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 Onottono |
Cultural Stimuli in CHI
Issue 83: bacchanalian flavor
One doesn't need a slide rule to calculate the connection between Chicago's love affair with Al Capone, St. Patty's Day, and lazy afternoons at Wrigley Field: this city loves its booze. The lust for liquor isn't so much an acute appreciation of all things distilled as it is an admiration of anything that leads to a good time, shindig, or hoedown. Whether tanked-up or teetotaled, there are ample opportunities to get the party engine revved up to the reds this week: Baltimore's Spank Rock bring the deliciously dirty beats; Filter magazine taps garage-rock upstarts the Redwalls for some music appreciation; and the Life During Wartime DJs take no prisoners on the dance floor. Those of a more, shall we say, tweed temperament might want to skip the body-shots and head right to Western Exhibitions' newest show, or a reading by boy-genius novelist Jonathan Safran Foer. Don the lampshade, and spread it!
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flavorpill CHI is an email magazine covering a hand-picked selection of music, art, and cultural events — delivered each Tuesday afternoon.
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A dynamic new collaboration between Budweiser Select and Flavorpill, Select Flavor harnesses the talents of up-and-coming artists and designers to interpret Select — a premier hand-crafted beer — and its iconic crown through original artwork. Expect a new kind of creativity. Expect everything. |
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Spotlight
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Music, un-Filtered
Flavorpill CHI, Honda, and Filter magazine present an evening of raucous rock 'n roll, sizzling electro, art, and DJs out the wazoo, featuring the Redwalls and Assassins.
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| Daily Updates |
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| MUSIC: Indie Rock |
Filter magazine's Music Appreciation Night feat. the Redwalls and Assassins
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With Music Appreciation Night, the finger-on-the-pulse mavens at Filter magazine give a little sumpin'-sumpin' back to their fans, throwing a party for a group of handpicked local artists whose talents seem to best represent the Chicago scene. Tonight, in conjunction with Flavorpill CHI and Honda, Filter enlists young, well-dressed garage rockers the Redwalls and sleek, lovelorn electro-pop quintet Assassins to slay the crowd at the Landmark Art Gallery loft space. Bounce your head to the bands; get all sweaty with the late-night DJs; pick up some free Filter schwag; and check out Honda's "Fit" sedan. RSVP early — free shows are precious and best enjoyed with furiously dancing friends. (TG)
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| DJ |
Dark Wave Disco feat. Kid Millionaire (DJ Steve Aoki)
| when: |
Tue 4.18 (9pm-2am) |
| where: |
Sonotheque (1444 W Chicago Ave, 312.226.7600) map |
| price: |
$10 / Free before 10pm |
| links: |
Event Info | Kid Millionaire |
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Welcome to Dim Mak Records' world of electro-rock and its LA-loving lifestyle as exemplified by DJ Kid Millionaire (aka Steve Aoki). As the DJ and party promoter for Dim Mak, Aoki spins music by Bloc Party, Pretty Girls Make Graves, the Kills, and the Rakes — the kinds of upbeat, pulsating, relentlessly addictive sounds that make a cardinal virtue of glamorous hedonism. Partner in crime Mark "The Cobra Snake" Hunter is on hand to film the excess and post it on his infamous photo blog. Expect a helluva party led by the 28-year-old Aoki, a member of the original Benihana family (that's right, the ones who started the restaurant). Expect spinning vinyl; twirling knives aren't terribly welcome in the club. (MS)
 Which nationality is (most surprisingly) not yet represented by any of the artists on Steve Aoki's Dim Mak Records? The first correct response wins a pair of tickets to this show.
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| MUSIC: Hello Nasty |
Spank Rock
| when: |
Tue 4.18 (9:30pm) |
| where: |
The Empty Bottle (1035 N Western Ave, 773.276.3600) map |
| price: |
$10 |
| links: |
Event Info | Spank Rock |
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Mix Penthouse Forum-caliber come-ons with bass-thumping, backyard-party anthems and you've got Spank Rock, Baltimore's foul-mouthed club crew. Naeem Juwan (MC Spank Rock) nonchalantly spits rhymes that are as subtle as a stripper-shimmy, while producer XXXchange weaves gutter-funk rhythms and sparse electro beats into a soundtrack for ass-shakeage. But as much as the Charm City duo gets hyped for its X-rated aspects, its music is raw in both senses of the word — creative and crude. Spank Rock drops next-level party music that acknowledges exactly what every guest hopes to be doing later on. (PS)
Before the word "skank" acquired its less flattering connotations, what was its meaning? The first and second correct responses each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| ALSO ON TUE |
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DISCUSSION
Early to Bed Sex Salon: Terms of Endearment
Tue 4.18 (7-8:30pm) Early to Bed (5232 N Sheridan Rd, 773.271.1219) map 
Event Info |
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Lady-centric erotic boutique Early to Bed hosts a series of informal "Sex Salons" in its cozy, inviting Andersonville shop. This evening, get the dirt on dirty talk with "Terms of Endearment," a discussion exploring different terms for "private parts" through open, super-sexy dialogue. (AM)
 
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| MUSIC: Free Jazz |
Immediate Sound feat. Paal Nilssen-Love/Ken Vandermark Duo
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Chicago's funky free-jazz players are so adept at improvising on the stage that it only makes sense that their concert-organizing abilities would follow suit. The recently launched Immediate Sound series, organized by the new Umbrella Music alliance, has staked a claim on Wednesday nights at the Hideout, corralling local and international jazz scenesters into a weekly jam session. Tonight's show features a duo comprising powerhouse drummer Paal Nilssen-Love and local sax legend Ken Vandermark, with Jeb Bishop and Kent Kessler, also locals, performing in a quintet. Vandermark kicks things off with a DJ set of archival '60s and '70s reggae. (PS)
During his early career, Ken Vandermark was frequently compared to which other bass clarinetist? The first two correct responses each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| READING |
Jonathan Safran Foer
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A full year after its release, readings of literary wünderkind Jonathan Safran Foer's critically acclaimed second novel, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, are still in great demand. The story's hero, a precocious nine-year-old named Oskar Schell, narrates his wanderings through New York City as he searches for the lock that fits a mysterious key left behind after his father was killed in the events of September 11th. It's filled with Foer's enigmatic touches — pictures, weird codes, and illegible text — that become almost as important to the story as the text itself. See how this translates when Safran Foer reads from (and signs copies of) the novel tonight. (AM)
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| MUSIC: Anti-Folk |
Owen w/ William Elliott Whitmore, the Snake the Cross the Crown, and Davey von Bohlen
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With a five-string banjo, boot-heel rhythms, and a bullet-ridden voice, folk-blues singer/songwriter William Elliott Whitmore crafts beautiful, haunting stories of heartache, suffering, and loss. The native Iowan has an old-timey lyrical wit that most of today's folk-revivalists lack — titles such as "Sometimes Our Dreams Float like Anchors" and "From the Cell Door to the Gallows" express a tender languor and world-weariness. Local musical multi-tasker Mike Kinsella (Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc, American Football) headlines the show, performing under his solo moniker, Owen. The Promise Ring's Davey von Bohlen and the Snake the Cross the Crown open. (SN)
Despite sounding like a medieval coat-of-arms, what was the decidedly un-noble inspiration for the Snake the Cross the Crown's moniker? The third and fourth correct responses each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| DISCUSSION |
Artists at Work Forum: Collecting Chicago
| when: |
Thur 4.20 (6pm) |
| where: |
Chicago Cultural Center, Garland Room (78 E Washington St, 312.744.6630) map |
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Event Info |
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The Artists at Work Forums offered by the Chicago Cultural Center address a wide variety of topics of interest to the diverse Chicago creative community, free of charge. Tonight's panel, Collecting Chicago, moderated by Greg Cameron from the Museum of Contemporary Art, consists of a cadre of collectors who focus specifically on Chicago artists. The discussion surveys the panelists' individual areas of interest, their methods of selection and collection-building, and the ways in which they form relationships with the artists whose works they collect. (CC)
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| MUSIC: Blue-Eyed Soul |
Jamie Lidell w/ Jimmy Edgar
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Somehow, one of 2005's most affecting vocal performances came from an electronic producer. On his out-of-left-field album Multiply — released on Warp, the label best known for Aphex Twin's dense electronica — Jamie Lidell transformed himself into a soul crooner, showcasing a powerful voice only hinted at on earlier releases. Indulging his obsession with vintage Motown grooves, the UK's Lidell delivered both a tribute to and a slightly twisted take on the American genre, augmenting the album with quirky production and glitchy electronics. Still, his best forum is the stage: the soon-to-be-released compilation Multiply Additions contains a pair of live tracks on which the Brit truly belts his heart out. Chilly IDM-house producer Jimmy Edgar opens. (PS)
Before pursuing music full time, which two academic disciplines did Jamie Lidell study? The second correct response wins a pair of tickets to this show, and the subsequent two correct responses each win a copy of Multiply Additions.
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| ALSO ON THUR |
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FILM
The Time We Killed
Thur 4.20 (6pm) Gene Siskel Film Center (164 N State St, 312.846.2600) map $9
Event Info |
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Avant-garde director Jennifer Todd Reeves' feature debut The Time We Killed is a black-and-white experimental narrative that follows a writer who holes up in her Brooklyn apartment after September 11th, immersing herself in television and self-exploration. (AM)
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| MUSIC: Alt-Folk |
Eef Barzelay (Clem Snide) w/ the City on Film
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Eef Barzelay, the strange, nasal voice behind much-loved alt-country outfit Clem Snide, wears the white suit of a solo artist admirably. It's no big surprise — Barzelay's been writing perfect acoustic pop for years, composing the kinds of songs that sound as comfortable strummed on a lone acoustic guitar as they do dressed up in his band's shambling arrangements. His new solo record, Bitter Honey, displays all the trappings of a classic singer/songwriter album: an utterly unique voice (hard to get used to, but easy to love), clever yet modest lyrics, and a sense of song structure that obeys the artist's singular, skewed logic. And (as alluded to earlier) in promo photos, he wears a totally sweet white suit. Confessional folky the City on Film opens. (TG)
Clem Snide's song "The Junky Jews" is a reference to which '80s teen actor? The fifth correct response wins a pair of tickets to this show.
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¡Fiesta! feat. Flosstradamus and Mother Hubbard
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These days, calling your DJ collective "Life During Wartime" makes more sense than ever, and when the going gets tough, the tough dance their asses off. To celebrate the emergence of spring, LDW DJs Flosstradamus, genre-blending duo of J2K and Autobot, and Mother Hubbard, the powerhouse behind the Pussy Galore Showcase at the Hideout, continue their tradition of assault-by-dance at the Empty Bottle. Expect an old-fashioned, booty-shaking good time (with sweet American Apparel goods for the taking). If you haven't attended an LDW dance party yet, this is your chance — anyone can get in for free by RSVPing. (DS)
Apart from the usual dance-party tactics, what's your favorite way to welcome spring? Our two favorite responses in 50 words or less each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| ALSO ON FRI |
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MUSIC: Countrypolitan
Hem
Fri 4.21 (10pm) Double Door (1572 N Milwaukee Ave, 773.489.3160) map $15
Event Info |
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Country-music ensemble Hem bring a cinematic grandeur to the genre's usually modest narratives. Alternately employing wide-angle string arrangements and intimate, finger-picked acoustic guitars, the band's songs have a familiarity that pulls the listener deep into the heartache. (TG)
Note: Hem open for schmaltzy balladeer Josh Ritter.
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| LECTURE |
Helen Sclair: History of Chicago's Ethnic Cemeteries and Their Customs
| when: |
Sat 4.22 (2pm) |
| where: |
Chicago Public Library, Jefferson Park Branch (5363 W Lawrence Ave, 312.744.1998) map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event Info |
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Chicago's resident "cemetery lady" Helen Sclair has been studying boneyard histories, funeral customs, and mourning rituals for more than 30 years. The self-taught authority currently teaches death-related seminars at the Newberry Library, writes a column in the Quarterly Journal of Gravestone Studies, and has been profiled on NPR's Day to Day. Sclair, who once described modern death as "the new pornography," is so intrigued by the dead that she lives in the caretaker's home on the grounds of the Bohemian National Cemetery on Chicago's Northside. Today's interactive lecture promises to be a fascinating look at the art, history, and rituals of Chicago's ethnic graveyards. (SN)
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| ART: Opening |
Pedro Velez, Matthew Northridge, and Carroll & Gaydos
| when: |
Sat 4.22 (6-9pm) |
| where: |
Western Exhibitions (1648 W Kinzie St, Suite 2, 312.307.4685) map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event Info |
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Western Exhibitions' latest triple-threat includes Chicago- and Puerto Rico-based multimedia artist Pedro Velez, whose exhibition GODFUCK is a pop culture-laden mix of collage, photography, altered books, and vinyl banners; Brooklyn's Matthew Northridge, who uses aerial photographs to "relocate" architectural structures from their natural landscapes to a blank one; and Baltimore duo Carroll & Gaydos, who are debuting Plantfucker, an ongoing series that, through gestural and 19th-century decorative styles, explores a sexual fetish with plant life. (AM)
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| ALSO ON SAT |
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MUSIC: Acid Psych
The Gris Gris
Sat 4.22 (10pm) Subterranean (2011 W North Ave, 773.278.6600) map $10
Event Info |
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The Gris Gris play beautifully ominous, siren-esque songs. Greg Ashley's vocals lure you in and soothe you with unsettling tones, as if his band's psychedelic rock was playing in an underwater cave. Come join the other sea monkeys at Subby T's. (MH)
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| MUSIC: Classic Country |
Jon Langford and Cowboy Jack Clement
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It's heartwarming to see inspired souls making sure that the veterans and visionaries of country music remain part of our collective consciousness, and Robbie Fulks does just that with his Secret Country series at the Old Town School. Appearing tonight is Cowboy Jack Clement, a hall-of-fame musician and songwriter who produced and recorded everyone from early rock 'n roll legends Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis at Sun Records in the '50s to Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, and Nanci Griffith in more recent years. Clement is joined by Jon Langford, a punk-rock veteran formerly of the Mekons and currently reigning as alt-country king in the Waco Brothers and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts. (PG)
When and where did Jack Clement acquire his "Cowboy" nickname? The second and sixth correct responses each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| MUSIC: Post-Rock |
Victory at Sea w/ My Left Arm and the Home Recording Project
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Boston-based Victory at Sea have garnered a devoted following in the years since their inception in 1996 with former members of the (nearly forgotten, absolutely wonderful) Swirlies and Spore. The long-running trio's sixth release, All Your Things Are Gone, showcases guitarist and vocalist Mona Elliott's disquieting, dissonant vocal delivery and the group's seductive sonic texture, blending moody, droney instrumental slowcore with plucky, complex — even mathy — melodies and rhythms. Chicago's My Left Arm, who just recorded their debut album with indie vet Brian Deck, open with catchy, yelpy garage punk. The Home Recording Project also perform. (SN)
Why is Victory at Sea's new album title particularly relevant to their drummer, Dave Norton? The first two correct responses each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| MUSIC: Indie Pop |
Canasta w/ the Aluminum Group and Moonlight Towers
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Local pop phenoms Canasta continue their Practice Space residency at Schubas, honing and tightening their signature indie-pop gems every Monday night in April. The sextet's meticulous orchestrations of violin, guitar, trombone, keyboard, and even clarinet adorn lyrical, buoyant pop tunes, recalling the delicacy of Belle and Sebastian and the lush, upbeat melodies of the Shins. Expect to hear fun covers as well — Canasta have been practicing clever renditions of Björk, Justin Timberlake, and Daft Punk tunes. Austin, Texas' Moonlight Towers play clean, butterscotch power pop while the Aluminum Group support their latest album by mixing post-rock experimentation with catchy melodies. (SN)
Which card or board game would you most like to name a band after and why? Our two favorite responses in 50 words or less each win a pair of tickets to this show.
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| ART |
David Coyle: Blood on Your Saddle
| when: |
Now through Sat 5.6 (Wed-Sat: 1-6pm) |
| where: |
Gallery 40000 (1001 N Winchester Ave, 773.342.4930) map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event Info |
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The eyes are the windows of the soul. That's how you feel when viewing artist David Coyle's little lonely snowman, with two eyes, no nose, and no mouth. Similarly, his image of a simple snowflake drawn out of fragile branches communicates waves of vulnerability. In the video installation it's not you, it's me, Coyle appears in multiple disguises, saying words that are drowned out by the cacophonous, buzzing static in the background, suggesting the meaninglessness of words during the pain and mini-death of a breakup. Taken together, the paintings and video in Blood on Your Saddle leave you shaken by the immediacy of human frailty. (MS)
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| SPECTACLE |
The Golden Truffle
| when: |
Now through Sun 6.18 (Wed-Fri & Sun: 8pm / Sat: 7 & 10:30pm) |
| where: |
Redmoon Central (1463 W Hubbard St, 312.850.8440 x111) map |
| price: |
$35-45 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Redmoon has applied its well-honed sense of spectacle to that favorite theatrical pastime: the musical. Boasting an original score and songs, dance numbers, and fanciful costumes, The Golden Truffle both spoofs the world of celebrity and acknowledges the privileged place it holds in our culture. Featuring a juggling comedian, a sultry siren, a child star, a heartthrob, a ventriloquist, and a mad chef, the musical pits the players in a desperate battle for the Golden Truffle Award, with the audience ultimately deciding the winner. Replete with Redmoon's trademark wacky contraptions and four courses of exquisite Vosges truffles, The Golden Truffle is one tasty morsel. (PG)
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HARD ROCK CAFE: Cobra Lounge |
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Inside the nondescript, industrial storefront of the newly opened Cobra Lounge (235 N Ashland Ave, 312.226.6300), you'll find a swank, red-and-black, candlelit atmosphere. The bar is TV-free, so you can hear your friends talk, and the jukebox flaunts an impressive collection of hard, rocking rock — NIN, Guero, Naked Ray Gun, Beck, and Black Sabbath abound. Located off the Green Line Ashland stop on a factory strip, the drinkery typifies that little gem of a bar at the center of a desolate urban landscape on the rise. You're more likely to find a crowd of heavily tattooed folks with chains hanging from their pants than trendsetting hipsters. Although it's a bit off the beaten path, Cobra Lounge is close to downtown, and a cool place to take your friends after work on a Friday for drink specials (or the surprisingly sophisticated pub-fare menu) and resident rock DJs Monday through Saturday. (MS)
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CD REVIEW: Band of Horses, Everything All the Time |
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Sub Pop
Released March 2006
$11.96 (Amazon)
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For all their Gen-X doom and gloom, Sub Pop's early-'90s releases offered
little in the way of lasting catharsis. While Band of Horses haven't
forsaken their lost labelmates' youthful malaise, they do (like other
sweet-toothed acts in the label's new guard) posit a more modest melancholy.
They survived the slacker years, and their
discontent emerges in soft-spoken splendor instead of unfocused rage. Echo-y treble cakes singer Ben
Bridwell's voice, lending an incisive edge to his words as they fall over
measured, melodic jangles. Stroked lightly with My Morning Jacket's paint
(which was itself mixed in Crazy Horse's bucket), songs like "Funeral" and
"First Song" ring out with a country-inflected, mid-tempo vibe that lovingly
references contemporaries like Mazarin and Rogue Wave. What sets the band apart from its peers is an ability to mediate the pangs of real-life despair with stunning grace, proffering an authenticity that's comforting, if not cathartic. (AP)
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STREAM: Rjd2 and Beans Live at the Guggenheim |
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Following the post-punk stylings of Carlos D. and the VHS OR BETA DJs in March, Flavorpill's First Fridays at the Guggenheim looked to space-jazz selections from Beans and Def Jux producer/turntablist Rjd2 for its April iteration. Mating atonal, Ornette Coleman-style horn lines to thumping percussion breakdowns, Beans dropped a lesson in mixology — straddling the line between leftfield noodling and playing to the party — all while keeping the 4/4 squarely in his sights. As only the most adroit DJs can, Rj combined two hours of crate-dug medicine with sugary spoonfuls of Tupac, Dr. Dre, and... was that Tears for Fears? Just another Friday at the most buzzed-about night out in New York City. Set your dial to both Rj and Beans' sets at the Guggenheim exclusively on AOL Music. (JS)
Note: Check high-res shots of the Rjd2 and Beans party (courtesy of Louis
Seigal) on our First Fridays photoblog.
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| Header Design: |
| Walkie-talkies | Onottono |
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| Editors: |
| Flask | Maia Armaleo | | Tiki torches | Annette Ferrara | | Twister | Chris Gage | | Trick yo-yo | Jocelyn K. Glei | | Discount pornos | Todd Goldstein | | Parrot | Quanah Humphreys | | Monkey knife fight | Doug Levy | | Bad cover band | Sascha Lewis | | TP | Mark Mangan | | Hugh Hefner | Audrey Mast | | Chips 'n dips | Colin J. Nagy | | Chains 'n whips | Philip H. Sherburne | | Polka band | Patrick Sisson |
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| ABOUT US |
| flavorpill CHICAGO is a free weekly mailer covering music, arts, and cultural events in Chicago. All listings are pure editorial, never paid advertisements. No money is accepted from venues, artists, or promoters. Read more about us, and spread it... |
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| FEEDBACK |
| Please let us know what's on your mind, any and all feedback — comments, questions, ideas, or rants. |
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| EVENT & DESIGN SUBMISSIONS |
To let us know about an upcoming event that you think belongs here, please email us at events at least two weeks prior to the date.
To find out more about submitting cover art to run at the top of Flavorpill publications, go to flavorpill.net/design. |
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MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS |
| Every week, flavorpill CHI presents one exclusive media partner. Click for more information about advertising opportunities on all Flavorpill publications. |
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| Contributors: |
| Nuprin | Caryn Capotosto | | Trick candles | Patricia Gray | | The cool kid | Mia Horberg | | Cigars | Thomas Lawler | | Balloons | Suzanne Niemoth | | Crying goth in corner | Andrew Phillips | | Cake | Deena Sanjana | | Ouija board | Marla Seidell |
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Production: |
| Spiked punch | Anjuli Ayer | | Tequila bong | Jessica Bauer-Greene | | Flask | Josh Deeden | | A clown | David Goodine | | Chex mix | Sander-Martijn Milks | | A televangelist | David Morrow | | Indoor tire swing | Jamend Riley | | Tail-less donkey | Leah Taylor | | Paris Hilton | Judah Wiedre |
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MORE FILTERED CULTURE |
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© 2006 Flavorpill Productions LLC. All rights reserved.
This is a copy of a flavorpill CHI mailer. Use the link above to subscribe or click to automatically UNSUBSCRIBE. Flavorpill Productions complies with the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. For more information, please read our PRIVACY POLICY. If you have any questions about subscription to this list, contact us at chi_subscriptions@flavorpill.net (HQ: 594 Broadway, Ste 1212, NY, NY 10012).
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