Print Issue of March 8, 2018 (Volume 47, Number 22)

C H I C A G O ’ S F R E E W E E K LY S I N C E 1 9 7 1 | M A R C H 8 , 2 0 1 8

60 new features premiere at the European Union Film Festival 16

Can DJ Taye make Chicago footwork the biggest music in the world? 24

CCROIMNI CG E

Sarah Squirm celebrates the body in all its gross and oozing glory BY STEVE HEISLER 12

Discover the beauty of the Chicago Flower and Garden Show.

This March, the Chicago Flower and Garden Show celebrates our beautiful and ever-changing city with dozens of large scale gardens. Plus, with instructional seminars, food fusions and endless inspiration, it’s a great place to stop and smell the roses. Visit navypier.org to learn more.

Mar. 14-18

SP EC IAL T H A N KS TO O U R NAV Y PI E R PART NE RS:

2 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

l

l

THIS WEEK

C H I C A G O R E A D E R | M A R C H 8 , 2 0 1 8 | V O L U M E 4 7, N U M B E R 2 2

TO CONTACT ANY READER EMPLOYEE, E-MAIL: (FIRST INITIAL)(LAST NAME) @CHICAGOREADER.COM

INTERIM EXECUTIVE EDITOR DAVE NEWBART CREATIVE DIRECTOR VINCE CERASANI DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY JAMIE RAMSAY CULTURE EDITOR AIMEE LEVITT FILM EDITOR J.R. JONES MUSIC EDITOR PHILIP MONTORO ASSOCIATE EDITORS STEVE HEISLER, JAMIE LUDWIG, KATE SCHMIDT SENIOR WRITER MIKE SULA SENIOR THEATER CRITIC TONY ADLER STAFF WRITERS MAYA DUKMASOVA, LEOR GALIL, DEANNA ISAACS, BEN JORAVSKY, PETER MARGASAK, JULIA THIEL SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR RYAN SMITH GRAPHIC DESIGNER SUE KWONG MUSIC LISTINGS COORDINATOR LUCA CIMARUSTI FILM LISTINGS COORDINATOR PATRICK FRIEL CONTRIBUTING WRITERS NOAH BERLATSKY, ANNE FORD, ISA GIALLORENZO, JOHN GREENFIELD, KT HAWBAKER, JUSTIN HAYFORD, JACK HELBIG, IRENE HSIAO, DAN JAKES, MONICA KENDRICK, H. MELT, BILL MEYER, MICHAEL MINER, J.R. NELSON, MARISSA OBERLANDER, LEAH PICKETT, JANET POTTER, BEN SACHS, DMITRY SAMAROV, KATE SIERZPUTOWSKI, OLIVER SAVA, TIFFANY WALDEN, KEVIN WARWICK, BRIANNA WELLEN, DAVID WHITEIS, ALBERT WILLIAMS INTERNS MADELINE HAPPOLD, ASHLEY MIZUO, MELISSA PARKER, RACHEL YANG ----------------------------------------------------------------

IN THIS ISSUE

FEATURES

4 Agenda Lyric Opera’s Faust, Open Books’ Buffy the Vampire Slayer Trivia Night, the film My Own Private Idaho, and other goings-on about town

22 Theater Two British monarchs duke it out in Schiller’s Mary Stuart.

23 Theater Plantation! uses a broad sitcom sensibility to explore the case for reparations.

CITY LIFE

COMEDY

Circus of vulgarity Sarah Squirm’s comedy celebrates her body in all its oozing, disgusting glory.

BY STEVE HEISLER 12

8 Chicagoans A Berwyn native elevated the Rocky film franchise with “Eye of the Tiger.”

9 Joravsky | Politics Instead of handing $2.25 billion to Amazon, Chicago could learn from Georgia lawmakers.

10 Politics A pro-life mailer for a Republican congressman shocks women pictured in it without their consent.

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER BEST SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER EVANGELINE MILLER MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER BRYAN BURDA DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL JOHN DUNLEVY ADVERTISING COORDINATOR HERMINIA BATTAGLIA DISTRIBUTION CONCERNS distributionissues@chicagoreader.com

---------------------------------------------------------------READER (ISSN 1096-6919) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY

BY STM READER, LLC 30 N. RACINE, SUITE 300 CHICAGO, IL 60607.

COPYRIGHT © 2018 CHICAGO READER. PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID AT CHICAGO, IL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CHICAGO READER, READER, AND REVERSED R: REGISTERED TRADEMARKS ®.

ON THE COVER: PHOTO BY MATT SCHWERIN. FOR MORE OF MATT’S WORK, GO TO MATTSCHWERIN.COM.

27 Shows of note Futuristic, Marlon Williams, Hot Snakes, and more of the week’s best

FOOD & DRINK

----------------------------------------------------------------

CHICAGO READER 30 N. RACINE, SUITE 300 CHICAGO, IL 60607 312-222-6920 CHICAGOREADER.COM

MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE

MOVIES

There is power in the Union More than 60 new features make their local premieres in the 21st annual edition.

BY ANDREA GRONVALL, J.R. JONES, LEAH PICKETT, AND BEN SACHS 16

MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE

11 Transportation Is vacuum-tube transportation in Chicago just a pipe dream?

DJ Taye wants to make footwork the biggest music in the world The Teklife producer’s new Still Trippin’ integrates rap so perfectly that it could blow up footwork’s crossover audience.

BY LEOR GALIL 24

32 Restaurant review: Currency Exchange Café Theaster Gates’s Washington Park restaurant may be setting the stage for a soul-food comeback.

34 Cocktail Challenge Lost Lake bartender Adrienne Stoner prepares a citrus-forward drink with hoisin sauce.

CLASSIFIEDS

34 Jobs 34 Apartments & Spaces 35 Marketplace

ARTS & CULTURE

20 Movies Bruce Willis is an Evanston surgeon turned Chicago vigilante in Death Wish.

21 Museums The National Vegetarian Museum uncovers the vegetarian movement’s Chicago roots.

36 Straight Dope What are bacteriophages, and how do they fight the spread of disease?

37 Savage Love Dan Savage “dansplains” porno preferences, and more 38 Early Warnings The Make-Up, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Dirty Projectors, and more shows to look for in the weeks to come 38 Gossip Wolf The Harold Washington Cultural Center hosts an extravaganza for Chicago rapper Twista, and more music news.

MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 3

AGENDA R

READER RECOMMENDED

! Send your events to agenda@chicagoreader.com

b ALL AGES

F habit, which developed as a coping mechanism after the heroin overdose of his older brother, Andrew. Pondering his late brother’s comment that the high of heroin made him forget how to be excited, Schultz dives into his own history with serial romance and relationships, lamenting, “I have leaned into love my whole live because I miss you.”

Schultz propels the hour-long piece with a potent mix of humor, physicality, and in-your-face vulnerability. Sommer Austin opened with an art-history-class parody called “The Beer Bottle” on the night I attended. —MARISSA OBERLANDER Through 3/31: Fri-Sat 10 PM, 1803 W. Byron, 773-680-4596, wearetheagency.org, pay what you can ($5 minimum, $15 suggested).

�

-(+) ! * #& (' ## ,-

Faust " CORY WEAVER

-(+) #$ * #" (' #%.$% ,-

R

RSM

#2/ .%2(+$4'. 03) 0)*03,' +$,"'+.1 *$.$+ +%'!2&03+%'0+/'-,24

www.BrewView.com

3145 N. Sheffield at Belmont

Movie Theater & Full Bar 18 to enter 21 to drink 0 $5.0 ion Photo ID required s is m d a he for t ies Mov

Sunday, March 11 @ 5:30pm Tue-Thr, March 13-15 @ 6:30pm

Coco

Sunday, March 11 @ 7:30pm Tue-Thr, March 13-15 @ 8:30pm

Star Wars:

The Last Jedi

4 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

THEATER More at chicagoreader.com/theater Faust The vocal performances R in Lyric Opera’s new production of Charles Gounod’s Faust are first-

rate—especially tenor Benjamin Bernheim in the title role; soprano Ailyn Pérez as Marguerite, for whom he sells his soul; and bass-baritone Christian Van Horn as a slick Méphistophélès. And the production, directed by Kevin Newbury and designed (and dominated) by artist John Frame, presents a version of this 1859 warhorse you’ve never seen before. But chances are good you’ve seen something like it: a dizzyingly busy steampunkish production with towering props rolled about the stage, projections doing what set builders used to do, and a carnival atmosphere with clown-plaid suits and demons in giant puppet heads. This Faust is an artist, his Marguerite is disabled, and her act of infanticide has been transformed into an abduction by the devil.

You won’t be bored, but it’s opera for the era of distraction. —DEANNA ISAACS Fri 3/9 and Mon 3/12, 7:30 PM, Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker, 312-827-5600, lyricopera.org, $17-$319.

The Garbo the Musical For this original one-woman musical, Jillann Gabrielle has assembled abundant juicy material on the singular Greta Garbo, impoverished daughter of a day laborer who became an international superstar at 22, cultivated a masterfully enigmatic persona that inspired a thousand wannabe Hollywood sphinxes, challenged gender norms with iconoclastic flair, then abruptly retired at 35 in tortured pursuit of anonymity. Add potent insights into Mercedes de Acosta and Cecil Beaton (two of Garbo’s obsessed lovers who show up repeatedly in the show), a gracious presence, a flexible voice, and 13 crafty musical numbers, and she should have a hit. But apparently overtaxed (Gabrielle is book, music, and lyric writer as well as director, designer, and star),

she hasn’t shaped the material into a discernible arc, leaving Garbo in static anguish for 90 minutes. Playing in repertory with Hedda! A Musical Conversation. —JUSTIN HAYFORD Through 3/17: Thu 3/8-Fri 3/9, 7:30 PM; Sun 3/11, 2 PM; Sat 3/17, 2 and 7:30 PM, Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport, 773-800-1703, athenaeumtheatre.org, $32, $27 students and seniors, $17 children under ten.

The Green Book Calvin A. Ramsey’s new play is informative, dealing as it does with The Negro Motorist Green Book, a clever adaptation to Jim Crow.

Published annually from 1936 to 1966 by a mailman named Victor Hugo Green, it listed places where black travelers could eat, sleep, and gas up their cars with minimal risk of running afoul of segregation laws. The play is also high-minded and good-hearted, focusing as it does on the Davises: a middle-class black family who open their home to Green Book users and find their notions of brotherhood tested. But any and all virtues are outweighed by a scattershot first act, a raft of undeveloped relationships, and a moral certainty that offers more teaching moments than surprises. Under Ilesa Duncan’s direction, this Pegasus-Shpiel Performing Identity coproduction is too reverential to overcome the problems.

One interesting sidelight, though: perhaps in answer to the Magical Negro who shows up to aid white folks in so many movies, Ramsey gives the Davises a Magical Jew. —TONY ADLER Through 4/1: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM; also Sun 3/18, 6:30 PM; Sat 3/31, 3 PM, Pegasus in Residence at Chicago Dramatists, 773 N. Aberdeen, 773-878-8864, pegasustheatrechicago.org, $30, $25 seniors, $18 students.

Hedda! A Musical Conversation Actor-singer Jillann Gabrielle portrays Hedda Hopper—the fabled gossip columnist who reigned over Hollywood from the 1930s through the 1950s—in this one-woman show, which Gabrielle cowrote with librettist Michael Termine

and composer Howard Pfeifer. Conversing directly with the audience the night after hosting a party in her home, a slightly wobbly Hedda fields phone calls from movie stars and moguls, rightwing politicos, and her family back in Altoona, Pennsylvania, as well as from her mentor and rival, Louella Parsons, with whom she maintains a public feud in order to boost both their followings.

Hopper, known to some as “the mad hatter” because of her huge collection of bizarre bonnets, dishes the dirt about her celebrity friends and foes, including Charlie Chaplin, whom the arch-conservative Hedda despises as “a pedophile and a communist.” Playing in repertory with The Garbo the Musical. —ALBERT WILLIAMS Through 3/16: Sat 3/10, 2 and 7:30 PM; Thu 3/15-Fri 3/16, 7:30 PM, Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport, 773-800-1703, athenaeum.org, $32, $27 students and seniors, $17 children under ten.

I’m Falling in Love All the Time The Agency Theater Collective’s world premiere of Jack Schultz’s oneman show, directed by Cordie Nelson, is a powerful, intimate look at the intersection of love and addiction. The piece is framed around Schultz’s coffee

R

Shakespeare’s Revisionist Histories Because it’s the 21st century and no one can imagine a different present or future, we are in a dystopia. The classes are at war, and all the rights we have never quite managed to manifest have been taken away. The rebels are in hiding. Every night, they reflect on power by performing the history plays of Shakespeare. The premise isn’t terrible, but in Shakespeare’s Revisionist Histories the Shakespeare All-Stars use the occasion to present annoyingly brief excerpts of King John, the Henry plays, and the Richard plays within even more annoyingly half-baked scenes introducing a hodgepodge of unmemorable characters. Ten history plays makes for two interminable hours in a bar with actors who can play ukuleles and guitars but can’t play drunk or Richard III. —IRENE HSIAO Through 3/23: Thu-Fri 7 PM, Sun 2:30 PM, Mary’s Attic Theatre, 5400 N. Clark, 773-289-2374, shakespeareallstars.com, $15.

DANCE Alvin Ailey American Dance R Theater Celebrating its 60th year, this New York-based dance com-

pany showcases six different works, including Chicago-raised choreographer Talley Beatty’s Stack-Up. Each performance ends with Ailey’s modern classic Revelations. 3/7-3/11: Wed-Fri 7:30 PM,

I’m Falling in Love All the Time " SOMMER AUSTIN

l

l

Best bets, recommendations, and notable arts and culture events for the week of March 8

VISUAL ART Alok Vaid-Menon The School of the Art Institute hosts a discussion with gender-nonconforming performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon about their eclectic style, political comedy, and poetic challenging gender binarism. Mon 3/12, 6 PM, Art Institute of Chicago, 230 S. Columbus, 312-443-3600, artinstituteofchicago.org.

Alok Vaid-Menon " ELIF KÜCÜK Sat 2 and 8 PM, Sun 3 PM, Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress, 800-982-2787, auditoriumtheatre.org, $41-$150.

Sweet Tap Chicago Dancers R from the Chicago Tap Theatre perform accompanied by a live jazz

quintet. Musicians and bands covered include Common, Smashing Pumpkins, and Muddy Waters. Sun 3/11, 3 and 7 PM, City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph, 312733-9463, citywinery.com, $40.

“The Great Wave: An Introduction to Japanese Woodblock Prints” Katsushika Hokusai’s iconic The Great Wave off Kanagawa is just one of many woodblock prints on display at this open house with experts on hand to teach the history of the medium. Thu 3/8, 5:30-7 PM, Japanese Culture Center, 1016 W. Belmont, 773-525-3141, japaneseculturecenter.com, $5, sold out.

Tom Papa Comedian and actor Tom Papa has appeared on Conan and The Knick, and is the new head writer for the nationally syndicated radio show Live From Here, the latest incarnation of the legendary A Prairie Home Companion.

Fri 3/9, 7 and 10 PM, City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph, 312-733-9463, citywinery. com, $28-$40.

A piece from “Gun Ballet,” a new exhibit at VGA Gallery Gun Ballet Witness the many shades of violence in video games, and learn how game designers utilize it as a means of storytelling. Through 6/3. Wed 5-8 PM, Sun noon-5 PM. VGA Gallery, 2418 W. Bloomingdale, 773-668-6797, videogameartgallery.com.

A Poodle in People Clothes Comedian Atra Asdou performs what she deems “a one-woman human dog show.” Through 3/30: Fri 10:30 PM, iO Theater, the Mission Theater, 1501 N. Kingsbury, ioimprov. com/chicago, $14.

MOVIES More at chicagoreader.com/movies

Happy End If Michael Haneke should die before he wakes, I pray the Lord his soul to take, along with this halfbaked sequel to his magnificent Amour (2012). That film, you’ll remember, ended with elderly Georges Laurent (Jean-Louis Trintignant) smothering his miserably ill wife with a pillow. Happy End picks up with Georges nearing death’s door himself but focuses more on his middle-aged daughter (Isabelle Huppert), whose construction firm is responsible for a foundation collapse that critically injured a worker; her brother (Mathieu Kassovitz), who’s having a kinky affair with a classical musician; and the brother’s teenage daughter from his first marriage (Fantine Harduin), who opens the movie narrating cell-phone video in which she kills her mother with an overdose of sedatives. I was impressed by the cryptic, voyeuristic long shot in which Georges’s delinquent grandson (Franz Rogowski) shows up at the front door

of an apartment building and gets his ass kicked by a resident, but even that distancing device harks back to Haneke’s much superior Caché (2005).

In English and subtitled French. —J.R. JONES R, 107 min. Music Box. The Leisure Seeker This misguided road movie, the first English-language film from Italian director Paolo Virzi (Human Capital, Like Crazy), stars Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland as an ailing, elderly Massachusetts couple who give their bossy middle-aged offspring the slip and head south in a vintage Winnebago for one last hurrah.

The Alzheimer’s-afflicted husband is a retired English lit teacher who remembers Ernest Hemingway but not his own kids’ names, so his cancer-stricken wife maps a pilgrimage to the great author’s landmark home in Key West. Finding any comedy in aggressive diseases requires a delicacy of tone absent from this plodding adaptation of Michael Zadoorian’s novel. With Christian McKay and Janel Moloney. —ANDREA GRONVALL R, 112 min. Century 12 and CineArts 6, Landmark’s Century Centre, River East 21.

Thoroughbreds Two privileged R teens—a strict disciplinarian’s resentful stepdaughter (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her emotionless friend (Olivia Cooke)—explore their dark sides in this transgressive psychological thriller, set amid the manicured estates and equestrian pursuits of suburban Connecticut.

The girls’ debate over the ethics of killing soon escalates into a plot to blackmail a local drug dealer (Anton Yelchin) so he will off the stepdad. Writer-director Cory Finley uses the clipped dialogue of film noir to heighten the !

Never miss a show again.

LIT & LECTURES Buffy the Vampire Slayer Trivia Night All seven seasons of Buffy are fair game at this battle of wits. Book donations requested for admission. Sun 3/11, 5 PM, Open Books, 651 W. Lake, 312-475-1355, open-books.org.

Dick Simpson The political scientist and former Chicago alderman discusses his memoir The Good Fight: Life Lessons From a Chicago Progressive. A social hour with complimentary snacks and a cash bar begins at 6 PM. Tue 3/13, 7 PM, Cliff Dwellers Club, 200 S. Michigan, 22nd floor, 312-922-8080, cliff-chicago.org.

Zapatos Rojos Mexican artist Alina Chauvet remembers the victims of femicide in Cuidad Juárez at this installation—which coincides with the museum’s International Women’s Day showcase. Thu 3/8, 5:30 PM, DePaul Art Museum, 935 W. Fullerton, 773-325-7506, museums.depaul.edu.

NEW REVIEWS

COMEDY Million Dollar Misery A band is held captive by a crazed fan in Huggable Riot’s dark comedy—a loose mashup of jukebox musicals like Million Dollar Quartet and Stephen King’s Misery. 3/74/18: Wed 8 PM, Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont, 773-697-9693, theannoyance. com, $10 in advance, $12 at the door.

How to Draw in Museums The Art Institute and Smart Museum collaborate on a two-part workshop offering drawing classes by local artists. All materials are provided. Fri 3/8, 10 AM-4 PM. University of Chicago Smart Museum of Art, 5550 S. Greenwood, 773-702-0200, smartmuseum.uchicago.edu.

For more of the best things to do every day of the week, go to chicagoreader. com/agenda.

EARLY WARNINGS Thoroughbreds

chicagoreader.com/early MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 5

AGENDA

APRIL 9, 2018 6:30 – 8:30pm

doors open at 6pm

mHUB 965 W Chicago Ave $20 tickets

Understand the Basics of

Medical Cannabis SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS

TREATMENT OPTIONS

STATE APPROVAL OF CONDITIONS

The Illinois Medical Cannabis Program and anecdotal evidence about it successes and challenges will be covered by State Senator Don Harmon, Dr. Rahul Khare, Dr. Steven Salzman, Dr. Jay Joshi and George Gavrilos, Pharm. D.

brought to you by

A Wrinkle in Time

�B sense of menace; the shadowy luxe interiors were shot by Lyle Vincent. —ANDREA GRONVALL R, 90 min. ArcLight, Century 12 and CineArts 6, Crown Village 18, Landmarkí s Century Centre, River East 21.

A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine Lí Engleí s beloved young≠ adult fantasy novel becomes a lumbering, uninspired live≠ action Disney fea≠ ture. Aided by three intergalactic spirits and accompanied by a friend from school, a teenage girl and her preternaturally gifted six≠ year≠ old brother travel the universe in search of their scientist father, who disappeared four years earlier. Lí En≠ gleí s prose, which calls on readers to imagine great stretches of time and space, is essentially unfi lmable, but the fi lmmakers try to realize it anyway, heaping on fl ashy digital effects that severely limit oneí s ability to engage with the story imaginatively. Ava DuVernay (Selma, 13th) is a talented director, but sheí s all wrong for the material; she fails to elicit interesting performances from the young actors tasked with carrying the story, and the movie lacks any sense of wonder. With Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, and Chris Pine.

—BEN SACHS PG, 109 min. Arclight, Block 37, Century 12 and CineArts 6, Chatham 14, Cicero Showplace 14, City North 14, Crown Village 18, Ford City, Harper, Lake, New 400, River East 21, Showplace 14 Gale≠ wood Crossings, Showplace ICON, 600 N. Michigan, Webster Place.

REVIVALS

CHICAGOREADER.COM/MEDCANNABIS for more information & to purchase tickets

6 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

King Kong The ape on the R Empire State Building is only the most famous image from the

careers of Merian C. Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack, the Brothers Grimm of the movie business (The Most Dangerous Game, She, Dr. Cyclops). With the restoration of some long≠ censored footage, Kong

can be seen in all of his Freudian fairy≠ tale gloryó his rambunctious sexuality (stripping Fay Wray and giving her a curious sniff) and his destructive infantilism (if it looks good, eat it). Willis Oí Brien did the stop≠ action animation for this 1933 feature, which is richer in character than most of the human cast. With Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot. —DAVE KEHR 100 min. Thu 3/15, 2 and 7:30 PM. Pickwick.

fi lm pioneer Lois Weber. Scandal Mongers (1918) is about a stenog≠ rapher and her boss whose lives are thrown into turmoil by reckless gossip; Sensation Seekers (1927) is about a woman torn between libertinism and religious devotion.

110 min. David Drazin provides live piano accompaniment. Fri 3/9, 7 PM. Logan Center for the Arts. F

Little Orphant Annie Based on a poem by James Whitcomb Riley, this 1918 silent drama stars Colleen Moore as the title character, an orphan who serves as mother fi gure to a group of young children.

Colin Campbell directed. 58 min.

Restored 35mm print. Dennis Scott provides live organ accompani≠ ment. Sat 3/10, noon. Music Box.

Chicago Feminist Film Festival Shorts and features addressing gender, sexuality, and race in main≠ stream media. For a full schedule visit chicagofeministfi lmfestival. com. Thu 3/8≠ Fri 3/9. Columbia College Film Row Cinema.

My Own Private Idaho Gus R Van Santí s 1990 feature, his best prior to Elephant, is a simulta≠

neously heartbreaking and exhila≠ rating road movie about two male hustlers (River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves) in the Pacifi c Northwest.

Phoenix, a narcoleptic from a bro≠ ken home, is essentially looking for a family, while Reeves, whose father is mayor of Portland, is mainly fl ee≠ ing his. The style is so eclectic that it may take some getting used to, but Van Sant, working from his own story for the fi rst time, brings such lyrical focus to his characters and his poetry that almost everything works. Even the parts that show some strainó like the fi lmí s extend≠ ed hommage to Orson Wellesí s Chimes at Midnightó are exciting for their sheer audacity. Phoenix was never better, and Reeves does his best with a part thatí s largely Shakespeareí s Hal as fi ltered through Welles. —JONATHAN ROSENBAUM R, 102 min. 35mm. Sun 3/11, 11:30 AM. Music Box. Scandal! Two Films by Lois Weber Two restored fi lms by silent

SPECIAL EVENTS

The Iron Rose Jean Rollin directed this 1973 French fantasy≠ horror fi lm about a couple who become lost in a cemetery. In French with subtitles. 86 min. Matthew Clark, author of Cathode Loveó which deals with ì suggestive, decadent, and symbolically charged works in fi lm, theory, visual art, poetry, fi ction, and essaysî ó introduces the screenings. Fri 3/9≠ Sat 3/10, mid≠ night. Music Box. Onion City Experimental Film + Video Festival The 28th edition of the long≠ running avant≠ garde festival kicks off Thursday, March 8, with a screening of Basma Alsharifí s feature Ouroboros and continues through Sunday, March 11, with seven shorts programs and a Saturday≠ night screening of Martine Symsí s feature Incense, Sweaters & Ice. For a full schedule visit onioncity.org. Thu 3/8≠ Sun 3/11.

Chicago Filmmakers.

Peace on Earth Film Festival A three≠ day festival of fi lms devoted to ì nonviolence, tolerance, social justice, and environmental recov≠ eries.î For a full schedule, visit peaceonearthfi lmfestival.org. Fri 3/9≠ Sun 3/11. Davis. v

l

l

ELKHATIB LAW, LLC

Selling Your Home?

Legal Fees Only $250

Find hundreds of Readerrecommended restaurants, exclusive video features, and sign up for weekly news chicagoreader.com/ food.

• Business • Property Taxes • Real Estate • Auto Accidents • Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

70 W. Madison, 14th Floor Chicago, IL 60602 www.ElkhatibLaw.com (312) 324-0944

CHICAGO’S SECRET TO A BEAUTIFUL

Smile

E

FRE

TOOT TO OTHB OT HBRU HB RUSH RU SH

w/Cleaning, Exam & Xrays

$179.00

Starting at $1,299

(Reg. $650)

Free brushheads for Life! (w/regular cleanings) While supplies last. Insurance restrictions may apply. First time patients only. Not valid with any other offers. Must present this card.

Expires: 3/31/2018

Complete your Invisalign in half the time!

To learn more, go to: propelorthodontics.com FREE CONSULTATIONS Expires: 3/31/2018

419 E Illinois Chicago, IL 60611 northpierdental.com

312-321-7645

Parking validation/discount available

MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 7

CITY LIFE Chicagoans

The original guy from Berwyn Jim Peterik, 67, musician and songwriter (“Eye of the Tiger”)

I GREW UP IN BERWYN, and my dad was a member of a polka band. I started playing sax and going on jobs, playing at the VFW or the Knights of Columbus with his band. I didní t get paid, but I got all the White Castles at midnight I could eat.

Pretty heady stuff for an 11≠ year≠ old.

In high school, I started playing with the Ides of March. We used to rehearse at my friend Larry Millasí s parentsí house.

One day, Larry says, ì Youí re not gonna believe this, but we have an appointment with Mercury Records in Chicago. My mom looked in the phone book and made the appointment.î And on Monday morning, my dad drove us down. It all spiderwebbed from that. Weí re going on 56 years together, the original guys from Berwyn.

Our fi rst single came out in 1966. The song was called ì You Wouldní t Listen,î and it was featured on American Bandstand.

Suddenly the cheerleaders at school started talking to us. Then in 1970 we released ì Vehicle,î which made it to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. At the time I wrote it, I had a lab partner in chemistry who would come to school pretty fried. He started laughing one day at this antidrug pamphlet that had a cartoon of the ì friendly stranger,î who was of course the drug pusher who lured you into the car. I said: ì Thereí s my fi rst line: ë Ií m the friendly stranger in the black sedan, woní t you hop inside my car?í î Boom. To the races.

Ides of March went on hiatus in 1973. I wanted to see what it was like to work with other musicians, so I called up Frankie Sullivan, this hot guitarist, and Dave Bickler, a great singer, and we went out playing as the Jim Peterik Band, and one day I said, ì Letí s call the band ë Survivor,í î í cause I love that word.

We had two albums that kinda stiffed, and then I got a call from Sylvester Stallone. He wanted a song for Rocky III, some≠ thing with the street feel of ì Poor Maní s Son.î He sent us the fi rst three minutes of the movie. I rented a Betamax Pro, and Frankie came over, and I had my guitar around my neck, catch≠ ing the action, starting that little dooga dooga dooga dooga

8 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

“I can’t go to the supermarket with my wife, because it bothers her when she’s trying to pick out broccoli and there’s a fan who wants a photo,” says Peterik. ! COLLEEN DURKIN

dooga, and as the punches were thrown onscreen, I started ac≠ centing them with these chords: Bam! Bam bam bam! And that turned into ì Eye of the Tiger.î I am so thankful for that song. You caní t deny the stories that people tell me of how that song got í em through a tough period, whether it was fi ghting cancer or getting through a divorce. I hear í em every week, and thatí s what nourishes me, really.

I caní t go to the supermarket with my wife, because it both≠ ers her when sheí s trying to pick out broccoli and thereí s a fan

who wants a photo. I doní t mind it. I signed up for this program.

So I usually go shopping alone, because there are going to be people, and really nice people, who say, ì Youí re awesome! Do you mind a photograph?î And in the background thereí s the broccoli. Ií m good with that. v The Ides of March play Friday, March 23, at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre (111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights, 847-577-2121) and Thursday, May 3, at City Winery (1200 W. Randolph, 312-733-9463). —AS TOLD TO ANNE FORD

l

l

CITY LIFE

POLITICS

Georgia on my mind Instead of handing $2.25 billion to Amazon, Chicago could learn from the southern lawmakers who yanked a $40 million tax break from Delta.

By BEN JORAVSKY

F

or the last few months, Ií ve been howling at the moon over Mayor Emanuel and Governor Raunerí s pro≠ posal to fork over $2.25 billion to Am≠ azon, the worldí s richest company.

Actually, thatí s $2.25 billion and counting, as Amazon has made it clear that this is only the opening round in a nationwide competi≠ tion pitting Chicago against 19 other suckers for the dubious right to house HQ2, the nick≠ name the PR folks have devised for Amazoní s second corporate headquarters.

Mayor Rahm and Rauner call the $2.25 billion an incentive. I call it crony capitalism.

Meanwhile, over in a federal penitentiary in Colorado, former governor Rod Blagojevich has got to be thinkingó man, what did I do that was worse than this?

Unfortunately, my outrage is unshared by most elected officials, who are apparently too bedazzled by the Amazon PR spectacle to say much about it.

I was starting to think weí d crossed a line and that there was no one, except for a few old lefties like me, willing to denounce such bla≠

tantly cynical attempts to soak the taxpayers.

And then the silence was shattered from Georgia, of all places, where state legislators have voted against a $40 million handout to Delta Airlines.

Alas, I doní t know if I should laugh or cry over whatí s going down in Georgia. My new≠ found allies are a pack of Republican gun lov≠ ers looking to punish Delta for taking a stand against the National Rifle Association. Talk about giving anti≠ cronyism a bad name.

All right, letí s break it down . . .

A few weeks ago, Georgia governor Nathan Deal, a Republican, cut a deal with Delta essentially giving the airline company $40 million. Instead of paying taxes on fueló so the proceeds could go to funding schools, road repairs, cops, etcó Delta was supposed to get to spend the millions on itself.

Deal said the tax break would enable Delta to expand service at Atlantaí s Hartsfi eld≠ Jack≠ son airport.

OK, look, I doní t really have a horse in this race. Obviously, Deltaí s been flourishing, so it doesní t need handouts. But I doní t live in

Georgia, so I doní t pay Georgia or Atlanta taxes. If Georgians want to waste their money on corporate welfare, thereí s nothing I can do about it. Ií m having enough trouble trying to keep Rahm from wasting billions on his Oí Hare express train scheme.

However, in the most general way I care because the Delta deal fuels the ongoing trickle≠ down madness thatí s costing ordinary taxpayers lots of money. To give you a few examples . . .

A few weeks ago, President Trump and his Republican lapdogs passed a bill that gives hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks to our wealthiest corporations. Instead of using the money to hire more people and raise sal≠ ariesó as the Trump administration promised businesses would doó the corporate chief≠ tains used the money to buy back their stocks.

Thus, they sent their stock values rising and made themselves richer than they already were. Eventually, the rest of us will get stuck with raising local tax bills or program cuts to compensate for the money the feds woní t be getting from corporate America.

Similarly, up north in Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker, another Republican, forked over $4.1 billion for a Foxconn factory. It woní t necessarily raises taxes in Illinois, but we will have to deal with pollution issues since the Wisconsin deal has waived Foxconn from en≠ vironmental oversight regulations. Thanks for the dirty water and fl ooding, Walker.

Fired up by Amazoní s wheeling and deal≠

ing, Apple and JPMorgan Chase are talking about winning similar tax breaks for their corporate headquarters.

This latest frenzy of tax breaks for big corporations comes as many of the same corporate chieftains seeking them denounce Trumpí s steel tariffs. They fear those tariffs will ignite an international trade war that will raise the costs of their products and cut into profi ts. Isní t it funny how they pick and choose which trade wars theyí re against?

But back to Georgia . . .

After the recent high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Delta announced it was tak≠ ing away its fare discount for members of the NRA, prompting a revolt by Republican gun lovers in Georgia. ì I will kill any tax legislation that benefits Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with the NRA,î Georgia lieutenant governor Casey Cagle vowed in a tweet. ì Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fi ght back.î Delta stood its ground. And last week, Georgiaí s legislators followed through on the threat, stripping Delta of its handout.

As expected, the civic community in Atlanta was outraged, proclaiming that the maneuver would be frowned upon by other corporations and would hurt Atlantaí s chances to win the Amazon headquartersó guess those folks fell for that scam just like we did.

Ií ve got mixed reactions about all of this. On the one hand, the subservience of Georgiaí s Re≠ publicans to the NRA is pretty revolting. On the other handó well, they are saving $40 million and, potentially, lots more on the Amazon extor≠ tion. Sounds like a solid two≠ for≠ one deal to me.

At the very least, I say we should play the rise≠ up≠ angry game too. Why should conser≠ vatives be the only ones fi ghting back?

Hey, Rahmó no more corporate crony handouts until you spend our tax dollars on something we want. At the top of my list would be reopening the mental health clinics in high≠ crime areas that you closed. But Ií m sure other people have their own picks. Like more teachers. Or cops. Or something simple, like fi lling the potholes.

Obviously, Georgiaí s Republican legislators are motivated by all the wrong reasons. But Ií m not too proud to admit we could learn a thing from those gun lovers down there. v

The Ben Joravsky Show airs from 2 to 5 PM Monday through Friday on WCPT 820 AM.

! @joravben MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 9

CITY LIFE

POLITICS

Labeled pro-life without choice A mailer for Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger (16th District) shocks the women featured in it without their consent.

By RYAN SMITH

K

arly Zucker received a startling piece of mail at her DeKalb home on Friday.

It was a campaign mailer from the Illinois Republican Party touting U.S. con≠ gressman Adam Kinzingerí s bona fides as a pro≠ life candidate. A softly lit black≠ and≠ white photo of a baby along with a head shot of the congressman covers most of the front of the cardó along with a caption that reads ì Adam Kinzingeró 100% Pro≠ Life.î When the 24≠ year≠ old social worker turned the card over, she was surprised to see an old picture of herself and several former coworkers smiling for a posed group picture with the congressmanó the words ì Pro≠ Lifeî and ì Conservative Republicanî printed in bold font surrounding it. The mail≠ er makes it appear as if Zucker and the group made up mostly of teens and young women support Kinzinger or his anti≠ choice stance on abortion. ì It was a shock to see my face on an ad like that and fi nd out by getting it mailed to me,î Zucker says. ì No one ever contacted me or anyone else to get consent. Ií m very angry.î

10 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

As it turns out, the photo was taken almost two years ago in the kitchen of the Voluntary Action Center of DeKalb County. Zucker and her colleagues were preparing food for a summer meals program when Kinzinger vis≠ ited the nonprofi t based in Sycamore, Illinois, to get better acquainted with the services that VAC provides, according to Ellen Rogers, the agencyí s executive director.

Rogers issued a statement Monday saying that VAC was not informed and did not give consent to the pictureí s use in a campaign ad: ì At no time during the visit did representa≠ tives of VAC have any expectation of being por≠ trayed as endorsing Mr. Kinzingerí s candidacy or position, nor did we give permission for the photo to be used in campaign literature. To do so would be contrary to VACí s mission, which has nothing to do with partisan politics, and a betrayal of the expectations of those who support and fund us.î Kinzingerí s office refused comment. While

the Illinois Republican Party didní t respond to requests for comment Monday, on Tuesday afternoon, officials issued a statement apolo≠ gizing for the use of the photo: ì The mailer was created by a third≠ party vendor, who we thought obtained the proper permission and consent to use the photo, and was distributed under our organizationí s name with our approval. We did not intend to imply that Congressman Kinzingerí s tour of the Voluntary Action Center in 2016 was an endorsement of his candidacy, and for that, we are deeply sorry.î Zucker says she and some of her former coworkers pictured in the ad havení t received any responses to their calls or e≠ mails. ì If you look at the picture, ití s like, look at all of these young women who support pro≠ life positions, but we were just making meals in a kitchen,î she said. ì I do not support Kinzing≠ erí s beliefs and practices and am frustrated that my face is a part of his campaign.î

Kinzinger is the incumbent in a heavily Republican 16th District that includes many of Chicagoí s distant west and south exurbs. In the March 20 primary, he faces a challenger from the far right in James Marter of Oswego.

Both candidates filled out a survey from the Illinois Family Institute, a conservative Christian nonprofit whose stated mission is ì upholding and re≠ affirming marriage, family, life and liberty in Illinois,î and say they want to defund Planned Parenthood, support the Heartbeat Protection Act of 2017 that would ban abortions when a fetal heartbeat is de≠ tected, and want to build Trumpí s wall on the border of Mexico.

There are also four Democrats in the primary vying for the right to challenge Kinzinger in the general election: Amy Murri Briel, Sara Dady, Neill Mohammad, and Beth Vercolio≠ Osmund. v

! @RyanSmithWriter

l

l

CITY LIFE TRANSPORTATION

Boob tube Is the proposed Hyperloop the future of travel or a fanciful space-age hamster tube?

By JOHN GREENFIELD

" JONATHAN ROTH

T

he polished promotional video for whatí s being promoted as the worldí s first Hyperloop route, between Chicago and Cleveland, features a rough≠ voiced narrator extolling the no≠ nonsense virtues of the midwest. Hy≠ perloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) claims that within three to five years it can build a 340≠ mile corridor of vacuum≠ sealed tubes on pylons for shooting passengers in pods as fast as 760 mph, reducing the journey to less than 30 minutes. ì Where do you go to make dreams, to build them with metal and glass and your own two hands?,î the narrator says as the camera gazes up at Chicagoí s sloping, mist≠ enshroud≠ ed Chase Tower before the clip cuts to other rust≠ belt skyscrapers and an Art Institute lion. ì You go to cities like Cleveland and Chi≠ cago, Pittsburgh and Detroit. . . . The midwest is a place that drops its welding mask over its face and gets to work.î What the video doesní t tell you is that the technology doesní t actually exist yet, the company doesní t yet have the land to build the route, and the high≠ speed journey may kill youó or at least, thereí s no proof that humans could survive the high≠ speed pres≠ surized trip.

Still, this Jetsons≠ esque project has politi≠ cal momentum. On February 26 civic leaders from northeast Ohio, a region thatí s desper≠ ate for an economic shot in the arm, gathered for the signing of a $1.2 million grant agree≠ ment to pay for a six≠ month feasibility study for the route. The sum includes $400,000 in federal planning funds via the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, plus $200,000 from the Cleveland Foundation, matched by $600,000 from HTT. Nine mid≠ west congressional reps, including Chicagoí s Bobby Rush, recently sent a letter of support

to Donald Trump, and the Illinois Depart≠ ment of Transportation has committed to helping out with the project.

The Hyperloop craze launched in 2013, when tech guru Elon Musk introduced and named the concept. (Musk is currently vying to build the Oí Hare Express route using a sim≠ ilar scheme he called a ì high≠ speed Loop.î ) A few different companies are currently trying to pioneer the Hyperloop, and several differ≠ ent corridors are being brainstormed around the country. In late February another compa≠ ny, Virgin Hyperloop One, joined forces with the Mid≠ Ohio Regional Planning Commission for another Buckeye State route, this one linking Columbus to Chicago and Pittsburgh.

The grand plan of these Hyperloop boost≠ ers is a network of space≠ age hamster tubes linking the entire Great Lakes region to the eastern seaboard. They argue that this environmentally friendly mode, featuring passive magnetic levitation and electric pro≠ pulsion and fueled by solar energy and other sustainable sources, will solve problems of congestion and pollution while making it exponentially faster to transport people and freight between cities.

HTT projects that its Hyperloop will be able to carry 54,720 customers a day between Chicago and Cleveland for about $20 a ticket.

And though Clevelandí s Hopkins Internation≠ al Airport is struggling to draw enough traf≠ fi c to survive, the company says ití s confi dent the Hyperloop service can be profi table, with no need for a government subsidy.

But like I said, thereí s a hitch: A passen≠ ger≠ safe Hyperloop doesní t actually exist yet. While the gruff≠ voiced narrator assures us that ì weí ve already got a prototype,î heí s referring to a not≠ to≠ scale model Virgin Hy≠ perloop One is testing in the desert outside of Las Vegas. In December an unmanned pod set a record at 240 mph, but thatí s less than a third of the target speed.

Since no one knows yet whether a full≠ size, full≠ speed Hyperloop could carry human cargo safely and comfortably, does it make sense to invest hundreds of thousands of dol≠ lars in taxpayer money to plan a route? And, as Illinoisans, should we be concerned about this potential boondoggle diverting resourc≠ es from other worthy projects?

For example, in 2013 transit analyst and mathematician Alon Levy took apart Elon Muskí s white paper for a Hyperloop from San Francisco to LA. He noted that Muskí s estimates for engineering and land acqui≠ sition costs were about a tenth of market rates. Moreover, Levy said, Musk failed to fully account for the g≠ forces that super≠

sonic ground transportation would have on the human body, which would result in a terrifying ì barf ride.î The press release for the Chicago≠ Cleveland project promises that customer comfort would be maintained through ì methods of limiting the force felt by passengers during the critical accelera≠ tion braking phases.î HTT spokesman Ben Cooke told me that the company is currently building out test facilities in Toulouse, in southern France, and hopes to test a full≠ scale system later this year, although he didní t confi rm that the trial would include passengers. He argued that the technology to create the Hyperloop already exists on the market today, and said the system has been validated as realistic by third parties including NASA: ì Most recently one of the worldí s largest reinsurance com≠ panies, Munich Re, declared our system to be feasible and insurable.î (Munich Re also acknowledged that the challenge of building the system would be ì extreme.î ) Rick Harnish, director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, argues that in addi≠ tion the HTT is underestimating the difficul≠ ty of getting right≠ of≠ way access, especially since traveling through a tube at the speed of sound will require that the route have few or no curves. ì These Hyperloop guys think that the barrier to high≠ speed travel is tech≠ nology, but the real problem in this country is right≠ of≠ way,î he says. ì Do they think they can get permission for a straight line from Cleveland to Chicago in three to fi ve years?î He added that ì people are not going to want this in their backyard any more than an at≠ tractive high≠ speed rail line.î Harnish also noted that, in order to main≠ tain a cost advantage over rail, the Hyperloop pods will need to be much less roomy than a train car. Moreover, they woní t have windows, and passengers will need to stay strapped in their seats for the duration of the trip. ì That doesní t seem like a very attractive way to trav≠ el. And what if you need to use the restroom?î Still, Harnish thinks that, even if the Hy≠ perloop scheme turns out to be a bust, ití s appropriate for IDOT to be involved in the feasibility study: ì I hope that it demonstrates that thereí s a market for this route and, as a result, the states wind up building high≠ speed rail.î v

John Greenfield edits the transportation news website Streetsblog Chicago. ! @greenfieldjohn

MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 11

! MATTHEW SCHWERIN

B U S H VERSUS GORE

12 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

Sarah Sherman’s comedy celebrates her body in all its oozing, disgusting glory.

By STEVE HEISLER

l

l

Sarah Sherman performs at the Empty Bottle in February. ! MATTHEW SCHWERIN

THE

C O M E DY OF SARAH SHERMAN, ALIAS SARAH SQUIRM, IS A RECLAMATION OF THE GROTESQUE. Body functions play a key role in her

act, which includes reenactments of bodily fl uidsó sim≠ ulations concocted with ordinary groceriesó emerging from various orifi ces. Her ambition is to make her audi≠ ence cringeó but in a fun way.

Her obsession with goo and gore stems from a desire to celebrate her body in all its gross and oozing glory. Grow≠ ing up on Long Island, specifi cally in Great Neck, she saw her well≠ to≠ do classmates receive nose jobs and breast enhancements during their teenage years. Meanwhile, she was horrifi ed when, at the age of 13, her pubic hairs began sprouting. She waxed them away in self≠ defense. ì My whole life I was taught that women are either sex≠ ualized or vulgarized,î she says. ì Ií m talking about my own body politics, so Ií m owning that shame, guilt, pain, and embarrassment by performing the act of torture on myself. If youí re telling me my pubes are disgusting, well, Ií m going to make a video of my pubes growing and then strangling me.î Shermaní s act is a combination of one≠ liners and lon≠ ger multimedia pieces incorporating PowerPoint slides and video. She often debuts new segments at Helltrap Nightmare, the monthly showcase she hosts at the Hide≠ out. Ití s a circus of vulgarity. Bloody cardboard tampons the size of golden retrievers hang on the upstage curtain.

The acts stray far from the traditional setup≠ punch line stand≠ up routine. At last Octoberí s Halloween show, for example, comic Nicky Martin strapped a Roomba across his midsection with duct tape, then read graphic erotic fi ction about making sweet love to said Roomba. The J

MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 13

Sherman’s costumes and notebook ! MATTHEW SCHWERIN

Sherman’s friend and opening act at the Empty Bottle, New York-based comedian Ruby McCollister ! MATTHEW SCHWERIN

continued from 13

show routinely sells out, to the point that ití s evident Sherman requires a larger venue and more stage time.

Her 45≠ minute set at the Empty Bottle in mid≠ February was the longest she has ever performed solo, and it drew roughly 80 people who waited in anticipation of the next gross thing like a crowd of fascinated third≠ graders.

On the night of her show at the Bottle, Sherman chugs coffee and nervously paces around the green roomó es≠ sentially an unfi nished basementó while her friend and opening act Ruby McCollister looks on. She wears a pink bodysuit depicting boobs, pubic hair, and a digestive tract. Each hair follicle on the breasts has been carefully

14 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

placed and measured. The style of the artwork on the bodysuit is reminiscent of The Ren & Stimpy Show, one of her infl uences: clean outlines with an attention to gory details. A robe, adorned with refl ective circles the size of Christmas lights, is draped over her shoulders. She resembles a peacock holding a disco ball.

As she paces, Sherman chants lines to herself from an upcoming segment about a phone sex line, during which sheí ll don a pale mask resembling a dead≠ eyed Michael Jackson and project her actual cell number on the screen. ì I want you to look at my pussy and think ití s going to teach you French because it looks like Muzzy,î she says, swaying seductively. ì Do you have a rock≠ hard boner

right now? Well, my bush is always rock hard because ití s a thicket of coarse, wiry Jew pubes.î She fl ops onto one of the couches and lets out a frus≠ trated groan. ì I have this narrative that everyone has seen my jokes, and I always assume everyone hates me and nobody cares,î she says, sounding defeated. ì I doní t even like doing this.î After the show, when her nerves have subsided, she hugs friends who have come out in support and heads back to the green room, where she lets out an audible sigh of relief.

Shermaní s work resembles that of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, the duo behind the absurd Adult Swim sketch show Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Like them, Sherman uses low production values to skew≠ er self≠ seriousness in comedy. She and her videographer, Luke Tayloró whoí s also a member of sketch group the Shrimp Boysó use a single camera, and any special ef≠ fects are DIY. She formulates bodily fluids from recipes she has devised and perfected. She makes come from chunky cottage cheese blended with milk. She stuffs chili, chocolate, and hairs from wigs into diapers that later burst in a geyser of poop and pubes. She purchases fake bloodó she prefers the kind from Party City for its ì syr≠ upy and bisque≠ nessî qualitiesó and occasionally mixes it with ketchup. Once she dyed mayonnaise with green food coloring to simulate slime, then shot a video seg≠ ment in which the substance dripped out of her mouth, eyes, nipples, and vagina. ì It was burning my face,î she remembers.

l

l

Inside Sherman’s Logan Square apartment/studio ! STEVE HEISLER

Sheí s borrowed from the surreal chaos of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, and cites The Nanny and The Golden Girls as comedic influences as well. ì I feel like you caní t make fucked≠ up comedy without having a solid grounding in knowing how more traditional comedy works,î she says. ì Her bits feel so honest, but so ugly at the same time,î says Sullivan Davis, program director at the Hideout. ì She creates a world in the show where putting micro≠ phones on toasters makes sense.î Both of Shermaní s slide shows at the Empty Bottle satirize grooming habits. The fi rst is a mock infomercial for ì Flayaway,î a process that simplifi es body issues by peeling the skin away entirely. Dandruff, she says, is no longer a problem after Flayaway! Cut to a close≠ up of Sherman painted red, scratching her scalp until veal brains fl op onto her shoulder.

In the second multimedia bit, she reenacts how she trimmed her unwieldy bush at the age of 13. She por≠ trays a pube on camera by sticking her head into a dark gray cardboard cylinder. It appears as if sheí s wearing

an overripe banana suit. After Sherman explains each hair≠ removal techniqueó shaving, tweezing, waxing, etcó the PowerPoint plays a clip of Sherman, in costume, being plucked from a pore as blood and pus erupt. The audience gasps. ì I want to look at all the brutal, violent ways weí ve been telling women they have to lose their body hair, so I zoom in with a microscope both metaphor≠ ically and physically,î she explains to me after the show.

Sherman, whoí s 24 and works as a freelance illustrator, has been performing for two and a half years, ever since

she graduated from Northwestern in 2015 with a degree in theater. Though sheí s cornered the Chicago market on body≠ hair≠ removal comedy, she fi nds herself sabotaging her own career before it takes offó specifi cally by fail≠ ing to do anything to integrate herself into the national comedy scene. Her act, she fears, doesní t neatly fi t into a fi ve≠ minute slot on, say, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, or function as a natural lead≠ in to starring on Saturday Night Live. ì I was supposed to record a comedy album a year ago, and I just caní t do it,î she says. ì Ií m new, so I guess thatí s why Ií m struggling with the idea of putting ideas permanently on a literal record. Thereí s an archival record of my shit that I can never change, that will be in someoneí s house. I caní t bear it.î She also dislikes the idea that with increased exposure comes increased pressure to speak about current events and hot≠ button issues. Thatí s not her style. ì Comedians are replacing philosopher kings,î she says. ì People listen to Louis CK and are like, ë What does he think about abor≠ tion?í Who gives a fuck? Heí s a comedian, thatí s not his job. Ití s interesting to see Louis CK and all these dudes fall from grace because ití s like, guess what? These moral compasses you look to for answers are losers who got drunk at bars the past four years. ì I doní t want to have to speak for anyone else except for my own experience. And I doní t know much about anything, but I can tell you a lot of very specifi c things about how to make slime come out of your eyes.î v

" @steveheisler MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 15

Directions

MOVIES

There is power in the Union More than 60 new features make their local premieres at the 21st European Union Film Festival.

16 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

T

he European Union Film Festi≠ val was launched by the Gene Siskel Film Center in 1998, fi ve years after the Maastrict Trea≠ ty formalized the Union, and in the two decades since then, the festival has grown into one of the cityí s most impressive fi lm events. As the Union has grown larger, so has the festival, with the result that this yearí s edition, spanning four weeks, includes more than 60 fi lms from 28 countries.

I wouldní t be exaggerating much to say that the year in cinema here in Chicago kicks off with the EU festival in March. The 21st edition, which opens Friday and continues through April 5, offers local premieres of work by some of the most gifted artists on the European continent, including Xavier Beauvois (Of Gods and Men), Arnaud Des≠ plechin (A Christmas Tale), Bruno Dumont (Hadewijch), Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist), KornÈ l MundruczÛ (White God), Paolo and Vittorio Taviani (The Night of the Shooting Stars), and Wim Wenders (Buena Vista Social Club). Following are reviews of 16 fi lms screening over the next four weeks; for a full schedule visit siskelfi lmcenter.org.

—J.R. JONES

l

l

Casting A female filmmaker prepares to shoot a remake of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s classic The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant with the title character’s younger lover now male rather than female. Filming is only a week away, but the director hasn’t cast the lead role yet and tests one actress after another, losing focus with each successive audition. This tedious German drama won’t make much sense if you’re unfamiliar with Petra von Kant and will seem maddeningly trivial if you are; cowriter-director Nicolas Wacker has nothing to say about relationships or the art-making process that Fassbinder didn’t say already. The auditions are presented in thorough, painstaking detail, with lots of inside-baseball talk about the nature of acting; if you’re into that sort of thing, I recommend Chantal Akerman’s Les Années 80 (1983). In German with subtitles. 91 min. —BEN SACHS Sun 3/25, 5:15 PM, and Mon 3/26, 6 PM.

The Death of Stalin The Citizen

The Citizen In the opening scene of this poignant drama, an African refugee who has lived in Budapest for years (first-time actor Marcelo Cake-Baly) fails an oral exam required for Hungarian citizenship.

Determined to pass the next test, he pays for private lessons from a local teacher, a married woman about his age, and their intellectual bond evolves into romance. Other characters threaten their happiness, reminding us of the racism, both hidden and overt, that nonwhite immigrants face in majority-white countries.

But what might have felt like a heavy-handed movie of the week instead seems natural and timely, largely because of Cake-Baly’s grounded performance; he infuses the role with genuine emotion drawn from his own refugee experience. Roland Vranik directed his own script. In Hungarian with subtitles. —LEAH PICKETT Fri 3/30, 8 PM, and Tue 4/3, 6 PM.

R

The Death of Stalin This loony British farce details the struggle for power that erupted at the Kremlin after Joseph Stalin died of a stroke in 1953. The English and American players—Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Michael Palin, Jason Isaacs, Paddy Considine, Rupert Friend—dispense with the fake Russian accents, and their dialogue has the sort of riffing spontaneity you’d find in a Judd Apatow comedy. Director Armando Iannucci (In the Loop) draws on the Monty Python school of casual cruelty in his treatment of Stalinist atrocities; in one scene, bureaucrats stroll down a hallway absorbed in conversation while screams emanate from behind every door. Needless to say, the movie has been poorly received in Moscow, where the ministry of culture speculated that it was

R

farming family during World War I, with Nathalie Baye in a decidedly unglamorous role as the beleaguered matriarch. Her two sons and her son-in-law have all joined the army, leaving the farm understaffed; help arrives in the form of a hard-working young woman from town, but the mother turns against her after one of the sons, home on leave, falls for her. A story of women waiting for their soldiers to return, this unfolds in fairly predictable fashion, though the film’s solemnity is seductive—when Beauvois indulges in a bit of string music on the soundtrack, it seems almost extravagant. In French with subtitles.

135 min. —J.R. JONES Sun 3/25, 2:30 PM, and Thu 3/29, 6 PM.

part of “a Western plot to destabilize Russia by causing rifts in society.” Well, isn’t that too bad. 107 min. —J.R. JONES Sat 3/10, 8 PM, and Wed 3/14, 6 PM. Directions Bleak but powerful, this Bulgarian ensemble drama presents the capital city of Sofia as a society suffering a collective nervous breakdown. The characters are either living in poverty or demeaning themselves to get out of it; prostitution is a recurring theme, as is suicide, and everybody is miserable and angry. Despite the focus on social decay, the filmmaking is consistently alive: much of the action takes place in taxis, and director Stephan Komandarev establishes a constant sense of motion, moving briskly

R

from one short, revealing episode to the next.

No one actor appears onscreen for very long, but each performs with such intensity that the movie feels like one long, continuous scream.

In Bulgarian with subtitles. 103 min. —BEN SACHS Screens on Friday, March 9, as part of the opening-night program, with a reception after the screening. Fri 3/9, 6 PM, and Thu 3/15, 8:15 PM. The Guardians French filmmaker Xavier Beauvois brought an extraordinary sense of solitude and contemplation to his 2010 feature Of Gods and Men, about Trappist monks walking a fine line between selflessness and survival in war-torn Algeria. That same hush pervades this leisurely drama about a French

Happy Birthday A student uprising in Athens threatens to pull a family apart when a headstrong teenager (Nefeli Kouri) lobs a Molotov cocktail into the street, narrowly missing her policeman father (Dimitris Imellos). Her alarmed mother sends the two to their summer home in a picturesque seaside village to cool off, but matters barely improve. The strident daughter shuns her authoritarian dad; he tries to charm her in awkward, semicomic interludes that involve rollerskating and a visit from her activist boyfriend (implausibly, he’s never asked her what dad does for a living). Writer-director Christos Georgiou fares much better with a tense sequence in which the local police badger a couple of petty thieves, power quickly going to the officers’ heads. In Greek with subtitles. 85 min.

—ANDREA GRONVALL Sat 3/10, 8 PM, and Wed 3/14, 8:15 PM. J

MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 17

continued from 17 Hitler’s Hollywood Critic Rüdiger Suchsland follows From Caligari to Hitler (2014), his documentary history of German cinema between the world wars, with a sequel on the moviemaking of the Third Reich, as controlled by propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. The giant UFA studio, taken over by the Nazis in 1933, was a dream factory on par with any American movie operation, and the documentary challenges viewers to appreciate the extraordinary beauty of the clips presented without forgetting the heinous philosophy they promoted (or sometimes concealed). Suchsland, a careful and observant critic, argues that the Nazi cinema was more varied and politically ambivalent than we might imagine, and he examines a broad range of movies from the era, from anti-Semitic propaganda like the infamous Jew Süss (1940) to “films of legitimization” whose stories softened people up for fascism to dramas released near the end of the war that offered coded critiques of the Nazi regime, just as Hollywood movies hinted at sexual subjects during the same period. Udo Kier narrates. 105 min. —J.R. JONES Fri 3/9, 2 PM, and Wed 3/14, 6 PM.

R

A Hustler’s Diary Croatian expatriate Ivica Zubak directed this energetic, incisive, and sometimes hilarious Swedish feature about a restless young Turkish immigrant in a low-income suburb of Stockholm.

The hero (Can Demirtas, who cowrote the screenplay with Zubak) senses he can do better than his current life of crime and fancies himself the next Al Pacino; during a disastrous audition at a prestigious acting school, he misplaces his diary, a vivid chronicle of his escapades, and it winds up in the hands of a posh book publisher (Jorgen Thorsson). The ensuing battle of wits between the thug, who fears exposure, and the snob, who smells a best seller, highlights the gaping class divide between them. In Swedish with subtitles. 97 min. —ANDREA GRONVALL Fri 3/23, 2 PM, and Tue 3/27, 6 PM.

A Hustler’s Diary Jeannette:The Childhood of Joan of Arc

Hitler’s Hollywood

R

Ice Mother In this Czech drama, a 67-yearold widow (Zuzana Kronerová) finds love, friendship, and a renewed sense of purpose after joining a winter swimming club for seniors. Director Bohdan Sláma refuses to infantilize or condescend to his elderly characters: the protagonist is a complex, independent spirit, and her love interest (Pavel Nový), a homeless septuagenarian who sleeps on the swimming group’s bus, defies the lusty geezer stereotype with his confidence and enigmatic sex appeal. Unfortunately the middle-aged people often seem like caricatures, particularly the woman’s two

18 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

vile sons; one is a mooch, the other a snob. In Czech with subtitles. 106 min. —LEAH PICKETT Sat 3/31, 8 PM, and Wed 4/4, 8:15 PM. Ismael’s Ghosts A famous film director (Mathieu Amalric) struggles to complete a movie about his older brother’s legendary exploits in the French foreign service; meanwhile the filmmaker’s long-lost wife (Marion Cotillard) materializes after more than 20 years, to the consternation of his current partner (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Writer-director Arnaud Desplechin pays homage to Hitchcock’s Vertigo by naming the wife after Carlotta Valdes, the mysterious historical figure in the earlier movie, and similarly immortalizing her on canvas; there’s also a film within the film that details the brother’s adventures while the hero is agonizing over his screenplay. Unfortunately all the metafictional layering only highlights the lack of engagement at the center of the story, the three stars acting up a storm but barely acknowledging each other. Desplechin’s best films (Kings and Queen, A Christmas Tale) weave intimate stories into epic narratives, but the artifice here feels self-indulgent. In French with subtitles. 114 min. —J.R. JONES Sat 3/17, 5:30 PM, and Thu 3/22, 6 PM.

Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc With this heavy-metal musical, French writer-director Bruno Dumont marries the religious themes of his Hadewijch and Outside Satan with the absurd humor of his Li’l Quinquin and Slack Bay. The results are one of a kind and certainly not for everyone, but if you can get on its wavelength, you’ll find much to appreciate: the natural settings are gorgeous, the conversations on faith are probing, and the music rocks. Dumont opens in 1425, when the eight-year-old Jean is first discovering her religious fervor; the second half considers the teenage Jean as she prepares to join French troops in battle. The supporting characters include a pair of head-banging nuns and a trio of levitating

R

saints; these playful details alleviate the heavy theological discourse, which is open-ended and provocative nonetheless. In French with subtitles. 108 min. —BEN SACHS Sun 3/11, 3 PM, and Thu 3/15, 6 PM. Jupiter’s Moon Magic realism is a matter of contrast, the power of its magic increasing with the harshness of its reality.

That’s the secret of this astounding Hungarian feature from Kornél Mundruczó (White God), in which a young Syrian refugee (Zsombor Jéger) crossing over from Serbia into Hungary is shot several times by a policeman (György Cserhalmi) and not only survives but begins to levitate at will. Smuggled out of a refugee camp by a humane doctor (Merab

R

l

l

tor Pedro Pinho breaks away from the main story at times to follow one of the workers in off hours with his wife and child; their aimless enjoyment of life and each other shows how sweet nothing can be when you’re not getting paid to do it. In French and Portuguese with subtitles. 177 min. —J.R. JONES Sun 3/18, 2 PM, and Tue 3/20, 6:30 PM.

Rainbow: A Private Affair Paolo and Vittorio Taviani return to the final days of World War II, a period they chronicled in their 1982 masterpiece The Night of the Shooting Stars. (This feature marks the first time that Paolo has directed solo, though he and Vittorio collaborated on the script.)

Whereas the earlier film celebrated life going on in wartime, this one is a stark consideration of death, following an Italian resistance fighter as he ventures into a fascist stronghold to rescue a captured compatriot. Flashbacks reveal that both the hero and his friend wooed the same woman, and these episodes relieve tension from the present moment, when the hero knows he can die at any time.

The film is less than a hour and a half long, yet the Tavianis make every minute count; this has the concision and intensity one associates with late masterworks. In Italian with subtitles. 84 min. —BEN SACHS Fri 3/16, 6:30 PM, and Wed 3/21, 6 PM.

R

Jupiter’s Moon The Nothing Factory

Montparnasse Bienvenue

Rainbow: A Private Affair

Montparnasse Bienvenue In the opening scene of this fast-moving French comedy, a young woman ejected from her lover’s apartment beats her forehead bloody against the front door—and she’s just getting started. Laetitia Dosch gives a wildly funny performance as the red-headed heroine, Paula, whose audacity knows no bounds: needing a job and a place to sleep, she first passes herself off as an experienced nanny and later crashes with a stranger who’s mistaken her for a long-lost friend. The easiest route to a roof over her head would be finding another man to take her in, but she’s still obsessed with her lover—an up-and-coming photographer whose most famous image is a portrait of her—and she treats the dance-club lotharios in her orbit like so much chopped liver. Paula flies off the handle whenever anyone points out that she’s now “a free woman”; from her perspective, freedom is nothing but chaos, and she’s more than willing to share hers with everyone else.

R

Ninidze), the Syrian gets tangled up in the terror plot of a fellow refugee, and what began as a fabulistic drama turns into one long, endlessly thrilling chase sequence. Mundruczó compulsively circles his subjects with the camera, fostering a sense of constant revolution that opens out into the big blue sky whenever the angelic hero lifts off. The movie is so grandly entertaining that you may not even notice the sneaky Christian allegory sanctifying the least of our brothers. In Hungarian with subtitles. 127 min. —J.R. JONES Sat 3/10, 5:15 PM, and Mon 3/12, 7:45 PM.

Léonor Serraille directed this sharp debut feature. In French with subtitles. 97 min. —J.R. JONES Fri 3/30 and Mon 4/2, 6 PM. The Nothing Factory Running nearly three hours, this Portuguese drama focuses on a standoff between labor and management at a failing industrial plant, and the epic length underscores the frustration of its working-class characters as the plant sits idle. Called to the plant in the middle of the night, they clash with truck crews that have been sent to haul away the machinery; the company has been taken over, and middle managers arrive on the scene the next morning to interview employees, offer deals to a lucky few, and sack everyone else. At the same time, a hairy Marxist academic who’s been hanging around the factory tries to persuade the workers to collectivize and run the place themselves, a notion that soon collides with their unenlightened self-interest. Direc-

R

The Young Karl Marx Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck, emboldened by his success at bringing James Baldwin’s prose to life with the documentary I Am Not Your Negro (2016), tackles a more difficult literary endeavor: dramatizing the life experiences that drove Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels to write the Communist Manifesto in 1848. This intelligent biopic touches on the men’s marriages but focuses mainly on the various radical constituencies across Europe that they hoped to unite with a powerful philosophical statement. August Diehl, best known here for his small role in Inglourious Basterds (2009), invests the twentysomething Marx with a quick mind and a feverish impatience that propel the narrative forward, his energy a real asset to a film that trades heavily in ideas.

“Criticism devours everything that exists, and when nothing is left, it devours itself,” the German radical Wilhelm Weitling tells Marx— and yet Peck dares to frame his movie as an intellectual adventure. In English and subtitled French and German. 118 min. —J.R. JONES Screens as part of the closing-night program, with a reception after the screening.

Sat 3/31, 3 PM, and Thu 4/5, 6 PM. v EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL Fri 3/9-Thu 4/5.

Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State, 312-8462800, siskelfilmcenter.org, $11.

MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 19

ARTS & CULTURE MOVIES

A new version of the same old story Bruce Willis is an Evanston surgeon turned Chicago vigilante in Death Wish.

By BEN SACHS

M

ichael Winnerí s Death Wish (1974) is artless, cynical garbage, advancing a misanthropic view of American cities in which disenfranchised people roam the streets like savages, raping, looting, and ssss EXCELLENT

sss GOOD

killing as though it were all they knew how to do. This lays the groundwork for the action classicí s crude celebration of vigilante justice, which shows how one good guy with enough brute force can clean up the city. Playing the good guy, Charles Bronson projects little charisma, and his unfeeling performance works hand in glove with Winnerí s clodhopper direction. Winner wants his viewer to cheer for Bronson as he hunts down and murders criminals, but given the lack of emotional investment behind and in front of the camera, one might as well be rooting for a machine.

(Indeed many reviews of Death Wish and its four sequels describe Bronsoní s character as a ì killing machine.î ) This is to say that I had very low expecta≠ tions for Eli Rothí s remake of Death Wish, starring Bruce Willis. Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel) may be more imaginative than Winner, and Willis has a greater emotional range than Bronson, but neither manages to transform the ugly material into something palatable.

The new fi lm portrays the hero with greater

ss AVERAGE

20 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

s POOR

•

Get showtimes at chicagoreader.com/movies.

Bruce Willis in Death Wish

emotional complexity, and the well≠ rounded supporting characters give the story greater heft. Yet Death Wish remains a straightfor≠ ward celebration of gun violence and vigilante justice, encouraging viewers to cheer as the stoic hero takes the law into his own hands.

Willis plays an Evanston surgeon whose personal life revolves around his wife (Elis≠ abeth Shue) and teenage daughter (Camila Morrone). One night while the surgeon is away from home, a trio of robbers break in, the wife is killed, and the daughter winds up in a coma.

Two well≠ meaning police detectives (Dean Norris, Kimberly Elise) prove useless in track≠ ing down the robbers, so Willis, arming him≠ self to the teeth, starts playing detective so he can take revenge on the men who destroyed his family. Along the way he kills some other criminals in Chicago, which Roth renders as lawless as Winnerí s New York City.

Roth adds one critical update to the original story, and of course ití s the Internet. In the remake, the heroí s exploits are recorded by a bystander and posted online; soon the mys≠ terious avenger becomes known as the Grim Reaper, sparking debates on talk radio about the merits of vigilante justice. This develop≠ ment might suggest some ambivalence on the fi lmmakersí part about the heroí s actions, but the street violence is staged with such disgusting levity that any attempt at thematic complexity seems purely for show. v DEATH WISH s Directed by Eli Roth. R, 107 min. For listings visit chicagoreader.com/movies.

! @1bsachs

WORTHLESS

l

l

ARTS & CULTURE

Kay Stepkin (center) at an installation of the National Vegetarian Museum. courtesy National Vegetarian Museum. ! COURTESY NATIONAL VEGETARIAN MUSEUM.

MUSEUMS

From the ground up The National Vegetarian Museum uncovers the vegetarian movement’s Chicago roots.

By AIMEE LEVITT

K

ay Stepkiní s path to opening the National Vegetarian Museum, the first vegetarian museum in the country, began with James Bond.

Growing up in Chicago in the 50s and 60s, she had never met a vegetarian. She associated healthy eating with the handful of natural food stores around the city that sold pills, packaged grains, and sometimes fresh eggs. After college, she moved to Berkeley.

She didní t meet any vegetarians there, either.

But one night, bored and browsing through her roommateí s book collection, she randomly opened up Thunderball by Ian Fleming. It begins with Bondí s handler, M, giving the spy a stern lecture about his poor nutrition and insisting he go to a health farm where, natural≠ ly, Bond discovers evil doings afoot. But that wasní t what captured Stepkiní s imagination. ì In his talk to James,î she remembers, ì M talks about how we remove so many dozens

of nutrients from grains, then add back seven and call it ë enriched.í It fascinated me for some unknown reason. I had never heard of anything like this, how food related to health. I didní t know we processed food.î Stepkin went to the library to fi nd out more.

She discovered the works of the nutritionist Adele Davis, who, while not a vegetarian her≠ self, argued persuasively about the effects of diet on general health. Stepkin began eating brown rice and learned how to make whole≠ wheat bread. One day she realized she hadní t eaten meat for several weeks and didní t miss it at all. (She backslid only once, a one≠ day corned beef binge in the early 80s. ì I doní t remember how good vegetarian food tasted, I just remem≠ ber how good that corned beef was.î ) Stepkin brought her vegetarianism back to Chicago. In 1971ó the year the Union Stock≠ yards closed, she points outó she opened up a bakery, the Bread Shop, in Lakeview, near

the corner of Halsted and Roscoe. She used only organic whole≠ grain flour, which she purchased from a health food store on the far south side. At the time she believedó mistak≠ enly, it turns outó it was the fi rst vegetarian establishment in the history of Chicago. And for several years, it remained one of few. But in the late 1970s, the animal rights movement began to grow, and in 1987, John Robbinsí s book Diet for a New America brought together the strands of human health, animal suffering, and environmental impact into a powerful ar≠ gument for vegetarianism not just as a person≠ al choice but as a social movement. ì It pepped everything right up again,î says Stepkin. ì Up until a few years ago, [the vegetarian] move≠ ment seemed steady. And now I feel weí re in the middle of an enormous explosion. There was one business in í 71, and now there are over 50 today.î In 1996, the same year the Bread Shop closed, Michael James, the owner of the Heartland Cafe, invited Stepkin on to his radio show to talk about the history of the vegetari≠ an movement in Chicago. She shared what she knew, but afterward, she decided to do some research. ì I went on the Internet,î she recalls. ì It blew my mind. I learned Chicago had a veg≠ etarian history going back to the 1800s. They even had vegetarian restaurants back then! I was fl oored.î The first vegetarians in America arrived from England in the 1700s. They called them≠ selves Bible Christians, and they were inspired to keep a meatless diet by the Hindus and Jains in India. (ì A case of colonizers learning from the colonized,î says Stepkin.) Like every≠ one else, the vegetarians moved west. In 1890, five of them formed the Chicago Vegetarian Society. In 1893, vegetarians from around the world converged at the Columbian Exposition for the Vegetarian Congress. This made Chi≠ cagoó despite its status as Hog Butcher to the Worldó a major center for vegetarianism. By the turn of the century, the Chicago Vegetarian Society boasted 100,000 members, the Vege≠ tarian Eating Club hosted an annual meatless Thanksgiving dinner at the University of Chi≠ cago, and the Pure Food Lunchroom opened up in the Loop. Several more vegetarian restau≠ rants followed in other neighborhoods around the city, serving not only vegetables but nut≠ based fake meat. The publication of The Jungle in 1906, with its detailed and disgusting accounts of the inside of a meat≠ packing plant, also helped the cause.

And then the movement died. Stepkiní s still not sure why, though she suspects World

War I may have had something to do with it; other social movements, including feminism and civil rights, also stalled out around that time. There was a revival, though, in the late 30s. Stepkin has collected piles of memo≠ rabilia, which she keeps in her Lincoln Park apartment. This includes cookbooks, leafl ets, and newsletters like The American Vegetarian and The Vegetarian Fruitarian Humanitarian (which in addition to news also published poetry about the sad consequences of meat eating). In 1948, John Maxwell, who owned a vegetarian restaurant on Wabash, represented the American Vegetarian Party in the presidential race. But the 50s killed the movement again.

Last year Stepkin decided to spread the word about the history of vegetarianism by or≠ ganizing all the material she had collected into a museum, the fi rst of its kind. ì I thought if I didní t know it, I who had been into this for so many years, neither did my contemporaries.

And if my contemporaries doní t know, young people doní t know. History makes you stron≠ ger. Ití s like the difference between being an orphan and having parents: you have someone to guide you.î At the moment the National Vegetarian Museum consists of one exhibit, ì What Does It Mean to Be Vegetarian?,î on 12 seven≠ by≠ three≠ foot panels. Since February 2017 ití s been traveling around the city, finding tem≠ porary homes in various city and suburban libraries and sponsoring guest lectures. (In March, ití s at the main branch of the Evanston Public Library.) When Stepkin started the project, she thought sheí d have a permanent location by now, but sheí s not entirely dis≠ pleased by the traveling. ì Ií m not sure how many people would come across the city to go to a museum,î she says, ì so we go to them.î The libraries also set aside books so visitors can read more, the way Stepkin did.

Today the movement continues to grow.

Stepkin notes that, according to a Vegetarian Resource Group poll, 6 percent of Americans in their 20s identify as vegetarian, as opposed to about 2 percent of Americans over 65. ì It amazes me really,î she says. ì Ití s astounding that people who are sick, who can read the same stuff I read about the importance of diet, doní t want to change.î v THE NATIONAL VEGETARIAN MUSEUM Through 4/2: Mon-Thu 9 AM-9 PM, Fri-Sat 9 AM-6 PM, Sun noon-6 PM, Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave., Evanston, vegmuse.org. F

" @aimeelevitt MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 21

R

ARTS & CULTURE

A pair of queens British monarchs duke it out in Schiller’s Mary Stuart.

By TONY ADLER

T

22 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

b ALL AGES

F

K.K. Moggie and Kellie Overbey ! MICHAEL BROSILOW

THEATER

hereí s a touchy moment in the 1998 movie Shakespeare in Love when Gwyneth Pal≠ trowí s Viola de Lesseps is on the verge of being unmasked as a woman posing as a man in order to play a woman on the all≠ male Elizabe≠ than stage. Happily for her, someone in a simi≠ lar situation happens to be in the audience: the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth, herself. ì I know some≠ thing of a woman in a maní s profession,î says Judi Denchí s steely old monarch as she deftly countermands the evidence of everybodyí s eyes. ì Yes, by God, I do know about that.î Twenty years have passed since the scene was filmed, and almost exactly 415 since Elizabethí s reign ended (March 24, 1603), but I think ití s safe to say we still havení t gotten over the notion of a woman in a so≠ called maní s profession. Not by a long shot. I mean, never mind #MeTooó PBS is in the third sea≠ son of a series on Queen Victoria and Netfl ix has one on QEII. Which makes the current Chicago Shake≠ speare Theater production of Schiller’s Mary Stuart at once thoroughly zeitgeisty and a little subversive. Subversive because, as much as it has to say about the difficulties a woman

READER RECOMMENDED

might encounter trying to navigate the pitiless corridors of power, the play is also very clear in demonstrating that she may take to it rather better than anybody expected.

Friedrich Schiller published Maria Stuart in 1801, and Peter Oswald has written an En≠ glish≠ language ì versionî that premiered in 2005. Oswaldí s fl uid, wryly funny script is the one on view at Chicago Shakespeare. Ití s a hell of a yarn even if youí re being historically accu≠ rate, and Schiller/Oswald arení t.

Mary Stuart is the one also known to history as Mary, Queen of Scots. A Catholic cousin of Elizabeth, she ascended the Edinburgh throne in the company of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, who turned up dead one day in 1567. Mary then married the man who was generally thought to have killed him, igniting a scandal that led to her forced abdication. She fl ed to England, sup≠ posing sheí d be safe under Elizabethí s protec≠ tion. She was mistaken. Elizabeth feared Maryí s arguably stronger claim to the English throne as well as her potential appeal to disgruntled

Catholics (including foreign kings) anxious to oust Elizabethí s Protestant regime. The queen therefore put Mary under a luxurious form of house arrest that lasted close to two decades.

As Schillerí s telling starts Mary has been implicated in yet another Catholic conspiracy against the crown, despite her confinement (which is depicted as harsh by her nurse, involving pewter dishware that a ì duchess would sniff atî ). When her trial ends in a guilty verdict, various supporters swing into actionó or into plotting, anywayó notably a suave, canny, profoundly politic courtier whoí s served Elizabeth but loved Mary and a young hothead whoí s secretly turned against his hard≠ core Protestant upbringing. Ití s some≠ thing of a surprise to fi nd out who these two intriguers are, so I woní t describe them any further except to sayó and here Ií m assuming you woní t read your program too carefully before the showó Tim Decker is marvelous as the courtier, allowing him wisdom and a conscience along with Machiavellian smarts;

Andrew Chowní s hothead, meanwhile, gets a fascinating speech about his conversion to Ca≠ tholicism that lays bare the irrational power of art to transform us.

Unfolding on a set designed by Andromache Chalfant to be as brutal or sweet as it needs to be, Jenn Thompsoní s witty staging features plenty of other vivid performances, from Kevin Gudahlí s as the bluff, honest knight charged with guarding Mary to Robert Jason Jacksoní s as the Earl of Shrewsbury, the only Christian among droves of sectarians, to David Studwellí s as the hubristic high treasurer Lord Burleigh. Thompson and company are great at limning the circles of hell Schiller created especially for government servants.

But the whole thing fi nally comes down to the two queens. Apparently much like the ac≠ tual historical fi gure, K.K. Moggieí s Mary is an old≠ style sovereign, mortifi ed by her situation yet standing on the notion that divine right makes her immune to prosecution. Sheí s an old≠ style woman too: the men who follow her fall crazy in love. Kellie Overbeyí s Elizabeth, on the other hand, gives us a wholly different sort of beingó one who helps us understand what made the original so monumental. She has her jealousies and her snits, of course, but more than anything sheí s a leader in the modern sense, followed because she exercises power, and therefore capable of the great cru≠ elties of pragmatism. Even her hesitations are strategic. No need to qualify this Elizabeth as a woman in a maní s profession. Sheí s simply a pro. v R SCHILLER’S MARY STUART Through 4/15: Wed 1 and 7:30 PM, Thu-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 3 and 8 PM, Sun 2 PM; also Tue 3/20, 7:30 PM; Sun 4/8, 6:30 PM, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand, 312-595-5600, chicagoshakes.com, $58$88, $20 under 35.

" @taadler

l

l

ARTS & CULTURE o grou s o s sters g t over t e r ancestral am l ome n Plantation! ! LIZ LAUREN

THEATER

Plantation! is performed before a live studio audience

Kevin Douglas’s world premiere at Lookingglass explores the case for reparations with a broad sitcom sensibility.

By DAN JAKES

F

ew genres stoke snobbery quite like the humble American sitcom. Ití s a pity how many viewers write off the format altogether, because for the last few years, the much≠ maligned art form has been doing much of the creative heavy lifting in reframing thorny social discussions as approachable, empathy≠ building entertainment as well as in telling stories by and of people of color.

Thatí s true of single≠ camera shows like Black-ish, Insecure, Master of None, and Dear White People, and especially true of multicam≠ era comedies like The Carmichael Show, Mom, Superior Donuts, and One Day at a Time, all of which marry familiar and sharp comedic tropes with impactful social commentary. As the A.V. Clubí s Erik Adams points out, ì Very special episodes were a jokeó now theyí re the whole sitcom.î Plantation!, Lookingglass ensemble mem≠ ber Kevin Douglasí s all≠ female world≠ pre≠ miere play, is, of course, a work of theater, but its rhythms, comedic beats, use of space, built≠ in sight gags, and quippy dialogue ride the same crest as this new wave of multi≠ camera television comedies. Ití s directed by fellow company member David Schwimmer, himself a sitcom vet, who successfully em≠ ploys a broad, prime≠ time≠ style comedic sensibility throughout.

Two years a widow, Lillian (Janet Ulrich Brooks) does something she never could while her bigoted husband was alive: make a tangi≠ ble, signifi cant gift to the descendants of the slaves whose labor built her familyí s fortune and name. After tracking down three sisters from Chicago (Lily Mojekwu, Tamberla Perry, and Ericka Ratcliff )ó the only remaining descendants of the slave her great≠ grandfa≠

ther rapedó Lillian offers them the familyí s ancestral plantation home in Texas as a form of reparation.

Incensed and motivated by a false sense of entitlement, Lillianí s daughters (Louise Lamson, Linsey Page Morton, and Grace Smith) conspire to change their motherí s mind, employing tactics ranging from Wile E. Coyote≠ type shenanigans to full≠ blown hate crimes. Ití s in the latter territory that the stylistic contradictions in Schwimmerí s production get blurry, if not downright messy.

A farcical climax involving makeshift Klan robes and a Benny Hill≠ style runaround, one of the more bizarre spectacles Ií ve ever seen onstage, invokes more cricked necks than shocked guffaws or dropped jaws.

Likewise, during a period≠ costumed cele≠ bratory dinner, ití s impossible to believe that the moment a personal assistant of Latinx heritage walks out of the kitchen in a slave costume, the three sisters wouldní t bolt back to Chicago.

But in the heated, tense, often blisteringly funny conversations that precede those mis≠ fi res, Douglas hashes out a myriad of different attitudes and opinions about moving the concept of reparations from the intellectual abstract into knotty, emotionally precarious material reality. And to get folks to laugh while doing soó thatí s certainly something. v PLANTATION! Through 4/22: Wed-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2 and 7:30 PM (2 PM only Sat 2/24), Sun 2 PM; also Sun 3/11, 3/25, and 4/22, 7:30 PM; Thu 3/15, 3/29, and 4/12, 2 PM, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan, 312337-0665, lookingglasstheatre.org, $50-$70.

" @DanEJakes

{ { R U O Y AD E R E H

OUR READERS

are museum≠ goers, book readers, and culture vultures.

CONTACT US TODAY!

312-222-6920

MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 23

! ALLISON ZIEMBA

DJ Taye wants to make footwork the biggest music in the world The Teklife producer’s new Still Trippin’ integrates rap so perfectly that it could blow up footwork’s crossover audience.

By LEOR GALIL

L

ast month I saw Chicago footwork producer DJ Taye perform in the middle of the afternoon in 38≠ degree weather on a stubby stage set up in the street next to the Empty Bottle. His set was part of the clubí s annual daylong outdoor festival, Music Frozen Dancing, which historically favors rockó every headliner has been a rock band, and this year psych≠ rock rebels Oh Sees topped the fi ve≠ act bill. Taye was the only performer to use a DJ rig, and I had to wonder how many people in the crowd knew what to expect when he powered it up.

Footwork is a descendent of house music, likewise born in Chicago, but its sui generis sound relies much more on mutated rhythms and hectic tempos. In the minds of the genreí s most orthodox fans and practitioners, a footwork track has to go at least 140 beats per minute, and ití s supposed to be made with a dance battle in mind. The styleí s characteristic layered beats often employ dramatic contrasts in speed, pitch, density, and location in sonic spaceó you might get a sparse, booming bass line that feels like ití s pressing up against your chest, overlaid with a busy, chattering synth pattern that echoes as though ití s on the other side of a soccer stadium. This gives dancers lots of things to grab on toó and it also helps explain why, outside the black communities in Chicago who built footwork, it tends to be marketed to fans of experimental music, almost by defi nition

24 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

a small niche. I couldní t say how many fans of experimental music were at Music Frozen Dancing, but the crowd was mostly white. It seemed fair to expect that quite a few folks were about to learn what footwork is.

Footwork grew out of the ghetto≠ house scene on the south and west sides in the late 1990s, and for the better part of a decade now ití s been a global phenomenon. Credit for its reach goes largely to DJ Spinn and the late DJ Rashad, the Chicago producers who cofounded the Teklife collectiveó other members include footwork originator RP Boo, dance≠ music veteran Traxman, and the 23≠ year≠ old Taye. Tastemaking UK electronic≠ music labels Hyperdub and Planet Mu gave footwork an international boost too. In 2010, when Planet Mu dropped the compilation Bangs & Works Vol.1, it caused a sea changeó the world outside Chicago was suddenly aware of the existence of a footwork scene, rather than just a handful of idiosyncratic producers. Since then, communities in countries as far≠ fl ung as Poland and Japan have adopted and adapted the sound. Taye himself toured with Canadian singer≠ producer Jessy Lanza in 2016, playing at the Empty Bottle that June.

Ií m sure at least a few of the people bundled up for Music Frozen Dancing were at that show, and some of them had surely heard footwork before. But even those fans mightí ve been surprised to see Taye pick up a microphone and rapó

most footwork is basically instrumental, incorporating vocals only in the form of samples or short looped hooks delivered by the producer. Taye raps all over his new debut full≠ length, though, and no way was he going to leave that material out of his set. The album is called Still Trippin’, and Hyperdub released it last Friday. ì I was rapping and writing before I ever touched a DJ deck or FL Studio or a producer program,î Taye says. ì I mean, Ií ve always been rapping, since I was a kid.î Born Dante Sanders, Taye got his hip≠ hop education before he was even old enough for school. ì [My] parents just kinda passed it down,î he says, ì listening to, like, older gangsta rapó from Geto Boys to Tupac or Mobb Deep. Even nowadays my mom still listens to new stuff. It was always around me.î His history of listening to and making rap has helped him chart a path for footworkí s future.

Taye is hardly the fi rst to bring footwork and rap together, and the overlap between the two in and around Chicago has enriched both styles. In 2007 rap duo Dude í N Nem helped nudge footwork into the spotlight by applying its sprightly syncopated rhythms to the minor hit ì Watch My Feet,î and in 2009 political rap group BBU pushed the hybridization further with the cult favorite ì Chi Doní t Dance.î But with Still Trippin’ Taye has accomplished the most logical and organic combination yetó his rapping is just as crucial as the footwork

l

l

elements to the success of his tracks. These arení t rap songs borrowing from footwork but rather footwork songs engi≠ neered to work with rap.

Rap and footwork have been connected for as long as theyí ve both existed, and most of the threads that link them are also connected to the founders of Teklife. As footwork took shape in the late 90s, DJ Rashad began to mentor a young Chicago DJ named Emmanuel Nickerson, aka rapper≠ producer Mano, whoí d go on to cofound Treated Crew, tour as Kanye Westí s DJ, and collaborate with the Weeknd. In the mid≠ aughts Rashad and Spinn shared their skills with DJ Oreo, whoí d already DJed at dance battles for the CAN TV show Wala Cam and would soon cofound a footwork battle clique called Heat Squad. Oreo has since toured with Vic Mensa and Chance the Rapper.

Rashadí s 2011 album Just a Taste Vol. One includes ì Ghetto Tekz Runnin It,î which features rapid≠ fi re rhyming from Chica≠ go MC Add≠ 2. Further collaborations with rappers continued to trickle out after the DJí s death in April 2014ó the most nota≠ ble is probably ì Dubby,î with Spinn and Danny Brown, which dropped in August 2015 and later appeared on Spinní s Off That Loud EP. That same year Mic Terror released the EP Live From Your Mama’s House, which brought together Treated Crew rappers and Teklife producers. And when hugely talented local footworking crew the Era made their debut mixtape, 2016í s In the Wurkz, the dancers didní t just commission the obligatory Teklife instrumentalsó they also added their own rapping (they call it ì footworking with wordsî ).

Taye contributed to Live From Your Mama’s House and In the Wurkz, and his new album builds on those efforts. His rugged, rubber≠ burning rapping adds another textural layer to his om≠ nivorous music, and his tracks have a loose effervescence and polished, even pretty sound that contrasts with the rough edges and harsh tones of more conventional footworkó this seems to make it easier for other MCs to engage with his style, and Cool Kids rapper Chuck Inglish appears on the Still Trippin’ cut ì Get It Jukin.î All that said, Taye remains rooted in footwork tradition: his synth melodies hum like theyí re about to levitate, his muscular, galloping bass provides footwork dancers with a fi rm rhythmic lifeline, and his panoply of percussion evolves throughout each song, just as it needs to in order to keep danc≠ ers engaged and provide cues for them to jump into a battle. ayeí s footwork has its roots in the hip≠ hop beats he started making at age 11. Born in Calumet Heights, heí d been living with his family in the south suburbs since age six, and by the time he caught the music bug he could throw a rock and hit any of a dozen aspiring rappers or producers. ì When I was just doing rap stuff, I wanted to be different,î he says. ì As a rapperó if I was just that, or even a producer≠ rapper, I felt like my beats was gonna get tweaked, or somebody was gonna take my style, or I really wasní t gonna go nowhere.î He developed his own style by drawing on ì snap,î a dance≠ focused, club≠ centric Atlanta sound that emerged in the mid≠ 2000s, after the heyday of crunk. ì It was kind of a Chicago version of the snap rap that was going on back then,î Taye says. ì I would say it was kind of a weirder soundó I kept some of that sound in my footwork today.î Taye fi rst encountered footwork in the early aughts, a couple years before he started producing. ì Me and my friend, we both found this CD of, like, random footwork stuffó I doní t know if we found it at school or on the sidewalk,î he says. ì I had to be around nine years old at the time.î The music didní t click with him then, but early in his time at Thornton Township High in

T

DJ Taye footworks at Music Frozen Dancing in February. ! ALLISON ZIEMBA

south≠ suburban Harvey (he graduated in 2012), footwork sud≠ denly made sense to him. ì Once I fi rst heard Rashadí s music on iTunesó it was like, ë This is bigger than anything to me,í î Taye says. ì Almost a decade ago, I had that thought. ë Why isní t this the biggest music in the world?í î In 2010, when Taye was 16, Spinn held open auditions for Teklife, then still called GhettoTeknitianz. At that point Taye was still green, with very little in≠ the≠ flesh exposure to the footwork sceneó heí d never gone to the Chatham footwork arena Battlegrounds, instead simply making music at home and uploading it to the Web. But he recognized a once≠ in≠ a≠ lifetime opportunity when he saw one, and he showed up to the audi≠ tion with a track. ì My friends who showed me footwork, they said, ë This is the weakest footwork track Ií ve heard in my life,í î Taye says. ì But when I took it to the GhettoTeknitianz tryout, they was like, ë Yeah, you good.í î Taye remembers that his song sampled ì Get Em Highî off Kanye Westí s College Dropout.

Taye joined the collective that same year, just as it began to break out internationallyó he remembers Rashad talking about traveling to London for the fi rst time. While Rashad and Spinn seized new opportunities for themselves, they also elevated the rest of their crewó and the culture theyí d fought hard to create. ì As soon as I got in, Rashad and Spinn, they just didní t want anybody other than them to go through what they had to go through,î Taye says. ì They did make it easier for us coming through the door.î The arrival of Rashadí s pop≠ forward 2013 album Double Cup set a high bar for the younger members of Teklife. Taye considered it the gold standard when he debuted on Hyperdub with the 2015 EP Break It Down, and it inspired him when he began working on Still Trippin’ that same year. ì I was trying to continue to develop my own sound within footwork,î he says. ì I was trying to think of what could be the next crazy thing to be doing. At the time, thatí s two years after Double Cup. I was trying to still do something new, still trying to keep it real.î Unfortunately Tayeí s laptop was stolen shortly before the November 2016 release of his Move Out EP, so he had to re≠ create a couple Still Trippin’ tracks from scratch. The second time around, he could build on what heí d learned on the fi rst pass. ì Ií m a fi rm believer in ë everything happens for a reason,í î he says. ì So if that computer wasní t stolen, I doní t think that album would sound like this.î Taye describes the nearly three years he spent on Still Trippin’ as a period of hard≠ core songwriting. Heí s committed to his craft at every level, and it shows when he hits the stage. At Music Frozen Dancing, he wrapped up his fi rst turn on the mike by stepping clear of the DJ table to show off his footwork skills, dancing so hard his wallet fell out of his pants pocket. Toward the end of the set, he took another turn dancingó and when he bent down to retrieve the wallet, he worked it so smoothly into his moves you mightí ve thought heí d planted it there as part of his routine.

Taye says he wants to supersize his show, and by dancing to his own tracks he already illustrates the core aspects of how footwork music evolved to function. His confi dent focus on the mike establishes him as a triple threat: heí s a rapper and a pro≠ ducer, not just a producer dabbling in rap, and by convincing hip≠ hop fans to take him seriously, he hopes to introduce them to the less familiar sounds of footwork. ì I just want to up the experience more,î he says. ì I just want it to be more relatable to more people too.î v

" @imLeor MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 25

Want to play?

We’ll teach you how.

3855 n lincoln ave.

Take a class with us in 2018!

chicago

We’ve been teaching Chicago to play music since 1957. Come join the band with a class in guitar, banjo, dance, ukulele, and much more.

New group classes for adults are now open!

Sign up today at

oldtownschool.org 26 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

for complete listings, tickets, and social updates...

martyrslive.com

facebook.com/martyrslive

@martyrslive

l

l

Recommended and notable shows and critics’ insights for the week of March 8

MUSIC

b

PICK OF THE WEEK

Rolling Stones bassist Darryl Jones returns home to go solo

! GREG VOROBIOV

DARRYL JONES PROJECT

Fri 3/9, 8 PM, Park West, 322 W. Armitage, $25. 18+

BASSIST DARRYL JONES HAS THE KIND OF POWERHOUSE RESUMÉ that suggests he wouldní t need the challenge of standing on a small club stage to play his own songs. Growing up in Chatham, Jones studied music at Chicago Vocational High School, where he learned everything from Rimsky≠ Korsakov to Michael Jackson. At age 21, he won an audition with Miles Davis and landed a gig touring with the jazz great throughout the mid≠ 1980s. That experience led to numerous opportunities to tour and record with British rock royalty: Jones played with Sting on the pop starí s acclaimed ì Bring on the Nightî world tour, and has per≠ formed alongside Eric Clapton and Peter Gabriel. In the 90s, he joined forces with the Rolling Stones as the replacement for founding member Bill Wyman, who retired in 1993. Before the Stones head out on another European tour this summer, Jones will make a special hometown appearance to preview original songs heí s been working on for years. ì Ií m just excited to be exploring this other side of myself,î he said when I spoke to him in February. He describes the initial process of writing as ì catharsisî : ì Once I put down what I felt, I noticed I felt a bit better. Ií m defi nitely writing about the world weí re living in.î This set will feature an all≠ Chicago band of eight musicians, all veterans whoí ve played with Chicago luminaries like Curtis Mayfi eld, Ramsay Lewis, and Albert Collins; Chicago soul bandleader Nicholas Tremulis is musical director. Besides his bass duties, Jones will also handle vocals, which is also something new. Jones doesní t have any specifi c plans for these songs, though he says he may try out the songs in Los Angeles, his current home, this fall when the Stones are off the road. Until then, this is the only chance to see Jones on his own clock. ì Chicago is home, so ití s a great place for me to workshop my ideas,î he said. —MARK GUARINO

THURSDAY8

ALL AGES

F

Futuristic !

COURTESY THE ARTIST

Futuristic Ishdarr, Mark Battles, and Scribecash open. 6:20 PM, Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake, $20. b On “Epiphany,” one of the singles from Futuristic’s December album Blessings, the rapper describes his 2016 album As Seen on the Internet as a “garbage” project filled with repetitive hooks and even a Family Guy impression. The 26-year-old Arizona native had gotten trapped in the nerd-rap gimmick he utilized well in a 2015 series of videos for which he donned oversize frames and challenged people on the street to rap battles. The videos went viral, and after incorporating similar themes on his debut album, The Rise, later that year, he became pigeonholed as a goofy persona who had more fast rhymes to offer than profound ones. Also on “Epiphany,” Futuristic says he’s changed and is “here to make music that matters.” Thankfully, neither Peter Griffin nor Shia Labeouf makes an appearance this time around, but while Futuristic tackles serious subjects like the price of fame and the dangers of drugs with sincerity on Blessings, he fails to examine them with any depth; his lyrics range from vague to corny (“It didn’t take baking soda for me to make it pop,” he raps on “Life”). The album’s ray of promise is the excellent “Talk,” which features Devvon Terrell and underground legend Tech N9ne. The latter’s speed and versatility are unparalleled, and Futuristic is also at his best as a no-holds-barred force of energy against the track’s relatively stripped-down beats.

This Valentine’s Day, he released an EP of new material titled Songs About Girls. It’s a smooth ride with dancey synths and slow, reverb-laced sounds that nicely contrast with Blessings’ intense, breakneck verses. But once again, Futuristic falters in his lyrics; rhymes are meant to be deep but come off as condescending, such as on “Love > Money,” where he tells a girl she’s “superficial” right after saying she’d look better without clothes. Though Futuristic is no wordsmith, his latest material, especially “Talk,” does show his ability to deliver forceful, intense bars without shtick or pretense. And while his recent projects have garnered less attention than The Rise, a step away from the sweat-inducing spotlight that resulted in As Seen on the Internet could be exactly what he needs—allowing him more freedom to delve into new ideas and, as he raps, “make music that matters.”—RACHEL YANG

Ty Dolla Sign Marc E. Bassy, Toni Romiti, and Dre Sinatra open. 8 PM, House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn, $29.50. 17+ These days it feels as though the difference between a rapper who sings and a singer who raps is as negligible as the difference between a rap mixtape and a rap album; a lot of it comes down to attitude and self-identification. Take Tyrone Griffin, better known as Ty Dolla $ign, a singer who was included in XXL magazine’s “Freshman Class” issue in 2014—an honor usually bestowed only upon MCs (his compatriots included Vic Mensa, Lil Bibby, Lil Durk, and Chance the Rapper). Griffin can sing as smoothly as any of the best R&B vocalists out there, but he definitely expresses himself in the language

of hip-hop; his flow and cadence match that of a rapper spicing up her style by mixing in a little vocal melody—though as much as I can get behind an MC giving singing a shot, I’ve yet to hear any rapper who can belt out bars as beautifully as Griffin. His second album, October’s Beach House 3 (Atlantic), takes its name from the mixtape series he launched in 2012 and carries on the tradition of its namesake (though unlike its predecessors, it isn’t available as a free download). Still, Griffin sings with a ebullience that seems free of the pressures associated with producing a big major-label album; on highlights such as “Droptop in the Rain” and “Dawsin’s Breek” he sounds like he’s performing only to fulfill his own desire to make music. It’s as if he’s made these songs as a personal elixir to fuel him through highs and lows, but fortunately he’s let the rest of us in on the fun. —LEOR GALIL

Mary Gauthier Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music, 4545 N. Lincoln, sold out. b

Mary Gauthier has often looked to her turbulent past for subject matter for her poetic, hardscrabble songs; amid flinty folk rock she’s openly grappled with being adopted as a child and her struggles with addiction and heartbreak. But on Rifles & Rosary Beads (In the Black/Thirty Tigers), her first album in four years, she turned outward to work with SongWritingWith: Soldiers, a program that brings veteran and active-duty members of the U.S. military together with songwriters to create music informed by their time serving their country in a therapeutic, collaborative context. Each of the 11 songs on the record was written with participants in that project; Gauthier gives a voice to their stories, which recount a wide range of harrowing experiences and their aftereffects on their lives. The opening track, “Soldiering On,” could easily descend J

MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 27

3730 N. CLARK ST METROCHICAGO.COM @ METROCHICAGO

MUSIC

A St. Patrick's Day Celebration with

A Metro 35th Anniversary Celebration

THE TOSSERS

NADA SURF TUE MAR 13 / 9PM / 18+

JOSEPH HUBER THE AVONDALE RAMBLERS SAT MAR 17 / 9PM / 18+

A Metro 35th Anniversary Celebration

GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR LIBERTY / TASHI DORJI DUO MON MAR 19 / 8PM / 18+

1833 presents

PRINCESS NOKIA SAT MAR 24 / 7PM / ALL AGES

Hot Snakes ! COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

continued from 27

into jingoistic heroism with its selfless sentiment “I was bound to something bigger / More important than a single human life” until Gauthier sings, “But what saves you in the battle / Can kill you at home,” indicating that things are never that simple. With unflinching detail “The War After the War” examines the experiences of those left behind when a loved one goes to fight—and what they encounter upon the soldier’s return: “There’s no going back in time, I know you’re not the same / But you are not the only one for whom the world has changed,” Gauthier sings in a clenched drawl, with no shortage of empathy in her delivery. The lean arrangements triangulate organically around country, rock, and folk—a deeply American fabric that’s perpetually used to house everyday struggles, losses, and victories. —PETER MARGASAK

SMARTBARCHICAGO.COM 3730 N CLARK ST | 21+

0 3 .1 0 _ 1 0 P M

SERVICE w i t h

ANALOG SOUL M I S T E R WA L L A C E AUDIO JACK

(LIVE)

+ HOST DANIELLA DELUNA WITH VISUAL I N S TA L L AT I O N

BY CRAIG GRONOWSKI

TICKETS AVAILABLE VIA METRO + SMART BAR WEBSITES + METRO BOX OFFICE. NO SERVICE FEES AT BOX OFFICE!

28 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

Marlon Williams Tiny Ruins open. 9 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, $15. 21+ On his gorgeous second album, Make Way for Love (Dead Oceans), New Zealand crooner Marlon Williams engages in a rite of passage for most singersongwriters—the breakup album. The ubiquity of such endeavors often means the results are pretty indistinctive, but numerous things set Williams’s version apart from those of other artists. For one, there’s the sophistication, fluidity, and melodic grace of his phrasing; his post-Roy Orbison warble imbues many lines with a gorgeous shimmer that seems to struggle with his emotion-laden lyrics. Equally impressive is that rather than the simple write-offs of pure moping embraced by so many singers, Williams’s songs convey the cocktail of anger, resentment, and release that accompanies many breakups.

Several tunes express sadness and yearning for a

reconciliation. He pleads, “Come back, let me wear you like a beautiful dress” on “Beautiful Dress,” and vows eternal patience, singing “But if you ever find the middle / I’ll be waiting when you do” on “The Fire of Love.” Other songs offer different perspectives, from Zen-like acceptance in the title track to bile in the standout “I Didn’t Make a Plan.” In “What’s Chasing You,” a sorrowful song exploring the sort of communication breakdowns that leads to romantic failures, he adds another layer of complexity: it’s a duet with singer Aldous Harding, his ex-girlfriend and the subject of much of the album’s material. —PETER MARGASAK

FRIDAY9 Hot Snakes Meat Wave and Duchess Says open. 8 PM, Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport, $25.50$34. 17+ The San Diego garage-punk band helmed by posthardcore legends John Reis and Rick Froberg hadn’t recorded a studio album since 2004’s Audit in Progress, but Hot Snakes’ upcoming fourth fulllength, Jericho Sirens (due out March 16 on Sub Pop), picks up right where they left off. It’s a searing 30-minute blast of pure rock fury that’s not merely content with slithering around the ankles— it bares its fangs and lunges at the throat for the kill. All of this is clear within the first five seconds of the opening track, “I Need a Doctor,” in which vocalist Froberg screams the title phrase over the ever-aggressive sounds of Reis’s relentless guitar riffs. Reportedly inspired by an experience Froberg had in Spain, when he walked into a doctor’s office off the street with no insurance and received quality medical care for the equivalent of

l

l

Find more music listings at chicagoreader.com/soundboard.

$70, it’s an anthem that takes aim at how the medical industry operates in America. In Hot Snakes’ hands, it just may be the most blistering track ever recorded about health-care policy. That’s not to say there’s anything overtly political about Jericho Sirens; Froberg’s plaintive wails are focused on the universal frustration and panic of daily life. ”You’re screwed!” he proclaims over and over on the song “Having Another?,” while the pounding sound of Reis’s explosive downstrokes acts like an exclamation mark to drive home the sentiment.

But the album isn’t all doom and gloom; its second track, “Candid Cameras,” is a plea for catharsis, encouraging the listener to bask in its apocalyptic sounds and “forget your troubles, forget your shit.”

In 2018—a year in which the Doomsday Clock ticks ever closer to the end of days—it’s a welcome invitation. —RYAN SMITH

Nothing, Nowhere. Shinigami; Lil Lotus and Jay Vee open. 6:30 PM, Subterranean, 2011 W. North, $15. b Music scenes are a lot like high school lunch tables: people congregate with others who share not only genres but touring networks, mutual friends, and even inside jokes. When their musical styles are especially similar as well, subtle differences in, say, the application of an arpeggiating guitar are what distinguish like-minded musical acts from each other. “Soundcloud rap” is a vague term glommed onto many budding MCs with a slightly aggro style and an account on the streaming audio platform. Within that rising scene, a small number of artists have leaned heavily on the aesthetics of third-wave emo—but even beneath that umbrella there are divides. Joe Mulherin, aka 25-year-old Vermont rapper Nothing, Nowhere. (in addition to the comma and the period, he uses all lowercase letters), is a bit of an outsider. While most current “emo rappers” apply the 2000s sound to songs that thoroughly reflect the culture of contemporary rap, Mulherin—who shows a deep understanding and reverence for hip-hop and its history—has grafted rap’s percussive skeleton onto achingly morose guitars that are as inextricable from thirdwave emo as Warped Tour. But though his sound is rooted in rap, he proceeds through music taking a route mapped out by acts that are traditionally rock, in terms of the structure of his songs and how he conducts his career. He’s toured and performed with bands best known in the guitar-based underground (La Dispute, Tiny Moving Parts, and, um, Thrice), and he’s signed to the label run by Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump, DCD2 Records. His October album, Reaper, also features Dashboard Confessional main man Chris Carrabba, whose durable, yearnsome vocals commingle with Mulherin’s music so easily you could be fooled into thinking the track is a Swiss Army Romance B side.

—LEOR GALIL

CÉcile McLorin Salvant, Bill Charlap trio 8 PM, Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan, $28-$89, $15 students. b This fantastic double bill testifies to the enduring power and malleability of mainstream jazz tradi-

MUSIC

tion, where dazzling facility, individual voice, and casual erudition can bring new vitality to decadesold approaches. For me, no current jazz singer can touch the effortless mastery, range, and imagination of Cécile McLorin Salvant, who just won a Grammy for Best Vocal Jazz Album for her stunning 2017 double CD Dreams and Daggers (Mack Avenue). Her aesthetic is rooted in the sounds of classic singers such as Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington, and she essays standards and blues with dazzling pitch control, improvisation-rich phrasing, and an easygoing theatricality that emphasizes her nuanced lyric reading—a skill she often utilizes to sharp comic effect. On her version of Bessie Smith’s vehicle “You’ve Got to Give Me Some,” where she’s accompanied by guest pianist Sullivan Fortner, she manipulates the song’s racy double entendres with over-the-top, postmodern savvy. McLorin Salvant locks in so completely with her nimble working trio of pianist Aaron Diehl, bassist Paul Skivie, and drummer Lawrence Leathers that she erases any lingering question of her superior musicianship; the way she can switch gears from gentle cooing to full-throated exhortations to earthy laments to comic showboating without a hiccup in terms of pitch or rhythm continually blows my mind. She’s not concerned with revolutionizing jazz singing, but she’s so naturally inventive and agile she seems to do it anyway when she performs.

JECpTm O R P ES arch 9, 7 ge N O J M ita L

Y DARR

. Arm com W 2 .

2 est 3 stchicago W k we Par .park www

Pianist Bill Charlap’s trio is known for tackling standard repertoire with peerless technique and refinement. On last year’s wonderful Uptown Downtown (Impulse), where he’s deftly supported by bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington (no relation, although they’ve worked together for decades, starting with their fruitful partnership with tenor saxophone great Johnny Griffin), Charlap elaborates on timeless melodies with nonchalant rhythmic verve. This builds the momentum of the Sondheim-penned title track in subtle waves that toggle between spry, dancing single-note lines and sudden chord swells. He’s less extroverted than Salvant, but like her he makes what’s old feel utterly new. Charlap performs with his trio, while pianist Adam Birnbaum and drummer Kyle Poole sub in Salvant’s band. —PETER MARGASAK

Darryl Jones Project See Pick of the Week, page 27. 8 PM, Park West, 322 W. Armitage, $25. 18+

SATURDAY10 Bahamas Weather Station opens. 8:30 PM, Metro, 3730 N. Clark, $25, $22 in advance. 18+ The songs on the first three records Toronto singersongwriter Afie Jurvanen has made under the name Bahamas have slowly lodged themselves into my brain by stealth, thanks to his understated production, seductive melodies, and crafty arrangements. That’s changed with his new album Earthtones (Brushfire/Republic). It’s not that the tunes are any less catchy or the sound of the record less artful than its predecessors, but he’s front-loaded them with a more extroverted vocal presence J

MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 29

bottom lounge ON SALE NOW

MUSIC

03.09 JUSTIN NOZUKA / GOOD OLD WAR RIVER MATTHEWS

03.10 MYLLHOUSE

BURY ME IN LIGHTS / TAKE THE REIGNS THE GLORY YEARS / BURST & BLOOM

03.19 THE HUNNA

COASTS / COURTSHIP

03.22 ROY WOOD$ 03.28 FOZZY

THROUGH FIRE / SANTA CRUZ

THE NOISE PRESENTS

03.29 ICED EARTH

SANCTUARY / KILL RITUAL

04.06 ALBERT HAMMOND JR. THE MARIAS

04.07 COAST MODERN

BAD BAD HATS / REYNA

04.11 TURNSTILE

TOUCHE AMORE / CULTURE ABUSE RAZORBUMPS / BIB

Radiator Hospital ! PAUL HUDSON

04.21 FORTUNATE YOUTH

TATANKA / CONCRETE ROOTS

04.22 RED SUN RISING

MOLEHILL / BALLROOM BOXER

LUNAR TIDE FEST PRE-PARTY

04.26 FREDDY TODD / ESSEKS

CHARLESTHEFIRST / TSURUDA / KROMUH REACT PRESENTS

04.27 DUMBFOUNDEAD 04.28 IAMX REACT PRESENTS

05.01 YUNG GRAVY 05.08 MADISON BEER 05.09 ALICE GLASS PICTUREPLANE

05.17 HELMET PRONG

RIOT FEST PRESENTS

05.19 FU MANCHU

MOS GENERATOR

continued from 29

and a slinky R&B vibe that’s previously only lurked deep in the background. Working with studio heavies Pino Palladino (bass) and James Gadson (drums), Jurvanen sounds like he’s channeling the spirit of vintage Hall & Oates but can’t shake his multivalent smarts. He deftly melds romance and sharp observations on contemporary mores on “Way With Words,” where he pleads, “Is there something you should get off your chest? / Don’t keep me waiting on some SMS.” On the love song “Opening Act (The Shooby Dooby Song)” he subtly embeds thoughts on his up-and-coming commercial status with the hesitations of a lover. The only misstep is “Bad Boys Need Love Too”—which is about neglected kids from broken families rather than self-indulgent lotharios—where he lays down a slow-motion funk groove, drops his voice into a husky baritone, and attempts some half-baked rapping. As with earlier Bahamas material, this recording has managed to get to me too. —PETER MARGASAK

REACT PRESENTS

05.20 BHAD BHABI BHABIE 05.20 E ASIAN DOLL

05.31 COMBICHRIST

WEDNESDAY 13 / NIGHT CLUB PRISON / DEATH VALLEY HIGH

RIOT FEST PRESENTS

06.01 MAD CADDIES 06.23 SLOAN www.bottomlounge.com 1375 w lake st 312.666.6775

30 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

Radiator Hospital Screaming Females headline; Radiator Hospital and Espejos open.

9 PM, Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln, sold out. 18+ Of all the lessons Radiator Hospital founder and co-front man Sam Cook-Parrott took to heart from early 2000s pop-punk or the unclassifiable Jonathan Richman, it’s “do what comes naturally.” As the Michigan native told Better Yet podcast host Tim Crisp on a recent episode, “Anybody can make music, regardless of how their voice is, regardless of their skill level—so I’ve realized pretty early that my voice is probably an acquired taste or some-

thing, it’s kind of annoying.” On much of Radiator Hospital’s material, including October’s Play the Songs You Like, Cook-Parrott shows he knows how to take the tools before him to create songs that are so sweet and inextricable from his own foibles that they will only ever sound so good coming from him—or from Cynthia Schemmer, who also contributes lead vocals and guitar in the group. As Cook-Parrot’s slack caterwaul bursts out during the hook of the prickly, anxious ripper “Out of Mind” or his yearning drawl unfurls throughout the relaxed power-pop tune “Dance Number,” he uncorks a little of the magic that’s made his indie-rock sensibilities stand out. In recent years the band’s home base, Philadelphia, has become a center of the country’s underground rock movement. That’s largely because bands such as Radiator Hospital have made it a welcoming place for people seeking to find their voice in a style of music that’s been pushed so far to the margins that some see it as a niche and others see fit to declare it dead. Play the Songs You Like, however, is very much alive. —LEOR GALIL

SUNDAY11 Tone Collector 9 PM, Hungry Brain, 2319 W. Belmont, $10 suggested donation. 21+ Saxophonist Tony Malaby has led countless groups over the years, often tailoring his ensembles to reflect different facets of his aesthetic such as flinty chamberlike interactions, deep dives into harmony, and rich multihorn orchestrations. In addition to his own musical endeavors, over the last

l

l

MUSIC

1800 W. DIVISION

Est.1954 Celebrating over 61 years of service to Chicago!

(773) 486-9862 Come enjoy one of Chicagoí s fi nest beer gardens!

JANUARY 11..................

FLABBY 8PM MARCH 9 ..........

DEADLY BUNGALOWS & KISSSHOW THE TIGER FEBRUARY 23 .....MIKE FELTENHOFFMAN JANUARY AMERICAN DRAFT PLAYERS 8PM MARCH 1112.................. ........ HEISENBERG UNCERTAINTY FEBRUARY 24 .....DARK ROOM MEN JANUARY DJ SKID MARCH 1213.................. ........ RC BIG BAND 7PMLICIOUS WHITEWOLFSONICPRINCESS JANUARY TONY DO ROSARIO MARCH 1314.................. ........ FLABBY HOFFMAN SHOW 8PMGROUP MOJO 49 JANUARY 17..................

JAMIE WAGNER FRIENDS MARCH 14 ........ ELIZABETH’S CRAZY LITTLE&THING JANUARY FELTON MARCH 1518.................. ........

MURDERMIKE CITY SAINTS FEBRUARY 25 .....WHOLESOMERADIO DJ NIGHT JANUARY SITUATION MARCH 1619.................. ........ ELECTRICMAXLIELLIAM MEDICINE DAVID ANNA FEBRUARY 26 .....RC BIG BAND 7PM MARCH 17 ........

MAD POETS JANUARY 20.................. FIRST WARD PROBLEMS MARCH 1821.................. ........

TONY DOTONY ROSARIO GROUP JANUARY DO ROSARIO GROUP8PM FEBRUARY 28 .....PETER CASANOVA QUARTET MARCH 2122.................. ........ JAMIE WAGNER FRIENDS JANUARY RC BIG&BAND 7PM MARCH 22 ........

MIKE FELTEN MARCH 1............SMILIN’ BOBBY AND THE CLEMTONES JANUARY 24.................. PETER CASONOVA QUARTET MARCH 2425.................. ........ OFF THE VINE JANUARY THE AND WICK BIG HOUSE MARCH 2............ICE BOX MARCH 2526.................. ........ WHOLESOMERADIO DJ NIGHT JANUARY THE HEPKATS MARCH 28 ........ PETER CASANOVA QUARTET SKIPPIN’ AND ROCKTARRINGTON 10PM MARCH 3............CHIDITAROD MARCH 2927.................. ........ DANNY FOX JOSHUA NICHOLAS MIRANDA JANUARY THE&STRAY BOLTS MARCH 7............JAMIE WAGNER & FRIENDS MARCH 30 ........ DJ SKID LICIOUS JANUARY 28..................

WHOLESOMERADIO DJ NIGHT EVERY TUESDAY (EXCEPT 2ND) AT 8PM OPEN MIC HOSTED BY JIMIJON AMERICA

4544 N LINCOLN AVENUE, CHICAGO IL OLDTOWNSCHOOL.ORG • 773.728.6000

JUST ADDED • ON SALE THIS FRIDAY! 4/7 4/19 4/21 4/22 6/1

The Steel Wheels Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre Pavithra Chari & Anindo Bose John Doyle, Cathy Jordan & Eamon O'Leary performing as The Alt BBE & Bella Voce

SATURDAY, MARCH 10 8PM

California Guitar Trio

In Szold Hall

SUNDAY, MARCH 11 11AM

Laura Doherty & The Heartbeats

High Five album release show Kids concert

SUNDAY, MARCH 11 7PM

Flamenco Eñe: Rycardo Moreno "A Galeano" In Szold Hall THURSDAY, MARCH 15 8PM

Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita

Tony Malaby of Tone Collector ! DIRK NEVEN

Transparent Water

FRIDAY, MARCH 16 8PM

couple of decades bandleaders as distinctive and accomplished as Ches Smith, Charlie Haden, Mario Pavone, Marty Ehrlich, Paul Motian, and Mark Helias have enlisted his services, and with good reason: Malaby’s striated tone and sweet-sour phrasing stand out in every context, and he can masterfully alter them to enhance any specific setting. One of the most visceral and open projects of Malaby’s career is Tone Collector, a trio with bassist Eivind Opsvik and drummer Jeff Davis that cut one fiery, self-titled album for the Jazzaway label in 2005 before going silent. I was thrilled to discover the trio has recently been resurrected, and this weekend it makes its overdue Chicago debut. A good chunk of the band’s recording features bruising improvisation, with Malaby threading his highenergy blowing with acidic threads of melody over the thrum of his rhythm section. But there are also passages of brooding, viscous contemplation, such as “Waltz Coda,” and lyric balladry, as with Opsvik’s tender “Glorious.” I’m curious to hear how Tone Collector sounds in 2018, and how these superb players meld together. —PETER MARGASAK

WEDNESDAY14 Nick Millevoi’s Desertion Trio 9 PM, Elastic, 3429 W. Diversey, $7-$10. b Philadelphia guitarist Nick Millevoi juggles disparate approaches to music, including aggressive prog rock in Many Arms and post-Television-style melodicism in Solar Motel Band (where he plays

foil to Chris Forsyth), but the element that usually holds them together is that his sounds conjure emotions stoked by ephemeral sorts of nostalgia.

He’s as much a jazz musician as he is a rock player, and though he’s dug into both traditions he’s definitely found his sweet spot leading the instrumental Desertion Trio with bassist Ben Rosen and drummer Kevin Shea (Talibam, Mostly Other People Do the Killing). Together they forge a soothing hybrid of post-Crazy Horse grind, Ennio Morricone spaghetti-western ambience, and atmospheredrenched exotica. As with the trio’s 2016 self-titled debut full-length, the recently released second album Midtown Tilt (Shhpuma) features the dominant presence of organist Jamie Saft, whose sizzling licks and vibrato-heavy lines accentuate the band’s pronounced humidity and bring arresting melodic interplay to Millevoi’s extended, reverb-soaked solos. The new record was inspired by memories of the Jersey Shore resort town Wildwood—particularly the architecture of its 50s-era motels. As Millevoi recently told Shawn Brady of the Philadelphia Inquirer, “It’s a unique place, and so much of it is preserved intact. That idea of Wildwood being a time capsule relates to my feeling of music, that these tunes are frozen in time. There’s a personal nostalgia, but then there’s a nostalgia for a place that is nostalgic.” The threads Desertion Trio weaves together on the new record evoke images of the past that will surely be unique depending on the listener’s personal experience. But the band’s tunefulness and delicate touch—even during its most punishing passages—have a universal profundity that I’ve been unable to resist. The trio is touring without Saft. —PETER MARGASAK v

Laurie Lewis

In Szold Hall

SATURDAY, MARCH 17 8PM

Peter & Jeremy

Peter Asher of Peter & Gordon and Jeremy Clyde of Chad & Jeremy

TUESDAY, MARCH 20 7:30PM

David Hidalgo & Marc Ribot FRIDAY, MARCH 23 7:30PM

Altan ACROSS THE STREET IN SZOLD HALL 4545 N LINCOLN AVENUE, CHICAGO IL

3/9

Global Dance Party: Orisha Dance Chicago with Iré Elese Abure 3/23 Global Dance Party: Barrio Flamenco with Patricia Ortega and Friends 3/24 Kaia Kater / Big Sadie

WORLD MUSIC WEDNESDAY SERIES

FREE WEEKLY CONCERTS, LINCOLN SQUARE

3/14 An Evening with Switchback 3/21 The Salaam-Shalom Music Project

OLDTOWNSCHOOL.ORG MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 31

FOOD & DRINK Lamar Moore takes the kitchen at the Currency Exchange Café Theaster Gates’s Washington Park restaurant may be setting the stage for a soul-food comeback.

By MIKE SULA

W

THE LATEST ON WHO’S PLAYING AND WHERE THEY’RE PLAYING

EARLY WARNINGS

WEEKLY E-BLAST GET UP TO DATE. SIGN UP NOW. CHICAGOREADER.COM

king crab house 1816 N. Halsted St., Chicago

Lenten Specials $19.95

February 14th thru March 31st All You Can Eat Fried Perch 10 Fresh Fish of the Day During Lent (from regular menu)

DAILY SPECIALS Mon - King Crab Legs $24.95 Tues - Snow Crab Legs $19.95 Wed - Crab & Slab $19.95 Thur - Fried Jumbo Shrimp $19.95 Not Valid with any other Promo, Discounts, VIPs, etc BYOB / $10.00 Corkage Fee

Call For Reservation 312-280-8990

32 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

hen Lamar Moore took over the kitchen at the Currency Ex≠ change CafÈ in January, he did not mess with the greens.

Thatí s because the collards at this three≠ and≠ a≠ half≠ year≠ old Washington Park cafe taste like theyí re made with some kind of magic. Theyí re not, but they are cooked down with Topo Chico, the ebullient Mexican mineral water that has staged an invasion of better bars and restaurants all over town.

The greens have a bite, and theyí re tangy, sweet, and salty, and though you wouldní t necessarily know theyí re made with mineral water, at first taste they have same jolting effect on the brainí s pleasure center as a sharp pull of cold Topo after a few sips of cheesy≠ tasting mezcal. Moore says the miner≠ al water does contribute to the overall fl avor of the greensó which are purely vegetarianó but theyí re also made with garlic, sriracha, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar.

Something of an itinerant, Moore most recently took care of things at the Smoke Daddy but was also the opening executive sous chef at GastÛ n Acurioí s River North Peruvian restaurant Tanta. Now heí s simultaneously at work on opening a barbecue restaurant in Denver (though I wish heí d refocus that effort on one in the neighborhood to replace the long≠ gone Lemí s Bar≠ B≠ Q on State Street).

Moore does have some changes planned for the menu at @cexcafe, as ití s known on Instagram, and on his own carefully composed posts of dishes that will soon be coming forth from the kitchen. Thereí s a pair of cakey, moist, buttery drop biscuits topped with turkey sausage patties and over≠ easy eggs dripping with peppered sawmill gravy. Thereí s a trio of crispy Belgian waffles mounted with amber≠ colored chicken legs glazed with chi≠ potle≠ maple butter. Another, unconventional variant on chicken and waffles features sweet potato waffles topped with country≠ fried chicken with cornfl akes in the batter.

{ { R U O Y AD HERE

Our readers are 1.7x more likely to be frequent restaurant diners, eating out 4 or more times in the past 2 weeks.

CONTACT US TODAY!

312-222-6920

Marcela’s biscuit with strawberry jam and matcha latte ! JAMIE RAMSAY

Those are all still to come. For now the menuí s tight breakfast lineup endures: pan≠ cakes, egg≠ potato≠ protein combos, and the signature breakfast soul bowl, the star of which is those greens, supported by eggs, roasted potatoes, and a choice of bacon or turkey or veggie sausage.

It all comes back to the greens, which, sourced from two nearby youth farms here in Washington Park and in Grand Crossing, are the backbone of the menu. They reappear at lunch alongside a thick jambalaya with chicken, kiel≠ basa, jasmine rice, and a fried eggó the lunch soul bowl. And they come on the side of a hot cornmeal≠ jacketed fried catfi sh fi llet that just begs for a searing splash of Crystal Hot Sauce.

You can fi nd that catfi sh on a blue plate spe≠ cial with, yes, collards and red beans and rice

l

l

CURRENCY EXCHANGE CAFÉ | $ R 305 E. Garfield 773-855-9163 currencyexchangecafe.com

with the option of adding a cornfl ake≠ battered chicken breast, which stars in its own sand≠ wich tarted up with sport peppers. Thereí s also a catfish poí boy and a new andouille poí boy with grilled red onions and hand≠ cut french fries that indicate Moore is pushing things even farther south.

This is a bright, breezy, expansive space, with tables to spread out on and a long bar serving caffeinated drinks brewed from Back of the Yards Coffee as well as less prosaic cre≠ ations like ginger≠ turmeric chai, mint matcha lattes, or the pom pomó iced black tea, lime≠ ade, and pomegranate juice.

Reclaimed from its original identity as an actual currency exchange by artist Theaster Gates, the cafe is positioned between its sister art≠ book store, Bing, and the University of Chicago Arts Incubator, all part of the nascent Arts Block led by the schoolí s Arts + Public Life Initiative. In this context ití s difficult to look at the Currency Exchange CafÈ as simply a restaurant. By defi nition cafes exist as places for socializing, for community, and for work,

and the CEC accomplishes all of those things, occasionally offering music and later hours for special events. Thereí s even a garden space in the back where Moore will be mentoring teens to grow produce to cook in the cafeí s kitchen.

Food writers in recent years have bemoaned the decline of the classic soul≠ food restaurant in American cities, and Chicago is no exception to the downward trend: surrounding neighbor≠ hoods have lost theirs, including classics like Gladysí Luncheonette and Izolaí s. The great Miss Leeí s Good Food is still going strong just a block west of the cafe, but thereí s no place to linger at that spot unless you want to eat your otherwise excellent herbal chicken and bread pudding al trunko on Garfi eld Boulevard.

Ií m not saying the Currency Exchange CafÈ fi lls the void for that kind of rib≠ sticking southern≠ born soul food. The cafeí s approach is lighter and more modern, but with Moore at the helm it seems to be going in the right direction. v

@MikeSula

Top: andouille po’boy and fries; house-made raspberry limeade; breakfast soul bowl; catfish, grits, and local greens; bottom: barista Kentrae Stewart ! JAMIE RAMSAY

MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 33

FOOD & DRINK

○ Watch a video of Adrienne Stoner working with hoisin sauce in the kitchen—and get the recipe—at chicagoreader.com/food.

JOBS

SALES & MARKETING TELEMARKETING/ FUNDRAISING/VETERANS

Spring/Memorial Day Campaign.

Part-time, Full-time, Set your own schedule. START TODAY!

Call/text 847-744-4035

COCKTAIL CHALLENGE

Hoisin sauce goes tiki—paper umbrella and all

A bartender prepares a cocktail tribute to her boss.

By JULIA THIEL

General ADVISORY ADVISORY MANAGER, CORPORATE & BUSINESS STRATEGY (MULT. POS.), PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services LLC, Chicago, IL. Provide strategy, mgmt, tech & risk consulting services to help clnts anticipate & address complex bus. challenges. Req. Bach’s deg or foreign equiv. in Bus Admin, Engg, Supply Chain or rel. + 5 yrs post-bach’s progressive rel. work exp.; OR a Master’s deg or foreign equiv. in Bus Admin, Engg, Supply Chain or rel. + 3 yrs rel. work exp.

Must have exp. in 1 or more of the following areas: operations strategy; supply chain strategy/ mgmt; supply chain diagnostics; manufacturing strategy; network optimization; logistics/distribution; S&OP/planning; Operations/Supply Chain performance improvement; inventory mgmt; complexity mgmt; &/or sourcing. Travel up to 80% of the time is req. Apply by mail, referencing Job Code IL1630, Attn: HR SSC/Talent Management, 4040 W. Boy Scout Blvd, Tampa, FL 33607.

# CHRIS BUDDY

TECHNICAL ANALYST 4 (RR DONNELLEY & SONS COMPANY; Warrenville, IL) -

H

oisin sauceó usually made with fer≠ mented soybeans, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oiló is sweet, salty, and viscous. Ití s commonly used in Chinese cuisine, rarely used in alcoholic drinks. But when SAM RUPPERT (DRYHOP BREWERS) chal≠ lenged ADRIENNE STONER of LOST LAKE to cre≠ ate a cocktail with the sauce, she had a supply at the ready. The menu at Lost Lake is Asian inspired, and chef Fred Noinaj makes hoisin sauce in≠ house to accompany a duck dish.

Stoner not only used Noinají s hoisin sauce, she also named the cocktail after him. ì He doesní t like to be called chef, so I call him the Sauce Boss,î she says. ì The drink is called the Oui Chef Sauce Boss Swizzle.î It took a little work to perfect: Stoner had originally planned to pair it with coconut, but says the first cocktail she made, using a hefty dose of coconut milk, was disgusting. ì I think the richness of the coconut was overpowering, and hoisin is already mouth coating. I had to use more refreshing fl avors instead,î she says. ì I decided to go citrus forward and use it in a swizzle.î The savory aspects of the ingredient also presented some challenges. ì You do have to fi ght with the vinegar and the garlic a little bit because theyí re very fragrant,î Stoner says. She chose Citadelle gin for its high proof, which she says cuts the sweetness and heaviness of the hoisin sauce, and a smoky mezcal to complement the fl avor of the sauce.

34 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

Pedro XimÈ nez sherry added nuttiness, while falernum and pomegranate are common tiki ingredients. Also very tiki were the elaborate garnishes: a pineapple leaf, an orchid, an or≠ ange peel and cherries decoratively skewered on a paper umbrella, and of course a brightly colored bendy straw. ì Ií ve been making tiki drinks for like six years, so ití s kind of my default at this point,î Stoner says. ì I guess I doní t really remember how to make other drinks anymore.î OUI CHEF SAUCE BOSS SWIZZLE

1 OZ CITADELLE GIN 1 OZ PELOTON DE LA MUERTE MEZCAL .25 OZ JOHN D. TAYLOR’S VELVET FALERNUM .25 OZ LUSTAU PEDRO XIMÉNEZ SHERRY .25 OZ POMEGRANATE SYRUP .75 OZ LIME ONE BARSPOON HOISIN SAUCE A FEW DASHES HELLFIRE HABANERO SHRUB GRATED PEANUT Combine all ingredients except peanut in a tall glass and stir together. Add crushed ice and swizzle. Garnish with grated peanut.

WHO’S NEXT:

Stoner has challenged ELIZABETH MICKIEWICZ of EZ INN to create a cocktail with LONESOME ROSE QUESO DIP. v

! @juliathiel

Program in multiple languages & styles, including VB.net, C#, Entity Framework, MVC Pattern, MVVM Pattern, Windows Presentation Foundation, & Windows Workflow Foundation. Reqs: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or a related technical field, + 5 yrs of post-bacc progressively responsible experience in a technical information technology role. Must be willing and able to travel 10% of the time. For complete job description, list of requirements, and to apply, go to: https://www.rrdonnelley. com/about/rrdonnelley-jobs.aspx Job #38202.

ADVISORY ADVISORY MANAGER, STRATEGY OPERATIONS (MULT. POS.),

PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services LLC, Chicago, IL. Provide strategy, mgmt, tech. & risk consulting services to help clients anticipate & address complex bus. challenges. Req. Bach’s deg. or foreign equiv. in Bus Admin, Engg or rel. + 5 yrs post-bach’s progress. rel. work exp.; OR a Master’s deg. or foreign equiv. in Bus Admin, Engg or rel. + 3 yrs rel. work exp. Travel up to 80% req. Apply by mail, referencing Job Code IL1654, Attn: HR SSC/ Talent Management, 4040 W. Boy Scout Blvd, Tampa, FL 33607.

TECHNOLOGY SAP DATA & ANALYTICS MANAGER (MULT. POS.),

PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services LLC, Chicago, IL. Provide strategy, mgmt, tech. & risk consulting services to help clients anticipate & address bus. challenges.

Req. Bach’s deg. or foreign equiv. in Comp Sci, IT, Engg or rel. + 5 yrs post-bach’s progress. rel. work exp.; OR a Master’s deg. or foreign equiv. in Comp Sci, IT, Engg or rel. + 3 yrs rel. work exp. Travel req. up to 80%.

Apply by mail, referencing Job Code IL1568, Attn: HR SSC/Talent Management, 4040 W. Boy Scout Blvd, Tampa, FL 33607.

CEMENT MASON LOCAL 502 and Plasterers’ Area 5 accepts Applications for Apprentice Program bi-annually. You must obtain Sponsorship by a Contractor signatory with Local 502. Min. Qual: 17 years of age, driver’s license, 2 Yrs H/S or GED Equiv. Drug Test req’d. The recruitment, selection, employment, and training of Apprentices shall be without discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. Actively recruiting female applicants.

Applications and Contractor list available at 739 S. 25th Ave., Bellwood, IL 60104.

M-F 8-2.

Vision Construction & Consulting, Inc. seeks Project Manager in Stone Park, IL – plan, coordinate, budget, bill & negotiate cost est. for const. proj. Prepare proj. & const. schedules. Collaborate w/const. specialists & report progress to clients. Reqs. Bachelor’s degree in civil eng., const. mgmt., or proj. mgmt. & 1-yr exp. in relevant const. proj. mgmt. occ.: Proj. Eng., Proj. Mgr., Const. Eng., or rltd. ER will accept all suitable combo of ed., training & exp. Send resume to L. Milano, 1733 N. 33rd Ave., Stone Park, IL 60165 Operations Principal (Via Transportation, Inc., in Chicago, IL): Analyze mass quantities of data. Req’d: MBA or equiv + 2 yrs exp in job offered or closely rel such as general manager incl exp in creating & implementing route optimization processes such as warehousing layout optimization strate gy.Email jobs@ridewithvia. com(ref job code # 25OP).

Chefs de Cuisine with 5 yrs exp in position or with Chinese cuisine, specifically Shanghainese & Cantonese style. Must incl exp with Cantonese wok, Chinese BBQ prep, Chinese knife skills – Chinese cleaver, Cantonese Dimsum prep, Lan Zhou Lamian prep – noodle & broth. Apply to (incl Ref#10014) Mr. Lawrence, Imperial La Mian Chicago LLC, 6 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654 SENIOR ACCOUNTANT SOUGHT for a boutique real estate investment brokerage to prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records. Master’s degree in Accountancy and CPA required. Send resume to: ATTN: Resume, Paper Street Realty, LLC, 1641 W. Carroll Ave., Suite 201, Chicago, IL 60612.

REAL ESTATE

RENTALS

STUDIO $500-$599 CHICAGO, BEVERLY/CAL Par k/Blue Island: Studio $625 & up; 1BR $700 & up; 2BR $885 & up.

Heat, Appls, Balcony, Carpet, Laundry, Parking. Call 708-3880170 CHICAGO, Studio. $595/mo.

+ security. Heated, newly decorated, appls, good trans, 709 W. Garfield. 1-773-881-4182

NEWLY REMOD 1BR & Studios starting at $580. No sec dep, move in fee or app fee. Free heat/hot water. 1155 W. 83rd St., 773-619-0204 NEWLY REMOD 1BR & Studios starting at $580. No sec dep, move in fee or app fee. Free heat/hot water. 1155 W. 83rd St., 773-619-0204 25 N LATROBE, 4BR 2nd floor apt, hrdwd flrs, remodeled bathroom & kitchen, appls & heat incl’d. $1200/mo. Call/text, 708655-1228 MAYWOOD, 2 & 3BR APARTMENTS, new Stainless Steel appliancess, Section 8 Welcome. Available Now. Call 708-790-2354.

CLEAN ROOM W/FRIDGE & micro, Near Oak Park, Food -4Less, Walmart, Walgreens, Buses & Metra, Laundry. $115/wk & up.

773-637-5957 7520 S. COLES - 1 BR $520, 2 BR $645, Includes appliances & AC, Near transp., No utilities included (708) 424-4216 Kalabich Mgmt N RIVERSIDE: 1BR new tile, energy efficient windows, lndry facilitities, a/c, incls heat - natural gas, $955/mo Luis 708-366-5602 lv msg STUDIO & 1BR APTS, quiet building, vicinity of 66th & Michigan. $500/mo & $565/mo + sec dep. Call 773-978-3507 8435 S. GREEN. 1BR Apt, Appliances and heat incl. $650/mo + 1 month sec req.

773-203-1174 RIVERDALE 1 BEDROOM apartment, carpet, A/C, stove & refrigerator. Near Metra. $575/mo + Security. Call 708-552-1883 û NO SEC DEP û 1431 W. 78th St. 2BR. $605/mo.

6829 S. Perry. Studio/1BR. $465$520. HEAT INCL 773-955-5106 Newly updated, clean furnished rooms in Joliet, near buses & Metra, elevator. Utilities included, $91/wk. $395/mo. 815-722-1212 NICE ROOM w/stove, fridge & bath Near Aldi, Walgreens, Beach, Red Line & Buses. Elevator & Laundry. $133/wk & up. 773-275-4442 BIG ROOM with stove, fridge, bath & nice wood floors. Near Red Line & Buses. Elevator & Laundry, Shopping. $121/wk + up. 773-561-4970

NO SECURITY DEPOSIT South

STUDIO $600-$699

Shore 1bdrms $900, Free Heat, Fitness Ctr, Lndry Rm . Niki 773.808.

2043. Section 8 Welcome.

CHICAGO, HYDE PARK Arms Hotel, 5316 S. Harper, maid, phone /cable, switchboard, fridge, priv bath, lndry, $165/wk, $350/bi-wk or $650/mo. Call 773-493-3500

7425 S. COLES - 1 BR $620, 2 BR $735, Includes Free heat & appliances & cooking gas. (708) 424-4216 Kalabich Mgmt

STUDIO OTHER LARGE SUNNY ROOM w/fridge & microwave. Near Oak Park, Green Line & Buses. 24 hr Desk, Parking Lot $101/week & Up. (773)378-8888 CROSSROADS HOTEL SRO SINGLE RMS Private bath, PHONE,

CABLE & MAIDS. 1 Block to Orange Line 5300 S. Pulaski 773-581-1188

Ashland Hotel nice clean rms.

24 hr desk/maid/TV/laundry/air.

Low rates daily/weekly/monthly.

South Side. Call 773-376-5200

1 BR UNDER $700 2018 NEW YEAR SA VINGS! Newly Remod. Studio $550, 1BR $650 w/Heat. 2BR and up starting at $750. Qualified Applicants rcv. up to $400/month off rent for 1 year. No App Fee. (773)412-1153 Wesley Realty 7022 S. SHORE DRIVE Impecca-

bly Clean Highrise STUDIOS, 1 & 2 BEDROOMS Facing Lake & Park.

Laundry & Security on Premises.

Parking & Apts. Are Subject to Availability. TOWNHOUSE APARTMENTS 773-288-1030

MIDWAY

AREA/63RD

KEDZIE Deluxe Studio 1 & 2 BRs. All modern oak floors, appliances, Security system, on site maint. clean & quiet, Nr. transp. From $445. 773582-1985 (espanol)

6930 S. SOUTH SHORE DRIVE Studios & 1BR, INCL. Heat, Elec, Cking gas & PARKING, $585-$925, Country Club Apts 773-752-2200

Chicago - Hyde PARK 5401 S. Ellis.

1BR. $625/mo.

Call 773-955-5106

1 BR $700-$799 9147 S. Ashland. 1BR $740, clean & secure, hdwd flrs, dinein Kit, appls, laundry. U Pay gas & elec. No Pets. 312-914-8967.

1 BR $800-$899 HUMBOLDT PARK. 1 & 2 BEDROOM apartments for rent. Newly remodeled. Next door to food store. $880/mo plus security deposit. Includes gas. Near shopping

area. Tim, 773-592-2989.

1 BR $900-$1099 LARGE ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT near the Metra and

Warren Park. 6804 N Wolcott. Hardwood floors. Cats OK. $925/month.

Heat included. Available 4/1.

(773) 761-4318 LARGE ONE BEDROOM near Loyola Park, 1341 W. Estes. Hardwood floors. Cats OK. $975/month.

Heat included. Available 5/1. 773-7614318.

l

l

1 BR $1100 AND OVER $1500/1BR, CONDO , Armitage/ Sedgwick. Avail. soon or 4/1.

Rent includes indoor small car parking & cable TV. Parquet floors, walk-in closet, new bathroom, oak cabinets, new stove, approximately 750SQFT. Elevator bldg. with avail. deck, laundry, bike rack & storage. Pets allowed. W/Assoc. rules. Elec, utilities or cable modifications in renters name. 5th flr west view with great sun. Contact Larry 847-991-1846 (H) or 847-9776166 (C).

1 BR OTHER APTS. FOR RENT PARK MGMT & INV. Ltd. Hot Summer Is Here Cool Off In The Pool OUR UNITS INCLUDE HEAT, HW & CG Plenty of parking 1Bdr From $795.00 2Bdr From $925.00 3 Bdr/2 Full Bath From $1200 **1-(773)-476-6000** APTS. FOR RENT PARK MGMT & INV. Ltd. SUMMER IS HERE!!

Most units Include..

HEAT & HOT WTR Studios From $475.00 1Bdr From $550.00 2Bdr From $745.00 3 Bdr/2 Full Bath From $1200 **1-(773)-476-6000** ROUND LAKE BEACH, IL Cedar Villas is accepting applications for subsidized 1BR apts. for seniors 62 years or older and the disabled.

Rent is based on 30% of annual income. For details, call us at 847-546-1899 ∫ NORTHLAKE, 5BR SFH w i t h fin walk out bsmt, newly decorated, immed occupancy.

Section 8 OK. $2000/mo + utils. 630-606-9388 CHICAGO SOUTHSIDE. CHEAP CHEAP!!! Rooms For Rent $380-$400/mo.

Util. incld. 773-387-7367 Sober Living Available

CHICAGO - BEVERLY, large studio, 1 & 2BR Apts. Carpet, A/ C, laundry, near transportation, $680-$1020/mo. Call 773-2334939

HUGE Chatham 900 SF , 1BR, 1BA, newly remod, spac, dining and LR, quiet blk & bldg, nr trans & shops. Won’t Last.

Section 8 Welc. Call 312-519-977 SUBURBS, RENT TO OWN! Buy with No closing costs and get help with your credit. Call 708868-2422 or visit www.nhba.com CHICAGO, RENT TO OWN! Buy with no closing costs and get help with your credit. Call 708868-2422 or visit www.nhba.com

2 BR UNDER $900 SECTION 8 WELCOME Newly Decorated.

74TH/East End 2BR. Hdwd flrs, Heat Incl. $775.

773-874-9637 or 773-493-5359 6343 S. ROCKWELL 2BR Garden. $800/mo incl all utils & 3BR incl heat. $1000/ mo. laundry, fenced, move-in fee.

773-791-6100 CHICAGO 5757 S Justine. Updat-

ed 2BR, quiet, ceiling fan, ceramic kit /BA, intercom, encl. porch, close to transp. $725/mo, 312-719-3733

Chicago, Coach House Rear, 2BR, heat not included,near Kennedy King College. $600/ mo. Call 773-501-9977 CHICAGO, 727 N. Monticello,

2 bedroom, living room, dining room, kitchen, $850/mo. 630-915-2755

2 BR $900-$1099 CALUMET CITY 2-3BR, 2 car gar, fully rehab w/ gorgeous finishes & hdwd flrs. Beautiful bkyd.

Sec 8 ok. $900-$1150. 510-735-7171 Chatham Area, 2BR House, $900/mo. 1 mo rent + 1 mo sec

required. Section 8 Welcome.

Call 872-207-5184

2 BR $1100-$1299

NO SECURITY DEPOSIT NO MOVE IN FEE 1, 2, 3 BEDROOM APTS (773) 874-1122

BEAUTIFUL REMOD 1, 2 & 3BR Apts, hdwd flrs, custom cabinets, granite cntrs, avail now. $1000-$1200 /mo + sec. 773-905-8487.

Section 8 Ok

ADULT SERVICES

ADULT SERVICES

THORNTON, IL - 2BR, 1BA, kitch, large den, w ood floors, 2 car garage, fenced bkyrd. $1150/mo.

708-979-4879 or 708-662-0465

CHICAGO 55TH & Halsted, male pref. Room for rent, share furnished apt, free utils, $ 440/mo.

3 BR OR MORE

3 BR OR MORE $1200-$1499

OTHER

SECTION 8 WELCOME. N ea r 53rd & Indiana, large 4BR, near schools with stove & fridge.

Newly decorated. $1200 + sec dep. 773-9555024

SECTION 8 WELCOME. NO SECURITY DEPOSIT. 718 W 81st St, 5BR, 2BA house, appls incl., $1300/mo. 708-288-4510

SECTION 8 WELCOME. NO SECURITY DEPOSIT. 710 W 81st Place, 3BR house, appls include. $1200/mo. 708-288-4510

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, 3BR, 1BA, NEWLY REMODELED, APPLS INCL , SECTION 8 OK. NO SEC. DEPOSIT. 708-822-4450

SECTION 8 WELCOME. NO SECURITY DEPOSIT. 6717 S. Rhodes, 5BR, 2BA house, appls included. $1300/ mo. 708-288-4510

BEAUTIFULLY RENOVATED 3-5BR Single Family Houses, new kit.

2 BR OTHER

8037 S. HOUSTON, 4BR, hrdwd flrs, lndry. 2nd flr, Sec. 8 ok. 3 or 2 BR Voucher ok. Call 847-312-5643.

SECTION 8 WELCOME - 1 0 5 6 W. 81st St., 2BR, heat not incl.

1430 W. 77th St., 2BR & 6432 S. Peoria, 3BR., heat incl. 312608-7622

3 BR OR MORE UNDER $1200 6033-37 S. CHAMPLAIN ,

2nd flr, 3 & 4BRs, recently rehab, new hdwd flrs, no sec dep. $1050-$1450/mo. Secton 8 Welcome.

773-802-9007

SECTION 8 WELCOME No Dep. $200 Move-in Bonus 7134 S. Normal, Lg 4BR/2BA incl ht wtr. $1100. 225 W. 108th Pl. 2BR, 1BA w/ ht & hot wtr. $950. 312-683-5174

Vic. 118th/Wentworth. 3BR, 1.5BA house, all appls incl, full bsmnt, No Garage. No pets. $1100/ mo + $500 move-in fee.

773-310-2476 77TH/PHILLIPS. LG 3BR/2BA, formal LR & DR, encl porch, hdwd flrs, heat incl, Sec 8 OK, $1050/mo + move-in fee. 773-719-6864

SOUTH SIDE. Newly Remod 3BR units, w/ security cameras, maint on site, sec 8 ok. $900$1300/mo. no dep. 773-544-5377.

SECTION 8 WELCOME. No Security Deposit. 7721 S Peoria, 3BR apt, appls incl. $1050/mo.

708-288-4510

Fridge & stove incl. Hdwd flrs.

Cash Welcome. 708-557-0644

3 BED APARTMENT for rent in

Dunning area. Large apart in quiet building. Laundry in building. $1300/ month plus security deposit. Call Pete at 608-844-3654 for information.

92ND & ST. Lawrence, Beautiful brk 4BR, 1.5BA, appls+W/D incl., 2 car gar, $1575/mo. Non refund $800 move-in fee/Sec 8 ok 773.

720.9787

55TH/PRINCETON

REHAB

3BR,2BA HOME! SEC8 WELC!!

GATED, HARDWD FL; APLIANCE 773260-2631 6BR, 2BA. 66TH/JUSTINE. Brick houses, new decor, fin bsmt. hdwd flrs. Alarm System. Sec 8 Ready $1350/mo. 847-274-6936

3 BR OR MORE $1500-$1799 BUDLONG WOODS, 5500N/ 2600W. Three bedrooms, full

dining room, spacious living room, 1.5 baths, many closets, near transportation, $1500 includes heat. Available May 1. Marty 773-784-0763.

BEVERLY/MORGAN PARK. 3BR brick ranch house. C/A, $1,500/ mo + 1.5 mo sec dep req. No pets/ smoking, 3BR Voucher Pref.

708-647-9737

3 BR OR MORE $1800-$2499

Mr. Brown, 312-459-6618

LARGE 3 BEDROOM apartment near Wrigley Field. 3820 N. Fremont.

Two bathrooms. Hardwood Floors.

Cats OK. $2175/month. Special!

Sign a lease starting by April 1, get May rent free! Available 4/1. 773761-4318.

ADULT SERVICES

ADULT SERVICES

JEFFREY MANOR 3BR, 1BA Townhouse, Newly Remod, gar, side driveway, $900/mo. Nr trans. Call

ADULT SERVICES

ADULT SERVICES

No security. 773-614-8252

GENERAL NEW KITCHENS & NEW BATHROOMS. 69th & Dante, 3BR. 71st & Bennett, 2, 3 & 4BR. We have others! Section 8 Welcome.

708-5031366

FOR SALE 3BR, 2BA BRICK ranch on Friendship Lake, Adams County, Wisconsin. 10x16 & 45x30 outbuildings, $185,000 firm. 608-339-6655.

MARKETPLACE GOODS

CLASSICS WANTED ANY CLASSIC CARS IN ANY CONDITION. ’20S, ’30S, ’40S, ’50S, ’60S & ’70S. HOTRODS & EXOTICS! TOP DOLLAR PAID! COLLECTOR. CALL JAMES, 630-201-8122 MALL-FOR-ALL.COM FAST GROWING mall online. Over

69,000 stores and merchants offer great discounts.

HEALTH & WELLNESS FULL BODY MASSAGE. hotel, house calls welcome $90

special. Russian, Polish, Ukrainain girls. Northbrook and Schaumburg locations. 10% discount for new customers. Please call 773-407-7025

ADULT SERVICES

MOTHER-IN-LAW PROPERTY 4BR, 2 kitchens, 2BA, 114th/Bishop. $55K. Possibly owner finance.

Ranch Rlty. 773.952.2122

ADULT HOME TOY PARTIES. Free Adult Home Toy Parties. 10 women or more. Creams, Pheromone Perfumes, Candles, Oils and more. Take home same day. Hostess gifts. 773-216-1752.

non-residential

NOTICES

COLLEGE GIRL BODY RUBS $40 w/AD 24/7

SELF-STORAGE CENTERS. T W O locations to serve you. All

units fully heated and humidity controlled with ac available. North: Knox Avenue.

773-685-6868.

South: Pershing Avenue. 773-523-6868.

roommates

224-223-7787

{ {

SOUTH SHORE, Senior Discount. Male preferred.

Furnished rooms, shared kitchen & bath, $440/mo. & up. Utilities included. 773-710-5431 CHICAGO, CLEAN ROOM,

Near 79th & Avalon, share kitchen & bath, No Drugs. $475/mo. No Sec. 773-731-1134

MARCH 17 - ZEITGEIST MOVEMENT Z-DAY CHICAGO EVENT: "Today’s Zeitgeist, and what you can do about it," Dappers East Restaurant, 2901 W. Addison, 6PM. Free ’Zeitgeist Addendum’ DVD, $3 Tuition to help defray costs/dinner optional.

R U O Y AD E R E H

REACH OVER 1 MILLION PEOPLE MONTHLY IN PRINT & DIGITAL. please recycle this paper

CONTACT US TODAY! | 312-222-6920 MARCH 8, 2018 | CHICAGO READER 35

REAL PEOPLE REAL DESIRE REAL FUN.

STRAIGHT DOPE SLUG SIGNORINO

{ { YO U R AD HERE

By Cecil Adams

REACH OVER

1 MILLION

PEOPLE MONTHLY IN PRINT & DIGITAL.

Try FREE: 773-867-1235

q : Disappointed in your answer regarding

infectious diseases. Ten million annual deaths by 2050 NOT! Bacteriophages to the rescue.

Maybe you should answer the question: What are bacteriophages? —JERRY NOVORYTA

More Local Numbers: 1-800-926-6000

YOU Can Prevent Wildfires.

SMOKEYBEAR.COM

36 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

312-222-6920

ION OF STA IAT TE OC

STERS RE FO

Only

CONTACT US TODAY!

NATIONAL A SS

Ahora español Livelinks.com 18+

FO

U N D E D 192

0

A : That’s an optimistic take, Jerry, and it

may yet prove right. The UK governmental report I cited in the December column you’re referring to probably didn’t mention bacteriophages because research still hasn’t gotten to where we can really think of them as a silver bullet for antibiotic-resistant infectious diseases, which the same report estimated could be responsible for the deaths of ten million a year by 2050.

So what are phages, as they’re called?

They’re viruses that infect bacteria, sometimes modifying their activity, sometimes killing them outright. Phages are crucial in maintaining the world’s microbial equilibrium; every day, they kill off 40 percent of all bacterial cells in the ocean. And in fact phages have been admired for their antibacterial potential since their discovery just over a century ago. After showing some initial promise, research on phage therapy to treat bacterial infection lost steam once antibiotics came along in the 40s and took over the bug-fighting game, at least in the West. Behind the Iron Curtain, however, where doctors lacked broad access to our antibiotics buffet, phage therapy remained a subject of hotter scientific pursuit.

Phages are back on everyone’s radar now, though here in the U.S. we still don’t have much in the way of clinical trials. What we have instead are largely case studies—anecdotal, but certainly intriguing.

Consider Tom Patterson, a 69-year-old psych professor at the University of California, San Diego, who picked up an antibiotic-resistant strain of Acinetobacter baumannii while on vacation in Egypt in 2015. When the infection spread from his pancreas and through his system at large, he went into septic shock and fell into a coma. Luckily for Patterson, his wife, Steffanie Strathdee, happens to be an infectious-disease epidemiologist who heard from a colleague about a patient who’d sought phage treatment in Tbilisi, Georgia. Strathdee was able to persuade the UCSD medical team to acquire some phages and pump them into Patterson’s bloodstream, to great effect: out of the coma within three days, bacteria all gone within three months.

With stories like this turning up, and with the antibiotics situation looking ever bleaker, the West is coming around to the phage way of thinking. Right now, clinical trials in Europe are examining phages’ effectiveness on burn-related infection, and two small-scale trials are getting under way in the U.S. in 2018.

Still, there’s some roadblocks. As discussed here back in December, one obstacle to the development of better antibiotics is pharmaceutical companies and their eye for the bottom line; cynically but correctly, they see pouring a couple billion into developing a new antibiotic as a bad investment, since sooner or later bacteria will evolve to resist it too. Antimicrobial phages pose similar problems and more: they’re not intended for chronic use (i.e., the lucrative kind), and since they exist in nature and the basic treatment premise was established decades ago, legally it might be tricky to patent them as intellectual property.

The regulatory apparatus in the U.S. and Europe, meanwhile, isn’t really set up to deal with phages, as there’s a virtually limitless variety of them and no established courses of treatment to give approval to. One idea that’s been floated is to create preapproved national phage libraries, from which doctors could select to match whatever infection needed zapping.

Backing up our beleaguered antibiotics would presumably be phages’ most important task, but that’s not the end of their promise: they’ve been seen to be effective on gangrene and food-borne illnesses like salmonella and E. coli, and in hand washes to prevent the spread of staph in hospitals. And unlike antibiotics, phages won’t disturb your body’s bacterial balance but in fact (boosters predict) can be targeted to improve the gut microbiome. If you think you hear people talking up probiotics all the time now, wait till they want to tell you about the new phage-smoothie bar down the street. v Send questions to Cecil via straightdope.com or write him c/o Chicago Reader, 30 N. Racine, suite 300, Chicago 60607.

l

l

SAVAGE LOVE

By Dan Savage

Kinks are for kids Dan Savage “dansplains” transgressive porn preferences and more. q : I’m an 18-year-old cis

hetero girl from Australia and I’ve been listening to your podcast and reading your column since I was 13.

Thanks to you I’m pretty open-minded about my sexuality and body. Having said that, I do have a few questions. I started watching porn from a youngish age with no real shame attached but I have some concerns.

(1) I get off really quickly to lesbian porn but it never feels like a “good” orgasm.

My guess is that subconsciously I think it’s inauthentic and therefore degrading.

(2) I really enjoy and have the best orgasms to vintage gay male porn and trans FTM porn, which seems odd to me because I’m so far removed from the sexual acts that these kind of porn movies portray, but I always feel satisfied after getting off to them.

(3) I get off to tit-slapping videos, but it screws with me morally. I understand why I like these kinds of videos. I have quite large breasts and I feel resentment toward them. It seems both morally wrong towards the progress I’ve made towards accepting my body and also to the message being sent about violence towards women.

Care to weigh in?

—CONCERNED ABOUT PORN PREFERENCES

A : (1) There are gay men who watch straight porn, lesbians who watch gay porn, and 18-year-old hetero girls in Australia who watch lesbian porn and vintage gay porn and trans FTM porn. So many people get off watching porn that isn’t supposed to be for them—so many people fantasize about, watch, and sometimes do things that aren’t supposed to be for them—that we have

to view these quote-unquote transgressions as a feature of human sexuality, not a bug.

(2) Lesbian porn gets you off, vintage gay porn and trans FTM gets you off, but you feel conflicted after watching lesbian porn because it seems inauthentic.

That’s understandable—a lot of so-called lesbian porn is inauthentic, in that it’s made by and for straight men and features nonlesbian women going through the lesbian motions (often with long and triggering-for-actual-lesbian fingernails). Some gay porn features gay-for-pay straight male actors, of course, but most gay porn features gay actors doing what they love; the same goes for most trans FTM porn, which is a small and mostly indie niche.

I suspect your orgasms are just as good when you watch lesbian porn, CAPP, but the sense—suppressed when you were turned on, surfacing once you’re not—that the performers weren’t really enjoying themselves taints your lesbian-porn-enhanced orgasms in retrospect. The solution? Seek out lesbian porn featuring actual lesbians—authentic lesbian porn is out there. (I found a bunch with a quick Google search.)

(3) Sometimes we overcome the negative messaging our culture sends us about our identities or bodies only after our erotic imaginations have seized on the fears or self-loathing induced by those messages and turned them into kinks. Take small-penis humiliation (SPH).

Before a guy can ask a partner to indulge him in SPH, CAPP, he has to accept (and kind of dig) his small cock. So the acceptance is there, but the kink—a turn-on rooted in a resolved conflict—remains.

It can be freeing to regard a kink like SPH or your thing

for tit slapping as a reward— as the only good thing to come out of the shitty zap the culture put on the head of a guy with a small cock or, in your case, a young woman with large breasts. So long as we seek out other consenting adults who respect us and our bodies, we can have our kinks—even those that took root in the manure of negative cultural messaging— and our self-acceptance and self-esteem too.

60 MINUTES FREE TRIAL

THE HOTTEST GAY CHATLINE

Meet sexy friends who really get your vibe...

1-312-924-2082

Try FREE: 312-924-2066 More Local Numbers: 1-800-811-1633 1-800-811-1633

More Local Numbers: 800-777-8000

vibeline.com 18+

www.guyspyvoice.com

Ahora en Español/18+

q : I have a deep-throating

fetish. All the porn I watch is nothing but rough, sloppy blow jobs. I would love nothing more than to watch this kind of porn with my boyfriend so we can add it to the bedroom excitement, but I’m embarrassed to share this as a straight female.

How do I go about sharing a fetish I have? Do I tell him over a candlelit dinner?

Do I just turn some deepthroating porn on and see what happens? Help!

&$!#%&" !! #$!%#"! !!

—DEEPTHROAT QUEEN

A : There’s never really a bad time to tell someone they won the lottery, DQ. Over a candlelit dinner, pop in some porn, send him a singing telegram—however you decide to tell him, DQ, the odds that he’ll react negatively are pretty low. Of course, watching someone deep throat and doing it yourself are two different things, DQ. Take it slow, maybe watch a few howto videos in addition to the porn, find the positions and angles that work for you, etc, and work your way up to taking him all the way down. v Download the Savage Lovecast every Tuesday at savagelovecast.com. ! @fakedansavage

$2"- # 1,#+!/(!

.,#0 7,1 (. !+1 +&15*+3"-).1 477%2 $76/6''' 0%)' *! &3 '. !/'!+

Never miss a show again.

EARLY WARNINGS

chicagoreader.com/early

MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 37

Horse Lords ! COURTSEY NORTHERN SPY RECORDS

NEW American Aquarium 5/28, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 3/8, noon A Avenged Sevenfold, Prophets of Rage 8/11, 8 PM, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, on sale Fri 3/9, 10 AM Jamie Baum & Short Stories 4/14, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Bhad Bhabie, Asian Doll 5/20, 7:30 PM, Bottom Lounge, on sale Fri 3/9, 10 AM A Bing & Ruth 5/11, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Callaghan 6/7, 7 PM, SPACE, Evanston, on sale Fri 3/9, 10 AM A Carbon Leaf 7/7, 6 and 9 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 3/8, noon A Cloakroom 4/7, 8 PM, Cobra Lounge, 17+ Paula Cole 6/22, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 3/8, noon A Shawn Colvin 6/1-2, 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston, on sale Fri 3/9, 10 AM A Dirty Projectors 5/22, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, on sale Fri 3/9, 10 AM, 17+ Escape-ism 4/22, 9 PM, Hideout Exhorder, War Curse 7/14, 7 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Har Mar Superstar 6/29, 7:30 PM, SPACE, Evanston A Horse Lords 4/5, 9 PM, Hideout Indigenous 6/18, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 3/8, noon A Brendan James, Pete Muller 5/14, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 3/8, noon A Janine 4/10, 6 PM, Subterranean, on sale Fri 3/9, 10 AM A

Kindred the Family Soul 12/29, 8 PM, Portage Theater Ray LaMontagne, Neko Case 6/16, 7:30 PM, Huntington Bank Pavilion, on sale Fri 3/9, 10 AM Ledisi, Melanie Fiona 6/9, 8 PM, the Venue at Horseshoe Casino, Hammond, on sale Fri 3/9, 10 AM Ted Leo & the Pharmacists 5/31, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Richard Lloyd Group 8/15, 7 PM, Reggie’s Music Joint Lionel Loueke Trio 4/13, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ The Make-Up 7/6, 9 PM, Empty Bottle, on sale Fri 3/9, 10 AM Amber Mark 5/15, 8 PM, Schubas, 18+ Mavericks 6/9, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, on sale Fri 3/9, 10 AM, 17+ Ocean Alley 6/12, 7 PM, Schubas A Omni 5/9, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Over the Rhine 8/12, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 3/8, noon A Pentatonix 9/16, 8 PM, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, on sale Fri 3/9, noon Pillorian 5/26, 8 PM, Cobra Lounge, 17+ Robert Plant & the Sensational Space Shifters 6/17, 6:30 PM, Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, on sale Fri 3/9, 10 AM A Michael Schenker Fest 3/17, 7 PM, Concord Music Hall, 17+ Screaming Headless Torsos 6/15, 7 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Serpentwithfeet 7/1, 8:30 PM, Empty Bottle, on sale Fri 3/9, 10 AM Shame 7/7, 8:30 PM, Empty Bottle Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues 7/6, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 3/8, noon A

38 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 8, 2018

Skeletal Family 4/9, 7 PM, Reggie’s Music Joint Trashcan Sinatras 6/10, 7:30 PM, SPACE, Evanston, on sale Fri 3/9, 10 AM A Ufomammut 5/27, 7 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Warped Tour 7/21, 11 AM, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, on sale Thu 3/8, 10 AM A Wormrot 5/30, 7 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+

UPDATED Steve Earle & the Dukes 3/31, 4 and 8 PM, Maurer Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music, early show added, on sale Fri 3/9, 8 AM A

UPCOMING Alice in Chains 5/15, 7:30 PM, Riviera Theatre, 18+ Alt-J 6/7, 8 PM, Huntington Bank Pavilion Armored Saint, Act of Defiance 7/21, 7 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Beams 4/13, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Jeff Beck & Paul Rogers, Ann Wilson 7/29, 7 PM, Huntington Bank Pavilion Belly 10/6, 8 PM, the Vic, 18+ Big Sean, Playboi Carti 5/27, 7 PM, Huntington Bank Pavilion Black Angels, Black Lips 3/26-27, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 18+ Black Moth Super Rainbow 6/16, 9 PM, Metro, 18+ Buckethead 3/25, 7:30 PM, the Vic A Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band, Boz Scaggs 7/13, 7 PM, Wrigley Field

b Catharsis 4/27, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Charly Bliss 5/17, 8:30 PM, Empty Bottle Chicago, REO Speedwagon 6/24, 7:30 PM, Allstate Arena, Rosemont Dead Meadow 4/4, 8 PM, Beat Kitchen Decemberists 4/10, 7:30 PM, Chicago Theatre Depeche Mode 6/1, 7:30 PM, United Center Erasure 7/28, 8 PM, Chicago Theatre Brian Fallon & the Howling Weather 4/19, 8 PM, House of Blues, 17+ Eleanor Friedberger 5/5, 9 PM, Lincoln Hall, 18+ Frigs 4/4, 8:30 PM, Empty Bottle Fruit Bats, Vetiver 4/13, 7 and 10 PM, Schubas Gomez 6/15-16, 7:30 PM, the Vic, 18+ Albert Hammond Jr. 4/6, 9 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Helmet, Prong 5/17, 8 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Iced Earth 3/29, 7:30 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Judah & the Lion, Colony House 3/23, 8 PM, Riviera Theatre A King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard 6/10, 7:30 PM, Riviera Theatre A King Tuff, Cut Worms 5/25, 9 PM, Lincoln Hall, 18+ Natalia Lafourcade 5/3, 6 PM, Concord Music Hall A Lightning Bolt 3/28, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Lorde 3/27, 7 PM, Allstate Arena, Rosemont Melvins 7/31, 7:30 PM, Park West A Ministry, Chelsea Wolfe 4/7, 8 PM, Riviera Theatre, 18+ No Age 5/10, 8:30 PM, Empty Bottle Nunslaughter, Cardiac Arrest 5/12, 8 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Obituary, Pallbearer, Skeletonwitch 5/13, 7 PM, Metro, 18+ Oh Sees, Timmy’s Organism 10/12, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Post Animal 4/26, 9 PM, Lincoln Hall Sarah Potenza 5/17, 8:30 PM, FitzGerald’s, Berwyn Primitive Man 3/20, 8 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, the Head and the Heart 5/31, 6:30 PM, Huntington Bank Pavilion Slayer, Anthrax, Testament 5/25, 5 PM, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Tinley Park Sleep 8/1, 7 PM, Riviera Theatre A Taylor Swift 6/2, 7 PM, Soldier Field Titus Andronicus 3/15, 7 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Freddy Todd, Esseks 4/26, 9 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+

ALL AGES

WOLF BY KEITH HERZIK

EARLY WARNINGS

CHICAGO SHOWS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IN THE WEEKS TO COME

F

Never miss a show again.

Sign up for the newsletter at chicagoreader. com/early

U.S. Girls 4/17, 8:30 PM, Empty Bottle Vance Joy 5/25, 7:30 PM, Rosemont Theater, Rosemont Yo La Tengo 3/29-30, 8 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Yung Gravy 5/1, 8 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Yung Pinch 3/29, 6:30 PM, Portage Theater A Antonio Zambujo 4/3, 8 PM, City Winery A Zombies 3/19-20, 8 PM, City Winery A

SOLD OUT Alvvays 3/23, 7:30 PM, Metro A Trey Anastasio Band 4/20-21, 8 PM, Chicago Theatre Courtney Barnett 5/21, 8:30 PM, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center James Bay 3/31, 8 PM, Metro A David Byrne 6/1-3, 8 PM, Auditorium Theatre Camila Cabello 4/22, 7:30 PM, Riviera Theatre A Clan of Xymox 3/17, 9 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Fever Ray 5/18, 9 PM, Metro, 18+ Gang of Youths 3/30, 8:30 PM, Subterranean, 18+ Gaslight Anthem 8/11, 7:30 PM, Riviera Theatre A Grouplove 6/1, 7:30 PM, Metro A Ides of March 5/3, 8 PM, City Winery Knocked Loose, Terror 3/24, 5:30 PM, Bottom Lounge A Kooks 5/30, 8 PM, the Vic, 18+ Lord Huron 4/21, 8 PM, Riviera Theatre, 18+ Tom Misch 4/26, 8 PM, Metro, 17+ Mt. Joy 5/11-12, 9 PM, Hideout Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark 3/16, 7:30 PM, the Vic, 18+ Our Last Night 3/16, 5:30 PM, Bottom Lounge A Protest the Hero 3/23, 7 PM, Bottom Lounge A Rainbow Kitten Surprise 4/21, 8:30 PM, Metro A Shakey Graves 5/22, 7:30 PM, the Vic, 18+ They Might Be Giants 3/17, 7:30 PM, the Vic, 14+ Wolf Alice 3/30, 7:30 PM, Metro A “Weird Al” Yankovic 4/6-7, 8 PM, the Vic A Yeah Yeah Yeahs 5/29, 7:30 PM, Aragon Ballroom A

GOSSIP WOLF A furry ear to the ground of the local music scene ON SATURDAY, MARCH 10, the Harold Washington Cultural Center in Grand Boulevard hosts an extravaganza to celebrate Chicago rapper Twista and his “25 years in hip-hop.” Would it be obnoxious to point out that his debut album, Runnin’ Off at da Mouth, actually came out in 1992? And that its single “Mr. Tung Twista” dropped in ’91? In any case, Twista is well worth celebrating, and Saturday’s jampacked lineup includes more than a dozen rap acts, four of whom will perform full sets: PsychoDrama, Phor, the Boy Illinois, and the man of the hour himself! Twista has another show at the same venue on Saturday, March 17, this time on a bill with Shawnna and the legendary Rakim.

As Well Yells, Patrick Holbrook makes crawling, despondent postgoth and slowcore that sounds like it’s coming from a captive who’s given up on ever escaping from the bottom of Buffalo Bill’s pit in The Silence of the Lambs. Creepy! Fans of trenchcoat fare such as Black Tape for a Blue Girl and Clan of Xymox should dig the gloomy, synthetic atmospheres on Well Yells’ new tape, Skunk, with their drifting synths, brittle guitars, tick-tocking drum machine, and remote, morose vocals. On Tuesday, March 13, Well Yells play a release show at the Hideout with Nonnie Parry and Temp. Skunk doesn’t officially drop till Friday, but you can hear it on Bandcamp now—and check out the video for standout track “Near,” with visuals from Mark Fragassi of Toupee.

Speaking of local goths, this wolf is rideor-die for Chris Connelly, whose music has grown more and more tuneful since his time in industrial juggernauts Ministry and Revolting Cocks. Last month Connelly dropped a new album called The Tide Stripped Bare (via UK label Armalyte Industries) that’s full of masterfully baroque Bowie-esque pop—no surprise, given that he’s spent the past five years fronting Bowie cover band Sons of the Silent Age, who play Martyrs’ on Saturday, March 24. —J.R. NELSON AND LEOR GALIL Got a tip? Tweet @Gossip_Wolf or e-mail gossipwolf@chicagoreader.com.

l

l

MARCH 8, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 39

®

SPECIAL GUEST: ROOSEVELT COLLIER THIS FRIDAY! MARCH 9 • VIC THEATRE

322 W. Armitage • parkwestchicago.com

SUNDAY, MARCH 18

SPECIAL GUESTS:

TERRAPIN FLYER

THIS FRIDAY! MARCH 9

FRIDAY MARCH 16

TY SEGALL SUNDAY, APRIL 8

SPECIAL GUESTS:

HAYLEY JANE AND THE PRIMATES

ST. PATRICK’S DAY! SATURDAY, MARCH 17

SPECIAL GUESTS:

CORNMEAL

SUNDAY, MARCH 18

BUY TICKETS AT

l