly at Sonotheque, features Hieroglyphic Being, who releases his own hybrid of acid house and techno on labels like Ghostly International and Gigolo. Gabe Palomo, Chris Widman, and Don Solo are also on the lineup. 1444 W. Chicago, 21+, 10pm, $5.
GB staff member JD will be in attendance.
Photographer Jack Bridges has a new show opening tonight at 7 pm at the Medill School of Journalism's McCormick Tribune Center (1870 Campus Drive) in Evanston. Go see "The Robert Taylor Project," a series of photographs documenting the culture at Chicago's Robert Taylor Homes. The work features portraits, scenes of everyday life, and images of the demolition, as the community is torn down piece by piece.
A 15 minute original film, "Inside Robert Taylor," will be shown at 7:45 pm with an open question and answer session to follow. Admission is free.
T0day at 6 pm, the Newberry Library presents “The Art of Design,” a program that explores the driving ideals and artistic output of the Arts and Crafts Movement at the turn of the twentieth century.
Presented in conjunction with a pair of exhibitions about the Arts and
Crafts Movement at the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University, “The Art of Design” welcomes Corinne Granoff, associate curator at the Block Museum, for a look at the works of William Morris and Gustav Stickley, among other arts and crafts masters. The program will feature a slide lecture detailing two-dimensional designs for wallpapers, textiles, fine arts books, and ecclesiastical decoration.
“The Art of Design” will be held at the Newberry Library (60 W. Walton St). Admission is $12, or $7 for Newberry Associates, and includes light refreshments. For more information, call (312) 255-3510.
Douglas Coupland, author of the seminal Generation X, stops by Borders in Lincoln Park to discuss and sign his new book, Eleanor Rigby (which I'm totally going to read just because of the title). The reading, at 2817 N. Clark St., starts at 7:30 pm. Call 773-935-3909 for more information.
GB staff member VCB will be in attendance.
The role of women in the working world has always been a heated point of contention. In A New Role: Images of Women in the Working World at the Turn of the Century, the Art Institute will discuss the debate's place in the art world through the depiction of women at labor in 19th and 20th century and how the artist's gender may have affected the presented view. The talk begins at 1:00pm and admission is free. Call 312-443-3600 for general information.
Smart Bar, that bar underneath the Metro, is launching a weekly film series tonight with a double shot of Wes Anderson: Rushmore at 8:15 PM, and The Royal Tenenbaums at 10:15 PM. Admission is free. Can't beat that! Smart Bar: 3730 N. Clark. (773) 549-4140.
Author Amy Krouse Rosenthal reads from her book Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life tonight at Quimby's. Admission to the reading is free. Quimby's: 1854 W. North. (773) 342-0910.
Wings of Desire, the amazing 1987 Wim Wenders film about angels in modern-day Germany, screens tonight at 6:00 PM at the Siskel Film Center, as part of a continuing four-month-long program of German cinema. The film stars Bruno Ganz as an angel who quietly observes humans and their activities, and becomes concerned with two in particular: a beautiful trapeze artist in a travelling circus; and the actor Peter Falk (playing himself). See Roger Ebert's essay on the movie for more details about the plot. (Although, if you haven't seen the movie before, you might want to go without any advance information about the story.) Tonight's screening will include a lecture by Scott Curtis of Northwestern University. Tickets are $9 for the general public, $5 for Film Center members, and $4 for SAIC students. Film Center: 164 N. State. (312) 846-2600.
Running for nearly a year, this unique Chicago monthly is dedicated to providing local DJs, producers, and artists an outlet for their alternative musical interests. Disallowing traditional blending and mixing, INFLUENCE. encourages its guests to span multiple artists and genres, and demonstrate the variety of styles that have inspired them artistically. Tonight features performances from some of the city's most dedicated and knowledgeable promoters, such as Erick Urenn (of Material fame) and Rob Hamilton (of Lazy FM). Zachary Lubin and Ken Meier (of Subsystence) open. Doors are at 9 PM and there is no cover. At Sonotheque, 1444 W Chicago Ave.
GB staff member KM will be in attendance.
Help! - A Tsunami Relief Benefit gets started tonight at 6 p.m at Schubas with performances by The Beer Nuts, Butterfly Child, Caviar, Chris Connelly, Giant Step, Kelly Hogan, JT & The Clouds, Katerina, Scott Lucas, Million Yen, Nikki Novickis, Nora O'Connor, Carlos Ortega, Mary Dee Reynolds, Star People, The Waco Brothers and more, plus DJs Upstairs and a Silent Auction featuring DJ Matt Fields, DJ Dave Galicko, DJ Dave Rucins, DJ Kosher Best, DJ MR, DJ Poseur & DJ Sean Joyce plus a night-long raffle. All proceeds benefit The American Red Cross. Special Thanks to the following companies for providing auction and raffle items: Coobah, Delilahs, Double Door, Engine Studios, Goose Island, Guitar Works, Hi-Fi Records, Jam Productions, Katarinas, Mars Gallery, The Onion, Pilsner Urquell, Raw Bar, Reckless Records, Santulos, Schubas' Harmony Grill, Trevia, & Village Cutting Room. Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets are $20.00 ($25.00 door) (The $1.50 ticket service charge will also go towards your Red Cross contribution.)
