C H I C A G O ’ S F R E E W E E K LY | K I C K I N G A S S S I N C E 1 9 7 1 | J U LY 7, 2 0 1 6
Sports For a Cubs diehard, a World Series win wouldn’t change a thing. 11
Lit Disco Demolition Night according to its ringmaster, Steve Dahl 17
The Daphne festival sings
THE UNSUNG WOMEN OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC Performers from this week’s Smart Bar celebration—including San Francisco house experimentalist Cherushii—talk to the Reader about artists who inspire them. BY LEOR GALIL 21
2 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
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THIS WEEK
C H I C A G O R E A D E R | J U LY 7, 2 0 1 6 | V O L U M E 4 5 , N U M B E R 3 9
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EDITOR JAKE MALOOLEY CREATIVE DIRECTOR PAUL JOHN HIGGINS DEPUTY EDITOR, NEWS ROBIN AMER CULTURE EDITOR TAL ROSENBERG DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY DANIELLE A. SCRUGGS FILM EDITOR J.R. JONES MUSIC EDITOR PHILIP MONTORO ASSOCIATE EDITORS KATE SCHMIDT, KEVIN WARWICK, BRIANNA WELLEN SENIOR WRITERS STEVE BOGIRA, MICHAEL MINER, MIKE SULA SENIOR THEATER CRITIC TONY ADLER STAFF WRITERS LEOR GALIL, DEANNA ISAACS, BEN JORAVSKY, AIMEE LEVITT, PETER MARGASAK, JULIA THIEL SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR RYAN SMITH GRAPHIC DESIGNER SUE KWONG MUSIC LISTINGS COORDINATOR LUCA CIMARUSTI EDITORIAL ASSISTANT CASSIDY RYAN CONTRIBUTING WRITERS NOAH BERLATSKY, DERRICK CLIFTON, MATT DE LA PEÑA, ANNE FORD, ISA GIALLORENZO, JOHN GREENFIELD, JUSTIN HAYFORD, JACK HELBIG, DAN JAKES, BILL MEYER, J.R. NELSON, MARISSA OBERLANDER, DMITRY SAMAROV, KATE SIERZPUTOWSKI, ZAC THOMPSON, DAVID WHITEIS, ALBERT WILLIAMS INTERNS APRIL ALONSO, JESSICA KIM COHEN, SARA COHEN, MARC DAALDER, KT HAWBAKER-KROHN, FARAZ MIRZA, SUNSHINE TUCKER, ANNA WATERS
IN THIS ISSUE
9 4 Agenda The Book of Mormon, Bell Hop, RejecTED Talks, the film Director’s Cut, and more recommendations
CITY LIFE
8 Street View The dress that makes fashion designer Dimress Dinnigan instantly happy 8 Chicagoans A child of the Holocaust compares Trump to Hitler. 9 Transportation Why does Friends of the Parks endorse more asphalt at 31st Street Beach? 10 Joravsky | Politics The ins and outs of Rauneromics as applied to education
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ARTS & CULTURE
14 Culture Has the Theatre Historical Society of America been hijacked? 15 Visual Art A major mural in Pilsen gets a few more years in the sun. 16 Comedy Dave Helem and Felonious Munk chill out in The Green Room. 17 Lit The story of Disco Demolition Night according to its ringmaster, Steve Dahl 18 Small Screen Season four of Orange is the New Black values trauma for the sake of drama. 19 Movies A documentary profile of Frank Zappa reveals his political conservatism. 20 Movies The Purge: Election Year comes on like a dystopian thriller, then hoists the Stars and Stripes.
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MUSIC
29 Shows of note King, Bun E. Carlos, Marissa Nadler, and more 30 The Secret History of Chicago Music Pastor T.L. Barrett cut a widely sampled gospel-funk album in 1971.
FOOD & DRINK
35 Restaurant review: Saint Lou’s Assembly Bruce Finkelman and Jared Wentworth’s meat-and-three spot doesn’t yet inspire beatific dining. 36 Cocktail Challenge: Grass Brett Lichnerowicz of Luxbar mixes a drink with legal and illegal varieties. 39 Bar review: Arbella “Drink the world” at a new cocktail lounge from the team behind Tanta.
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CLASSIFIEDS
41 Jobs 41 Apartments & Spaces 43 Marketplace 44 Straight Dope Who will profit from steadily rising sea levels? 45 Savage Love Serial cheating, tentative Tindering, and other modern trials 46 Early Warnings Black Sabbath, Blitzen Trapper, Freakwater, and more shows in the weeks to come 46 Gossip Wolf The Numero Group opens its factory outlet this week, and more music news.
FEATURES
---------------------------------------------------------------VICE PRESIDENT OF NEW MEDIA GUADALUPE CARRANZA SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER EVANGELINE MILLER ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ARIANA DIAZ, BRIDGET KANE MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER BRYAN BURDA DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL JOHN DUNLEVY ADVERTISING COORDINATOR HERMINIA BATTAGLIA CLASSIFIEDS REPRESENTATIVE KRIS DODD ---------------------------------------------------------------DISTRIBUTION CONCERNS distributionissues@chicagoreader.com CHICAGO READER 350 N. ORLEANS, CHICAGO, IL 60654 312-222-6920, CHICAGOREADER.COM ---------------------------------------------------------------THE READER (ISSN 1096-6919) IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY SUN-TIMES MEDIA, LLC, 350 N. ORLEANS, CHICAGO, IL 60654. © 2016 SUN-TIMES MEDIA, LLC. PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID AT CHICAGO, IL. POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO CHICAGO READER, 350 N. ORLEANS, CHICAGO, IL 60654.
ON THE COVER: PHOTO OF CHERUSHII BY JEREMY DANGER. FOR MORE OF DANGER’S WORK GO TO JEREMYDANGER.COM
SPORTS
Is this the year the Cubs win it for Judith Sherwin?
As the All-Star break approaches, the team is currently the best in baseball. But for a diehard fan of nearly 60 years, a Cubs World Series wouldn’t change a thing. BY TAL ROSENBERG 11
MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE
The Daphne festival sings the unsung women of electronic music
Performers from this week’s Smart Bar celebration talk to the Reader about artists who inspire them. BY LEOR GALIL 21
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The Book of Mormon ò JOAN MARCUS
THEATER
More at chicagoreader.com/ theater The Book of Mormon Written by South Park co-creators Trey R Parker and Matt Stone (along with Rob-
SUMMER SPECIAL 1-2 OR 3 MONTHS STUDENT & STUDENT ATHLETE RATES COMING THIS FALL B&W GYM EXPANDS TO 15,000 SQUARE FEET 4 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
ert Lopez, who went on to co-compose tunes for Disney’s Frozen), this musical satire about Mormon missionaries was the Hamilton of 2011, inspiring frenzied adulation and overheated ticket sales. I was skeptical until Chicago got a roadshow version in 2013; then it seemed to me “as entertaining—and, strangely, uplifting—a piece of work as anything in recent American theater.” Now the road has brought it back again. The shock of a production number about Joseph Smith fucking babies isn’t quite so giddy as before, while the leads offer even less nuance (as the overconfident Elder Price, Ryan Bondy channels Jim Carrey, and Cody Jamison Strand’s geeky Elder Cunningham puts me in mind of a four-year-old Lou Costello). But the show is still a hilarious, surprisingly compassionate whap in the face. —TONY ADLER Through 8/14: Wed 7:30 PM, Thu 2 and 7:30 PM, Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2 and 8 PM, Sun 2 and 7:30 PM, Tue 7:30 PM, PrivateBank Theatre, 18 W. Monroe, 312-902-1400, broadwayinchicago.com, $42-$117. Fight Quest, Module One: R The Bandits of Hollow Hill A barbarian (Justin Verstraete), a monk
(Brendan Stallings), a rogue assassin (Grace Gimpel), and a ranger (Moira Begale) with a wolf (Kai Young) walk into a room. It’s not a joke, it’s Fight Quest, a family-friendly comedy created by Otherworld Theatre. One lucky audience member gets to choose a champion, then determine his or her fate through games, wit, and a bit of chance, all guided by the devilishly charming Game Master. Scripted by Bennett Bottero and directed by Moira Begale, the show changes with every decision the audience participant makes, but always delivers onstage combat, weaponry, and
laughs, no matter what adventure the audience is taken on. Bring the kids, or get your role-play gaming buddies together. —A.J. SØRENSEN Through 7/27: Wed 8 PM, ComedySportz Theatre, 929 W. Belmont, 773-549-8080 or 312559-1212, otherworldtheatre.org, $10. The Importance of Being Earnest Producers of Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy of manners have a tendency to let character take a backseat to the playwright’s superhuman back-and-forth. This three-hour, two-intermission staging by Dead Writers Theatre Collective is no exception, although Jack Dryden’s unabashedly fabulous Algernon fares better than usual. An ambiguously gay duo (less ambiguous here, by design) “Bunbury” their way through the English countryside and get caught up in a mess of lies and high-society expectations. In a play that skewers indulgence, director Jim Schneider’s ensemble occasionally heighten Wilde’s comedy in all the wrong ways, but the delicate, cupcake-like design, fashioned after a Victorian toy theater, is a delight throughout. —DAN JAKES Through 7/31: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2:30 PM, Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport, 773-935-6860, deadwriters.net, $42, $32 seniors, $27 students and children. Man of La Mancha If ever a R revival truly revived anything, this is it. Premiering on Broadway in
1965, the musical by Dale Wasserman, Mitch Leigh, and Joe Darion became too big a hit for its own good, sliding past the iconic right into the cliched. Its signature tune in particular, “The Impossible Dream,” devolved into a byword for mawkish sentiment as it got done and done everywhere from highschool auditoriums to piano bars. But Nick Bowling’s production for Marriott Theatre reminds us, vividly, of a crucial fact: that the actual setting for the song is a miserable holding cell, where Miguel de Cervantes sits among murderers and thieves while awaiting trial before the Inquisition. Accomplished with fluorescent tube lights, prison tattoos, harsh buzzers, and ugly fight choreography,
Bowling’s emphatic deromanticizing yields a show that resembles Marat/ Sade more than Camelot. A formidable cast led by Nathaniel Stampley, Richard Ruiz, and the marvelous Danni Smith yields intensity. —TONY ADLER Through 8/14: Wed 1 and 8 PM, Thu-Fri 8 PM, Sat 4:30 and 8 PM, Sun 1 and 5 PM; also Thu 8/4 and 8/11, 1 PM, Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, 10 Marriott, Lincolnshire, 847-634-0200, marriotttheatre.com, $50-$55.
Rhythm World Chicago Human R Rhythm Project’s tap and percussive dance festival features perfor-
A Midsummer Night’s Dream R A fully convincing production of Shakespeare’s convoluted tale of young
Apples to Improv You’ve got to hand it to this Under the Gun troupe for opening its family-friendly improv show on a holiday weekend—perhaps unsurprisingly, our audience was only slightly larger than the entire cast of five. The somewhat casual production is loosely inspired by the card game Apples to Apples Junior; familiarity with it might help but isn’t required as dealt cards offer subjects, topics, and themes to inspire the team-based competition. I admired the spontaneous quirkiness— the memory of grandma shaking a turkey neck at Thanksgiving, a baseball sketch done entirely in gestures. The kids in the audience loved being a part of the silliness; still, the format could use some tightening before it’s ready for prime time. —SUZANNE SCANLON Through 7/31: Sun 6 PM, Under the Gun Theater, 956 W. Newport, 773-270-3440, undertheguntheater.com, $12.
lovers and roving actors bewitched by a bevy of forest fairies requires the creation of a convincingly magical world. Muse of Fire’s 90-minute version, performed in an open corner lot behind the Evanston Civic Center, can’t muster much magic, making the fairy world and its chicanery as unaccountable as the pair of stepladders that constitute the set. And the double and triple casting makes mayhem of the overpopulated final scene. But while the supernatural elements fizzle, the human realm—most especially the austere Athenian court—is rendered with satisfying clarity, a particularly impressive feat considering the ensemble works without a director. Best of all, the quartet of flummoxed lovers are deft physical comedians. —JUSTIN HAYFORD 7/2-7/31: Sat-Sun 3 PM, Ingraham Park, 2100 Ridge, Evanston, museoffiretheatre.weebly.com. F
DANCE
mances across the city at the Museum of Contemporary Art, American Rhythm Center, and the Jazz Showcase. Through 7/24, various locations, chicagotap.org, prices vary.
COMEDY
Bell Hop Comedian Ian R Abramson performs stand-up with special guests like Ron Lynch of Bob’s Burgers and Adventure Time. Sat 7/9, 9 PM, Virgin Hotel, 203 N. Wabash, virginhotels.com. F
Evil & Good Explore the struggle R between evil and good in this Jeff Garlin The Curb Your fusion of contemporary, hip-hop, and R Enthusiasm and The Goldbergs street dance performance from Chicago star performs stand-up. 7/8-7/9: Fri 8 and Dance Crash. 7/8-7/16: Fri-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 PM, Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble, 773342-4141, chicagodancecrash.com, $25.
10:30 PM, Sat 7 and 9:30 PM, Zanies, 5437 Park Pl., Rosemont, rosemont. zanies.com, $30 plus two-drink minimum.
Nocturne LevelDance’s site-speRejecTED Talks Add another R cific performance inspired by R to the list of Under the Gun’s creatures of the night. Audience particisimple, ingenious improv experiments. pation is involved. 7/7-7/10: Thu-Sat 10:30 PM, Sun 8 PM, Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport, 773-935-6860, leveldance. org, $27.
Five authoritative “presenters” must deliver TED Talks using PowerPoint slides they’ve never seen. On opening night, the hapless would-be experts
Evil & Good ò ASHLEY DERAN
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Best bets, recommendations, and notable arts and culture events for the week of July 7
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with open studios, poetry by Vito Carli, and live music by George John Larson and Rebecca F. Sat 7/9, 5-9 PM, 2630 W. Fletcher, artcolony.info.
Ron Lynch performs at Bell Hop ò STEVE ROBLES/WORLD DOMINATION DESIGNS
found themselves hashing through slide decks—replete with nonsensical charts and graphs—with titles like “Entry Into Intrigue,” “Love at First Swipe,” and my personal favorite, “Closing the Loop: A Map for the Unmappable.” The boldest of the bunch began their talks in earnest before turning to their first slide. Thus guileless Alex LeBaron (who also directs) had to turn his introductory remarks about running a bad Renaissance Faire into a talk called “Lessons Learned During My Year of Getting Punched in the Face 1,000 Times.” And goddamn it, he did. —JUSTIN HAYFORD 7/8-12/30: Fri 7:30 PM, Under the Gun Theater, 956 W. Newport, 773-270-3440, undertheguntheater.com, $12. Spectacle Spectacular: A Fully R Improvised Song and Dance Musical Dancers and comedians collab-
orate to perform four fully improvised musicals. 7/10-7/31: Sun 8 PM, MCL Chicago, 3110 N. Sheffield, mclchicago. com, $20.
This American Lie A sketchR comedy revue about the misleading elements of the “American Dream,”
Chicago Cultural Center “Visible From Space,” local artist Paul Catanese presents a multimedia exhibit exploring what the earth looks like from space. Opening reception Fri 7/8, 5-7 PM. 7/89/27, Mon-Thu 8 AM-7 PM, Fri 8 AM-6 PM, Sat 9 AM-6 PM, Sun 10 AM-6 PM. 78 E. Washington, 312-744-6630, chicagoculturalcenter.org. 1821 West Hubbard Street Lofts The Spudnik Picnik, the printmakers of Spudnik Press host a neighborhood festival, including a pop-up art fair and drinks from Metropolitan Brewing and Dark Matter Coffee. Sat 7/9, noon-5 PM, 1821 W. Hubbard, spudnikpress.org, $5 suggested donation. Morpho Gallery “David W. Cook,” a exhibition of paintings and sculptures by the artist known as the “flower bomber.” 7/8-7/31, Thu-Fri 1 AM-6 PM, Sat noon-6 PM, 5216 N. Damen, 773-878-4255, morphogallery.com.
LIT
Detention Hall A monthly series R featuring stories, essays, and performances by Chicagoland teachers. Tue 7/12, 7 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, 773-227-4433, hideoutchicago.com, $5.
from freedom to white picket fences. 7/9-7/30: Sat 8 PM, the Revival, 1160 E. 55th, 866-811-4111, the-revival.com, $10.
Work in Progress This one-womR an show feels like a voyeuristic trip into longtime Chicago improviser
Abby McEnany’s mile-a-minute brain. The self-labeled queer dyke, a doyenne among millennials on the scene, performs a series of highly personal vignettes on topics ranging from gender identity to OCD to General Hospital. While she asks that “what happens here stays here,” I can share that her obnoxiously cheerful personality, palpable nervous energy, and sharp wit in the face of heartbreaking intolerance make for an unforgettable hour. References to Ferron and Luke and Laura might be lost on the younger set, but McEnany’s story of surviving and thriving through improv, a community that “embraces failure,” transcends generation, gender, or sexual orientation. She puts it best—labels are bullshit. —MARISSA OBERLANDER Through 7/29: Fri 10:30 PM (no show 7/15), iO Theater, 1501 N. Kingsbury, ioimprov.com/chicago, $14.
VISUAL ARTS Art Colony Studio Building “The Lost Artists Show,” enjoy an evening of art
Allison Dunne performs at Ladylike ò JESSICA KAMINSKI
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Sappho’s Salon Spoken-word artist Kai Love, storyteller Ada Cheng, and poet Goddess Warrior perform at this month’s reading series focused on queerness, gender, and feminism. Tue 7/12, 7:30 PM, Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark, 773-769-9299, womenandchildrenfirst.com, $7-$10.
Dorit Sasson The dual AmericanR Israeli citizen reads excerpts from her new book, Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces. Sun 7/10, 3 PM, City Lit Books, 2523 N. Kedzie, 773-2352523, doritsasson.com.
The Moth StorySlam Residents R share five-minute stories about their neighborhoods. Tue 7/12, 8 PM, the Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave West, 312-801-2100, themoth.org, price TBA.
MOVIES
More at chicagoreader.com/movies NEW REVIEWS L’Astragal The title of Brigitte Sy’s R electric sophomore feature (2015) translates as “the anklebone,” which is
what the female protagonist, an Algerian-born delinquent, breaks while escaping from a French prison in the late 1950s. Shot in gleaming black and white, the movie follows this young woman (Leila Bekhti) as she meets another criminal (Reda Kateb), falls in love with him, and begins to feel tethered to him, for good or ill. The story originated in 1965 as a semi-autobiographical novel by Albertine Sarrazin, which was adapted to the screen three years later; this new version feels fresh despite the story’s previous incarnations and familiar French themes (prostitution, sexual fluidity, the heroine as an inchoate writer). In French with subtitles. —LEAH PICKETT 97 min. Sun 7/10, 3 PM, and Thu 7/14, 6 PM. Gene Siskel Film Center Director’s Cut Tim Kirk’s low-budR get effort Director’s Commentary: Terror of Frankenstein (2015) used an old 70s horror movie with a mock director’s
commentary to surreal and dramatic effect. With a somewhat bigger budget, screenwriter Penn Jillette and director Adam Rifkin have created their own movie, a crowdfunded Saw knockoff starring Harry Hamlin and Missi Pyle, and added a layer of audio commentary from one Herbert Blount (Jillette), a deep-pocketed “executive producer” who purchased the right to shoot a “making of” video and weaves his own footage into the film. The metamovie angle is nothing new, but Jillette has fashioned a cutting-edge backstage farce by zeroing in on the absurdity of crowdfunding, with people buying screen roles for themselves and the shoot turning into an ongoing meet and greet. The story grows silly near the end as the filmmakers try to pump some action into it, but for the most part this is clever, cagey, and creepy. —J.R. JONES 90 min. Thu 7/7, 8:30 PM; Fri, 7/8, 2 and 8:15 PM; Sat 7/9, 7:45 PM; Sun 7/10, 3 PM; Mon 7/11, 6 and 8:15 PM; Tue 7/12, 8:15 PM; Wed 7/13, 6 PM; and Thu 7/14. Gene Siskel Film Center Eat Your Bones In this grim rite-ofpassage drama, set in the French industrial town of Creil, an 18-year-old Romany boy must choose between the evangelical Christianity and the thieves’ code of honor that have divided his family. His older brother, just out of jail, wants to live by his wits and resume a life outside the law, and they drive around the desolate countryside looking for a quick score. The tension between the men’s Romany community and the larger French culture elevates this 2014 drama above the average crime-spree flick, but it’s held back by sermonizing dialogue and a pat resolution. JeanCharles Hue directed. In French with subtitles. —DMITRY SAMAROV 94 min. Fri 7/8, 6 PM, and Wed 7/13, 8:15 PM. Gene µ Siskel Film Center
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Exploring America, From First Contact to Last Frontier Explore history in the Newberry Library with Atlas Obscura’s Amy Weber. Sat 7/9, 10 AM, Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton, 312-255-3700, atlasobscura.com, $25.
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Ladylike Female comedians R and storytellers share their most disgusting experiences. Wed 7/13, 8:30
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Patti Clark Reading by the author of the self-help book This Way Up. Fri 7/8, 6:30 PM, City Lit Books, 2523 N. Kedzie, 773-235-2523, citylitbooks. com.
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AGENDA Hunt for the WilderpeoR ple In the mountains of New Zealand, a troublesome foster B
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child (Julian Dennison) is delivered into the care of an elderly couple (Sam Neill, Rima Te Wiata), and ultimately he and the old man must go on the run, fending for themselves in the wild. Based on Barry Crump’s 1986 novel Wild Pork and Watercress, this spirited comic adventure by writer-director Taika Waititi shares more in common with his gentle, character-driven drama Boy (2010) than his recent vampire farce What We Do in the Shadows (2014). Like Mark Twain, Waititi looks for humor in quirks of character and degrees of stubbornness, and the natural challenges of Crump’s wilderness journey generate a succession of belly laughs onscreen as the gruff old man scraps with the loudmouthed kid, a pudgy hip-hopper looking for a challenge equal to his will. —J.R. JONES PG-13, 101 min. River East 21 The Innocents A French doctor for the Red Cross (Lou de Laâge), serving in Poland after its liberation from the Nazis, delivers a baby to an unwed mother at a nearby convent and soon learns that the mother is a nun who was raped by Russian soldiers; worse yet, six more nuns have been similarly impregnated. Based on a true story (which was even more horrible), this French-Polish drama clicks along nicely as director Anne Fontaine (Coco Before Chanel) investigates the tense, complicated relations between the French, the Poles, and the Soviets. It begins to bog down, though, as spiritual concerns take over the narrative. Fontaine has said that she went on two Benedictine retreats while preparing for the movie, but it takes a secular and faintly condescending view of the nuns, portrayed as ignorant victims of shame and misguided religiosity. In French with subtitles. —J.R. JONES PG-13, 115 min. Landmark’s Century Centre Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates The title yahoos (Zac Efron, Adam Devine) have wreaked havoc at so many family gatherings that their fed-up father (Stephen Root) bans them from their sister’s impending nuptials unless they bring dates and behave themselves; after Mike and Dave appear on a TV talk show to recruit them (which the family somehow never hears about), they land a couple of live ones (Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza) who cause more chaos at the event than they do. The chirpy Kendrick and baleful Plaza make a better comic team than the interchangeably dumb Efron and Devine, and giving the women equal time with the men elevates what might otherwise have been a simple knockoff of Wedding Crashers. But any such novelty is
6 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
Hunt for the Wilderpeople undercut by the dull certainty that, like the earlier movie, this one will end with a joyous ceremony and a validation of marriage. Mike and Dave may need wedding dates, but the producers need a date movie. Jake Szymanski directed. —J.R. JONES R, 98 min. Cicero Showplace 14, City North 14, River East 21, Webster Place 11 Under the Sun Given a government-approved script and followed everywhere by minders, director Vitaly Mansky attempts to document the life of a “typical” North Korean family in Pyongyang. Long shots of socialist statuary and architecture lend an eerie solemnity to this 2015 film, much of whose action has been staged or otherwise manipulated; scenes are repeatedly halted so the family members can be coached on how to deliver their lines, and the parents’ occupations have been changed to make them better exemplars of communism. Aside from a few explanatory captions, the film is opaque; it may not be the uplifting propaganda piece the government wanted, but it lacks enough perspective to reveal what life in North Korea is truly like. In Korean with subtitles. —DMITRY SAMAROV 106 min. Fri 7/8, 7 and 9 PM; Sat 7/9, 5, 7, and 9 PM; Sun 7/10, 5 and 7 PM; and Mon 7/11–Thu 7/14, 7 and 9 PM. Facets Cinematheque
REVIVALS Blood Simple Deep in the heart of Texas, the sleazy owner of a honky-tonk plots revenge on his unfaithful wife, who’s been messing around with one of his bartenders. The agent of vengeance is a cynical divorce detective (M. Emmet Walsh) who isn’t opposed to taking a little work on the side. Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1984 film is one of the most successful American independent features ever made, and its plot—a bald pastiche of James M. Cain—contains some ingenious, enjoyable reversals. Still, the movie remains mired in a smart-alecky
film-school sensibility. Showing no detectable investment in the characters, the Coens seem to signal to their hip urban audience that they share their giggling contempt for the pulpy conceits on display. —DAVE KEHR R, 94 min. Fri 7/8-Tue 7/12, 7:20 PM. A mini retrospective of the Coens’ movies (Fargo, Barton Fink, and The Man Who Wasn’t There) screens all week at Music Box; for showtimes see chicagoreader.com/movies. Ferry Cross the Mersey Gerry and the Pacemakers play themselves in this 1965 British musical about a Liverpool band leaving family and friends for the chance of success. Jeremy Summers directed. 88 min. Wed 7/13, 7:30 PM. Northeastern Illinois University Auditorium The Hands of Orlac Robert Wiene’s legendary 1924 silent— about a pianist (Conrad Veidt) who gets a hand transplant and then discovers he has an impulse to kill—plays a significant role in Malcolm Lowry’s novel Under the Volcano. The film’s been remade several times, but reportedly this first version is the best of the lot. —JONATHAN ROSENBAUM 92 min. Screening outdoors with live musical accompaniment by the White City Rippers. Wed 7/13, 8:30 PM. Comfort Station The Kid Brother Harold Lloyd was most effective playing a city slicker, but his Nebraska childhood inspired a few Keaton-esque exercises in Americana. In this 1927 silent feature he plays a small-town boy who runs afoul of his sheriff father after a beautiful woman (Jobyna Ralston) rolls into town with a traveling medicine show. In a wonderful point-of-view gag, shot with a makeshift elevator, he climbs ever higher in a tree to get a look at his beloved as she saunters down a valley, before passion gives way to the law of gravity. Ted Wilde and J.A. Howe directed. —J.R. JONES 82 min. Dennis Scott provides live organ accompaniment. Sat 7/9, noon. Music Box v
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OUR MOST READ ARTICLES LAST WEEK ON CHICAGOREADER.COM IN ASCENDING ORDER: On the trail of discovery—and disappointment— in Rezkoville —RYAN SMITH
ò ISA GIALLORENZO
Police blame courier for crash that took his life. Witnesses tell a different story —JOHN GREENFIELD
Guns N’ Roses satisfies an appetite for reconstruction at Soldier Field —JAKE MALOOLEY
Street View
Out of the blue
“I USED TO ONLY WEAR SAFE COLORS,” Dimress Dinnigan says, “like black, browns, and deep reds, since everyone always told me that black girls couldn’t wear bold colors because of their skin and because it would make them look ‘ghetto.’ But seeing famous women like Lil’ Kim and Lil’ Mo wear bold hair colors with such confidence really made me want to try it out. So I did it, and I’m never going back.” The fashion designer’s blue hair and fuchsia Nikes perfectly complement the vibrant form-fitting dress she thrifted a few years ago. “Every time I put it on, it instantly makes me happy,” she says. “I have a pair of shoes to match every color in that print.” Last month, the Bronzeville native debuted her hat line, Bronze. Check out her designs on Twitter and Instagram (@lowkeydimo), where she also shows off more of her fearless style. This summer she’s all about “body glitter, highlighter makeup, and gym shoes with no socks.” —ISA GIALLORENZO
Let’s celebrate the loss of the Lucas Museum —ZACHARY SIEGEL
Where to watch fireworks in Chicago and celebrate Fourth of July 2016 — FARAZ MIRZA Diameters of circles are proportional to the number of page views received.
Chicagoans
Child of the Holocaust Adina P. Sella, 80
MY FATHER HAD BEEN a great denier of Hitler’s intentions. He was sure that the people who gave us Goethe and Schiller would never allow a crazy person to prevail. But when I was three, Hitler rounded up all the male Jews with Polish origins, including my father. My mother took my brother and I, and we marched into the headquarters of the Gestapo. I remember the Nazis’ boots, because I was about that level, you know? This young officer asked us, “What do you want?” in a very impolite way. And she said, “My husband.” My mother was a beautiful woman. He looked at her, and he said, “Who’s your husband?” He came back with my father’s passport, and he said, “You have 48 hours to secure an exit visa for him, and we’ll let him go.” My mother went to the Italian consulate and secured an exit visa for my father. The Gestapo could have taken that visa and told my mother to fly a kite. But the officer let my father go, and he left for Italy. After he was there, some Italians helped him get visas for the rest of us. At the border, the Nazis tore my doll with a bayonet, to look for the famous Jewish jewels that we were supposed to have. We ended up in a small village, where nobody knew we were Jewish
“Donald Trump will burn himself out. He’s an impulsive, egotistical narcissist. Even Hitler knew to come on slowly,” Sella says. ò SUNSHINE TUCKER
except the people who housed us. One day we got the message that we had to flee because somebody had seen German troops nearby. We walked and walked and walked. All of a sudden, like a frog, a young man dressed in khaki jumped out at us and told us to get flat on our stomachs. He was a British soldier. We had been walking between a German trench and a British trench. We jumped into the British trench, and they gave us white bread and squares of chocolate. Now, my Holocaust story is comparatively benign. I didn’t see killings and hangings. But what I learned in the first eight years of my life were behaviors that made it safe for me to survive. I had to lie, I had to cheat, I had to steal, I had to hide. And then those things became maladaptive. So I developed a pseudo-personality. On the outside,
I was popular, and on the inside, I didn’t let anybody near me because I was so empty and afraid. Eventually, I went to therapy for 18 years, from when my daughter was born until she finished high school. It took me time to realize that the Holocaust caused me post-traumatic stress. As a Jew, you have to be vigilant. The Holocaust happened and can happen and will happen again. And the only way we will not have stories like mine and worse is if we keep Israel strong, to have a country that can defend us. Now, is that a popular thing to say? I don’t know. I’m not afraid of Donald Trump. Donald Trump will burn himself out. He’s an impulsive, egotistical narcissist. Even Hitler knew to come on slowly. He had a very solid foundation before he started to be such a megalomaniac. Trump is one already. —AS TOLD TO ANNE FORD
Ñ Keep up to date on the go at chicagoreader.com/agenda.
SURE THINGS THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
× Ta ste of Ch icago The annual Chicago blowout features more than three-dozen tents full of the Second City’s best food plus music from the Decemberists, Billy Idol, and the Isley Brothers. Through 7/10: Wed-Fri 11 AM-9 PM, SatSun 10 AM-9 PM, Grant Park, S. Columbus and E. Jackson, tasteofchicago.us, $15-$23 for concerts, free to enter fest.
 Exxxotica Chicago The adult festival features live performances, product exhibits, and educational seminars—from how to navigate the swinger lifestyle to how to be a webcam model. Through 7/10: Fri 5-11 PM, Sat 1-10 PM, Sun 1-7 PM, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 River, Rosemont, chi. exxxoticaexpo.com, $39-$150.
% To ur de Fat New Belgium Brewing’s traveling tour celebrates all things cycling, featuring a costumed bike parade, live music, and the famous car-for-bike swap. 10 AM, Palmer Square, 3100 W. Palmer, newbelgium.com/ tour-de-fat. F
× Roscoe Village Burger Fest Enjoy some of Chicago’s best burger spots—including Butcher & the Burger, Fatso’s Last Stand, and Square Bar & Grill—plus two music stages and a “Kid’s Zone” full of crafts and activities. Sat 7/9-Sun 7/10: 11 AM-10 PM, Roscoe between Damen and Leavitt, chicagoevents. com, $10 suggested donation.
Ð “America Af te r the Fall : Pa inti ng in the 1930 s” Behold 50 pieces by major American artists— including Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Grant Wood—who were creating work considering America’s identity during and after the Great Depression. Through 9/18, Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan, artic.edu.
E Gary Bu sey’s OneMa n Haml et Actor David Carl portrays actor Gary Busey portraying all the roles in Hamlet with the help of homemade puppets, video, and songs. Through 7/17: Tue-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 3 and 8 PM, Sun 2 and 6 PM, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand, chicagoshakes.com, $35-$45.
☼ Th e Planets: An HD Od yssey View footage from NASA’s recent missions scored with space-themed music, including Gustav Holst’s The Planets and John Adams’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine. 8 PM, Ravinia Festival, Green Bay & Lake Cook, ravinia.org, $25-$90.
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RACHAL DUGGAN
CITY LIFE
TRANSPORTATION
Paved paradise
Why does Friends of the Parks endorse more asphalt at 31st Street Beach? By JOHN GREENFIELD
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t’s another case of parks versus parking lots. The Chicago Park District plans to put more than 250 new parking spots near the recently revamped 31st Street Beach and Harbor, in addition to the more than 650 existing garage and surface lot spaces already available within a roughly five-minute walk of the beach. That would make for a whopping grand total of more than 900 stalls at the lakeside facility. On top of that, to make room for the additional parking, the project would involve the elimination of 85,000 square feet of existing green space south of a current car park. The Park District says the additional parking is meant to accommodate future demand for access to the 900-slip harbor—although a spokesperson admits the department hasn’t conducted a parking demand study. But here’s what really gets me: the parking lot expansion has been endorsed by none other than Friends of the Parks, the same group that helped tank George Lucas’s proposal to replace Soldier Field’s 1,500-space south lot with his Museum of Narrative Arts. “Friends of the Parks has been hearing from stakeholders as well as the Chicago Park District about the great demand for parking for both beachgoers and boaters at the 31st Street Beach,” executive director Juaniza Irizarry said via e-mail last week.
I’ve had mixed feelings about Friends of the Parks’ previous advocacy work. I respect the group’s role as a guardian of our city’s recreational spaces—working, for example, to stop private music festivals from destroying public parks. It’s also taken progressive stances on parking at other parks. Still, I saw its stance in rejecting the Lucas Museum as a case of letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. In the case of 31st Street Beach, though, I think the group’s support for the parking expansion is misplaced. The number of planned car spaces seems excessive, and too much parking is always a bad thing. Not only would the elimination of one-and-a-half football fields’ worth of green space be unfortunate, but adding all that tarmac would contribute to the city’s storm-water runoff and heat-island woes. The city should accommodate people who may truly need to drive to the beach, such as those with mobility challenges, families with small children, and boaters and barbecuers transporting bulky gear. But overbuilding parking creates “induced demand”—if residents believe it’s easy to drive to the beach, they’re more likely to do so rather than use other, more sustainable forms of transportation. The result is more congestion and pollution. That’s one reason the Active Transportation Alliance opposes the 31st Street Beach lot expansion. “Car parking and streets are a poor use of the city’s very limited park space. Let’s give
people MORE open space, play areas, trails and other attractions and LESS pavement for cars,” executive director Ron Burke says via e-mail. But Irizarry argues that adding parking at the 31st Street is an equity issue. The harbor, completed in 2012, includes a large garage topped by an inviting, nautical-themed playground. “Unfortunately, Chicago’s south side beaches and parks were disinvested for many decades, and historic discrimination against minority communities in Chicago is a wellknown theme,” Irizarry says. “Despite our own historic concerns about losing green space in favor of parking and other development, now that the south side has a lovely lakefront amenity that is finally being highly utilized, Friends of the Parks is not going to tell people of color that they can only utilize the beach if they arrive by CTA or bicycle.” There are a couple of problems with that logic. First, Chicago’s communities of color stand to gain the most from healthier transportation modes, since these neighborhoods have the highest rates of illness associated with sedentary lifestyles, such as heart disease and diabetes. Moreover, many residents of the predominantly African-American communities near the beach don’t have the option of driving there. In 12 out of 18 U.S. Census tracts located within about two miles of the beach, more than a third of households don’t own cars,
according to the 2013 American Community Survey. That’s higher than the city average of about 25 percent without cars. In six of those south-side tracts, the majority of households don’t have autos. Meanwhile, the only direct transit service to the beach is the CTA’s 35th Street bus. The agency is reviving the discontinued 31st Street bus line as a pilot in September, but that route will stop half a mile west of the beach—a deal-breaking distance for many Chicagoans. Building tons of parking while providing mediocre transit service exacerbates transportation inequality. People of color will still be able to drive to the beach even if those 250-odd extra spots aren’t built. But limited transit access discourages the many nearby African-American residents who don’t own cars from using the beach. Offering bus service to the lake for residents along the 31st Street corridor would also help reduce parking demand, but Park District spokeswoman Jessica Maxey-Faulkner says this option wasn’t considered as an alternative to laying down more asphalt. The parking lot expansion will cost $1.65 million, according to Maxey-Faulkner. Meanwhile, the six-month bus pilot will cost only $251,000, less than one-sixth as much. Maxey-Faulkner says that it wouldn’t be possible to use the parking lot money to extend the bus route instead, since harbor bond funding is bankrolling the new lot. Still, those numbers are a reminder that, while Chicago has been promoting sustainable transportation in recent years, transit still often takes a backseat to driving. Irizarry says that Friends of the Parks “will happily support collaborative efforts to increase access [to the 31st Street Beach] by public transit.” She also rejects the notion that, by supporting the parking lot expansion, her group is promoting parking at the expense of parks. “Those who collaborate with the mayor’s spin machine to mislabel Friends of the Parks as a lover of parking lots are participating in a campaign of disinformation,” she says. Again, I think Friends of the Parks’ advocacy work is valuable. And I don’t think the group’s solely responsible for the fact that we’re likely stuck with Soldier Field’s south lot for the next generation or three. But when it comes to 31st Street Beach, I wish they’d prioritized green space over blacktop. v
John Greenfield edits the transportation news website Streetsblog Chicago. v @greenfieldjohn
JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 9
CITY LIFE
j JASON FREDERICK
Read Ben Joravsky’s columns throughout the week at chicagoreader.com.
POLITICS
Rauneromics
Funding public schools with property taxes means wealthy Winnetka spends at least $7,000 more per pupil than poorer Chicago. By BEN JORAVSKY
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n an effort to teach my beloved fellow Chicagoans how our school funding system works against us, I visited the land of milk and honey: Winnetka, hometown of Governor Bruce Rauner. I traveled there last Wednesday with several CPS parents from the Raise Your Hand coalition, who were trying to rally Rauner’s neighbors to their cause. The parents hoped that going door-to-door in Rauner’s town could convince one or two Winnetkans to call the governor on their behalf and say: The state’s system for funding schools isn’t fair! As if appeals to fairness will make a difference to Rauner, once described by Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg as “a plutocrat with nine homes and a heart the size of a gumball.” Still the best line in recent memory, as far as column writing goes. By chance, I visited Winnetka on the very Wednesday that Rauner grudgingly agreed to send enough state aid to Chicago to keep its school system from going bankrupt, at least for the time being. But last week’s stopgap measure doesn’t confront the fundamental flaw in school
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funding: schools are largely funded by property taxes. How much you pay in property taxes is determined by multiplying the value of your property by the tax rate. The more a town’s properties are worth, the more money it can raise for its schools. The median value of a house in Winnetka— one of the wealthiest municipalities in the country according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey—is about $1.2 million. In Chicago, it’s about $208,000. Also, Winnetka taxes its property at a higher rate than Chicago does. In summary, the town takes advantage of its wealth. Now you know why annual per-pupil spending in Winnetka is about $22,000, while in Chicago it’s only about $15,000. And why Winnetka’s New Trier High School has ten librarians. While most Chicago high schools have none. Well, that’s also due in part to the fact that Mayor Rahm wastes money on trivialities— like a basketball arena for DePaul—rather than spending it on important things, like librarians. But let’s keep the mayor’s skewed
priorities out of this conversation, at least for one column. In general, people in Winnetka can afford to pay more in property taxes because, well, they make more money. The median income in Winnetka is about $208,000. In Chicago, it’s about $48,000. As an example, take Governor Rauner— please. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) He pays about $82,000 a year in property taxes for his lovely home in Winnetka, according to the Cook County Treasurer’s Office. Of course, Rauner made about $57 million in 2014, the last time he reported his income. So $82,000 is less than half of 1 percent of Rauner’s annual income. In contrast, my dear friend Bernie, who lives down the street in Ravenswood, paid “only” $10,000 in property taxes this year. But his household income is about $100,000. So Bernie’s paying about 10 percent of his income in property taxes. If Rauner paid 10 percent of his annual income in property taxes, he’d be kicking in $5.7 million a year, which still leaves him enough cash to buy a bottle or two of wine for his next get-together with Rahm, now that the two of them have apparently patched up the feud no one believed they were having in the first place. Just so you know, not everyone in Winnetka pays as much as Rauner in property taxes. Most of Rauner’s neighbors pay about $35,000 a year. Many of them receive a home-owner’s exemption, a tax break given to people who live in their property. Rauner doesn’t. In 2013, Kerry Lester, a Daily Herald reporter, discovered that Rauner was receiving the home-owner’s exemption on three separate properties, including the house in Winnetka. Even though, by law, a home owner’s only supposed to take the exemption for one property. It’s good to see the governor’s corrected this oversight. The point is that the Winnetka residents are largely insulated from the annual schoolfunding turmoil that has so many Chicagoans—like the parents from Raise Your Hand— howling at the moon. Think about it this way: Winnetka’s wealth enables it to essentially self-fund a first-rate school system with very little need of state or federal assistance. And so its schools are protected from politicians like Rauner. Look, I’m not hating on Winnetka. The folks in the village do it right when it comes to schools. They don’t pretend money doesn’t
matter when it comes to education. They don’t nickel-and-dime their teachers. They offer their kids a wide range of curriculum choices. If we’re serious about educating low-income students we’d emulate the spare-no-expenses model favored by New Trier, treating poor children in Englewood like they were living in Winnetka. The challenge is how to pay for it. We can’t right now—not unless Chicago property values, or incomes, or both go up dramatically. We could move to a more progressive state income tax, so wealthier residents pay at a higher rate, thus raising more money for schools in Chicago and other poorer towns and communities. But thanks to opposition from politicians like Rauner, a progressive income tax will happen about as soon as the Bulls hire me to replace Derrick Rose.
If we’re serious about educating low-income kids, we’d emulate the spare-no-expenses New Trier model. We could raise the property tax rate in Chicago. Undoubtedly, there are many people who can afford to pay more—including the governor, who also owns a condo overlooking Millennium Park. But roughly 23 percent of Chicago residents live under the poverty line. So unless we can figure out some way to limit the tax hike only to, say, people who voted for Rauner, it would cause economic hardship to significantly jack up the rate even higher than the mayor did in his last budget. Here’s another idea: we could elect an enlightened governor who increases state aid for poorer school districts. Alas, we’ve elected Rauner, who says schools in Chicago are like “crumbling prisons” that are unworthy of a state bailout. It’s pretty crummy for a North Shore guy to suggest that the Englewoods of the world are somehow taking advantage of the Winnetkas. But what do you expect from a “plutocrat with nine homes and a heart the size of a gumball”? v
v @joravben
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Is this the year the Cubs win it for Judith Sherwin?
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As the All-Star break approaches, the team is currently the best in baseball. But for a diehard fan of nearly 60 years, a Cubs World Series wouldn’t change a thing. By TAL ROSENBERG
Sherwin in her Rogers Park home ò STEPHANIE BASSOS
f the roots of Jewish humor are anger and disappointment, then the Chicago Cubs may be the funniest, most Semitic team in sports history. This helps to explain why Judith Sherwin is such a big Cubs fan. The 71-year-old attorney’s Rogers Park apartment and her Loop office are filled with Cubs memorabilia: a baseball signed by Ernie Banks, a jersey autographed by Sammy Sosa, Cubs teddy bears and other charms intended to help the team win. I met Sherwin when I was five years old, after her only son, Jason, kicked me in the face. It was an accident, but his foot to my kisser knocked out the first tooth I ever lost. Jason and I became fast friends. There were many weekends when I’d sleep over at the Sherwins’ place, and it was there and on frequent car rides to sports games and birthday parties and McDonald’s that I learned about the Cubs. The words coming out of Sherwin’s mouth were fascinating: “Bullshit!” “Are you fucking blind?!” and of course, “Fucking moron!” Sherwin says “fucking moron” often, especially when she’s watching the Cubs. On some level, the Cubs taught me how to swear. In the summertime she’d take Jason and me to Wrigley Field, where she’s been a seasonticket holder since 1985. We’d go early, right when the park opened, and try to get autographs from the players. It was the first time I’d ever had mustard on a hot dog. I learned about Harry Caray, Gary “Fatty” Gaetti, the gloriously named Paul Assenmacher. In January or February, Sherwin would let me tag along for the Cubs conventions, where Jason and I would buy baseball cards or get autographs from Ron Santo. I quickly understood, via Sherwin, that the Cubs were bad, had always been bad, and would probably always be bad. I’d been told that the Cubs winning the World Series was so unlikely Chicago would probably burn to the ground if it ever happened. Yet here we are: 2016. The Cubs more than ever appear to be on their way to breaking their title drought, now 108 years running. They aren’t just in first place in their division, or in the National League—at the time of this writing, they have the best record in baseball. Over at FiveThirtyEight, writer Rob Arthur crunched the numbers and proclaimed, “This Year’s Cubs Might Be Better Than the Incredible ’27 Yankees,” often referred to as the best team in baseball history. Of course, if you’re a Cubs fan, you’re not entirely overjoyed by the hype. The Cubs, after all, are the kings of choking under the J
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strain of such lofty expectations. And few people know the pain wrought by the team more intimately than Sherwin. Having regularly attended Cubs games for nearly 60 years, she’s witnessed quite a few collapses. Sherwin has an astonishing recall of Cubs history. She remembers virtually all the players and managers, even the details of many regular-season games. And don’t get her started on the 1969 Cubs. “I mean, I can’t even tell you,” Sherwin says, sounding newly traumatized. She has shoulder-length sandy blond hair that’s often covered by a blue Cubs cap, on the back of which is embroidered season ticket holder 20+ years. “It was . . . It was unbelievable,” she says of the ’69 season. She leans in and her voice drops. “They had an infield that had been together for a few years. Santo, Kessinger, Glenn Beckert, and Ernie Banks, if you were to go from third to first. And everything was just gorgeous. And I think it was, like, on the fifth of August they had an eight-game lead over whoever was in second place. Oh, it was awful. I mean, I can’t tell you how miserable that was, because it was like a slow drip. It was torture. And it went on for like a month and a half. And you kept thinking, they’re not really gonna blow this, are they? And they were doing it! And it was like they just died. It was just the worst.” Taken together, her memories of Cubs baseball constitute a monumental archive of dejection. But with the team playing at such a historically high level, this could be the year, the year they turn it all around, the year Judith Sherwin finally gets to see the Cubs play in— hell, maybe even win—the World Series. I asked her if she’s concerned about a repeat of the agony of 1969, worried that they might blow it once again. “I don’t know if ‘blow it’ is the right way to look at it,” she says. “I would like to see them in the World Series. I’d love to see them win the World Series. But the truth is I won’t love them any more if they do.”
From top: a Chicago Tribune article about The Cubs and the Kabbalist on Sherwin’s refrigerator; a jersey signed by Sammy Sosa in 1997; Sherwin shows off her two-seam fastball grip; a ball Ernie Banks signed for Sherwin during a Cubs convention sits amid figurines that were Wrigley Field giveaways. ò STEPHANIE BASSOS
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herwin’s earliest baseball experience didn’t involve the Cubs. Her uncle Seymour, who lived with her family in Albany Park until she was six, was a baseball fan and took Sherwin to her first game in 1952, the White Sox at Comiskey Park. “They played the Cleveland Indians and they lost,” Sherwin says. “I don’t remember the score. My memories of it were the vendors and how green the field was.”
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In those days, WGN carried all the local baseball games. “In black and white, obviously,” Sherwin points out. She’d watch both the White Sox and Cubs whenever they were on, but pinpoints her preference for the northsiders to a game against Hank Aaron and the Milwaukee Braves in 1958. “I had started watching the first inning. I left the house, I went to the library. I came back and the Cubs were losing seven to nothing. And it was the sixth inning. And then the Cubs scored seven runs and eventually won that ballgame eight to seven,” she says. “So if I wasn’t hooked on the Cubs before, I was definitely hooked on the Cubs by then.” Sherwin lived with her mother, a legal secretary, and her grandmother, who was on social security. When she was 11 the family moved to Lakeview, and in the summertime her grandmother would give her money to ride the streetcars. Sherwin would invariably go to Wrigley Field whenever the Cubs were in town. She was able to take advantage of a policy that Wrigley Field promoted at the time. “They would let kids into the ballpark after the sixth inning, for free,” she says. “If you came to the game, you got in for free if you picked up a few rows of seats.” Being a young girl who was into baseball wasn’t always easy. “Girls in those days did not play baseball,” Sherwin says. “But I played, you know, with kids in the neighborhood. And I always loved it.” At Lake View High School, she befriended a girl who would often join her at Wrigley Field for Ladies’ Day, the Cubs organization’s attempt to market baseball to women. Sherwin and her friend would go “after the games and get autographs and hang around and do all that sort of stuff,” she says. “I was madly in love with a player named Richie Ashburn who was on the Phillies. And he got traded to the Cubs. That was like heaven.” Sherwin attended Roosevelt University on a scholarship and majored in psychology, though she was equally involved with the local theater and improv communities. “A lot of the Chicago theater people are big Cub fans,” she says. “It’s because they work all night and they sit in the ballpark all day. I used to do that too. You know, I’ve spent a lot of time at Wrigley Field.” In 1972, Sherwin married Byron L. Sherwin, a rabbi she’d known since the previous year, when they were set up by another rabbi. “Byron was never a big one for the ballpark,” she’s quick to point out. The rabbi, in general,
A flyer for The Cubs and the Kabbalist ò STEPHANIE BASSOS
wasn’t the athletic type. My memory is of him sitting in a chair, smoking Schimmelpenninck cigarillos, reading or writing or cracking jokes. But Byron was hardly idle—in fact, he was brilliant. He had a PhD from the University of Chicago, was a protege of Jewish scholar Abraham Joshua Heschel, and was a member of the faculty of the Spertus Institute, where he was also the dean and vice president for nearly 30 years. Byron, a native New Yorker, referred to the Cubs as “Little League.” They weren’t the Yankees. On the few occasions when he would indulge his wife and accompany her to the ballpark, he’d bring a book to read. “The Cubs were down two to nothing, the bases loaded, and Dave Rader came up and hit a double, and the Cubs won the ballgame,” Sherwin recalls. “And Byron read his book all the way through the whole thing. I was losing my mind, and he’s, you know, sitting there, reading a book about something or other.” Books were Byron’s Cubs. He was a voracious reader and prolific writer. He had an enormous library, ranging from scholarly Jewish texts to 19th-century philosophy to Russian literature, and he wrote or edited more than two dozen books. In Byron’s only novel, The Cubs and the Kabbalist, published in 2006, the narrative is semiautobiographical: Rabbi Jay Loeb is convinced that his wife, an attorney, is having an affair, when in fact her infatuation is with the Cubs. To win back her affections, Rabbi Loeb performs a Kabbalistic ritual on the pitchers’ mound at Wrigley Field to remove the Curse of the Billy Goat, inventing a golem that will help the Cubs win the World Series. Yet the story is really about how most people underestimate the powerful effect that miracles have on a
religious follower’s devotion. Though Byron’s fascination with the Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism is evident in The Cubs and the Kabbalist, I wonder if he was dubious of the existence of miracles. Judith Sherwin is undoubtedly a skeptic, especially when it comes to the Cubs. “The [Curse of the] Billy Goat—it’s all a bunch of bullshit,” she says. “I mean, you either play the games or you don’t play the games, you either know what you’re doing or you don’t. This is madness. Forget all the crap, focus on what you’re doing right now: right now what you’re doing is you’re playing a baseball game.” Last May, Rabbi Sherwin died at the age of 69 after a long illness. In remarks made during a memorial lecture this past spring, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove paid tribute to his former teacher, saying that “The depth and range of Byron’s knowledge reflects a set of circumstances that would be difficult, if not impossible to replicate. The tensions that came to be crystallized in him, those still resonating are, on some level, representative of a bygone era.” And in a sense, Judith Sherwin is also representative of a bygone era, a more pure period that existed before baseball at Wrigley Field became “a business,” as she often says, derisively. “Wrigleyville has changed a lot,” she says. “Santo was broadcasting the game and there was some craziness going on in the stands, and he said, ‘You know, there are a lot of new Cubs fans, and they don’t really know how to behave.’ “Whenever the Cubs are doing well, it’s a wonderful thing—except it brings a lot of people into the ballpark who don’t really know how to behave. There is an open-bar kind of
feeling sometimes in the ballpark,” she says, knocking the overconsumption of alcohol and the rowdiness that sometimes results. Sherwin has had the same seats since 1990, in the grandstand directly behind home plate, in the middle of a row so she doesn’t have to get up when people go to the bathroom. She got her tickets after writing a letter to Frank Maloney, the former ticket operations manager for the Cubs, in which she described the view from her prior location, conveniently positioned behind a giant metal beam. He was so amused by the letter that the following January, he welcomed her to an empty Wrigley Field and invited her to pick any seats she wanted in the park. “The place I sit, those people, we’ve all been sitting there together for 25 years,” she says. “And it’s nice to come every year and see people that are still here. One lady died a couple years ago; her husband is now remarried. The guy who sits behind me, I think he’s retired now, he’s a math professor at U. of I. So you see people you know. They’ve seen Jason grow up. I like that.”
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ast fall, when the Cubs were down two games to none in the National League Championship Series against the Mets, Sherwin didn’t appear worried. She was relaxed, eating a bagel and cream cheese at a River North cafe before heading home to change into Cubs gear. That night she’d be at Wrigley Field for game three, in which the Mets beat her team 5-2. I asked if all the decades of Cubs baseball had made her accustomed to failure, desensitized to disappointment. But that wasn’t it. She was delighted by the team. She said it felt like a tide had turned, that eventually this squad would find a way to get it done. “Some people feel it would be terrible if the Cubs win the World Series,” she said, referring to a peculiar subset of longtime fans who think that a championship would sour the storied tradition of the “Lovable Losers.” “I don’t think it’d be terrible. But I don’t necessarily care. If they don’t, I still love them—they’re my team. I really hope they do it. But the sun will rise again afterwards, and that’s the great thing about baseball, you know? I start counting again. When the season is finally over, I sit down and I figure out how many days there are until opening day. And opening day comes again and the world begins again.” v
v @talrosenberg JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 13
ARTS AND CULTURE Elmhurst's Theatre Historical Society in 2010 ò SUN-TIMES MEDIA
CULTURE
Another museum exits
Elmhurst’s Theatre Historical Society plans a move to Pittsburgh. Members say it’s been hijacked. By DEANNA ISAACS
W
hile we’ve been stewing over the fate of the Lucas Museum, a venerable institution at the other end of the museum spectrum has made its own plans to leave the Chicago area. Allowing for the smaller scale, its plans are equally contentious. The Theatre Historical Society of America, housed since 1991 above the vintage York Theatre in Elmhurst, announced earlier this year that it’s getting ready to pack up its museum and archives and move to what it says is a more suitable and more urban location—in Pittsburgh. After considering 38 cities, including Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C., the society settled on the former home of its current executive director, Rick Fosbrink, where it plans to rent space in the Smithsonian-affiliated Heinz History Center while gearing up to eventually build its own museum, the National Center for Theatre History. At the society’s annual meeting at the Palmer House last week, that decision topped a list of complaints by members who say the orga-
14 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
nization has been hijacked by its staff, while dedicated volunteers, historically integral to its operation, have been “thrown under the bus,” as one member put it. The problems all started after the society, with a largely old-white-guy membership and a hardscrabble budget, came into a plummy inheritance. The heated two-and-a-half-hour session has been posted on YouTube, where it ought to have a good run as a nonprofit-management case study on the perils of—take your pick—a runaway administration or a rebellious membership. The Theatre Historical Society of America was founded in 1969 by New York journalist Ben Hall. He used his own 1960 book about American movie palaces, The Best Remaining Seats, as a springboard for an organization that would serve as an archive and publisher of theater history. After he was found murdered in his Christopher Street apartment in 1970, another theater aficionado, Brother Andrew Corsini Fowler, took charge. The archive was then housed with his order, the Congregation of Holy Cross, first in Washington, D.C., then
at Notre Dame University. After that it went to the basement of Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wicker Park before landing above the York, where both its archive, with more than 100,000 pieces, and a small museum (with displays that have included a scale model of the auditorium of the south side’s old Avalon Regal Theater) were available to the public. About 1,000 people a year make their way up the steep staircase, according to the historical society. For decades, the society got along with a single staff member—executive director Richard Sklenar—a minuscule budget, and a lot of volunteer help from its members. But Sklenar retired four years ago, not long after several members died and left the historical society some substantial money (including nearly $1 million alone from a member named Ken Lufkin). Fosbrink was hired, and, members say, expenses began to rise. (Fosbrink, whisking through the 2015 finances at the meeting without the benefit of PowerPoint or slides, reported a deficit of more than $200,000.) At the same time, the limitations of the Elmhurst location became an issue. In a statement announcing the move, the board noted that the current space is not large enough for the growing collections, not optimal for preservation or accessibility, and not fireproof. But members say they weren’t consulted about the move or involved in the selection process, and haven’t approved it. Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago and a former historical society board member, says he reached out to several Chicago institutions with the hope of brokering a move to the city, but that those efforts weren’t fruitful. He left the board last year “after it became clear to me that decisions had already been made.” That was a disappointment, Miller says: “This is a great Chicago asset that should remain in Chicago.” Irate speakers at the members’ meeting included former Music Box Theatre co-owner Chris Carlo, who said that Fosbrink “was hired to come to Elmhurst to work . . . not to take THS to Pittsburgh, where he came from and where he has already purchased a home.” No one refuted that claim. “We’ve always been a volunteer organization,” Carlo said at the meeting. “Now that we inherited money, you’re paying for an un-
knowledgeable staff, an inept editor”—of the group’s quarterly journal—and organizers for its annual four-day theater tour—which, Carlo argued, volunteers had always handled better. The board was also presented with a petition calling for the historical society to be transparent and “volunteer-led” on everything from assessment of staff to any decision on moving. But board president Craig Morrison said the move would take the society from “a hobbyist man cave” to “a serious museum,” and is part of a strategic plan made because “we don’t want the society to die out with us.”
The move would take the society from “a hobbyist man-cave” to “a serious museum.” —Theatre Historical Society board president Craig Morrison
Speakers who took the floor to defend the board included Morrison’s wife, Deborah Kinzer. She suggested that all this dissent is merely the result of “hurt feelings” fomented by “someone who’s not here”—a previous board president who was not at the meeting. That claim got another former board president, Lowell Angell, on his feet. “I wasn’t planning to talk,” Angell said, adding that he’s trying to keep an open mind, but “this has been a layman-member-led situation.” Neither Fosbrink nor Morrison was available to comment for this story. A historical society spokesman dismissed the petition, claiming that at least half the 150 people who had signed it as of Tuesday so far “were never members,” but says the planned move to Pittsburgh isn’t final yet. v
v @DeannaIsaacs
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ARTS & CULTURE
VISUAL ART
Mural maintained By JEFF HUEBNER
O
n a hot afternoon in early June, artist Marcos Raya stood on a ladder propped against a concrete wall on 18th Street and applied a fresh coat of gray paint to one of the oldest surviving outdoor antiwar murals in the country. The artwork, Fallen Dictator, shows a crowd of gun-toting revolutionaries—including one carrying a placard of Che Guevara—standing behind the upended statue of a Latin American military leader. A car rolled by, honking its approval. “So many people have thanked us,” Raya said. Fallen Dictator is a familiar sight to northbound travelers on Western Avenue. It’s part of a larger multipanel political mural called Prevent World War III, which was created guerrilla style in the summer of 1980 by ten prominent midwestern muralists. They painted it in response to Ronald Reagan’s prospective election, and with it, the looming threat of nuclear war and other global and environmental disasters. The mural was prescient. Raya, 68, recalled that just after he completed Fallen Dictator in September 1980, former U.S.-backed Nicaraguan strongman Anastasio Somoza Debayle— who’d been overthrown by Sandinista rebels a year earlier—was assassinated in Paraguay. “And now look at what’s happening this moment, with democracy threatened in South American countries,” Raya said. “That’s why this mural is so today.” Raya returned to retouch and update Fallen Dictator from time to time, adding references to racist immigration policies and U.S. involvement with narco-states. But this spring he received a $10,000 commission to restore
all ten panels and hire a small crew. The endowment comes courtesy of the 25th Ward Art in Public Places Community Arts Initiative, the same program responsible for the street art on a nearly two-mile-long stretch of the retaining wall, which angles along 16th Street to the east. A survivor from the era of the grassroots People’s Art movement, Prevent World War III is one of a number of community murals in Chicago that have remained relevant long after much of their imagery has faded. It was the result of a spontaneous call to collective action. Muralist John Weber invited a number of his artist comrades to paint on the Burlington Northern (now BNSF) railroad embankment wall after Reagan won the Republican presidential nomination. Muralists from Pilsen, the rest of the city, and Wisconsin— including Carlos Cortez, José Guerrero, and Caryl Yasko—heeded the call. The crew didn’t seek the rail company’s permission. Weber directed the effort, while Mark Rogovin—who’d soon after cofound the Peace Museum—contributed the filmstrip design, a reference to Reagan’s acting career. The mural’s successive panels unspool like scenes from a bad disaster movie. As part of the anti-nuke, anti-Reagan theme, artists addressed such issues as political corruption, perpetual warfare, industrial pollution, corporate greed, capitalism, and populist uprise. “I always find it exciting to come back and do this,” Raya said. “I’ve been criticizing how murals went more mainstream. You lose a lot of freedom to be political.” That hasn’t been an issue for Raya. He’s a key player in the Chicano mural movement
who painted many of Pilsen’s iconic walls in the 1970s and ’80s—the Casa Aztlán exterior at 1831 S. Racine is a surviving example—and has long been an internationally exhibiting artist. In recent years he’s become better known for his surrealist paintings and installations than for his work on the streets. Yet revisiting Prevent World War III has rekindled his activism. “More than any other time in the United States,” he said, “there should be a cultural resistance against what’s happening in the world today.” For the restoration, Raya tracked down old photographs to use as guides for color and content, but he’s added contemporary touches. Volunteer Mirella Campos replaced an image of Reagan and then-president Jimmy Carter wrestling over a missile with one showing Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton doing the same thing. On the day I visited, assistant Amanda Mudrovich, 33, was lettering signs held by protesters in a section that had originally been rendered by Aurelio Díaz. Over faded text she painted no to gENTRIFICATION, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN PILSEN, and STOP POLICE BRUTALITY. Mudrovich, Raya’s girlfriend and an artist who’d never worked on a mural before, noted that many of the street-art and spray-can pieces she sees in Pilsen “don’t make you think.” “You have a responsibility for it to mean something,” she said, “to reflect the views of the people—for it to mean something more than just decorating a wall.” Raya agreed. “A lot of people, young and old, came by and said, ‘These are the kinds of murals we need these days.’” v
Clockwise from top: Prevent World War III; a new addition to the wall by Mirella Campos depicts Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton fighting over a missile; a detail of one of the panels. ò APRIL ALONSO
JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 15
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CLAYTON HAUCK
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t a Wicker Park block party in 2013, Dave Helem recognized Felonius Munk from Twitter. It was a simple meeting: “I was like, ‘Hey, you’re Felonius Munk,’ and he said, ‘I am,’” Helem says. The local comics became fast friends, performing at open mikes together, and eventually created Blipster Life, a podcast that’s also the name under which the duo produces comedy shows filled with the details of their “black hipster” lives. Between discussions of Kanye West and #OscarsSo White, the pair have talked about recent trips to Whole Foods and playing the tuba in the college marching band. “I think my humor is very nerd-centered, but also from the voice of someone who loves being black,” Helem says. “I love our culture. I’m just trying to get people to see that there are so many experiences within that culture.” For the past three years they’ve been hosting and performing in shows such as AfroFuturism at Second City and Blipsters on Broadway at the Laugh Factory. Their latest, The Green Room, is based at the eight-monthold Hyde Park theater the Revival, which comes with an impressive comedy pedigree: it happens to be next door to what was the original home of Second City predecessors the Compass Players. And with the closing of Bronzeville’s Jokes and Notes earlier this month, the Revival is one of the only comedy-devoted theaters remaining on the south side. As new and shiny as the Revival’s stage
may be, the concept for Helem and Munk’s show is rooted in what happens behind the scenes. “Comedians are always funnier in the green room,” Munk says. “The green room is always where we relax and cut up.” The hosts are encouraging comedians and musicians to embrace the off-the-cuff spirit of the Compass Players in the hope of treating audiences to less rigid, more laid-back sets. Upcoming performers include comics Lara Beitz, Bobby Hill, and Jillian Ebanks, as well as guitarist/comedian/child star Becca Brown (she appeared alongside Jack Black in School of Rock). Despite having created a show focused on kicking back, Helem and Munk seem to be doing anything but. Helem is in the middle of creating a TV pilot based on Afro-Futurism and has been traveling the country performing stand-up, while Munk is jumping between Chicago and New York for regular performances and spots as “Resident Black Egghead” on Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore, on which he’s given wry takes on everything from the connotations of the word “thug” to Georgetown University’s legacy of slavery. He’s also two months from becoming a father. “I’m trying to do as much as I can today,” Munk says, “because who knows what I’ll be able to do tomorrow.” v THE GREEN ROOM 7/9-7/23: Sat 10 PM, the Revival, 1160 E. 55th, the-revival.com, $10.
v @BriannaWellen
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Steve Dahl asks, “Do ya think I’m sexy?” ò PAUL NATKIN
LIT
That’s Dahl he wrote By TAL ROSENBERG
O
n July 12, 1979, a crateful of disco records was blown up in the middle of Comiskey Park, fans victoriously stormed the field, and the world was forever changed. Disco, an inescapable pop-music phenomenon, was finally quashed. Teenagers took back the sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll they cherished so dearly. And it was all thanks to the greatest promotional stunt in the history of FM radio. Or maybe that’s not what happened. Maybe Steve Dahl, the then-ascendant and influential disc jockey who created and hosted the stunt, was embarrassed, and his career never recovered. The public viewed the event—organized with the help of Mike Veeck, son of Sox owner Bill Veeck—as an uncontrolled riot that signaled youth culture had once again turned anarchic. Worst of all, it was racist and homophobic, since disco was a genre primarily created by and for blacks, Latinos, and gays. Rock music, once seen as open-minded, had been co-opted by bigots. Even the game was declared a forfeit to the Detroit Tigers.
These are the competing narratives of the false binary that is Disco Demolition Night. I’ve often thought that the intentions of Dahl and those who attended Disco Demolition are in the eye of the beholder: most of the participants, in retrospect, view the event as mere horseplay; those who saw it from the outside, or were disco fans, tend to interpret it as a frightening and dumb display of prejudicial anger. Dave Hoekstra, local author and radio host, occasional Reader contributor, and a Sun-Times writer for three decades, understands the prevalence and pitfalls of both these story lines, and his new book, Disco Demolition: The Night Disco Died, is an attempt to provide a more balanced account. Though Hoekstra wrote and compiled Disco Demolition, it’s credited to “Steve Dahl with Dave Hoekstra and Paul Natkin” (the latter of whom contributed the photographs), and the last chapter begins with this bizarre caveat: “Steve Dahl was a willing and honest participant in this book because he wanted to set the record straight.” Unfortunately, Dahl seems
to be the one who primarily sets the record in Disco Demolition. The book errs on his side of the story, from Naperville-born comedian Bob Odenkirk’s block-headed and mostly unfunny foreword to Dahl’s dismissive introduction to the narrative’s overreliance on the anecdotes of Dahl sympathizers. When he gets the chance, Hoekstra does try to make Disco Demolition a more rounded, less one-sided account. The main issue of Disco Demolition Night, he states early on, wasn’t one of race or sexual preference or gender—it was class. Many of the attendees—including photographer Diane Alexander White, whose exhibition of shots from the event was the subject of a Reader story in 2009—have pointed out that the crowd mostly consisted of blue-collar teens from the south side. They viewed disco as music that was played in fancy clubs that required expensive outfits in order to gain entrance; worse, they saw formerly hard-rocking idols such as Rod Stewart and the Rolling Stones putting out disco songs that catered to a more elite, glamorous audience. Disco Demolition is at its most interesting toward the end, when Hoekstra talks to people whose perspectives on Disco Demolition Night haven’t really been documented: Nancy Faust, the longtime Comiskey Park organist who happens to be a disco fan; vendors at the ballpark who were working during the mayhem; groundskeeper Roger Bossard, who had to repair the field in time for the next day’s game, right after it had been horribly defaced. The penultimate chapter documents how house music proliferated in Chicago shortly after Disco Demolition took place. But other interviews and subjects feel unnecessary and out of place. The most egregious example is a whole chapter dedicated to an exchange with Styx lead singer Dennis DeYoung, a south-side native who had little to do with Disco Demolition. Other people included in the book, from Duck Inn chef Kevin Hickey to comedian Richard Lewis, don’t add to any greater understanding of the event. At times, the background information of the interview subjects is simply excessive padding for brief quotes about Disco Demolition. It feels like the people being interviewed are those Dahl and Hoekstra wanted to include rather than those who might have provided more dimension and depth to the story. The perspective of Disco Demolition, much like the event itself, is overly white and male. The inclusion of more people who were affected by the event—particularly minorities
ARTS & CULTURE
and LGBTQ individuals who may have felt that Disco Demolition was an indirect attack on their race and sexuality—would’ve undoubtedly created a tension that the book lacks. But reading Dahl’s reflections makes it abundantly clear why those viewpoints aren’t included. “Any of us could go to a club now and take molly,” he says, as if all people are being arrested for drug offenses at an equal rate. “I wouldn’t have known how to go to a club and wear a suit. There was a lot of intimidation and disenfranchisement, especially if you were a male.” Because it must’ve been so hard to be a straight white man in 1979? Though the press release from publisher Curbside Splendor bills Disco Demolition as the book where Dahl finally expresses how he feels about that fateful night, it’s obvious that he would never be a part of a project where at any point he might come off as looking like the bad guy. I was surprised to discover that the night Disco Demolition happened Dahl was only 24 years old. He easily could’ve chalked up some of his lapses to youthful ignorance, but instead he seems to celebrate the time, and the book reads as overt hagiography. “I’m worn out from defending myself as a racist homophobe for fronting Disco Demolition,” Dahl proclaims early on. That’s understandable: it’s easier, if more exhausting, to talk than it is to listen. v DISCO DEMOLITION: THE NIGHT DISCO DIED By Steve Dahl with Dave Hoekstra and Paul Natkin (Curbside Splendor). Signing and photography show Fri 7/8, 7 PM, Co-Prosperity Sphere, curbsidesplendor.com/events.
v @talrosenberg
JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 17
ARTS & CULTURE
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In OITNB’s new season Litchfield Penitentiary becomes overcrowded in more ways than one. ò NETFLIX
SMALL SCREEN
Exploitation is the new entertainment By KT HAWBAKER-KROHN
I
n 2014 the Onion ran a headline that describes watching Orange Is the New Black all too well: “Woman Takes Short HalfHour Break From Being Feminist To Enjoy TV Show.” With its vivid discussions of race, gender, and sexuality, Orange Is the New Black might not seem like it requires this kind of cognitive dissonance from feminists, but the fourth season had me in a pickle. This kind of TV should be hard to watch, but the outlandish pacing of season four seems to value trauma for the sake of drama and comes at the experiences of abused women from a gossipy, sensationalistic angle. This time around, overcrowding at Litchfield Penitentiary is a problem in more ways than one. While the now-privatized facility doubles in population and becomes an even more inhumane environment for the women held there, the show itself ham-fistedly explores allusions to real-life occurrences of police brutality like the murder of Eric Garner and speedily packs the rest of the script with social issues du jour. Anti-trans violence, schizophrenia, Islamophobia, white pride, fascism, aging sexuality, and “How do you solve a problem like Martha?” are just a few of season four’s quagmires. The program hits a particularly sour note when it comes to Sophia Burset, played by
trans actress Laverne Cox. The admin at the Litchfield prison holds Burset in the solitary holding unit (“the SHU”) without cause for most of the fourth season. Her estranged wife, Crystal, makes a personal visit to Warden Caputo’s home to demand Sophia’s release, only to be waved off at gunpoint by the warden’s girlfriend. “That was so hot,” Caputo says as he shuts the door on Crystal, ending the moment with a punch line instead of showing the slight humanity audiences expect from him. OITNB’s theme song is called “You’ve Got Time,” but as the show hops quickly from one form of oppression to the next, it becomes clear there’s not enough of it in a given episode. Of course, the lives of incarcerated women are complicated and the pathways to prison are sordid, two dynamics OITNB’s writers appear to grapple with as they put the show together. By rushing through these plotlines, however, the series is no longer about starting necessary conversations among viewers but about shocking them into watching what happens next. When it comes to manipulating the experiences of minority communities in the name of entertainment, this season’s cage is full. v ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK is available to stream on Netflix.
v @kt_h_k
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EAT THAT QUESTION—FRANK ZAPPA IN HIS OWN WORDS sss
ARTS & CULTURE
Directed by Thorsten Schütte. R, 93 min. Get showtimes at chicagoreader.com/movies.
Pennsylvania state trooper Chuck Ash and Frank Zappa
MOVIES
Eagles ripped my flesh By J.R. JONES
I
’m a conservative,” Frank Zappa told Washington Times columnist John Lofton when they debated each other on the CNN program Crossfire in 1986. “You might not like that, but I am.” Lofton didn’t like it, and some of Zappa’s fans may not have either. But Zappa would surely have told them—as he told Lofton on that same broadcast—to kiss his ass. Eat That Question— Frank Zappa in His Own Words includes some performance clips, but German filmmaker Thorsten Schütte concentrates on a cornucopia of Zappa interview footage he’s collected over the years, and his documentary paints a vivid and often surprising portrait of the iconoclastic rocker and classical composer. Despite Zappa’s reputation as a wigged-out wild ssss EXCELLENT
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man, he was primarily a small businessman trying to support a wife and four children. In the movie, this aspect of his life begins to resonate when he clashes publicly with the Parents Music Resource Center, a self-appointed committee of Washington wives who decided to clean up the pop music industry during the Reagan era. The interviews in Eat That Question are wonderfully various. In a black-and-white clip from The Steve Allen Show in 1963, a clean-cut Frank enlists Allen in performing an experimental piece by banging on upended bicycles, their clanging backed by taped electronic music and free-form improvisation by the studio band. (Allen commends Zappa for his “foresightedness” and concludes, “As for your
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music, don’t ever do it around here again!”) Thirty years later, in 1993, Zappa speaks candidly about his battle with prostate cancer, admitting he has more bad days than good, in a valedictory chat with a reporter from The Today Show. (He died later that year.) But the dramatic centerpiece of the movie is, quite naturally, the “Zappa Goes to Washington” spectacle of the soberly clad, neatly barbered musician appearing in September 1985 before the Senate committee for Science, Commerce, and Transportation to denounce the PMRC’s call for government-sanctioned warning labels on records with graphic lyrics as “an ill-conceived piece of nonsense.” Zappa speaks eloquently of the free-speech issues involved, but he was also coming at the PMRC as an entrepreneur who owned an independent label and managed a large touring band. Big retail chains had promised not to sell LPs with warning labels, which would have severely reduced the clientele for Zappa’s brand of ribald comedy. He couldn’t stomach the PMRC, a nonprofit with no actual membership but the politically connected bluenoses who’d founded it (Tipper Gore, whose husband, Al, sat on the committee; Susan Baker, whose husband, James, was Reagan’s treasury secretary). In public statements at the time, Zappa charged that the PMRC wives—in an attempt to extort an agreement from the major record companies on warning labels—were getting their husbands to hold up passage of a cassette-tape tax that would discourage music piracy. Further, in his 1989 autobiography The Real Frank Zappa Book, Zappa observed that the campaign focused on rock records and paid little attention to country music, whose Nashville epicenter was important in the Gores’ home state. The “porn wars,” as Zappa liked to call them, were particularly revealing in that they touched on his own parenting. Eat That Question includes footage from the Senate hearing in which Florida senator Paula Hawkins scolds Zappa for letting his wife buy the children’s toys and Zappa invites her over to the house to take a look at them, to the laughter of the audience. In his book, Zappa gently twits himself as the put-upon dad, watching groceries pour into his house and get eaten up by the kids before he can get to them. He describes
himself as a laissez-faire parent with a deep suspicion of American education: “We do all the regular stuff, like trying to keep [the kids] away from danger and out of trouble, but after that, we have the responsibility of providing them with the basic data they’re never going to get in school.” Zappa urged his kids to take the California high school equivalency test as soon as possible. In Eat That Question, when he’s asked about his relationship with his children, he replies simply, “They like me.” Schütte has really covered the waterfront with these clips, and one of the more fascinating is Zappa’s sit-down with a trooper (and professed Zappa fan) from the Pennsylvania state police in 1981. Zappa favored drug legalization, but he also insisted that his band members leave all drugs behind when they went on tour. In the interview he defends the policy as a business necessity: “Aside from the chemical damage, there’s the legal risk that somebody’s gonna take their freedom away, and I’m gonna be sitting there going, ‘Where’s the drummer?’” When the cop asks Zappa if he resents his fans perpetuating the myth of his own drug excess, Zappa blames not the fans but the press. “It’s another way that the media keeps me from getting my point of view across. The more abstract and weird they make me look, the less access that I have to a normal channel of communication with the people who might benefit from what I have to say.” What Zappa had to say was always unpredictable. Politically he was a libertarian who wanted the government out of his life, philosophically a secular humanist who wanted the church out of his government. The Real Frank Zappa Book contains a long chapter, “Practical Conservatism,” that lays out his wacky political ideas, from a national sales tax on all goods and services to arming every family in America with a bazooka and box of grenades in case of a terrorist attack. His opposition to the drug war is founded on the conviction that “people own themselves” and that “in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a ‘temporary license to exist’—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself.” Today Zappa might be less a Bernie Sanders man than a Rand Paul (or at least a Ron Paul) conservative, though he would never have thrown in with any party. As Eat That Question illustrates, Zappa was, in every sense, a frontier spirit. v
v @JR_Jones
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JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 19
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STARTS FRIDAY, JULY 8 20 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
The Purge: Election Year
100%
Riddled with ballots By DMITRY SAMAROV
T
he Purge: Election Year is a sheep in wolf ’s clothing. Billed as a dystopian thriller, it is in fact a naively hopeful, flag-waving piece of pro-American agitprop. Like The Purge (2013) and The Purge: Anarchy (2015), Election Day takes place in the near future after the economy has collapsed and a cabal of old white men called the New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA) has instituted an annual lawless free-for-all called the Purge to cleanse the country of undesirables and its own aggressive impulses. But in the new installment a heroic band of rebels fights tooth and nail to restore our country to its former glory. As the movie opens, Charlene Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell) is running against an evil priest (Kyle Secor) to become president of the United States. Roan, whose entire family was massacred in one of the blood orgies years earlier, would like to put a stop to the practice. Fearing that she has a real shot of winning, the NFFA conspires to have Roan’s security detail kidnap her in order to make a blood sacrifice of her at the priest’s church, but a ragtag assortment of revolutionaries and working-class heroes comes to the rescue. Most of them are people of color, in contrast to the bad guys
(who include a crew of white-power mercenaries heading the kidnap plot) and to Roan, who is young, blond and blue-eyed. A black deli owner named Joe (Mykelti Williamson) gets all the best quips, though his patter about waffles and pussy is straight out of the chitlin’ circuit. These odd racial dynamics are by far the most interesting part of the movie, but ultimately the pretty blond lady prevails and all the nonwhites are either dead or forgotten. Though the body count in The Purge: Election Year might slightly outpace our own, its vision of the near future is positively Pollyannaish when compared to ours. Joe and his comrades are on the righteous path of restoring America to its old, equal-rights-forall glory. Even a young revolutionary who’s plotting to kill the priest is easily persuaded to spare him to serve the greater good. The way disparate factions band together in a common cause is positively utopian and seems—at least within the film’s simplistic cosmology—to justify the joyful carnage that takes up much of the running time. The rousing conclusion happens on Election Day as Roan is about to be swept into office in a landslide. We have little hope of such a neat and inspiring outcome this November. v
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The Daphne festival sings
THE UNSUNG WOMEN OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC
Performers from this week’s Smart Bar celebration talk to the Reader about artists who inspire them.
By LEOR GALIL
I Daphne Oram ò PAUL DOWNEY / CREATIVE COMMONS
n 1957 the BBC commissioned its employee Daphne Oram to create a score for a television version of the French play Amphitryon 38. Hired in 1943 as a 17-yearold junior program engineer, Oram had become a music-studio manager in the early 50s—she was a talented and adventurous composer, as well as one of the network’s biggest advocates for the futuristic sounds it called “radiophonics.” For Amphitryon 38 she used electronic and music-concrète techniques, and when the program aired in March 1958 her work became the first completely synthetic score to appear on television. Oram pulled this off with few tools, most of which would seem primitive to modern practitioners: according to a 2011 Wire magazine feature, she usually had only one tape recorder at her disposal, so she worked in the evenings in order to use the machines of employees who’d gone home. In April J
JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 21
Kelli Hand ò ALDO PAREDES
Cherushii performs as part of Daphne on Thu 7/7. ò COURTESY CHERUSHII
Daphne continued from 21
1958 she and fellow studio manager Desmond Briscoe helped found the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop, but Oram left the network before the end of the year. (Workshop staffer Delia Derbyshire, probably most famous for creating the original Doctor Who theme in 1963, didn’t come aboard till April ’62.) Oram continued to explore electronic music on her own, refining a practice she called Oramics—the machine she built allowed her to control pitch, echo, timbre, and more by drawing shapes and lines on ten synchronized strips of 35-millimeter film, so that the ink acted as a mask to vary the amount of light that reached the device’s photocells. When the London Science Museum began displaying the original Oramics machine in 2011, museum historian Tim Boon told BBC technology program Click that “it is as important for electronic music as the models of the Great Eastern ship are to the history of maritime engineering.” Oram is one of many women who’ve made historically important contributions to electronic music, though her accomplishments
22 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
haven’t earned her the posthumous fame you might expect. Today electronic music is a lopsidedly male domain—if you were to judge by scanning the names of headliners at contemporary EDM megafestivals, you might think that all DJs and producers are white men. But while it’s true that in the early days of electronic music—when hardly anyone knew what it was and there wasn’t any money to be made—the genre was more democratic than it is now, it still can’t be summed up by the image of, say, a guy in an oversize mousehead helmet. To push back against the patriarchal notion that only men have the aptitude to excel at electronic music, last year Chicago institution Smart Bar launched the series Daphne: A Women’s Movement in Dance Music. Named after Oram, it celebrates female, femaleidentifying, and nonbinary electronic musicians with workshops and concerts. After its monthlong debut in 2015, Daphne returns to Smart Bar as a four-day affair that begins Thursday, July 7. Daphne grew out of a conversation between Smart Bar staffer Marea Stamper, aka DJ and
Daphne: A Women’s Movement in Dance Music CHERUSHII, NATHAN DREW LARSEN (AKA ERIS DREW)
Workshop and discussion. Thu 7/7, 8:30 PM, Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, free, 21+
CHERUSHII (LIVE), T. MIXWELL, ARIEL ZETINA
Thu 7/7, 10 PM, Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, $15, $10 in advance, 21+
AURORA HALAL (LIVE/DJ HYBRID), DAHLIA
Fri 7/8, 10 PM, Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, $17, $15 before midnight, $12 in advance, 21+
THE BLACK MADONNA, CHRISSY & HAWLEY (LIVE), SOLD
Sat 7/9, 10 PM, Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, $17, $15 before midnight, $13 in advance, 21+
MICHAEL SERAFINI, GARRETT DAVID, ERIS DREW Sun 7/10, 10 PM, Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, $10, 21+
producer the Black Madonna, and Tara Shanahan, daughter of Smart Bar owner Joe Shanahan. According to Stamper, they discussed “the idea that women are often misperceived as not being technical and not being producers.” The inaugural Daphne ran throughout March 2015. “The main thing was just to put women in leadership positions and show that women could lead—not just when it was all women. Men were also on the bill.” This year Daphne is shorter in part because Stamper became Smart Bar’s creative director last July—her replacement as talent buyer, Jason Garden (aka DJ and producer Olin), was still finding his footing in the job when he needed to start planning the 2016 installment. But Smart Bar nonetheless assembled a festival that’s true to Daphne’s original mission. “There’s a perception that women are rare or that they’re at some lower standard than men, and it’s just empirically not true,” Garden says. “That’s the goal: ‘Well look, here’s half a dozen. This wasn’t hard to put together.’” He also credits Smart Bar’s history of inclusiveness for helping him promote lesser-known female musicians year-round.
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Eris Drew performs as part of Daphne on Sun 7/10.
SAT, 7/9 - SIXTHMAN SESSIONS FEATURING:
ò CARLY RIES
Among the performers at this year’s Daphne are spacey NYC producer Aurora Halal, San Francisco house experimentalist Chelsea Faith (aka Cherushii), and the Black Madonna, who returns home after spending most of the past two months touring the U.S. and Europe. The series kicks off Thursday night with a free workshop led by Cherushii and Smart Bar resident Nathan Drew Larsen, aka Eris Drew, a trans woman and part of the team behind the club’s polysexual surrealist monthly dance party, Hugo Ball. Cherushii and Eris will discuss setting up a live rig and cover synth basics for onstage performance, as well as deliver a woman-centered history of synthesis. Among their subjects will be theremin virtuoso Clara Rockmore, who helped inventor Leon Theremin improve the instrument in the 1930s; new-music pioneer Laurie Spiegel, who developed the algorithmic composition software Music Mouse; and trans film composer Wendy Carlos (A Clockwork Orange, The Shining), who contributed to the development of Robert Moog’s early synthesizers.
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Inspired by this history—and by the festival’s theme—I decided to ask as many Daphne artists as I could to tell me about a female or female-identifying musician who’s played a crucial role in electronic music but hasn’t gotten her due. Most people ended up mentioning several names in the course of discussing their main pick—including Chicago veteran DJ Heather and Bjork. As Garden told me, “It’s not even so much that women didn’t get their due—it’s that they’ve always been there.”
ARIC CHASE DAMM (THE BREVET), SAM GETZ (WELSHLY ARMS), BRANDON KINDER (THE ROCKETBOYS), PAUL MCDONALD, LESLIE RODRIGUEZ (HUMMING HOUSE), ANDY SUZUKI & BABUMBA ANDY SUZUKI & THE METHOD), BRIAN FECHINO, W/ SPECIAL AFTERSET FROM
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Cherushii on Kelli Hand (aka K-Hand)
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BAHTO DELO DELO, BADMASHADI, DJ BAHSERT BEFORE & BETWEEN SETS
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A woman I really look up to in the world of dance music is Kelli Hand. She’s a DJ and producer from Detroit who’s been running her own label [Acacia Records] for 25 years and has a deep discography. Kelli has been DJing since the 80s, and you can tell; she’s clearly so comfortable behind the decks. Her track “Mystery” from 1993 was one of the first I really fell in love with when I discovered techno and house; it’s simple, yet so emotive and beautiful. J
WED, 7/13
TERRAPIN FLYER, 40,000 HEADMEN THU, 7/14
PAUL MOODY, MINOR MOON, SUGARPULP FRI, 7/15
KELROY, KILLER MOON, HKBO SAT, 7/16
FLOW TRIBE, LEONUM
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4266 M>2RTOX >0 0V6 4T6Q8 1:VNNQ QN0 >1VQ>O8 ] X266OQ6>4 JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 23
Daphne continued from 23
She’s of the same generation of Detroit producers as Carl Craig and Moodymann, but is seldom praised with the same awestruck regard as her male peers. She was running a label and producing her own tracks long before techno became a global phenomenon, and yet she isn’t even a footnote in the genre’s history. As far as I know, Kelli was one of the only women doing what she was doing in Detroit in the early 90s, and she’s still doing it; her most recent 12-inch [“Do It Again”] came out in 2015. I deeply admire her for all the work she’s done, and yet her lack of recognition is so discouraging. In a culture as supposedly forward-thinking as electronic music, women are still so often invisible. Lime ò CARLY RIES; VIA FACEBOOK
Eris Drew on Pauline Oliveros
Pauline is who came to mind first, and she’s actually who I’m going to be leading off the presentation with. Her work—and when she did it—was running parallel to things John Cage was doing. But she diverged with him in very important ways formalistically, and those further marginalized her. Even though she was a woman, she was also doing things that were viewed as traditionally feminine or ethnic, things that Cage was very much against. Her ideas about silence and about the possibilities of what could be music, her interest in duration and tape music—all of these things were happening at the same time Cage was exploring them. Scholars are pretty unanimous on the fact that she was thinking about these things at the same time—or before. I found out who Cage was maybe 20 years ago. So as someone who’s really loved electronic music and has been interested in women’s stories in particular—especially as a trans woman—to have this person out there and to have not found out about her for a long time, yet to investigate her work and find that it’s as compelling [as Cage], it’s very interesting to me. I found out about her on the Web—searching about women in electronic music, actually digging down to do that kind of inquiry. Whereas she was marginalized for the choices she made and for who she was—there’s less literature out there from, say, the 60s about her—these stories are now being told. To say she’s marginal is kind of an interesting thing, because she was playing with [Terry] Riley. She was friends with John Cage. So she’s accepted within that group, but she operated outside of it in important
24 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
Chrissy & Hawley perform as part of Daphne on Sat 7/9. ò CARLY RIES
ways—the most significant being that she didn’t shy away from exploring the connection of the body and the spiritual with music. Cage had a real distrust of the body, and he worked very hard in his compositional process to eliminate that from his music. That was really carrying on a line of Western thought that we’ve seen now for centuries— this notion of getting the body out of music, making music about the rational mind and about the will of the composer. Oliveros essentially confronted that. She said, “No, I’m interested in improvisation. My music’s physical, it’s expressive. I am exploring my own life, birth, and death energy.” By 1970 she’s done away with formal score almost completely, and she’s essentially created communal environments by which she plays with other people and improvises. As someone who’s made electronic music for about 20 years now, I make it through a very expressive process—especially as a queer person and as someone who’s always been trying to find my body in music. When I would look at Cage, I always found his music interesting,
but I never found it emotional. I never really connected with it. When I found out about Pauline, it was like the missing link: here’s this experimentalist from the avant-garde who was also interested in how to use technology to make music that engages with our body and which forms communities around it. I think she’s very, very profound.
Chris Shively, aka Chrissy (of Chrissy & Hawley) on Lime There’s a group called Lime that were in Quebec in the 80s. They were a husband and wife, Denis and Denyse LePage—actually they’re divorced now, and Denis has transitioned, so there’s one cis woman in this group and one person who now identifies as female. They made really amazing dance records that were really important in the history of house music and had a huge influence in Chicago, and they wrote and produced these together. It wasn’t
the situation you see so much of—a guy kind of calling the shots and corralling some chanteuse that he can force to do his bidding on a stage or whatever. It was a couple who wrote songs together, produced them together, got in the studio and fiddled with gear together, and then went and performed them onstage together. Obviously I don’t know the dynamics of their marriage, but it’s a heartening thing to see these two people being real creative partners in this enterprise. And the records are great. Especially outside of Chicago, people just aren’t aware of them and aren’t aware of the influence they had on, like, Frankie [Knuckles] and Ron [Hardy] and all these early Chicago people who played a lot of their records and borrowed a lot of their techniques in early house music. A lot of the stuff that I write just shamelessly borrows ideas from them—their sensibility of making really catchy, kind of over-the-top cheesy pop tracks that are also just really beefy and all 808s and 909s and big sounds. Everything about them has influenced me in a big way. J
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JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 25
The Black Madonna performs as part of Daphne on Sat 7/9. ò BILL WHITMIRE
Ellen Allien ò LISA WASSMANN
Daphne continued from 24
The Black Madonna on Ellen Allien Ellen, I think, held her first major residency before even 1990. She comes right after the fall of the wall in Berlin, and Ellen was doing major residencies at, like, [Berlin techno institution] Tresor. Goes on to do tremendous early work, completely in line with all of her male peers. People understand that she’s big and that she’s been around forever; they don’t understand how fundamental she is to beginning of techno proper in the way that we understand it. She’s the founder of BPitch Control, which is certainly one of the most important labels that has ever existed in all of techno. She’s a foundational member of this scene, but never really gets quite the credit that she’s due. And a phenomenal DJ. Ellen’s just really special, and she’s such a godmother, and is often overlooked. I think that she’s a perfect example of how we treat
26 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
women different when it comes to legacy in time. We just don’t have words that mirror the words with a male connotation when we talk about women. When we talk about artists who are in control of a room or artists who are transcendent, we use words like “maestro.” We use words like “godfather.” All of that language is gendered, and I feel like it’s 2016 and we don’t even really have the words to talk about this yet—like, what it would mean to be a woman and operate at that level. The closest you ever see is “high priestess,” but it sets a very different connotation—it’s more about magic, it’s not about skill. Or we use the word “diva,” which has not only some negative connotations built into it, but which also is intrinsically linked into the idea of singing. There’s this idea that women must sing on their records also. I reject all of that; I don’t think women have to do any of that stuff. The history that I’m looking for and hoping for is the secret history of women mastering these techniques in precisely the way that their male peers do,
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Helena Hauff ò CARLY RIES; VIA NINJA TUNE
Smart Bar talent buyer Jason Garden, aka Olin ò CARLY RIES
because I think that women do master these techniques in a way that their male peers do. I think Ellen has gone into the hall of fame, but she deserves much more credit than people give her. And Ellen gets a lot of credit. She remains a popular, beloved, respected figure. I would love to hear Ellen talked about with the kind of reverence that some of her lessdeserving male peers get.
Olin on Helena Hauff One person who has really been blowing me away—and I think she’s blowing most people away who are paying attention right now—is Helena Hauff. She’s a phenomenal DJ and producer. She’s got this amazing sound that’s a blend of hard-edged industrial electro, European techno, and older American sounds. It really pulls you in, and it unites all those things in a way that’s kind of unique to her. She just did this really bangin’ acid track, “Rupture,” which is something that I’m always
into, and I was like, “Who is this person? This is super good. It’s aggressive but it’s mature and everything seems to be in its right place.” I started digging a little deeper and I was like, “Oh, her other productions are good.” She DJs, and I started listening to that. Everything I’ve heard her do has been super, super good. And very her as well—she does a lot of things really well, but it sounds like her. Her sound really resonates, I think, as far as the American audience, because it has a lot of touchstones of the early rave stuff—like midwestern techno as well as Detroit and Chicago sounds. I really want to book her, and I’m working on it; she’s super busy right now, so hopefully I can coax her over here. But I play her tracks when I DJ. If there’s a thing I admire that I try to integrate into my own work as a DJ and producer, it’s the hard-edged aggressiveness but also using space. It’s not blunt, there’s nuance to it—there’s something to chew on in every track and mix. She gets creative with her sounds, and I think that that’s what excites me about it. v
v @imLeor JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 27
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28 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
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Recommended and notable shows, and critics’ insights for the week of July 7
MUSIC
b ALL AGES F
Hey Mercedes ò PETER ELLENBY
PICK OF THE WEEK
R&B trio King rule every facet of their lush, sprawling debut full-length We Are King THURSDAY7 Hey Mercedes See Also Friday. The World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die and Prawn open. 7:30 PM, Subterranean, 2011 W. North, $20. 17+
ò ALEX KING
KING
Fri 7/8, 8 PM, Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park, $35-$50. 18+
IN A 2014 Fact magazine interview, singer-producer Paris Strother said the name of her Los Angeles R&B trio King was inspired by the fact that its members are responsible for every facet of their music: “It was increasingly evident that we were the rulers of our own musical kingdom.” Describing it as a “kingdom” is apt. The group’s lush, immersive music is a sprawling landscape you’ll first get lost in, then upon repeated visits discover alluring hidden passages. After dropping 2011’s three-song The Story EP, King spent five years crafting its debut full-length, February’s We Are King (King Creative), aided by some financial assistance and tutelage from Prince. All three tracks from The Story appear as extended cuts on We Are King, and they fit in with the album’s inviting turns, psychedelic flourishes, and otherworldly excursions. The nimble funk bursts on “The Greatest” sound like they’re slowing the track to a crawl, while the overlapping, velvety vocal melodies arouse the same nerves and excitement one might feel in the thrall of a new love. —LEOR GALIL
After Illinois emo heroes Braid called it quits in 1999, three-fourths of the band—vocalist-guitarist Bob Nanna, bassist Todd Bell, and drummer Damon Atkinson—teamed up with Alligator Gun guitarist Mark Dawursk to launch Hey Mercedes. Their 2001 debut, Everynight Fire Works, fit right in on rising indie Vagrant Records, a label that quickly became synonymous with emo’s mainstream takeover. Hey Mercedes harnessed the cathartic outbursts of emo’s second wave like a coming-of-age superhero figuring out his powers, and they used that energy to power up their pop-minded material. Everynight Fire Works moves fast, but Hey Mercedes play with a refined vigor that smooths out the blistered edges, delivering patient, melodically cool songs that swing. Even the fragile moments, like when Nanna comes close to reaching the highest registers of his voice, come with an awareness that there are limits to their capabilities—and there’s a beauty to hearing them figure that out. The band broke up in 2005, but they’re reuniting to tour behind the 15-year-anniversary reissue of Everynight Fire Works, which comes out next month on Run for Cover, a label that’s a modern-day Vagrant for fourth-wave emo. —LEOR GALIL Rock, Pop, Etc Dirty Bourbon River Show, Claudettes 9 PM, Schubas Equal Opposites, Smoke No. 7, Defrance, Sour Bruthers 8 PM, Reggie’s Music Joint Neil Finn, Guster 6:30 PM, Ravinia Festival Eric Hutchinson, Nick Howard 8 PM, SPACE b Kongos, Elle King Part of Taste of Chicago. 5 PM, Petrillo Music Shell, Grant Park b Luna, Deeper 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Mirror Coat, Dentist, Bear Pit 9 PM, Quenchers Saloon Mondo Cortez with Dave Gonzalez 9:30 PM, Martyrs’ F Rat Hammer, Salvation, Ribbonhead 8 PM, Township Sleepy Kitty, Tart 8 PM, Emporium Arcade Bar F Sonny & the Sunsets, Fred Thomas, Skip Church 9 PM, Empty Bottle Sweet Spirit, Marrow, Flesh Panthers 9 PM, Hideout
KT Tunstall 9 PM, Beat Kitchen Wally Dogger, Fishman Band, WC Mallard 9 PM, Burlington Hip-Hop David Banner 7 PM, the Promontory Brian Fresco, Save Money Army, Supa Bwe, Warhol. ss, Mike Przm, Katie Got Bandz, Mic Terror 7 PM, Portage Theater, 17+ Open Mike Eagle, Saba, Air Credits 7:30 PM, Double Door, 18+ Dance Breathe Carolina 10 PM, the Mid Jazz Fat Babies 9:30 PM, California Clipper Kedgrick Pullums, Jim Baker, Eli Namay, and Phil Sudderberg; Dan Phillips Trio 9 PM, Elastic b Classical Fonema Consort 7:30 PM, Comfort Station F b
FRIDAY8 Alto! ADT and Ape Forward open. 9 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, $8.
This unusual Portland trio supposedly began as a party band, and there’s no question they throw down hard on their new album LP3 (Trouble in Mind). I only wish I’d been to more parties at which Alto! provided the soundtrack. Percussionists Kyle Emory and Steven Stone generate a crushing bed of polyrhythms beneath the blown-out guitar lines of Derek Monypeny, who’s toured as a member of Sir Richard Bishop’s Freak of Araby project. The band has clearly absorbed some of the primitive international sounds chronicled by Seattle label Sublime Frequencies. When not laying down huge metallic slabs that lumber along like an elephant, the guitarist displays a knack for pushing twang-driven lines reminiscent of Lebanese guitarist Omar Khorshid deep into the red. On “Piece Fourteen” distorted bell chimes summon the buzzing-likembes sound of Konono No. 1, with the band pushing and pulling between loose ritual grooves and slashing Krautrock. The mix of seething guitar and grinding beats on “Piece Twelve” sounds closer to doom than anything that might come out of the Middle East, though it does serve up some parched desert sounds during the second half. As much as Alto! may borrow from traditional sounds across the sea, their sound is their own—a grinding sprawl that never stops moving. —PETER MARGASAK J
JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 29
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MUSIC continued from 29 Downtown Boys See also Saturday. Bully headline; Downtown Boys open. 9 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, $15.
THIS SUNDAY! JULY 10 DOUBLE DOOR 8:00pm • 18 & Over
SPECIAL GUEST: AVA
MENDOZA
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Special Guest:
ROB DRABKIN
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30 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
Ramshackle and politically fueled, Providence’s Downtown Boys represent a series of pistons whirring in a gorgeous punk-rock unison to create a wailing mass of unrest. It’s the kind of intense clatter that sounds as if it’s reverberating off the crumbling brick—and cutting through the musty stench—of every basement, corridor, and back alley in the underground. Fronted by the dual vocals of Victoria Ruiz and Joey La Neve Defrancesco, the six-piece Downtown Boys released their debut full-length with last year’s Full Communism (Don Giovanni), a record that’s made exultant not only by the former’s unapologetic, confrontational voice—lyrics are sung in English and Spanish—but also the inclusion of saxophone, which sands the rough edges of the din and helps tracks congeal. Kicking off with the commanding Ruiz alone at the pulpit calling out “white hegemony,” the album’s opus, “Monstro,” is one part rousing anthem, another partstraight-ahead punk burner. It’s the most well-rounded of the record’s tracks, and evidence that though Downtown Boys maintain a DIY punk aesthetic to the max, they have chops enough to spread their message wide. —KEVIN WARWICK
Hey Mercedes See Thursday. The World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die and Prawn open. 8:30 PM, Subterranean, 2011 W. North, sold out. 17+ Carla Morrison Part of Ruido Fest (see page 33). 7:40 PM set time, Addams/Medill Park, $49.98 single day, $94.98 two-day pass, $149.98 three-day pass. b On last year’s Amor Supremo (Cosmica), Mexican singer-songwriter Carla Morrison delivers a series of Spanish-language meditations on ecstasy, heartbreak, and romantic longing set to cinematic, widescreen arrangements that wash over the listener like an enveloping atmosphere. During her rapturous songs, Morrison repeatedly turns to metaphors about exquisite sensations: her lover’s skin is “brown sugar” and his “kisses taste of pure honey” on “Azucar Moreno,” while on “Yo Vivo Para Ti” she describes skin as velvet. And when she’s been crushed, her descriptions remain extreme and unfettered. On “Devuélvete” she yearns for the return of her partner: “Come back to my skin very soon / You’ve dried me up, I am crazed with thirst.” There’s not much subtlety to her words or music, as soaring melodies and anthemic midtempo grooves are laid on thick for more than an hour. I could use some rhythmic variation and a less demonstrative perspective, but romance rarely pays heed to such practical matters. Morrison performs as part of this year’s three-day Ruido Fest, a massive showcase for current Latino rock music that includes vets like Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Maldita Vecindad, and La Ley, along with younger talent like Natalia Lafourcade, Santa Cecilia, and Le Butcherettes. —PETER MARGASAK
Rock, Pop, Etc Big Wu, Aaron Kamm & the One Drops 9 PM, Cubby Bear Darmata, Midwest Hype, Matthew Morgan & the Family Band, Kips, Said the Heart 8 PM, Metro, 18+ Decemberists, Shakey Graves Part of Taste of Chicago. 5:30 PM, Petrillo Music Shell, Grant Park b Duran Duran, Chic 7 PM, also Sat 7/9, 7 PM, Ravinia Festival Fastness, My Name Is Nobody, Michael Albert 8:30 PM, Hungry Brain Fear of Men, Puro Instinct, Hide 8 PM, Schubas, 18+ The Good, Derek Fawcett 9 PM, Lincoln Hall Longface, Pudge, Chew, Supreme Nothing, Medicine Bow 9 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Mexrrissey 10:45 PM, Joe’s Miles Minor Band, Fischer’s Flicker, Viceroy 8:30 PM, Township Riot, Judas Rising, Scars of Armageddon, Crusaders 8 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Aubrie Sellers, Clarence Bucaro 8 PM, SPACE b
Sewn Up, Supershark, Muggsy Bogues, Quiet Car 9 PM, Quenchers Saloon Sweet Mary, Dirty Rooks 8 PM, Martyrs’ 311, Matisyahu 7 PM, FirstMerit Bank Pavilion b Under the Willow, Miles Over Mountains, Railway Gamblers, Canyon Collected 8:30 PM, Beat Kitchen Hip-Hop Jon Content, Erthe St. James, Nida Nasheeda, DJ Slot-A 8 PM, Emporium Arcade Bar F Rittle Work, Liam Alghul & Ethos, K-Mu, Warhol.ss, Sydny Smith, Noah Chris, Health Insurance, Croix 6:30 PM, Double Door b Dance Justin James, Amy Unland, Chino, Nick J 10 PM, Primary Nightclub Kill the Noise 10 PM, the Mid Folk & Country Terri Clark 7:30 PM, City Winery b Blues, Gospel, and R&B Omar Coleman Band 9:30 PM, Rosa’s Lounge Ray Fuller 9 PM, Buddy Guy’s Legends
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Sarah Jarosz ò COURTESY THE ARTIST
had a beautiful baby. Tonight Carlos’s band will be fronted by several of Bunezuela!’s guests, including Rizzo, Nicholas Tremulis, Derek Brand, and some guy named “Xeno” who fronted Cheap Trick way back before Robin Zander. —LUCA CIMARUSTI
Carlos Johnson & the Serious Blues Band 9 PM, B.L.U.E.S. Duke Tumatoe & the Power Trio, Joanna Connor Blues Band 9:30 PM, also Sat 7/9, 9:30 PM, Kingston Mines Jazz Frank Catalano & Jimmy Chamberlin Band 9 PM, also Sat 7/9, 8 PM, Green Mill Christopher McBride & the Whole Proof 9:30 PM, also Sat 7/9, 9:30 PM, Andy’s Jazz Club
Debo Band Part of Square Roots (see page 33). 9 PM set time. Lincoln between Montrose and Wilson, $10 suggested donation, $5 suggested donation kids and seniors, $20 suggested donation families. b
SATURDAY9 Bun E. Carlos Mixture open. 8 PM, SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston, $17-$32. b Since 2010 the Rockford, Illinois, power-pop giants of Cheap Trick have been without their heart and soul. Thanks to an exhausting series of feuds and lawsuits, founding drummer Bun E. Carlos has been absent from the band’s live lineup, leaving guitarist Rick Nielsen’s son Daxx to man the drum throne. And while Daxx has the right name, what he doesn’t have is Carlos’s hallmark lumbering groove, snappy swing, and clean, round tom-tom fills. Carlos has kept busy with different projects over the past few years—laying down his signature snare-drum crack in the process—and he just released a covers record
that includes 11 classics sung by a colorful cast of characters. Popping up on the new Greetings From Bunezuela! (Entertainment One) are Alejandro Escovedo singing “Tell Me” by the Rolling Stones, Eleventh Dream Day guitarist Rick Rizzo taking on “I Can Only Give You Everything” by Them, and faintly remembered boy band Hanson doing a rendition of “Him or Me” by Paul Revere & the Raiders. The record’s only original track is its opening and best number, “Do Something Real,” written by indie-rock royalty Robert Pollard of Guided by Voices. Himself a student of the Cheap Trick school of the pop hook, Pollard plays and sings on the track, and when its dissonant guitars envelop its buttery chorus, it sounds like Guided by Voices and Cheap Trick have
For ten years Boston’s 11-member Debo Band has devoted itself to golden-age Ethiopian pop, which combines traditional scales and vocal styles with Western soul, funk, and rock. On their second fulllength, Ere Gobez (FPE Records), front man Bruck Tesfaye enlivens his hoarse, athletic singing with a tense quaver, vaulting gracefully into his reedy upper register; the large leaps built into the music’s pentatonic scales give the melodies a daredevil energy, simultaneously suspenseful and celebratory. Electric guitar chatters and slashes, accordion surges and flutters, and plump sousaphone dance in tandem with electric bass, braided together into a lively counterweight to Debo’s joyous massed horns and strings. Frothy and extroverted, the front line has the feel of a crowd that’s always almost unraveling, reminiscent of the gang solo-
ing in Dixieland or Balkan brass bands. The bubbly, sinuous rhythms alternate between swaying, waltzlike three-beat groupings and funky, rocking twos, often overlaid atop each other. Licks and riffs cycle independently, and you can take your pick of which to follow—it’s like the friendly bustle of a dance floor, where there’s always someone to lead you no matter where you turn. When I saw Debo play Summerdance in 2011, they were joined by Ethiopian folkloric group Fendika, who invited onstage a crowd of children from the expat families who’d come out—watching those kids bounce through the traditional steps was the most adorable thing I’d seen in months. Saxophonist and bandleader Danny Mekonnen says Fendika won’t be along this time—the current eight-piece touring lineup includes a second sax, electric and five-string violins, guitar, bass, and drums. But it shouldn’t be any trouble for us to make the party happen ourselves. —PHILIP MONTORO
Downtown Boys See Friday. Part of West Fest (see page 33). 5:30 PM set time, Chicago between Damen and Wood,westfestchicago.com, $5 suggested donation. Rock, Pop, Etc Alexander Jean 6:30 PM, Schubas b
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JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 31
MUSIC Debo Band ò JACOB BLICKENSTAFF
SWANS 07/15 & 07/16 OKKYUNG LEE
CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND PRESENTS:
MIRACLE LEGION 07/22 THE KICKBACK
continued from 31
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3159 N SOUTHPORT AVE 32 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
Amoreys, Hat Stretchers, Mick Scott 5 PM, Hideout Black Oil Brothers 5 PM, Beat Kitchen F b Emilie Brandt, Audiodream, Early June, Down Vega, Vesper 8 PM, Lincoln Hall, 18+ Cloud Nothings, Health & Beauty 9 PM, Empty Bottle Dead & Company 7:30 PM, also Sun 7/10, 7:30 PM, Alpine Valley Music Theatre Duran Duran, Chic 7 PM, also Fri 7/8, 7 PM, Ravinia Festival English Beat, Soul Asylum 8 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Billy Idol, Sons of the Silent Age Part of Taste of Chicago. 4:30 PM, Petrillo Music Shell, Grant Park b Andrea Kim, Jason Vinluan, Nadia Choi, Paul Yang, Ranee Harder, Tou Ger Digit Lee Noon, Lincoln Hall b Kowabunga! Kid, Drool, Person, Nightcrawler 7 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Lemon Twigs, Dam Gila, Glyders 9 PM, Hideout Pity Sex, Pwr Bttm, Petal 7:30 PM, Bottom Lounge b Phoebe Ryan, Cardiknox, Secret Weapons 10 PM, Schubas, 18+ Sting, Peter Gabriel 8 PM, United Center Tanks & Guns, Menacerno, Red Jr., Hard Kiss, Hyperlane 8:30 PM, Metro, 18+ Templars 8 PM, Cobra Lounge Hip-Hop Black Milk & Nat Turner, Aerias, Greggo, R Dubb, Eve, Walth 9 PM, Subterranean, 17+ DJ Quik, Cam, Blue the Greatest 10 PM, the Promontory Dance Dannic 10 PM, the Mid Delarizzo, Hunter Vita, Blu 9, Harry Peru 10 PM, Primary Nightclub Inphinity, Intermodal, Dabura, Chris Roberts, Bouncehaus 10 PM, Spy Bar Kyau & Albert 10 PM, Sound-Bar Silvero (DJ set), Hong Kong Blood Opera, Sexy Zebra 10:45 PM, 1st Ward Tokimonsta 8 PM, Double Door Folk & Country Brantley Gilbert, Justin Moore 7 PM, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre Dan Whitaker & the Shinebenders 6 PM, Cole’s F Blues, Gospel, and R&B Jimmy Burns 10 PM, Rosa’s Lounge Chicago R&B Kings 9 PM, B.L.U.E.S. Carlos Johnson, Mike Dangeroux 9:30 PM, Buddy Guy’s Legends Duke Tumatoe & the Power Trio, Joanna Connor Blues Band 9:30 PM, also Fri 7/8, 9:30 PM, Kingston Mines Jazz Frank Catalano & Jimmy Chamberlin Band 8 PM, also Fri 78, 9 PM, Green Mill
Christopher McBride & the Whole Proof 9:30 PM, also Fri 7/8, 9:30 PM, Andy’s Jazz Club Tierra Roja, Rajiv Halim Sextet 9 PM, California Clipper Experimental Onyou, Asumaya, Shippy/Syska/Sudderberg 8:30 PM, Hungry Brain International Baby Rasta & Gringo Midnight, Concord Music Hall, 18+ Leon Larregui 8 PM, Portage Theater, 18+ Los Hacheros 7:30 PM, Spirit of Music Garden, Grant Park F b Ugochi, Afro Soul Ensemble 9 PM, Elastic b
SUNDAY10 Bahto Delo Delo See also Monday. 5 PM, Spirit of Music Garden, Grant Park, 601 S. Michigan. F b Romanian accordionist Marin “Tagoi” Sandu is 65, but he’s largely promoted as the son of the remarkable and fiery departed violinist Nicolae Neacșu from Taraf de Haidouks, the group that put Roma village fiddle music on the map. Sandu has remained in the remote village of Clejani his whole life, but he’s been getting out a bit more. He’s back in Chicago this weekend thanks to the efforts of Iranian expat and taxi-driver activist Ehsan Ghoreishi, who’s not only an accordionist himself—as well as a former member of the Black Bear Combo—but also the recording engineer of Sandu’s blistering 2015 album Tagoi (released by LM Duplication, the label run by Jeremy Barnes and Heather Trost of A Hawk and a Hacksaw). The fleet-fingered squeezebox master Sandu will join forces with Chicago cimbalom master Nicolae Feraru and his bassist son Laurentiu to re-create the album’s lean, driving arrangements. As great as Sandu is on accordion, the real joy of the album is his raggedly soulful singing, which maintains a lurching, ebullient presence that toggles between pathos and bliss in the blink of an eye. Sandu will also sit in when Ghoreishi—under his fresh BadMashadi guise—plays a release show for his new album Taxidriving UnderCity tonight at Township (2200 N. California) at 9:30 PM. —PETER MARGASAK
Sarah Jarosz 5 and 8 PM, Maurer Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln, $27, $25 members. b Sarah Jarosz graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music in 2013, settling in New York
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1800 W. DIVISION
Est.1954 Celebrating over 61 years of service to Chicago!
(773) 486-9862 to begin her career as a full-time musician. Her stunning new album Undercurrent (Sugar Hill) is her first since venturing out into the world on her own, but she’s been in complete possession of her talents for a long time—she made the first of her four records when she was just 16. However the new one does achieve a new apotheosis. Working with a small coterie of musicians, Jarosz moves easily between bluegrass roots, folk rock, and shimmering pop, setting each song with modest, rustic arrangements free of drums and keyboards. There’s a high-gloss finish to “Green Lights,” an unabashed love song in which a relationship seems to clear a wide path for future possibilities: “Green lights and open roads / And skies of endless blue.” Songs streaked with romantic grandeur alternate with those characterized by heartbreak and resentment. With spot-on harmony singing between Jarosz and guitarist Jedd Hughes that reminds me of husband-and-wife singer-songwriters Buddy and Julie Miller, “House of Mercy” features a narrator who refuses to respond to the pounding on her door by the lover who two-timed her (“You make me want to be alone”). Her songs routinely avoid polarities, reflecting a more complicated reality. On “Back of My Mind” she tweaks the meaning of the titular phrase, asserting that the memory of an ex-lover will be pushed well into the back of her mind rather than lurking anywhere near the surface. Jarosz appears with a trio with Hughes and bassist Jeff Picker. —PETER MARGASAK
JULY 11TH
SCHOOLBOY Q
GROOVY TONY PIT STOPS
Square Roots Festival ò DAN KASBERGER
FESTIVALS
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VIOLENT FEMMES:
A BENEFIT FOR CHICAGO COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS
The Taste rolls on while Square Roots makes camp
JULY 14TH
Taste of Chicago
JULY 21ST NO RE$T US TOUR: DOK2 & THE QUIETT
The Taste is a Chicago institution, combining well-known restaurants, popular bands, and thousands of drunk people. This year the Decemberists, Billy Idol, and the Isley Brothers headline the Petrillo Music Shell. 7/6-7/10, Grant Park, tasteofchicago.us, free (ticket prices for seats at Petrillo vary).
Ruido Fest Rock, Pop, Etc Abandoned by Bears, Save the Lost Boys, Friday Night Lites, Linden Method, Belmont, Action/ Adventure 6 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Adele 7:30 PM, also Mon 7/11 and Wed 7/13, 7:30 PM, United Center Color Card, Bliss Nova, Kristin Phillips, Dream Chief 8 PM, Burlington Darkturn, Pet, Blue Smiley, Mega Drain 7 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Dead & Company 7:30 PM, also Sat 7/9, 7:30 PM, Alpine Valley Music Theatre Macy Gray, Mayaeni 8 PM, also Mon 7/11, 8 PM, City Winery b Isley Brothers, Sheila E Part of Taste of Chicago. 4:30 PM, Petrillo Music Shell, Grant Park b Phillip Phillips, Matt Nathanson 6:30 PM, Ravinia Festival b The Plot in You; Erra; Sylar; Invent, Animate 6 PM, Bottom Lounge b Royal Southern Brotherhood 8 PM, SPACE b Weezer, Panic! At the Disco 7 PM, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre John Paul White, Secret Sisters 8 PM, Schubas Wolfmother 7 PM, Double Door, 18+ Yokozuna, Los Blenders, Los Black Dogs 10 PM, Beat Kitchen Folk & Country Wild Earp & the Free-For-Alls, Old Timey 10 PM, California Clipper F Jazz Tim Daisy & Daniel Levin 9 PM, Hungry Brain Nikki Giovanni & Morris Gearring 3 and 6 PM, the Promontory Markus Rutz Quintet 9 PM, Whistler F Experimental Jonathan Chen & Jun-T Ciao 7 PM, Heaven Gallery b Brett Naucke, Lykanthea Lucien Shapiro’s Fear Collecting Ritual. 7 PM, Silent Funny b
JULY 12TH
The Pilsen celebration of Latino rock music includes Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, La Ley, Panteon Rococó, and Carla Morrison (see page 30). 7/8-7/10, Addams/Medill Park, ruidofest.com, $49.98$59.98, two-day passes $84.98-$94.98, three-day passes $129.98-$149.98.
Square Roots Festival Programmed by the Old Town School of Folk Music, five stages of country, folk, and world music vie for festivalgoers’ attention with an impressive variety of craft beer on tap. Debo Band (see page 31), Cracker, Dessa, and Lydia Loveless are among the fest’s 50-plus acts. 7/8-7/10, Lincoln between Montrose and Wilson, squareroots.org, $10 suggested donation, $5 seniors and kids, $20 families.
West Fest Presented by the Empty Bottle, this street fest’s reliably good lineup includes Cloud Nothings, Downtown Boys (see page 30), and Craig Finn. 7/8-7/10, Chicago between Damen and Wood, westfestchicago.com, $5 suggested donation.
CHICAGO OPEN AIR W/ OTEP, SHAMAN’S HARVEST
Come enjoy one of Chicago’s finest beer gardens! FRIDAY, JULY 8.................THE DHARMAS SATURDAY, JULY 9............LOST IN THOUGHT SUNDAY, JULY 10.............HEISENBERG UNCERTAINTY PLAYERS MONDAY, JULY 11............RC BIG BAND TUESDAY, JULY 12............THE FLABBY HOFFMAN SHOW THURSDAY, JULY 14 .........QUIET OAK FLABBY HOFFMAN SHOW @8PM CAPAICAL FROM BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – THE PARTY BAND ENVIRONMENTAL ENCROACHMENT SATURDAY, JULY 16 .........FROM OMAHA NEBRASKA - BOLZEN BEER BAND SUNDAY, JULY 17.............TONY DOSORIO TRIO EVERY MONDAY AT 9PM CHRIS SHUTTLEWORTH QUINTET EVERY TUESDAY AT 8PM OPEN MIC HOSTED BY JIMI JON AMERICA
JULY 22ND RIFF RAFF:
THE PEACH PANTHER TOUR
JULY 24TH ZAKK WYLDE:
BOOK OF SHADOWS II TOUR
JULY 27TH
YEASAYER W/ DAY WAVE
JULY 28TH
MIKE SNOW W/ AUTOLUX
JULY 29TH
MAC MILLER
W/ JAZZ CARTIER, CLOCKWORKDJ
JULY 30TH
BIG GIGANTIC
Maplewoodstock Dark Matter Coffee celebrates its ninth anniversary with a block party headlined by proggy metal act Yakuza, pizza-loving rapper ShowYouSuck, and hip-hop duo Hood Internet. 7/9, Maplewood between Chicago and Iowa, darkmattercoffee. com. F b
WWW.CONCORDMUSICHALL.COM 2047 N. MILWAUKEE | 773.570.4000 JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 33
4544 N LINCOLN AVENUE, CHICAGO IL OLDTOWNSCHOOL.ORG • 773.728.6000
SUNDAY, JULY 10 5 & 8PM
Sarah Jarosz SATURDAY, JULY 16 9PM
Pape Diouf SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 7 & 10PM
Hot Tuna Acoustic SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 7PM
The Handsome Family with special guest Anna & Elizabeth
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 8PM
Sara Watkins SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8 7PM
Sonny Landreth ACROSS THE STREET IN SZOLD HALL
4545 N LINCOLN AVENUE, CHICAGO IL
8/6 Laketown Buskers 9/10 Erwin Helfer / Barrelhouse Chuck with Billy Flynn / Gospel Keyboard Masters: The Sirens Records CD release show for all 3 artists!
WORLD MUSIC WEDNESDAY SERIES FREE WEEKLY CONCERTS, LINCOLN SQUARE
7/20 Charles King
OLDTOWNSCHOOL.ORG JOIN US JULY 8-10 IN LINCOLN SQUARE!
THIS WEEKEND
MUSIC continued from 33
LYDIA LOVELESS CRACKER DESSA
MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND SARAH JAROSZ • DALE WATSON FARIS • ISRAEL NASH • DOLLY VARDEN LERA LYNN • TAJ WEEKES • SHAUIT JODEE LEWIS • LOS HACHEROS VILLALOBOS BROTHERS AND MORE!
34 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
Find more music listings at chicagoreader.com/soundboard.
International L. Subramaniam 6 PM, Museum of Contemporary Art b Classical Renee Fleming & the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center 8 PM, Harris Theater b
Chicago Jazz Orchestra 7:30 PM, SPACE b James Sanders & Conjunto 5:30 PM, Museum of Contemporary Art F b Classical Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Nicola Benedetti Cristian Macelaru, conductor. 8 PM, Ravinia Festival b Menahem Pressler Piano. 6 PM, Ravinia Festival b
MONDAY11
WEDNESDAY13
Bahto Delo Delo See Sunday. Madmashadi opens; DJ Bashert spins. 8 PM, Martyrs’, 3855 N. Lincoln, $10
Inter Arma Withered and Immortal Bird open. 9 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, $12, $10 in advance.
Rock, Pop, Etc Adele 7:30 PM, also Sun 7/10 and Wed 7/13, 7:30 PM, United Center Akenya 9 PM, Hungry Brain Macy Gray, Mayaeni 8 PM, also Sun 7/10, 8 PM, City Winery b Household, I Made You Myself, Forfeit, Nick Cartwright 7 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Oh Pep!, Faux Co. 8 PM, Schubas Rad Payoff; White Night; Fuck You, Idiot; Krayola 8 PM, Burlington Ratboys, New Color, Mid Atlantic Title, the Most, Perspective, A Lovely Hand to Hold 8:30 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ Foul Tip, Scenics, Plastic Crimewave Syndicate, Runnies 9 PM, Empty Bottle F Told Slant, Bellows, Advance Base, Spencer Radcliffe & Everyone Else 7 PM, Subterranean b Hip-Hop Schoolboy Q 9 PM, Concord Music Hall, 18+ Blues, Gospel, and R&B Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Sweet Honey in the Rock 8:30 PM, Ravinia Festival b Jazz Quin Kirchner Group 9:30 PM, Whistler F Twin Talk 10 PM, California Clipper F Experimental Andrew Clinkman, Carol Genetti, and Jeff Kimmel 7:30 PM, Experimental Sound Studio b
TUESDAY12 3 DAYS, 4 STAGES, AND OVER 70 BANDS, INCLUDING:
Marissa Nadler ò EBRU YILDIZ/WINDISH AGENCY
Marissa Nadler Wreckmeister Harmonies and Muscle & Marrow open. 9 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, $12. Working again with Seattle producer Randall Dunn—best known for his work with drone merchants SunnO)))—Boston singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler deploys the richest sonic palette of her career on Strangers (Sacred Bones), a record of spooky beauty, hovering darkness, and emotional uncertainty. Her exquisite voice floats over meticulous arrangement—layers of melancholic strings, reverb-sopped guitar accents, subtly swelling synthesizer color bursts, spectral piano lines, and billowing feedback—like an apparition surveying different sorts of wreckage. On album opener “Divers of the Dust” she’s observing some kind of postapocalyptic wasteland where “waves were scraping city streets,” while on “All the Colors of the Dark”
time has transformed the way she sees an old lover, though she’s changed as well (the track seems at least partly autobiographical, as the narrator has just married, like Nadler herself did last year). While there’s been an infusion of sunshine in Nadler’s music, there is also a discernible maturity—like she’s found a way to exist with the sadness and pain that suffuse life. —PETER MARGASAK
Moon Bros. 10 PM, California Clipper, 1002 N. California, $5. Longtime improvised-music scene fixture and guitarist Matthew Schneider continues his transformation into a languid, spaced-out folkie on These Stars (Western Vinyl), the lovely new record from his Moon Bros. project. Once upon a time it seemed like Schneider was poised to be a key figure on the local jazz scene, but he kept refusing to privilege any specific genre. With the emergence of Moon Bros., Schneider now gravitates toward a hazy kind of psych-folk that takes inspiration from the likes of Tim Hardin and Fred Neil, mining turf not too far from the guitarist’s onetime roommate Ryley Walker. Previously Schneider stuck to mostly instrumental material, but he sings all over the new record with a charmingly wobbly intonation that fills in the crevices of the loose arrangements with a kind of liquid wooziness. He’s joined by a terrific cast of helpers, with bassist Matthew Lux adding some essential bottom, drummer Dan Bitney contributing gentle, unobtrusive grooves, and pedal-steel player Sam Wagster providing lush melodic filigree. Schneider’s nimble acoustic playing sketches out the ambling shapes of his songs, and he nonchalantly unfurls lots of lovely, spidery passages, underplaying a quiet virtuosity further obscured by Bob Dylan-grade harmonica playing. For tonight’s record-release show his band includes Lux, Wagster, and fellow guitarist Brian Sulpizio. —PETER MARGASAK Rock, Pop, Etc Stu Hamm Band 7 PM, Reggie’s Music Joint Pet Symmetry, Winter Break, Bighand//Bigknife, Please & Thank Yous 6:30 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Water Liars, Christian Lee Hutson 9 PM, Schubas, 18+ World/Inferno Friendship Society, Culture Shock 8:30 PM, 1st Ward, 17+ Jazz Cecil 9:30 PM, Whistler F
Richmond-based quintet Inter Arma blew me away in 2013 with their second full-length, Sky Burial. The record’s thick, rough-edged sound, like grinding icebergs, laid a foundation for a grueling journey with an epic narrative quality—a listener coming out at the end of the album isn’t quite the same person he or she was going in. Sludgy but sophisticated, this band has a massive tonal toolbox and an unerring instinct for the placement of each individual shade of black. In 2014 they released the very meaty and substantial 46-minute track The Cavern in an attempt to tide fans over until the long-awaited new Paradise Gallows (Relapse). Every LP has been a great leap forward, and this one is no exception. The psychedelic shipwreck portrayed in the cover art is a fair representation of the haunting violence and swirling, vivid colors of the sounds inside: from gut-loosening doom to goosebump-raising drone-folk to the unnerving, lilting ambient wails of the slow-building 11-minute title track. —MONICA KENDRICK Rock, Pop, Etc Adele 7:30 PM, also Sun 7/10 and Mon 7/11, 7:30 PM, United Center Baskery 8 PM, Schubas Big Thief 8 PM, SPACE b Bonerama 8 PM, City Winery b Garden Music 9 PM, Whistler F Kitten, Sizzy Rocket, Clean Spill 9 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ Lykanthea, Midwaste, Forest Management, Daniel Wyche 9 PM, Hideout Outset 9:30 PM, California Clipper Soft Candy, Faintlife, Sweet Lil 8 PM, Emporium Arcade Bar F Violent Femmes, Ava Mendoza 8 PM, the Vic, 18+ Blues, Gospel, and R&B Billy Flynn 7 PM, Reggie’s Music Joint Experimental Jim Baker, Josh Berman, Steve Hunt, Eli Namay, Peter Maunu 8 PM, Beat Kitchen F International Protoje, Allan Kingdom, Salma Slims 8 PM, House of Blues, 17+ Classical Grant Park Orchestra with Rachel Barton Pine Michal Nesterowicz, conductor (Bruch, Lutoslawski). 6:30 PM, Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park b Oliver Herbert & Renana Gutman Cello and piano. 12:15 PM, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center F b v
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FOOD & DRINK
SAINT LOU’S ASSEMBLY | $$$ 664 W. Lake 312-600-0600 saintlouschicago.com
NEW REVIEW
Saint Lou’s Assembly isn’t quite divine
Bruce Finkelman and Jared Wentworth’s West Loop meat-and-three spot doesn’t yet inspire beatific dining. By AIMEE LEVITT
A
s soon as I walked through the door, Saint Lou’s Assembly felt familiar. I’d never been to a meat-and-three cafeteria, a once-beloved, now mostly extinct institution that offers a choice of entree and three sides for one low price. But there was something about the vinyl booths, Formica tables, and wood paneling, not to mention the candy counter and the bowling trophies, that made me feel like I’d seen them before. It looked like the kind of meat-and-potatoes joint my grandfather would’ve liked, right down to the toothpicks
on the tables. Only at Pops’s places, the booths were cracked and ripped and there was dust on the bowling trophies and maybe the candy counter too. Saint Lou’s is, in fact, intended as a tribute to managing partner Bruce Finkelman’s own grandfather, a wholesaler who provided meat to many of the city’s restaurants back in the 1940s and ’50s and frequented the meat-andthree cafeterias that abounded in the meatpacking district in those days. The restaurant’s matchboxes bear his story, in tough-guy prose poetry and minuscule print: “Lou smoked
cigarettes, drove a Cadillac, had a foul mouth, loved Elvis, hated people from New York . . . He lived his life the way he pleased, was always fair with others, and to many close to him, Lou was a damn saint.” Originally, Saint Lou’s Assembly was a cafeteria too, but less than a week before my first visit, Finkelman and chef Jared Wentworth had switched to more conventional table service. This is maybe not surprising. Even a saint like Lou would probably have balked at paying $18 for meat loaf that’s been sitting out under a heat lamp. Could you blame him? J
Catfish with spinach, broccolini, and mac and cheese; basket of biscuits ò DANIELLE A. SCRUGGS
JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 35
BREWS
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FOOD & DRINK continued from 35 Unfortunately, the staff hadn’t quite gotten the hang of the program by the time I visited. One night when the place was full, only one (very polite and competent) server was taking orders. Another night, when the place was empty, the staff seemed bewildered that anyone was there at all, and the server (a different server) slurred out the daily special, returned to the table on two separate occasions to inform us that the kitchen was out of the things we had ordered, and lackadaisically filled drink orders. (Though to his credit, when he got to around to it, he poured Diet Coke from a can with the care and precision of a bartender pulling a Guinness.) Both times, the dishes emerged from the kitchen sometimes slowly and sometimes all at once. An ordinary working man would be shit out of luck getting back to his place on the line before the whistle blew. It’s probably best, if you go to Saint Lou’s Assembly, to think of it not as a true meat-andthree but rather as another member of Finkelman and Wentworth’s 16" on Center family, which also includes Dusek’s and Longman & Eagle: a modern restaurant in a nostalgic setting, attached to a very good cocktail bar, in this case, Moneygun. If Saint Lou’s were a country, the meat loaf Wellington, enrobed in duxelles, pastry, and bordelaise sauce, would be its flag: a tribute to the Greatest Generation repackaged to appeal to the current crop of diners who are sentimental about their grandparents’ strong work ethic and common sense but not their stringy meat and overcooked vegetables. (When there’s a Depression to survive and a world war to win, who has time for duxelles?) While I did enjoy most of my meat and some of my threes—especially the fried catfish that managed to be both crisp and flaky and the tender sweet-and-sour pork belly that melted in my mouth like pig candy—the very best things I ate at Saint Lou’s came from the salads and appetizer menus, which didn’t hold to the meat-and-three concept at all and instead skewed more southern. This may have had something to do with the fact that both times I visited, the temperature was above 90 degrees, better weather for eating watermelon salad than meat loaf Wellington. (I truly intended to order the meat loaf, but just the thought of it sat heavy in my stomach.) That watermelon salad, though, with its sweet and juicy cubes of fruit and zingy jalapeño-soy dressing, tasted like summer in the best possible way, the part when, after walking many blocks, you finally get to the
Burrata with fried green tomatoes ! DANIELLE A. SCRUGGS
lakefront and feel that first gust of a breeze. It has a natural companion in the elotes, nicely charred with just enough mayo and queso to make it salty and enough lime and paprika to keep it interesting, and the tangy lemonade and just-sweet-enough iced tea. I was dubious about the burrata, which comes with pickled fried green tomatoes and house-made hot sauce. As described on the menu, it seemed like a desperate attempt to be trendy and down-home all at once. When it hit the table, though, it turned out to be exactly what I hadn’t realized I wanted. The tomatoes were breaded and fried with the same light touch as the catfish, and the cool burrata and vinegary hot sauce played off one another delightfully. It comes with a baguette, but I preferred to eat it with a light and fluffy biscuit. (Warning for those with strong opinions about biscuits: these are fried.) The kitchen made a few missteps. In giving the roast chicken an extracrispy skin, it sacrificed some juiciness in the meat. The pie and cheesecake offered as dessert tasted as though they’d been sitting under a plastic dome for a few days. Worst of all, the gyro seemed as if it had been pulled out of the freezer, hastily reheated in a pan filled with too much oil, and slapped onto a stale pita with the tiniest squirt of tzatziki sauce. It gave the impression that it had come from another restaurant entirely. The ghost of Grandpa Lou whispered in my ear, “Never trust a gyro joint where you can’t see the spit.” Saint Lou’s Assembly is very much a work in progress. Wentworth and chefs de cuisine Carlos Cruz and Gabino Ottoman continue to tinker. As I’ve been writing this review, the website has been updated several times, and patty melts have been added to the menu. Given some more time, it could grow into the sort of place where your grandpa would’ve been a regular. After all, even Lou himself was young once. v
" @aimeelevitt
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○ Watch a video of Brett Lichnerowicz making this cocktail with freshly cut grass at chicagoreader.com/food.
FOOD & DRINK ARBELLA
COCKTAIL CHALLENGE
112 W. Grand 312-846-6654 arbellachicago.com
A cocktail with grass, both legal and not
ò TOM HARRIS
By JULIA THIEL
BARS
All aboard the good ship Arbella By JULIA THIEL
T Through the Looking Grass by Brett Lichnerowicz of Luxbar ò CORY POPP
A
fter being challenged by SAMMY FAZE of the DRINKINGBIRD and BILLY SUNDAY to make a cocktail using GRASS, BRETT LICHNEROWICZ of LUXBAR did some urban foraging in people’s yards “with or without their permission” to find some for his experiments. “There’s so many varieties of grass—there’s ryegrass, fescue grass, sweetgrass, bluegrass.” Once he’d retrieved some samples, he says, “I steeped, I cooked, I pulverized, I muddled, I chewed. They all kind of taste like a green tea.” He ended up using several in a simple syrup— lemongrass, ryegrass, and fescue grass, along with coriander, dandelion root, and burdock root—that “has a very strange flavor, like a green tea-lemon-poppyseed taste.” Żubrówka bison grass vodka was a natural choice for the liquor, which Lichnerowicz combined with lemon juice, for brightness, and rhum agricole (cane-juice rum), to add “a fig jam essence.” He also made a tincture at home with “another kind of grass that may or may not be legal in the state of Illinois,” adding a few dashes of that to the drink, then finishing it off with Allagash’s Little Brett beer.
When it came to naming the drink, though, Lichnerowicz had some trouble narrowing it down: after considering candidates like Mowin’ and Flowin’, Greengasm, Enviralicious, Chuck Grassley, Blade Runner, and Grassmaster Flash, he finally settled on Through the Looking Grass. THROUGH THE LOOKING GRASS
1.25 OZ ŻUBRÓWKA BISON GRASS VODKA .5 OZ CLÉMENT RHUM AGRICOLE 1.5 OZ GRASS SYRUP .5 OZ LEMON JUICE 8 DROPS “GRASS” TINCTURE BELGIAN-STYLE SAISON Combine all ingredients except the beer and pour over ice into a Collins glass; top with beer.
WHO’S NEXT:
Lichnerowicz has challenged JENN FINK of PUB ROYALE to create a cocktail with APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. v
v @juliathiel
he cocktails at Arbella, the new River North spot from the team behind Tanta, are all over the map—literally. The tagline for the bar is “drink the world,” and the menu is divided into five global regions. It’s heavy on the Americas, with Mexico, South America (and the Caribbean), and the U.S. constituting three sections; the other two are dedicated to Europe and Asia. The bar’s name comes from a ship that sailed from England to Salem in 1630, a six-week voyage on which the passengers and crew supposedly consumed nearly 10,000 gallons of wine. It would cost quite a bit to order that much wine at Arbella, where a glass averages about $14 and most bottles are at least $60 (cocktails run about $15). The goal, according to the menu, is not just to celebrate “wonderfully staggering consumption” but to create drinks that spark wanderlust. The surroundings of the former flower shop, though— posh semicircular booths, modern-looking chandeliers, 20-foot-high ceilings—are more likely to inspire people to settle in. The focus is on classic cocktails, and the menu provides brief histories of ones that patrons might be unfamiliar with: the recipe for the Airmail, for example, was apparently first printed in a Bacardi pamphlet in 1930s Cuba, celebrating the “modern achievement” of plane-delivered letters and packages. Other drinks, though, are more contemporary, playful, or just puzzling, as is the case with the Bridge and Tunnel, a concoction of vodka, rosé, and celery bitters. The Old School is peanut butter-infused bourbon with jelly ice. Two of the cocktails involve liquid nitro-
gen—which seems gimmicky, but it’s still fun to watch the fog emanating as the bartender prepares the drink. And I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the Fraise d’Amor [sic], which is just cognac with strawberry puree, frozen with liquid nitrogen. The drink tastes like the essence of the fruit, beautifully balanced by the vanilla and oak flavors of the cognac. Smoke makes its most notable appearance in the Chicago Fire Extinguisher: named for the grenade-shaped glass bottles of flame-smothering saline solution that once hung in local establishments. The cocktail, made with BenRiach Heart of Speyside scotch, Luxardo Amaro Abano, and smoked Angostura bitters, is served in a smoke-filled glass container with a cork, along with a glass containing a large, perfectly clear ice cube. It’s a neat concept but lacks depth; the smoke seems to mute the flavors of the whiskey. I preferred the Funky Chicken—Mexican lollipops dissolved in rye, served with lemon puree, beer, and a Tajín rim—which tastes exactly like boozy, spicy Mexican candy: sweet, tart, and salty, with a chile pepper bite. The La Coqueta, with just a touch of mezcal smoke and some nice ginger heat along with yuzu and grenadine, is a slightly funky, dry cocktail. There’s an assortment of snacks as well: bao, ahi poke, taro tacos, grilled octopus, crisp-skinned Korean fried chicken. They’re a cut above respectable, but with more than 30 drinks on offer, Arbella is, first and foremost, a cocktail lounge. v
v @juliathiel JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 39
S P O N SO R ED CO NTENT
DRINK SPECIALS LINCOLN PARK
ALIVEONE
2683 N Halsted 773-348-9800
LINCOLN PARK
DISTILLED CHICAGO
1480 W Webster 773-770-3703
AVONDALE
BERWYN
LINCOLN SQUARE
2829 N Milwaukee 773-227-1688
6615 Roosevelt 708-788-2118
2829 N Milwaukee 773-942-6012
EL RANCHITO
FITZGERALD’S
MONTI’S
NEAR SOUTH SIDE
WICKER PARK
ROGERS PARK
SOUTH LOOP
7006 N Glenwood 773-274-5463
2105 S State 312-949-0120
REGGIE’S
MOTOR ROW BREWING
PHYLLIS’ MUSICAL INN
RED LINE TAP
Happy Hour 4-6pm, $2 off all beers
Moosehead pints $3.75, Hamms cans $2.50, Special Export Bush Longneck bottles $3, Foster Big cans $5
$4 Hell or High Watermelon
Bombs $4, Malibu Cocktails $4, Jack Daniel’s Cocktails $5, Tanqueray Cocktails $4, Johnny Walker Black $5, Cabo Wabo $5, PBR Tallboy cans $2.75
Happy Hour noon-6pm, $2 off all beers
Moosehead pints $3.75, Hamms cans $2.50, Special Export Bush Longneck bottles $3, Foster Big cans $5
$5 Stella, $3 mystery shots
Wine by the Glass $5, Jameson $5, Patron $7, Founders 12oz All Day IPA Cans $3.50, Mexican Buckets $20 (Corona, Victoria, Modelos)
Moosehead pints $3.75, Hamms cans $2.50, Special Export Bush Longneck bottles $3, Foster Big cans $5
$3 Corona and $3 mystery shot
Heineken Bottles $4, Bloodies feat. Absolut Peppar Vodka $5, Original Moonshine $5, Corzo $5, Sailor Jerry’s Rum $4, Deschutes Drafts $4, Capt. Morgan cocktails $5
2337 S Michigan 312.624.8149
1800 W Division 773-486-9862
THU
$4 Lagunitas drafts, $4 Absolut cocktails, “Hoppy Hour” 5pm8pm = 1/2 price IPAs + pale ales
50% off wine (glass & bottle) and salads
$1.50 Margaritas
$6 Firestone Walker Opal pints, $6 Finch Vanilla Stout 16 oz. cans, $7 house wines $8 Few Spirits
FRI
“Hoppy Hour” 5pm8pm = 1/2 price IPAs + pale ales
$6 Jamison shots; $5 Green Line; 50% off chicken sandwich
$2.99 Margaritas de Sabores
$6 Firestone Walker Opal pints, $6 Finch Vanilla Stout 16 oz. cans, $7 house wines $8 Few Spirits
S AT
$6 Jameson shots $3 PBR bottles
Brunch 11am to 2pm, Bottomless Bloody Mary’s & Mimosas $15.00; 50% off nachos and $15 domestic/$20 craft beer pitchers
$6 Firestone Walker Opal pints, $6 Finch Vanilla Stout 16 oz. cans, $7 house wines $8 Few Spirits
SUN
$4 Temperance brews, $5 Absolut bloody mary’s
Brunch 11am to 2pm, Bottomless Bloody Mary’s & Mimosas $15.00; 50% off appetizers & $3 pints of Bud Light; Industry Night 10% off all items not discounted
$6 Firestone Walker Opal pints, $6 Finch Vanilla Stout 16 oz. cans, $7 house wines $8 Few Spirits
$4.75 Bloody Mary and Marias
Moosehead pints $3.75, Hamms cans $2.50, Special Export Bush Longneck bottles $3, Foster Big cans $5
$5 Rolling Rock $4 Benchmark, Evan Williams, or Ezra Brook
Buckets of Miller & Bud Bottles (Mix & Match) $14, Guinness & Smithwicks Drafts $4, Bloodies feat, Absolut Peppar Vodka $5, Ketal One Cocktails $5
MON
$4 Half Acre brews, FREE POOL, “Hoppy Hour” 5pm-8pm = 1/2 price IPAs + pale ales
all beer 50% off; $5 burgers
$2.99 Coronas
CLOSED
$1 off all beers including craft
Moosehead pints $3.75, Hamms cans $2.50, Special Export Bush Longneck bottles $3, Foster Big cans $5
$5 Oberon, $5 Moonshine
All Draft Beers Half Price, Makers Mark Cocktails $5, Crystal Head Vodka Cocktails $4
TUE
$2 and $3 select beers
all specialty drinks 50% off; $2 tacos
$1.99 Apple Martinis
$6 Firestone Walker Opal pints, $6 Finch Vanilla Stout 16 oz. cans, $7 house wines $8 Few Spirits
$2 off all Whiskeys and Bourbons
Happy Hour 4-6pm, $2 off all beers
Moosehead pints $3.75, Hamms cans $2.50, Special Export Bush Longneck bottles $3, Foster Big cans $5
$4 Founders All Day IPA
Jim Beam Cocktails $4, Jameson Cocktails $5, Cabo Wabo $5, Malibu Cocktails $4, Corona Bottles $3.50, PBR Tall Boy Cans $2.75
WED
1/2 price aliveOne signature cocktails, $4 Goose Island brews, “Hoppy Hour” 5pm8pm = 1/2 price IPAs + pale ales
50¢ wings (minimum 10), selection of 10 discounted whiskeys
Happy Hour 4-6pm, $2 off all beers
Moosehead pints $3.75, Hamms cans $2.50, Special Export Bush Longneck bottles $3, Foster Big cans $5
$2 PBR, $5 wine
Stoli/Absolut & Soco Cocktails $4, Long Island Iced Teas $5, Herradura Margaritas $5, Stella/Hoegaarden/ Deschutes Drafts $4, Goose Island 312 Bottles $3.50
$6 Firestone Walker Opal pints, $6 Finch Vanilla Stout 16 oz. cans, $7 house wines $8 Few Spirits $10 classic cocktails
$5 Martinis, Lemon Drop, Cinnamon Apple, Mai Tai, French, Cosmo, On the Rocks, Bourbon Swizzle, Pomegranate Margarita
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40 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
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JOBS
SALES & MARKETING TELE-FUNDRAISING:
American Veterans Helping Veterans. Felons need not apply per Illinois Attorney General regulations. Start ASAP, Call 312-256-5035
food & drink KAMA INDIAN BISTRO is hiring
chefs with 5+ yrs exp. in upscale Indian fusion restaurant.Culinary degree a plus,contact info@kamabistro.com
General IT APPLICATION DEVELOPER (Master’s or equiv. w/3 yrs exp. OR Bachelor’s or equiv. w/5 yrs. exp. or other suitable qualifications) Job entails & req. exp. to include design & develop applications & working with Oracle, SQL Server, .NET Framework, ASP. NET, ADO.NET, AJAX, WCF Web services, LINQ, Java script, HTML/CSS, MVC, Quality Center, TFS, C#, Web Services, Share point, VISIO, Visual Basic, IBM Message Queue, VSS, & TIVOLI.
IT Engineer (7 yrs. exp)- Install, configure & admin Symantec Endpoint Protection Suite, UNIX Servers (RHEL Linux & SUN Solaris), MS Exchange Server, VERITAS Volume Manager, SAN /NAS Storage devices, CISCO ASA Firewalls Routers & CISCO Switches. Configure RAID for SAN storage file systems for network drives. Ensure backups through VERITAS NetBackup. Maintain DHCP & DNS Configure DFS for sharing folders & files over enterprise network allocating storage disk spaces on U nix/Windows & Exchange systems. Replace and refresh servers. Monitor & maintain Data Center. Manage security & service requests. Install & configure MS share point services with SQL for corporate internal documentation including contacts & meet-
ings. Get hardware & S/W quotes. Work with admins & developers to meet infrastructure requirements. Ensure warranty support for hardware & S/W. Use following tools: Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SCO Open Server, CISCO IOS, IBM Net Finity Servers, eServer X Series Servers, ProLiant Servers, Ultra SPARC SUN Servers, SUN Storedge, SUN Fire, SUN Blade servers, WINS, & SNMP. Systems Software Developer (Masters or equiv. w/6 months exp. or other suitable qualifications)- Job entails & req. exp. to include design & develop S/W systems; & working with Oracle, MYSQL, JAVA, C, C++, Weblogic, Web Services, IBM AIX S. IIS, IBM AIX P-series servers, Red hat Linux, VERITAS cluster server, Posse & Wycaps servers; C Adabas. UNIX, AIXlLinux, & Solaris Systems. All positions are in Chicago, IL. Relocation & travel to unanticipated locations within USA possible. Send resumes to HR, Sunpower Consulting LLC., 3410 W. Van Buren St, Ste A, Chicago, IL 60624. FLUID HANDLING LLC - Mechanical Engineer– Morton Grove, IL Dvlp current & next generation products, systems, solutions & technologies for global water bus, encompassing turbomachines & other fluid handling systems. Rep co. at selected tech conferences, as delegated. Reqs: Mstrs of Sci deg (U.S. or foreign equiv) in Mech Engg, Aerospace Engg or a rel field. 6 mos of exp in the app of advanced numerical & simulation methods & tools to solve engg problems, as part of a research team. Prior wrk exp must incl: Formulation of math models & other methods of computer analysis to dvlp, eval, or modify designs, accord to customer engg reqs; Exp w/ the complete cycle of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation for complex cases, from geometry manipulation & preprocessing through solving & postprocessing; advanced meshing techniques for high-qual meshes,
incl structured hexahedral meshing, using tools like GAMBIT or ICEMCFD; advanced solving methods & strategies for fluid & multi-physics using FLUENT or CFX; use of different turbulent flow models & discretization for simulation stability & solution accuracy; advanced post proc using TECPLOT; use of User Defined Functions (UDFs) for special problems; operation of MS Windowsbased High Performance Computing (HPC) cluster for simulation; Dvlpmnt of customized comp s/ tware codes & routines using C/ C++ or Fortran; app of MATLAB to similar objectives & apps; Exp w/ engg design methods & tools; app of Comp Aided Design (CAD) systs for advanced solid & surface modeling using CREO; & exp wrking w / global teams on international projs or assignments. QUALIFIED APPLICANTS: To apply, visit www. xylem.com/en-us/careers. Scroll down & click on “Search Openings. ” Enter Req. ID # 7919BR to submit resume. PIVOT POINT INTERNATIONAL, Inc. is cur-rently seeking a full-
time Vice President, Global Marketing and Busi-ness Development to be employed at of our location in Chicago, IL. This position will lead our marketing team in developing and implementing all communications, product positioning and marketing for Pivot Point and Pivot Point Academies in a consistent manner that builds the brand and achieves company goals. This position re-quires a Bachelor’s degree or equiv. in Marketing, Sales, Product Management, or a related field plus 8 years experience working with marketing and brand communica-tion within the beauty industry. In the alternative, will accept 10 years of experience in Marketing and Brand Communication within the beauty industry. Must also have demonstrated ability with each of the following: (1) Conducting a total brand restage through market research and development of a global marketing strategy that builds the meaning, image and experience of the brand; (2) Leading strategic and commercially driven marketing initiatives for the international beauty education industry; (3) Utilizing advanced methods in analytics, and
Business and Market Intelligence to develop and sustain a brand image within today’s beauty landscape; and (4) Overseeing the art direction of beauty products and brands from conceptualization to execution including social media, advertising agencies, and go-to-market media strategies. The position also re-quires a cosmetology license Em-ployer will accept experience gained concurrently and will accept any suitable combination of educa-tion and experience. Please submit your resume and cover letter to hr@pivot-point. com.
Manager of Quality Assurance & Manufacturing Engineering at Bimba Manufacturing Company. Position in University City, IL. Establish plans, policies & procedures to maintain quality management systems & programs; Develop audit programs to test quality compliance; Maintain vendor certification program & gage calibration system; Eliminate quality problems; Guide improvements; Assist w/ ISO 9001 compliance audits & train auditors; Initiate corrective action requests; Oversee receiving inspections for conformity; Create quality plans; Evaluate new manufacturing concepts; Participate in product implementation committee & teams; Lead research/recommend manufacturing equipment to improve; Administer maintenance management system including preventive maintenance system, work order scheduling & reporting system, equipment maintenance history file, & MRO inventory & purchasing system. Domestic & int’l travel required. Requires Masters (Engr., quality or manufacturing discipline) & 3 yrs. exp., or Bachelors (Engr., quality or manufacturing discipline) & 5 yrs. exp. Must have exp. w/: quality engr. & manufacturing engr. in metals manufacturing, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Total Quality Management systems, Kaizen, DOE, FMEA, PPAP & best practice protocols, metals machining & assembly processes & process flow, ISO 9001 system knowledge & application/auditing experience, & leading/directing a team. Resumes to J. Ryan, 25150 S. Governor’s Highway, University Park, IL 60484.
Design Engineer w/ Fluid Handling, LLC in Morton Grove, IL. Design & dvlp new products in the areas of valves, boiler controls, or related hydronic/water system products. Mstrs of Sci (U .S. or foreign equiv) in Mech Engg or a rel field. 6 mos of exp in the app of advanced numerical & simulation methods & tools to solve engg problems, as part of a research team. Prior wrk exp must incl: Design & dvlp new products in the areas of valves, boiler controls, or rel hydronic/ water system prods; Implement prod improvements, by actively participating in prod cost reduction projs; Exp w/ engg design methods & tools; app of Comp Aided Design (CAD) systems for basic design modeling using CREO or similar. Qual Applicants: To apply, visit www.xylem. com/en-us/careers. Scroll down & click on “Search Openings.” Enter Req. ID# 7920BR to submit resume. Senior Developer, Trading Core/ C++ Mail resumes to Megan Suerth at Akuna Capital LLC 333 S Wabash, 26th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604 BS in Computer Science, Engineering, Math or closely related field plus five years of experience as a Developer or related role that included developing applications in python and C++. In lieu of BS plus five years of experience, will accept MS in stated fields plus at least one year of experience in developing applications in python and C++, or MS plus coursework in python and C++. Must pass proprietary exam in C++ ELECTRICIAN/MILLWRIGHT. IDEAL CANDIDATE would have
a wide range of electrical and mechanical experience, including work with: general electrical maintenance, PLC’s, motors, able to read schematics and blueprints, as well as “millwright” type experience. Plant works 24/7. Salary commensurate with experience. Benefit package includes insurance, vacation, and 401K, holidays. Send resume and credentials to: Real Alloy Recycling Inc. PO Box 751 Chicago Heights, IL 60411 or james.langston@realalloy.com.
Senior Developer, C++/FPGA Mail resumes to Megan Suerth, Akuna Capital LLC 333 S Wabash, 26th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604 BS in Computer Science, Engineering, Math or closely related field plus five years of experience as a Developer or related role that included developing applications in python and C++. In lieu of BS plus 5 yrs exp will accept MS in stated fields plus at least one year of experience in developing applications in python and C++, or MS plus coursework in python and C++. Must pass proprietary exam in C++ ENGINEERING DRW HOLDINGS, LLC in Chicago, IL seeks candidates for the following position: Agile Operations Engr (Sr Systems Engr)
Position ID 2016-1305; BS + 8 yrs exp w/ Linux System Admin & 5 yrs exp w/ network admin req’d) to research, plan, design, develop, & test computer sys for business computing apps. Will accept 2 yrs exp w/ Agile sw dvlpmt in lieu of BS degree. To apply, email resume to apply@drw.com and ref Position ID2016-1305. EOE. Principals only
SALES CONSULTANT (Chicago, IL). Explain merchandise; compute sales prices; place orders; maintain sales records; resolve customer complaints; & monitor customer’s preference. High school & at least 2-yrs of exp. Send resume to Palm USA Inc. 5050 W. Lawrence Ave. Chicago, IL 60630. EOE
Established CPA firm in DuPage County, Illinois, is seeking a fulltime Accountant/Tax Preparer. Experience with payroll, payroll taxes, sales tax, ledger work, and personal and corporate income taxes required. CPA/EA preferred Email accutax@yahoo.com EAST AURORA SCHOOL DISTRICT 131, located in Aurora, IL, is seeking Elementary Bilingual Teachers. Applications should be completed online at www.d131.org.
Retail
DIESEL MECHANIC: inspect, repair & maintain diesel trucks in Elk Grove Village. HS diploma & 2y ex p.req. Mail res: A&D Truck&Trailer Repairs Inc, 2606 N 75th Ct, Elmwood Park IL 60707 BELLISSIMA DONNA AVEDA Concept Salon is seeking talented and licensed hair stylists. Please email your resume to info@ bellissi-madonna.com
REAL ESTATE
RENTALS
STUDIO $600-$699 ROGERS PARK! 7455 N . Greenview. Studios starting at $625 including heat. It’s a newly remodeled vintage elevator building with on-site laundry, wood floors, new kitchens and baths, some units have balconies, etc. Application fee $40. No security deposit! For a showing please contact Samir 773-627-4894 Hunter Properties 773-477-7070 www.hunterprop.com ROGERS PARK! 1357-67 W
Greenleaf. Studio starting at $695 including heat! Close to transportation, laundry on premises, beautiful courtyard building. One block to Loyola Beach! $40 application fee. No security Deposit. For a showing please contact Samir 773-627-4894 Hunter Properties 773-477-7070 www. hunterprop.com
EDGEWATER!
1061 W. Rosemont. Studios starting at $625 to $675, All Utilities included! Elevator building! Close to CTA red line train, restaurants, shopping, blocks to the lakefront, beaches and bike trails, laundry onsite, remodeled, etc. For a showing please contact Jay 773835-1864 Hunter Properties, Inc. 773-477-7070 www.hunterprop.com
ALBANY PARK! 3355 W. East-
wood. Studios starting at $675 including heat & gas. Laundry in the building. Application fee $40. Close to CTA brown line train, stores, restaurant, etc. NO SECURITY DEPOSIT. For a showing please contact Saida 773-407-6452 Hunter Properties 773-477-7070 www.hunterprop.com
LARGE STUDIO APARTMENT.
6824 N Wayne. Near Red Line. Heat included. Hardwood floors. Pets OK. Laundry in building. $675/ month. Available 8/1. 773-761-4318. www. lakefrontmgt.com
MARKETINGASSOCIATE MANAGER MARKETING We are looking for a self-motivated marketing manager with experience in digital and print media. This role will manage critical initiatives to support the growth of print, digital and experiential products. Essential Functions: - Develop communication materials and programs to support: marketing initiatives, promotional advertising, audience/subscription development, advertising sales presentations and partnerships - Create presentations for meetings either from scratch or using existing templates - Print/bind materials for the sales/advertising team - Manage trade process including contract review, submission for approval, communication between parties, and management of trade assets - Event support as needed (may require some evenings or weekends) - Manage relationship with media data services (SRDS, NDX, etc.) - Analyze and maintain information on team and individual performance to goal for Sun-Times Media products - Work cross departmentally to collect and analyze advertiser campaign data, prepare wrap-up reports for account executives to share with clients - Ensure quality and delivery of marketing initiatives, reporting, and budget management - Coordinate projects and events that may involve multiple departments (editorial, audience/circulation, sales, marketing, 3rd parties) - General support for all marketing team personnel including but not limited to: * Basic audience requests involving information requests in the Scarborough and Nielsen Claritas systems * Basic analytics reporting using the Google Analytics interface - Other duties and projects as assigned
Binny’s is Hiring! Binny’s Beverage Depot is the Midwest’s largest upscale retailer of fine wines, spirits, beers and cigars, and due to our continued growth, we are now looking for dedicated individuals to join our team at our location coming soon to Lincolnwood:
STORE ASSOCIATES We are seeking energetic, customer-oriented individuals to perform a variety of store functions. Qualified persons must be over 21 years of age, able to lift 40-50 lbs. and available to work flexible hours. Previous retail experience a plus, with cashier or stock experience preferred. Candidates must be able to work nights & weekends. Full and PartTime positions are available. $10.50 + hourly starting rate.
Qualifications: Education and Experience - College degree, preferably in marketing or related field - 2-3 years professional office experience Skills: - Proficient in Microsoft Powerpoint, Excel, and Word - InDesign, Scarborough, Google Analytics familiarity is a plus - Ability to handle multiple projects with strict deadlines - Excellent written and spoken communication skills for customer service, presentations, and coordination between internal and external stakeholders - Strong organizational skills - Analytical mindset with ability to deconstruct complex problems and conceptualize solutions
In return for your skills, we offer growth opportunities and attractive compensation.
Please apply online at www.binnys.com/careers EOE
Resumes can be mailed, emailed or faxed to the following address: The Chicago Sun Times Attn: Human Resources – Marketing Manager 350 N. Orleans, 10S Chicago, IL 60654 Fax: (312) 321-2288 Email address: hr@suntimes.com – Please note Marketing Manager in the subject line. The Chicago Sun Times is an Equal Opportunity Employer
STUDIO OTHER CLEAN ROOM W/FRIDGE & micro, Near Oak Park, Food -4Less, Walmart, Walgreens, Buses & Metra, Laundry. $115/wk & up. 773-637-5957 CHICAGO, HYDE PARK Arms
Hotel, 5316 S. Harper, maid, phone, cable ready, fridge, private facilities, laundry avail. Start at $160/wk Call 773-493-3500
CROSSROADS HOTEL SRO SINGLE RMS Private bath, PHONE,
CABLE & MAIDS. 1 Block to Orange Line 5300 S. Pulaski 773-581-1188 NICE ROOM w/stove, fridge & bath Near Aldi, Walgreens, Beach, Red Line & Buses. Elevator & Laundry. $130/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
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
JUST IN NEWLY REMODELED APARTMENTS. Throughout Chicagoland area. 1 BRs w/gas starting at $650/mo. 2BR & up starting at $850/mo. No Sec dep. No App fee with ad. Section 8 acce pted.773.870.1812 Wesley Realty
QUALITY
APARTMENTS,
Great Prices! Studios-4BR, from $450. Newly rehabbed. Appliances included. Low Move-in Fees. Hardwood floors. Pangea - Chicago’s South, Southwest & West Neighborhoods. 312-985-0556
JULY 7, 2016 | CHICAGO READER 41
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)
7000 S. MERRILL, 2BR, hdwd flrs, lrg sunrm, new remod., cable ready, lndry, O’keefe Elem, $800/ mo. Sec 8 welcome. 708-3081509, 773-493-3500 CHICAGO SOUTH - YOU’VE tried the rest, we are the best. Apartments & Homes for rent, city & suburb. No credit checks. 773-221-7490, 773-221-7493 STUDIOS AND 2 BRS
67th/ Jeffery & 56th/Wabash UPDATED UNITS! NO MOVE IN FEE! ONE MONTH FREE! livenovo.com or Call (773) 285-3310
MOVE RIGHT IN - Near 92nd &
Stony Island, Garden apartment, 1 bedroom, 1 bath, $600/mo + security deposit incl utils. Call Theresa 312806-0646
CHICAGO - SOUTH SHORE Large 1BR, $6 60/mo. Free heat. Near Transportation. Section 8 Welcome. Call 708-932-4582 CHICAGO - ROOMS FOR Rent. 7131 S. Yale. $400/mo. No Security Deposit! Utilities included! Call 773-653-9312 2419 W. MARQUETTE RD 1BR, Appls, c-fans, intercom, tenant pays utils, lndry room avail, sec dep. $650/mo. 773-316-5871 CHICAGO - HYDE PARK 5401 S. Ellis. 1BR $535mo CALL 773-955-5106 EXCHANGE EAST APTS 1 Brdm
$575 w/Free Parking,Appl, AC,Free heat. Near trans. laundry rm. Elec.not incl. Kalabich Mgmt (708) 424-4216 6930 S. SOUTH SHORE DRIVE Studios & 1BR, INCL. Heat, Elec, Cking gas & PARKING, $585-$925, Country Club Apts 773-752-2200
SUMMER SPECIAL $500 To-
ward Rent Beautiful Studios 1, 2, 3 & 4 BR Sect. 8 Welc. Westside Loc, Must qualify. 773-287-4500 www. wjmngmt.com
Chicago, Beverly/Cal Park/Blue Island Studio $575 & up, 1BR $665 & up, 2BR $885 & up. Heat, Appls, Balcony, Carpet, Laundry, Prkg. 708-388-0170 2 LARGE BR, 2BA apt kitchenette,
FR and large LR in 2 flat bldg, 1st flr, 1320sqft, $1500/mo. Off 95th Str near Kedzie. Call 773-612-3916
CHICAGO, 82ND & JUSTINE. 1BR. near transportation. $650$695 /mo. 1 month rent + 1 month Security. Heat is incl. 773-873-1591 û NO SEC DEP û 6829 S. Perry. 1BR. $520/mo & 1431 W. 78th St. $2BR. $600/mo HEAT INCL 773-955-5106
1 BR $700-$799 PORTAGE PARK! 5602-10 W.
Wellington. 1 Bedrooms starting at $795 Includes heat. Application fee $40. No security deposit! Laundry facility on premises. Sunny living rooms, wood floors throughout, kitchen contains large roomy cabinets, walking distance to shops, grocery stores, restaurants and more! For a showing please contact Jose 773-415-4911 Hunter Properties 773477-7070 www.hunterprop.com
LARGE ONE BEDROOM apart-
ment near Red Line. 6828 N Wayne. Hardwood floors. Heat included Laundry in building. Pets OK. $775/ month. Available 9/1. 773-761-4318, www.lakefrontmgt.com
CHICAGO, 1 Large Bedroom, 2nd Floor, Heat Included, Large Yard & Front Porch, $700-$750/month. Call 773716-6740 SOUTH SHORE 1BR apt, newly
renovated apt. hdwd flrs throughout, laundry, secure bldg w/surveillance system & wrought iron fencing. $740. 773-880-2414, 773-580-7797
BROADVIEW. 2BR Apt. Heat, appliances & parking incl. On site laundry. $875/mo + sec. Available now. Call 312-4044577
702 WEST 76TH STREET, 1BR Apt Available now, heat included. Starting at $750/mo. Call 773-495-0286
1 BR $800-$899 LAKESIDE TOWER, 910 W Lawrence. 1 bedrooms starting at $895-$925 include heat and gas, laundry in building. Great view! Close to CTA Red Line, bus, stores, restaurants, lake, etc. To schedule a showing please contact Celio 773-3961575, Hunter Properties 773-4777070, www.hunterprop.com QUIET BUILDING CHATHAM,
1BR, 1BA, heat & garage space incl in rent. laundry on premises, $790/mo. Avail Now 773-233-7673
1 BR $900-$1099 Hyde Park West Apts., 5325 S. Cottage Grove Ave., Renovated spacious apartments in landscaped gated community. Off street parking available. Sutdios $950, 1BR $1150 - Free Heat, 2BR $1400 - Free heat; 4BR Townhome, $2200 Call about our Special. Visit or call 773-324-0280, M-F: 9am-5pm or apply online- ww w.hydepark west.com. Managed by Metroplex, Inc
Wrigleville 2BR, 1400sf, new kit/ deck, FDR, oak flrs, Cent Heat/ AC, prkg avail. $1550 + util, Pet friendly, 773-743-4141 www. urbanequities.com RAVENSWOOD 1BR: 850SF, great kit, DW, oak flrs, near Brown line, on-site lndy/stor., $1075/ heated 773-743-4141 www. urbanequities.com 3700 W DIVERSEY: Beaut 3BR, 2BA duplex, 1800sf, new kit, top flr, yard/prkg, storage, W/D, $1495 +util. 773-743-4141 www.urbanequities. com
HOMEWOOD- SUNNY 900SF
1BR Great Kitc, New Appls, Oak Flrs, A/C, Lndry & Storage, $950/mo Incls heat & prkg. 773.743.4141
1 BR OTHER CHICAGO, 7757 S. Winchester, 3rd floor. Recently decorated, large 4 room, 1BR, fully heated, $600. Charles (Manager) 312401-0911
PLAZA ON THE PARK 608 East 51st Street. Very spacious renovated apartments. 1BR $722 - $801, 2BR $837 - $1,009, 3BR $1,082- $1,199, 4-5BR $1,273 - $1,405. Visit or call (773)548-9300, M-F 9am-5pm or apply online at www.plazaonthepark apts.com Managed by Metroplex, Inc
COLLEGE GIRL BODY RUBS $40 w/AD 24/7
224-223-7787
APTS. FOR RENT PARK MANAGEMENT & Investment Ltd. SUMMER IS HERE BUT IT WON’T LAST! OUR UNITS INCLUDE HEAT, HW & CG Patio & Mini Blinds Plenty of parking on a 37 acre site 1Bdr From $750.00 2Bdr From $925.00 3 Bdr/2 Full Bath From $1200 **1-(773)-476-6000** CALL FOR DETAILS APTS. FOR RENT PARK MANAGEMENT & Investment Ltd. SUMMER IS HERE BUT IT WILL SOON BE GONE!! Most Include HEAT & HOT WTR Studios From $475.00 1Bdr From $550.00 2Bdr From $765.00 3 Bdr/2 Full Bath From $1200 **1-(773)-476-6000** CALL FOR DETAILS Parkways Apartments, 6718 S. East End Chicago, IL. 60649. 773-493-7300(TTY 800-526-0844) Wait List Opening July 11-15, Studio, 1 BR, 2 BR and 3 BR Accepting In-Person, applications, 10am-3pm only Income restrictions apply, credit/criminal screenings. Professionally managed by NHPMN Management, LP
CHICAGO, 7727 S. Colfax, ground flr Apt., ideal for senior citizens. Secure bldng. Modern 1BR $595. Lrg 2BR, $800. Free cooking & heating gas. Free parking. 312613-4427 SECTION 8 WELCOME SOUTHSIDE, Recently renovated, 1BR Apts. $800-$950/mo. Call Sean, 773-410-7084
LARGE SUNNY ROOM w/fridge & microwave. Near Oak Park, Green Line & Buses. 24 hr Desk, Parking Lot $101/week & Up. (773)378-8888 CHATHAM- 720 E. 81st St. Newly remodeled 2BR, 1 BA, Dining room, Living room, carpeted flrs, appliances. & heat included. Call 847-5335463 SPACIOUS-SAFE 773-4235727. BRONZEVILLE, 3BR, heat included. Englewood, 1,2 & 3BR, heat incl. Dolton, 2BR, Gated Parking. SUBURBS, RENT TO O W N ! Buy with No closing costs and get help with your credit. Call 708-868-2422 or visit w ww.nhba.com CHICAGO SOUTH SIDE Beauti-
ful Studios, 1,2,3 & 4 BR’s, Sec 8 ok. $500 gift certificate for Sec 8 tenants. 773-287-9999/312-446-3333
71ST/HERMITAGE. 3BR. 69th/ Dante, 3BR. 71st/Bennett. 2 & 3BR. 77th/Essex. 3BR. New renov. Sec 8 ok. 708-503-1366 CHICAGO - BEVERLY, large 2 room Studio, 1 & 2BR Apts. Carpet, A/C, laundry, near transportation, $650-$975/mo. Call 773-233-4939
FREE TO LISTEN AND REPLY TO ADS Free Code: Chicago Reader
FIND REAL GAY MEN NEAR YOU
(773) 787-0200 www.megamates.com 18+
ROUND LAKE BEACH, IL Cedar Villas is accepting applications for subsidized 1BR apts. for seniors 62 years or older and the disabled. Rent is based on 30% of annual income. For details, call us at 847-546-1899 ∫ CALUMET CITY 158TH & PAXTON SANDRIDGE APTS 1 & 2 BEDROOM UNITS MODELS OPEN M-F, 9AM-5:30PM *** 708-841-5450 *** 11007 S. VERNON, 1BR, $725/ mo + $525 move in. 8037 S. Carpenter, 2BR, $875/mo + $650 move in. Spacious, attractive Apts. Carpet /heat incl. Sect 8 ok. 312.636.9340 NO MOVE-IN FEE! No Dep! Sec 8 ok. 1, 2 & 3 Bdrms. Elev bldg, laundry, pkg. 6531 S. Lowe. Call Marcy 773-874-0100
CHICAGO, RENT TO OWN! Buy with no closing costs and get help with your credit. Call 708868-2422 or visit www.nhba.com
Ashland Hotel nice clean rms. 24 hr desk/maid/TV/laundry/air. Low rates daily/weekly/monthly. South Side. Call 773-376-5200 MOVE IN SPECIAL B4 the N of this MO. & MOVE IN 4 $99.00 (773) 874-3400 ACACIA SRO HOTEL Men Preferred! Rooms for Rent. Weekly & Monthly Rates. 312-421-4597
NEAR MIDWAY AIRPORT 2BR $875+ SEC DEP.
Sect 8 ok, newly decor, carpeted, refrigerator, FREE Heat, laundry room, cable ready, free credit check, no application fee. 1-773-550-9426 or 1-312-802-7301 HARVEY - 15544 TURLINGTON, 2BR, 2nd flr,
central A/C, appls, hdwd floors, new windows/kitchen cabinets. $750/mo. 708-692-9177
7444 S. VERNON. 2BR, remod hdwd flrs, Sect 8 OK, heat and appls incl, laundry on site. $800 & up. Call Z, 773-406-4841 DOLTON:
NEWLY
REMOD
2BR, Heat, water & appls incl. Off street parking. $850/mo + 1 mo sec. Sect 8 ok. Avail Immed. 708-8463424 7701 S. South Shore Dr. 2 BDs with 1.5 Baths, Large Combo Living-Dining Rm, FREE Heat & cking gas. Prkng extra. $785-$850, Kalabich Mgmt (708)424-4216
CALUMET CITY 2BR, newly decorated, Eat-in-Kitchen, appl, 1st fl, near trans, sec 8 ok. $800/mo + sec dep. Credit check. 773-316-7790 2BR BSMT, NR 78th & Ashland, shared kitchen, $635/mo. Work or social sec & references. Also, 1BR, $400/mo. 773-530-5298 LAWNDALE: REHABBED 2BR+ $920/mo. Heat & hot water included. 4313 W. Flournoy. 2nd flr. Secure building. 630-709-8675.
BLUE ISLAND, 2BR. nr expressway & metra, newly remodeled, gas and appl. incl., $875 mo.+ sec. 708-679-4885 or 708-293-7730 CHICAGO 7600 S Essex 2BR $599, 3BR $699, 4BR $799 w/apprvd credit, no sec dep. Sect 8 Ok! 773287-9999 /312-446-3333 NEAR 111TH & Eberhart.: Clean 2nd floor 2BR, $650/mo. Near bus stop. Call Vernon, RPC 773785-1400 3BR 1.5 bath & 2BR: newly remodeled. Hrdwd flrs, heat & hot water incl. No Sec Dep. Sec 8 welc.. Call 9am-5pm 773-731-8306
2 BR UNDER $900
2 BR $900-$1099
JUMBO,
CHATHAM, 2BR, 1BA, HARDWOOD FLOORS, HEAT & WATER INCL. TENANT PAYS ELEC. $925/MO. AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 1ST. 312-8357623.
EXTRA
LARGE 4.5
sunny rooms, remodeled, hardwood floors, 1-2 bedrooms. Two blocks Brown Line, near shopping. On Leland Avenue. $840 heat included. 773-710-3634.
HAZEL CREST - 16953 S. Page. Newly remodeled, 2BR, stove & fridge incl. $950/mo + utilities. Section 8 welcome. Call 708-5571748 AUSTIN AREA, 2BR Apartment, carpet, small newer building, $900/month + utilities. Section 8 Welcome. Call 773-457-2284 CHICAGO, 5015-25 W. Iowa Ave. Augusta & Cicero. Newly Rehab, 2 & 3BR, $1100+/mo. Section 8 OK. David, 773-663-9488
2 BR $1100-$1299 CHATHAM BEAUTIFUL REMOD 2 & 3BR, hdwd flrs, custom
cabinets, avail now. $1100-$1200/mo + sec. 773-905-8487 Sec 8 Ok
EVANSTON 2BR, 1100SF, great kit, new appls, DR, oak flrs, lndry, $1250/mo incls heat. 773743-4141 www.urbanequities.co Elmhurst: Sunny 1/BR, new appl, carpet, AC, Patio, $895/incl heat, parking. Call 773-743-4141 www.urbanequities.com
2 BR $1300-$1499 2ND FLR 2 BEDROOM + BALCONY + DEN. Heat, cooking,
appliances including dishwasher & microwave, mini-blind-s, hardwood floors. Great location: walk to lake shoppingand transportation. 773/561-4128
2 BR $1500 AND OVER
LARGE BRIGHT LINCOLN PK
2Bd, 1Bth, In Unit W/D, Roof Deck, Back Porch, HVAC, Fireplace, DW, Hardwood Flrs, Available Immediately. $2000-$2500 Call: 773 472 5944
2 BR OTHER LARGE TWO BEDROOM, two
bathroom apartment, 3820 N Fremont. Near Wrigley Field. Hardwood floors. Cats OK. Laundry in building. Available 9/1. $1775/ month. Parking available. $150/ month for single parking space. $200/ month for tandem parking space. 773-761-4318, w ww.lakefrontmgt.com
ROUND LAKE BEACH, IL Cedar Villas is accepting applications for Subsidized 2 and 3 bedroom apt waiting list. Rent is based on 30% of annual income for qualified applicants. Contact us at 847-546-1899 for details
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CHATHAM 5RMS, 2BR, 1BA, 1200 SF, formal dining & living rooms, mod kitch, hdwd flrs, rear deck. $1100/mo heat incl. 773-4912269
SOUTH CHICAGO 7824 S. Champlain. 3BR, bsmt apt, close to transportation, no pets, $675/mo. Call 708-692-9177
CHICAGO, PRINCETON PARK
Large 3-4BR Apts, In unit laundry, hrdwd floors, very clean, No Dep! Avail Now! 708-655-1397
HOMES. Spac 2 - 3 BR Townhomes, Inclu: Prvt entry, full bsmt, lndry hook-ups. Ample prkg. Close to trans & schls. Starts at $816/mo. www. ppkhomes.com;773-264-3005
BEAUTIFUL NEW APT! 7651 S Phillips 2-4BR $1000-$1350 6943 s Woodlawn 4 bdrm $1350 Stainless Steel!! Appliances!! Hdwd flr!! marble bath!! laundry on site!! Sec 8 OK. 773- 404- 8926 CHATHAM, 736 E. 81ST (Evans), 2BR, 5 rms, 2nd flr $ 825/mo. 400 E. 81st St. (King Dr), 1st flr 1 BR, $700/mo. Call Mr. Joe at 708-870-4801 MATTESON, 2BR, $990$1050; 3BR, $1250-$1400. Move In Special is 1 Month’s Rent & $99 Sec Dep. Sect 8 Welc. 708-748-4169 CHICAGO WEST SIDE ATTN: Sec 8 holders!
rNo Sec Dep + $100 Back 2-4 Bdrms. Everything New + Lndry & A/C. Call 312-493-6983
CHICAGO 2746 WEST Maple. 4BR upstairs. Kitchen, living room & dining room downstairs. $1,000. Call 773-863-2889 SECTION 8 WELCOME. No Security Deposit. 7721 S Peoria, 3BR apt, appls incl. $1050/mo. 708-288-4510
CHICAGO Near 57th & Halsted, 4br. Section 8 welcome $950/mo tenant pays utilities. 773-818-6499
3 BR OR MORE $1200-$1499 11740 S. LASALLE, 2nd floor of 2 flat bldng. 4BR, will accept 3 or 4BR Voucher, hdwd flrs, stove, refrigerator & W/D incl. Newly remod., $1200/mo. No Security Deposit. Tenant Pays utils. Sect 8 welc. 773-2210061
HUGE 2+BR apt, nr Metra, CTA & stores. Sect 8 Welc 312.809.6068
NEAR BEVERLY
3 BR OR MORE UNDER $1200
CHICAGO SEC. 8 welc. 1st flr 3br, 1ba. Heat & cooking gas, incl&#039;d., Tenant pays elec. $1350 + sec. dep. Call: 312-218-4396
CHICAGO 5246 S. HERMITAGE: 2BR bsmt $400. 2BR 1st floor, $525. 3BR, 2nd floor, $625. 1.5 mo sec req’d. 708-574-4085. 5638 S. EMERALD, 3BR, 2nd floor, spacious, fireplace, newly remod, Sect. 8 welc, $885/mo + move in fee, ten pays heat. 773457-7963 CALUMET CITY, 3BR, 2 car garage, fully rehab w/ gorgeous finishes & hdwd flrs. Beautiful backyard. Sect 8 ok. $1175/mo. 510735-7171 NR 87TH & STONY ISLAND, 3BR Apt, $1000 + heat, 2 mo sec + 1 mo rent, rec renov ba & kit, gar space avail. Not Sec 8 reg 773771-0785 69TH/SANGAMON & 124TH/ NORMAL 3 Lrg BR, Hdwd flrs. $975/mo 70th /Wabash. 2BR. $925/mo. Nr trans & good schls 773-568-0053
OTHER
123 W. 118TH ST. 3BR, 1.5BA. $1200/mo. Sec 8 Welcome. Move-in fee req’d. Immed Occup. 708-417-6999 8841 S. PRINCETON. 4BR, 1BA, hdwd flrs, newly remod. $1400/mo. Tenant pays utils. No Sec Dep. Sec 8 Welc. 773-221-0061
HUGE 4 BR, 2BA ($1300),
carpeted and 1br, 1 ba hardwood, ($800), close trans, schools, sec 8 welcome, 773-443-3200.
3 BR OR MORE $1500-$1799 NEAR 83RD & Yates. 5BR, 2BA, hdwd flrs, fin basement, stove & fridge furn. Heat incl. $1600 + 1 mo sec. Sect 8 ok. 773-978-6134
3 BR OR MORE $1800-$2499 LARGE 3 BEDROOM 2 bath
apartment in Wrigleyville, 3820 N Fremont. Hardwood floors. Cats OK. Laundry in building. $2100/ month. Parking available. $150/ month for single parking space. $200/ month for tandem parking space. Available 8/1. 773-761-4318, www.lakefrontmgt .com
CHICAGO 4BR APARTMENTS 8457 S Brandon & 5BR apartment 2707 E 93rd St. 1st floor, 3-4BR voucher ok; 847-926-0625 CHICAGO, 6111 S. Normal 2BR apt, stove/refrig., 6101 S. Normal 4BR T/H apt, newly decor. Sec. 8 welc. Call 773-422-1878. 3 & 4 Bedroom Condos for Rent. Woodlawn & South Shore. Great condition. Section 8 OK. Call 773.784. 7900. CHICAGO, 3BR APARTMENT, newly remodeled, heat included, $ 900/mo. Also, Storefront, $800/ mo. Call 773-297-4784 MATTESON, SAUK VILLAGE &
UNIVERSITY PARK. 4, 3 & 2BR, House/Condo, Section 8 ok. For information: 708-625-7355
W. 52nd St. 4BR, 1.5BA, 3 lvls, heat, A /C, 2 car garage. Sec 8 ok. $1400/mo. 773-895-2867
AUSTIN 3BR, QUIET neighbor-
hood, near school & trans, Heated, appls & C/A, tenant pays elec. 708735-3545
CHICAGO HOUSES FOR rent. Section 8 Ok, w/app credit $500 gift certificate 3, 4 & 5 BR houses avail. 312-446-3333 or 708-752-3812
FOR SALE FOR SALE BY Owner. Beautiful
Koski Log Home on 80 acres. Half woods half open fields, great hunting. Property includes log home w/hard-wood and ceramic tiled flrs. throughout, cow barn, pole barn and log pump house w/walk-in freezer. Too much to list. $240.000. valeriea moore@att.net
REASONABLY PRICED CON-
DO for Sale Hyde Park -near Univ. of Chicago 1.5BR, 1BA, Cash buys only. For Sale by owner. Call 312-6788076 3848 W. CONGRESS Pkwy. 6 1/2 rooms, 3BR, unheated, $850/mo + security. Quiet. No laundry, No dogs. 773-722-0105
non-residential SELF-STORAGE
CENTERS.
T W O locations to serve you. All units fully heated and humidity controlled with ac available. North: Knox Avenue. 773-685-6868. South: Pershing Avenue. 773-523-6868.
roommates SOUTHSIDE - 55TH & Ashland, Clean Rooms, use of kitchen and bath. Available Now. Call 773-434-4046
1 WEEK FREE. 96th & Halsted & other locations. Large Rooms, shared kitchen & bath. $100/week and up. Call 773-848-4020
near good trans. $400/mo + $200 clean up fee. 312-758-6931
MARKETPLACE
GOODS
MASSAGE TABLES, NEW and
used. Large selection of professional high quality massage equipment at a very low price. Visit us at www. bestmassage.com or call us, 773764-6542.
MASTER CAPITAL SOLUTIONS, Loan Co.
Global Benefits Trust, Insurance Co. Call Chelsea Scott, H.R. Recruiter Hiring Today - (773)901-0001
THE HOTTEST GAY CHATLINE
1-312-924-2082 More Local Numbers: 800-777-8000
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Ahora en Español/18+
European trained and certified therapists specializing in deep tissue, Swedish, and relaxation massage. Incalls. 773-552-7525. Lic. #227008861.
UKRAINIAN MASSAGE. CALLS in/ out. Chicago and sub-
urbs. Hotels. 1234 S Michigan Avenue. Appointments. 773-616-6969.
NOTICE IS HEREBY given, pursuant to "An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State," as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: D16147203 on June 20, 2016, under the Assumed Business Name of Closer Photography with the business located at 444 N Wabash Avenue #500, Chicago, IL 60611. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: Adam R. Shuboy, 1401 S State Street #1709, Chicago, IL 60605, USA.
NOTICE IS HEREBY given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: D16147161 on June 16, 2016 Under the Assumed Business Name of CHICAGO SPACEWALKERS with the business located at: 3744 N. BERNARD, CHICAGO, IL 60618. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner (s)/partner(s) is: TODD MICHAEL MORRIS, SR, 3744 N. BERNARD, CHICAGO, IL 60618, USA
NOTICE IS HEREBY given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: D16147109 on June 10, 2016 Under the Assumed Business Name of EL CONTINUING EDUCATION with the business located at: 3112 N. DAMEN AVENUE APT 2, CHICAGO, IL 60618. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner (s)/ partner(s) is: LEAH A ARGENTO, 3112 N. DAMEN AVENUE APT 2, CHCAGO, IL 60618, USA
NOTICE IS HEREBY given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: D16147155 on June 15, 2016 Under the Assumed Business Name of POLESTRONG BODYWORKS with the business located at: 2752 W LEMOYNE ST APT 3C, CHICAGO, IL 60622. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner (s)/partner(s) is: SALLY SACHS 2752 W LEMOYNE ST APT 3C, CHICAGO, IL 60622, USA
MUSIC & ARTS 410 N MICHIGAN Ave Fine Arts Build-ing Kevin Moeller’s Studio Art Show July 8th Second Friday 5-10PM Studio 519 email:bacchusmann@ g-mail.com
LUXURY NEWER HOUSE. 1308
SOUTHSIDE, FURNISHED ROOM Incl: utils,
60 MINUTES FREE TRIAL
HEALTH & WELLNESS FOR A HEALTHY mind and body.
CHICAGO S - NEWLY renov,
NEWLY REHAB 5BR, $1500 118th & Princeton, 3BR, $1200, 85th & Wallace, 3BR, $1200, 81st & Kenwood, Sec 8 welc 312-8043638
CHICAGO 11740 S. LASALLE, 3BR, WILL ACCEPT 2 or 3 BRM SECTION 8 VOUCHER. No Security Deposit! hrdwd & ceramic flrs, Stove & Refrigerator, w/ d, tenant pays utils, 1st floor of 2 flat bldg, $1000/mo. Call 773-2210061
3 BR OR MORE
GERMAN SHEPHERD PUPPIES - AKC, wormed & vaccinated, sire has OFA cert., maternal sire is ex police dog. $800. Call 260-593-0160 x 3
SERVICES LEGAL SERVICES- Need A
Lawyer? For as low as $19.95 CONSULTATIONS: Credit Repair, Bankruptcy, Divorce, Foreclosure, Evictions, Contract Review, Traffic Tickets/DUI, E xpungement, Criminal Defense & more. Call Theresa 312-806-0646
legal notices NOTICE IS HEREBY given, pursuant to "An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State," as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: D16147273 on June 28, 2016, under the Assumed Business Name of Menacerno Music with the business located at 4916 N. Mozart Street Apt. 2, Chicago, IL 60625; The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: Brian Matson, 1036 N Honore Apt. 2R, Chicago, IL 60622, USA; Joseph Martinez, 9004 S. 49th Avenue Oak Lawn, IL 60453, USA; Maggie O’Keefe, 4916 N. Mozart Street Apt. 2 Chicago, IL 60625, USA; Matthew J Buckingham, 11 West Division Street Apt. 1009 Chicago, IL 60610, USA; Peter Neumer, 1346 N. Greenview Apt. 2F Chicago, IL 60642, USA.
STATE OF ILLINOIS County of Cook In The Circuit Court For Cook County, Illinois In The Matter of the
Petition of Lord Daniel William A. H. Windsor & Lady Sonja Grace O. Windsor Case# 16M2002446 For Change of Name. Notice of Publication Public Notice is hereby given that on August 24, 2016 at 9:00 AM being one of the return days in the Circuit Court of the County of Cook, I will file my petition in said court praying for the change of my name from Lord Daniel William A. H. Windsor & Lady Sonja Grace O. Windsor to that of Lord Wiliam Henry A. G. Windsor & Lady Sonja Wilhelmina Grace O. Windsor, pursuant to the statute in such case made and provided. Dated at Chicago, Ilinois, June 20, 2016. Signature of Petitioner: W. Windsor & Sonja Windsor
NOTICE IS HEREBY given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: D16147272 on June 28, 2016 Under the Assumed Business Name of THIS QUIET DUST with the business located at: 5233 ARCADIA STREET, SKOKIE, IL 60077. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner (s)/partner(s) is: DUBHE CARRENO 5233 ARCADIA STREET, SKOKIE, IL 60077, USA
NOTICE IS HEREBY given, pursuant to "An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State," as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: D16147312 on June 28, 2016, under the Assumed Business Name of Robynhood Ink with the business located at 2620 West Fletcher St #43A, Chicago, IL 60618. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: Robyn Michelle Johnson, 7064 N Damen Ave Unit 2 Chicago, IL 60645, USA.
JULY 7, 2016 | CHICAGO READER 43
SLUG SIGNORINO
STRAIGHT DOPE By Cecil Adams Q : Now that the sea levels are rising, I’m
sure someone out there is already thinking of ways of making a few quid/bucks (not that I’m interested myself, you understand). Who will profit—or indeed profiteer—from this sea change? —CHRIS
A : I submit to you, Chris, that given the var-
ious depredations of our modern era, the distinction between profiting and profiteering is, like the Louisiana coastline, rapidly eroding. In the olden days, profiteering involved an emergency, such as war, motivating an enterprising fella to rush in and make an easy buck. Now, of course, we face a prospect of constant emergency, from steadily rising sea levels to increasingly extreme storms to lethal heat waves. It’s a good time to be in the air-conditioning business, is all I’m saying. But there’s profiting and there’s profiting, if you know what I mean. So in the spirit of Old Testament-style judgment, I thought I’d arrange various ways one might cash in on climate change from least to most evil. Those wanting to make a profit in this arena are advised to stick near the top of this list if they want to keep their souls. Renewable energy. One hopes, frankly, that there’s a greedy upstart or two out there trying to get rich off solar, wind, geothermal, etc; may they ever proliferate. Flood mitigation. A proposed set of enormous gates, to be installed south of New York City’s Verrazano-Narrows Bridge as protection from another Hurricane Sandy-like storm surge, might cost something like $10 billion to build— which is frankly a steal given the potential scale of future flooding damage.
Arctic drilling. You’ll note the pleasing circularity at work here: by burning enough fossil fuels to warm the earth sufficiently to melt the polar ice caps, we’ve now gained access to yet more fossil fuels buried under those ice caps. There remain some challenges to extracting them: logistical, because the weather up there sucks; political, because Barack Obama has placed restrictions on the practice. Still, one Bloomberg analyst said recently he’d be “very surprised” if these hurdles put oil and gas companies off forever. They’re nothing if not plucky.
Land grabs. Foreseeing a lack of arable land and worrying about food shortages, investors in the U.S., China, and elsewhere are buying up turf around the globe. A 2014 study found that Chinese investors had purchased land in 33 countries; Ethiopia had sold land to 21 countries.
Then there are cases where the ethics-payoff calculus gets more complicated. We hear lots of kvetching worldwide about the melting of Greenland’s ice sheet, but folks in Greenland are a good deal more sanguine about it—they anticipate that as ice depletion renders minerals, oil, and gas more accessible and improves the local fishery, the island might finally have enough cash on hand to declare its independence from Denmark. So they benefit, albeit in a somewhat fraught manner. And I haven’t even mentioned the Israeli desalination company now selling snowmaking machines to Alpine ski resorts, the firms providing high-end private firefighting services to rich Californians, or any other of the go-getters who who demonstrate again and again the irrepressible vitality of the free market. The possibilities, really, are endless. Unlike, say, the continued health of the planet. v
Water. A New York hedge fund called Water Asset Management LLC has begun buying up water rights worldwide in response to
Send questions to Cecil via straightdope.com or write him c/o Chicago Reader, 350 N. Orleans, Chicago 60654.
Trade. Arctic melting is a boon for shipping. When the Northern Sea Route—along Russia’s arctic coast and through the Bering Strait—is open, as opposed to frozen, the trip from Europe to China shortens by nearly a third.
44 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
increasing drought. In a Bloomberg article on climate-change investment, one financial adviser complains of an “overemphasis on [global warming’s] negative impacts”; kudos to these guys for their glass-half-full optimism, not to mention their pioneering adoption of a new form of economic colonialism. (Yes, moviegoers, you saw this at the very end of The Big Short, where it’s revealed that the Christian Bale character, the hedge-fund wonk who foresaw the housing crash, has since gone all-in on water.)
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SAVAGE LOVE
By Dan Savage
My wife, the serial cheater
Can this marriage be saved? Plus: tentative Tindering and other modern trials Q: My wife and I have been married for 14 years and in a committed (I assumed) relationship for 17 years. Sex between us (often kinky) has always been great. We have a wonderful life together and two perfect children. I thought we were good; turns out things were too good to be true. I learned recently that my wife has been unfaithful to me throughout our marriage. She began an affair with an older man soon before we were married, and they were physically intimate for five years, including bondage and a master/sub relationship. The physical sex stopped, but phone sex and online flirting continued up until I discovered this two weeks ago. This is a man I know. There’s more: She slept with another man (just once, more bondage) but also flirted with him online and met up with him while I was away. She slept with yet another man she works with (just once, vanilla this time). She had phone sex with at least two other men and flirted with still more on Facebook. This came out because I was jealous about something that now seems minor and checked her e-mail. (Not proud of that.) She is repentant and relieved that I finally know, and she promises that she will be faithful from now on. I’ll always love her, and I know she loves me. We had one session with a counselor and another is scheduled. Results were mixed. One thing that came out was that she has never been faithful to a romantic/ sexual partner. I could forgive a onetime drunken fling, but this is a consistent pattern of infidelity that runs from the beginning of our marriage, and I had no idea.
I cannot process it. I thought she had always been as loyal as I’ve been, which is to say completely. I can’t put my wedding ring on—it feels like a lie. I have no one to talk to. For the sake of our future, the love we still share, and our children, we are committed to fixing things, but we’re not sure how. —HEARTBROKEN AND DEVASTATED
A : I’m going to preface
my response with what someone in my position might be expected to say and what, given the circumstances, could even be true: Your marriage is over. The scale, duration, and psychological cruelty of your wife’s betrayals may be too great for you to overcome. But you didn’t need me to tell you that, HAD. You knew that already. So I can only assume you wrote wanting to hear something else. You wrote because you’re looking for a reason to stay. I’ll give it my best shot. A long-term relationship is a myth two people create together. It’s a story, HAD, a story we tell each other, a story we tell others, and a story we tell ourselves. And sometimes it’s a story we have to revise. Right now, it feels like the story you’ve been telling yourself and others about your marriage is a lie: not partly, but wholly. You thought your marriage was a loving, committed, and “completely loyal” one, but it’s not—it can’t be, and it never was, because she was cheating on you from the beginning. But loyalty isn’t something we demonstrate with our genitals alone. Your wife wasn’t loyal to you sexually, HAD, and that’s pain-
ful. And the conventional “wisdom” is that people don’t cheat on partners they love. But you were married to this woman, and you describe your marriage as good, loving, and wonderful. And it somehow managed to be all those things despite your wife’s betrayals. She must have been loyal to you in other ways or you would’ve divorced her long before you discovered her infidelities. Think back over the last 17 years: every kind and loving gesture, every considerate action, every intimacy, every moment you took care of each other— was it all a lie? I’m not trying to exonerate your wife, and I’m not trying to minimize her betrayal or your pain. But if you want to stay together, HAD, you’re going to have to tell yourself a new story. If I may paraphrase Maya Angelou: When someone finally shows you who they are, you should believe them. Your wife has never been faithful to you or to anyone else, HAD, at least not sexually. Adjusting your expectations and making accommodations accordingly is more realistic than expecting your wife to become a different person.
date. While I obviously swiped right, I’m curious as to whether it would be seen as inappropriate or possibly invasive if I were to reach out via the powers of social media. The night we had went well—it was all incredibly comfortable sexually, and I found him very interesting to talk to both before and after we hooked up. I should mention that I left rather swiftly that evening without grabbing his number in an attempt to “play it cool.” I definitely don’t want to cross social
or personal boundaries, but I’d like to see him again. —CREEP
A : There’s nothing creepy
about letting someone you fucked know you wanna fuck ’em again or, hey, maybe even date ’em for a while. It gets creepy only if they don’t respond, or if they politely decline, and you keep letting them know you would like to fuck/date them some more. You liked him, you had a nice time, the sex was good—and you left, stupidly, without his number for fear of
looking clingy or uncool. Social media has come with costs—trolls, bullying, Donald Trump’s Twitter feed—but the ability to locate someone and ask for a do-over/screw-over is one of the benefits. So look him up on Facebook or Instagram and send him a note. If you don’t hear back, consider yourself swiped left and move on. v Send letters to mail@ savagelove.net. Download the Savage Lovecast every Tuesday at thestranger. com. v @fakedansavage
Q : I’m a cis woman in my late 20s. About three months ago, I had my first one-night stand. I’ve noticed my thoughts have continued to gravitate toward this man ever since—despite having other sexual partners in the interim. I recently ran across his profile on Tinder—however, I’m fairly sure he hasn’t logged on for a while as certain things weren’t up to JULY 7, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 45
James Vincent McMorrow ò EMMA J DOYLE
NEW
Ariisk 9/4, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Frauke Aulbert 10/2, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Big Eyes, Che Arthur, Endless Column 8/18, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Blitzen Trapper, Kacy & Claton 9/24, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 7/7, noon b Tommy Castro & the Painkillers 10/9, 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston, on sale Sat 7/9, 11 AM b Cherry Glazerr 8/11, 7 PM, Subterranean b Drivin’ N Cryin’ 9/7, 8 PM, Schubas, on sale Fri 7/8, noon Jeremy Enigk, Into It. Over It. 7/29, 9 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ First Hate 8/15, 9 PM, Empty Bottle F Samantha Fish 10/29, 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston, on sale Sat 7/9, 11 AM b For Today 12/15, 6 PM, Bottom Lounge, on sale Fri 7/8, 10 AM b Freakwater 9/17, 9 PM, Hideout Full of Hell & the Body 9/1, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Green River Ordinance 10/29, 8 PM, Bottom Lounge, on sale Sat 7/9, 10 AM, 17+ Instigation Orchestra with Djaspora 9/10, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ The Life and Times 8/26, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Lil Yachty 8/31, 7:30 PM, Lincoln Hall, on sale Fri 7/8, noon b Harold Lopez-Nussa 10/19, 7:30 PM, SPACE, Evanston, on sale Sat 7/9, 11 AM b James Vincent McMorrow 11/16, 9 PM, Metro, on sale Fri 7/8, 10 AM, 18+ Jim Messina 10/16, 7 PM, SPACE, Evanston, on sale Sat 7/9, 11 AM b
Mothxr 10/6, 8 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Shawn Mullins 9/18, 7:30 PM, SPACE, Evanston, on sale Sat 7/9, 11 AM b Pamela Z 9/24, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Pigface 11/25, 9 PM, House of Blues, 17+ Popa Chubby & Matthew Curry 8/10, 7:30 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 7/7, noon b Projecto Arcomusical 10/23, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Dalton Rapattoni 8/2, 7 PM, Bottom Lounge b Reckless Kelly 9/5, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 7/7, noon b Tim Reynolds & TR3 10/22, 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston, on sale Sat 7/9, 11 AM b Satan 10/26, 7 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ John Scofield 10/5, 7 and 9:30 PM, SPACE, Evanston, on sale Sat 7/9, 11 AM b Slim Cessna’s Auto Club 11/19, 9:30 PM, Subterranean Southern Culture on the Skids 10/6, 8 PM, Schubas Splinter Reeds 10/16, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Troyboi 9/16, 9 PM, Bottom Lounge, on sale Fri 7/8, 10 AM, 18+ Vinyl Thief 9/18, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Ben Wendel Quartet 9/21, 7:30 and 9:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ b White Fang, No Parents, Birth Defects 10/16, 9 PM, Empty Bottle William Elliott Whitmore 10/29, 5:30 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, on sale Fri 7/8, 10 AM David Wilcox & Beth Nielsen Chapman 10/23, 7 PM, SPACE, Evanston, on sale Sat 7/9, 11 AM b
46 CHICAGO READER - JULY 7, 2016
UPCOMING Anderson Wakeman Rabin 11/5, 8 PM, Chicago Theatre Arcs 7/27, 9 PM, Park West, 18+ Band of Horses 11/16, 7:30 PM, Aragon Ballroom b Band of Skulls 9/10, 10 PM, Metro, 18+ Black Sabbath 9/4, 7:30 PM, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Tinley Park b Cannibal Corpse, Nile, After the Burial 8/3, 2 PM, Concord Music Hall, 17+ Catfish & the Bottlemen 10/12, 7:30 PM, Riviera Theatre b Clutch, Zakk Sabbath 10/25, 8 PM, House of Blues, 17+ Dej Loaf 8/13, 7 PM, Portage Theater Dinosaur Jr. 10/8, 9 PM, Metro, 18+ Eternals Espiritu Zombi Group 8/13, 9 PM, Hideout Felice Brothers 9/13, 8 PM, Schubas Flosstradamus 7/29, 10 PM, Aragon Ballroom, 17+ Glass Animals 10/6, 8 PM, Riviera Theatre, 18+ Goggs 7/19-20, 9 PM, Empty Bottle, 7/20 added Anthony Green 9/25, 6:15 PM, Bottom Lounge Helmet 7/15, 9 PM, Double Door, 17+ Hepcat 8/12, 9 PM, Subterranean Il Divo 10/22, 7 PM, Rosemont Theater, Rosemont b Jah Wobble 9/24, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Jesu, Sun Kil Moon 11/13, 8 PM, Park West, 18+ Booker T. Jones 7/25, 8 PM, City Winery b Julie Ruin 7/14, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Kansas 11/4, 7 PM, Copernicus Center b
b Lake Street Dive 9/23, 8 PM, Chicago Theatre Bettye Lavette 8/3, 8 PM, City Winery b Sleepy LeBeef 7/23, 9 PM, FitzGerald’s, Berwyn Lettuce 7/30, 11 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Jenny Lewis, Watson Twins 9/8, 7:30 PM, Chicago Theatre b Liima 9/27, 8 PM, Schubas Los Lobos 12/11-14, 8 PM, City Winery b Louis the Child 11/26, 9 PM, Metro, 18+ Tony Lucca 10/7, 8 PM, City Winery b Whitey Morgan, Cody Jinks 9/29, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Mr. Gnome 10/1, 9 PM, Beat Kitchen Muffs 8/28, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Peter Mulvey 9/15, 7:30 PM, SPACE, Evanston b Murs 7/15, 9 PM, Subterranean Ne Obliviscaris 7/25, 6 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Needtobreathe, Mat Kearney 10/30, 6 PM, Aragon Ballroom b New Madrid 8/5, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Brian Newman 8/15, 8 PM, City Winery b NF 10/12, 7:30 PM, Bottom Lounge Night Beats 7/22, 9 PM, Beat Kitchen North 41 8/19, 9 PM, Lincoln Hall John Prine 11/4, 8 PM, Chicago Theatre Proclaimers, Jenny O. 9/30, 8 PM, Park West, 18+ P.S. Eliot 9/13, 8 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Rasputina 10/13, 7:30 PM, Double Door Royal Headache 7/14, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Patti Smith 12/30, 8 PM, Riviera Theatre, 18+ Snails 7/31, 10 PM, Evil Olive Snakehips 7/30, 10 PM, Primary Nightclub Sumac 8/9, 8 PM, Township, 17+ Swans, Okkyung Lee 7/15-16, 11 PM, Lincoln Hall Thee Oh Sees 11/19, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Titus Andronicus, A Giant Dog 9/28, 8 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Tobacco 9/30, 9 PM, Lincoln Hall Twiztid 10/29, 7 PM, Portage Theater, 17+ VNV Nation 10/23, 8 PM, Metro, 18+ Ryley Walker 8/25, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Whitney 7/15, 10 PM, Empty Bottle Wolf Alice, Potty Mouth 7/29, 11 PM, Lincoln Hall, 18+ Wolves in the Throne Room 9/23, 9 PM, Empty Bottle ZZ Top, Gov’t Mule 9/17, 7 PM, Rosemont Theater, Rosemont
ALL AGES
WOLF BY KEITH HERZIK
EARLY WARNINGS
CHICAGO SHOWS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IN THE WEEKS TO COME
F
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SOLD OUT Alabama Shakes 7/19, 7:30 PM, Civic Opera House and 7/20, 7:30 PM, Aragon Ballroom, sold out b Bastille 7/27, 9 PM, the Vic, 18+ Bear vs. Shark 10/29, 8 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Bear’s Den 9/23, 8 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ Borns 7/21-22, 7:30 PM, Metro b John Carpenter 7/16, 9 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Echo & the Bunnymen 9/17, 8 PM, Metro, 18+ FIDLAR 7/30, 11 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Foals, Lewis Del Mar 7/28, 11 PM, House of Blues, 17+ Ghost, Macabre 7/30, 11 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Lukas Graham 1/17, 7 PM, House of Blues b Jane’s Addiction, Nothing 7/2728, 9 PM, Metro, 18+ Last Shadow Puppets 7/27, 9 PM, House of Blues, 17+ Lollapalooza 7/28-31, Grant Park Lush 9/18, 8 PM, the Vic, 18+ M83, Sofi Tukker 7/28, 11 PM, the Vic, 18+ Morgan Heritage 8/24, 6 PM, Double Door b Mountain Goats 7/22, 10 PM, Subterranean The 1975 7/29, 10 PM, House of Blues, 17+ Old Crow Medicine Show 7/18, 7:30 PM, Thalia Hall b Pearl Jam 8/20 and 8/22, 7:30 PM, Wrigley Field Phantogram 7/31, 11 PM, House of Blues, 17+ Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Con Brio 7/29, 11 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Rocket From the Crypt, Meat Wave 7/23, 10 PM, Subterranean Vince Staples 7/30, 10 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 18+ The Struts, Arkells 7/28, 11 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Tallest Man on Earth 7/15, 8 PM, the Vic, 18+ Third Eye Blind, Dreamers 7/30, 11 PM, Park West, 18+ Tricky 10/30, 7 PM, Double Door Two Door Cinema Club, Jaryyd James 7/29, 11 PM, the Vic, 18+ Wavves 7/28, 11 PM, Subterranean, 17+ X Ambassadors 7/29, 11 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ v
GOSSIP WOLF A furry ear to the ground of the local music scene ON FRIDAY, JULY 8, archival label the Numero Group opens the Numero Factory Outlet, a brick-and-mortar shop in its Little Village warehouse at 2533 S. Troy. Numero cofounder Rob Sevier says the store will carry the entire Numero catalog, including items otherwise offered only online. “It’s gonna be a pretty relaxed environment,” Sevier says. “If you come in, we’ll be playing test pressings for the next record. It’s part of our workspace.” Numero also plans to roll out items that will only be available at the outlet, including cassette mixtapes and a compilation LP of outtakes and demos. “It’s odds and ends from the history of the label, and pretty minimally packaged,” Sevier says. The shop will eventually host in-stores and parties too. The Numero Factory Outlet is open Fridays from noon till 8 PM. Bay Area artist Lucien Shapiro makes masks and weapons that look ancient but modern—Gossip Wolf can’t help but think of postapocalyptic toughs wearing beautiful headgear and toting jeweled bats and knives. His new performance, Fear Collecting Ritual: A Fool’s Journey, hits Humboldt Park space Silent Funny on Sunday, July 10. It features a trio of intertwined short films, an interactive ritual where Shapiro says the audience can “discover that the light we seek simply exists within ourselves,” and sets from synth maven Brett Naucke (accompanying the ritual) and ambient artist Lykanthea. Gossip Wolf recently got turned on to “Rooftops,” the debut single from Chicago pop duo Vesper. This wolf isn’t sure when singer Samantha Humphreys met producer Professor Fox (Chance the Rapper, Mac Miller), but to judge from the smoldering, sometimes somber, and entirely triumphant sound of “Rooftops,” they could’ve been working together for ages. They made their forthcoming album, Teeth, in three months—it’ll be released as a series of three EPs. Vesper open for Emilie Brandt at Lincoln Hall on Saturday, July 9. —J.R. NELSON AND LEOR GALIL Got a tip? Tweet @Gossip_Wolf or e-mail gossipwolf@chicagoreader.com.
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bottom lounge ONSALE FRI 07.08
for today ONSALE SAT 07.09
green river ordinance 07.09 PITY SEX
PWR BTTM / PETAL
07.10 THE PLOT IN YOU
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CHICAGO READER PITCHFORK COVER POSTERS! 2012
ERRA / SYLAR / INVENT, ANIMATE 1833 PRESENTS
07.14 XXYYXX
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2013
07.16 NETHERFRIENDS
TREE / BRIAN FRESCO / JON JAMES / FEMDOT / A.M. EARLY MORNING / DJ DAMNAGE UPSTAIRS AT BOTTOM LOUNGE
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007.30 7.30 LETTUCE
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08.02 DALTON RAPATTONI 08.13 THE FALL OF TROY ‘68 / ILLUSTRATIONS
08.27 ENVY ON THE COAST 09.09 THE SHEEPDOGS QUAKER CITY NIGHT HAWKS SILVER WRAPPER PRESENTS
09.14 TOURIST
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09.16 TROYBOI 09.22 MOVITS!
SIDEWALK CHALK
09.25 ANTHONY GREEN
MAT KEREKES / SECRET SPACE
09.28 TITUS ANDRONICUS ONES TO WATCH
10.01 FINISH TICKET RUN RIVER NORTH
10.08 THE AMITY AFFLICTION
2014
BEING AS AN OCEAN / HUNDREDTH / TROPHY EYES / DEADSHIPS 1833 PRESENTS
10.11 PANTHA DU PRINCE LIVE 10.12 NF 10.14 RANDY & MR. LAHEY (FROM THE TRAILER PARK BOYS)
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2015
AN EVENING WITH
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