|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Issue 201 |
|
|
| |
| |
Your cultural event guide
Here's a snapshot of our favorite things to do in Chicago this week. |
|
|
| |
Summertime weekdays can get claustrophobic, to say the least — thankfully Chicago's been kind to its citizens, injecting some weekend-style excitement into the afternoon crunch. So far, we've been treated to farmer's markets all around the Loop and midday-Monday concerts at Millennium Park for the Audible Architecture series. (We're psyched for the next installment with Bill Callahan — aka the artist sometimes known as Smog.) This week, there are some impromptu clothes-horsing opportunities via a sidewalk sale and fashion shows at Daley Plaza. The leisurely lunch is alive and kicking — with or without the three martinis.
- Audrey Mast, Managing Editor
|
|
| |
SPECIAL FEATURE
Ben Watt
|
|
|
Few artists lead lives with such eclectic headlines: rock star marries musical partner; disease survivor pens inspiring tale of survival; musician starts second life as a successful producer, DJ, and promoter. Everything But the Girl and Buzzin' Fly founder Ben Watt speaks with Earplug about his lifelong musical trip.
|
|
| |
|
Lara Schnitger
Dutch-born artist Lara Schnitger evokes the eroticism, violence, and vulnerability of bodily forms.
|
|
Flavorpill Mobile
Access Flavorpill listings, rate events, and find friends on the go, all via your handheld device.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
FILM: Documentary
Indestructible
| when: |
Tuesday July 22 (8:30pm)
More times»
|
| where: |
Gene Siskel Film Center (164 N State St, 312.846.2600)
map
|
| price: |
$9
|
View on site»
|
|
"At 31 years of age, I was diagnosed with ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that kills 90% of its victims within five years... Nine months later I began to make a documentary film chronicling my new life." This introduction sets the tone for Indestructible, which is as much Ben Byer's memoir as it is an investigation into the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. We follow the protagonist's sobering journey and get to know others in search of an effective way to fight the illness. The screening takes on new poignancy with the news that Mr. Byer just recently passed away on July 3.
- Victor Ganic
[Info Source]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
FILM
Citizen Kane (1941)
| when: |
Wednesday July 23 (12:30pm)
|
| where: |
Music Box Theatre (3733 N Southport Ave, 773.871.6604)
map
|
| price: |
$5
|
View on site»
|
|
There's not much to say about Citizen Kane that hasn't been said 1,000 times. "Rosebud," deep-focus photography, the concrete-dragged newsreel footage, cameras peering out of floorboards for ultra-low angles — it's so visually balanced, you could deconstruct the whole thing shot-by-shot. In fact, you probably did back in Film Appreciation 101. But don't let the critical overkill get to you. With Kane, Orson Welles jumped headfirst into a cinematic toy box, and the filmmaker's unmitigated joy oozes out of every scene. In a filmography that includes Touch of Evil, The Magnificent Ambersons, and that hilarious champagne outtake, Citizen Kane still wins out for pure kicks.
- Stephen Gossett
[Info Source]
|
|
| |
FILM
Soylent Green (1973)
| when: |
Wednesday July 23 (9pm)
|
| where: |
Block Cinema (40 Arts Circle, 847.491.4000)
map
|
| price: |
FREE
|
View on site»
|
|
Two centuries ago, political economist Thomas Malthus predicted that unchecked population growth would eventually outpace global food production, resulting in worldwide poverty, hunger, and environmental degradation. Translating Malthus' ominous prediction onto the silver screen, dystopian sci-fi flick Soylent Green (1973) depicts an overpopulated, over-polluted, and overheated future where electricity, living space, and food are in short supply, and the impoverished masses subsist on "miracle food" rations produced by the Soylent Corporation. When a Soylent executive is assassinated, Charlton Heston investigates his murder and makes a horrific discovery about the origins of the food substitute. The film is charmingly outdated, but the concerns it raises are eerily topical.
- Suzanne Niemoth
Note:
The film screens at dusk on the Norris University Center East Lawn, just north of the Block Museum. Bring blankets and chairs for comfortable viewing.
[Info Source]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
MUSIC: Rock/Pop
The XYZ Affair w/ Locksley
| when: |
Thursday July 24 (7pm)
|
| where: |
Beat Kitchen (2100 W Belmont Ave, 773.281.4444)
map
|
| price: |
$10 / $8 advance
|
View on site»
|
|
While tonight's audience probably won't include the stellar '90s-flashback cameos that pop up in the XYZ Affair's vid for "All My Friends" (yes, that's Pete and Pete's Big Pete, Michael Maronna, among other Nickelodeon faves), there's more than enough talent onstage to compensate. The Brooklynites have steadily, if quietly, gathered acclaim, and their self-released debut, A Few More Published Studies, is filled with rousing, literate indie rock, custom-made for swaying and singing along. Meanwhile, Locksley stage a mini-British invasion, complete with snappy suits, shaggy hair, and '60s pop riffs.
- Leah Taylor
[Info Source]
|
|
| |
MORE FLAVOR: Party
Think Pink Radio's 5th Anniversary and Transition Party
| when: |
Thursday July 24 (10pm–2am)
|
| where: |
The Bijou Theater (1349 N Wells St)
map
|
| price: |
$10
|
View on site»
|
|
Tuesday night's Think Pink Radio on WLUW is one of many shows to be orphaned by Loyola University's imminent takeover of the beloved Northside station. Co-hosts Erik Roldan and Ruth Batacan have planned accordingly, though, and continue their blend of queer and indie music, colorful commentary, and interviews on a podcast at thinkpinkradio.com starting in August. Welcoming the gay duo to the online community are rapper Johnny Dangerous, meta-clown goof Lez Bo-Bo, and performance artists Nicole Garneau, S.I.R., and JSun Howard. Also offered are entr'acte DJ sets by Roldan (aka Stinky Pinky), Gay Terrorist, and Nina Ramone. If that's not reason enough to attend, ten clams buys entrance and bottomless beer and wine.
- Zachary Whittenburg
[Info Source]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
PERFORMING ARTS: Comedy
Bill Maher
| when: |
Friday July 25 (8pm)
|
| where: |
The Chicago Theatre (175 N State St, 312.462.6300)
map
|
| price: |
$42 - 66.50
|
View on site»
|
|
Since Bill Maher's earliest days as host of the late-night talk show Politically Incorrect, his acerbic wit and confrontational stances on hot-button issues have garnered him legions of fans (and enemies) on both ends of the political spectrum. As likely to riff on complex political issues like the G8 summit, Supreme Court nominees, and abstinence-only sex education as he is on "easy" topics like boners, religion ("a neurological disorder"), and President Bush ("a cowboy with learning disabilities"), the loose-lipped comedian is never afraid to let us know exactly how he feels. Fans who can't wait to see Maher's documentary Religulous, due in October, can check him out at the Chicago Theatre tonight.
- Suzanne Niemoth
[Info Source]
|
|
| |
MUSIC: Hip-Hop
DJ Z-Trip
| when: |
Friday July 25 (9pm)
|
| where: |
Abbey Pub (3420 W Grace St, 773.478.4408)
map
|
| price: |
$20
|
View on site»
|
|
Mashups are soooo 2001. Now that every Serato-toting DJ has figured out how to drop T-Pain a cappellas on top of Steve Miller riffs, these shotgun weddings are about as surprising as "Walk This Way." Lucky for us, turntablist supreme DJ Z-Trip — who's made mashups his MO since his earliest demos — still has the ability to surprise. From his potential-lawsuit-every-30-seconds underground mixes to his cleared-samples-and-guest-vocalists 2005 major-label debut, Shifting Gears, Z-Trip has always had an ear for what he calls "uneasy listening," in which Black Sabbath, Lyrics Born, and Rush all clamor for attention.
- Matt Sussman
[Info Source]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
MORE FLAVOR: City Gem
Bughouse Square Debates
| when: |
Saturday July 26 (noon–4pm)
|
| where: |
Washington Square Park (901 N Clark St, 312.742.7895)
map
|
| price: |
FREE
|
View on site»
|
|
From the '20s to the '60s, Chicago's Washington Square Park was a hotbed of rhetoric, as poets, preachers, left-wing agitators, and crackpots waxed radical before curious spectators. The park, popularly known as Bughouse Square ("bughouse" being slang for an insane asylum), eventually fell into disuse, but in the '80s, its reputation as a mecca of free speech and public discussion was revived with the annual Bughouse Square Debates. This year's event features an open-mic segment, poetry reading, speeches from McCain and Obama campaign representatives, and speakers who address a wide range of hot-button issues like health-care reform, Chicago's smoking ban, gun rights, and sex education. Prizes go to the best soapboxers and loudest hecklers.
- Suzanne Niemoth
[Info Source]
|
|
| |
MUSIC: Rock/Pop
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti w/ Chairlift
| when: |
Saturday July 26 (10pm)
|
| where: |
The Empty Bottle (1035 N Western Ave, 773.276.3600)
map
|
| price: |
$10
|
View on site»
|
|
From the beginning, the LA-based art rocker Ariel Pink has been a love-him-or-hate-him sort of guy. His mix of muddied home recordings and damaged pop isn't new (see: Daniel Johnston), but Pink pulls it off with an exuberance beyond that of your average weirdo. And whether you think he's a sham or a genius, one thing Pink hasn't done is disappear. Ever since he first made waves after signing to Animal Collective's Paw Tracks label, the slippery singer's discography has swollen with reissues of homemade cassettes and freshly wrought bedroom symphonies. Tonight, Pink performs with his four-piece backup band, Haunted Graffiti. Brooklyn-based fever dream Chairlift open.
- Max Goldberg
[Info Source]
Which work of street art haunts you the most, and why?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
MUSIC: Punk/Metal
Joan of Arc w/ Tirra Lirra
| when: |
Sunday July 27 (9pm)
|
| where: |
Beat Kitchen (2100 W Belmont Ave, 773.281.4444)
map
|
| price: |
$12
|
View on site»
|
|
Tim Kinsella has always been a slippery one to pin down. He helped define the templates for emo and post-rock with Joan of Arc, but nowadays those labels are too loaded to be useful. Plus, the man is a dedicated contrarian — sift through his whole catalog and you have to wrap your brain around both spoken-word diversions and The Gap's passive-aggressive incoherence. So the most surprising thing about this year's Boo! Human is how accessible it is. Emo bands typically don't age gracefully, but this is the most relaxed and assured that Joan of Arc have sounded in years.
- Stephen Gossett
[Info Source]
|
|
| |
MUSIC: Electronic
Matmos w/ Leprechaun Catering
| when: |
Sunday July 27 (9pm)
|
| where: |
Lakeshore Theater (3175 N Broadway, 773.472.3492)
map
|
| price: |
$15
|
View on site»
|
|
There's intelligent dance music, and then there's intelligent dance music. Since 1998's quasi-objects LP, which exclusively relied on found sounds, Matmos have crafted entire albums based on literary and historical concepts — 2006's excellent The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast, for example, is a collection of abstract "sound portraits" of luminaries such as Ludwig Wittgenstein, William S. Burroughs, and Patricia Highsmith. Their recent Supreme Balloon is a more joyous, less cerebral affair, replete with retro-future synths, and cheeky bloops and bleeps; at tonight's show, expect an abundance of digital noise, quirky melodies, and the same playful charm that made the group's intellectual bravado bearable in the first place.
- Nick Earhart
[Info Source]
Where did Matmos' Drew Daniel first see future bandmate Martin Schmidt perform?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
MUSIC: Rock/Pop
Audible Architecture: Bill Callahan
| when: |
Monday July 28 (12:15–1:30pm)
|
| where: |
Millennium Park (201 E Randolph St, 312.742.1168)
map
|
| price: |
FREE
|
View on site»
|
|
Weary-voiced Bill Callahan now performs free of his (Smog) moniker, offering the antithesis of everything associated with the "singer/songwriter" tag. Sure, guitars are ever-present, and rootsy arrangements abound, but Callahan's strange baritone drawl, darkly funny lyrics, and impressionistic instrumentation form a rare hybrid that avoids sentiment and cliché at every turn. Callahan bares his cynical, wizened persona today for a lunch-hour serenade at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, in a Pitchfork Festival-curated installment of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs' Audible Architecture series.
- Oliver Spall
[Info Source]
|
|
| |
READING
Eddie Campbell
| when: |
Monday July 28 (7–8pm)
|
| where: |
Quimby's Bookstore (1854 W North Ave, 773.342.0910)
map
|
| price: |
FREE
|
View on site»
|
|
The divide between Comic-Con superheroes and alternative comics isn't all that big. Dark Knight vs. Jimmy Corrigan? Why choose only one? If a rift exists, though, few artists bridge it better than Eddie Campbell, most famous for illustrating the epic Bacchus series and the Jack the Ripper classic From Hell. Campbell stops by for a signing of his latest graphic novel, The Amazing Remarkable Monsieur Leotard, featuring a phantasmagoric style, a circus backdrop, and a litany of in-jokes.
- Stephen Gossett
[Info Source]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
ART
Boys of Summer
| when: |
Tuesday July 22 (11am–5pm)
More times»
|
| where: |
Monique Meloche (118 N Peoria St, 312.455.0299)
map
|
| price: |
FREE
|
View on site»
|
|
A good group exhibition can feel like a free buffet serving top-quality market produce; it all looks so enticing, and you don't know where to start. Such consistent freshness is rare in group shows, which is why Boys of Summer — featuring Zane Lewis, Russell Nachman, Nick Cave (yes, the Bad Seed), and Ebony G. Patterson, among others — is such a treat. Centered around themes of masculinity and representations of men (including Barack Obama, Jamaican criminals, and a man licking an Art Now book), the mixed-media selection poses questions about male power, celebrity, sexuality, and race.
- Jesse Stein
[Info Source]
|
|
| |
FILM
Tell No One
| when: |
Tuesday July 22
More times»
|
| where: |
Landmark Century Centre Cinema (2828 N Clark St, 773.509.4949)
map
|
| price: |
$10
|
View on site»
|
|
Herein lies living proof that the French can spin a gorgeous existentialist drama in any genre. Pediatrician Alex (François Cluzet) has never gotten over the murder of his wife (Marie-Josée Croze) eight years ago. When he receives an anonymous email indicating she may still be alive, he jumps head-first into a search that upends not only his life, but the precarious ecosystem of local government and power that's been erected since her death. Tell No One may stumble over its many action-movie twists from time to time, but it depicts its lost world as precious enough that you root for its resurrection.
- Lisa Rosman
[Info Source]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
About Us |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
