Print Issue of March 15, 2018 (Volume 47, Number 23) by Chicago Reader

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Experience the joy of being. An Evening With

ECKHART TOLLE

C H I C AG O

Presence Through Movement

KIM ENG

April 7 at 1:00 p.m. Venue West Chicago

April 7 at 7:30 p.m. The Chicago Theatre

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THIS WEEK

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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, JORDANNAH ELIZABETH, ANNE FORD, ISA GIALLORENZO, JOHN GREENFIELD, ANDREA GRONVALL, 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 ASHLEY MIZUO, RACHEL YANG ----------------------------------------------------------------

FEATURES

IN THIS ISSUE 4 Agenda BoHo Theatre’s Cyrano, stand-up from Saturday Night Live alum Julia Sweeney, Portuguese drama The Nothing Factory, and more goings-on about town

CITY LIFE

NEWS & P0LITICS

Inside Rahm

Rahm Emanuel’s podcast Chicago Stories oﬀers a glimpse into his heart and soul. BY MAYA DUKMASOVA 10

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER BEST SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER EVANGELINE MILLER MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER BRYAN BURDA DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL JOHN DUNLEVY ADVERTISING COORDINATOR HERMINIA BATTAGLIA

7 Street View Entrepreneur Tamara Capel-Wilson channels Coco Chanel. 8 Courts Two men jailed without bail during Jason Van Dyke hearing.

ARTS & CULTURE

15 Theater The black hero of the Gift Theatre’s Hang Man can’t even pleasures himself in peace. 16 Theater Michael Allen Harris’s Kingdom reveals a young playwright on the brink of greatness.

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FOOD & DRINK

31 Lit The Keﬁr Cookbook is a “love letter to Chicago.” 33 Restaurant Review: Fort Willow Chef Deirdre Quinn’s spicy menu is the cocktail bar’s thirst-kindling reason to play there. 34 Jobs 34 Apartments & Spaces 35 Marketplace

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25 Shows of note Scott Hirsch, Vamos, Kelly Lee Owens, and more of the week’s best 27 Secret History Bluesman Benny Turner has spent decades as a sideman—including to his brother, guitar god Freddie King.

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MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE

Dave Rempis builds an intentional community in jazz

By organizing concerts, mentoring young musicians, and connecting players from across the States and abroad, the Chicago saxophonist models the commitment and generosity that keep the scene viable. BY PETER MARGASAK 20

17 Lit Mahogany L. Browne describes the making of The BreakBeat Poets Volume 2: Black Girl Magic. 18 Movies The Death of Stalin shines a light on Lavrenti Beria, head of the Soviet Union’s dreaded secret police. 19 Movies Lauded political ﬁlmmaker Ava DuVernay botches Disney’s live-action adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time.

36 Straight Dope “What is the signiﬁcance of the gavel in a courtroom, and how did it originate?” 37 Savage Love Can love blossom in a relationship when one partner doesn’t “feel”? 38 Early Warnings Jay-Z & Beyoncé, Broken Social Scene, Bon Iver, and more to look for in the weeks to come 38 Gossip Wolf Vic Mensa throws a fund-raiser for his ambitious new charitable foundation, and other music news.

MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 3

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F show is recommended for children ages six and up. —MARISSA OBERLANDER Through 4/8: Sat-Sun, times vary, see website, Chicago Children’s Theatre, the Station, 100 S. Racine, 872-222-95555, chicagochildrenstheatre.org, $47.

Selling Your Home? Legal Fees Only $250 • Business • Property Taxes • Real Estate • Auto Accidents • Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Cyrano é LIZ LAUREN

THEATER More at chicagoreader.com/theater

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The Condition of Femme R “Remember that your body belongs to God,” says one woman to

her daughter on her wedding day. She doesn’t use the word “rape” in her story. Like many women, she’s not sure—if it was, if it was her fault, if she felt anything, if anything can or should be diﬀerent. The portrayal of the ambiguity and omnipresence of inconspicuous violence against women and femmes is the strength of The Condition of Femme, in which playwright Lauren Marie Powell is Reagan, a rape crisis hotline counselor recalling the traumas of 11 callers. Their experiences, delivered as monologues by a skilled cast, range from encounters with strangers to unwanted experiences with friends to overt brutality. The women’s stories have no resolution—ﬁrst, they need to be heard and believed. Twenty-two years after The Vagina Monologues, the rage and reality of this play shows that women still don’t own their bodies. —IRENE HSIAO Through 3/25: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 2:30 PM, Mon 8 PM, the Buena at Pride Arts Center, 4147 N. Broadway, 800-737-0984, circletheatrechicago.org, $28.

ing features exciting fight choreography by Jon Beal and Kai Young, well executed by a gifted nine-person cast. —ALBERT WILLIAMS Through 4/15: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 2 PM, Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont, 773-791-2393, bohotheatre.com, $30. Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea Interesting as it is, Nathan Alan Davis’s 2013 play feels scrambled. Some bits of information that would help us understand the stakes—and therefore heighten the drama—don’t turn up until it’s too late. Other stuff that seems crucial doesn’t get discussed at all. Dontrell Jones III (Jalen Gilbert) is a black 18-year-old who has a dream so vivid he drops everything to follow it, and meets a girl (Kayla Raelle Holder) so magnetic they become inseparable. Fine. But how come he and the girl interact like 12-year-olds with full-grown bodies? And wouldn’t it be better to know more about Dontrell’s complicated family history near the start, so we can worry along with his mother rather than wonder why she goes ballistic? As directed by Chika Ike, this First Floor Theater staging is better at expressive choreography—there’s a lovely underwater sequence—than nutsand-bolts clarity. —TONY ADLER Through 3/31: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM; also Mon 3/26, 7:30 PM; Sat 3/31, 3 PM, Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee, 773-697-3830, firstfloortheater.com, $20, $15 students.

Cyrano A magnetic performance R by Michael B. Woods drives BoHo An Epic Tale of Scale Billed as Theatre’s funny and moving Chicago R “The Magic School Bus meets premiere of Michael Hollinger and Aaron Sleep No More,” Chicago Children’s

Posner’s wonderful 2011 adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 verse drama Cyrano de Bergerac. Woods plays Cyrano, a soldier in mid-17th-century France whose skills as a swordsman and poet belie his painful insecurity about his oversize, misshapen nose. Cyrano helps his handsome comrade Christian (Zach Livingston) woo the beautiful Roxane (Vahishta Vafadari)—with whom Cyrano himself is hopelessly in love—by penning romantic missives to the lady under Christian’s name. Hollinger (a Philadelphia playwright who cites Molière and Mamet among his major inﬂuences) and Posner have concocted a witty, rhythmically vigorous script that melds classical elegance with contemporary accessibility. Director Steve O’Connell’s intimate stag-

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Theatre’s latest production, cocreated and codirected by Henry Wishcamper and Jo Cattell, is a completely immersive journey, taking audiences from deep inside the human body to outer space. Limiting the audience to heavily chaperoned small groups makes for an intimate adventure as each team walks through two stories of creative environments, from inside the lungs to the optic nerve to the brain. It’s a very active experience for all the senses, with opportunities to explore curiosities from the Field Museum’s collection, rock climb on pimples, and create glowing space glasses for the dance-party ﬁnale. My nephew thoroughly enjoyed the chance to don a hardhat and swing a hammer as a bacteria-smashing white blood cell. This

The Great God Pan It’s possible to faithfully render Arthur Machen’s talky, convoluted 1890 horror novella as an 85-minute opera, but chances are good that if you don’t streamline the story and the audience hasn’t read the book, they’re not going to know what the hell is going on—especially since the novella is mystifying enough in its original form. That’s the major problem for this Chicago Fringe Opera world premiere of The Great God Pan by local composer Ross Crean, who also wrote the libretto, which takes the cast of 11 characters through a forbidden-knowledge, sexas-death story that starts with brain surgery and includes rape, bestiality, and transmogriﬁcation. There’s some nicely spooky music incorporating a plucked piano, and bass-baritone Vince Wallace and mezzo-soprano Bridget Skaggs—in a pair of supporting roles—light up the scene whenever they appear. The rest is mired in the fake fog. —DEANNA ISAACS Through 3/18: Wed and Fri 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM, Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division, 773-312-3930, chicagofringeopera.com, $35-$40, $15-$20 students. The Picture of Dorian Gray R In his brand-new adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s only novel, Paul Edwards

shifts the setting from Victorian England to 1970s and ’80s New York City, losing some of the wit of the original but little of its resonance. The titular picture is now a photograph rather than a painting, but the battles between age and beauty, vanity and morality remain at the heart of the story. There are some jarring moments when contemporary speech clashes with Wilde’s 19th-century bon mots, but the dissonance paradoxically adds to the message once one adjusts to this production’s jagged rhythms. Perhaps the cleverest touch is the imaginative way in which Gray’s portrait ages. Beauty, in every age, really is in the eye of the beholder. Andrea J. Dymond directed. —DMITRY SAMAROV Through 4/15: Fri-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM (no show 4/1), City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, 773-293-3682, citylit.org, $32, $27 seniors, $12 students.

Prime Day! An Amazonian Musical This production, directed by Parker Callahan, has an amiable improvised looseness about it even though it’s scripted; and like seasoned improvisers, the cast is adept at creating a rapport with the audience. But that looseness also blunts the satiric message that corporations like Amazon are intent on using their high-tech tools to turn us all into zombie-consumers. Still, the show is consistently entertaining, and the choreography is particularly on point, as is the killer parody of computer games. Ashley Leisten and John Timmers manage to be both hilarious and compelling as the play’s oddball protagonists. And Lydia House kills as a goofy mail carrier. —JACK HELBIG Through 4/8: Sun 8 PM, Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont, 773-6979693, theannoyance.com, $12, $10 students. A Story Told in Seven Fights Most of the Neo-Futurists’ mainstage shows I’ve seen over, say, the last ﬁve years start strong, with bravura physicality and a welcoming charm. So does this one. Most of them devolve into rapt confessional navel-gazing. So does this one. It’s a problem built into the Neo-Futurists’ anti-illusionist philosophy, whereby performers reject the notion of portraying anyone but themselves, and it hasn’t really been solved for evening-length shows like this one, built around Dadaist icon Arthur Cravan. Lead creator Trevor Dawkins turns the piece into an exploration of his own white man’s guilt while adding in residual trauma over the company’s 2016 feud with its founder, Greg Allen (“Fuck founders” becomes a refrain). The result is a sort of self-aggrandizing self-abnegation: the personal becomes political, sure, but then limps back to the personal. —TONY ADLER Through 4/7: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland, 773-275-5255, neofuturists.org, $25, $10 students and seniors. Time Is on Our Side Watching About Face Theatre’s production of R. Eric Thomas’s protracted topical comedy about Annie and Curtis, a pair of gay Philly podcasters chasing NPR fame by queering local history, you might think we still live in the Eisenhower era. The podcasters imagine they have a career-making story when they discover Annie’s grandmother may have been a closeted lesbian, a prospect that makes a traumatized Annie “doubt everything” about the woman and sends Curtis on

The Picture of Dorian Gray é STEVE GRAUE

Best bets, recommendations, and notable arts and culture events for the week of March 15

a massive dead-end investigation into the supposedly undocumented world of post-1960 gay life. The pair even debate whether their audience will accept a story told from a woman’s point of view. Eeesh. Director Megan Carney encourages such coy performances from her overtaxed cast that little rings true for two long hours. —JUSTIN HAYFORD Through 4/7: Wed-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM, Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont, 773784-8565, aboutfacetheatre.com, $32, $20 students and seniors.

western University, 20 Arts Circle Dr., Evanston, 847-491-7282, evanstondanceensemble.org, $15-$24, $16 kids and students.

COMEDY R

Late Late Breakfast’s Fifth Annual Tournament of Champions Over the course of ﬁve rounds, 32 comedians duke it out to be crowned the King of Breakfast for 2018. Come at 2 PM, when doors open, for free pizza. Sat 3/17, 3 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, 773-227-4433, hideoutchicago.com, $10.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream é MATT GLAVIN

You for Me for You Mia Chung’s R grim dark comedy about two sisters struggling to escape the brutal

dictatorship in North Korea was first produced back in 2012 by D.C.’s Woolly Mammoth Theater, but it could easily have been ripped from today’s headlines, so fresh and compelling is Sideshow Theatre Company’s revival under the direction of Elly Green. Chung delivers parallel stories—one sister flees to the U.S. while the other takes a more circuitous escape route (refugees often travel through China and Thailand to find a safe passage to South Korea)—and each journey comes with its own peculiar dangers. Chung’s scenes that show immigrants negotiating the U.S. with only minimal English are particularly poignant. The production has considerable grace and power, thanks in part to Green’s fine, on-point ensemble. Helen Joo Lee and Jin Park are especially moving as the sisters. —JACK HELBIG Through 4/8: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 2:30, Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln, 773-871-3000, victorygardens.org, $20-$30, $15 students.

DANCE Lie Through My Skin Same Planet Performance Project presents a new work by Joanna Read that “exposes the roots of shame from ancient texts and cultural lore, and traces its inﬂuence on our personal narratives.” 3/16-3/25: Fri-Sun 7 PM, Dovetail Studios, 2853 W. Montrose, same-planet.org, $22, $15 students. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Evanston Dance Ensemble presents a world premiere interpretation of this Shakespeare classic. 3/15-3/18: Thu-Fri 7 PM, Sat-Sun 1 and 4 PM, Josephine Louis Theater, North-

A Poodle in People Clothes “Risk-taking” is a term that gets tossed around so often in discussions about improv and sketch comedy that it’s easy to forget what it really looks like onstage. An early gag in Atra Asdou’s solo iO show—one that I will absolutely not spoil here—involves such a high level of patience, long-game playing, and confidence on Asdou’s part that I’m convinced even she wasn’t sure how it would really play out: a true risk, as it were. At the performance I attended, it did in spades. Asdou combines heartfelt anecdotes about her family (including her grandmother’s love of Touched by an Angel), in-character crowd work, and microshock sketches to showcase a sample of her skills. My favorite: Asdou’s fluency in absurdism. “Things aren’t always what they seem!” she declares, pulling off a wig that looks identical to her real hair. —DAN JAKES Through 3/30: Fri 10:30 PM, iO Theater, 1501 N. Kingsbury, ioimprov.com/chicago, $14.

MOVIES More at chicagoreader.com/movies NEW REVIEWS Dear Dictator A Caribbean strongman strikes up a correspondence with a teenage punk in the U.S., and after his people rise up against him, he arrives at the girl’s home in suburban Georgia seeking sanctuary. If you can accept Michael Caine in the title role, you’ll probably believe anything, so you won’t be bothered that the dictator appears in the kid’s garage almost miraculously, with no explanation of how he escaped from his homeland or snuck into the U.S. “Sometimes I feel like you’re the only one who gets me,” the angry high-schooler writes in one of her letters, articulating the movie’s central joke. Unfortunately writer-directors Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse can get only so much mileage out of it, and they cede too much screen time to Katie Holmes as the girl’s mother, a dental hygienist, and Seth Green as her boss, who gets oﬀ by sucking her toes in the oﬃce while patients lie anesthetized. With Odeya Rush and Jason Biggs (American Pie). —J.R. JONES 90 min. Fri 3/16-Thu 3/22. Facets Cinematheque. The Forgiven Set in South Africa in the mid-1990s, this docudrama centers on Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Forest Whitaker) as he leads the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in

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Gringo Larceny, fraud, and murder propel this action comedy about a Chicago pharmaceutical exec (David Oyelowo) who learns that he’s about to get axed and takes advantage of a visit to the company’s Mexico plant to fake his own kidnapping for a ransom. This schmo proves inept at crime but quick on his feet, and double crosses proliferate as he tries to elude his greedy bosses (Joel Edgerton, Charlize Theron), a reluctant hit man (Sharlto Copley), and a Beatles-loving drug lord (Carlos Corona). The underdeveloped characters serve mostly as pins to be bowled down; director Nash Edgerton, a veteran stuntman turned director, indulges a taste for tongue-in-cheek anarchy with this less-than-memorable foray into Guy Ritchie territory. In English and subtitled Spanish. —ANDREA GRONVALL R, 111 min. Century 12 and CineArts 6, Chatham 14, River East 21.

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Love, Simon This beguiling romantic comedy oﬀers a fresh take on the familiar premise of a high-schooler trying to ﬁt in. Nick Robinson (Jurassic World) plays the title character, a well-adjusted senior with a great family and wonderful friends, none of whom suspect that he’s gay. After his online courtship of another closeted student is discovered by the class loudmouth (Logan Miller), Simon hopes to avoid being outed by

LIT & LECTURES Louder Than a Bomb Four high R school slam teams compete in the ﬁnal rounds of the veritable Olym-

pics of poetry. Special guest judges to be announced. Sun 3/18, 6-9 PM, Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress, 800-982-2787, youngchicagoauthors.org/ louder-than-a-bomb, $10-$20.

Murder and Mayhem in R Chicago A daylong conference for lovers of mystery and crime litera-

ture. Speakers include Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn as well as detectives, journalists and others involved in the genre. See website for the full schedule. Sat 3/17, 9:15 AM, Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan, 312-341-3719, murdermayhemchicago.com, $65, $75 at the door, $35 students.

VISUAL ART Chicago Bound An eclectic group of ten Chicago artists comment on our city utilizing photographs, performances, and more. Opening reception Fri 3/16, 6-9 PM. 3/16-4/22. Tue-Fri 11 AM-4 PM, Sat by appointment. Orbit, 1350 W. Erie, thevisualist.org/2018/03/chicago-bound.

The Forgiven documenting racially motivated crimes under apartheid. One man’s disappearance leads Tutu to the man who killed him (Eric Bana), a white supremacist serving a life sentence at Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town, and the archbishop decides to save his soul. This raises provocative questions about the nature of forgiveness, on both an intimate and a national scale, and oﬀers an insightful look at South Africa’s prison system at a time of racial strife. Unfortunately the story’s emotional impact is limited by the overstated performances and the heavy-handed direction of Roland Joﬀé (The Killing Fields). —BEN SACHS R, 120 min. Fri 3/16-Thu 3/22. Facets Cinematheque.

welcoming this character into his social circle and even ﬁxing him up with a lovely but vulnerable pal (Alexandra Shipp). Greg Berlanti directed, adapting Becky Albertalli’s young adult novel Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. —ANDREA GRONVALL PG-13, 110 min. ArcLight, Century 12 and CineArts 6, Chatham 14, Cicero Showplace 14, City North 14, Crown Village 18, River East 21. The Nothing Factory Running R 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 «

MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 5

AGENDA

bB 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. Director 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. —J.R. JONES 177 min. Screens as part of the European Union Film Festival; for a full schedule visit siskelfilmcenter.org. Sun 3/18, 2 PM, and Tue 3/20, 6:30 PM. Gene Siskel Film Center. Rainbow: A Private Affair Paolo and R 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. —BEN SACHS 84 min. Screens as part of the European Union Film Festival; for a full schedule visit siskelfilmcenter.org. Fri 3/16, 6:30 PM, and Wed 3/21, 6 PM. Gene Siskel Film Center. 7 Days in Entebbe At this point the 1976 Entebbe raid—in which Israeli commandos rescued more than a hundred airline passengers from German and Palestinian hijackers—has been filmed so many times that it probably qualifies as an Israeli foundational myth, striking a note of heroic resolve in a nation perpetually braced for terror. This fourth screen version, a U.S.UK coproduction, gestures rhetorically at restarting the Middle East peace process, though the Palestinian characters barely register; British screenwriter Gregory Burke (’71) is more interested in the leftwing Germans (Daniel Brühl, Rosamund Pike), who are touchy about the historical implications of killing Jewish passengers, and the two Israeli statesmen back in Tel Aviv, the flight’s point of origin, who clash over how to handle the crisis, prime

6 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

minister Yitzhak Rabin (Lior Ashkenazi) and defense minister Shimon Peres (Eddie Marsan). Portuguese action director José Padilha (Elite Squad) generates a hurtling momentum, especially as the raid takes shape, but his dialogue scenes are indifferently staged. —J.R. JONES PG-13, 106 min. Landmark’s Century Centre. The Strangers: Prey at Night Grimly efficient sequel to the 2008 shocker The Strangers, in which a young couple staying in a remote summer home are terrorized by a trio of silent, masked assailants. This time around a married couple (Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson) and their antagonistic teenagers (Bailee Madison, Lewis Pullman) arrive at a lakeside retreat and check into their jumbo trailer only to be stalked by the same mute killers, who have a Mansonesque vibe and like to leave bloody handprints on the wall. Screenwriter Ben Ketai and director Johannes Roberts get to the scary stuff right away and barely relent, with multiple stabbings and vehicular assaults (also aural: the killers like to listen to bad 80s pop on their car stereo as they attack). The whole thing is over in an hour and a quarter, a wise move on the filmmakers’ part given how heavily they lean on that old standby of a shallow-focus shot showing frightened human prey in the foreground and menacing shapes moving dimly behind them. —J.R. JONES R, 85 min. Century 12 and CineArts 6, Chatham 14, River East 21.

REVIVALS High Fidelity If you can put R up with all the archness and self-consciousness—there’s quite a bit

of both—this is an enjoyable romantic comedy (2000) about a pop music junkie (John Cusack) in Wicker Park who runs an old-fashioned record store and can’t seem to sustain a long-term relationship. Cusack joined forces with fellow producers D.V. DeVincentis and Steve Pink as well as Scott Rosenberg on the script, an adaptation of Nick Hornby’s English novel that transposes settings with ease, and director Stephen Frears keeps things simmering. Two pluses: the humor about male neurosis doesn’t try to remind you of Woody Allen at every turn, and the Chicago settings and atmosphere are made to seem relatively cutting edge for a change, rather than appropriate only for car chases. With Jack Black and Lisa Bonet. —JONATHAN ROSENBAUM R, 113 min. Cusack takes questions in person after the screening; tickets are $45-$260. Fri 3/16, 7;30 PM. Chicago Theatre. SPECIAL EVENTS Chicago International Television Festival Presented by Cinema/Chicago (which also programs the Chicago International Film Festival), this three-day festival collects

TV programming and commercials from around the world. Included in this year’s edition are the Israeli legal drama Your Honor (Wed 3/21, 6 PM), the German suspense drama The Vanishing (Wed 3/21, 8 PM), and the local premiere of the new Roseanne remake (Tue 3/20, 8 PM). Tickets are $10 per screening or $15 for two; for more information and a full schedule visit chicagofilmfestival.com/television-festival. Tue 3/20-Thu 3/22. River East 21. Our Blood Is Wine International sommelier Jeremy Quinn stars in this documentary about the rebirth of traditional winemaking in the Republic of Georgia. In English and subtitled Georgian. A wine tasting follows the screenings on Saturday, March 17, and Monday, March 19. Music Box. Sci-Fi Spectacular Fourteen hours of sci-fi and fantasy films, including Georges Méliès’s landmark silent short A Trip to the Moon (1902) with live organ accompaniment by Jay Warren; The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), starring Vincent Price and introduced in person by his daughter, Victoria; John Boorman’s Zardoz (1974); Paul Verhoeven’s Robocop (1987); David Cronenberg’s Scanners (1981); and Wolfgang Peterson’s The Never Ending Story (1984), introduced in person by star Noah Hathaway. Tickets are $35. Sat 3/17, noon. Davis. v

CITY LIFE Street View

Chanel knows best

Entrepreneur Tamara Capel-Wilson does luxury the right way.

APRIL 9, 2018 6:30 – 8:30pm

doors open at 5:45pm

mHUB 965 W Chicago Ave $20 tickets

Understand the Basics of

Medical Cannabis SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS

TREATMENT OPTIONS

STATE APPROVAL OF CONDITIONS

é ISA GIALLORENZO

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.

WHILE RUNNING ERRANDS ON A COLD SATURDAY afternoon, Tamara Capel-Wilson, 37, was sporting an outﬁt that managed to be elegant, comfortable, stylish, and warm all at the same time. “Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it’s not luxury,” she says, quoting her less-is-more muse Coco Chanel. “It’s all about my outerwear and shades.” In true Chanel fashion, Capel-Wilson, an entrepreneur behind the online girls’ clothing boutique Blu Mitten, considers her style “casual chic”: “I’m a dress-and-sneakers type of gal. In the evening you will catch me wearing heels and denim with a beautiful blouse. I love clothes with clean lines, structured handbags, and jewelry. And I don’t leave home without my shades!” —ISA GIALLORENZO

brought to you by

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

MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 7

CITY LIFE Tyrone Williams was one of two men ordered held without bail by Judge Vincent Gaughan at a hearing for Jason Van Dyke last week. é CHICAGO ALLIANCE AGAINST RACIST AND POLITICAL REPRESSION

COURTS

Jailed without bail for contempt

Two men in court the day of a hearing for accused murderer Jason Van Dyke received stiﬀ penalties from Judge Vincent Gaughan. By MAYA DUKMASOVA

s is usual during pretrial hearings in the case against former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke, advocates for police reform packed the pews in Judge Vincent Gaughan’s courtroom last Thursday. Among them was 45-year-old Tyrone Williams, an activist with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. Though Van Dyke, who faces ﬁrst-degree murder charges for shooting and killing 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in October 2014, was the center of attention, plenty of other defendants were also waiting for hearings in front of Gaughan. Among them was 44-year-old Norman Hall. By the time Gaughan ended his court call on March 8, he’d ordered both Hall and Williams to be held at the Cook County Jail—without bail—for what witnesses describe as minor outbursts. Gaughan is notoriously strict about courtroom decorum, and has been warning attendees at Van Dyke’s hearings that he will hold in

8 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

criminal contempt of court anyone who disrupts proceedings, either by protesting outside of court, harassing Van Dyke, or speaking out of turn in his courtroom. Hall had a scheduled appearance before Gaughan on felony charges of promoting prostitution. Witnesses describe him being disoriented as he sat in the gallery waiting for his case to be called, raising his hand several times, and attracting the attention of sheriff’s deputies. They say deputies ordered him out of the courtroom after he made a sound like humph. Gaughan appeared irritated when Hall’s case was called and he wasn’t in the courtroom, witnesses said. Pearson said Hall looked confused when he was called back in from the hallway, and other witnesses said he continued raising his hand and trying to ask questions even as he got to the judge’s bench. “The third or fourth time he put his hand up to talk, the judge said, ‘Take him into custody,’” Pearson says. “They grabbed him and put him

out. We were wondering what on earth was going on, it seemed so bizarre.” In his dismay at Hall’s situation, Pearson and others who were with the Alliance say Williams loudly exclaimed “What?!”—which carried across the courtroom. Gaughan demanded to know who’d said it and Williams quickly fessed up. “The judge called him up to the bench and had him taken into custody for contempt,” Pearson says. “We haven’t seen him since.” Also in court that day was Moises Bernal, who during a hearing last spring faced Gaughan’s wrath for snapping his fingers in appreciation when the judge ruled against a motion to dismiss murder and battery charges against Van Dyke. Bernal was held on $40,000 bail and spent 11 hours in jail before the required $4,000 was paid to get him out. Ultimately Gaughan sentenced him to a year on probation. Bernal says the ordeal has had a “devastating effect” on his life. “I’m basically unemployable right now,” says Bernal, a former part-time teacher at the Instituto del Progreso Latino. He’s been applying for jobs with a security company and City Colleges. “I get to the point where people want to hire me but then they get the background check report and they see the 12 months probation,” he says. “I’m collecting unemployment insurance and I’ve had to take my pensions out early . . . just for snapping my ﬁngers.” Bernal, who’s friends with Williams, says he wasn’t aware of Gaughan’s strict rules because he was late to the May hearing and missed the judge’s admonitions about decorum. Hall “was there at the wrong time and his disorientation caused him to get arrested,” he said. “I think Mr. Williams was overcome by righteous anger, passion, to see a fellow working-class black man being treated in that way.” Gaughan ordered a psychiatric evaluation for Hall and set his next hearing date for April 5. Williams’s next court date is set for April 4, but his attorney, James Fennerty (who also represented Bernal), is planning to ask for more reasonable bail terms later this week. Advocates say that Gaughan’s bail decision could violate chief judge Timothy Evans’s new order regarding bail. Last fall Evans revamped central bond court and ordered that judges

should not set bail at amounts defendants can’t afford to pay. Only those who would certainly not show up in court again or would pose “a real and present threat” to others should be given no bail, per the order. “It’s sounds like this isn’t remotely at issue,” said attorney Alexa Van Brunt of Northwestern University’s Roderick MacArthur Justice Center, who has been working with a coalition of local groups on bail reform efforts. “No bond on a criminal contempt order seems severe and unwarranted and arbitrary.” Van Brunt notes that cases like these are an extreme variation on the wider problem of pretrial detention. “Even a couple days makes a difference when you have a job and responsibilities,” she says. “It’s really traumatic and damaging.” Williams’s friends have started an online fund-raiser in his support in case he does ultimately need to post a money bond or loses a job he recently got at Walmart. They noted that the position is particularly precious since Williams, a father of two, has a prior felony conviction. “He served his time and he’s really getting himself together,” Pearson says. “He had a job. I don’t know whether his job is gonna be there anymore when he gets out.” Van Brunt says the situation raises questions about whether Gaughan is using his judicial discretion appropriately: “There can be abuse of discretion.” Though Williams’s supporters believe Gaughan is violating the men’s Eighth Amendment rights, judges are typically immune to civil rights lawsuits. Bernal—who says his experience with Gaughan hasn’t deterred him from showing up for Van Dyke’s hearings—thinks the judge is wielding his power in this way due to the high-profile nature of those hearings. The irony, he notes, is that Laquan McDonald’s supporters are getting thrown in jail for courtroom disruptions while Van Dyke walks in and out of court a relatively free man. “He gets to go home, he’s employed, and people who snap their ﬁngers or say one word or grunt are facing these devastating consequences,” Bernal says. “We didn’t shoot anybody, we’re not a danger to anyone’s safety, but we’re suffering.” v

m @mdoukmas

Adult Diapers May No Longer Be Needed Thanks To Amazing New Pill Clinical studies show new pill may be effective enough to replace adult diapers for bladder control; initial users show dramatic reduction in trips to the bathroom, embarrassing leaking, and nighttime urgency. Robert Ward, Associated Health Press AHP− Adult diaper sales are expected to plummet as results from a clinical trial on a new, patented bladder control pill have finally been released. Sold under the brand name UriVarx™, the new pill contains key ingredients that keeps the bladder from releasing voluntarily, which reduces accidents and frequent bathroom trips. Perhaps more impressive, it also targets the tiny muscles around the bladder, which helps the bladder to create a tighter seal. This would explain why the average UriVarx™ user in clinical trials experiences a 66% reduction in urinary incontinence symptoms, such as day and night leaking and sudden urges to urinate.

NEW DISCOVERY IN BLADDER CONTROL

Until now, doctors believed it was impossible to strengthen the muscles that control the bladder. They are amazed to see that it can now be done with the nonprescription UriVarx™ pill. “As you get older, and the involuntary muscles around your bladder weaken, you lose urinary control. With your bladder wall unable to properly seal, you constantly leak and feel pressure to urinate” explains Dr. Bassam Damaj of Innovus Pharmaceuticals. “UriVarx™ targets the bladder muscles and help restores vital kidney health, reducing urgency and frequency. It also helps you “hold it” for hours so you never have to worry about embarrassing accidents ever again!”

FREEDOM FROM SUDDEN URGES AND LEAKS

Since hitting the market, sales for the patented UriVarx™ pill have soared and there are some very good reasons why. To begin with, the double blind large clinical studies published in the clinicaltrials.gov have been impressive. Participants taking UriVarx™ saw a stunning reduction in urinary frequency, which resulted in fewer bathroom trips both day and night.

They also experienced a dramatic decrease in incontinence episodes, such as leaking and bed wetting. The active ingredients in UriVarx™ comes from a patented formula. It is both safe and healthy. There are also no known serious side effects in its history of use. Scientists believe that the ingredients target the muscles of the bladder to grow stronger. These muscles are responsible for keeping the bladder tightly sealed. They also help the bladder to completely empty, allowing bacteria to be flushed from the urinary tract. Research has shown that as you get older, certain hormonal changes in the body cause these muscles to shrink and become lose. This is what causes the bladder to be over active and the resulting urine accidents and why UriVarx™ seems to be so effective in the published clinical trials.

EXCITING RESULTS FROM URIVARX USERS

Many UriVarx™ users say their bladders have never been stronger. For the first time in years, they are confident and in complete control. Adult pads and diapers are no longer a big worry. “After my third child, I couldn’t control my bladder. I was running to the bathroom all the time! And once I hit my 60s it became so unpredictable I needed to wear adult pads every day” explained Marie L. of Danbury, CT. “I was embarrassed so before going to my doctor I decided to try UriVarx and I’m so glad I did! The urgency is gone and I no longer feel like my bladder is about to explode. I can also “hold it” when I need to so I’m no longer living in constant fear of finding a bathroom.”

IMPRESSIVE CLINICAL RESULTS

The exciting clinical results published on the government clinical website clinicaltrials.gov show that UriVarx™ can strengthen your bladder fast, significantly reducing the urine urgency and leaks. In a new double-blind, placebocontrolled clinical study, 142 men and women with bladder control issues were

separated into two groups. The first group was given a placebo while the other received UriVarx™. The results were incredible. The participants who received UriVarx™ saw major improvements in leaking, pressure, and the urgency to go − all without the usual side effects seen in prescription drugs! They also reported fewer trips to the bathroom both day and night. Overall, the UriVarx™ group experienced: • 56% Reduction in Urge Incontinence • 66% Reduction in Stress Incontinence • 61% Reduction in Urgency • 33% Reduction in Frequency • 46% Reduction in Nighttime Bathroom Trips Additionally, at the end of clinical trial and after seeing the results, 84% of the participants taking UriVarx™ said it NEW PILL MAY REPLACE DIAPERS FOR BLADDER significantly improved their quality of CONTROL: This new patented clinically proven life. pill solution is now available nationwide “The clinical findings are incredible, but people still wonder if it will really work” BLADDER explains Dr. Bassam Damaj. “It’s normal to PROBLEMS GONE be skeptical, but we’ve seen thousands of With daily use, UriVarx™ can restore UriVarx™ users get results exactly like the participants in the study. It’s an amazing strong bladder control and help users overcome leakage without the negative product.” side effects or interactions associated with HOW IT WORKS drugs. UriVarx™ is a pill that’s taken just once Leakage sufferers can now put an end to daily. It does not require a prescription. the uncontrollable urges, the embarrassing The active ingredients are patented nat- accidents, and enjoy an entirely new level ural extracts. of comfort and confidence. Research shows that as we get older, HOW TO GET the muscles which surround the bladder URIVARX IN ILLINOIS weaken. This is caused by hormonal This is the official release of UriVarx™ in changes in the body that causes the Illinois. As such, the company is offering muscles to atrophy and weaken. a special discounted supply to anyone When they become too small and weak, suffering from bladder issues who calls they cannot seal your bladder shut, which within the next 48 hours. causes leaking, accidents, among other A special hotline number and incontinence symptoms. discounted pricing has been created for It also prevents your bladder from fully all Illinois residents. Discounts will be emptying, which can result in persistent available starting today at 6:00AM and will bacterial infections and UTIs. automatically be applied to all callers. UriVarx’s™ active ingredient targets the Your Toll-Free Hotline number is muscles around the bladder, making them 1-800-460-5697 and will only be open stronger. Supporting ingredients in Uri- for the next 48 hours. Only a limited Varx™ support kidney function and overall discounted supply of UriVarx™ is currently urinary health. available in your region.

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FDA. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE, OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE. RESULTS MAY VARY.CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE TAKING THIS SUPPLEMENT. URIVARX IS NOT A DRUG.

MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 9

THE

D L R WO ACCORDING TO RAHM

We listened to 18 hours of the mayor’s podcast so you don’t have to By MAYA DUKMASOVA ILLUSTRATIONS BY BALDUR HELGASON

10 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL IS NOTORIOUSLY HARD TO ACCESS FOR INTERVIEWS,

and notoriously evasive even when he does make himself available. As his next reelection campaign approaches, you’d hardly expect him to lay himself bare in lengthy recorded conversations with citizens. And yet that’s exactly what the mayor has been doing since June on his podcast Chicago Stories. Though it’s been a near-weekly component of the mayor’s public life for months, Emanuel’s podcast—available on SoundCloud and iTunes and accompanied by lengthy promotional stories on Medium—has flown mostly under the radar. In episodes ranging from 15 to 45 minutes, Emanuel has conducted nearly 18 hours of interviews with some of the city’s most powerful and influential people, along with a sprinkling of lesser-known figures. While Chicago Stories is billed as the mayor’s conversations with “everyday Chicagoans,” his guests are everything but. Stars (and buddies) from the theater, restaurant, and comedy scenes as well as prominent academics, business leaders, writers, and politicians have taken turns at friendly taped discussions on the fifth floor of City Hall. The lesser-known subjects tend to share stories of success achieved despite tremendous adversity. Meanwhile, Rahm opens up about various hobbies (scuba diving and fly fishing), favorite authors (Goethe and George Saunders), and beloved bars (Four Moon Tavern and the Up Room). He also reveals some personal views: You have to “choose” to get out of homelessness, second chances are for those who show they want them, and there’s insufficient “moral judgment” in public conversation about crime. Emanuel tells the origin story of the podcast 32 episodes in, during an interview with Betsy Steinberg and Tim Horsburgh of Kartemquin Films. “[Chicago Stories] came about because Amy always listens to podcasts,” he says, referring to his wife, Amy Rule, and adding that he frequently tells her about the people he meets over dinner. “At a certain point I said,

you know what? Maybe we should just interview the people I meet and let them tell their stories, because . . . they’re pretty extraordinary people. Or ordinary people doing pretty extraordinary things, or beating the odds, or doing something I think you’d like to know.” The mayor might have overestimated the public’s interest in the people he ﬁnds interesting—or at least in their conversations with him. Despite the caliber of some guests—actor David Schwimmer, Congressman Luis Gutiérrez, Apple CEO Tim Cook, celebrity chef Graham Elliot among them—Chicago Stories has fewer than 90 followers on SoundCloud, its primary platform. According to records the Reader obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, episodes have sometimes garnered as few as 74 plays upon their debut. But we listened to them all so you don’t have to. What we found is an unexpected glimpse of the real Rahm—or at least a glimpse at his attempt to project authenticity. While Chicago Stories is part of Emanuel’s never-ending effort to manage his image, the level of relaxed candor on display offers a rare opportunity to see how Emanuel thinks of himself and the city.

RAHM’S WORLD, THROUGH THE LENS OF THE PODCAST, is ﬁlled with family discussions

over the dinner table, frequent outings to restaurants and bars, exotic vacations, and plenty of leisure reading. His subjects reflect and amplify his Chicago boosterism, laugh at his jokes (mostly about being Jewish), and often tell stories that make the city and the mayor’s office look great. The vast majority of the guests represent the city’s cultural establishment, particularly its restaurant and performing arts scenes. The food and beverage folk help illuminate Emanuel’s personal tastes as well as spotlight his efforts to make Chicago a drinking and dining destination. “I can’t think of a commercial beer I’ve ordered in the last five years,” Emanuel tells Mike Gemma and Trevor Hagen of Haymarket Brewery during a rather dull first conversation on the podcast. It was released in tandem with the city’s Friday Night Flights events, designed to promote local craft breweries. In a later episode (the first of many plugs of his Riverwalk development), Emanuel proudly tells Tiny Tapp & Cafe co-owner Mark William Johnson that the city has just awarded a grant to a couple to start a microbrewery in Englewood. He doesn’t mention that the recipients are an architect from Seattle and a brewer from Milwaukee. While interviewing Beverly Kim of Parachute and Charlie Robinson of Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs, the mayor recalls his surprise upon learning that Kim and her husband had opened their

imaginative Korean eatery in Avondale. “I was like, Avondale!? And now it’s one of the hottest up-and-coming neighborhoods.” While Rahm expresses his approval for how new restaurants can help make a neighborhood into a more attractive destination, there’s no discussion of how they can also contribute to the pricing out of longtime residents. In subsequent episodes of Chicago Stories the mayor touts himself as “a junior varsity member of the foodie class” while discussing Graham Elliot’s Gideon Sweet, and gives shout-outs to other hip restaurant and bars such as S.K.Y. in Pilsen, Avec in the West Loop, and Scofflaw in Logan Square. While interviewing master sommelier Alpana Singh (who tries to convince him to give rosé a chance), Rahm indulges in a wine-themed anecdote: “The coolest thing I ever saw, I was in Paris, down in a basement, and there’s this chef and he took a sword to the champagne.” (The rare ceremonial practice of sabrage involves opening a champagne bottle by sliding the blunt edge of metal blade up the neck and breaking the glass at the collar.) He also tells Singh that he wants to host a cocktail mixing competition in the city: “Whoever wins, we’ll give them $50,000 to start their own bar.” Lest all this talk of fancy restaurants and artisanal alcohol gets you feeling like Emanuel is living in a luxurious parallel universe, there’s also the episode he devotes to Manny’s, the legendary Jewish deli in the South Loop. If you’d like to eat like the mayor at a place you can actually afford, Rahm recommends: “onion kaiser roll, half corned beef, half pastrami, three pickles, one potato latke.” The mayor’s tastes in the performing arts are no less eclectic—he seems equally interested in poetry slams, storefront theaters, and movie stars. He frequently expresses his love of the Gift Theatre in Jefferson Park and is thrilled to have its cofounder Michael Patrick Thornton on the podcast. He also heartily recommends seeing one of spoken-word artist Harold Green’s live shows and tells the poet (and his audience) that Green’s work “is gonna change something in you.” The mayor gives five stars to Loy Webb’s play The Light and takes every opportunity to brag about Chicago being “the Silicon Valley of theater” and his revival of the Theater on the Lake. One wonders if he’s wistful for his days as an artistic rather than a political performer. Ballet, he says, was “the best training for politics.” An appearance by David Schwimmer is a chance not only for bonding over love of the stage and the stress of growing up with demanding mothers but for the mayor to hold forth on family values (“The most important relationship . . . is that a daughter has with the father”), America’s moral failings (“Peo-

ple have lost a sense of commitment to their country”), and what he thinks makes Chicago superior to other cities (“There’s a sense of community that doesn’t exist in New York or LA in the same spaces”).

HAVING BUSINESSPEOPLE AND THOUGHT LEADERS on Chicago Stories is cause for

Rahm to share random personal information, self-promote, and also to make grand statements about human nature and public policy. One week he welcomes Mary Couzin, founder of the Chicago Toy & Game Group, and lets everyone know that he played Battleship “as recently as this summer,” that he takes his kids to the NCAA Final Four, and that he considers the Easy-Bake Oven too “vanilla.” Another time, he tells XS Tennis founder Kamau Murray—who was preparing to open his 13-acre, $16.9 million tennis facility on land formerly occupied by parts of the Robert Taylor Homes—“Twenty percent of the folks will always work no matter what’s going on around them. And 20 percent . . . will never work and will be complaining.” Emanuel won’t let you forget his role in starting the tech incubator 1871. He first mentions it in an episode called “Diversity in Tech” while interviewing Shaniqua Davis, a black entrepreneur who talks about how she only started getting interviews for IT jobs after she changed the name on her resumé to Shawn. Davis’s experiences led her to start Noirefy, a platform that connects companies with diverse talent. Hers is a story about systemic inequality and racism in tech as much as it is about personal perseverance and ingenuity. In an apparent attempt to relate, the mayor recounts a rambling anecdote about a casual evening with the Emanuel family: “Last night I was having drinks with the former CEO of Whole Foods,” he begins, saying the drinks turned into dinner at which his son (who goes to UCLA) talked to Walter Robb about a paper he wrote on the upscale grocery chain. The evening ended with Robb telling the younger Emanuel to e-mail him the paper. Rahm attributes his son’s networking skills to the fact that “he grew up around this,” and reflects in conclusion that his family’s social sphere “has real barriers” and that he and Davis “live in parallel worlds.” Reflecting on the experience in an interview with the Reader, Davis said that overall Emanuel seemed genuinely interested in her work. She didn’t fault him for not addressing inequality in tech. “He was trying to understand what the landscape was like, to put different plans in place in the future,” she said on the eve of joining Emanuel on a speaking tour at historically black colleges and universities—a plan they discussed when she appeared on Chicago J

MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 11

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Stories. Davis did note, however, that the Whole Foods anecdote made her uncomfortable. “I was telling him how hard it was for me to find a job and he’s telling me about the CEO of Whole Foods in [his] house,” she said. “At that moment I was like, ‘He has no clue what’s going on.’ We’re on opposite ends of the field.” A more policy-oriented Rahm emerges in the episode featuring Apple CEO Tim Cook (the most popular to date, with more than 3,000 SoundCloud plays at launch). “Unless coding is taught in all schools and universal to every child—not just a select—then you’re never gonna have an economy where everybody is—at least feels like they can be—part of the winning circle rather than on the outside,” the mayor says. We don’t hear much more about a plan to implement coding programs in all Chicago schools after this awkward ramble, a hallmark of Rahm’s speaking style on the podcast. But Emanuel does plug the fact that starting in 2020 he’s making high school graduation contingent on having a “plan” such as acceptance to college, a job offer, or military service. In the context of the conversation with Cook it becomes clear that the mayor sees the lack of such plans more as a reflection of students’ personal irresponsibility than as a sign of wider systemic problems. “I’m a big believer in six months of national service,” he says, adding that he thinks that young people have lost a sense of commitment to society and a willingness to sacrifice for the common good. Rahm could have had a substantive discussion about these issues with U. of C. behavioral economist and Nobel prize winner Richard Thaler. But instead they talk a lot about golf. Rahm relates how much he prefers fly fishing. “I’m obsessive now. I love getting out to Montana.” Thaler is the 18th guest on Chicago Stories, and the first to use the opportunity to ask the mayor a serious question: How will the state ever get out of its financial crisis? Rahm says he’ll only speak for the city—and does he ever, erupting into a long-winded, impassioned stump speech about how Chicago has more people with college degrees than New York, LA, Houston, and Philadelphia (per the most recent census data, the claim is actually untrue in relation to New York), how the pension system is now in order, and how investment in transportation has benefited the economy. “We’re not in the financial crisis,” he says confidently. “We were, but we’ve actually made significant gains.” The mayor also periodically shows his spiritual side. “Civic life can only survive drawing on the strength of the spiritual,” Emanuel tells Rami Nashashibi, a recipient of a 2017 MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” who’s devoted

12 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

his life to fighting poverty in Chicago through the Inner-City Muslim Action Network. When Nashashibi speaks of Englewood as experiencing “criminal disinvestment,” Rahm says with a profound air that what’s happened there compared with well-to-do parts of town is not a tale of two cities but “a tale of two choices,” deftly avoiding getting into any specifics about who made what choices to leave Englewood behind. He concludes his vague reflection with an apparent hint at crime: “I always say if you don’t give anybody any choices, they’ll make that choice.” When Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, comes on the show, Emanuel confesses that he’s “actually become much more of a traditionalist, much more believing in the role of faith and structure . . . helping kids structure their lives.” He ties this to the city’s grappling with its crime and reveals what he really thinks about the problem: “So much of the discussion about violence is economics, where I actually think that some of the elements of spirit and moral judgment is missing from that discussion.” He doesn’t elaborate on what it might mean for the city to tackle violence from a position of moral judgment, but presses Cupich on why

he has expressed compassion for the people who commit crimes as well as the victims. “Where’s the moral judgment?” Rahm wants to know.

THE MAYOR’S DEEP BELIEF IN INDIVIDUALS’ ABILITIES to overcome adverse circumstances

comes out most palpably in his interviews with the “ordinary people” who come on Chicago Stories. These offer glimpses into his perspective on what drives poverty and inequality and where the solutions lie. Rahm asks formerly homeless veteran Claude Lamb not only how he became homeless but “what led you to make a decision to get out of that context?” Lamb recounts how he managed to get a letter telling the mayor he didn’t want to be homeless anymore to one of Emanuel’s assistants. The mayor’s office then helped him get a spot at A Safe Haven, a westside recovery facility. If you’re looking for the mayor’s take on the elimination of affordable housing or the eviction of homeless encampments and single room occupancy buildings in Uptown, you won’t find it here. Emanuel shares Lamb’s opinion that “you’ve gotta show people that you don’t want to be homeless.”

He says that to improve your lot “you gotta have motivation, you gotta have a desire.” Another bootstrapping tale with a dose of divine mayoral intercession comes via Alphonso Johnson, a man who was able to get a job through the city’s Second Chances program (per Rahm, “the largest ex-offender program in the United States”) after a stint in prison. He’s now a maintenance manager for the CTA. Though Johnson’s personal achievements and work ethic are nothing to snub, the conversation leads you to wonder whether the mayor agrees with the adage that everyone deserves a second chance. “My wife and I have this debate,” the mayor begins. “You think everybody who’s in prison wants the opportunity for a second chance?” Johnson says that from his perspective—no, not everyone does. Emanuel says with a laugh that he’ll have to get Amy on the phone so she can hear that. “My view on this is . . . you can’t have any more doors slammed in your face” if you change your “outlook,” the mayor tells Johnson. But what about those who don’t? “The program, Second Chances, would not have worked if you hadn’t changed your outlook about what you wanted to do for yourself—no matter how many opportunities there are.”

Perhaps because the guests are selected so as not to stir up any controversy, or perhaps because these people are polite, none of them have used their appearances on Chicago Stories to question or challenge the mayor on any of his policies, with one exception. In episode 36, writer Ben Austen—who’s interviewed Emanuel on multiple occasions for the New York Times and other national publications— comes on to discuss High-Risers, Austen’s new book about Cabrini-Green. At the outset Emanuel takes a warm and collegial tone, asking Austen about how he approached writing the book and plugging his own housing-related achievements (colocated library and housing complexes, a new mixed-income development in Woodlawn). All the while he carefully sidesteps taking any responsibility for the shortcomings of the Plan for Transformation—which he cosigned in 2000 as vice chair of the CHA’s board under Mayor Richard M. Daley. He reminds everyone that he’s a good liberal by referring to mortgage interest tax deductions as a government housing subsidy and saying he’s read Matthew Desmond’s Evicted. At one point, there’s an aside surprising from someone who’s overseen the city’s shift from segregation through public housing to segregation through Section 8 vouchers: “The vouchers, somewhat, you could argue, almost replicated [the segregation] problem.” The ﬁrst time Austen brings up school closures—in response to the comments about Woodlawn—Emanuel doesn’t take the bait. But then, when the mayor asks Austen to give him “four takeaways a mayor must have on housing,” the writer turns the tables. “We’re thriving in so many areas,” Austen begins diplomatically. “Because we are thriving it’s easy for a lot of Chicagoans not to focus on the parts where we’re suffering.” He contrasts excelling schools on one hand with shuttered ones on the other, notes how gun violence “erodes at a sense of community,” and references the outmigration of African-Americans from the city. “I guess sitting here with the mayor, I want to hear from you,” Austen says. “I want to hear like, ‘Here are the reasons to stay. Don’t leave.’ I wanna hear hope.” With nowhere to go, Emanuel begins to answer, a hint of irritation in his voice: On school “consolidations” he says “having kids trapped in failure is irresponsible of a mayor who can spend political capital. Would I be more popular if I left the schools alone?” He doesn’t answer, but poses another question: “Would those kids’ futures be right if I let them get trapped?” He says that math and reading scores are up, as is the CPS graduation rate. “We’re beating the rest of the country,” he declares, enumerating several academic studies as proof. “I actually think you have a responsibility, as a journalist, to actually take off the

blinders,” the mayor concludes. “You should look at success and not run away from it.” He then pivots to talking about his “biggest sense of the urgency of now,” namely, youth unemployment. (As he told Shaniqua Davis several months ago, “Rule number one when you’re running for office: You’ve got an answer, doesn’t matter what the question is.”) At the end of this long soliloquy, Emanuel ﬁnds his way back to answering Austen’s challenge about how to convince people not to leave the city. “The biggest thing . . . is to grab those who are literally on the street corner now and get them into the economic mainstream.” In an interview, Austen told the Reader that he’d been surprised to learn that the mayor had a podcast and that he was invited to be on it. “My last interaction with the mayor’s office was [spokesman] Adam Collins yelling at me and being like, ‘The New York Times will never have access to this office again,’ after [Austen’s] Laquan McDonald story.” But it seemed to him that Emanuel was genuinely listening during their conversation. “I didn’t think he was weighing his words” like he does during routine media interviews, Austen said. It was odd, though, that the Man on Five had an hour to spend in the middle of a busy weekday on a PR initiative that didn’t seem to have much reach.

It’s Not a Job, It’s a Career Learn More about the Carpenters Apprentice and Training Program. Visit www.CarpentersUnion.Org Or Call 847-640-7373

EMANUEL ENDS ALMOST EVERY EPISODE

of Chicago Stories with a “fast round” of ﬁve basic questions to gauge the Chicago-ness of his guests: “Lake or river? Thick or thin pizza? Cubs or Sox? Willis or Hancock? Twelve-inch or 16-inch [softball]?” It’s an anodyne litmus test with no real stakes—picking one isn’t exactly taking a bold stand. Which seems to be the whole point of Rahm’s podcast. It’s a platform for the mayor to proclaim his local bona ﬁdes and his commitment to the city, but in a way that doesn’t require him to stick his (size 15) neck out too far. Whatever he says and whoever he talks to, he and the city come out on top. In recent months two very different evaluations of Chicago Stories appeared in the local and national press. On one hand, City Hall reporter Bill Ruthhart at the Tribune was delighted to discover “what can happen when a control-the-narrative mayor loosens the reins just a little.” Ruthhart enjoyed the podcast’s “spontaneous moment[s] of levity,” and formed the impression that it “represents a departure from Emanuel’s tendency to avoid letting the public see his meaningful interactions with regular Chicagoans.” A few weeks later, Amanda Hess scoffed at this assessment in the New York Times Magazine, noting that any mayoral revelations are coming “on the podcast he controls completely.” Hess placed Rahm and Chicago Stories within a grow- J

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MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 13

continued from 13

KNOW THY MAYOR RAHM’S FAVORITE PLACES: Four Moon Tavern The Gift Theatre Parachute Robinson’s No. 1 Ribs Manny’s Deli Tiny Lounge Theater on the Lake Avec S.K.Y. Billy Sunday Scofﬂaw The Up Room Riverwalk

RAHM’S ACTIVITIES Fly ﬁshing in Montana Scuba diving Having a drink after a movie Swimming Yoga Ballet dancing Going to the Final Four

THINGS RAHM LIKES Dark and Stormies Battleship Checkers Red wine

RAHM’S READS

HI, KEVIN

14 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance Goethe: Life as a Work of Art by Rüdiger Safranski Faust by Goethe The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs The Lost by Daniel Mendelsohn The Populist Moment by Lawrence Goodwyn The Plot Against America by Philip Roth Evicted by Matthew Desmond High-Risers by Ben Austen Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

ing roster of podcasting politicians that includes Senators Bernie Sanders and Heidi Heitclud kamp, kamp Representatives Keith Ellison and Sean Duffy, Duff and retired public officials including Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Preet Bharara. Thes podcasts present a “hermetically sealed These bran branding platform,” she noted, unmediated by jour journalists and their “pesky questions.” The podc podcast “is just another way that our political news is becoming less accountable to the publi and more personality driven.” lic Both of these assessments have merit. It’s clear Rahm’s having a good time doing the show, and it’s a unique window onto his otherwise pretty private existence. Yet given his deep familiarity with the mechanics of political strategy, it’s hard to imagine that Chicago Stories isn’t some finely tuned, focus-group-tested messaging tactic. It props up everyone and everything his donors adore: th theater, cocktails, feel-good stories about the poor and disadvantaged succeeding against all od odds with a helping hand from this or that city p program. But it’s what comes off as most sincer that’s often most disconcerting—the sincere stories Emanuel tells as he tries to be relatable produce instead a feeling of alienation if you live a less privileged life. As Emanuel talks about restaurants you can’t afford, vacations you’ll never take, books you don’t have time to read, and his kids’ easy access to wealth and opportunity, the mayor feels as far away as the gleaming skyline is for many Chicagoans. What’s more, the tough realities he doesn’t tackle—gentrification, police brutality, the hollowing out of whole communities—are dead spots in the echo chamber. The avoidan of controversial topics in favor of conance ve versations aimed at making him seem more re relatable seems callous coming from the most powe powerful person in Chicago. Th There’s a thing Rahm tells My Block, My Hood My City founder Jahmal Cole in episode Hood, 21 an 21, and that he’s been saying, in varying ways, ye for years: “I’ve always believed that if a child in Eng Englewood and a child in Edgewater look at this city and they have the same perspective—‘That’s my city’—nothing’s gonna hold this city back.” It’s a happy ending to a fairy tale he hasn’t written. Perhaps Chicago Stories has drawn little public interest because most of Emanuel’s constituents know they wouldn’t ﬁnd that kind of story on the mayor’s podcast. Besides, their lives in this city tell them more important things about him than his shirt size and his favorite board games. In Emanuel’s own words: “Voters—at the end of the day they can ﬁgure out a person.” The mayor’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment. v

m @mdoukmas

READER RECOMMENDED

b ALL AGES

ARTS & CULTURE Mariah Sydnei Gordon, Gregory Fenner and Jennifer Glasse é CLAIRE DEMOS

THEATER

A dead man tells his tale

Racism won’t even let the black hero of Hang Man masturbate in peace. By TONY ADLER “Can’t a black man just wanna hang himself for pleasure?” —Darnell in Hang Man

ll hell broke loose back in 1969, when Philip Roth published Portnoy’s Complaint. The world got mad because a distinguished author with lots of higher education had written scenes full of explicit, often perverse, and usually hysterical sex. But lots of Jews got even madder, because not only was that distinguished author Jewish but so was the character he portrayed as either having or imagining the sex: Alexander Portnoy, Assistant Commissioner of Human Opportunity for the city of New York and a walking compendium of every guilt-crazed, mother-haunted, shiksa-obsessed, self-loathing, and, yes, liver-shtupping stereotype that might attach itself to an assimilated midcentury, middle-class American son of Abraham.

The book was anti-Semitic, they charged, its satiric intent and Roth’s roots notwithstanding. It endorsed fraught caricatures, parading them before people who probably believed them already: a shanda für die goyim. I thought of Portnoy’s Complaint when I saw Hang Man by Stacy Osei-Kuffour, getting its world premiere now at the Gift Theatre. Partly because Osei-Kuffour’s narrative bears a peculiar ghost of a resemblance to Roth’s, but mostly because she shares Roth’s fuckit-all attitude toward holy/profane tropes related to her African-American identity. Like Roth, she’s admirably bad at keeping her mouth shut. You can see what I mean even in the halflight before the show starts. Arnel Sancianco’s set features a big, abstract tree with a very realistic noose suspended from one of its branches. A black actor (Gregory Fenner) appears on a platform set into the tree and puts

the noose around his neck. Then he steps out into air, completing one of the most grotesque, traumatic, essential pictures in the black American lexicon: the lynching. Except, we quickly find out, this isn’t a lynching. Not exactly, anyway. It seems the black man hanging from the tree—a guy named Darnell, residing until that moment in what the script calls a “a shit town in Mississippi”—gets off on autoerotic asphyxiation, i.e., masturbating while he strangles. He’s done it many times before in the solitude of the woods, where he’s beyond the reach of the people whose money he’s gambled away and, per Portnoy, the mother who drives him nuts enough to seek release in dangerous sex. Something just went wrong this time. We know all this because being dead doesn’t prevent Darnell talking to us from his pinata perch in the tree. Osei-Kuffour and director Jess McLeod give us what has to be one of the

most eerily comic images in Chicago theater history when Fenner’s amiable, dangling Darnell lifts his head and speaks. What transforms Darnell’s death into a lynching is the stuff that happens after he chokes. The path running by his tree turns out to be a thoroughfare for the ridiculous and the tragic. It starts with mean white bigot Archie (a creepily convincing Paul D’Addario) and his dimwitted white girlfriend Marjarie (Angela Morris), fucking in the clearing beneath Darnell’s feet. When the two gross lovers notice the dead man, Archie wants to clear out. But Marjarie conceives a passion for this strange fruit. Sinking into a delusion that becomes funnier and funnier as it gets more and more extreme, she falls in love, brings him food, attempts communication, and starts making herself over as a black woman a la Foxy Brown, complete with minstrel greasepaint and Afro wig. Meanwhile, others wander by: Archie’s inane cop pal Wipp (Andy Fleischer, in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri mode), as well as Darnell’s forlorn creditor Jahaad (Martel Manning), his pissed-off sister Sage (Jennifer Glasse), and his cinemaphile niece, G (Mariah Sydnei Gordon), the only person to whom he’ll give the time of eternity. Before it’s done Hang Man has simultaneously traduced and refreshed a whole slew of symbols sanctified by black suffering in America. Osei-Kuffour clearly feels comfortable playing with that sacred iconography out in public. It’ll be interesting to see whether she’s received as a traitor, like Roth was 50 years ago, or as a treasure, the way he is now. As a Jew, I know that people who live with minority status want to see themselves represented in the mainstream only until representation becomes less than heroic. Then they’re not so sure. McLeod supplies a creditable premiere, though she could’ve gone even further out on a limb, as it were, to punch up the wildness already present in Morris’s metamorphosis and Fenner’s absurd, somehow endearing suspension. The designers might also look for ways to make Fenner’s rigging grow less rather than more obtrusive as the 90-minute show builds. It’s a distraction when it most needs to be invisible. v R HANG MAN Through 4/29: Thu-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 3:30 and 7:30 PM, Sun 2:30 PM, the Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee, 773-2837071, thegifttheatre.org, $35-$40, $25 seniors, $20 students.

m @taadler MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 15

Watson Swift and Christopher K. McMorris é

THEATER

DEVON GREEN

With Kingdom, Michael Allen Harris reaches the brink of greatness His new play explores three volatile gay relationships in one African-American family. By JUSTIN HAYFORD

ow that I’ve seen my ﬁrst Michael Allen Harris play, I’m adding him to the short list of Chicago playwrights who understand the difference between drama and diorama. While so many of his contemporaries seem content to schematize Big Ideas by populating narrow, transparent stage worlds with one-dimensional characters, Harris trades in compelling, aggravating ambiguity. Like the prodigious Ike Holter, Harris takes messy human impulses and makes them poignantly messier, in the process illuminating the soci-

16 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

etal forces that can turn human shortcomings into iconic tragedies. Kingdom, given an impassioned premiere in director Kanome Jones’s insightful staging for Broken Nose Theatre, reveals Harris on the brink of greatness. He’s created a familiar yet exceptional family: hobbled patriarch Arthur, his terminally ill long-term partner Henry, his self-destructive son Alexander, and his headstrong niece Phaedra, all African-American,

all gay. Their bonds have been nearly rent asunder by the insidious pressures of racism and homophobia, not to mention the workaday traumas of family life. Set in 2015, just after Obergefell v. Hodges granted same-sex couples the right to marry, Kingdom explores three volatile relationships: Arthur and Henry, at loggerheads over legalizing their 40-year partnership; Alexander and Malik, college lovers who split after nine years so closeted Malik could achieve his dream of playing for the NFL; and, less centrally, Phaedra and Rosalija, faltering under the menacing presence of Rosalija’s homophobic ex-boyfriend. Like Lorraine Hansberry, Harris has a gift for creating high-stakes crises that arise naturally from his characters’ social predicaments. To start the play, for example, he maroons everyone in a cramped, rundown family home, where tempers flare and old wounds fester. But unlike the thousand or so playwrights who’ve used a similar setup to fantasize about working-class travails, Harris grounds the play in a particular, intractable reality: they’re all here because Alexander pulled his fathers

out of assisted living after they suffered insistent racist and homophobic mistreatment. Now everybody’s stuck without adequate resources, perspective, or patience. And so it goes for two pressure-cooked hours, as monumental historical forces conspire to trigger each character’s innate weakness—Arthur’s bullheadedness, Henry’s dissimulation, Alexander’s self-loathing, Phaedra’s inflexibility, Malik’s self-absorption— making every bad thing, and a few good ones, a whole lot worse. Best of all, Harris shows engrossing empathy for all his characters. This is the rare gay play that refuses to judge even the unrepentantly closeted character. Harris still has work to do. His first scene dawdles. Henry’s pivotal act-two confession is unearned. The too-easy ending is pure wish fulfillment. But as a dramatist, he’s got the goods, as the affecting, nuanced performances in this world premiere make abundantly clear. v R KINGDOM Through 4/7: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PM; also Wed 3/21, 7:30 PM, Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee, 773-697-3830, brokennosetheatre.com, pay what you can.

ARTS & CULTURE Mahogany Browne; Jamila Woods, and Idrissa Simmonds é COURTESY THE ARTISTS

LIT

‘A quilt of queens’

it up, but literally within three months he said, “Hey, I’m sending Haymarket [Books] your way to sign contracts to do the Black Girl Magic anthology.” While I knew it needed to happen, I thought there would be so much more investment and time I had to put into it. It felt so bizarre.

Mahogany L. Browne describes the making of Black Girl Magic, the second BreakBeat Poets anthology. By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH

he upcoming, empowering poetry anthology The BreakBeat Poets Volume 2: Black Girl Magic, edited by Mahogany L. Browne, Idrissa Simmonds, and Chicago poetry staple Jamila Woods, quickly manifested itself from a short conversation between Browne and Kevin Coval, one of the editors of the first BreakBeat Poets anthology, a collection of hip-hop poetry that came out in 2015. Although it’s billed as a sequel, the book—which will be released in paperback on April 17 and is available as an e-book now—can stand by itself: its dense, entrancing, necessary works by more than 60 black women poets create a black-girl-centric world of their own. Along with Woods’s contribution, “My Afropuffs,” and Browne’s powerful “If 2017 Was a Poem Title,” the book includes a plethora of sensual, sexy, painful, superreal subject matter. That includes Venessa Marco’s “Offwhite,” which faces the very personal black topic of colorism, and “Big Black Bitch” by Bianca Lynne Spriggs, which tells the story of the first black woman mail carrier, Mary Fields. The book provides a well-rounded look at what it means to be a black woman and in the process serves as a platform for our voices and bodies, revealing our maneuvers through the world as deeply relevant to and deserving of literary space. I spoke with Browne—who’s based in New York and who contributed to the first BreakBeat Poets anthology—about the inception and concept of the book and about how she, Simmonds, and Woods were able to create such a bright and heartbreaking world of black girl magic poetry.

Tell me the roots and formation of the anthology. We [the editors] were already in this real conversation about a need for black women

Black women have been getting a lot of positive press and cultural attention in the last couple of years. What do you attribute that to? I think the “positive” press is really just an overdue reflective pool of the way black women have been categorized, stereotyped, flattened, and ignored. So the positive really is just what it’s always been: Black women are amazing. They create movements, fashion, trends, and children. Black women are the backbones of communities, we are true partners, we are staunch supporters in sisterhood and become beacons for those wracked into silence following tragedies. Our humanity has always been commodified, because to love ourselves truly would cause this whole capitalist infrastructure to dissolve into ash. Black women are the freshest of the fresh. Anything that doesn’t celebrate a black woman is only a distraction. v THE BREAKBEAT POETS VOLUME 2: BLACK GIRL MAGIC Edited by Mahogany

to have spaces specifically where they can reclaim their voice and celebrate without being asked to be small, to be put into corners and in boxes where they can not only be contained but categorized. Black Girl Magic was a response and war cry for not just being one way, but being messy and brilliant and understanding the ever-changing forms of the black women’s body. What was your process of choosing the poetry for the book? The process began like most anthologies: we sent out the e-mail blast, then we began courting our personal favorites. After we siphoned it down to a skeleton of a book—like, what do the hands look like? how ﬁrm is the spine?—we began scouring online for missing links and voices and narratives that felt imperative to this quilt of queens.

L. Browne, Idrissa Simmonds, and Jamila Woods (Haymarket).

You wrote a poem called “Black Girl Magic” before you started working on the book. Did you or your poem have anything to do with the title? It was a starting point for the discussion, but the BreakBeat Poets’ editors-founders [Coval, Quraysh Ali Lansana, and Nate Marshall] seemed already interested in a book focusing on the contemporary and burgeoning women’s voices [that are] re-creating the literary canon.

and now it’s sistership. Jamila is a joy. Not only is she focused on providing space for further marginalized voices within the context of blackness and womanhood but she’s a touchstone for art and music and the way in which they transcend boundaries of status, economics, and regions.

How was it to connect with and work with Jamila Woods? I met Jamila through the YCA [Young Chicago Authors]. They brought me in for some youth programming, where I did the ﬁrst draft of the poem “Black Girl Magic.” I knew her through the poetry performance circle, but I got to spend a lot more time with her during this time [in Chicago]. It was always peripheral acknowledgement and acquaintanceship,

How did the conversation between you and Kevin Coval go about making Black Girl Magic volume two of the BreakBeat Poets? We were just chopping shop after I did the performance in Chicago and the [audience] response to the poem was so visceral, I said to Kevin, “You know, you should let me do an anthology!” In hindsight, it was real brazen for me to say that, but he said, “Absolutely,” and didn’t ﬂinch. I thought we were just chopping

m @lovejordannah

MARCH 15 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 17

Steve Buscemi, Adrian McLoughlin, Jeﬀrey Tambor, Dermot Crowley, and Simon Russell Beale in The Death of Stalin é NICOLA DOVE

ARTS & CULTURE MOVIES

The man who would be dictator

Armando Iannucci’s cold-war satire The Death of Stalin shines a light on Lavrenti Beria, head of the Soviet Union’s dreaded secret police. By J.R. JONES

lack comedy doesn’t get any blacker than The Death of Stalin, which mines laughs from one of the most brutal and frightening regimes in modern history. Adapting a graphic novel by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin, British writer and director Armando Iannucci dramatizes the night in March 1953 when Soviet dictator Josef Stalin—who had killed 20 million people, sent 18 million to the gulags as slave labor, and exiled ten million more— keeled over of a cerebral hemorrhage, his subsequent death setting off a power struggle between the Communist Party, led by Nikita Khrushchev, and the state apparatus, led by Stalin’s first lieutenant and head of secret police, Lavrenti Beria. Seeing Kremlin historical figures played by such British and American comic actors as Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, and Michael Palin is a little weird at first, but Iannucci’s tasteless humor might be the only way to approach a subject so epic in its terror and tragedy. The portly Shakespearean actor Simon Russell Beale is one of only a few men to have played Beria onscreen. After Khrushchev triumphed, Beria was tried for treason and executed, and his name was wiped from the Soviet history books. Very little was known about him in the West until the glasnost reforms of the 1990s began to open Soviet archives to historians, at which point the scale of his cruelty and sexual predation began to emerge. The Death of Stalin paints Beria in all his wickedness, scoring dark laughs every time the character opens his mouth. More impressively, though, Iannucci (creator of HBO’s Veep and the BBC’s The Thick of It) notes the sweeping liberal reforms that Beria tried to enact once Stalin had kicked the bucket, reforms that seemed utterly out of keeping with ssss EXCELLENT

sss GOOD

Beria’s security background. Ironically, this political about-face, and not his aggressive mobilization of the state security apparatus, may have been the real reason that the rest of Stalin’s inner circle turned against him. According to biographer Amy Knight, Beria rose to prominence because he alone knew how to manipulate Stalin psychologically. Both men were raised in the Georgian tradition of heroic manhood, and yet both had grown up without fathers. After serving as chief of police in Georgia, Beria moved to Moscow in 1938 to lead the NKVD or secret police, administering the kill lists that Stalin used to get rid of his political enemies, and this position put Beria in a good position to indulge his boss’s growing paranoia. As Stalin’s righthand man, Beria ran the gulag network of forced labor camps, supervised the evacuation of Soviet defense industries as the Nazis drove eastward in World War II, and oversaw the Soviets’ atomic bomb program. By the time Stalin took ill in 1953, however, the men had grown antagonistic, and Beria feared he might become the next enemy of the people pitched into a shallow grave. The Death of Stalin approaches Beria’s chilling resumé with the casual cruelty of a Monty Python sketch. Coming out of a meeting with Stalin, Beria conveys another of their enemy lists to the secret police, reviewing the names as calmly as if they were a shop inventory: “Shoot her before him, but make sure he sees it. . . . On this one, kill him, take him to his church, dump him in the pulpit. . . . I’ll leave the rest up to you.” As he and an underling stroll down the hall, absorbed in conversation, gunshots sound from behind every door, and in the background some poor soul is being rolled down a flight of stairs. After Stalin’s last dinner party breaks up, Beria waits until

ss AVERAGE

18 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

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Vyacheslav Molotov (Palin), the foreign affairs minister, has stepped into his car before telling the other men that Molotov is on the new kill list. “It would be cheaper and simpler if they just drove straight into a river,” muses Beria. “Sweet dreams!” Beria’s job may have been homicide, but his hobby was rape. For years historians were unsure how seriously to credit the claims of Beria’s political enemies that he had seduced or forced himself on dozens of women, but the opening of his interrogation archives settled the matter. As Simon Sebag Montefiore writes in his book Stalin: Court of the Red Tsar, Beria indulged in “a Draculean sex life that combined love, rape, and perversity in almost equal measure. . . . It is often impossible to differentiate between women he seduced who went to him to plead for loved ones—and those women he simply kidnapped and raped.” The limits of Beria’s depravity are still unknown: in 2003, 50 years after his death, the Tunisian Embassy in Moscow, which occupies Beria’s former home, reported that construction work on the cellar had unearthed human bones. The graphic novel hardly shies away from this sinister sideline. Nury and Robin introduce Beria in a darkened office, bending a woman over a desk and exclaiming “HAN HAN HAN HAN” as he pounds away at her (this cartoon utterance is repeated later, when Beria is trying to revive Stalin with CPR). The movie isn’t quite as graphic, but Iannucci gets his point across. “I thank the union for bringing me so many devoted wives who fuck like sewing machines,” Beria tells his underling, and they enjoy a good laugh. After Stalin dies, Beria frees Molotov’s long-imprisoned wife, Polina, but incarcerates the pretty young maid who’s been looking after the prisoner. That night Beria enters the

maid’s cell, doffing his coat, and Iannucci fades to black; the next morning she’s sent home with her parents and a bouquet of ﬂowers. Iannucci, who was born in Scotland to Italian immigrant parents, wisely drops the old movie convention of actors speaking Russian-accented English, and this creates some distance from the material; hearing Stalin (Adrian McLoughlin) speak with a cockney accent and Khrushchev (Buscemi) riff like a New York nightclub comedian pulls The Death of Stalin toward the surreal. Yet as Nury notes in his disclaimer to the graphic novel, “It would have been impossible for [me] to come up with anything half as insane as the real events surrounding the death of Stalin.” After the dictator collapsed in the bedroom of his dacha, urinating all over himself, hours passed before anyone checked on him, because his guards were afraid to intrude on his privacy. Even more time passed while his inner circle debated where to go for medical help; because Stalin had just carried out a purge of Jewish doctors who were supposedly conspiring to poison him, no one wanted to take responsibility for bringing in a physician who might later be accused of treason. The Death of Stalin records this real-life madness, exploiting it for cheap laughs (Stalin’s men keep stepping and kneeling on the urine-soaked carpet as they attend to him) but also carefully tracking the political skullduggery. Both Khrushchev and Beria recognize Stalin’s daughter, Svetlana (Andrea Riseborough), as a major strategic asset, and there’s a riotous scene in which the two rivals race from different directions toward her limousine when she arrives, each hoping to comfort her ﬁrst. Beria has the ear of Stalin’s fatuous, weak-willed deputy, Georgy Malenkov (Tambor), and Khrushchev recruits the defense

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ARTS & CULTURE

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Reese Witherspoon in A Wrinkle in Time

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This Wrinkle is flat Political ﬁlmmaker Ava DuVernay botches the new Disney adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. By BEN SACHS

ith the docudrama Selma and the documentary 13th, director Ava DuVernay has established herself as one of the foremost political ﬁlmmakers in the U.S. These movies tackle complex social issues—civil rights and the U.S. penal system, respectively—and, more importantly, they elucidate how political forces govern society. Given her interests and creative strengths, DuVernay is an odd choice to direct Disney’s new live-action adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s beloved young-adult fantasy novel A Wrinkle in Time (1962); the book, which calls on readers to imagine great stretches of time and space, has enraptured generations of children mainly because it resists logical explanation. Its best passages appeal to the mind’s eye alone, and its fanciful tone (which gives it the air of a classic fairy tale despite L’Engle’s focus on modern science) is too delicate for DuVernay’s probing sensibility. The director not only fails to capture the childlike wonder of A Wrinkle in Time; she also reveals herself to be a terrible director of children. The young actors come off as stiff and awkward, never conveying their characters’ rich emotional lives. Deric McCabe, who plays the preternaturally gifted sixyear-old Charles Wallace, is embarrassing to watch; he struggles with the character’s robust vocabulary, and when the story calls on him to convey awe, he just seems obnoxious.

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Playing his older sister, Meg, Storm Reid seems too confident to communicate the character’s battle with low self-esteem, and she too seems unable to convey any sense of amazement during her extraordinary adventures across the universe. The adults don’t fare much better. Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling, playing the intergalactic spirits who guide the young heroes on their journey, seem uncertain how to approach their characters. Witherspoon seems especially lost as Mrs. Whatsit, the leader of the spirits. A master of interplanetary travel but clueless in the ways of human beings, Mrs. Whatsit is charming in the book because she seems at once wise and naive, yet Witherspoon vacillates between these two extremes, rendering the character nonsensical. Chris Pine, who plays the children’s scientist father, has trouble passing as a brilliant physicist and conveys little tenderness for the children, who rescue him from imprisonment on a dark planet. As a result, the reunion between them, one of L’Engle’s most emotional passages, falls ﬂat, becoming one more example of how DuVernay and company fail to translate the book into cinematic terms. v A WRINKLE IN TIME s Directed by Ava DuVernay. PG, 109 min. For showtimes visit chicagoreader.com/movies.

RSM

minister, Nicolai Bulganin (Paul Chahidi), in his scheme to outflank Beria by bringing in the Soviet army. The power struggle turns tragic when Khrushchev countermands Beria’s order to shut down the rail lines while Stalin lies in state and a flood of mourners into Moscow results in Soviet security forces slaughtering 1,500 people. Iannucci may have turned Nury’s somber novel into something of a goof, but he also takes a more complex view of Beria, who proposes amnesty for low-level prisoners and reaches out to other world governments. In fact Beria’s reforms were even more extensive: he reorganized the domestic security forces, instituted a purge of the foreign intelligence service, and repudiated the Doctors’ Plot that had been one of Stalin’s favorite paranoid fantasies. Soviet relations with the U.S. and with Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia, who had defied Stalin, began to thaw slightly. Most important, Beria signaled his support for nationalist movements in some of the Soviet republics, which Stalin had tried to crush with his long-standing policy of cultural Russification. Beria’s latter move may have been a bridge too far, threatening the stability of the Soviet bloc; when economic collapse in the German Democratic Republic brought protesters into the streets of East Berlin in June 1953, Beria was blamed for the chaos, and Khrushchev finally found the opening he needed. Reconciling Beria’s monstrous behavior with his liberal reforms isn’t easy, especially for Khrushchev. “You’re the good guy now?” he sputters after Beria has introduced his amnesty program. “You locked up half the nation! You beat them, you raped them, you killed them!” Beria replies, “Yes, and now I’m releasing them.” After Beria has been shot and his corpse set on fire, Khrushchev rails at him: “I will bury you in history, you hear me, you fat fucker?” He did—after replacing Stalin as general secretary of the party, Khrushchev rolled back his predecessor’s program of state terror, though he stopped well short of the goals Beria had championed. At one point Khrushchev, urging Svetlana to seek asylum in Vienna, warns her, “This is how people get killed—when their stories don’t fit.” The Death of Stalin is a priceless political satire, but what’s really impressive is how hard Iannucci tries to fit Beria’s story into the puzzle. v THE DEATH OF STALIN ssss Directed by Armando Iannucci, R, 107 min. Century 12 and CineArts 6, Landmark’s Century Centre, River East 21

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m @1bsachs MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 19

Dave Rempis at Elastic Arts, where he programs a long-running Thursday improvised-music series é CENGIZ YAR

D AV E R E M P I S BUILDS AN INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY IN JAZZ

hicago saxophonist Dave Rempis grew up outside Boston in Wellesley, Massachusetts, son of a Greek father and a mother he describes as an “American mutt from Indianapolis.” He absorbed traditional Greek music at weddings and church functions, and well as through an AM radio show his father liked that featured a family friend on clarinet. He knew his family was different from his classmates’, but at that age he didn’t realize how rare it was for a native-born

20 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

white American to belong to a minority community held together by that sort of social and cultural glue. Rempis arrived at a new appreciation of his upbringing at Northwestern University, where he started in 1993. He’d picked up the saxophone at age eight, the same year his older brother began playing clarinet, and by high school he’d fallen in love with jazz via the likes of Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, and Yusef Lateef (whose experiments with Indian, African, and Middle Eastern traditional music set him to exploring further afield). At Northwestern he’d planned to double major in classical saxophone and something in the liberal arts, but within three months he’d soured on the regimentation of the classical program—the syllabus laid out exactly what he’d be playing for four years, right down to the mouthpiece he’d be using. He switched his focus to anthropology, inspired by an ethnomusicology class taught by Paul Berliner—an influential scholar who’d helped introduce the West to the Shona mbira music of Zimbabwe in the 1970s. That class led Rempis to reflect on his childhood in Boston’s Greek-American community—it clicked for him that he’d been part of a group that worked to keep its culture alive in a country that didn’t share it. He began to understand the creation and maintenance of community as a good in and of itself, worth any time and energy he devoted to it. In his subsequent musical career, few things have distinguished him as much as his commitment to community building. For two decades, Rempis has been one of the most exciting and powerful improvising saxophonists in Chicago, and his contributions to the scene’s infrastructure are at least as important. Since landing his first big gig—replacing Mars Williams in the Vandermark 5 in 1998—he’s led or co-led a long string of bands, including Triage, the Engines, the Rempis Percussion Quartet, and Ballister. For nearly that whole time, he’s also been an active concert programmer: beginning in 2002, he’s curated a weekly improvisedmusic series, first at Humboldt Park venue 3030 and now at Elastic Arts. In Chicago only the Hungry Brain’s Sunday series, launched in 2001, has run longer. Rempis has served as a community connector well beyond Chicago, facilitating musical relationships around the States and abroad. Last year he embarked on a U.S. solo tour whose 31 dates took him from one end of the country to the other, and at each stop he’d play solo and then team up with local improvisers, many of whom organize concerts in their own towns. Last fall he released an album of live solo recordings from the road called Lattice, and next week another fruit of that cross-country trip will arrive: several of Rempis’s far-flung tour collaborators convene in Chicago for the third iteration of his Exposure Series, which runs March 22 through 26 and includes rehearsals, hangout time with local players, a panel discussion, and collaborative performances at Elastic, the Hungry Brain, Experimental Sound Studio, and May Chapel at Rosehill Cemetery. It’s likely to include at least one off-the-books celebration too, since Rempis turns 43 on the third day of the festival.

hen Rempis enrolled at Northwestern, he didn’t know much about Chicago’s burgeoning improvised-music scene. He focused mainly on his coursework, and though he continued to play after dropping out of the music program, he didn’t yet consider it a potential career path—he participated in informal jams, maintained a regular quartet for a jazz-combo class, and gave concerts on campus with fellow students such as pianist Paul Giallorenzo, future Wandelweiser Group composer Craig Shepard, and experimentalist C. Spencer Yeh. He and Giallorenzo, who’s now a director at Elastic Arts, continue to work together today. “Dave is a natural leader,” Giallorenzo says. “He’s super organized, and he has one of the coolest and clearest-headed temperaments of anyone I know. He’s great at building consensus.” Rempis and his college friends frequented Chicago clubs, including the Green Mill, the HotHouse, the Velvet Lounge, and the Empty Bottle. “I heard about the Green Mill right away,” he says. “I started going there every Friday night when I was a freshman to see Ed Petersen with Willie Pickens, Brian Sandstrom, and Robert Shy, which was a great band. I really loved those shows and learned to drink gin at that bar. I would be there literally every Friday. They didn’t card at the time.” Rempis spent his junior year at the University of Ghana in Accra, studying at the school’s new International Centre for African Music and Dance. Rempis learned about hand percussion as a way to better understand the music in which he’d immersed himself, especially the ensemble traditions of the Ewe and Akan people. He studied the xylophone-like gyil and picked up on relatively modern practices such as

The baritone saxophone Rempis plays is a Selmer Mark VI from the mid-1950s. A musician friend of his has nicknamed the horn's red-velvetlined case the “vampire coﬃn.” é CENGIZ YAR

brass-band music and highlife. “A typical day for me would involve some classes in the morning. I’d then go to the library, and in the afternoon I’d go out and play a bit,” he says. The campus was a magnet for stellar Ghanaian musicians from all over the city, and many of them asked him to collaborate. “I still was playing saxophone, but not much during my freshmen and sophomore years,” Rempis says. “Basically, just at jazz combo once a week, which I continued to do at school. It was really when I went to Ghana that I got reinspired to play a lot. There weren’t many horn players around, so all the musicians I met there would invite me to come and play. It made me remember how much I loved it, and it was nice to feel in demand. When I returned I just said, ‘OK, fuck it,’ and started practicing again as much as possible—usually two to four hours a day.” Rempis says one of his most important experiences at Northwestern was a class on black gospel music in Chicago taught by Anthony Davis, a choir director in the city. “He was an incredible character—totally ﬂamboyant, big rings on every ﬁnger, full-length fur coat. Academically, it was one of the most ass-kicking things I took,” Rempis says. “He was such a rigorous professor, but then he had us going out to churches regularly to see Sunday-morning services, Saturdaynight concerts, deep on the south side, and that was incredible.” The class not only pushed him out of the white-dominated Northwestern bubble but also helped teach him the value of going to the source, to learn with deference and respect from the originators of the music he loved. That experience prepared him to fall in love with the community he encountered at the J Velvet Lounge.

MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 21

continued from 21

“Even in the 90s, there weren’t that many places in town where the history and the personality of the place felt that deep,” Rempis says. Fred Anderson’s long-gone South Loop club occupies a singularly exalted place in his imagination, as it does in the minds of many musicians and fans of a certain age. “Fred’s personality ﬁlled that room with character that was tangible from the first time I walked in the door in 1996. That place was something different always.” Anderson’s selﬂessness and generosity impressed Rempis profoundly. “I guess what hit me so hard is that here’s a legendary musician in the world of jazz, and he’d be at the door, taking the $10 cover charge, answering the phone,” he says. “He could’ve focused on his own career, and probably should have! But instead, he spent all of his time running his bar. Taking the trash out, serving drinks, working the door, just so that all the different people he invited to play at the Velvet—from Steve Lacy and William Parker and Peter Brötzmann to myself and young people like me—could have a place to develop their thing. One night when I apologized for the low turnout, he shuffled by as he was cleaning up and said, ‘But the music was good, and that’s the important thing.’” Rempis graduated in 1997, moved into Chicago, and began focusing on music full-time. He landed a bartending gig at the Bop Shop, which had relocated that year from Wicker Park to the South Loop and would soon close. There he met many of the young musicians who’d soon begin shaping the local scene, including drummers Tim Daisy and Mike Reed. He played pickup sessions, worked in some forgettable jam bands, and began forming projects of his own—including ferocious free-jazz trio Triage, launched in ’97 with Daisy and bassist Gordon Lewis (replaced in 2001 by Jason

22 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

Rempis and his baritone saxophone é CENGIZ YAR

Ajemian). Then Rempis hit a major turning point: he asked Ken Vandermark about taking private lessons on extended techniques. Unbeknownst to him, saxophonist Mars Williams was about to leave the Vandermark 5—one of the most popular and galvanizing free-jazz bands in the city. “I remember coming home and there was a message on the answering machine,” Rempis says. “‘Yeah, this is Ken Vandermark. I was wondering if you might want to audition for my quintet?’ And I was like, holy shit, what?” After two months of intensive rehearsals, Rempis debuted with the group in March 1998. “I was still in school when Dave joined the Vandermark 5,” says Giallorenzo, “and seeing him become part of that band was awe-inspiring.” Rempis has maintained a close connection with Vandermark ever since, playing in several of his other projects both before and after the Vandermark 5 called it quits in 2010, among them the Territory Band, the Resonance Ensemble, and Audio One. Vandermark set an example for Rempis by establishing residencies for the V5, teaching the younger player the importance of developing material via regular gigs. Vandermark also had a hand in organizing several concert series in the 90s at spots such as HotHouse, Lunar Cabaret, the Nervous Center, and most famously the Empty Bottle, where he worked with John Corbett to bring in toptier musicians from the U.S. and Europe. Around the same time Rempis joined the Vandermark 5, some of his friends from Northwestern, including Giallorenzo, began presenting concerts at a loft space at Cermak near the river. They called themselves Elastic Revolution Productions, which morphed into the Drastic Elastic Foundation—a nod to the collective’s interest in hip-hop and spoken word. Free jazz

was part of the mix too, and Rempis got involved when the collective found itself in need of a new home—it was evicted in spring 2001. In the fall of that year, the group moved into an abandoned Humboldt Park church it named 3030, for its address on Cortland Avenue, and in April 2002 Rempis began his Thursday improvised-music series there. It helped soften the blow created by the closure of Lincoln Square space the Nervous Center, which ended an important weekly series Daisy had programmed. “I think I’m pretty open about the fact that this was not just a selﬂess undertaking,” Rempis says. “I need a place to play, and that’s my prime motivation in a lot of ways. But I’m not going to play every week, and there’s a lot of other people looking for gigs—especially at that time, there were so many younger people in Chicago doing this music.” Unfortunately, 3030’s residential location caused trouble almost instantly, drawing complaints about noise and loitering from disgruntled neighbors, including a father with young children whose home was separated from the venue by nothing but a vacant lot. “We were just stupid kids at the time,” Rempis says. “We weren’t sensible enough to realize how big of a problem that could be. We were just like, ‘Fuck this guy, we’re trying to do art.’” Eventually a barrage of complaints, many from that father, provoked the city to crack down, and 3030 shuttered in fall 2005. The Empty Bottle’s weekly series was already tapering off, and the original Velvet Lounge closed in spring 2006. Things suddenly looked bleak for the local improvisedmusic scene. This unexpected drought of concert opportunities led Rempis and several colleagues to form Umbrella Music in spring 2006: he was joined by Vandermark (who was about to start a weekly series at the Hideout) and by Reed and cornetist Josh Berman (who’d together launched the Sunday series at the Hungry Brain). Rempis resumed his Thursday series at 3030’s new Avondale spot, where it renamed itself Elastic Arts. “After we moved to the Milwaukee Avenue location and became more of a serious venue,” Giallorenzo says, “Dave realized that what we were doing had value, and he started looking beyond his series, not only to help the organization survive but also to open his eyes to other types of creative music and art that were happening.” The Hideout, Hungry Brain, and Elastic series operated independently, but they often collaborated to offer visiting artists several days of gigs at different spaces. Umbrella also created a website to list its concerts and presented an annual fall festival, which ran from 2006 till 2014 and immediately became a highlight of the jazz calendar—thanks largely to its European Jazz Meets Chicago event, inaugurated in 2007. In July 2006 the Velvet Lounge reemerged in new digs at 67 E. Cermak, and the scene grew stronger than ever, driven by musicians who refused to let it fall apart. Since Anderson’s death in 2010, the Velvet has been shuttered and sold, and it’s no longer a jazz club. But Rempis’s Thursday series soldiers on, despite a break

from September 2015 till March 2016 while Elastic relocated to its current location on Diversey, and it remains a reliable way to hear top-notch locals as well as touring players. Rempis has also come to take his responsibilities as a presenter more seriously. “When I started this, it was basically like, ‘I’m a young musician just trying to hustle gigs. And I’m here to ﬁeld e-mails from people who are out there doing the same.’ But over the years, I’ve realized more and more that there is actually some sort of curatorial duty,” he says. “We need to reach out to certain people more who aren’t reaching out to us and try to bring them into the space, and that’s part of our duty as an organization.”

mong Rempis’s efforts is the Exposure Series. It began in 2016 with a week-long visit to Elastic by New York saxophonist Tony Malaby, and last year German reedist Silke Eberhard did a similar residency. “The idea was to bring in higher-profile musicians to attract more attention to this space, but also to create something for musicians working in Chicago regularly to meet somebody they haven’t really worked with before, who might provide some types of new perspective,” Rempis says. “Not just for one concert or one thing with their band, but for some workshops and rehearsals, so that it’s a four- or five-day thing where people really get to interact with them in a bunch of different ways.” For this year’s installment, Rempis invited six lesser-known musicians from around the eastern U.S., most of whom likewise serve their own scenes by organizing concerts: saxophonist Steve Baczkowski (Buffalo), bassist Brandon Lopez (Brooklyn), bassist Luke Stewart (Washington, D.C.), saxophonist Michael Foster (Brooklyn), saxophonist Molly Jones (Detroit), and guitarist Tashi Dorji (Asheville, North Carolina). He’d played with everyone but Foster on last year’s Lattice tour, and he got to know Foster through Lopez at around the same time. Rempis wanted to use the 2018 Exposure Series to bring back to Chicago the network building he’d done on the road. “The idea was really to bring people with a bunch of different perspectives, who have different interests, different modes of working,” he says. Stewart, for example, plays in fiery free-jazz group Irreversible Entanglements (fronted by spoken-word artist Moor Mother) and with deeply rooted but adventurous saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, among other contexts. He cofounded the influential Capital Bop concert series and now programs music at polystylistic venue Rhizome. “He’s doing some really amazing shows, as a musician but also as an organizer,” Rempis says. “He’s whipped a scene into shape.” Stewart is likewise aware of Rempis’s work. “From the activities of Vandermark and Corbett, to Mike Reed, to Rempis, and of course the scene-setting historical legacy of the AACM, Chicago is one of the important cities in this music,” he says. “Dave is another in a long practice of community building—he has become part of the continuum of self-starting musicians, and does it with lots of integrity and respect.” Rempis had been developing his solo practice

for years before embarking on the Lattice tour—he wanted to make sure he was ready. In 2016 he quit his job as business manager of the Pitchfork Music Festival (a position he’d held since 2005), and the loss of that income gave him an extra nudge. Rempis manages his finances with the same discipline that he applies to all aspects of his life, and he was careful to structure the tour so that it would be profitable. He won a small Individual Artists Program grant from the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events that defrayed some expenses, and he saved wherever he could: he traveled alone, with no driver or manager, and crashed on couches. He secured modest guarantees for each gig—usually between $150 and $200—and he sold loads of CDs released by his own Aerophonic label, founded in 2013. He’s appeared on all its releases, most of which exist in physical editions—and more important, every one has made money. Aerophonic also released the tour document Lattice, of course, but for Rempis the trip was all about bonding with kindred souls. “There are communities all over the country doing this kind of stuff,” he says. “And the ones that are successful are the ones that are actually a community of people working together, where it’s not just one person but there’s some kind of network and infrastructure set up. In Chicago we’re lucky to have a much broader infrastructure of musicians, audience, writers, festivals, and venues. Other places are at different stages of that kind of development, in terms of finding an audience or finding people to write about it. I think the way people are thinking about this music and thinking about how to present it needs to continue to develop, in the same type of way that people consume their music differently now.” It’s still a great time to be a fan of improvised music, but Rempis thinks the musicians themselves must overhaul their community if they want it to survive. A recent French tour with the Bridge project underlined some of the problems for him. “I had an incredible time with these musicians, but on some levels it was really disappointing. Like, everybody here is 65 years old; they’re not going to be here in ten years. Where are we going to play? Who are we going to be playing to?” The whiteness and maleness of the contemporary scene also seem like dead ends to Rempis. “I led a two-day master class at this conservatory in Paris, and I walked into the room thinking, ‘It’s 2018, hopefully this will be a slightly diverse group of people,’ and it’s all white guys—in Paris, which is a very diverse city,” he says. “There’s not a single woman in the room and there’s not a single person of color in the room. And that’s fucked-up.” Rempis struggles with improving diversity in his Chicago programming—American structural inequalities already contribute to the underrepresentation of women and people of color among active improvisers—but he and his partners at Elastic want to find ways to change the landscape. Rempis suspects that the biggest transformation will need to happen in the schools, where a more diverse cohort of musicians can be nurtured from an early age.

EXPOSURE SERIES Curated by Dave Rempis, with appearances by Steve Baczkowski, Brandon Lopez, Luke Stewart, Michael Foster, Molly Jones, and Tashi Dorji. Thursday, March 22, through Monday, March 26, with events at Elastic Arts, the Hungry Brain, Experimental Sound Studio, and May Chapel at Rosehill Cemetery. Complete listings at chicagoreader.com.

Over the years Rempis has put these priorities forward in many of the workshops he’s led. For him the cultural setting of jazz matters more than its nuts and bolts. “How can I convey what the music is about, on a broader scale than just ‘Here’s the notes you should play and look at these chords’?” he says. “I don’t think the music or anything exists in a vacuum. All that stuff is important when you’re thinking about the music and how it’s made and what was the context it was made in.” In Chicago’s scene, as in many others, audiences are small and pay is scarce. Even the nonmusicians who pitch in to keep the community viable often do so for little or no money. Rempis mentions Tushar Samant, who contributes free labor to maintain the invaluable gig calendar Now Is (following in the footsteps of committed scene boosters Seth Tisue and Malachi Ritscher), and Dave Zuchowski, a sound engineer who offers high-quality mobile recordings at far below market rates, enabling many musicians to make albums even when they can’t afford studio expenses. Rempis has been moved by this kind of love and sacriﬁce for his whole career. “I came into this community at a time when things were so strong,” he says. “All the volunteer work that so many people were doing to make this scene something—and especially the vibe around the Velvet. For all of us of this generation working, presenting music, playing music, anybody who had that interaction with Fred [Anderson] I think has an almost religious respect for the meaning of that. You can’t have been a part of that without understanding how deep it really was and how deep his commitment was—and the commitment of so many of the other people around him.” Rempis knows how vital it is to operate from a place of generosity and fellowship within such a fragile ecosystem. He’s humble and unselﬁsh enough to praise the efforts of other people who’ve contributed in the same ways he has, rather than seeking credit for his own work. When he talks about what Vandermark has done for Chicago’s scene, he could be talking about himself. “The amount of volunteer work that Ken has done over the years to make stuff happen in Chicago is remarkable, and on some level I think people sort of take it for granted or just assume that it’s something which is always going to be there,” Rempis says. “No, it’s a special thing.” Ask Vandermark about Rempis, though, and he doesn’t hold back. “Dave has booked more than 500 weekly concerts at Elastic Arts,” he says. “This would be a remarkable achievement even if that was all he’s worked on, but he’s also one of the most important musicians in this city—he’s in charge of ensembles, performs with an international set of collaborators, organizes tours for himself and other musicians in the States and Europe, runs Aerophonic Records, and does this work at the highest creative level. Dave leads by example—not by talking about trying to accomplish something, but by actually doing it.” v

m @pmarg MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 23

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24 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

Recommended and notable shows and critics’ insights for the week of March 15

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PICK OF THE WEEK

Moaning deliver inspiration from LA’s postpunk past to a new era

Scott Hirsch é LUISA PELIPETZ

THURSDAY15 Scott Hirsch Glyders headline; Scott Hirsch and Dylan Golden Aycock open. 9 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, $10. 21+

é MICHAEL SCHMELLING

MOANING, DAYMAKER

Tue 3/20, 8:30 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, $10, $8 in advance. 21+

LAST MONTH MOANING front man Sean Solomon told the record club Vinyl Me, Please, “I think we take a lot of inﬂuence from Abe Vigoda and No Age, but I don’t think it’s something people will necessarily notice.” He’s right in the sense that the LA postpunk trio sound like they could have emerged from any contemporary underground rock scene; their style befits any guitar-based genre that’s vaguely sad, or sharply employs effects pedals, or is something that people with little frame of reference for music might incorrectly describe as “goth” or “emo.” Their new self-titled debut (Sub Pop) contains sounds that verge on

Abe Vigoda’s synthy solemnity and No Age’s mighty echo, but the first thing I picked up on was a shade of the sort of cold, midwestern minimalism that departed Chicago postpunk heroes Disappears played so well. Despite displaying the distinctive marks of the groups that influenced them, the members also share some of their own personalities on the album. The driving “Does This Work for You” shows Moaning have promise, and that they’re able to harness and handle weapons-grade chilliness with a pop star’s uncanny ability to immediately connect with listeners. —LEOR GALIL

For nearly 20 years multi-instrumentalist Scott Hirsch has quietly sculpted rich landscapes of expansive Americana in San Francisco’s the Court and Spark. More recently, he’s collaborated with that band’s old front man, MC Taylor, on Taylor’s solo project, Hiss Golden Messenger. But a couple of years ago Hirsch finally stepped out on his own, and in 2016 he produced an album of kaleidoscopic range and beauty that encompasses his varied interests. Blue Rider Songs (Scissor Tail) summons the spirit of Little Feat’s Lowell George with a rustic vibe, funneling roots music through a prism of intimate detail and hushed projection. On opening track “Blue Rider,” a clopping groove is rooted in a primitive drum machine loop that suggests Johnny Cash’s Tennessee Two in the studio with Suicide’s Martin Rev, but Hirsch’s soft, conversational singing and richly tuneful, flanged leads smooth away any edge. As the album proceeds, the lush pedal-steel soliloquies of Thomas Heyman (another vet of the Court and Spark), gurgling organ fills of Phillip Cook (a frequent HGM sidekick), and steamy tenor saxophone of Matthew Douglas combine to infuse Hirsch’s ambling tunes with melodic generosity and a luxuriant vibe that I’ve found hard to resist. There are some nice instrumental digressions too: the brief “No Wife” sounds like T. Rex covering Gershon Kingsley’s “Popcorn,” while “Raga of the Sea” reveals a fluency in John Fahey’s American Primitive school of fingerstyle guitar. Tonight Hirsch fronts a stripped-down trio with bassist Lauren Bath and drummer Dylan Golden Aycock, who opens the show with a solo guitar set. —PETER MARGASAK J

MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 25

MUSIC

Find more music listings at chicagoreader.com/soundboard.

continued from 25

pery harmonics to viscous, deeply fricative slabs. I heard her improvise as part of a string trio in January in New York, but I expect her manipulation of varied sound channeling devices will be hard to top. —PETER MARGASAK

FRIDAY16

Leila Bordreuil 8 PM, Logan Center for the Arts, University of Chicago, 915 E. 60th. Free with RSVP at eventbrite.com/e/lampo-leila-bordreuiltickets-42766317206. b

French cellist Leila Bordreuil is a rising figure on New York’s improvising scene. She casually accesses concepts from jazz, contemporary classical, noise, and experimental traditions, but adheres to none of them. If anything distinguishes the work by her that I’ve encountered so far, it’s her fierce interest in pure color and texture. Sometimes she manipulates her strident arco sounds with amplification; in her Chicago debut she’ll employ a multichannel setup using different kinds of microphones and amplifiers to create a series of altered manifestations of her playing, which is knuckle-bloodying in its tactile grit. But even when she performs acoustically, she generates bewildering skeins of sound that defy the ears. On The Caustic Ballads (Relative Pitch), a deliriously abrasive set of duos with saxophonist Michael Foster, Bordreuil creates astringent upper-register sobs and shrieks that often sound more like an overblown saxophone than a string instrument. What stands out even more is

26 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

Vamos Rich Jones and Lifestyles open. 9 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, $10. 21+

Leila Bordreuil é CAMERON KELLY how she and her partner generate empathic lines that seethe like slow-motion live wire, writhing and grinding in exquisite agony. Bordreuil’s collaborations with bass clarinetist Lea Bertucci are more hypnotic. On their 2015 album L’Onde Souterraine (Telegraph Harp), extended single-note lines and repeating arpeggios are played quietly. As ampliﬁcation is triggered by the musicians, the acoustic sounds blossom into overtone-rich billows, which sets the listener awash in thrilling, meticulously considered psychoacoustic effects. Bordreuil’s latest tape with bassist Zach Rowden, Hollow (No Rent), is entirely acoustic, with music that moves from whis-

Vamos make the kind of slaphappy, feral rock ’n’ roll that’s got a tectonic power, which is why in 2015 local music site cum label Midwest Action asked front man Ryan Murphy which building he’d want to destroy with his band’s sound. (Murphy’s answer: “Trump Tower or the DMV.”) It’s all well and good to marvel at the band’s musical muscle, but they’re an impressive force in the local rock ecosystem because of how they move all that mass. The fuzz and buzz throughout their brandnew second album, 1, 2, 3 (Maximum Pelt), work like a megaphone; the band sounds louder and more forceful than ever before, like they’re a cacophonous crowd midriot rather than three musicians. That rawness doesn’t distract from Vamos’s unambiguous, sharp pop sensibilities but rather helps to supersize their sound; the vocal harmonies on, say, “Bathroom 54” sound like they’ve been lifted from a forgotten doo-wop record and forced to fight back a tsunami. —LEOR GALIL

Tashi Dorji (right) & Tyler Damon é COURTESY THE ARTIST

MUSIC

bottom lounge

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UPCOMING SHOWS

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RIOT FEST PRESENTS

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05.17 HELMET PRONG

RIOT FEST PRESENTS

SUNDAY18 Tashi Dorji & Tyler Damon with special guest Liberty Natural Information Society and Frank Meadows open. 9 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, $12. 21+ Over the last few years, guitarist Tashi Dorji (from Asheville, North Carolina) and drummer Tyler Damon (from Bloomington, Indiana) have forged an increasingly solid bond. They create harrowing improvisational duets that snarl and swagger like

05.19 FU MANCHU the most vicious storms, ebbing and ﬂowing with passages of mayhem and temporary calm. After years of developing an appealingly jagged freeimprovisation practice on acoustic guitar (something he still purveys), Dorji’s been refashioning his attack on electric, magnifying humid resonance, tangled harmonies, and viscous overtones within a rich, punishing world of sound. Damon, who’s recently been playing drums in Circuit des Yeux, doesn’t downplay his rock roots in his machinegun sallies with Dorji, but he carefully modulates his approach to maintain meaningful interactions— and he can dispense with ﬁxed patterns at the J

MOS GENERATOR

05.31 COMBICHRIST

WEDNESDAY 13 / NIGHT CLUB / PRISON DEATH VALLEY HIGH RIOT FEST PRESENTS

06.01 MAD CADDIES 06.23 SLOAN REACT PRESENTS

08.18 SPAG HEDDY www.bottomlounge.com 1375 w lake st 312.666.6775

MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 27

MUSIC continued from 27

Find more music listings at chicagoreader.com/soundboard.

drop of a hat. Last year the duo revealed its adaptability on To the Animal Kingdom (Trost), a lacerating live recording from a 2016 tour with the Danish saxophonist Mette Rasmussen. Not only do the reedist’s striated, razor-sharp improvisations cut through the din like butter, her slashing, protean playing seems to inspire her partners toward even greater extremes. Last month Dorji and Damon dropped Leave No Trace: Live in St. Louis (Family Vineyard), their most varied, dynamic duo recording yet. As usual, the music surges and recedes in thrilling fashion, yet beyond the explosions and decay lies stunning detail, such as the subtly shifting tom rolls of Damon or the altering tonal gradations in Dorji’s numbing chords and barbed singlenote runs. —PETER MARGASAK

28 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

Honey Dijon 10 PM, Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, $12. 21+ Born and raised in Chicago during the 1980s, Honey Dijon (aka Honey Redmond) became entrenched in house music during its original boom before moving to New York City, where she became a familiar presence in the club scene during the halcyon, pre-Giuliani days of dance music. She’s a mainstay of both the high-fashion and the dance-music cognoscenti, working with Louis Vuitton just as easily as she’ll jump on Beats in Space, but she’s spent her whole DJ career building on populist tradition. Last year Dijon put out her ﬁrst-ever LP, The Best of Both Worlds (Classic Music Company), a melange of classic house and techno tropes that stands out for its unabashed embrace of

MUSIC Honey Dijon é COURTESY THE ARTIST

powerful, sultry vocals, but her DJ mixes—which extend back for years—reveal a striking simultaneity of breadth and depth as an archivist. Dijon is a dedicated formalist when it comes to getting the dance ﬂoor to move, but she has no hardand-fast genre allegiances beyond that, sourcing both her four-on-the-floor and blissful, cathartic moments from across the world of black music. On March 18, Dijon will be playing at Queen!, the weekly Sunday Smartbar party founded by Chicago legend and her longtime friend (and early mentor) Derrick Carter. With her effusive, crate-digging passion working in tandem with her penchant to play both crowd-pleaser and provocateur, expect the unexpected, along with a steamy dance floor. —AUSTIN BROWN

imploded in 2011, it’s Pill. On their 2016 debut fulllength, Convenience, the four-piece made it clear that when it comes to making arty noise-rock with a heavy dose of Brooklyn cool, they’re a hard crew to top. But with last year’s Aggressive Advertising EP (out of Dull Tools, the label run by Andrew Savage of Parquet Courts), they also proved that they’re capable of producing a masterpiece. Over the alltoo-brief record’s seven songs, Pill lay down tracks that never stay in one place for too long, brilliantly shifting between blistering punk, creepy controlled hush, explosive saxophone skronk, and frantic, reckless synth. And they never skip a chance to make their manic chaos catchy or mind-blowing. Pill’s latest release is a seven-inch they put out last month as part of the Live at Third Man Records series. The recording captures them in their element, with unreal performances of the Aggres-

sive Advertising track “Afraid of the Mirror” on the A side and “TV Wedding,” oﬀ their ﬁrst self-titled EP, on the B. —LUCA CIMARUSTI

TUESDAY20 Kelly Lee Owens Carmen Villain and Pixel Group open. 8 PM, Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, $15, $12 in advance. 18+

Welsh producer Kelly Lee Owens arrived at techno from the world of indie: she started the decade playing bass for London dream-pop outﬁt the History of Apple Pie, and before that she spent time running small music festivals in Manchester, where she’d trained to be a nurse. Her 2017 self-titled J

MONDAY19 Kris Davis 7:30 PM, Experimental Sound Studio, 5925 N. Ravenswood, $10, $8 students and members. b I’ve written quite a bit about New York-based pianist Kris Davis in recent years, taking note of the versatility that enables her to not just blend in naturally in disparate contexts but make them better. She recently released a stunning collection of duets with fellow pianist Craig Taborn called Octopus (Pyroclastic), which blends rhapsodic reveries, driving rhythmic journeys, and harmonic explorations. Last year at the Green Mill, Davis provided simpatico contributions to an equally agile and shapeshifting quartet led by bassist Eric Revis, often binding hurtling tempos and convoluted structures with quiet authority. Somehow I missed 2017’s Asteroidea (Intakt), a trio session with bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Eric McPherson, until recently, but since then it’s been blowing my mind with each listen. The music on it is all improvised, but its rhythmic snap and locked-in precision are unmistakable. Davis emphasizes the percussive side of her playing, mixing shattered-glass runs with hypnotizing riffs—which she bangs out with preparations that land somewhere between Conlon Nancarrow’s player-piano constructions and John Cage’s sonatas, crafting it all on the fly alongside the flinty, heatproducing grooves and angular counterpoint of her dazzling partners. Still, as malleable as her playing is, she has a clear identity. On Massive Threads (Thirsty Ear), her most recent solo recording, her playing is marked by a blend of postclassical contemplativeness, Monk-ish angularity (she delivers a wonderfully halting version of “Evidence”), and stark polyrhythms articulated through discrete right- and left-hand figures. —PETER MARGASAK

Pill Running opens. 9 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, $10. 21+ Kris Davis é PETER GANNUSHKIN

If any band is set to fill the massive, sleazy New York no-wave void left by Sonic Youth after they

MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 29

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In Szold Hall

MUSIC

Find more music listings at chicagoreader.com/soundboard.

continued from 29 solo album (Smalltown Sound) contains all the ﬁxins that practically any discerning indie-rock fan would want out of music, regardless of genre; her sounds are warm, and each track contains small details that reveal themselves upon repeated listens—whole chunks of the record can nestle into the back of your mind and emerge in your consciousness during moments of solitude. Though her CV suggests she’s an outsider to techno, Kelly Lee Owens shows its creator is someone who not only understands the genre’s push and pull as well as any lifer but has the capacity to nudge anyone allergic to electronic music closer to the form. The wide-open “8” opens with a raga that slowly dissolves into a Krautrock-inspired synth melody before moving toward experimental and ambient sounds in search of nirvana. —LEOR GALIL

WEDNESDAY21

SATURDAY, MARCH 17 8PM

Peter & Jeremy

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

The Thing Constellation, 3111 N. Western, $18, $15 in advance. 18+

TUESDAY, MARCH 20 7:30PM

Over the course of its career the Scandinavian juggernaut known as the Thing has collaborated with a wildly diverse group of musicians: art-pop singer Neneh Cherry, free-jazz warrior Joe McPhee, Japanese experimentalist Otomo Yoshihide, polymath (and former Chicagoan) Jim O’Rourke, and Sonic Youth front man Thurston Moore, among others. The trio—saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, and bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten—surveys classic free-jazz tunes by Don Cherry as well as garage-rock classics by the Sonics—highlighting the inextricable link between soul and muscularity, and digging into how sound can be both a weapon and a balm. Last year the Thing extended its connections with Baby Talk (Trost), a partnership with the singular American guitarist James Blood Ulmer, who devised a bracing style of jazz-funk under the tutelage of Ornette Cole-

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

Altan SATURDAY, MARCH 24 8PM

Kaia Kater / Big Sadie In Szold Hall

SATURDAY, APRIL 7 8PM

The Steel Wheels

In Szold Hall

Kelly Lee Owens é KIM HIORTHØY

man. The recent album, cut at Molde Jazz Festival in 2015, found the trio supporting Ulmer on four of his signature tunes, creating a corkscrewing grind that straddles the gulf between ﬁery free jazz and roiling groove that the guitarist himself told me conjures his early work with the Music Revelation Ensemble. The Thing functions as a powerful backing band, but not without expressing its own personality; Gustafsson, in particular pivots from his frequent riff-driven elaboration for a more probing attack that slaloms amid Ulmer’s jagged-edge shimmer with preternatural ease. Tonight the Thing performs on its own, where the trio easily traverses all of the terrain on those various collaborations with searing focus. —PETER MARGASAK v

SUNDAY, APRIL 8 7PM

Robin & Linda Williams In Szold Hall

FRIDAY, APRIL 13 7:30PM

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

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OLDTOWNSCHOOL.ORG 30 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

The Thing é PETRA CVELBAR

FOOD & DRINK COOKBOOKS

Sweet and tart The Keﬁr Cookbook is Julie Smolyansky’s cultured-milk love letter to Chicago. By JULIA THIEL

n 1986, Julie Smolyansky’s parents brought commercial kefir to the U.S. when they launched Lifeway Foods. More than 30 years later, Smolyansky—now CEO of the company—has published The Kefir Cookbook, a collection of recipes that incorporate the tart cultured milk—along with one for making kefir itself. It’s a memoir as much as a cookbook: she’s written her family’s history in the personal stories that accompany each of the 100 recipes. While her dad is the one who officially created Lifeway, Smolyansky says, her mom played a major role as well. In 1978, a couple years after the family fled the Soviet Union, ending up in what Smolyansky describes as a roachfilled apartment at Morse and Greenview in Rogers Park, her mother opened a Russian deli that quickly expanded into a national operation shipping eastern-European food to delis all over the country. “My mom didn’t know who Gloria Steinem was or that there was women’s lib happening, but she was a total badass entrepreneur,” Smolyansky remembers. “She traveled around the world, cut deals with international billion-dollar companies.” In 1985, Smolyansky’s parents attended a food show in Germany where her father

bought a few bottles of kefir. He said he missed the staple from his home country. “Mom said, ‘You start a company and make it, and I’ll sell it in my distribution network,’” Smolyansky remembers. Back in Chicago her father set up a makeshift lab in the basement to develop his own kefir recipe, officially opening Lifeway the next year and taking the company public two years after that. Smolyansky began working at Lifeway fulltime after graduating from college; when her father died suddenly in 2002, she became the youngest woman ever to lead a publicly traded company. She encountered plenty of skepticism over whether a 27-year-old could handle the task, and even after proving herself over the last 16 years, she says she still encounters misogyny at times. “In meetings, I can’t tell you how many times men who work for me will speak over me,” Smolyansky says. “I guess I would say, if you’re a woman, conduct yourself with the same confidence that a mediocre man does and you’ll get through life just fine.” Though Smolyansky grew up drinking kefir, she says that it took years before she began experimenting with using it in recipes. “I realized there are so many uses for it: smoothies, soups, marinades, dressings, J

MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 31

FOOD & DRINK

Julie Smolyansky é LENA YAREMENKO

continued from 31 scones,” she says. “There’s a deconstructed red velvet cake [in the cookbook], which reminds me it’s OK not to be perfect. It was inspired by my kids sticking their ﬁngers in every cake I ever made and I ﬁnally just gave up and deconstructed it. I love the idea that

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it can be broken and beautiful and there’s beauty in imperfections.” Other recipes combine cultural inﬂuences, like one inspired by a memory Smolyansky has of delivering red caviar to the original location of Kamehachi sushi bar in Old Town late one night when she was very young. Marion Konishi, the owner, warmly welcomed her father and fed Smolyansky tamago. It was her first introduction to sushi. “I combined the caviar and deviled eggs and wasabi to combine the Japanese and Russian flavor, the warmness of two immigrants hustling and sharing a moment of friendship.” While there are a few eastern-European classics in the book, like borscht and okroshka (a cold soup traditionally made with kvass), it has a decidedly international ﬂavor, featuring gyros, jerk chicken, lasagna, falafel, and palak paneer. Friends of Smolyansky’s also contributed recipes, including locals like Katrina Markoff of Vosges Haut-Chocolat, Jason Hammel of Lula Café and Marisol, and Ina Pinkney of the late Ina’s. “I think this book is a love letter to Chicago, honestly,” Smolyansky says. “Chicago should be proud that they welcomed this young immigrant family of refugees.” v

m @juliathiel 32 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

FORT WILLOW| $$ R 1721 N. Elston 773-687-8898

FOOD & DRINK

fort-willow.com

Clockwise from top left: “Big Bite” grilled cheese with beef stew for dipping; double-fried cauliﬂower; Korean short ribs; crispy rock shrimp with broccoli and cherry-bomb sauce CHANTAL BENNETT

RESTAURANT REVIEW

At Fort Willow David Morton and Michael Kornich have built a tree house among the faded factories

Chef Deirdre Quinn’s spicy menu is the cocktail bar’s thirst-kindling reason to play there. By MIKE SULA

wish I could show you a photograph of the voluptuous grilled cheese sandwich I crushed at Fort Willow a few weeks back. That’s a new cocktail bar that sits across the street from the thundering tubular machinery of the Sipi Metals copper-stripping plant. The boite, from David Morton and Michael Kornick’s DMK Restaurants, is hidden off Elston on the decreasingly industrial east end of River West, dead west of the river, in fact. The sandwich was a special by chef Deirdre Quinn, what the menu calls a “Big Bite,” a single large plate that changes every week or two. The week I tried it, it was a clever reimagination of French onion soup: two slices of buttery La Farine sourdough sandwiching hot Gruyere lava and a smear

of deeply sweet, beefy caramelized onion. There were three of those sandwiches on the plate: one for me, one for the missus, and one for us to fight over. They came with a small dish of red-wine-braised shredded short rib that you were meant to dip them in. The beefy stew was a bit too thick for that, but it was still a wickedly irresistible combination. We don’t have a photo of it, because— through its publicist—DMK decided that it wouldn’t “be able to provide photos or accommodate a photographer” after the Reader reached out to get a skilled photojournalist on the scene to shoot some hot and steamy food porn. When pressed, the publicist reported that her client wasn’t happy about a review of a certain DMK restaurant the Reader had published in the past, and therefore declined to “participate.” Oh, no. What had we done? Was it because I faulted a poem on the wall at DMK Burger Bar that compared Nelson Algren to a turkey burger? Was it because I wrote that its companion, Fish Bar, had a cornball “P.J. McPickleshitter’s aesthetic”? It can’t be because I loved the southern-fried quail at Ada St. so much I ordered it twice. It could very well be because I described County Barbecue as an “overearnest expression of Kountry Kitsch that feels about as genuine as a Dukes of Hazzard lunch box”—unless, that is, they were unhappy with my colleague Aimee Levitt, who liked Marshall’s Landing but still observed that the pancakes and cheese fries are soggy and the pastries are sold at a “ridiculous markup.” Whatever it was, it’s not going to stop my good friend the First Amendment from making sure you have the most vivid mental picture of the food and drink at Fort Willow that language and art together can paint. To that end, we’ve called in top-notch illustrator Chantal Bennett to render images of the grilled cheese and a few other dishes based on the restaurant’s Instagram account and my shitty iPhone snaps. The latter couldn’t have been much help. It’s dark inside Fort Willow, which is designed to make you think you’re hanging out under a tree house, an illusion conveyed mostly by a pillar covered with wooden slats that climb to the ceiling and radiate above the room. It’s a neat trick. There’s even a rope swing dangling outside the kitchen—which after a few cocktails looks like an invitation to the emergency room. Fort Willow is primarily a bar, with a line of tables set alongside shaded windows J

MARCH 15, 2018 - CHICAGO READER 33

FOOD & DRINK

Search the Reader’s online database of thousands of Chicago-area restaurants—and add your own review—at chicagoreader.com/food.

CHANTAL BENNETT

continued from 33

34 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

General MULTIPLE OPENINGS AT

GENEVA TRADING USA LLC IN CHICAGO IL. Senior Quantitative Trading Analysts to work on developing, running and maintaining algorithmic trading systems and strategies. Requires: Master in Computational Finance, Financial Engineering, Financial Mathematics, or Financial Statistics, at least 2 years of experience in each of the following:designing, developing and modifying algorithmic trading strategies using scientific analysis and mathematical models to predict and measure outcome; data analytics experience with at least one of these data science tools: Q(kdb), R, Matlab, C++, Python; designing and implementing accelerated market data analytics and back testing systems; conducting micro analysis of market data streams and Vertical / Column Databases (kdb preferred).

The front of Fort Willow

that barely take in Willow Street. There’s good music—say, Fela Kuti and the Filthy Six one night, vintage postpunk another. There’s a $5 cocktail happy hour every day at 5 PM, a fine time to sample beverage director Scott Koehl’s house and classic cocktails, which range from a by-the-book Japanese whiskey highball to the gingery, minty gin-and-matcha-tea-based Tree Fort Punch to the Across the Universe, with lemongrass, rum, and a ghostly whisper of absinthe. Quinn, a former sous chef at nearby Ada St. who went on to help DMK open Marshall’s Landing, has the antidotes for these enticing poisons. Her menu is 12 dishes long—small bites, nothing more than $11, all sharable but for an oyster shooter. At this point the aforementioned Big Bite is no longer the French onion grilled cheese but some other grilled cheese sandwich of heroic proportions. According to Quinn—who seemed happy to participate in a short phone call with this critic—the Big Bite will always be some cool riff on a grilled cheese. On paper the chef has taken the sort of unfocused global approach I usually dread— this one in particular meant to evoke a spirit of world travel. But this tack works at Andrew Zimmerman and Emmanuel Nony’s Proxi, for instance, and it works here too. The unifier is a thirst-kindling spiciness across the menu. Chile lurks in the small bowl of boiled peanuts and dried anchovy (the latter aka Indonesian ikan bilis). The Lebanese herbal blend zatar, earthy with hyssop and tart with sumac, adorns the rich, creamy goat cheese labneh served with finger-ready mini naan. Brittle-battered double-fried caulif lower florets are draped with a slow-burning serrano and poblano hot sauce. Bites of crab salad are loaded with harissa that chases the sweet meat, while charred broccoli is saturated with peanut sauce imbued with a sneaking burn. Sweetly glazed Korean short ribs provide a break from the cumulative heat that begins to impact brain function after eating three to four of these dishes, and thus the pain involved never rises to uncomfortable. The spicing is almost muted in a creamy coconut-vegetable curry, while meatballs in a salsa verde made with Hatch chiles is another restrained effort. Thick-skinned mochi in

JOBS

Software Engineer Leads responsible for designing, developing, and enhancing back-end solutions for discretionary and algorithmic trading strategies. Requires: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field; 5 years of professional C/C+ software development experience in the financial industry; 7 years of experience in software development or QA; 5 years of experience architecting and developing market data and order execution platform for US and Asian financial exchanges; 2 years of development experience in designing and implementing lowlatency automated algorithmic tradingstrategies. Also required: understanding of global financial markets, previous experience in: leading a global team of software engineers, integrating trading strategies with a C++ framework; creating simulation environments for back-testing automated trading strategies and working with Big Data using Hadoop.

rotating flavors can also provide cooling, dairy-based relief, as can a loose horchata creme brulee topped with crunchy cinnamon-spiced rice noodles. Fort Willow doesn’t call attention to itself. There’s no entrance at all on the Elston side of the building, where its address is registered—just a metal wall with an assortment of small multicolored plastic letters with magnetic backs that invites passing debauchees to make word salad. Its vivid neon sign is hidden in the recessed doorway on Willow between the bar and the garage where the building’s owner works on his collection of antique motorcycles. Yet the spot’s situated among the Doggy Paddle canine aquatic center, Local Foods, the Hideout, and Ada St. And developer Sterling Bay is coming. Clearly DMK is banking on this area transforming in a big way. After 10 PM on Tuesdays through Thursdays, Quinn passes around complimentary snacks like pickled green tomatoes or cayenne-spiced fries tossed with piquillo pepper aioli. By virtue of its still sparsely populated location, Fort Willow can’t really be called a neighborhood bar, but that looks like it’s changing. For now it’s worth making excursions to the hidden tree house in the former factoryland just to see what new things the chef is doing with her arsenal of spices. And grilled cheese. v

m @MikeSula

Send resume to Geneva Trading USA LLC, 190 SOUTH LASALLE STREET, SUITE 1800 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60603 OR apply online at www. genevatrading.com.

Computer Systems Analyst Computer Systems Analyst needed to analyze user requirements, procedures, and problems to automate or improve existing systems and review computer system capabilities, workflow, and scheduling limitations and manage the software development life cycle end to end through all phases of the requirements for complex projects using Microsoft MY SQL, Informatica, Cognos, and JIRA. Communicate with technical team to align the technical and business models of the projects and resolving issues and ensuring project meets deadlines. Work location is Arlington Heights, IL and various unanticipated locations throughout the US as assigned which may require relocation. Resumes to Aclat Inc., Attn: HR, 5 E College Drive, Suite 100, Arlington Heights, IL 60004. Resume must specifically identify all education & experience relevant to job offered. ELECTRONICS ENGINEER IN MEDICAL EQUIPMENT

Corporation’s biomedical electronic equipment, such as medical lasers, electronic bovie, and ultraviolet photo-therapy hyfercater instruments, are well-maintained, properly configured, and safely functional.?General job duties include: installation, inspection, maintenance, repair, calibration, modification, and design of biomedical electronic equipment and support systems to ensure adherence to medical standard guidelines; applicants should be comfortable/experienced utilizing testing and analysis instruments, hand tools, power tools, measuring devices, cleaning, lubrication, and /or adjustment devices to accomplish these general duties. Mail résumé to Dolar Koya MDSC Dolar Koya, 333 Chestnut St, Hinsdale, IL-60521

SW DEVELOPER & COMPUTER SYSTEMS ANALYSTS

Zensar Technologies, Inc. has openings in Oak Brook, IL. All positions may be assigned to various, unanticipated sites throughout the US. Job Code: US-OBIL165 Computer Systems

Analyst (Incidents/UAT): support & resolve incidents. Job Code: US-OBIL166 SW Developer (Packages /Procedures): business & functional spec.s. Job Code: US-OBIL167 Computer Systems Analyst (Impact/ Delivery): analyze req’s & provide solutions. Mail resume to: Prasun Maharatna, 2107 North First Street, Suite 100, San Jose, CA 95131. Include job code & full job title/s of interest + recruitment source in cover letter. EOE

NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE seeks Supply

Chain Analysts for Chicago, IL to compile & analyze reports to identify opportunities for cost savings, improved supply utilization, standardization & process improvement for healthcare. *Master’s in Industrial Eng., Finance, or Business Admin. req’d. Skills req’d 3yrs w/ea: healthcare materials mgmt; group purchasing; Oracle ERP Supply Chain (incl purchasing, inventory, receiving); lean business process improvement incl. statistical process control, workflow des, proj mgmt; Access; Excel Macros & VBA; SQL queries; ECRI/Procured Health; Tableau. Bkgd check & drug test req’d. Apply at: http://jobseeker.nm.org/ Requisition ID: 0034778 EOE

Senior QA Analyst to perform validation of environments (database, middleware, infrastructure); analyze test results; perform root cause analysis & provide corrective actions; perform health check of applications; review performance tuning transactions & improve response times. Work in Java, J2EE, HP-QC, IBM Rational ClearQuest, ClearCase, External File Process, SQL Developer, SoapUI, Jira.Will work in Warrenville, IL and/or various client sites throughout the U.S. Must be willing to travel and/or relocate. Send resume & cover letter to Stonebridge Consulting Group, 27475 Ferry Rd, Warrenville, IL 60555

SENIOR STATISTICAL PROGRAMMING MANAGER: NORTHBROOK, IL

Astellas Pharma Global Development Inc. seeks experienced Senior Statistical Programming Manager to create a global SAS database for assigned projects based on Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (“CDISC”) standards, among other duties. Interested candidates submit detailed resume by mail, referencing Job Code TC/2018, to: Mr. Walter Garcia, Astellas US LLC, 1 Astellas Way, Northbrook, IL, 60062.

DIGITAL BUSINESS INTEGRATION SENIOR MANAGER (MULTIPLE POSITIONS)

(Accenture LLP; Chicago, IL): Define, analyze, solution, and document the business requirements and processes for Accenture or our clients’ program /project specifications and objectives. Must have willingness and ability to travel domestically approximately 80% of the time to meet client needs. For complete job description, list of requirements, and to apply, go to: www.accenture.com/ us-en/careers (Job# 00567164).

FINANCE: Kraft Heinz Foods Com-

pany seeks an Associate Director, Finance to work in our Glenview, IL office & provide financial counsel to Foodservice Category team & contribute to Mgmt team’s decisionmaking process related to quarterly/ annual reviews, monthly close process, commercialization initiatives, and development of strategic plan. Degree & commensurate exp req’d. Apply online: kraftheinzcompany. com/applyNA.html at req# R-5203

APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

(Multiple Positions) (Accenture LLP; Chicago, IL): Develop, design, and maintain software products or systems to enable client strategies. Must have willingness and ability to travel domestically approximately 80% of the time to meet client needs. For complete job description, list of requirements, and to apply, go to: www.accenture.com/us-en/careers (Job# 00568366).

IT/SOFTWARE: RAISE MARKETPLACE, INC. seeks in Chicago,

IL: Engineering Manager, DevOps with BS in Comp Sci or Comp Eng plus 3 yrs exp as Software Engineer or sub sim pos. Send resume to hr@ raise.com (ref. no. L2812) or Attn: Mike Arwine, 11 E. Madison St, Flr 4, Chicago, IL 60602.

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

STUDIO $600-$699 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

STUDIO $700-$899 HYDE PARK Large Studio $795. Newly decorated, carpeted, appliances, all utilities included, Elevator, laundry facilities, Free credit check, no application fee 773-493-2401 or 312-802-7301 LARGE STUDIO APARTMENT

near the lake. 1339 W. Estes. Hardwood floors. Cats OK. $750/month. Heat included. Available 4/1 or 5/1. (773) 761-4318

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 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

2018 NEW YEAR SAVINGS!

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

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)

PRE-SPRING SPECIAL - CHICAGO South Side Beautiful Studios, 1,2,3 & 4 BR’s, Sec 8 ok. Also Homes for rent available. Call Nicole 312-446-1753; W-side locations Tom 630-776-5556; N RIVERSIDE: 1BR new tile, energy efficient windows, lndry facilitities, a/c, incls heat - natural gas, $955/mo Luis 708-366-5602 lv msg 25 N LATROBE, 4BR 2nd floor apt, hrdwd flrs, remodeled bathroom & kitchen, appls & heat incl’d. $1200/mo. Call/text, 708655-1228 CHICAGO, 4 ROOM APARTMENT, 1BR, 3rd floor, vicinity of 79th & Stony Island. $600/mo. Call 773-407-3143 CHICAGO: 67TH & Clyde 2BR apt, sunroom, LR & separate DR, carpet, lndry facilities, parking space, $900. Sec 8 Welc. (773) 429-0988 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 Chicago - Hyde PARK 5401 S. Ellis. 1BR. $625/mo. Call 773-955-5106

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

1 BR $900-$1099

CLEAN ROOM W/FRIDGE & micro, Near Oak Park, Food -4Less, Walmart, Walgreens, Buses & Metra, Laundry. $115/wk & up. 773-637-5957

CHICAGO 7600 S Essex PRE-SPRING SPECIAL - 2BR $599, 3BR $699, 4BR $799 w/apprvd credit, no sec dep. Sec 8 Ok! Also Homes for Rent avail. Call Nicole 773-287-9999; W-side locations Tom 630-776-5556

7520 S. COLES - 1 BR $520, 2 BR $645, Includes appliances & AC, Near transp., No utilities included (708) 424-4216 Kalabich Mgmt CHATHAM - 7105 S. Champlain, 1BR. $640/mo. Sec 8 OK. Heat & appl. Call Office: 773-9665275 or Steve: 773-936-4749 CHICAGO Lovely 4 rm apt, 1BR,

liv rm, din rm, kitchen/bath, heated and carpet flrs. Close to trans. $685, avail now. 773-264-6711

CHATHAM 8642 SOUTH Maryland 1BR, modern with appliances, off street parking. $600/mo + sec. 773-618-2231 STUDIO & 1BR APTS, quiet

building, vicinity of 66th & Michigan. $500/mo & $565/mo + sec dep. Call 773-978-3507 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

Shore 1bdrms $900, Free Heat, Fitness Ctr, Lndry Rm . Niki 773.808. 2043. Section 8 Welcome.

7425 S. COLES - 1 BR $620, 2

BR $735, Includes Free heat & appliances & cooking gas. (708) 424-4216 Kalabich Mgmt

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

Irving/Kimball 2BR new tile, laundry facilities, energy efficient windows, central heat/ac, $999/mo Call Luis 708-366-5602, lv msg NO SEC DEP

7801 S. Bishop. 2BR. $605/mo. HEAT INCL 773-955-5106

1 BR $700-$799 CHICAGO, 107TH & KING DR. Totally Rehabbed 1BR, carpeting, appliances & heat incl. $725/mo. Call Frank, 708-670-8727 CHICAGO WESTSIDE nice 1BR Apartment Austin Area, quiet building, $750/mo + sec,

Laundry rm , Parking 773-575-9283

WEST SIDE, DELUXE 1BR Apt, s tove/refrigerator/laundry room, AC. Near Oak Park. $765/mo, utilities included. Call 708-418-2384.

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

SECTION 8 WELCOME Newly Decorated. 74TH/East End 2BR. Hdwd flrs, Heat Incl. $775. 773-874-9637 or 773-493-5359

8836 LAVERGNE,SKOKIE, -

1 Bed. apt. $ $950 p/m. Heated, hdwd. flrls. Parking, new appliances. Close to Trans. & Shopping. For information call Long-Kogen, Inc. 773-764-6500.

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**

CENTRAL PARK/FILLMORE, Freshly Decorated, 6 rms, 2BR,

East Chicago, IN 2BR $675 heat incl; tenant pays utils. 1 mo. free rent w/lease. Call Malcolm 773577-9361

2 BR $900-$1099 Chatham Area, 2BR House, $900/mo. 1 mo rent + 1 mo sec

required. Section 8 Welcome. Call 872-207-5184

6951 S ROCKWELL, 2br w/ den,

newly updated, hardwood floors, appl, heat & cooking gas incl. $1000/mo, sec 8 ok, 312-622-7702

CALUMET CITY 2-3BR, 2 car gar, fully rehab w/ gorgeous finishes & hdwd flrs. Beautiful bkyd. Sec 8 ok. $900-$1150. 510-735-7171

2 BR $1100-$1299

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

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

2 BR OTHER 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 CHATHAM 88TH/DAUPHIN. Bright, spacious 2BR. Great trans, laundry on site, security camera. 312-341-1950

NEAR BEVERLY Huge 2BR on 1st floor. Sect 8

NEWLY

REMODELED

Dolton - 3BR, 1BA, garage $975/

mo. Available Now! Appliances incl. & security deposit required. Call 773-447-1990 7824 S. CHAMPLAIN. 3BR, 1st

flr, Cent A/C, hdwd flrs. W/D, stove & fridge incl. $1075/mo. No Move-in Fee. 708-692-9177

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

2BA.

66TH/JUSTINE.

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

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.

CHICAGO, RENT TO OWN! Buy with no closing costs and get help with your credit. Call 708868-2422 or visit www.nhba.com

3 BR OR MORE $1800-$2499

RIVERDALE, IVANHOE SECT, 1 & 2BR, newly remod, $750$850/mo. Lndry, priv pkng, sec cam. Wtr/heat incl. No crdt chk, Sec 8 ok 708.308.8137

Bed- $1,150.00 available immediately. Tenant pays utilities -. Hrwd. flrs. Stainless steal appliances, granite countertop, jacuzzy bathroom. Laundry Facilities Close to transportation and Shopping. For info. call Long-Kogen, Inc. 773 -764-6500.

ROGERS PARK, 1547 W. Birch-

wood (at Ashland) Very large 2 bedroom vintage flat with Hardwood floors and updates. 3 blocks from lake. $1100.00 (no utilities included). Call EJM at 773-935-4426

UPTOWN,

813 WEST MONTROSE (at Clarendon Ave.) Small 1 bedroom carpeted apartment 2 blocks from lake. $875.00 Heat Included. Call EJM at 773-935-4425

5-RM, 2-BDRM, 8149 S. Jeffery Blvd. Clean, Quiet, Heated. $800/mo + 1 mo. Security. 773-768-6554

BEAUTIFUL REMOD 1, 2 & 3BR Apts, hdwd flrs, custom cabinets, granite cntrs, avail now. $1000-$1200 /mo + sec. 773-905-8487. Section 8 Ok

units fully heated and humidity controlled with ac available. North: Knox Avenue. 773-685-6868. South: Pershing Avenue. 773-523-6868.

EAST HYDE PARK

STUDIO CONDO | $83,000 New kitchen, bath, carpet and blinds. Lake view. 24 hour doorman, pool, and fitness center. 312-758-2184

ADULT SERVICES

3BR,

1BA, hardwood flooring apt. for rent. 6643 S. Drexel, $1000/mo. CHA welcome 1, 2 or 3BR voucher. 773-8588787

AVAILABLE NOW! 11728 S. Harvard, well maintainted 3BR, 1BA, basement, fenced in backyard, $1225/mo. 630-240-1684

2321-23 OAK PARK Ave. - 2

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

NOTICES

AUSTIN & MARQUETTE PARK AREAS, furnished rooms with use of hsehld. $115 per week, 1 week security. Bkgrnd check req’d. 773378-7763

2122 W. 68TH PL. Remodeled 5BR House, 2BA, Central Air, Tenant pays utilities, security system. Sec 8 ok. Call Roy 312-405-2178

ADULT SERVICES

3 BR OR MORE UNDER $1200

SUBURBS, RENT TO OW N! Buy with No closing costs and get help with your credit. Call 708868-2422 or visit www.nhba.com

2 BR UNDER $900

CHICAGO SOUTH - You’ve tried the rest, we are the best. Apartments & Homes for rent, city & suburb. No credit checks. 773-253-2132 or 773-253-2137

non-residential

roommates ROOM FOR RENT wanted NW Side Chicago. Willing to pay up $450/mo. Exchange for Care Taking, House Cleaning or Babysitting. 773-486-7355

welcome. Call 312.806.1080.

Brick houses, new decor, fin bsmt. hdwd flrs. Alarm System. Sec 8 Ready $1350/mo. 4BR voucher ok. 847-274-6936

3832 W. LEXINGTON, Beautiful 2, 3, and 4 bedrooms, 1 bath, in recently remodeled units. Sect 8 welcome. Clean sunny asking $1100 to $1300. call or text 312-459-9635 or email vmmproperties@gmail.com, please leave your name and number.

FOR SALE

GENERAL

NEW KITCHENS & NEW BATHROOMS. 69th & Dante, SECTION 8 WELCOME. NO SE- 3BR. 71st & Bennett, 2, 3 & CURITY DEPOSIT. 710 W 81st 4BR. We have others! SecPlace, 3BR house, appls include. tion 8 Welcome. 708-503$1200/mo. 708-288-4510 1366

6BR,

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 ∫

6748 CRANDON & 7727 COLFAX MOST BEAUTIFUL APARTMENTS! 1 & 2BR, $625 & UP. OFF STREET PARKING. 773-947-8572 / 312-6134424

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

3 BR OR MORE $1200-$1499

ROUND LAKE BEACH, IL

area. Tim, 773-592-2989.

bldg, LR, DR. nr shops & red line. $850-$950/mo. 773-846-4077

BRONZEVILLE SEC 8 OK! 4950 S. Prairie. Remod 1BR. $700+. Heat, cooking gas & appls inc, lndry on site. Z. 773.406.4841

hdwd flrs. $ 850/mo + sec. Tenant LARGE ONE BEDROOM near Loyola Park, 1341 W. Estes. Hard- pays gas & electricity. 773-443-2724 wood floors. Cats OK. $975/month. Heat included. Available 5/1. 773-761- 700 BLK OF E. 92ND PL. 1st flr, 2 sm BR. LR. DR, Kit, appls, semi furn, 4318. heat & utils not incl. No Pets. $650/mo +sec. 773-874-2103

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

CHATHAM 80TH /VERNON. Lrg 1 & 2BR, appls, heat incl, secure

2BR $895 ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED

Newly decorated, carpeted, stove, refrigerator, dining room. Elevator & laundry facilities. FREE credit check, no application fee. 1-773-919-7102 or 312-802-730

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

224-223-7787

SOUTH SHORE, Senior Discount. Male preferred. Furnished rooms, shared kitchen & bath, $440/mo. & up. Utilities included. 773-710-5431

MARKETPLACE

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.

SERVICES

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

DOGO ARGENTINOS PUPS, 1F,

6M, Bear tested, wormed, UTD shots, champ bloodline, import parents. $2000. 815-343-2251

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

IS THIS YOU?

MUSIC & ARTS

You want to write but you have no time. When you do find time, you just can’t drag yourself to the desk. If you do get going, your writing starts strong, but becomes such a mess you don’t know whether to keep working or dump it all and start something new. You write lots of bits and pieces, but none of them fit together into a meaningful whole. You have training (workshops, college courses, or even a degree in creative writing) but little or nothing you write gets published. You haven’t taken a class because you’re not sure where to turn or what to do first. One thing you do know is you want to get the right start so you don’t waste a lot of time working on things that don’t matter. GET SOLUTIONS to these and any other writing problems at Chicago’s legendary Writers’ Loft.

DOMINICK DEFANSO Britney Beach, Tracy Guns & Guns N’ Roses rocks Aerosmith. M.Crue, B.Sabbath, AC/DC, J.Bieber, popstar Love, L. Gaga, C. Aguilar, B. Spears, B. Joni, D. Bowie, Cube & Pink, Slayer.312-2060867, 773-323-5173

Ukraine lady 31 year old doctor, attractive searching for American man, 00380988777781

ADULT SERVICES 46 year old Ukraine woman, beautiful, attractive doctor searching for American man 4570 years old for future. Serious relationship. 312-731-5401

TIJUANA

MEXICO

TOURS.

Girls, Girls, Girls and more Girls for dating or marriage. Airport pick-up available. Jake 619-748-8322

ADULT SERVICES

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.

3 BR OR MORE OTHER

PRE-SPRING SPECIAL Chicago Houses for rent. Section 8 Ok, w/ app credit $500 gift certificate 3, 4 & 5 BR houses avail. Call Nicole: 773-287-9999; W-side locations: Tom 630-776-5556 SAUK VILLAGE - Cute, Midsized, ranch, 3-4BR, 2BA, stove & fridge incl., $1350/mo. 1.5 month’s sec dep. Sect 8 welc. 708-307-5003 N. LAWNDALE 3BR in quiet 2 flat brick building, newly remodeled, hdwd flrs throughout. Section 8 welcome. 773-406-1676

MARCH 15, 2018 | CHICAGO READER 35

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By Cecil Adams Q : What is the signiﬁcance of the gavel

in a courtroom, and how did it originate? —ADAMS

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A : This is an oddly tricky one you’ve stumbled

upon, Adams. We’re not too sure where the word gavel comes from, much less the path by which the implement became a symbol of the American judiciary. It’s not just in courtrooms but at various other formal gatherings where the gavel turns up, including auctions, board meetings, and legislative sessions—notably those of the U.S. Senate, where a gavel opens and closes the proceedings. All the more striking, then, that the academic literature on the subject is so limited: in recent memory, it’s chiefly two articles. The more important for us is a 2001 piece in Massachusetts Legal History entitled “Of Gavels and Maces in the Modern Courts,” by Stephen C. O’Neill, then the curator at the Social Law Library in Boston. An immediate question one might ask on scanning this title: maces? Sure. Maces are ceremonial staffs that stand as symbols of authority in certain of your more solemn official locales, including some American courtrooms. O’Neill plausibly calls maces and gavels “two of the least considered components of the American legal profession.” To those few who care, though, they’re apparently inseparable, as evidenced by our other source, “The Mace and the Gavel: Symbols of Government in America,” published in 1997 by the Smithsonian historian Silvio Bedini. Of the two, it’s only O’Neill who explores where the gavel (maybe) came from. Short answer: he figures it’s the Freemasons. George Washington, Ben Franklin, and many of the country’s other founders were members of this group, a fraternal organization that had taken off in Europe circa 1700, then made the jump across the pond. The Masons were big on symbolism and ritual, and as part of claiming their ancestry in stoneworkers’ guilds of the Middle Ages, they worked various appurtenances of the mason’s trade into their shtick. The gavel began its career, O’Neill tells us, as a setting maul, a mallet used to knock stones into place; in European Masonic lodges, the working tool became a token of authority granted to the presiding officer. As O’Neill writes, early Americans’ “familiarity with Masonic ritual and forms provided procedures for pre-Revolutionary committee meetings, and [these] were continued

during the early republic in both legislative bodies, public ceremonies, and courtrooms.” The most high-profile of such institutions was, again, the Senate, which adopted a symbolic gavel of its own; the House of Representatives went with a mace. You’ll notice we still haven’t made it to court. Here the best O’Neill can do is that judges’ gavels “probably came into use because of the Senate’s and other early examples.” In other words, our country was set up by guys who generally liked to dress up their affairs with a little Masonic-style pomp, and next thing you know, judges have gavels. O’Neill calls this the “most plausible explanation,” but you can see the material’s a bit thin. Our other historian, Bedini, remains silent about Masonic influence on the Senate gavel, and on gavelry in general (they must’ve gotten to him). The gavel’s role in the Senate isn’t hugely different than in those old lodge meetings: it’s kept locked in a drawer until the body convenes, when the sergeant at arms uncases it and sets it on the rostrum for the presiding officer’s use. What the Senate calls its gavel is actually a handleless ivory block, or “knocker”; at auction houses, O’Neill notes, you’ll find both handled and handleless gavels, so such a thing’s not unheard of. Auctioneering is an example of a profession that really relies on the gavel to get business done, in contrast to the mostly ceremonial function it performs in the legislature. Certainly it’s not the only useless tool ever spotted on Capitol Hill. And even in the courtroom, the gavel mainly just gathers dust—according to a 2011 article in the New York Daily News plenty of judges don’t even bother bringing it out of chambers. Our legal system has court officers to keep things ruly, and the image of the judge banging a gavel and shouting “Order!” is largely a cinematic convention. It’s a dogged one, though: to the periodic annoyance of UK judicial experts, gavels will pop up in British-made movies and TV shows portraying domestic legal proceedings. What’s the gripe? They don’t use the gavel in British courts; they never have. v Send questions to Cecil via straightdope.com or write him c/o Chicago Reader, 30 N. Racine, suite 300, Chicago 60607.

SAVAGE LOVE

By Dan Savage

Am I dating a psychopath?

What does it mean when a guy can’t really “feel”? Plus: no threesomes, plz Q : I’m a 33-year-old woman

who’s been dating a 24-yearold man for about eight months; it is exclusive and oﬃcial. He’s kind and sweet, caring and giving, and his penis is divine. The thing is, he confessed to me recently that he doesn’t really “feel.” The way he explained it is, the only emotions he feels are fear and anxiousness that he’ll disappoint the people he cares about. The only time I see him really “feel” are when he’s high on MDMA, which he is semifrequently. Then he seems the way a “normal” person does when they’re in love, but when he’s sober, it’s like he’s trying to mimic the things a person in love would say or do. I’m worried that he’ll never love me. —LACKING ONE VAUNTED EMOTION

A : You didn’t use the P-word

(psychopath) or the S-word (sociopath), LOVE, but both came to mind as I was reading your letter. Someone who isn’t capable of feeling? Isn’t that textbook P-word/Sword stuﬀ? “The fear with someone who doesn’t ‘feel’ is that they may be a psychopath or a sociopath, terms that are used interchangeably,” said Jon Ronson, author of The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry. “However, I have good news for LOVE! This line: ‘The only emotions he really feels are fear and anxiousness that he’ll disappoint the people he cares about’ is the critical one. Psychopaths do not feel anxiety. In fact, my favorite thing a psychologist said to me about this was: ‘If you’re worried you may be a psychopath, that means you aren’t one.’ Also, psychopaths don’t care about disappointing loved ones! All those emotions that relate to an

overactive amygdala—fear, remorse, guilt, regret, empathy—psychopaths don’t feel them.” So your boyfriend’s not a psychopath. Not that you asked. But, you know, just in case you were worried . . . My hunch is that your boyfriend’s problem isn’t an inability to feel love, LOVE, but an inability to recognize the feelings he’s having as love. (Or potentially love, as it’s only been eight months.) What is romantic love but a strong desire to be with someone? The urge to be sweet to them, to take care of them, to do for them? Maybe he’s just going through the motions with you, but while MDMA can definitely be abused—moderation in all things, kids, including moderation—the effect it has on him is a hopeful sign. MDMA is not an emotional hallucinogen; the drug has been used in couples counseling and to treat PTSD, not because it makes us feel things that aren’t there (in the way a hallucinogen makes us see things that aren’t there), but because it allows genuine feelings to surface and, for a few hours, to be felt intensely. So he can feel love—he just has to learn how to tap into those feelings and/or recognize them without an assist from MDMA.

Q : My boyfriend shared

(several months into dating) that he has a fantasy of having a threesome. I shared that I had also fantasized about this but never took my fantasies seriously. Right away, he started sending me Craigslist posts from women and couples looking for casual sex partners. I told him I wasn’t interested in doing anything for real. A few months later, we went on vacation and I said I wanted to get a massage.

He found a place that did “sensual” couples massage. I wanted nothing to do with this. During sex, he talks about the idea of someone else being around. This does turn me on and I like thinking about it when we are messing around. But I don’t want to have any other partners. When I say no to one idea, he comes up with another one. I would truly appreciate some advice.

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A : Short answer: Sexual compatibility is important. You want a sexually exclusive relationship; your boyfriend doesn’t want a sexually exclusive relationship—so you two aren’t sexually compatible, BIGSIN, and you should break up. Slightly longer answer: Your boyfriend did the right thing by laying his kink cards on the table, and you copped to having fantasies about threesomes, BIGSIN, but not a desire to experience one. He took that as an opening: maybe if he could find the right person/couple/scenario/club, you would change your mind. Now, lots of people who very much enjoy threesomes and/or group sex were unsure or hesitant at first but gave in to please (or shut up) a partner and wound up being glad they did. If you’re certain you could never be one of those people—reluctant at first but happy your partner pressed the issue—tell him being with you means giving up this fantasy, BIGSIN. If he’s not willing to give it up—and to shut up about it—then you’ll have to break up. v Send letters to mail@ savagelove.net. Download the Savage Lovecast every Tuesday at savagelovecast. com. m @fakedansavage

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Mindi Abair & the Boneshakers 7/5, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 3/15, noon b Oleta Adams 6/3, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 3/15, noon b Greg Ashley 4/29, 8:30 PM, Empty Bottle James Bay 10/1, 8 PM, Aragon Ballroom, on sale Fri 3/16, 10 AM, 17+ Bent Knee 7/11, 8 PM, Schubas, 18+ Bon Iver 6/3, 7 PM, Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, on sale Fri 3/16, noon b Breaking Benjamin 8/29, 7 PM, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, on sale Fri 3/16, 10 AM Broken Social Scene 6/13, 7:30 PM, the Vic, on sale Fri 3/16, 10 AM b Broncho 4/27, 8 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Greg Brown 7/28, 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston, on sale Fri 3/16, 10 AM b Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt 9/1, 7 PM, Wrigley Field, on sale Fri 3/16, 10 AM Trace Bundy 6/22, 7 PM, SPACE, Evanston b Pavithra Chari & Anindo Bose 4/21, 8 PM, Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music b Marc Cohn 6/29, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 3/15, noon b Combichrist 5/31, 7 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Dead to Me, Elway 5/16, 7 PM, Cobra Lounge, 17+ Derketa, Blood Feast 10/6, 7 PM, Cobra Lounge, 17+ John Doyle, Cathy Jordan, and Eamon O’Leary 4/22, 7 PM, Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music b

Fit for an Autopsy, Great American Ghost 4/17, 7 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Robben Ford 8/16, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 3/15, noon b Josh Groban 11/6, 8 PM, United Center, on sale Fri 3/16, 10 AM H2O 5/5, 6 PM, Bottom Lounge b Halfnoise 5/5, 8 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Hoods 5/5, 6:30 PM, Cobra Lounge, 17+ Janine 4/10, 7 PM, Subterranean b Jay-Z & Beyonce 8/10, 7:30 PM, Soldier Field, on sale Mon 3/19, 10 AM Eilen Jewell 7/7, 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston, on sale Fri 3/16, 10 AM b King Lil G 5/2, 8 PM, Subterranean, 17+ La Luz, Gymshorts 5/31, 8 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Leprosy Inc 3/26, 7 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Lighthouse & the Whaler 6/1, 9 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ Live From the Rock Room Fest with Smoking Popes, Mr. T Experience, Red City Radio, Kepi Ghoulie, and more 5/1112, 8 PM, Bottom Lounge b Dennis Lloyd 6/4, 7:30 PM, Schubas b Mac McAnally 7/14, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 3/15, noon b Midnight Tyrannosaurus, Matroda 4/14, 8 PM, Concord Music Hall, 17+ Paramore, Foster the People 7/2, 7 PM, Huntington Bank Pavilion, on sale Fri /16, 10 AM The Sea & Cake 5/23, 7 and 10 PM, Empty Bottle, on sale Fri 3/16, 10 AM Self Defense Family, Sannhet 6/16, 8 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+

38 CHICAGO READER - MARCH 15, 2018

Shane 5/22, 7 PM, Subterranean b Smokepurpp 5/3, 7 PM, Portage Theater Steel Wheels 4/7, 8 PM, Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music b Swimming With Bears, Cuckoos 5/17, 8 PM, Beat Kitchen, on sale Fri 3/16, 10 AM, 17+ Them Evils 5/24, 8 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ Tinariwen 8/13, 7:30 PM, Thalia Hall, on sale Fri 3/16, 10 AM b Tricky 5/6, 7 PM, Bottom Lounge Lina Tullgren 5/13, 9 PM, Hideout Wet 5/25, 8:30 PM, House of Blues, on sale Fri 3/16, noon, 17+ Y La Bamba 5/2, 9 PM, Beat Kitchen Yob, Bell Witch 7/8, 7 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Yonatan Gat 5/14, 9 PM, Hideout

UPDATED Clean Bandit 4/11, 7:30 PM, the Vic, canceled

UPCOMING Afghan Whigs, Built to Spill 4/12, 7:30 PM, Riviera Theatre, 18+ Fabian Almazan 4/12, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Alt-J 6/7, 8 PM, Huntington Bank Pavilion Sam Amidon 4/29, 8 PM, Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music b As the Crow Flies 4/24, 8 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Astronomyy 5/6, 7 PM, Subterranean, 17+

b Dan Auerbach & the Easy Eye Sound Revue, Shannon & the Clams 4/2, 8 PM, Riviera Theatre, 18+ Beams 4/13, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Black Moth Super Rainbow 6/16, 9 PM, Metro, 18+ Breeders, Melkbelly 5/8, 8 PM, the Vic, 18+ Brian Jonestown Massacre 5/11, 8 PM, The Vic, 18+ Charlotte Cardin 4/20, 9 PM, Schubas, 18+ Brandi Carlile 6/15, 7:30 PM, Chicago Theatre Peter Case 4/27, 8 PM, Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music b Dead Meadow 4/4, 8 PM, Beat Kitchen Depeche Mode 6/1, 7:30 PM, United Center Earthless, Kikagaku Moyo 3/24-25, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Billie Eilish 3/31, 8:30 PM, Lincoln Hall b Erasure 7/27, 8 PM, Chicago Theatre Fall Out Boy, Rise Against 9/8, 7 PM, Wrigley Field Nils Frahm 3/24-25, 8 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Eleanor Friedberger 5/5, 9 PM, Lincoln Hall, 18+ Alice Glass, Pictureplane 5/9, 9 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Albert Hammond Jr. 4/6, 9 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Helmet, Prong 5/17, 8 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Horse Lords 4/5, 9 PM, Hideout Iamx 4/28, 9 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Iced Earth 3/29, 7:30 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Jimmy Eat World, Hotelier 5/8, 7:30 PM, Riviera Theatre b King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard 6/10, 7:30 PM, Riviera Theatre b King Krule 4/27, 8 PM, Riviera Theatre, 18+ Natalia Lafourcade 5/3, 6 PM, Concord Music Hall b Ted Leo & the Pharmacists 5/31, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Lightning Bolt 3/28, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Lorde 3/27, 7 PM, Allstate Arena, Rosemont Jeﬀ Lynne’s ELO 8/15, 8 PM, Allstate Arena, Rosemont The Make-Up 7/6, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks 6/3, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Melvins 7/31, 7:30 PM, Park West b Nap Eyes 4/6, 9 PM, Schubas, 18+ Night Game 3/29, 8 PM, Subterranean, 17+ No Age 5/10, 8:30 PM, Empty Bottle Obituary, Pallbearer, Skeletonwitch 5/13, 7 PM, Metro, 18+ Pale Waves 4/7, 8:30 PM, Lincoln Hall b

ALL AGES

WOLF BY KEITH HERZIK

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CHICAGO SHOWS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IN THE WEEKS TO COME

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Panda Bear 4/30, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Primus, Mastodon 6/6, 7 PM, Huntington Bank Pavilion Princess Nokia 3/24, 7 PM, Metro b Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever 5/2, 9 PM, Schubas, 18+ Ty Segall 4/8, 8 PM, Riviera Theatre, 18+ Paul Simon 6/6, 8 PM, United Center Sleep 8/1, 7 PM, Riviera Theatre b Spits 5/25, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Jeﬀ Tweedy 4/27-28, 8 PM, the Vic, 18+ Wedding Present 3/26, 7:30 PM, Lincoln Hall Weedeater 3/28, 8:30 PM, Empty Bottle Wooden Shjips 6/2, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Yo La Tengo 3/29-30, 8 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+

SOLD OUT Alvvays 3/23, 7:30 PM, Metro b Trey Anastasio Band 4/20-21, 8 PM, Chicago Theatre Courtney Barnett 5/21, 8:30 PM, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center David Byrne 6/1-3, 8 PM, Auditorium Theatre Camila Cabello 4/22, 7:30 PM, Riviera Theatre b 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 b Grouplove 6/1, 7:30 PM, Metro b Ides of March 5/3, 8 PM, City Winery Knocked Loose, Terror 3/24, 5:30 PM, Bottom Lounge b 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 Protest the Hero 3/23, 7 PM, Bottom Lounge b Rainbow Kitten Surprise 4/21, 8:30 PM, Metro b Shakey Graves 5/22, 7:30 PM, the Vic, 18+ Wolf Alice 3/30, 7:30 PM, Metro b “Weird Al” Yankovic 4/6-7, 8 PM, the Vic b Yeah Yeah Yeahs 5/29, 7:30 PM, Aragon Ballroom b v

GOSSIP WOLF A furry ear to the ground of the local music scene ON FRIDAY, MARCH 16, Vic Mensa takes over Lincoln Hall to launch his charitable foundation, Save Money Save Life. Mensa is no stranger to activism, having joined street demonstrations after the release of the Laquan McDonald dashcam video in 2015, traveled to Standing Rock to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016, and written a Time op-ed in January connecting American racism to the oppression of Palestinians. His new foundation aims to combat systemic injustice by funding three programs: one will train ﬁrst responders for underserved Chicago neighborhoods, another will send therapists to public schools to help students who lack access to mental health care, and the third will support artistically inclined youth on Native American reservations. Friday’s fund-raiser starts at 6 PM and includes cocktails, dinner, a silent auction, and late-night performances by Mensa, Jamila Woods, and an unannounced special guest. Tickets are $150. Local splatter-punk power trio the Sueves have some special talents: guitarist Joe Schorgl makes instantly recognizable poster art, and the band can open for a national touring act and blow ’em oﬀ the stage. Gossip Wolf has seen it happen more than once! On Friday, March 30, the Sueves drop their second LP, R.I.P. Clearance Event (via Chicago label HoZac), and Gossip Wolf is stoked to share “Dead People’s Cars” at chicagoreader.com, a track full of the band’s trademark shambolic glam shuffle and stop-start tension-wire riffs! On Saturday, March 17, the Sueves play the Auxiliary Art Center with punk ragers Mama and Dead Boys worshippers the Cheetahs; e-mail thesueves666@ gmail.com for details. Local multi-instrumentalist Sam Trump dropped the album Purple Skies in November, and this wolf can’t get enough of its lush, brassy, sensual R&B. On Friday, March 16, he brings it to the stage for two sets at the California Clipper, starting at 10:30 PM. —J.R. NELSON AND LEOR GALIL Got a tip? Tweet @Gossip_Wolf or e-mail gossipwolf@chicagoreader.com.

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