Print Issue of December 22, 2016 (Volume 46, Number 12) by Chicago Reader

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 | D E C E M B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 6 — J A N U A R Y 4 , 2 0 1 7

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THIS WEEK

C H I C AG O R E A D E R | D E C E M B E R 2 2 , 2 01 6 – JA N UA RY 4 , 2 01 7 | VO LU M E 4 6 , N U M B E R 1 2

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

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 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, MAYA DUKMASOVA, ANNE FORD, ISA GIALLORENZO, JOHN GREENFIELD, JUSTIN HAYFORD, JACK HELBIG, DAN JAKES, BILL MEYER, J.R. NELSON, MARISSA OBERLANDER, LEAH PICKETT, DMITRY SAMAROV, DAVID WHITEIS, ALBERT WILLIAMS INTERNS ISABEL OCHOA GOLD, JACK LADD

IN THIS ISSUE

YEAR IN REVIEW 2016

---------------------------------------------------------------VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT NICKI STANULA VICE PRESIDENT OF NEW MEDIA GUADALUPE CARRANZA SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER EVANGELINE MILLER ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES FABIO CAVALIERI, 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: ILLUSTRATION BY JASON RAISH. FOR MORE OF HIS WORK, GO TO JASONRAISH.COM.

4 Agenda The Phantom of the Opera, SNL writer and stand-up Drew Michael, Joyce Pensato’s art at Corbett vs. Dempsey, the ﬁlm Fences, and more

CITY LIFE

8 Space A Park Ridge couple has a holly, jolly Princemas. 10 Joravsky | Politics The year in kleptocracy 12 Criminal Justice A year of watching cops 14 Identity and Culture Why “identity politics” still matters after 2016’s political calamities 15 Transportation A good year for biking, walking, and transit in Chicago

ARTS & CULTURE

16 Culture Ten surprising stories from the year in culture 17 Lit Indie bookstores have built a true community for the city’s readers. 18 Theater It was a wildly convulsive year on (and oﬀ) Chicago’s stages. 20 Comedy A look back at the women who made us laugh this year 21 Visual Art Where progress was made in 2016: in Chicago’s museums and galleries 22 Movies Embrace the Serpent, Don’t Think Twice, and more of the year’s best ﬁlms

MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE

24 Hip-hop In 2016, the whole scene ﬁnally grasped the value of community. 25 Record labels The ﬁve operations that established themselves as tastemaking powers 26 Jazz The cream of this year’s crop of jazz records 28 Shows of Note Patti Smith, Metal Tongues, Danny Brown, Young Thug, and more 31 The Secret History of Chicago Music The Trouble Boys brought dumb punk fun to the U. of C. in the late 70s.

FOOD & DRINK

34 Restaurants How our critic spent 2016 eating the pain away 37 Bars The best cocktails, booze, and beers of the year

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38 Jobs 38 Apartments & Spaces 39 Marketplace

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40 Straight Dope Did Martin Luther instigate the Holocaust? 41 Savage Love A jealous girlfriend feels her trust has been betrayed. 42 Early Warnings Big Boi DJ set, Naked Raygun, Sigur Ros, and more shows to come 42 Gossip Wolf Timbuck2Forever returns to Metro to honor the fallen Chicago DJ, and more music news.

DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 3

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AGENDA R

READER RECOMMENDED

Send your events to agenda@chicagoreader.com

b ALL AGES

F opment of the love triangle between the Phantom, Christine, and Raoul, songs from “Angel of Music” to “Music of the Night” to “All I Ask of You” are saccharine, catchy reminders of why this romantic musical retains global, cross-generational appeal. —MARISSA OBERLANDER Through 1/8: Wed 2 and 7:30 PM, Thu-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2 and 8 PM (2 PM only 12/24), Sun 2 PM (no show 12/25); also Thu 12/22 and Fri 12/30, 2 PM; Mon 12/26-Tue 12/27, 7:30 PM, Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph, 312902-1400, $67-$147.

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THEATER

More at chicagoreader.com/ theater

Honky Tonk Angels In performance style and attitude, the heroines of 20th-century American country music are about as theatrical as they come. Here, under the music direction of Jeremy Ramey, a trio of crystalline voices at Theo Ubique brilliantly capitalize on the live, unplugged, raucous energy of the western repertoire. Ted Swindley, author of the tribute show Always . . . . Patsy Cline, loosely ties together more than two dozen singles with some zero-sum plotting surrounding the formation of a girl group with characterizations and speeches that don’t add much but are harmless. The real draw, of course, is the songs themselves, from transfixing renditions of the Tanya Tucker staple “Delta Dawn” and to a shiver-inducing surround-sound cover of Dolly Parton’s original “I Will Always Love You.” —DAN JAKES Through 1/29: Thu 7:30 PM, Fri-Sat 8 PM (no show 12/24), Sun 7 PM (no show 12/25), No Exit Cafe, 6970 N. Glenwood, 773-743-3355, theo-u.com, $34-$59, $29-$54 students and seniors. The Hunter and the Bear More appropriate to Halloween than the winter holidays but welcome all the same, this “musical folktale” from New York-based Pigpen Theatre Co. presents a ghost story that takes Beowulf, M. Night Shyamalan, and Mumford & Sons on a trek through the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Last time Pigpen came to Writers Theatre, in 2013, they brought a fable called The Old Man and the Old Moon, in which treacle fought it out with fuzzy thinking to see which could be most annoying. (Too close to call.) Though the current piece suffers from some of the same issues—lots of things don’t make sense, and even hard-bitten loggers get mighty cute—the problems are held in check by a narrative that keeps you guessing, shivery effects, and seven musician/actor/puppeteers working at a high level of skill. —TONY ADLER Through 1/22: Wed-Fri 7:30 PM,

4 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

Sat 3 and 7:30 PM, Sun 2 and 6 PM, Tue 7:30 PM, Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Ct., Glencoe, 847-242-6000, writerstheatre. org, $35-$80. Mr. and Mrs. Pennyworth From the beginning—or at least since Mary Zimmerman’s epic 1992 version of The Arabian Nights—stories that tells stories about storytelling have been central to the Lookingglass experience. The company’s current production returns to the theme, albeit in a smaller, quieter, more restrained, almost passionless version. Written and directed by longtime ensemble member Doug Hara, Mr. and Mrs. Pennyworth concerns a welldressed, polite and proper husbandand-wife team of itinerate storytellers (played with panache by Samuel Taylor and Lindsey Noel Whiting) who ﬁnd themselves enmeshed in the very tales they tell. The play is diverting enough, if thin, but what really brings the show to life are John Musial’s virtuosic set design and a dazzling array of puppets (designed by Blair Thomas), projections, and shadow animations. —JACK HELBIG Through 2/19: Wed 7:30 PM, Thu 2 and 7:30 PM, Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2 and 7:30 PM (2 PM only 12/24 and 12/31), Sun 2 PM (no show 12/25); also Tue 12/20 and 12/27, 2 and 7:30 PM; Fri 12/23 and 12/30, 2 PM; and Thu 1/26, 6 PM, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan, 312-337-0665, lookingglasstheatre.org, $40-$60. The Phantom of the Opera R The longest-running show on Broadway returns to Chicago with a

splashy new production from original producer Cameron Mackintosh. And for those familiar with and fond of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic, the cast and orchestra of 52 (which makes Phantom one of the largest productions on tour in North America) delivers as many sparks as the iconic chandelier. While the biggest showstopper is Paul Brown’s larger-than-life, highly mechanized set, lead performances from Derrick Davis as the Phantom and Katie Travis as Christine Daaé share the spotlight with strong, operatic vocals and nuanced stage presence. Throughout the devel-

The Weir, a night of serious drinking is under way at Brendan’s pub in Northern Ireland. With a cold wind blowing off the sea, two regulars, Jack and Jim, plop down at the bar to wet their whistles, and these are men who know every old house in the area down to the last floorboard, who can recall from memory the entire history of every clan in Sligo. In walks the tycoon Finbar, a married man, with a Dublin woman named Valerie on his arm. What follows might be called a seance; beginning with a few ghost stories, the night finally concludes at the outer limits of emotional beauty and honesty. I’ve never seen anything like Brad Armacost as Jack, but really each actor’s performance is a triumph. —MAX MALLER Through 1/22: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM (no shows Sat 12/24 and 12/31), Sun 3 PM (no show 12/25); also Tue 12/26 and Wed 12/28, 7:30 PM, Den Theatre, 1329-1333 N. Milwaukee, 773-609-2336, irishtheatreofchicago.org, $26-$30, $20-$25 students and seniors.

DANCE The Nutcracker Christopher Wheeldon’s update of the classic for the Joffrey Ballet. Through 12/30: Wed-Fri 7 PM, Sat-Sun 2 and 7 PM, Tue 7 PM; also Wed 12/21-Fri 12/23, 2 PM; Mon 12/26, 2 and 7 PM; and Tue 12/27, 2 PM, Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress, 800-982-2787, joﬀrey.org, $35-$170.

com/chicago, $10. How the Fuck Did We Get R Here? Director Ben Palin creates a live documentary about “what went

wrong with this great city.” Through 12/27: Tue 8 PM, Annoyance Theatre, 851 W. Belmont, 773-697-9693, theannoyance. com, $10. Drew Michael The Saturday R Night Live writer performs standup. Thu 12/29, 9 PM, Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont, 773-281-4444, beatkitchen. com, $20, $15 in advance.

Mr. Write Paul Brittain (SNL, R Comedy Bang! Bang!) hosts a live episode of his podcast as his character Richard Bunn, an author who talks writing with special guests. Tue 12/27, 8 PM, iO Theater, 1501 N. Kingsbury, ioimprov. com/chicago, $12. Simmer Brown: Celebrate the R Real Savior’s Birth This comedy showcase hosted by Prateek Srivastava

and Sameena Mustafa features Raghu Adhibatla, Allyssa Bujdoso, Rima Parikh, Natalie G. Alford, Sherman Edwards, and Sam Norton. Fri 12/23, 7:30 PM, Bughouse Theater, 1910 W. Irving Park, bughousetheater.com, $15, $10 in advance. Tyler and Bobby’s Boxing Day R Comedy Show Bobby Budds and Tyler Snodgrass host this stand-up

showcase beneﬁting the Foundations of Music. Mon 12/26, 8 PM, Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, 773-525-2508, lh-st.com, $5 suggested donation. You, Me, Them, Everybody R Brandon Wetherbee hosts the special live anniversary show of the

comedy podcast. Wed 12/28, 9 PM, Hungry Brain, 2319 W. Belmont, 773-7091401, $8.

VISUAL ARTS ACRE Projects “Glyph,” new works by Mairead Case, Lindsay Deiﬁk, and Laura

COMEDY

Christmas Eve (and First Night R of Hanukkah) for Jews Joel Chasnoﬀ hosts a night of Jesus-less

stand-up featuring John Roy and Aaron Freeman. Fri 12/24, 8 PM, City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph, 312-733-9463, citywinery.com, $25, $20 in advance. 50 First Jokes Zach Peterson R hosts 50 local comics who gather to tell the ﬁrst jokes of the New Year. Tue 1/3, 8 PM, North Bar, 1637 W. North, 773-123-5678, liveatnorthbar.com, $10.

iO Holiday Alumni Improv Show R An evening of improv featuring past iO performers. Fri 12/23, 10:30 PM, iO Theater, 1501 N. Kingsbury, ioimprov.

The Weir

Best bets, recommendations, and notable arts and culture events for December 22—January 4

distract from the abject senselessness of the screenplay. Director Justin Kurzel worked previously with the leads on his much better Macbeth (2015), which was budgeted at about a tenth of this overblown silliness; brother Jed Kurzel provided the thundering, overmodulated score, apparently trying to hammer us into submission, much like the movie’s crypto-fascist villains. With Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, and Charlotte Rampling, doing their damnedest to class up the joint. In English and subtitled Spanish. — ANDREA GRONVALL PG-13, 115 min. ArcLight Chicago, Century 12 and CineArts 6, Cicero Showplace 14, City North 14, Crown Village 18, Ford City, River East 21, Showplace 14 Galewood Crossings

A Beach (for Carl Sagan) as part of “Andrew Yang” at the Museum of Contemporary Art o PAUL CARLO ESPOSITO

Chicago Cultural Center “Portraits Real and Imaginary,” paintings and drawings by George C. Clark. Opening reception Thu 12/22, 4-6:30 PM. Through 2/10, 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, cityofchicago.org. Corbett vs. Dempsey “The Godmother,” a solo exhibit featuring the paintings of septuagenarian Joyce Pensato. Through 1/21. Tue-Sat 10 AM-5 PM. 1120 N. Ashland, third floor, 773-278-1664, corbettvsdempsey.com. Firecat Projects “As It Turns Out I’m Disintegrating and It’s Making Me Crazy (Part 2),” watercolor and ink drawings by Jacob Crose. Opening reception Fri 12/30, 7-10 PM. 12/30-1/22. Mon-Sat 10 AM-4 PM. 2124 N. Damen, 773-342-5381, firecatprojects.org. The Franklin “Welcome to the End,” a group show in which artists were asked to respond to the words “welcome” and “the end.” Through 1/28. Sat 5-11 PM, Sun by appointment. 3522 W. Franklin, 312-823-3632, thefranklinoutdoor.tumblr. com. Museum of Contemporary Art “Andrew Yang,” the artist and trained biologist’s first solo exhibition, inspired by the human body’s connection to the Milky Way. Through 12/31. Tue 10 AM-8 PM, Wed-Sun 10 AM-5 PM. 220 E. Chicago, 312-280-2660, mcachicago.org, $12, $7 students and seniors, free kids 12 and under and members of the military, free for Illinois residents on Tuesdays. Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts “Retrogarde,” a group exhibition curated by Yesomi Umolu featuring work from artists Caroline Bergvall, Brendan Fernandes, Samson Kambalu, Matthew Metzger, Catherine Sullivan, and Samson Young. Through 1/1. Mon-Sat 8 AM-10 PM, Sun 11 AM-9 PM. 915 E. 60th, 773-702-2787, arts.uchicago.edu/explore/ reva-and-david-logan-center-arts.

Uri-Eichen Gallery “A Voice for Victims,” the gallery’s ﬁfth annual Human Rights Day Show examines the war in Syria. It features drawings by Kathy Weaver and photographs by Dr. Zaher Sahloul, head of the Syrian American Medical Society. Through 1/6. By appointment. 2101 S. Halsted, 312-8527717, uri-eichen.com.

LIT

unless it was given to a black director; he’s gotten his wish with Denzel Washington, though Washington doesn’t really direct the story so much as get out of its way. Adapted from a 2010 Broadway revival, this is primarily an actors’ showcase for him as the deeply ﬂawed hero, a former Negro League ballplayer scraping by as a garbage collector in late-50s Pittsburgh; Viola Davis as the man’s loyal wife, who wants

Hidden Figures A distaﬀ counterR part to The Right Stuﬀ (1983), this exuberant, inspiring drama tells the fact-

based story of three black women who strove for upward mobility—both professional and atmospheric—as NASA mathematicians during the JFK era. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae star as the “human computers,” who use their prodigious number skills to help calculate the trajectories for the Mercury Seven astronauts and their street smarts to negotiate humiliating workplace hurdles at the Langley Research Center in segregated Virginia. The excellent leads get robust support from Jim Parsons, Kirsten Dunst, Mahershala Ali, and Kevin Costner, rock solid as a task group manager who knows that the only way to beat the Soviets to the moon is to pull his team together on earth. Theodore Melﬁ (St. Vincent) directed. —ANDREA GRONVALL PG, 127 min. River East 21, Showplace ICON In Her Name Based on the Kalinka Bamberski case, which made headlines in Europe for decades, this French-Ger-

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Creating Shakespeare A literary R exhibit exploring Shakespeare’s life and inﬂuence through his own works and the work of actors, writers, printers, artists, and ﬁlmmakers he inspired. Part of Shakespeare 400 Chicago. Through 12/31, Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton, 312-255-3700, newberry.org.

www.BrewView.com

Tuesday Funk This monthly R reading series features eclectic works by local writers. January’s lineup

3145 N. Sheffield at Belmont

includes Kelly Swails, Dmitry Samarov, Cameron McGill, Amy Sumpter, and James “GPA” Gordon. Tue 1/3, 7:30 PM, Hopleaf, 5148 N. Clark, 773-334-9851, tuesdayfunk.org.

MOVIES

More at chicagoreader.com/movies NEW REVIEWS Assassin’s Creed Sci-ﬁ fantasy meets pseudo history in this ill-conceived adaptation of a popular video game series. Michael Fassbender stars in a dual role, as a member of the Assassins (a secret medieval Spanish brotherhood who in 1492 protects the Muslim king of Granada against the Knights Templar and the Inquisition), and as his North American descendant some 500 years later, a murderer rescued from execution by Marion Cotillard, who plays a scientist intent on linking DNA to antisocial behavior. As expected, the accent is on action—swordplay, archery, burning at the stake—but Asian martial arts and parkour are thrown in as well, if only to

RSM

Judkis. Through 12/31. 1913 W. 17th, info@ acreresidency.org, acreresidency.org.

Fences August Wilson wouldn’t R entrust the movies with his Pulitzer Prize-winning play Fences (1983)

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

Movie Theater & Full Bar $5.00 sion admis e for th s Movie

Fences a better relationship for him and his teenage son; and Stephen Henderson as his work buddy, who sees a diﬀerent side of him and tries not to look. The ﬁlm was shot on location in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, but the action is so insistently theatrical the frame might as well have a proscenium arch built around it. In the end that doesn’t matter because Wilson’s play is such an extraordinary social statement, its bitter patriarch rivaling Willy Loman in the greatness of his smallness. With Mykelti Williamson and Jovan Adepo. —J.R. JONES PG-13, 133 min. AMC Dine-In Theatres Block 37, Century 12 and CineArts 6, City North 14, Crown Village 18, Ford City, Landmark’s Century Centre, River East 21, Showplace 14 Galewood Crossings

18 to enter 21 to drink Photo ID required

This week at Brew & View man drama focuses on the mysterious death of a teenage girl and the nearly 30-year quest of her biological father (Daniel Auteuil) to prove she was murdered by her stepfather. The film benefits from Auteuil’s moving lead performance, though the narrative is less exciting than it is resolute; because the murderer’s identity is obvious early on, the tension lies in the father’s accumulation of evidence to support his theory and in the roadblocks that impede the investigation. Writer-director Vincent Garenq, whose previous two films were also crime thrillers, demonstrates a knack for the genre. In French with subtitles. —LEAH PICKETT 105 min. Fri 12/23, 7 and 9 PM, and Mon 12/26-Thu 12/29, 7 and 9 PM. Facets Cinematheque W

Doctor Strange, Edge of Seventeen, & more!! See website at www.brewview.com for showtimes.

DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 5

T WO G R E AT S HOW S ON S TAG E OV E R T H E HOL I DAY S AT

AGENDA funniest role—an accident-prone, glass-eyed iguana—for himself. —ANDREA GRONVALL PG, 108 min. ArcLight Chicago, Century 12 and CineArts 6, Cicero Showplace 14, Crown Village 18, Ford City, River East 21, Showplace 14 Galewood Crossings

The Christians

IN THE DOWNSTAIRS THEATRE Backed by a live choir, an 80-minute immersive production exploring faith and community.

The Fundamentals IN THE UPSTAIRS THEATRE Extended by popular demand through December 31, a funny and scathing look at America’s corporate culture.

WED

THU

FRI

The Fundamentals 2pm

The Christians 7:30pm

The Fundamentals 7:30pm

New Year’s Eve

DinnerTheater Packages Available!

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

SAT

The Christians 7:30pm

The Christians 3pm

The Fundamentals 7:30pm

The Fundamentals 3pm The Christians 7:30pm

Learn More and Buy Tickets steppenwolf.org | 312-335-1650

Lion B

Lion This unabashedly emoR tional drama is based on a memoir by Saroo Brierley, who was

only ﬁve when he got separated from his family in rural India and ultimately wound up fending for himself in Calcutta. First-time actor Sunny Pawar carries the early part of the ﬁlm, registering the lost youngster’s panic and bewilderment as well as the warmth and spirit that led him to the haven of an adoptive Australian couple. Dev Patel plays the character in the second half, as the adult Brierley searches obsessively for his birth mother and siblings back in India. Director Garth Davis uses close-ups sparingly and hits no false notes; cinematographer Greig Fraser (Zero Dark Thirty) creates a child’s perspective by setting the camera at the hero’s eye level and conveys the grandeur of India through sweeping panoramic and overhead shots. With Nicole Kidman, David Wenham, and Rooney Mara. In English and subtitled Bengali and Hindi. —ANDREA GRONVALL PG-13, 121 min. Century 12 and CineArts 6, Landmark’s Century Centre

Neruda In this biopic directed by Pablo Larraín, an inspector hunts down Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who in the late 1940s became a fugitive in his home country after the Communist Party was banned. See the review at chicagoreader.com/movies. 100 min. Music Box Oﬀ the Rails Director Adam Irving documents the life of Darius McCollum, a man with Asperger’s syndrome whose overwhelming love of transit has landed him in jail 32 times for impersonating New York City bus drivers and subway conductors. See the review at chicagoreader.com/movies. 89 min. Fri 12/30, 7 and 9 PM; Sat 12/31, 3, 5, 7, and 9 PM; Sun 1/1, 1, 3, 5, and 7 PM; and Mon 1/2–Thu 1/5, 7 and 9 PM. Facets Cinematheque Passengers This clunky sci-ﬁ romance from director Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game) is

6 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

clearly a metaphor for how life’s uncertainties and the fear of dying alone can breed a selfish and possessive kind of love—the main characters not only actualize it but repeatedly articulate it, as if the audience were too dumb to figure it out. Set sometime in the distant future, the narrative follows two passengers from earth (Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence) on a luxury spaceship to another colonized planet as they each wake from their hibernation pods about 90 years early, and with no apparent way to return to cryosleep. Ostensibly we’re supposed to like Pratt and Lawrence together, yet Pratt’s character does something so unforgivable to Lawrence’s at the outset that their ensuing interactions simmer with a mix of horror and disbelief; they’re appealing actors failed by the film’s many contrivances. With Michael Sheen and a great Laurence Fishburne as unambiguous plot devices. —LEAH PICKETT PG-13, 116 min. Century 12 and CineArts 6, Cicero Showplace 14, Crown Village 18, Ford City, River East 21, Showplace 14 Galewood Crossings Sing After the frenetic tedium of The Secret Life of Pets, French animation studio Illumination Entertainment returns to heartwarming form with this comedy about a group of anthropomorphized music-mad critters. Matthew McConaughey heads a worthy cast as the voice of a koala bear who stages a singing contest in a lastditch effort to avoid foreclosure on his theater. The CGI pops with alluring color, and the screenplay offers a few big belly laughs and some amusing Rube Goldberg-esque sight gags. The plot may be shopworn, with not much aimed at adults, but the film’s message that collaboration can reap greater rewards than competition is appropriate for all ages. With the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johannson, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Hudson and writer-director Garth Jennings (Son of Rambow), who saves the

Why Him? For this puerile farce, director John Hamburg (I Love You, Man) recycles a tired premise—a straitlaced father disapproves of his daughter’s freewheeling boyfriend—and then drowns it in moose urine (really). As the uptight midwestern patriarch, Bryan Cranston subjects himself to cringe-worthy sex gags and an embarrassing, extended poop joke; James Franco is reliably unpleasant as the boyfriend, a Silicon Valley gaming mogul who invites the family to stay at his mansion for Christmas. With Megan Mullally, Zoey Deutch, and Keegan-Michael Key as the billionaire’s kooky assistant, a role that verges on minstrelsy. —LEAH PICKETT R, 111 min. ArcLight Chicago, Century 12 and CineArts 6, Cicero Showplace 14, Crown Village 18, Ford City, River East 21, Showplace 14 Galewood Crossings

SPECIAL EVENTS Miss Hokusai Katsushika R Hokusai was among the most celebrated and prolific Japanese painters of ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”), and bound volumes of his woodblock prints were best-sellers in 19th-century Japan and Europe. Obsessive, selfish, untidy, and indifferent to money, he cuts a wide swath through this evocative and poignant anime (2015), but the central character is his 23-year-old daughter and production assistant, who completed his unfinished works and tackled genres, like images of beautiful courtesans, that were not his forte. Adapted from the manga Sarusuberi, the movie traces the heroine’s artistic development and personal awakening through a series of vignettes that feature her father’s motifs—bridges, street life, dragons, the spirit world. Director Keiichi Hara achieves a balance between earthiness and aestheticism, suggesting a Japan on the cusp of modernity. —ANDREA GRONVALL PG-13, 93 min. Fri 12/30, 2 and 7:30 PM; Mon 1/2, 5 PM; Tue 1/3, 7:45 PM; Wed 1/4, 6 and 7:45 PM; and Thu 1/5, 6 and 8:30 PM. Gene Siskel Film Center

Richard III Laurence Olivier’s classic rendition (1956) of Shakespeare’s total villain contains one of his most engaging performances and reveals some of his best spatial manipulation of action. The ﬁlm emphasizes betrayal—of innocent and guilty alike. With Claire Bloom as Elizabeth. —DON DRUKER 158 min. Fri 12/23, 2 PM, and Tue 12/27, 6:30 PM. Gene Siskel Film Center v

o RJ ELDRIDGE

AGENDA

The best New Year’s Eve events

Ring in 2017 with everything from a multicourse meals to themed dance parties to a countdown with Second City cast members.

CONCERTS

Artango, 4767 N. Lincoln, 872-2087441, $65-$85.

Diane Coﬀee 9 PM, Schubas

Bad Hunter Chef Dan Snowden prepares a ﬁve-course menu featuring artichoke “oysters & caviar,” truﬄed celery root agnolotti, and a frozen pistachio and green chartreuse parfait. The party continues after the meal with a cash bar in the Herbarium. 7 PM, Bad Hunter, 802 W. Randolph, 312-265-1745, badhunter.com, $75.

Flynt Flossy & Turquoise Jeep 9 PM, Subterranean Lalah Hathaway 7:30 and 11 PM, City Winery A High on Fire 9 PM, Empty Bottle Hood Internet, Air Credits 10 PM, Lincoln Hall Houndmouth 8 PM, Thalia Hall Ben Miller Band 10 PM, Beat Kitchen Over the Rhine 8 PM, Maurer Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music A Reaction New Year’s Eve with Flume, Zeds Dead, Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals, Gucci Mane, Dillon Francis, and more Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Mala Rodriguez 8 PM, Concord Music Hall 18+ Slim Jim Phantom 8 PM, Reggie’s Music Joint Suicide Machines 7 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club 17+ Umphrey’s McGee 9 PM, Aragon Ballroom 18+ Lucinda Williams 8 PM, SPACE A

DINING Artango The Argentine steak house oﬀers three seatings for its three-course prix ﬁxe menu at 3-5:30 PM ($65), 6-7 PM ($75 with wine-pairing option), and 9:30 PM ($85 with wine-pairing option). The night also includes a live Latin orchestra, dancing, and a champagne toast. 3 PM-2 AM,

Band of Bohemia The NYE dinner features two seatings: a 5-6:30 PM five-course tasting menu ($75 with optional drink pairings) and a 8-9:30 PM ninecourse tasting menu ($150 with optional drink pairings). Starting at 9:30 PM the night continues with a performance from Alfonso Ponticelli & Swing Gitan and a champagne toast at midnight. 5 and 8 PM, Band of Bohemia, 4710 N. Ravenswood, 773-271-4710, bandofbohemia.com, $75-$150. The Boarding House Tanya Baker prepares a four-course prix fixe, seating from 5-8 PM ($65, wine pairings for $40), and a sixcourse prix fixe, seating from 8 PM-midnight ($85, wine pairings for $60), both featuring lobster bisque, parsnip risotto, and a dessert duo. 5 PM-midnight, the Boarding House, 720 N. Wells, 312280-0720, boardinghousechicago. com, $65-$85. Cheers to 2017! Before 7 PM, Osteria Via Stato offers a $75 prix fixe menu, and after 7:30 PM a larger NYE menu is available complete with a prosecco toast. Reservations required. Osteria Via Stato, 620 N. State, 312-642-8450, osteriaviastato.com, $75-$95. The Duck Inn This “black-tie dining experience with no tie necessary” features a four-course prix fixe menu—Nantucket Bay scallops, foie gras, beef fillet, and chocolate truffle crunch cake—with optional wine pairings ($35-$55)

and champagne specials at the bar until 3 AM. 4 PM-midnight, the Duck Inn, 2701 S. Eleanor, 312-7248811, theduckinnchicago.com, $95. Frontier Chef Brian Jupiter presents his signature smoked-animal feast featuring pig, boar, lamb, and goat accompanied by oysters, mac and cheese, and a dessert buffet. The night also includes an open bar, party favors, and a champagne toast. 8 PM-1 AM, Frontier, 1072 N. Milwaukee, 773-772-4322, thefrontierchicago.com, $85. Geja’s Cafe The fondue restaurant hosts three seatings of its four-course prix fixe dinner, which includes a flaming chocolate dessert fondue and champagne. 5, 7:30, and 10 PM, Geja’s Cafe, 340 W. Armitage, 773-281-9101, gejascafe.com, $90-$125. Longman & Eagle Chef Matthew Kerney offers a five-course prixfixe menu for the evening’s early seatings (5:30 and 8 PM, $95) and an eight-course menu with a champagne toast for the restaurant’s 10 PM seating ($125). Beer and wine pairings available. 5:30, 8, and 10 PM, Longman & Eagle, 2657 N. Kedzie, 773-276-7110, longmanandeagle.com, $95-$125. Menu di Capo D’Anno Chef Luca Corazzina’s Italian four-course prix fixe menu features spinach souffle, crabmeat ravioli, herb-crusted rack of lamb, and more. Optional wine pairing for $35. 312 Chicago, 136 N. LaSalle, 312-696-2420, 312chicago. com, $75.

PARTIES Another 90s New Year’s Eve Party Ring in 2017 with a 90s-themed dance party. Tickets include a one-hour open bar and a champagne toast at midnight. 9 PM-3 AM, Beauty Bar, 1444 W. Chicago, 312-226-8828, thebeautybar. com/home-chicago, $55.

Black Metropolis Party Noire hosts this NYE celebration featuring an open bar, passed appetizers, party favors, live entertainment chronicling Bronzeville from its renaissance in 1930s Chicago to the future, and a champagne toast. 8 PM-3 AM, the Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. West, 312-801-2100, thepartynoire.com, $55-$100. Brew Year’s Eve Ten local breweries—including Half Acre, Pipeworks, and Solemn Oath—offer up more than 20 beers along with hors d’oeuvres, live music, and a late-night pizza buffet. 8 PM-1 AM, Salvage One, 1840 W. Hubbard, 312733-0098, brewyearseve.com, $135, $50 for designated drivers. Chicago Social New Year’s Eve Party Susan Sarandon’s ping-pong bar bounces into 2017 with a dance party, interactive installations, an open bar, appetizers, a midnight champagne toast, and plenty of ping-pong, of course. 8 PM-2 AM, Spin Chicago, 344 N. State, 773635-9999, chicago.wearespin.com, $75-$125. Girl Power NYE Party All ticket sales and donations for this party—featuring food, prizes, and unlimited access to games—benefit one of five female-centric organizations: She’s the First, Girls Write Now, Girls Who Code, Girls for a Change, and Step Up. 7 PM-1 AM, Dave & Buster’s, 1155 N. Swift, Addison, 630-543-5151, daveandbusters. com, free, $50 for VIP. Goat Down Tonight Little Goat turns into a 70s disco for NYE with unlimited food and drink, DJs, and, of course, a dance party. 8:30 PM-1 AM, Little Goat Diner, 820 W. Randolph, 312-888-3455, littlegoatchicago.com, $125. Interstellar A space-themed celebration featuring music from Garrett David, DjHeather, Jeff Derringer, Justin Long, Olin, and more, plus an art installation by Nate Love and four drink tickets with VIP admission. 9 PM-5 AM, Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, 773-549-4140, smartbarchicago.com, $35-$60. Nellcôte A party featuring passed bites from Nellcôte’s menu, party favors, an open bar, and a midnight toast. 9 PM-1:30 AM, Nellcôte, 833 W. Randolph, 312-432-0500, nellcoterestaurant.com, $105-$115. New Year’s Eve at ZooLights The zoo offers festive hats, horns, and party favors to all who walk through the luminous display tonight. 4:30-9 PM, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2200 N. Cannon, 312-742-2000, lpzoo.org. F New Year’s Eve Hullabaloo This retro celebration features performances by the Kiss Kiss Cabaret, Chicago Magic Lounge, and Muffy

Fishbasket, plus a red-carpet reception, a one-hour open bar, a dessert buﬀet, and a champagne toast at midnight. Attire from the 1920s to the ’40s is encouraged. 9 PM-3 AM, Uptown Underground, 4707 N. Broadway, 773-867-1946, uptownunderground.net, $100-$125.

WBEZ New Year’s Eve Admission to this NYE party includes an open bar, hors d’oeuvres, stories from the Moth, bowling and bocce ball games, and a dance party with tunes from DJ Ayana Contreras. 8 PM-12:30 AM, Pinstripes, 435 E. Illinois, 312-527-3010, $145.

New Year’s Eve Yacht Party This at-sea (er, lake) party features a piano bar, a photobooth, food and drink, party favors, a champagne toast, and ﬁreworks at midnight. 9 PM-2 AM, DuSable Harbor, 111 N. Lake Shore, mydrinkon.com, $150-$180.

THEATER

New Year’s Psychic Eve Mentalist Sidney Friedman offers premonitions of what’s to come in 2017 along with party favors, a raffle, and a champagne toast. 10:30 PM, Davenport’s Piano Bar & Cabaret, 1383 N. Milwaukee, 773-278-1830, davenportspianobar.com, $49 plus two-drink minimum. Noon Year’s Eve The nature museum hosts a family-friendly celebration featuring make-yourown eco-friendly party favors, games, a dance party, and an apple juice toast. 11 AM-3 PM, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 2430 N. Cannon, 773-755-5100, naturemuseum.org, $25, $10 for children 2-18. NYE Patio Bash The bar heats up its patio for an outdoor party featuring a taco buffet, an open bar, party favors, and a midnight toast. 8 PM-3 AM, D.S. Tequila Company, 3352 N. Halsted, 773-697-9127, dstequila.com, $85, $75 in advance. NYE With Windy City Soul Club The northern soul DJs host a dance party to ring in the New Year. 9 PM-2 AM, Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie, 773252-6179 or 866-468-3401, lsachicago.com, $20. Uncensored Michelle L’Amour hosts this “black tie and lingerie ball” with live music from the Uncensored Collective, more than 40 burlesque and variety performers, an open bar, appetizers, a dessert station, and party favors. 9 PM-2 AM, Untitled Supper Club, 111 W. Kinzie, 312-880-1511, untitledchicago.com, $100-$175. Under the Sea The mermaidthemed celebration features hors d’oeuvres and a champagne toast at midnight. 8 PM-3 AM, Roscoe’s Tavern, 3356 N. Halsted, 773-2813355, roscoes.com, $30-$50. Waveland Bowl New Year’s Eve Party This family-friendly party includes two hours of cosmic bowling, a pizza buffet, party favors, and a sparkling cider toast. 6-8 PM, Waveland Bowl, 3700 N. Western, 773-472-5900, wavelandbowl.com, $30.

Countdown Comedy Bash Standups Tim McLaughlin and Marty DeRosa ring in the New Year with other local comics. Admission includes a midnight champagne toast. 10:30 PM, Laugh Factory, 3175 N. Broadway, 773-327-3175, laughfactory.com, $40 plus two-drink minimum. New Year’s Eve at Second City Both of Second City’s theaters are open, with performances at 7 and 10 PM followed by a party and countdown with the Second City cast. General admission ($60) includes complimentary soda and coffee plus discounts on drinks and snacks, with a champagne toast at midnight; the Laugh and Libations package ($90) includes a three-hour open bar, table snacks, party favors, and a midnight champagne toast; and the premium package includes the above plus a three-course dinner from the 1959 Kitchen & Bar. 7 and 10 PM, Second City, 1616 N. Wells, 312-337-3992, secondcity.com, $60-$200. New Year’s Eve Cornstravaganza Drag queen Man Pussy hosts the night, which kicks off with an open bar and buffet, includes two sets of sketch and improv, and ends with a dance party and champagne toast at midnight. 8 PM-1 AM, Cornservatory, 4210 N. Lincoln, 773-650-1331, cornservatory.org, $75, $120 per couple. NYE Comedy Jam V103 hosts a night of stand-up from Nephew Tommy, Bill Bellamy, Capone, and Melanie Comarcho. 8 PM, Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State, 312-462-6300, thechicagotheatre.com, $59-$125. Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding The New Year’s Eve performance of this interactive comedy features an Italian buffet dinner, an 80s wedding reception dance party, and a champagne toast. 5 and 9 PM, Chicago Theater Works, 1113 W. Belmont, wegottabingo.com, $75-$85. Under the Gun The night includes a buffet dinner, performances of Horrible Fun: An Interactive Show Based on Cards Against Humanity and Sonic the Hedgehog Fan Fiction, one drink ticket (with the option to buy as many drinks as you like), party favors, and a champagne toast at midnight. 8 PM-2 AM, Under the Gun Theater, 956 W. Newport, 773-270-3440, undertheguntheater.com, $60. v

DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 7

CITY LIFE

Space

A holly, jolly Princemas

A Tudor-style house in Park Ridge is a seasonal spectacle dedicated to the late, great Purple One.

IT’S A BRUTALLY cold, snow y night in mid-December, and on the corner of Belle Plaine Avenue and Engel Boulevard in Park Ridge, a large Tudor-style house is awash in purple light. “Dearly beloved,” an unmistakable voice resounds through outdoor speakers, “we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.” That intro to Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” transitions into the opening of “Alphabet St.” Strobe lights speckle the house and front yard, and the late artist’s iconic “Love Symbol #2” ﬂashes on a 25-foot-high video grid constructed over the chimney. This elaborate production is the third edition of the annual holiday light show of Tom and Tina Grusecki. Requiring months of prep, the display draws hundreds of visitors from Chicagoland and beyond. “People have been coming from all over— from Kentucky, Minnesota, Tennessee, downstate Illinois, Wisconsin—just to see the

8 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

show,” says Tom, president and chief executive officer of developer Northern Builders. Tonight, even though the falling snow has turned into freezing rain, small clumps of people still huddle outside to gawk at the arena-quality light spectacular. Others are observing it from the warmth of their cars, their radio dials tuned to 98.1 FM, which is broadcasting the musical program on a loop. It’s easy to see the draw. The Internet teems with videos of eye-catching Christmas light shows synced to music, but few are as captivating—or as Princely—as the Gruseckis’. A medley of hits includes snippets of “My Name Is Prince,” “Kiss,” “1999,” “Raspberry Beret,” “Little Red Corvette,” and “I Would Die 4 U,” throughout which thousands of lights and dozens of decorations flash in time: Christmas trees, snowflakes, wreaths, gift boxes, Santa’s sleigh, as well as an oversize guitar and an all-white drum kit also bearing the Love Symbol. (Never mind

○ Watch a video of Tom and Tina Grusecki’s light show at chicagoreader.com/space.

Tom and Tina Grusecki’s house in suburban Park Ridge reigns in purple. o KERRI PANG

that Prince himself was a Jehovah’s Witness and therefore didn’t celebrate Christmas.) A video projection of Santa appears in an upstairs window, seeming to conduct the whole spectacle. “We usually start planning this in April— just talking about it, getting some drawings down of what we want to do,” Tina says. “This April, Prince had just passed, and my heart was heavy.” A longtime fan, she says the idea of paying tribute to the Purple One was something of a no-brainer. They communicated the idea to their programmer, Ron Duszak of Pennsylvania-based company Events Done Bright, and then started doing the physical work of building the show in October. “I think, with Prince, what’s nice about it is it has brought all sorts of people together—a lot of people outside Park Ridge,” Tina says. “My heart still is heavy, but it makes me smile because there are so many people who are his fans, and I’d like to say they’re family. When

we see each other, right away there are hugs. You feel like you know each other.” Another thing that sets the Gruseckis’ show apart is a charitable element. The couple has installed a donation box outside, encouraging visitors to give to two organizations: Salute Inc, which delivers short-term financial assistance to military service members, veterans, and their families; and Misericordia, which serves children and adults with developmental and physical disabilities. “We started [the light show] as a way to raise money for Wounded Warriors,” Tina says. “It was very successful our first year, so we keep growing it each year. We hope this year’s [fund-raising efforts] will top the charts for us.” Last year’s donations exceeded $25,000. “What’s nice,” Tom adds, “is that people tell us that this has become part of their annual tradition.” —LAURA PEARSON

DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 9

Read Ben Joravsky’s columns throughout the week at chicagoreader.com.

Ô JASON FREDERICK

CITY LIFE

POLITICS

The year in kleptocracy

Chicago politicians trying to proﬁt from their oﬃces is nothing new here.

By BEN JORAVSKY

f Donald Trump did nothing else in 2016, he introduced the country to the concept of a government run by thieves. As the Washington Post put it in a recent headline about the president elect’s conflict of interests running a government that’s also supposed to regulate his holdings, “Welcome to the Trump kleptocracy.” At the risk of sounding like a Windy City booster, let me just say that Chicago and Illinois were into kleptocracy long before Trump made it fashionable. Hell, if the Donald wants to know about running a government riddled with conﬂicts of interest, shady slush funds, and out-and-out piracy, he could learn a thing or two from Chicago. Let’s run through just a few of this year’s greatest hits: In the annals of crime, this was the year

that former alderman Sandi Jackson got out of federal prison. In 2013, she and her husband, former congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., pleaded guilty to ﬁling false income tax returns. It was part of what the Tribune called “a bizarre crime spree in which they looted about $750,000 from his federal campaign treasury and spent the money on,” among other things, “two mounted elk heads.” Those elk heads really make a room. You know, I was hoping we might make it through the year without an alderman getting indicted. But alas, just last week the feds indicted 20th Ward alderman Willie Cochran for allegedly doing a bunch of crooked stuff, including shaking down a local liquor store owner. This was also the year that former governor Rod Blagojevich lost his appeal to reduce

10 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

his 14-year prison sentence, after he tried to sell President Obama’s former Senate seat to the highest bidder. Prison, it turns out, is not “fucking golden.” And who could forget about former schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett’s confederates— Gary Solomon and Thomas Vranas—who this year pleaded guilty to bribing her for helping them win about $23 million worth of principal consulting contracts? In case you’ve forgotten, Byrd-Bennett said she needed the bribes because “I have tuition to pay and casinos to visit.” Finally, this was the year former U.S. House speaker Dennis Hastert went to prison essentially for paying hush money to cover up his sexual abuse of boys on the Yorkville high school wrestling teams he coached back in the 60s and 70s.

Technically that’s not an example of kleptocracy. But I didn’t want to leave you with the impression that only Democrats are up to no good in Illinois. Nor do I want to leave you with the impression that our local politicians are only engaged in illegal forms of kleptocracy. Around here, there are plenty of perfectly legal ways for politicians to enrich their buddies, if not themselves. In Chicago we call it clout, and technically this form of government is more of an oligarchy—where the in crowd of the few feasts from the bowl of the many. Like with the city’s tax increment financing program. You know it wouldn’t be a year in review without me ragging on TIFs. Man, Trump would love TIFs—a secret property tax slush fund that the chief executive controls almost unilaterally. It was relatively slow in the TIF-outrage department this year, especially considering parents and teachers finally caught on that this is money that would otherwise go to the schools, and Mayor Rahm finally took my advice and dipped into the TIF fund to resolve the city’s contract dispute with the Chicago Teachers Union. Still, our intrepid mayor got it together to shower about $16 million in TIF money on developers who want to build upscale apartments on Montrose Avenue just a few blocks from the lake. The mayor also threw $17.5 million at developers who want to build a mixed-use housing complex at Lathrop Homes in Bucktown, axing more than 400 units of low-income housing in the process. The mayor also geared up to spend unspecified amounts of TIF dollars redeveloping Rezkoville and the Old Chicago Main Post Office. But apparently we can’t afford to open any new mental health clinics in low-income, high-crime neighborhoods. Also, let’s not forget the DePaul basketball arena/Marriott hotel that the mayor’s spending hundreds of millions of public dollars to construct in the South Loop. In November, DePaul sold the arena’s naming rights to Wintrust Financial for an undisclosed bushel of cash. “This is going to be a great opportunity for all,” said Wintrust’s president when announcing the deal. Apparently, he’s not a student, parent, or teacher in one of Chicago’s dead-broke schools. Of course, I can’t talk about clout and kleptocracy in Chicago without mentioning J

presents

Our heartfelt thanks

to all sponsors, vendors and everyone who attended and made our Holiday Market last Sunday,December 18th a terrific success!

DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 11

CITY LIFE Activist Lamon Reccord, left, stares down a police oﬃcer during a black Friday protest along the Michigan Avenue in November 2015. o JOSHUA LOTT/GETTY IMAGES

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

A year of watching cops

2016 really began with the release of the Laquan McDonald video.

By MAYA DUKMASOVA

n Chicago, the year 2016 really began on November 24, 2015—the day the city released the infamous dash-cam video of Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting 17-year old Laquan McDonald. “Sixteen shots!” would come to be the mantra of the protesters flooding the streets the night the video was released, and for the year to come. As 2016 unfolded it seemed that the city was ﬁnally getting serious about police misconduct—a problem decried by black citizens and other cop watchers (including the Reader) for decades. Amid the public relations shitstorm that began after the video’s release, Mayor Rahm Emanuel launched a police accountability task force and fired police superintendent Garry McCarthy and Scott Ando, the head of the Independent Police Review Authority. Nevertheless, in early December, the U.S.

Department of Justice descended, beginning a comprehensive investigation into alleged patterns and practices of civil rights abuses at the Chicago Police Department. (Illinois attorney general Lisa Madigan requested the probe, not trusting the city to sort things out on its own.) On December 16, 2015, 422 days after killing McDonald, Van Dyke was indicted on ﬁrst-degree murder charges. But for many, the promises of accountability and transparency that began pouring from officials in the wake of the McDonald video were too little, too late. Before 2015 had even ended, two more people were fatally shot by Chicago police officers, underscoring the fact that McDonald’s death wasn’t an isolated incident and furthering the public’s distrust of Emanuel. The killings of Quintonio LeGrier and Bettie Jones the day after Christmas attracted particular attention and fueled calls for the mayor’s resignation.

12 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

Thus 2016 also became the year that many city residents stopped believing police reform was possible, with some calling for police to be abolished altogether. Chicago police shot and killed 11 people in 2016—up from nine people in 2015—ten of whom were black men. (An 11th black man, 28-year-old Roy Morris, survived CPD gunshots in July.) The first fatal police shooting of 2016 proper came at the end of January: 29-year-old Charles M. Smith. Then, in March, officers fatally shot 29-year old Lamar Harris. Police accused both men of firing at officers first. Emanuel, meanwhile, made it through the winter, resisting calls to step down while other political careers were made and broken. Cook County state’s attorney Anita Alvarez lost her reelection bid in early March to Kim Foxx, who ran on a platform of police reform and harshly criticized Alvarez for her delay in charging Van Dyke and other officers

connected to the McDonald shooting. Then, in April, two days after officer Sean Hitz fatally shot 16-year-old Pierre Loury—CPD claimed the fleeing Loury engaged officers in an “armed confrontation”—the mayor’s task force released a scathing report that cited a wide range of problems in the department and IPRA, and concluded that police officers “have no regard for the sanctity of life when it comes to people of color.” Neither activists nor the media paid much attention to the fatal police shooting in May of 26-year-old Michael Johnson, a white man suspected of committing two bank robberies. Later that month Emanuel proclaimed his plans to overhaul IPRA in favor of a new police oversight agency, and in June he promised greater transparency and faster release of information and footage of police shootings. Though he offered scant details on how this would be accomplished, shortly after the announcement, IPRA ruled three police shootings unjustified—a record since, over nine years and more than 400 investigations, the agency had found just two other shootings unjustified. Throughout the summer aldermen held community police-reform meetings while the DOJ solicited testimony about Chicagoans’ experiences with cops. During these forums citizens’ frustration about police violence seemed to garner unprecedented attention from authorities. But these attempts at reform didn’t temper community anger or reassure local activists. Fatal police shootings of black men in Louisiana, Minnesota, and elsewhere throughout the summer continued to underscore the national problem, and the idea of outright police abolition gained momentum. In July CPD officers fatally shot 50-year-old Derrick Love, who allegedly shot an officer in the leg. The next day, organizers from the #LetUsBreathe Collective and other groups affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement took over an empty lot across the street from CPD’s Homan Square facility, setting up a small tent city with free food and clothing, a library, and activities for children. The encampment continued 24-7 through the rest of the summer. Activists called it Freedom Square, describing it as an experiment in envisioning “a world without police,” and of demonstrating what the $1.4 billion that funds CPD could be spent on instead. But just a few days after the establishment of Freedom Square, 18-year-old Paul O’Neal became the seventh victim of police shootings

CITY LIFE this year. The city released video of the incident with unprecedented speed—just a week after the shooting—and stripped the officers involved—Michael Coughlin Jr., Jose Torres, and Jose Diaz—of their police powers. (So far no criminal charges have been brought against the officers.) The following month Emanuel announced that by mid-2017 IPRA would be remade into COPA—the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. But reform advocates weren’t impressed, arguing that COPA wouldn’t be a truly independent oversight agency, and that civilians, not mayoral appointees, needed to have ﬁnal oversight of the police department. CPD also announced an overhaul of its use-of-force policy, asserting that the “department’s highest priority is the sanctity of human life.” But in early November, an as-yet-unnamed off-duty officer shot and killed 25-year-old Joshua Beal in the southwest-side neighborhood of Mount Greenwood, sparking an acrimonious showdown between police protesters and police sympathizers. Later that month, in the span of a week CPD officers shot and killed four more people: 26-yearold Darius Jones, 19-year-old Kajuan Raye, 37-year-old Cleotha Mitchell, and 33-yearold Richard Grimes. Of these, Raye’s case attracted the most attention from police critics. Though officers alleged that he had pointed a gun at them while ﬂeeing, no weapon was recovered from the scene. The officer who shot Raye, Sergeant John Poulos, was stripped of his police powers within days. Now, as 2016 comes to a close, policecommunity relations in Chicago don’t seem to have improved—both shootings and protests continue with regularity, while the dramatic changes promised in police department policies have yet to take effect. In addition, the looming presidency of Donald Trump, who ran on a law-and-order platform, has observers worried that the ongoing DOJ investigation will peter out without federal obligations to reform CPD. Though the time it takes police top brass to discipline officers appears to have quickened, and some information about attendant circumstances is emerging in days not years, it’s hard to tell whether the department has yet taken the proactive, internal steps needed to change its culture and its practices. Indeed, it may take many more years for CPD to undo the damage done in 2016. v

Kleptocracy continued from 10

ß @mdoukmas

ß @joravben

former mayor Richard M. Daley—even though he hasn’t been in office in more than ﬁve years. In 2016 the city officially dropped its legal efforts to break the sweetheart deal Daley’s administration signed with the owners of the Park Grill restaurant in Millennium Park. The Sun-Times affectionately calls that consortium of owners “clout-heavy insiders,” including “associates of Daley and one of his cousins.” Daley was supposed to testify in that case in 2014. But a Cook County judge ruled that the ex-mayor was too sick to testify. So we’ll never know what the mayor knew about the contract or when. Interestingly, Daley was well enough this year to run a business, Tur Partners, with his son, Patrick Daley. Together they raised money from foreign investors looking to pump millions into an as-yet unnamed skyscraper to be built downtown. Look on the bright side, folks: at least the building’s not getting any TIF handouts. Finally, let’s not forget that this was the year Governor Bruce Rauner made another down payment on his purchase of the state’s Republican Party by dumping more than $45 million into various legislative races. With all those donations, Rauner’s making sure every Republican remains a rubber-stamper when it comes to his union-busting legislation. What’s the point of being a billionaire if you can’t buy your own political party? Although now that I think about it, Rauner’s reign is more of a plutocracy. That is, a government run by the superrich. Which is very Trump. Anyway, I’m sure Trump knows all about how we do business in Chicago. In 2010, he donated $50,000 to Emanuel’s mayoral campaign, probably ﬁguring that this was the cost of doing business in Chicago. During the presidential campaign—after Trump had infuriated Chicagoans with his caustic comments about Mexicans, Muslims, and women—the City Council voted to take down the honorary Trump street signs they’d erected around his tower. Curiously enough, Emanuel didn’t return the $50,000, even with all the outrage over Trump’s campaign. Take down the signs, but keep the cash— that’s my city. v

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Two protected bike lanes intersect at Randolph and Dearborn o JOHN GREENFIELD

TRANSPORTATION

Annual cycle

Despite several high-proﬁle deaths, overall 2016 was a good year for biking, walking, and transit in Chicago.

By JOHN GREENFIELD

n some ways, 2016 was a rough year for those of us who care about sustainable transportation in Chicago. Six people were fatally struck while biking in the city this year—an average number according to the Chicago Department of Transportation. However, several of these were high-proﬁle cases that shook the cycling community, including the nation’s ﬁrst bikeshare fatality, deaths on popular bike routes like Milwaukee Avenue, and a hit-and-run case that’s still unsolved. In the wake of these deaths, it was a bit of a head-scratcher when in September Bicycling magazine named Chicago the best U.S. city for biking. “Objectively, Chicago is not really the nicest place to ride in the country,” editor Bill Strickland acknowledged when I spoke to him after the announcement. “But what we’re really looking for is the big, important metropolises that have made a huge change and are leading the way for other cities. We feel like Chicago is the most important cycling city right now.” Strickland’s logic is subject to debate. Still— and despite the deaths this summer—Chicago chalked more transportation wins than losses

in 2016, with many positive developments for biking as well as for walking and transit. As he did in 2015, this year Mayor Rahm Emanuel cut the ribbon on a number of shiny new sustainable transportation amenities. And thanks in part to the mayor’s need to rebuild his image in underserved communities after the Laquan McDonald scandal, the city officials implementing these projects seemed to pay more attention to social justice concerns than they have in the past. The most obvious example of an equityminded infrastructure improvement was the expansion of Divvy. The bike-share network added 1,050 new bikes and 85 new docking stations in 2016, mostly in underserved communities on the south and west sides, bringing the grand total to 5,800 bicycles and 580 stations. Meanwhile, the Divvy for Everyone initiative, which offers $5 annual memberships to lower-income residents, reached about 1,700 members this year, up from roughly 1,100 by the end of 2015, the program’s inaugural year. Another milestone came in November, when Big Marsh, a 278-acre bike park and nature reserve, opened next to Lake Calumet on the

14 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

southeast side, providing this underserved part of the city with a venue for BMX, mountain biking, cyclocross, and casual trail riding. Earlier this month, after much lobbying by groups like Slow Roll Chicago and the Active Transportation Alliance, CDOT announced plans for new bike lanes to improve access to the park from the nearby neighborhoods, most of which are lower-income black and Latino communities. In addition, last month an elegant new bike and pedestrian bridge opened over Lake Shore Drive at 35th Street, in the mostly African-American Bronzeville neighborhood. Unlike the rusting, 75-year-old span it replaced, the new bridge—funded with $18 million in federal dollars and $5 million more from the state—is wheelchair accessible. On the other hand, this year there was a growing awareness among Chicagoans that transportation-related investments can have the unintended (some would argue intended) consequence of jacking up housing costs and displacing longtime residents. As a result, some bike- and transit-friendly projects were met with skepticism, or even acts of civil disobedience. In March the mayor announced plans for the Paseo, a four-mile walking and biking trail that will be built on largely abandoned, streetlevel railroad right of way that winds through Pilsen and Little Village. The corridor will feature landscaping, gathering places, and public art that celebrates Latino cultures. But southwest-side residents who have witnessed the real estate feeding frenzy that’s been taking place near the Bloomingdale Trail are calling on the city to be proactive about preserving neighborhood affordability so they won’t get priced out. And although the city’s transit-oriented development boom hit its stride this year, developments along Milwaukee Avenue were accused of accelerating the gentrification of Logan Square. Groups like Somos Logan Square called for a higher percentage of affordable units in these developments, at lower rents; members went so far as to chain themselves in front of TOD construction sites to make their point. Moreover, Emanuel didn’t always have equity in mind this year, judging from the fact that he front-burnered a project to create high-speed rail service between the Loop and O’Hare that’s geared toward well-heeled business travelers. In February the city awarded a $2 million contract to an engineering ﬁrm to start ﬂeshing out the plan. Critics have argued

CITY LIFE that the express line would likely cost well over the $1.5 billion the CTA estimated back in 2006 and would be a financial trainwreck that would divert resources from improving neighborhood transportation. Still, overall the city’s transportation efforts were on the right track. Here are a few other major milestones to round off the list:

• In August the $43 million Union Station

Transit Center opened across the street from the Metra and Amtrak hub, easing bus-train transfers, and a new bus lane was recently added on Canal. The CTA is also testing prepaid bus boarding at the Madison/Dearborn Loop Link bus rapid transit station, which could signiﬁcantly cut travel times if it’s implemented at all eight BRT stops.

• In early October the last three sections of the city’s wildly popular Riverwalk extension opened between LaSalle and Lake Street.

• Later that month, the CTA released a draft

environmental impact study for the $2.3 billion Red Line extension, ﬁnally making some traction on a project that south-siders have wanted for decades.

• And on November 30, the City Council

approved a new tax increment ﬁnancing district that will help fund the $2.1 billion Red and Purple Modernization Project, which includes new track structures and stations, plus the controversial but necessary Belmont ﬂyover.

We shouldn’t take this bounty for granted. Federal transportation dollars that were so plentiful under President Barack Obama are likely to dry up after Donald Trump takes over next month. As I discussed in a previous column, the Republican platform essentially calls for defunding all forms of travel that don’t involve cars, trucks, or planes. And Trump, a noted Chicagophobe who frequently used our city as a whipping boy during the election, is unlikely to show our city much grant-money love as president. So enjoy the good news while it lasts. This will likely have been the best transportation year Chicago sees for a while. v

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

Read Derrick Clifton’s columns throughout the week at chicagoreader.com.

CITY LIFE

Demonstrators demanding an increase in the minimum wage protest in front of a Chicago McDonald’s in April. o SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGESMEDIA

IDENTITY & CULTURE

‘Identity politics’ still matters

It’s wrongheaded to blame “identity politics” for 2016’s political calamities. By DERRICK CLIFTON

n a year ﬁlled with debates about racism in law enforcement, attacks on women’s reproductive rights, and even ﬁghts over equal access to clean water, I’ve grown increasingly weary of election postmortems that attribute Donald Trump’s victory to so-called “identity politics.” Some now argue that if we stopped focusing so much on racism, sexism, LGBT issues, and other forms of bigotry, then maybe we could get traction on issues of economic justice. Many politicians and writers, including Mark Lilla at the New York Times, have beseeched audiences to focus on the “white working class,” the group believed to have handed Donald Trump the presidency. In other words, they argue the struggles of people of color and other marginalized groups are secondary to the struggles of poor whites.

But this is a false dichotomy. We can’t divorce issues of identity from conversations about class. Especially for people living at the intersection of multiple struggles, it’s impossible to separate issues of race, gender, and sexual orientation from discussions about the economy. For example, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment remains twice as high for black people as it does for their white counterparts. The disproportionate rate of black unemployment has held true for decades, recession or not. And in Illinois, recent analysis from the Economic Policy Institute suggests that the state has the highest black unemployment rate in the country, at 14.2 percent. This reality becomes even grimmer when layered with another form of marginalization: the unemployment rate for trans workers of

color is as high as four times the national unemployment rate. (This and other disturbing statistics were highlighted in Black Youth Project 100’s “Agenda to Build Black Futures,” which was released in February.) This disparity is as much about racism and transphobia as it is about the economy—race and gender identity are key touch points for discrimination in the workplace. But you don’t have to look to statistics for insight into the overlap of economic justice and various forms of oppression. Chicago in 2016 was full of political struggles that underscore just how interconnected these issues are. Take for example the $13 minimum wage increase passed by the Cook County Board in October. (It isn’t the $15 wage that groups like Fight for 15 have pushed for, but it’s a start.) The majority of low-income service workers

affected by the increase are black and brown people, and mostly women, raising their families on that income. Then there’s the Equal Access Ordinance, passed by the City Council in June, which protects the ability to use public accommodations—including restrooms—consistent with an individual’s gender identity. It’s a crucial step in conferring more legal protections on transgender and gender-nonconforming people, who remain legally vulnerable in many areas of life, including work. In November the Chicago-based Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in the case of Hively vs. Ivy Tech, in which a northwest Indiana professor claims she was fired for being gay. Clearly anti-LGBT stigma is also an issue of economic inequality, especially since most states don’t protect LGBT people from being fired because of who they are. Even the “Blue Lives Matter” bill—which has yet to see the light of day in the City Council—has an economic dimension. The bill, proposed by alderman Ed Burke in June, would have covered police officers and first responders under hate crimes laws. The bill contained provisions that seemed to target and intimidate protesters, many of whom are people of color. When you consider the time, lost wages, legal expenses, bail funds, and strains on other resources that come into play when people get thrown in jail, it’s clear that fighting against the ordinance is also an economic issue. So when people like University of Illinois at Chicago professor Walter Benn Michaels, who, in an interview with the Reader suggested that we do away with being “committed to a vision of inequality anchored to identity,” I have to call that logic what it is: bull. Remember: “identity politics” exists because, from the nation’s founding, white, landowning males were the only people allowed to fully participate in civic life. Remember, the 1963 March on Washington was a rally for “Jobs and Freedom.” Instead of an approach that siloes off identity issues from economic issues, we must acknowledge that they go hand in hand. And with Trump soon to take the White House, it’s more important than ever. v

ß @DerrickClifton

DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 15

ARTS & CULTURE 7. Architect Helmut Jahn said he wants the state of Illinois out of the building he designed as the embodiment of open state government. In the early 1970s, Jahn designed the Thompson Center as a unique Chicago home for state offices, with a soaring, open lobby meant to represent the ideal of transparent governance. This year, after Governor Bruce Rauner put the building up for sale and signaled his approval of its probable demolition, Jahn said he welcomes a prompt sale, thinks private ownership could restore its function as a public center, and wants to do the adaptive design himself.

Northwestern University professor and activist Jacqueline Stevens was banned from campus in July. o DANIELLE A. SCRUGGS

CULTURE

Ten surprising stories from the year in culture By DEANNA ISAACS

It’s been a year of surreal events. Nothing trumps Trump (or the Cubs), but as always, the cultural front offered its own oddities. 1. Theater on the Lake got a contract that’ll shut it down on weekends. In June, the Chicago Park District board approved a ten-year (and renewable) contract to renovate and run TOL’s iconic lakefront facility. The winning bidder turned out to be John Wrenn, brother of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s then-chief of staff Eileen Mitchell. His Lakefront Hospitality Group will operate a restaurant and event space at TOL under a contract that appears to relegate the facility’s primary mission—its popular, bargainprice theater festival performances—to a Monday-through-Thursday schedule. 2. Northwestern University questioned the mental state of a faculty activist. You might think this could only happen in

17th-century Salem (or the 20th-century Soviet Union), but if you’re a tenured faculty member at NU unpopular with your colleagues, you could ﬁnd yourself defending your sanity. After complaints from her department, political science professor and activist Jacqueline Stevens was banned from campus and sent to a shrink for assessment. Did I mention that she’d been investigating the trustees? 3. An international art star had to convince a Chicago judge that he didn’t make a painting. Peter Doig was hauled into federal court here to prove that he didn’t paint the 40-year-old desert landscape local dealer Peter Bartlow, using a shape-matching system of his own invention, attributed to him. After years of preparation, untold legal fees, and testimony from his mother, Doig won. 4. George Lucas picked up his marbles and went home.

16 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

When Chicago didn’t hand over the precise piece of Park District-owned lakefront land he wanted, the Star Wars mogul took his plans for a museum back to California. But that wasn’t really a surprise. What was unexpected was that the little guys—Friends of the Parks—stood their ground and won. 5. Michelle Boone traded DCASE for a dock. In a July e-mail to friends, followed by a city announcement, the successor to Lois Weisberg as Commissioner of Cultural Affairs and Special Events said she’d be giving up the city’s top cultural job within a week to become “Chief Programming and Civic Engagement Officer” for a much smaller domain, Navy Pier. She was immediately replaced by former Columbia College administrator Mark Kelly. 6. Chicago Dancing Festival suﬀered a postfest demise. Two months after a successful ﬁve-day run in August that marked the tenth anniversary of this annual fest, founders Jay Franke and Lar Lubovitch announced that we’d seen the last of it. “We felt like we’d accomplished what we wanted to do,” Franke said. Maybe that and the perennial struggle to raise money: a longterm corporate sponsor never materialized for this spectacular event that regularly drew an enthusiastic audience of 10,000 or more to the Pritzker Pavilion.

8. The Theater Historical Society of America left town. After a heated annual meeting in Chicago, and without putting the question to a vote of its membership, the THSA packed up its archive of more than 100,000 items and left its longtime home above the York Theatre in Elmhurst. The collection is now housed in rental space at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, and the THSA mailing address is a post office box. 9. Greg Allen pulled the plug on Too Much Light. After a 28-year run, the Neo-Futurists founder refused to renew the Chicago company’s license to perform its signature show, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. Allen blamed Trump and said he wants a more diverse troupe and a more political show; Neo-Futurists past and present said it was a revenge move and the outgrowth of years of struggle over Allen’s autocratic leadership. Neo-Futurist companies in New York and San Francisco promptly announced that they’ll give up the show and join Chicago in planning a replacement. 10. The Cape Cod Room is going down. The East Lake Shore Drive exteriors of buildings by prolific Chicago architect Benjamin Marshall are protected as part of a historic district. But like many legendary Chicago interiors, the Cape Cod Room, the restaurant he designed in the 1930s for his posh 1920 Drake Hotel, has no protection. The Drake, now run by Hilton, has announced that the venerable room will serve its last oysters Rockefeller on New Year’s Eve—after that it’ll be gutted to make way for something new. v

ß @DeannaIsaacs

ARTS & CULTURE

rations of love,” writes Alexandra Houston, the bookstore’s marketing manager. “This is a cultural center like no other,” one customer wrote, “and your message underscores how lucky we all are to be part of that culture.”

LIT

The year in Chicago bookstores

Suzy Takacs, owner of the BOOK CELLAR in Lincoln Square, felt “a heartfelt connection with the community” at the store’s Harry Potter party at the end of July, which also turned into a birthday celebration for two customers. She recognized many of the guests from the neighborhood. Everyone was in a good humor, despite the long lines. “It was a great time,” she writes, “and a positive, playful night.”

Amazon is coming, but the indies have built a true community for the city’s readers.

Ô SIMONE SHIN

By AIMEE LEVITT

he biggest news in the Chicagobookstore world in 2016 was an announcement of something that won’t happen till 2017: Amazon plans to open a brick-and-mortar store in a former Irish pub on the Southport corridor. The Amazon Store, based on the one that’s already open in Seattle, follows the model of the website: it’s not so much about selling books as it is about providing a showroom to demonstrate ways the company’s technology can collect data to customize the shopping experience. There are no price tags at the Amazon Store. Instead shoppers scan things they’re interested in buying using an app on their smartphones, which keeps track of past purchasing data and can offer discounts on the spot. Almost immediately after the announcement, which came at the end of August, Chicago booksellers began to take action. Within a week, 17 stores had issued a joint statement enumerating the ways they’re better for the community than Amazon. In October, 23 stores formed the Chicagoland Independent Bookstore Alliance to promote authors and literary events around the city. Yes, they acknowledged, customers often have to pay the full cover price on books they buy at an inde-

pendent store. But those purchases generate tax dollars that go back into funding local services: there’s extensive data about how much money states and municipalities have lost through Amazon’s reluctance to pay sales tax. Most importantly, though, neighborhood bookstores create community spaces. They cater to particular clientele, like Unabridged Books in Boystown, which has a large LGBTQ section, or Read It & Eat in Lincoln Park, which stocks mostly cookbooks and hosts cooking demonstrations, or Roscoe Books in Roscoe Village, which holds story hour twice a week for the stroller crowd. They establish a small sanctuary from regular daily life, like Curbside Books & Records, a retail offshoot of indie publisher Curbside Splendor that opened last summer at Revival Food Hall in the Loop to provide lunchtime browsing for office workers. And they’re staffed by people who like to talk about books. At Bookworks, a used bookstore that closed this fall after 32 years in Wrigleyville, you could stand at the counter for hours chatting about odd ﬁnds and everything else in the world with owners Bob Roschke and Ronda Pilon. (Bookworks still exists as a website, but without human contact, it’s not the same.)

But even before the threat from Amazon, Chicago’s neighborhood bookstores in 2016 demonstrated what they do best. We asked booksellers to tell us about the events this year that made them feel most proud of what they do. Here are a few responses: In June, as the SEMINARY CO-OP’s annual member sale was getting under way, Jeff Deutsch, the bookstore’s director, sent a letter to its 13,000 members outlining the store’s current ﬁnancial struggles and asking people to buy more books. The Sem Co-op and its sister store, 57th Street Books, don’t conform to standard “best practices” of bookselling by stocking only books that have a better chance of selling; that business model, Deutsch wrote, goes against the bookstore’s mission of providing books that customers didn’t even realize they needed. “Inefficiency has its place,” he wrote. “In raising children, in most artistic endeavors, and in bookselling, a modicum of inefficiency is in order.” The letter generated hundreds of written responses and social media shares, and an increase in business. “Included in the responses were personal memories, thoughtful suggestions, simple notes of devotion, and decla-

QUIMBY’s in Wicker Park, the city’s best source for comics and zines, celebrated its 25th birthday in September with a party and, appropriately enough, the publication of Ever Evolving Bastion of Freakdom: A Quimby’s Bookstore History in Words and Pictures, a history zine by founder Steven Svymbersky, current manager Liz Mason, and musician Keith Helt. “The party was a blast and it was nice to meet folks I’d been corresponding with for years (and some only heard about) but never actually met in person,” Mason writes in an e-mail. It also kicked off the Wicker Park and West Town Lit Fest.

The day after the presidential election, distraught customers came to WOMEN & CHILDREN FIRST in Andersonville to commiserate with like-minded feminists and fellow readers. It wasn’t the ﬁrst time this year, though, that the bookstore had been a place of comfort for the community. A week after the Pulse nightclub shooting in June, the store hosted You’re Being Ridiculous, a live-lit series. The emcee, Jeremy Owens, decided to begin the show not with a moment of silence, but by asking the audience to make as much noise as possible to honor the dead. “The nearly 100 attendees packed inside our little bookstore joined together to shout, stomp, and clap our love, strength, and pride,” co-owner Sarah Hollenbeck writes in an e-mail. “As I screamed and clapped, I started crying. And then I looked around and so many people in that room were continuing this mighty roar with tears streaming down their faces. That moment was everything. And it was inside our bookstore.” v

ß @aimeelevitt

DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 17

ARTS & CULTURE Actors plastered Proﬁles Theatre with copies of the Reader following the June 9 exposé. o ELLEN TULL

Celebrate with Strauss Waltzes and Operetta Excerpts, featuring European Singers, Dancers and Full Orchestra!

Actors plastered Proﬁles Theatre with copies of the Reader following the June 9 exposé. o ELLEN TULL Photo by Chris Lee

Strauss Symphony of America featuring

Niels Muus, conductor (Vienna) Lilla Galambos, soprano (Vienna) Thomas Weinhappel, baritone (Vienna)

Featuring dancers from Kiev-Aniko Ballet of Ukraine & International Champion Ballroom Dancers

Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016 at 2:30 pm

ORCHESTRA HALL

SYMPHONY CENTER TICKETS: 312.294.3000 or cso.org salutetovienna.com Info:1.800.545.7807 Produced by:

18 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

THEATER

A wildly convulsive theater year By TONY ADLER

think it’s safe to assume that nobody in Chicago’s theater community had a worse 2016 than Darrell Cox and Joe Jahraus. Or deserved it more. Decades of bad behavior caught up with them in June, when the Reader published an exhaustive report by Aimee Levitt and Christopher Piatt, detailing physical and psychological abuse carried out by Cox (with Jahraus in the role of enabling sidekick) at their off-Loop home, Profiles Theatre. Reportedly aided by a crisis-management PR firm, Cox made a few wan stabs at saving the situation. But community outrage was so intense—not to say creative, protesters papering the theater’s storefront with Reader covers—that Profiles closed down less than a week after the story appeared. The pair’s comeuppance was just the most lurid story in a wildly convulsive theater year, during which loads of business-as-usual assumptions were called into question or trashed outright. The Profiles exposé was preceded, in May, by another Reader story: Brianna Wellen’s

look at claims that Chicago comics and improvisers were being drugged during open-mike events by a person or persons unknown. Although both men and women reported possible mickey slippings, the scare helped trigger a backlash against the harassment and abuse of female artists in particular. The soul-searching got more comprehensive in October, when Peter Kim walked away from a spot in the current Second City E.T.C. revue rather than continue to put up with what he described in a Chicago magazine essay as “increasingly racist, homophobic, and misogynistic” heckling, directed not only at the people onstage but at audience members as well. The most visible sign of a response to Kim’s concerns is a literal sign: Second City patrons now encounter a notice as they enter the theater, declaring a “zero tolerance policy” toward hate speech. But that’s not all. Not even close. The late summer seemed wholly given over to a furor around the casting for Porchlight Music Theatre’s production of In the Heights.

R READER RECOMMENDED

b ALL AGES

The first Broadway hit for Lin-Manuel Miranda—he who went on to ride the zeitgeist big time with Hamilton—In the Heights is a musical about various residents of the Latinoheavy Washington Heights neighborhood in upper Manhattan. Porchlight filled the role of Usnavi, Miranda’s twentysomething Dominican-American lead character, with Jack DeCesare, an actor of Italian-American descent. Naturally, those who thought they had a greater claim on authenticity (and a greater need for the work) were riled, calling the choice an example of “whitewashing”—the appropriation of brown or black or generally non-European-toned stories by Caucasian actors. The situation got so fraught that a “town hall” meeting was called by ALTA, the Alliance of Latinx Theater Artists of Chicago, to discuss it and find routes to action. On an off night at Victory Gardens Theater, an onstage panel offered comments ranging from the truly explorative to the deeply cynical and drew a similar spectrum of responses from the SRO crowd. DeCesare’s fellow cast members wrote a statement of solidarity with him that was read at the meeting; one young attendee suggested that auditioners be required to disclose their ethnic history, only to be reminded by an older one with a better grasp of history that Actors’ Equity rules forbid such practices precisely because it’s discriminatory. Then they broke up into small groups. Aside from consciousness raising, perhaps the most useful result of this year’s traumas was the founding and/or growth of organizations dedicated to aiding traditionally vulnerable and excluded communities. The aforementioned ALTA is one; the Chicago Inclusion Project deals in diversity too. Women in Comedy and Not in Our House came forcefully out of the turmoil regarding abuse. On the other hand, a theater-world version of the Committee of Public Safety appears to have formed on social media, its wouldbe Robespierres and Dantons carrying out electronic, ad hominem guillotinings against anyone who dares to disagree with them. Turns out even the cause of inclusiveness has its ugly underbelly. But then, on yet another hand—the one that holds the reason for all that’s happened this year—there are the theaters and their shows. In my 2015 wrap-up I conferred an Annus Mirabilis Award on Theater Wit, for what you might call sustained achievement: “presenting no less than three of the best dark comedies of

Michael Patrick Thornton in Richard III o CLARE DEMOS

2015.” To tell the truth, I just made the award up as I was sitting there writing. But I’ve got a winner this time around as well, so maybe we’ll make it a thing. The Annus Mirabilis for 2016 goes to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, its sustained achievement being the crucial role it played in pulling together Shakespeare 400 Chicago, a citywide festival memorializing Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of his death. Among other contributions, CST hosted companies from a dozen nations, staging works that either select from or riff on the Shakespearean canon. A good percentage of the entries were delightful (Piya Beharupiya, for instance: a goofy, mostly Hindi version of Twelfth Night by Company Theatre Mumbai) and one was genuinely great (the Belarus Free Theatre King Lear). But I’d still have been grateful if they’d all been turkeys, because— both this year and in efforts over a long period—CST performed the essential, shockingly neglected task of putting us in contact with world theater. Speaking of Shakespeare, one of the indelible performances of 2016 was Michael Patrick Thornton in the title role of Gift Theatre’s Richard III, using his paralytic disability to make the bad king unnervingly good. A couple other breakthroughs: Alex Weisman as the crazed teenage puppeteer in Victory Gardens’ Hand to God and Rough House Theater’s Ubu the King—which, as it happens, also makes wild and expert use of puppets. Oh, and this was the year we got Hamilton. v

ß @taadler DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 19

ARTS & CULTURE Carisa Barreca, center, in The Art of Falling o TODD ROSENBERG

COMEDY

The year of women in comedy

By BRIANNA WELLEN

arlier this year there was an outpouring of stories from female comics both local and national about the sexism, harassment, and abuse they’d faced in the comedy scene. Through social media, personal blogs, and word of mouth, women united to shed light on experiences that took place everywhere from small open mikes to the largest comedy theaters in the country. But such accounts shouldn’t overshadow the real reason we need to be paying attention to these women: they’re great comedians who should be noticed for their talent and drive rather than because of scandal. The best strategy for combating sexism in the comedy world for

women in Chicago is to continue to be among the strongest, funniest, and most innovative comedians working in the city. While there are countless women who deserve recognition, here are some of the performers and producers who stood out in 2016. 1. Christina Anthony, Carisa Barreca, Tawny Newsome One of the biggest comedy shows of the year was the Second City’s collaboration with Hubbard Street Dance, The Art of Falling. Among the standout performers were the women featured in the sketch and improv portions: Anthony as a lonely woman on a turbulent ﬂight, Barreca as a new office hire in love with

one of her coworkers, and Newsome (who’s now hitting it big as a cast member on the Seeso comedy Bajillion Dollar Properties) as an oracle with a penchant for crowd work.

vocal than ever in response to white privilege, Islamophobia, and intersectional feminism, using her comedy to speak candidly, with wit and gravitas.

2. Ariel Atkins, Clare Austen-Smith, Courtney Crary The mission of the trio of women behind the Arts & Culture Club is to give stage time to women, people of color, and LGBTQ performers in their weekly variety show, which features stand-up, sketch, improv, poetry, storytelling, music, and more. (Full disclosure: I’ve performed in the show.) Each show is curated by either Atkins, Austen-Smith, or Crary and is constructed around a single subject—topics range from sharks to menstruation to Beyonce. These personal obsessions open up dialogue for a diverse room of performers and audience members.

5. Sarah Sherman The force of Helltrap Nightmare is now the poster child for comedy about gross bodily things that women shouldn’t ﬁnd gross: along with hosting Helltrap and Ladylike, two shows that revel in the sothought disgust of the female body, she creates the boob-, vagina-, and tampon-riddled posters for them. Moreover, Sherman is half of the two-female emcee duo for Cole’s infamous open mike.

3. Alex Kumin Kumin has a way of talking about serious things in her comedy without shoving them in your face. Between discussing the pros and cons of jumpsuits, she manages to smartly weave in commentary on rape culture, slut shaming, and body image while still ending on a laugh. And this year Kumin became an instructor with Feminine Comique, an all-female stand-up class that’s introduced a whole new group of women performers to the local scene. 4. Sameena Mustafa Through the south-Asian comedy collective Simmer Brown, Mustafa has given herself and other performers of color (male and female) a platform to discuss issues of race and gender along with the quandaries of everyday life. Since the election, Mustafa has been more

6. Alicia Swiz SlutTalk founder Swiz takes her message of creating an open and honest dialogue about sex positivity, slut shaming, and body politics and puts a comedic spin on it with the monthly Feminist Happy Hour, an open mike featuring female- and woman-identifying performers sharing their personal “slut” stories. 7. Kristen Toomey The stand-up is completely uncensored when it comes to talking about marriage and motherhood, and proves that even without the glitz and the glamour she can have things her own way. She’s long made a name for herself in Chicago as the ﬁrst female producer-member of stand-up standby Comedians You Should Know and is a founding member of the female comedy collective Hoo Ha Comedy. This year she recorded her first hour-long video and audio special, Mother.fucker. v

ß @BriannaWellen

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ARTS & CULTURE

Kerry James Marshall, Untitled (Studio), 2014 o COURTESY THE ARTIST AND DAVID ZWIRNER

VISUAL ART

Chicago art exhibits got more political, for the better By TAL ROSENBERG

he natural inclination for anyone writing about 2016 is to frame the year around Donald Trump and the presidential election. Yet even given a circus as noisy, unsettling, and dreadful as Trumpmania, my views on the year that was are relatively ambivalent, since I experienced so much else, materially and emotionally, particularly with regard to visual arts. Political vehemence seemed distant early in the year, as most of the city’s major insti-

tutions put on shows that were engineered to reinforce staid interpretations of the Western art canon. The Art Institute ﬂaunted “THE NEW CONTEMPORARY,” 44 artworks gifted to the museum by Stefan Edlis and his wife, Gael Neeson—most prominent among the bunch was Andy Warhol’s Liz #3 [Early Colored Liz]—while the MCA showcased its own pop art collection in “THE STREET, THE STORE, AND THE SILVER SCREEN”—with plenty more Warhol!

Then there was “VAN GOGH’S BEDROOMS,” the title of which says everything, both about its content and its thoughtfulness. As Dmitry Samarov wrote of the Art Institute exhibit: “[A]fter countless blockbuster exhibitions and images reproduced on place mats, umbrellas, clothing, wallpaper, and any other surface that might yield a few bucks, it’s become increasingly difficult to judge these paintings divorced of their cultural domination.” All of the aforementioned exhibitions had their virtues, but they were also telling their audiences things they knew already. One exception from the first quarter of 2016 was the Block Museum’s “A FEAST OF ASTONISHMENTS,” a retrospective of the avant-garde multidisciplinary artist Charlotte Moorman. Despite not being explicitly political, the exhibit nevertheless posed a challenge to widely held stances on contemporary art. Sasha Geffen wrote at the time

that Moorman’s “commentary on her work— printed on walls throughout the museum— casts the question of agency in performance in a new and still radical light.” Moorman was based in New York City, and the Block followed “A Feast of Astonishments” with a show in the fall about another Big Apple artist: “PERFORMING FOR THE CAMERA” focused on Hong Kong-born photographer Tseng Kwong Chi. Tseng’s work would probably be categorized as pop art, but he isn’t particularly well-known, and his output, mostly pictures of himself dressed in a Maoist uniform, is far more radical than what was in the Art Institute or MCA surveys. It might sound like I’m being hard on Chicago’s most famous museums, but in fact both the Art Institute and the MCA this year hosted their most daring and superb shows in recent memory. This past fall, the former exhibited “FUTURE PRESENT,” a wide-ranging retrospective of the work of Laszló MoholyNagy, who founded the New Bauhaus in Chicago, while the MCA put on “MASTRY,” a powerful overview of Chicago painter Kerry James Marshall’s oeuvre that’s likely to be numbered among the institution’s most significant productions. “Mastry” in particular felt like a timely, overt response to the country’s racial conflict. As Geffen wrote in her review, “Marshall’s work acknowledges the systemic violence that has killed black Americans for decades, yet it subverts the ways in which the black body is identified as an object marked for death.” As the year progressed, each show I saw seemed to be more political and unorthodox than the one before it. The peak of this progression was “ART AIDS AMERICA CHICAGO,” a free, monumental showcase of work about the virus that opened only three weeks ago at Alphawood Gallery. Rarely do exhibits this large (nearly 175 works) address race, sexuality, class, and gender so frankly and politically, and even fewer feature such a diverse mix of artists—from Annie Leibovitz and Robert Mapplethorpe to lesser-known locals like Patric McCoy and Oli Rodriguez. I experienced dissonance in 2016: the exhibits I attended during the year reflected progress, which seemed obstructed on the news, on social media, or even in conversation. Based on the art I saw in 2016, there’s still work to do—but the future, foreboding as it may appear, is brighter than it seems. v

ß @talrosenberg

DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 21

Get showtimes at chicagoreader.com/movies.

ARTS & CULTURE

MOVIES

The best ﬁlms of 2016 By J.R. JONES

1. Embrace of the Serpent Shot on location in the Amazon jungle, this black-and-white drama from writer-director Ciro Guerra offers all the pleasures of a simmering adventure story before resolving into a moody eco-parable. In 1909, a proud shaman, believing himself the last of his tribe, reluctantly agrees to lead an ailing German explorer on a river journey to the medicinal herb that will save his life; 30 years later, the shaman is approached by a botanist seeking the same plant, and the intertwining of these two picaresques allows Guerra to ponder the irreversible creep of ﬁrst-world plunder and cultural eradication, in episodes so strange they call to mind another jungle odyssey— Apocalypse Now. 2. Manchester by the Sea Writer-director Kenneth Lonergan may be a professed atheist, but his third feature, starring Casey Affleck as a man overwhelmed by guilt and Michelle Williams as his estranged, heartbroken wife, is the year’s most incisive spiritual drama. Set in the title Massachusetts town, where the Affleck character arrives to bury his older brother and learns he’s become legal guardian to a teenage nephew, the story unspools in plainspoken dialogue and pedestrian situations, but certain scenes are so painful they sear themselves into the memory. A playwright at heart, Lonergan

knows how to exploit the gap between what people feel and what they’re capable of articulating. 3. Don’t Think Twice Honest, observant, and wickedly funny, this ensemble comedy from writer-director Mike Birbiglia tracks the romantic and professional repercussions among a company of improv players after they lose their performance space and one of them gets recruited for a network comedy show (transparently based on Saturday Night Live). There are plenty of laughs here as the longtime friends fall prey to rivalry and competition, but there’s bitter wisdom as well, as some move ahead in the business and others realize they never will. Various romantic relationships bloom and wither along the way, but Birbiglia’s real passion is for the art of improv and the emotional openness it demands. 4. The Witness This documentary by James D. Solomon weighs our responsibility to our fellow human beings in moments of violent crisis; impressively, the film does this even as it mounts a potent attack against misguided liberalism at the New York Times. Bill Genovese, who lost his legs in Vietnam, returns to the Queens neighborhood where his older sister, Kitty, was stabbed to death in 1964;

22 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

the crime became national news and then cultural myth after the Times reported, inaccurately, that 38 of the victim’s neighbors had watched from their windows as she was stalked and killed. As Genovese and Solomon learn, the truth was less dramatic—but no less tragic. 5. London Road Critics are hailing Damien Chazelle’s La La Land as a rebirth of the American movie musical, and a beguiling piece of screen magic it is. But the story it tells—a starcrossed romance between an actress and a jazz musician in Los Angeles—never really lives up to the numbers surrounding it. Give me London Road, a modestly scaled but more biting musical from BBC Films about an English backwater town trying to recover after a local man is charged with the serial murder of ﬁve street hookers. Writer Alecky Blythe interviewed real-life residents, reporters, and prostitutes as the story was unfolding, and their words, taken verbatim, supply the lyrics for a series of arias, delivered to arresting effect. 6. The Club Pablo Larraín just made his U.S. directing debut with Jackie, a ghostly portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy in the week after the president’s assassination, but this 2015 Chilean

feature, which premiered in Chicago earlier this year at Gene Siskel Film Center, shows the filmmaker working closer to home both geographically and psychologically. An eerie and sometimes harrowing story of disgraced Catholic priests confined to a seaside home, the movie overtly references the pedophilia scandals that have rocked the Church internationally, but the story also serves as a sly metaphor for the dictatorial Pinochet regime of the 1970s, which Larraín’s parents supported. 7. Son of Saul Hungarian filmmaker László Nemes succeeds at the daunting task of making the Holocaust new again—partly through story, by plunging one deep into the heart of the Nazi genocide, but mainly through style, by restricting one’s field of vision to replicate a concentration camp prisoner’s desperately narrow focus on himself. The protagonist is a “Sonderkommando” at Auschwitz, charged with herding other Jews into the crematoria and helping dispose of their corpses afterward; Nemes hugs him with the camera, an extreme shallow focus reducing everything but the foreground to a blur. The film trades in the sort of mundane chores that keep the hellish operation running smoothly, though it ends in abject terror, its cascading chaos recalling another Third Reich drama, Downfall (2004).

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8. Microbe & Gasoline French filmmaker Michel Gondry is just a big kid, and this spirited tale of two gradeschool misﬁts who set off for a cross-country adventure in a jerry-built automobile is his best feature since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). The two pals bond over their love of junk, which they sift through at scrap yards and secondhand shops, and share a mystification with the opposite sex, whom they regard with terror and affectations of world-weary wisdom. The ramshackle house on wheels they construct is a comic wonder typical of Gondry—it’s the sort of glorious invention that springs to life at the intersection of childhood imagination and teenage impulse. 9. Tower Fifty years after Charles Whitman opened fire on unsuspecting pedestrians from a clock tower overlooking the University of Texas in Austin, gun massacres have become normalized in American society, which is what makes this documentary, an animated re-creation of that day in August 1966, so relevant now. Filmmaker Keith Maitland interviewed survivors of the noontime siege, which left 17 dead and 32 wounded, and their anecdotal memories reveal not only shock, terror, and anguish but moments of incredible bravery and compassion.

www.siskelﬁlmcenter.org

10. Weiner Disgraced congressman Anthony Weiner gave directors Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg extraordinary access as he campaigned for mayor of New York in 2013. Unexpectedly, they captured excruciating scenes between him and his wife, Huma Abedin—a close aide to Hillary Clinton—as news broke that Weiner had continued with the compulsive sexting that ended his congressional career. Released to theaters in May and to Showtime two weeks before the presidential election, this study of unchecked ambition and sorry self-deception helped to set up James Comey’s announcement that the FBI had linked Weiner’s laptop to Clinton’s private e-mail server. Can any other movie of 2016 have been more consequential? Runners-up: 11. Seasons 12. The President 13. Anomalisa 14. Moonlight 15. 45 Years 16. Hello, My Name Is Doris 17. The Measure of a Man 18. Hell or High Water 19. Gleason 20. Equity

ß @JR_Jones DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 23

Ô JASON RAISH

MUSIC

The year Chicago hip-hop beat the haters For ages, local rappers tore each other down, as though the city could produce only one star at a time—but in 2016 the whole scene seemed to grasp the value of community. By LEOR GALIL

n a year filled with turmoil and bad news, Chicago hip-hop made waves internationally with songs of affirmation in the face of adversity. Chance the Rapper spoke to God in public as gun violence continued to claim the lives of his neighbors; Vic Mensa encouraged young people to mobilize and challenge authority, even as he grieved with them for Laquan McDonald and the citizens of Flint; Noname fought to ﬁnd a space to live and hope for happiness in a society that seems intent on crushing women of color; Saba repped his west-side

home, in proud defiance of the Chicagoans who forget it exists until another shooting thrusts it into the headlines; and Mick Jenkins preached love in a hateful world. There’s no single thread connecting these young rappers’ 2016 releases, but taken as a group, they leave the unmistakable impression that they all know they’re in something together. They’ve helped instill the city’s hip-hop scene with a strong sense of camaraderie. Not that long ago, Chicago had a reputation as an unwelcoming place for rappers. As Spenzo puts it on the hook for his 2012 track

24 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

“Windy City,” it was “the city that loves to hate.” Around the time that song came out, just as drill was becoming a pop phenomenon, I talked with Fake Shore Drive founder Andrew Barber about his collaboration with local streetwear companies Eschmitte, Enstrumental, and Leaders 1354: a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Chicago hates you.” Barber explained the city’s reputation as “haterville” as the result of “artists becoming big and people feeling like there’s only room for, like, one person to get through every few years.” Till this decade, history might have sided with the haters—at least if you only paid attention to the local artists who broke out nationally. If there were a SparkNotes guide to Chicago hip-hop history, it would show bursts of activity every few years, whenever the city’s scene attracted the attention of the wider world. Twista was already locally popular in the early 90s, but he didn’t attract national attention till ’96 or ’97, when he was buoyed by a crowd of charting west-side rap acts, including Do or Die and Crucial Conﬂict. Ten Tray were the first Chicago group to release a major-label hip-hop album (1992’s Realm of Darkness), but because they weren’t riding a similar critical mass, they’re largely forgotten today. Hip-hop is in its 40s, but before the 2010s only a handful of Chicago rappers had permeated mainstream pop culture. Despite the fact that community and hip-hop have always gone hand in hand for Chicagoans (the posi collective Chi-Rock Nation, formed in ’85, is still going strong), it’s easy to see how a hungry local MC could believe that the window to stardom lets only one person through at a time. And that type of thinking turns potential collaborators into adversaries. The sea change arrived in the wake of drill, when young black MCs and producers working out of their homes (and, in the case of Chief Keef, while under house arrest) made Chicago a music-industry magnet. No longer could only one rapper at a time ﬁt through the window. And the Internet was in the process of upending the way artists built national followings—why squeeze through a window when you could knock down a wall? This phenomenon isn’t unique to Chicago, obviously, but the drill acts who landed label deals in 2012 encouraged their peers here who wanted to do things differently. Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Noname, Mick Jenkins, and other leading lights of Chi-

cago’s contemporary hip-hop scene have nurtured communities at spaces such as Young Chicago Authors and Harold Washington Library’s YouMedia center. As they’ve risen, they’ve brought their friends with them— and not just by pulling them in to collaborate on the occasional hot track. Chance is probably the best example. Coloring Book probably could’ve come out before 2016, but he delayed working on a follow-up to his breakout 2013 mixtape, Acid Rap, to contribute to Surf, a jazz-inflected pop album by his backing band, the Social Experiment, fronted by trumpet player Nico Segal (he stopped using the stage name “Donnie Trumpet” after the presidential election). Segal and the Social Experiment released Surf for free through iTunes in May 2015. The file tags credit the album to Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment, but even a casual listen makes it clear that many more artists were involved—and the “composer” field in the metadata contains an entire world of musicians. Surf gave listeners good reasons to dig deeper and follow connections, helping them discover and cherish the communities that produced some of the best local hip-hop albums of this year. When Chance dropped Coloring Book in May, I didn’t just hear him and his band—I heard vocalist and producer Knox Fortune, soul singer Eryn Allen Kane, rapper Towkio, and the Chicago Children’s Choir. Chance’s latest is a great example of Chicago’s spirit of collaboration, but it’s far from the only one. Throughout the year, seasoned artists teamed up under joint names instead of trading on their existing reputations— they weren’t just trying to create something distinct from each contributor’s solo work but also putting their partnerships front and center. In January, Vic Spencer and Chris Crack released Who the Fuck Is Chris Spencer? under the name Chris Spencer. The next month Psalm One, Angel Davanport, and Fluffy put out their first EP as Rapper Chicks, Shitty Punk Album. In early October, Ang 13 and Longshot debuted with the self-titled Army of Two. A few weeks later ShowYouSuck and the Hood Internet dropped their first full-length as Air Credits, Broadcasted. The collaborations are still coming, and every new EP, album, or mixtape bolstsers the feeling that in 2016 the big winner in Chicago hip-hop was the community itself. v

ß @imLeor

MUSIC Trouble in Mind founders Bill and Lisa Roe o LUCY HEWETT

2016 releases, Deluxe by Atlanta three-piece Omni and the selftitled debut by Chicago trio the Hecks, fall into the last, but the out-there instrumental art-rock of Portland’s Alto! indicates the lengths to which the label will go to explore different sounds. We’re lucky the Roes seem excited for the challenge.

Five local labels that had excellent years in 2016

These modest Chicago operations have gotten so good at what they do that they’re shaping music scenes far and wide. By KEVIN WARWICK THERE’S PRODUCTIVITY, and then there’s what these ﬁve local labels accomplished in 2016—more than just pad their catalogs, they’ve established themselves as tastemaking powers outside the communities that birthed them. In no particular order: NOT NORMAL TAPES Not Normal Tapes founder Ralph Rivera plays in writhing, noisegnarled sociopolitical punk band the Bug, but even if you discount that group’s exploits, the label still had a very healthy year—of particular note are excellent releases from Oakland’s Baus (who mostly sound like the Monks being forced through a sausage grinder) and Kentucky’s Quailbones. Rivera capped off 2016 with an impressive fest called the Infestational—the biggest of its three days featured a 15-band bill at ChiTown Futbol— that locked down his label’s spot at the Chicago hardcore community’s Algonquin Round Table. MAXIMUM PELT The blown-out sludge-pop of Chicago’s Basement Family, the

urgent shoegaze-revival ruckus of Saint Louis’s Swear Beam, the snarling scuzz-punk of locals Lifestyles—together they represent just a fraction of what the proliﬁc Maximum Pelt released this year. Even if you consider only vinyl (the label does tapes too), there’s also material by Flesh Panthers, Dan Rico, and the Chives. Run by the tireless and wonderfully nicknamed Magic Ian, Maximum Pelt is happy to give voice to the best of the small-club bands that keep Chicago’s rock scene healthy. TROUBLE IN MIND No local label had a better year. Founders Bill and Lisa Roe have recalibrated their mission, building on their foundation of garage rock by adding psych, Krautrock, and minimal postpunk. Two of Trouble in Mind’s best

HAUSU MOUNTAIN Founded in 2012 by Doug Kaplan and Max Allison, experimentalmusic label Hausu Mountain finished the year with a flurry, pushing out seven releases since September. Among them are the programmed collages of Cleveland’s Tiger Village (aka Tim Thornton), the laid-back but ominous arcade-influenced soundtracks of Mukqs (aka Allison himself), the cascading, ethereal ambience of the great TALsounds (aka Natalie Chami), and the fractured, freak-flag-flying elegance of Quicksails (aka Ben Billington). Head to Hausu’s strange home on the range and hang out for a spell. CLOSED SESSIONS Founded by Alex Fruchter and Mike Kolar, Closed Sessions has played an undeniable role in inﬂuencing and empowering Chicago’s hip-hop community. Blackand-proud albums by Kweku Collins (Nat Love) and Jamila Woods (Heavn)—both of which are finding their rightful places on year-end lists across the World Wide Web—have been the label’s touchstones in 2016, but dig deeper and you’ll ﬁnd releases from the likes of Milwaukee’s Oddcouple and Chicago’s venerable DJ Rude One, which have helped make this Closed Sessions’ best year yet. v

ß @kevinwarwick DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 25

MUSIC

The ten best jazz records of 2016

The cream of this year’s crop includes a large-ensemble concept album about conspiracy theories, a tug-of-war between loops and live-band grooves, and an amazing hybrid of jazz and hip-hop.

By PETER MARGASAK

1. Mary Halvorson Octet, Away With You (Firehouse 12) Last year guitarist Mary Halvorson released one of her best albums, a peculiar solo recording of jazz standards and cover songs rendered in her own inimitable style—Meltframe privileges her wonderfully jagged improvisational approach as she reimagines the structure and scale of the tunes. This year she’s dropped an even better record that showcases her continuously improving skills as an arranger and writer. On Away With You, Halvorson leads a powerful octet (with idiosyncratic pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn providing a liquid foil to her angular playing), and she’s reached a new peak as a composer, balancing melodic fragility with harmonic strength. The members of the band get plenty of improvisational leeway, but the ensemble—and the material—comes ﬁrst.

2. JD Allen Trio, Americana (Savant) On the fantastic Americana: Mu sings on Ja zz and Blues (Savant), tenor saxophonist JD Allen digs into the elemental I-IV-V chord pattern that underpins so much American music, including Delta blues, country, rock, and soul—though he prefers structures other than the familiar 12-bar configuration. The album’s wide array of sounds is rooted in the basic language of hard bop, but it conveys the spirit and feel of

folk music. Working with a spry, agile rhythm section (bassist Gregg August and drummer Rudy Royston), Allen uses his full-bodied tone to revisit the approach that Sonny Rollins famously took to this trio format, though the two horn men don’t sound much alike—like Rollins, he tears apart phrases and melodies, working them over and recombining their parts. 3. Tyshawn Sorey, The Inner Spectrum of Variables (Pi) On Tyshawn Sorey’s devastatingly gorgeous The Inner Spectrum of Variables, he’s a composer and conductor first, a drummer and improviser second. The six-part suite, spread over two CDs and running almost two hours, is not only his greatest work to date but also one of the year’s most arresting and ambitious recordings. Sorey’s ensemble includes pianist Cory Smythe and bassist Chris Tordini, joined by three remarkable string players: violinist Fung Chern Hwei, violist Kyle Armbrust (brother of Spektral Quartet violist Doyle), and cellist Rubin Kodheli. Without descending into pastiche or postmodern goop, Sorey pursues sophisticated concepts that make room for various traditions and genres. 4. Henry Threadgill Ensemble Double Up, Old Locks and Irregular Verbs (Pi) I saw Ensemble Double Up premiere this music in 2014 at the Winter Jazzfest in New York, and

here as there, Threadgill doesn’t play—instead he conducts a topnotch lineup consisting of two pianists (Jason Moran and David Virelles), two alto saxophonists (Curtis MacDonald and Roman Filiu), tubaist Jose Davila, cellist Christopher Hoﬀman, and drummer Craig Weinrib. The album is a concert-length work written in homage to cornetist Lawrence “Butch” Morris, pioneer of conduction, who died in January 2013; starting in the mid70s, after he and Threadgill both ended up in New York, they often played together. Old Locks and Irregular Verbs expands on the compositional system Threadgill uses in his group Zooid, but he says it’s “not as tightly prescribed”—the musicians have more latitude to navigate the material according to what they hear from their bandmates. And despite the potentially unwieldy size of the lineup, the performances feel impressively lucid. 5. Jeﬀ Parker, The New Breed (International Anthem) Guitarist Jeff Parker has long tinkered at home with electronic beats and samples, but by and large he’s kept those experiments to himself. He finally started sharing earlier this year with the release of New Breed, the first record he’s made with a Los Angeles group since moving there from Chicago a few years ago—the core players are drummer Jamire Williams, bassist Paul Bryan, and saxophon-

26 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

ist and fellow Chicago expat Josh Johnson. Parker’s music is raw and off-center, maintaining a consistent tension between looped beats and electronic patterns on one hand and his limber band’s relaxed grooves on the other. As usual, his lovely melodies are quietly insinuating, snaking easily into your memory while creating a taut, surprising friction with the tunes’ rhythmic and harmonic elements. 6. Jim Black Trio, The Constant (Intakt) Drummer Jim Black has one of the most immediately recognizable styles in jazz—his wonderfully unhinged playing bears the mark of the rock backbeat, but he adds a clanking, disruptive quality that forces his collaborators to sharpen their reflexes. Recently Black has been leading one of the best bands in his busy career, an unlikely trio with bassist Thomas Morgan and Austrian pianist Elias Stemeseder that balances his investments in chaos and melody. Black’s ballads are the most effective pieces on the record: “Song E” is exquisitely tender, complementing the sensitivity and warmth of Morgan and Stemeseder’s solos, and Black exercises great restraint while still kicking out firm backbeats. 7. Steve Lehman, Sélébéyone (Pi) I remain skeptical of collisions between hip-hop and jazz, but on Sélébéyone alto saxophonist

Steve Lehman makes the most eﬀective case for the hybrid I’ve ever heard. Drummer Damion Reid drops complex beats with inhuman precision, keyboardist Carlos Homs spins halos of fractal harmonies, and Haitian saxophonist Maciek Lasserre slaloms alongside Lehman on the front line—together they map out an amazing gauntlet for the rapping of HPrizm (Anti-Pop Consortium) and Senegalese MC Gaston Bandimic (who rhymes in Wolof). 8. Anna Högberg Attack, Anna Högberg Attack (Omlott) This debut album by alto saxophonist Anna Högberg—a knockout punch from her young Swedish sextet—was one of the year’s most exciting discoveries. She’s worked in the Fire! Orchestra (Mats Gustafsson’s big band), and she’s already making a great case for herself as a composer, arranger, and bandleader—she deftly moves between orchestral serenity, scalding free-jazz intensity, thoughtfully melodic solos, and coloristic abstraction. Her killer band—saxophonists Malin Wättring and Elin Larsson, pianist Lisa Ullén, bassist Elsa Bergman, and drummer Anna Lund—brings her vision to life with electric clarity, navigating swiftly and precisely through shifting landscapes. 9. Tim Stine Trio, Tim Stine Trio (Astral Spirits) Chicagoan Tim Stine plays acoustic guitar and writes knotty, see-

sawing lines that arrive in sudden rushes of activity—he often follows tangles of tightly clustered notes with measures of silence, sounding like Derek Bailey if he’d decided he wanted to swing again. Bassist Anton Hatwich and drummer Frank Rosaly impart a brisk energy to the music, avoiding clutter in order to give Stine a spacious platform for his heaving-and-retreating melodies. Most jazz guitarists play electric and augment their sound with a variety of eﬀects, but Stine plays acoustic with no effects at all— just moderate ampliﬁcation that gives his tone a bit more bite, and that only at live shows, not when he records. You can hear exactly what he’s doing. 10. Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Real Enemies (New Amsterdam) The third album from ambitious New York composer and bandleader Darcy James Argue is thick with paranoia—it uses the idea of conspiracy theories as a conceptual framework, examining the tendency of the postwar U.S. to embrace them to explain political, social, and economic conditions and movements. Few jazz orchestras still exist these days, but the Secret Society is one of the best and most probing. Argue has written and arranged 13 pieces that stand up to the conceptual underpinnings he’s chosen. v

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Recommended and notable shows, and critics’ insights for December 22—January 4

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ALL AGES

Chrissy & Hawley o RICKY KLUGE

PICK OF THE WEEK

Patti Smith spends the New Year (and her 70th birthday) in her native Chicago THURSDAY22 Chrissy & Hawley 9:30 PM, Whistler, 2421 N. Milwaukee. F

o RAY-BAN/GETTY

PATTI SMITH

Fri 12/30, 8 PM (sold out), and Sat 12/31, 9 PM, Riviera Theatre, 4750 N. Broadway, $65.

IT’S BEEN FOUR YEARS since her last studio album, Banga (Columbia), but Patti Smith is omnipresent, a persistent voice of righteousness and social conscience most recently in the news serving as Bob Dylan’s unofficial surrogate at the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm, where she gave an indelible performance of “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” all the more poignant for ﬂubbing the lyrics in the process. For some time she’s spent the New Year performing in New York, but in 2016 she’s in her native Chicago for two concerts. On Friday she and her band will give one of their occasional performances of her classic 1975 debut album, Horses, and as ambivalent as I am about the practice of playing an old record front to back, Smith is that rare artist—even as she turns 70 on Friday—who has the power and magnetism to erase any structural conceit, riveting listeners with everything she does. On Saturday she’ll survey the full expanse of her long career. Both endeavors have the potential to blow minds, because as strong or varied as the material may be, all that matters is Smith onstage. —PETER MARGASAK

28 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

Christopher Shively and Hawley Shoffner approached their partnership as Chrissy & Hawley from different paths. Chrissy came up in the dance scene and has released tracks that feature a smattering of electronic styles, while Hawley cut her teeth making accessible indie rock with a hard edge. Together, though, they put their interest in capital-P pop. Their self-titled summertime debut (out on Nite Owl Diner, a label Chrissy cofounded) shows a deep reverence for postdisco, glistening melodies, and any sound that can evoke the jubilation and heartache that comes with the genre’s greatest muse: love. “My Top Twenty” is an ode to the emotion that should hit home for just about anyone who’s made a mixtape to express feelings for a paramour. Hawley’s chill yet inviting vocals gel with frothy synths and steadily pulsing rhythms to help nail the bittersweet lyrics: “At the station waiting for a lift / In the movies where the lovers kiss / That’s the way that we’re supposed to be / My record collection keeps telling me / When I doubt it all I have to do / Is put on a record and dream of you.” —LEOR GALIL

Hamid Drake & Michael Zerang Through Friday. 6 AM, Constellation, 3111 N. Western, $25. b For 26 years local percussionists Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang have convened before the dawn of the year’s shortest day to welcome the winter solstice. They begin each such concert in candlelight, using their kits and a world’s worth of hand drums and gongs to trade rhythms and sounds until the sun’s light spills into the room. The two men originally intended their music to provide a nondenominational space where people who might not celebrate the season in any other fashion could gather to mark the passing of time, and for many the sunrise concerts—most years three in total—have become a tradition in themselves. But for those who follow Drake and Zerang’s other creative endeavors, the evening concerts they schedule around the residency provide an opportunity to hear what else

the two master improvisers have been up to. On Wednesday Zerang will play with Sam Shalabi, an oud and guitar player who splits his time between Montreal and Cairo. They’ve toured Europe and the Mediterranean this year as members of the pan-Middle Eastern electric jazz ensemble Karkhana, but this is their first duo performance. Drake, meanwhile, will lead a band composed of longtime associates Ari Brown on reeds, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, and Joshua Abrams on bass. On Thursday night the sunrise duo will expand to a quartet with drummers Mike Reed and Avreeayl Ra, which will play one set of structured improvisations and another, more open set that may welcome other guests. —BILL MEYER

Solstice Drum Quartet See Hamid Drake & Michael Zerang (above). 8:30 PM, Constellation, 3111 N. Western, $15, $10 in advance. 18+

FRIDAY23 Cokegoat Disrotted, Something Is Waiting, and Lost Dog open. 8:30 PM, Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont, $10, $8 in advance. 17+ It’s been more than three years since this Chicago sextet released their debut, Vessel, so their second full-length, the self-released Drugs and Animals, was one of Chicago metal’s most highly anticipated of the fall: please, metal gods, give us something good to help stomp this terrible year into a gruesome pulp. Power trios and quartets are great, but there’s something to be said for a doom-death-stoner band with a keyboardist, three guitarists, and a tight rhythm section. Onstage Cokegoat can get as lush and layered as they do on record, which is a big help to a slow-burn, climax-building track like “Winter of Fear” or a heavy-footed epic like “Nurture,” on which harmony vocals—particularly keyboardist Rebekah Brown’s ethereal keen—inject sweet tonal color. The big cast adds even more density to bangthe-head slow screamers “Where the Sun Dies” and “The Ruiners.” —MONICA KENDRICK

Hamid Drake & Michael Zerang See Thursday. 6 AM, Constellation, 3111 N. Western, $25. b

Find more music listings at chicagoreader.com/soundboard.

MONDAY26 Sol Patches Kaina & the Burns Twins headline; Sol Patches and DJ Elliven open. 7 PM, the Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park, $5. Chicago’s hip-hop scene has produced a torrent of great music this year, but few full-lengths show as much promise and vitality as As2Water Hurricanes, the self-released debut from Sol Patches. A self-described gender abolitionist who uses “they” and “them” rather than singular pronouns, Patches raps like they have no other choice, and while not the first MC to reference Rekia Boyd—the 22-yearold Chicago woman fatally shot in 2012 by an off-duty police officer—the way they hold on to every syllable of her name on the juddering opener, “BLK Hurricanes,” invokes Boyd as a person cared for by others who no doubt wish they could grasp her as closely and attentively as Patches says her name. Dense, rough around the edges, and a little long, As2Water Hurricanes is imperfect, but its flaws are part of its charm and power as the fierce performances by Sol Patches invite listeners to sit with progressive messages about the Black Lives Matter movement, gender, and sexuality. —LEOR GALIL

WEDNESDAY28 Metal Tongues 9:30 PM, Whistler, 2421 N. Milwaukee. F Though he first made his name leading the Afrobeat-inﬂuenced instrumental band Nomo, saxophonist Elliot Bergman devotes most of his time and energy these days to Wild Belle, the Jamaican-

MUSIC

ﬂavored pop band he coleads with his sister Natalie. But his interest in more exploratory sounds has again been rearing its head in Metal Tongues, a low-key project he’s been leading for several years that features the kalimba, the instrument Bergman (along with Warn Defever of experimental-rock band His Name Is Alive) has a side gig custom building. I caught an early iteration of the group in New York a few years ago, with Chad Taylor on drums and Ben Vida on analog synthesizer, but since moving back to Chicago Bergman’s been working with percussionists (and Wild Belle collaborators) Quin Kirchner and Erik Hall (also of In Tall Buildings), who develop extended elastic grooves for him to improvise over. Bergman’s cascading lines are usually treated electronically, whether with effect pedals or looped, and here and there he adds saxophone solos over a sampled ostinato pattern. On occasion the trio is joined by a guest musician like alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella—an arrangement that works well considering the open-ended structures— but even when it’s just the trio, Metal Tongues oﬀer an appealingly chill yet probing side of the leader’s musical personality. —PETER MARGASAK

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Rude Guest Mustard Plug headline; Crombies, Rude Guest, and Skapone open. DJ Chuck Wren spins. 8 PM, Subterranean, 2011 W. North, $15, $13 in advance. Formed by Paul and Kurt Schroeder in 1982, Chicago ska group Rude Guest was a bit of an odd duck: in it, the brothers took a deep affection for European two-tone and blended it with new-wave flamboyance, deep reggae grooves, and a hint of jazz. The sometimes heady mix confused local bookers—on at least one occasion the band was put on a bill with country artists. It didn’t exactly help that Rude Guest gained steam after ska’s second wave crested, then broke up before the fast-paced third wave really took hold in the U.S. The group called it quits after Kurt died in 1996, leaving behind a legacy that became increasingly opaque; that its music was released only on cassette further added to the difficulty of scavenging its history. But in October, Jump Up Records released Lost Chicago Ska, a compilation of the band’s catalog, for Cassette Store Day, and label founder Chuck Wren has been evangelical in his desire to bring Rude Guest to the surface—one of the factors inspiring tonight’s reunion show, the band’s first since its breakup 20 years ago. —LEOR GALIL

FRIDAY30

Elliot Bergman of Metal Tongues

3855 N. LINCOLN

Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals, Danny Brown Part of Reaction NYE. Flume, Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals, Dillon Francis, Danny Brown, Mr. Carmack, Noname, and Kweku Collins perform. 5 PM, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Rd., Rosemont, $79, $139 two-day pass. 17+ I’m a latecomer to the abundant charms and talent of LA singer, MC, and producer Anderson .Paak, and I’m still reveling in the sound of his work even more than in his deeply personal words. Dropped at the beginning of 2016, Malibu J

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Dale Watson and Ray Benson SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 8PM

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DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 29

MUSIC DECEMBER 30TH

continued from 29 (Steel Wool/OBE/Art Club/Empire) pulled me in from the first listen as .Paak retrieves the lean rhythmic snap of classic 90s boom-bap-style hip-hop and lards it with warm layers of soul and gospel. His wonderfully raspy voice conjures current LA kingpin Kendrick Lamar more than a bit, but he’s a better singer who regularly toggles between singing and rapping—as well as between the sacred and profane—and his utterances fit each kaleidoscopic track beautifully. As one half of NxWorries, his duo with producer Nkxwledge, .Paak also recently released the strong album Yes Lawd! (Stones Throw), which finds him further finessing a sweet spot between styles and firmly establishing himself as one of the most arresting voices of 2016. —PETER MARGASAK

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September’s Atrocity Exhibition (Warp)—a hat tip to the opening track from Closer by Joy Division, the band rapper Danny Brown claims is his favorite—is clearly the record that the Detroit weirdo has always wanted to make. It was easy to hear its seeds germinating on his 2010 debut, The Hybrid, and especially on his 2011 follow-up, the instant classic XXX. Since day one Brown has been the freakiest, most idiosyncratic rapper on the scene, spitting outrageous, hilarious rhymes in a rapid-ﬁre, court-jester-like register over drugged-out beats that borrow as much from Detroit techno as they do from classic 90s east-coast hip-hop. But he takes his bizarreness to the extreme on Atrocity Exhibition, eschewing traditional hip-hop almost entirely. The bassy stomp and boom-bap beats that dominated the last three Danny Brown records are entirely absent here, instead swapped out by producer Paul White for abstract, fractured psychedelic rock and experimental synth soundscapes. It’s an unlikely foundation for turned-up rapping, yet part of what has kept Brown so exciting over the years has been his insistence on operating outside of the box, and if the brilliance of Atrocity Exhibition is any indication, he’s only going to keep getting weirder—and better—as the years pass. —LUCA CIMARUSTI

Cheer-Accident Yowie and Sima Cunningham open. 8 PM, Reggie’s Music Joint, 2105 S. State, $15, $12 in advance. Chicago prog-rock stalwarts Cheer-Accident have been relatively quiet over the last half decade, though they have been releasing monthly songs via the online subscription service they launched three years ago, their sprawling output veering from nerd-out humor to meticulously crafted art pop to queasy art rock. The group has experienced turnover in personnel since dropping 2011’s No Ifs, Ands or Dogs (Cuneiform), but as long as the core of Thymme Jones and Jeﬀ Libersher remains intact, Cheer-Accident always seem to thrive and grow. The current lineup is a quartet featuring bassist Dante Kester and keyboardist-singer Amelie Morgan, and this week’s performance promises to launch a new spate of activity: according to Jones the group will release two new albums over the next 18 months for Cuneiform and Skin Graft, and next fall the band will return to the prestigious Rock in Opposition festival in France. —PETER MARGASAK

Find more music listings at chicagoreader.com/soundboard.

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Gost Dance With the Dead, Sanford Parker, and Pirate Twins open. 8 PM, Double Door, 1551 N. Damen, $20, $18 in advance. 17+ Michigan-based one-man band Gost borrows the relentless drive and glossy retrofuturism of synthwave and its frowny-faced cousin darksynth, but combines relatively common influences (French electro-house, John Carpenter) with a few from outside the box (doom metal, Kiss). Its most recent album, this fall’s Non Paradisi (Blood Music), gleams with icy arpeggiated keyboards, dated-sounding faux xylophone and vocal choruses, tensely queasy horn smears, and stab-you-in-the-shower synth shrieks. This aesthetic would evoke nothing more

threatening than the mildly transgressive entertainments of an 80s adolescence—video games, slasher ﬂicks—were it not for the satanic role-playing of Mr. Gost. He wears a death’s-head mask and calls himself Baalberith—the chief secretary of hell, said to have drafted the infernal contract allegedly signed by French priest Urbain Grandier, who was executed by burning in 1634. He pumps up Gost’s sound into a slavering, steroidal parody of synthwave, using brutalist beats anchored by bone-snapping kick-snare stomps and toothy, grinding bass that punches, stutters, and lunges. You can almost see veins bulging from computer-rendered limbs, or beastly clusters of teeth sprouting from supernumerary jaws. The harmonic material rarely J

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DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 31

Mala Rodriguez

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o ALFREDO ESTRELLA

continued from 31

omniscient view of the people in Herb’s life. He does it with especially clear eyes on the soul-sampling “Gutta,” which sets a high bar early on his new Strictly 4 My Fans (Machine Entertainment Group/150 Dream Team). —LEOR GALIL

evolves into anything you’d feel safe calling a “melody,” excepting the occasional contributions by guest vocalists—on Non Paradisi they include Baalberith’s wife, aka Bitchcraft, and Hayley Stewart of Dead Astronauts. This stuff is all about what machine rhythms can do to your body. Its careful layering of rapid, nimble pulses atop a punishing thump works a lot like a massage, and it can be soothing once you learn how to lean into it—the sinister, minor-key darkness is just for atmosphere. Unless you believe in devils, of course. To quote Baalberith’s favorite lines from Paradise Lost: “The mind is its own place, and in itself / Can make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n.” —PHILIP MONTORO

SATURDAY31 Patti Smith See Pick of the Week on page 28; see also Friday. 9 PM, Park West, 322 W. Armitage, $65. Mala Rodriguez Ponderers and Future Rootz open. 8 PM, Concord Music Hall, 2047 N. Milwaukee, $25. 17+

Patti Smith See Pick of the Week on page 28; see also Saturday. 8 PM, Riviera Theare, 4750 N. Broadway, sold out. 18+

Young Thug, G Herbo Part of WGCI Big Jam. Trey Songz, Chris Brown, Young Thug, Desiigner, Lil Yachty, Dreezy, G Herbo, Lil Bibby, and Lil Uzi Vert perform. 7:30 PM, United Center, 1901 W. Madison, $65-$120. b

Atlanta’s Young Thug approaches rap like a design-

er tie-dying a T-shirt, wringing his words for all they’re worth, twisting and pulling syllables in different directions to find new meanings. The end result is always colorful and tends to shape-shift depending on what you focus on with each listen—I can’t count the number of times I’ve spun through his 2016 full-lengths Slime Season 3 and Jeffery (300/

Atlantic), but I still discover nuances whenever I press play. Like Thug, opener G Herbo has built a career by doubling down on what he does best: the Chicagoan delivers brutal, trenchant lyrics about growing up amid violence, and his performances are shot through with immense feeling that places listeners in his shoes and gives them an almost

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THE SUBDUDES CHERISH THE LADIES HOWIE DAY JOEY ALEXANDER TRIO 7 & 9:30PM SHOWS

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CHICAGO JAZZ ORCHESTRA FEATURING DEE ALEXANDER WINE & STYLE PAIRING EVENT WHAT LIPSTICK GOES WITH WINE?

32 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

An impressive stream of Spanish-language rappers has made it easier to forget the impact Spain’s Mala Rodriguez had on the international hip-hop scene when she ﬁrst emerged in the late 90s. She quickly achieved stardom in her homeland with her fat-free records and stealthy, no-frills ﬂow, and ultimately established herself as one of hip-hop’s most exciting personalities. Her output has slowed in recent years, and on her most recent record, 2013’s Bruja (Machete Music)—which landed her a

UPCOMING SHOWS 12.24

CHRISTMAS EVE FOR THE JEWS FEATURING JOEL CHASNOFF, JOHN ROY & AARON FREEMAN

12.26-12.30 POI DOG PONDERING 12.31

1.9-10 12.18 1.24-25

STEVE Marty EARLE Stuart MEET & GREET TICKETS AVAILABLE & his Fabulous Superlatives

JOSH RITTER

1.23

WORKS IN PROGRESS TOUR

NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH LALAH HATHAWAY 7:30PM & 11PM SHOWS

1.4

FUNKADESI

1.13

FREDDIE JACKSON

1.15

RES W/ SPECIAL GUEST AVERY R. YOUNG & DE DEACON BOARD & DJ MARK FLAVA

1.19

HOT CLUB OF COWTOWN

1.22

A MUSCLE SHOALS MUSIC REVUE WITH THE AMY BLACK BAND

1.22-23

JOSH RITTER - WORKS IN PROGRESS TOUR

1.26-28

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO WITH SPECIAL GUESTS THE MINUS 5

1.29

LOUIE ANDERSON 5 PM AND 7:30 PM SHOWS

2.7-8

STEPHEN LYNCH

MY OLD HEART TOUR

Find more music listings at chicagoreader.com/soundboard.

MUSIC Pure Disgust o VIA BANDCAMP

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Latin Grammy for Best Urban Music Album—she tempered her austere aggression with some more pop-inﬂected tracks, revealing the Technicolor inﬂuence of Calle 13. Rodriguez’s clenched drawl mostly sticks to stuttery, highly rhythmic bobbing and weaving over hard breaks, but on a song like “Dorothy” she pushes an introspective pop vibe, tenderly singing a sweet-toned hook before dropping rhymes with almost stoic toughness. She’s no longer breaking ground so much as adapting to trends, but Rodriguez remains instantly recognizable. —PETER MARGASAK

MONDAY2 Slow Planes Sarah Squirm headlines; Venereal Crush and Slow Planes open. DJ Adam Luksetich spins. 9 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western. F The strata of Slow Planes’ minimalist folk compositions build upon one another like bends of a cozy scarf. Each guitar strum, banjo pick, violin shiver, snare tap, and upright-bass pluck work to wrap the listener in a warm timbre, the intensity determined by the presence or absence of each layer and the personality of its conductor. The band’s new six-song vinyl and cassette debut, Yearlong, is only the the second album released by Compound Records—the hobby label begun by Rob Sevier of Numero Group—and the partnership seems a great fit given the collective nature of the band’s process. The reverb-assisted intoning of singer-guitarist-leader Timothy Breen anchors the musical chorus of his friends and collaborators, who favor a less-is-more approach in their parts but still stand out as individuals (violinist Esther Shaw of Wrekmeister Harmonies and upright bass-

ist Anton Hatwich are both featured on the recording). The songs are mediations in a larger narrative rather than a series of A-B-structured singles, and Minbal recording engineer Brian Sulpizio allows the whole thing to breathe naturally—with a sort of breeze passing through each fold—resulting in a soothing and meditative soundtrack for winter hibernating. Joining Breen for this show are Nick Barnett (guitar, percussion), Conor Harvey (banjo, guitar), Ron Kurek (electronics), and David Strand (percussion). —ERIN OSMON

TUESDAY3 Pure Disgust The Bug, Daylight Robbery, and Tigress open. 7 PM, ChiTown Futbol, 2255 S. Throop, $5-$7 suggested donation. b Part of the exciting NWODCHC (read: “New Wave of D.C. Hardcore”), Pure Disgust are about as subtle as a battering ram in the middle of a good ram. Never mind the elegance of their name; just focus on the pound-pound-pounding away committed via quick-moving guitar wails reminiscent of Minor Threat and the spitﬁre vocals from front man Rob Watson that sound forged in an ancient, behemoth furnace lording over some D.C. basement. With tracks like “Normalized Death” and “Agents of the Machine” off the self-titled LP—out last summer on the very reliable Katorga Works—and a cover featuring a trashed Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, Pure Disgust no doubt have a sociopolitical bent. However, when songs like these are boiled down to their bare hardcore elements and merged, what’s left is a cohesive mass of rage that sells itself alone. D.C. hardcore is one helluva mythical beast, but Pure Disgust do that scene—and its forefathers—proud. —KEVIN WARWICK v

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Never miss a show again.

EARLY WARNINGS chicagoreader.com/early

DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 33

FOOD & DRINK How I spent 2016 eating the pain away The year’s best restaurants By MIKE SULA

If nothing else, the events of 2016 have proven that vast numbers of our countrymen are all too happy to eat shit. In Chicago, of course, we have a higher standard—at least when it comes to restaurants. So even as the rest of the world obediently trundles toward oblivion, at least the city’s restaurateurs have been good enough to provide plenty of estimable places to eat and drink the dread under the table. So here, as the incoming overgrown Oompa-Loompa in chief might say, are the best!

his was the year of the open, roaring fire, when in ever-greater numbers chefs were bestowing the twin kisses of smoke and char upon their food, and their guests were embracing the psychological comforts of a warm hearth. For the night is dark and full of terrors, after all. At John Manion’s EL CHE BAR chef de cuisine Mark Steuer summons the spirit of an Argentine churrascaria, passing everything from sweetbreads to scarmoza to thin-cut pork chops through the flames. “Manion’s been drawing on his South American upbringing since his days at the late, great Nuevo Latino spot Mas,” I wrote. “And each time he returns

to his roots feels more right.” Rick Bayless leaped toward the flames with LEÑA BRAVA, his “love letter to the seafood-dominant riches of Baja, with its inherent Mediterranean and Asian influences, cooked in the crucible of three wood-burning fires at the back of a busy, clamorous room. The alluring aromas of the ‘ferocious wood,’ as the name translates, permeate the restaurant, particularly the second-floor bar, and even the restrooms, where you might feel as if you’ve wandered among the fading embers of a forest fire.” Difficult as it may be to choose among the menu’s delights, the whole butterflied, grilled striped bass done in one of four regional styles is one

34 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

Yellowtail in a sauce of guajillo chile and hibiscus ﬂower, with mango relish garnish at Leña Brava o DANIELLE A SCRUGGS

of the most crowd-pleasing dishes of the year. Grant Achatz and company got into it too with the Alinea Group’s first casual concept, ROISTER, roasting everything from pineapple to carrots to A5 Wagyu steak—but the dish that steals the show is the whole chicken, “thighs boned and fried, breasts poached and roasted, the rest folded into chicken salad, served with chamomile flowers and a creamy, eye-rollingly delicious sunchoke sauce that mimics a classic country gravy. Eat this family style with an order of the fat, soy-dusted Yukon fries, served with a creamy tofu-based mayo and topped with shimmering bonito flakes, and you realize that the fried chicken wars that have raged through the city in recent years have been decisively won.” There’s no wood-fueled flame at Northbrook’s PRO SAMGYUBSAL, which specializes in grilled pork belly. Korean barbecue blazes best over natural lump charcoal, but the gas-assisted flames here still manage to summon a gestalt of primal carnivorous lust: “as [the burners are] fired up and the yawning overhead exhaust fans kick in, any draftiness is replaced with a porky warmth that suffuses the air and seduces your olfactory system.” HANBUN, another suburban Korean restaurant, makes the list this year—and in my view, it’s the most important and exciting of the lot. Inside a dim food court in far-flung Westmont, David Park and his fiance, Jennifer Tran, both graduates of the Culinary Institute of America, present a daily lunchtime menu of extraordinarily refined Korean classics at budget-friendly prices. And on the weekends they offer a lavish multicourse modernist tasting menu “so different from what any Korean restaurant in the region does that it’s worth a pilgrimage or two (or more) from wherever you are on the map.” And at $63 it’s a steal. Meanwhile back in the city, pricier tasting menus were ascendant to the point where I wondered if they were all sustainable in this economic climate. But at ORIOLE chef Noah Sandoval and pastry chef Genie Kwon are making such delicious, approachably modernist magic in a laid-back environment that, while dining, you might forget that it’s among the most expensive restaurants in the city. “Overall Sandoval and Kwon present a crescendoing succession of delicate dishes with excellent product and superb flavors and compositions from which not an ort should remain on the plate. . . . Oriole has joined the ranks of the city’s high-dollar but truly fun multicourse events . . . that you should make a point to

Read about the 150 best things Mike Sula ate in 2016 at chicagoreader.com/food

Left column: Hanbun’s ja jiang mian; Immm Rice & Beyond’s khao rad gang; Bunny, the Microbakery’s toad in the hole; right column: Smyth’s tomato-peach sorbet with spicy ﬂowers; Bad Hunter’s whiteanchovy-spiked beet tartare o DANIELLE A. SCRUGGS; JAMIE RAMSAY (IMMM RICE & BEYOND)

FOOD & DRINK experience, if only once.” Similarly, at the other end of the Fulton Market District, SMYTH chefs John Shields and Karen Urie Shields are pushing a menu that “leans gently toward the oceanic and the Japanese, with gutsy ingredients and savory desserts, [and] shows more than enough originality and imagination to keep it in mind long after you’ve dropped such serious coin on the ticket.” ENTENTE in Lakeview doesn’t operate strictly as a tasting venue, but if you come armed with a small group of stout eaters it’s not a bad move to order Schwa vet Brian Fisher’s entire “casual fine dining” a la carte menu. Truffled Carolina Gold risotto, duck breast with miso yogurt, and sassafras profiteroles are the result of the “audacious, compelling cooking” performed by Fisher and pastry chef Mari Katsumura. An increasingly crowded field of quality Thai restaurants was joined by a relatively unique concept in IMMM RICE & BEYOND, which specializes in khao rad gang, or rice and curry dishes, including a daily-changing menu dished out from steam tables by servers eager to put together a combo that’s right for you. “Still, there’s a uniform rusticity to a lot of these dishes that comes about in part by the time they spend settling on the steam table. As with any buffet, it’s important to find the sweet spot. [Chef-owner Dew] Suriyawan’s menu is posted on Facebook each morning, but arrive too early and some dishes may not be ready; show up too late and they may be gone.” Relief from an eight-year dearth of Malaysian food was at hand when SERAI opened its doors in Logan Square, “representing that syncretic blend of Indian, Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, British, Dutch, Portuguese, and native influences. . . . It’s good enough to skip a long trip out to Penang in Arlington Heights or Asian Noodle House in Hoffman Estates whenever you get a hankering for curry laksa, char koay teow, or Hainanese chicken and rice. Serai does all of those Malaysian classics and more, and it does them quite a lot better than its suburban competitors.” The loss of last year’s innovative Mexican Cantina 1910 was mitigated by the opening of Topolobampo vet Brian Enyart’s DOS URBAN CANTINA, which took the cuisine someplace radically new. “There are no molten blankets of cheese, no searing chile burns, no baseline foundations of acidity. Instead Enyart goes deep, exploring bitter, thick moles and intense flavors while harnessing the fulsome power of nuts, legumes, and fungi.” In somewhat the same way, the never-

ending tide of unimaginative Italian spots was brightened by the opening of Spiaggia alum Sarah Grueneberg’s MONTEVERDE, focusing on handmade pasta, its production on full display on an elevated platform behind the bar. “In these bloated times, nobody but restaurateurs seems to think we need more Italian spots. Now that Monteverde has proven to be the city’s most essential pasta destination, maybe they’ll come around to the idea.” On the other hand, the folks behind the great Osteria Langhe proved there’s room for originality with the opening of their sophomore spot, the fast-casual ANIMALE, featuring plenty of outstanding offal and chef Cameron Grant’s own extraordinary pasta. “Guts to go never tasted so good.” The national progression toward vegetable-forward dining was magnificently expressed at the West Loop’s BAD HUNTER, where Dan Snowden’s mostly meatless menu satisfies across the board. “The operative gratification behind most of the vegetable-centered food at Bad Hunter: the flavor-driving forces of fat and umami are deployed with such assuredness that even the most hard-core carnivore won’t miss meat at the center of the plate.” The long-awaited return of former Nightwood chef Jason Vincent, GIANT, wasn’t necessarily part of this herbivorous movement, but some of his most memorable dishes were plant based, like the eggplant agrodolce, which “reigns supreme among the vegetable dishes, the soft sweet-and-sour flesh given texture by crushed cashews and balanced by crema, all to be soaked up with thick, toasty house-made pita.” This annual list always seems to include one or two establishments that didn’t make it past their first year. This year it’s Elizabeth chef Iliana Regan’s magical BUNNY, THE MICROBAKERY, where the bread was the name of the game, like the black boule “colored with squid ink and ensanguined with pork blood . . . a tribute to Tyrion Lannister’s visit to Castle Black, created for a Game of Thrones dinner at Elizabeth, proving that even in a bakery Regan’s dark sense of humor translates.” Fortunately, we’ll be getting another budget-friendly taste of the chef’s culinary black comedy when she opens her izakaya Kitsune early next year—if any of us make it that long ourselves. Until then it’s best to eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we’ll probably be dead. v

ß @MikeSula

DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 35

S P O N S O R E D

N E I G H B O R H O O D

C O N T E N T

Chicago has always been a city of distinct neighborhoods with their own sense of identity and tradition — and each with stand-out bars and restaurants that are worthy of a haul on the El or bucking up for parking. Explore some local faves here, then head out for a taste of the real thing!

LINCOLN HALL // LINCOLN PARK $8 Modelo Especial Tallboy + shot of tequila

EATALY, LA PIAZZA // RIVER NORTH Tues: 5-9 pm, $15 housemade beer + Margherita pizza alla pala

L H - S T. C O M

E ATA LY . C O M / C H I C A G O

MONTI’S // LINCOLN SQUARE Monday: $1 oﬀ Beers, Friday: $5 Martinis

REGGIES // SOUTH LOOP $5 Absolut & Bacardi Cocktails Every Day special

ALIVEONE // LINCOLN PARK Wednesday: 1/2 price aliveOne signature cocktails

I LOV E M O NTI S .CO M

REGGIESLIVE.COM

ALIVEONE .COM

FITZGERALDS // BERWYN Everyday: $6 Firestone Walker Opal pints

PHYLLIS’ MUSICAL INN // WICKER PARK Everyday: $3.75 Moosehead pints and $2.50 Hamms cans

MOTOR ROW BREWING // NEAR SOUTHSIDE Thu, Fri, Tue, Wed: Happy Hour noon-6pm, $2 oﬀ all beers

FITZGER ALDSNIGHTCLUB .COM

7 7 3 . 4 8 6 .9 8 62

MOTORROWB REWI NG .COM

SCHUBAS // LAKEVIEW $7 Modelo Especial + Don Julio shot L H - S T. C O M

RLI O VG ER A NN O SQ RT UH ARE

YUSHO // 2 8 5 3 N K E D Z I E // Y U S H O - C H I C AG O.C O M Yusho in Logan Square is celebrating it’s 5 year anniversary by starting a new tradition — its ﬁrst ever Christmas Eve dinner. They’ll be serving up a riﬀ on their usual Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning Japanese street food, with family style hot pot dinners of beef, cabbage, mushrooms, scallions, bak chop and garlic in addition to the usual selection of menu favorites such as twice fried chicken and fried oyster steam buns. CHRISTMAS EVE DINNER

36 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

“Awesome. Their take on street food was great . . .”

— JOE V. / GOOGLE REVIEW

Hundreds of bar suggestions are available at chicagoreader.com/ barguide. Bottoms up!

FOOD & DRINK Port of Spain at Milk Room o CLAYTON HAUCK

cofounder Hagen Dost says increases clarity and improves ﬂavor. The result is straightforward, crisp, and a touch creamy—and not at all boring. And it’s on tap not only at Dovetail’s tasting room, but also many local bars.

BARS

Top ten quaffs of 2016 The best cocktails, booze, and beer of the year By JULIA THIEL Susan for President barreled peach brandy from Koval Distillery The first installment in Koval Distillery’s new line of limited-edition spirits is named for Koval cofounder Sonat Birnecker Hart’s aunt Susan, who used to jokingly campaign for President of the World. Peach brandy—not to be confused with the sickly-sweet bottomshelf spirits of the same name—was a staple of the early colonists, but fell out of favor after the 18th century; only recently has it started to make a comeback among craft distillers. Distilled from peaches and aged for six months in Koval rye barrels, the distillery’s fall release is both delicate and lush, with tons of juicy peach flavor and a faint sweetness that turns into a peppery finish balanced by vanilla and butterscotch. Spaceman Spiff at the Sixth The Sixth knows how to put on a show and make a mean cocktail. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Lincoln Square bar’s

Spaceman Spiff. The mezcal-based drink with grilled pineapple juice, hazelnut orgeat, and barbecue bitters is served in a stemless, conical glass atop a smoke-filled bowl that contains a diorama meant to be evocative of something Spaceman Spiff—Calvin’s alter ego in the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip— might’ve seen on another planet. Sweet, savory, nutty, and smoky, it’s the closest I’ve come to drinking a campﬁre. Lager from Dovetail Brewery Challenging the notion of lager as a boring, tasteless macrobrew is hardly new—Metropolitan has been making excellent lagers for years—but even in an increasingly crowded market, the version made by Dovetail Brewery in Ravenswood manages to be exceptional. The water used to brew it is treated using a reverse osmosis process to mimic the water of Pilsen, the town in Bohemia where pilsner was ﬁrst made, and it’s cooled in a large, shallow, open tank called a coolship, which brewer and

Port of Spain at Milk Room Part of the charm of Milk Room, the ticketed bar helmed by Paul McGee inside the downtown Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, is its old-timey, secret-club atmosphere. The other (arguably more important) part is the lineup of rare and vintage spirits, some of which date back to the mid-20th century. The simple cocktails are built to showcase those spirits, and none does it better than the Port of Spain. Navazos Palazzi cask-strength rum and Caroni 16-year-old single-barrel rum combine with Valdespino Pedro Ximenez sherry and Angostura bitters for a round, full-bodied cocktail that tastes intensely of the remarkable rums in it, backed up by the nutty sherry and spicy bitters. Cold Brew at Hopewell Brewing Company Hopewell’s bright, airy taproom in Logan Square feels more like a cafe than a bar (and even has Ipsento nitro coffee on tap), so it’s probably not a coincidence that my favorite of the company’s beers is called Cold Brew and tastes just like iced coffee. Though it’s not sweet, the beer has zero bitterness and some very appealing milk chocolate undertones, making it one of the smoothest-drinking coffee beers I’ve had. It’s a seasonal offering that isn’t currently on the menu but will return in the spring. Illuminati Handshake at Mezcaleria Las Flores Sal de gusano—salt with chiles and dried ground agave worm—doesn’t sound all that pleasant. But added to the rim of the Illuminati Handshake at Mezcaleria Las Flores, its spicy salinity works wonders on an already outstanding drink. Mina Real mezcal and Old Overholt Rye meld with Lustau Oloroso sherry, rooibos tea, and Angostura orange bitters for a nutty, barely sweet cocktail with layers of ﬂavor and a hint of orange. ONU YOU DIDN’T AT THE LADIES’ ROOM A major component of this cocktail, Onu Tuica Romanesca, is the result of a collaboration

between the Ladies’ Room’s parent restaurant, Fat Rice, and CH Distillery to re-create the recipe for Romanian plum brandy that Fat Rice’s Transylvanian janitor, Onu, has made for years. The cocktail, which pairs the brandy with a plum shrub, umeboshi vinegar, and visinatå (sour-cherry liqueur), is light, ﬂoral, and savory, less sweet and fruity than you’d expect from a drink in which every ingredient involves plums or cherries.

Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Gingerbread Imperial Stout at the Tasting Room at Moody Tongue Moody Tongue’s black truffle pilsner has gotten a lot of attention—and it’s a beautifully restrained beer with a faintly earthy, fungal undertone—but it’s the gingerbread imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels that kept me coming back for more. Its spiced molasses notes and creamy, almost buttery chocolategraham cracker flavor combine to create a relatively dry beer that doesn’t hint at its whopping 14.2 percent ABV. Available only at Moody Tongue’s Pilsen tasting room.

Rauch American Single Malt Whiskey from Chicago Distilling Company Any of Chicago Distilling Company’s line of single-malt whiskeys, made from the mash bills of various beers and available at the Logan Square distillery and local retailers, could be a contender for this slot. I love the fruity Belgian dark strong ale, the roasty stout, and the smooth dunkelweizen. But the subtle smokiness and toffee finish of the rauchbier whiskey puts it over the top.

Carnivale Queen at Annex at GreenRiver When I set out to interview bartender Julia Momose about how she uses feni—a spirit from India distilled from cashew fruit—in cocktails at GreenRiver and the adjoining bar Annex in the Gold Coast, I was surprised by the level of enthusiasm she expressed for a spirit that she said smelled like acetone. At the time she’d recently retired one feni-based cocktail but developed another, the Carnivale Queen (currently on the GreenRiver menu). Feni can be difficult to work with, but Momose balanced out its aggressive ﬂavors perfectly with Chareau (an aloe vera liqueur infused with cucumber, muskmelon, and spearmint), pistachio orgeat, Aperol, lime juice, and cinnamon. v

ß @juliathiel

DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 37

JOBS SALES & MARKETING TELE-FUNDRAISING: NEW YEARS CASH! American Veterans helping Veterans. Felons need not apply per Illinois Attorney General regulations. Start ASAP, Call 312-256-5035

General PRODUCT SUPPORT ENGINEER - Ensure info flow between Product Knowledge Mgmt, Educ, and Supp re product improvements and tech expertise; meet int and ext customer expectations; resolve high level tech probs; root cause analysis for product lines; expert re product features, implementation and devel; training re product knowledge for supp personnel; create supp docs (service manuals); collect/ evaluate product feedback; report trends in product utili zation/complaints to Mgr Customer Care; ensure userfriendly and serviceable products w/ Product Knowledge Mgmt and Regional Mktg; “first install”/feedback for release candidates of product line; overview product License Admin. Domestic travel approx 30%. Reqd: BS, pref in Biomed Eng or Life Sci; in lieu of BS, two years foreign/U.S. vocational educ in Eng field; 2 yrs exp in tech support; exp w/ computer or tech devices; prof in PC apps incl MS Office; and perm US work auth. Send cvr ltr and CV to N Bandukwala, HR, Brainlab, Inc., 5 Westbrook Corporate Center, Suite 1000, Westchester, IL 60154.

NEWS REPORTER: report & write news stories in Bulgarian for broadcast by Bulgarian TV. BA in PSCI or Journalism is req. Able to travel. Fluent in Bulgarian and Engl. Mail res: BiT Media Group LLC, 1200 N Ellis, Bensenville, IL 60106

SOFTWARE QA ENGINEER. ShopperTrak RCT Corporation has multiple openings in Chicago, IL for Software QA Engineers. Provide testing expertise for teams developing suite of software products. Test manual & automated functional, regression, load, perf., & sys. tests. Participate in entire SDLC & rqmts. reviews & devl. reviews. Collaborate w/ tech. & business stakeholders. Work w/ Developers to create aprop. test scenarios. Develop, modify & exec. software test plans in both automate & manual fashion. Must possess at least a bachelor’s or its equiv. in CS or a rltd. fld. & at least 5 yrs of prior prog. work exp. as a Software QA Eng. Must also possess the following: IT platforms, i/c OS: Linux, Windows, & Browsers: Internet Explorer, Chrome, & Firefox; Test Tools, i/c JIRA & Selenium or QTP; Database Technologies, i/c Oracle & NoSQL (Cassanda or MongoDB); OOP & Agile methodologies, i/c Agile Scrum; breaking down complex rqmts. into testable pieces; & wkg. on Java & JavaScript apps. Fwd resume to Chris Smith, Team Lead, Talent Acq., Johnson Controls, 4700 Executive Court, Ste. 300W3195, Boca Raton, FL 33431.

(Hoffman Estates, IL) Tate & Lyle Americas LLC seeks SAP Functional Analyst – SCM w/ Bach or for equiv deg in CS, Eng, Bus, Fin, Logis or rel fld & 7 yrs progr exp in job offer or SAP APO & SAP PP module incl Demand Plan, Supply Netwrk Plan & Prod Plan & Detail Sched for manuf ind, incl exp conduct blue prntg wrkshops to gather reqs from bus end users in SAP APO & PP modules; 2+ full life-cycle implem incl post Go-Live sup or doing equiv in sup, rollout & upgrade/ enhance proj; SAP PP & SAP APO config & how these interact w/ other SAP modules such as S D/CRM/FI/COPA/MM; develp fun ct/techn specif, test plans & cutover plan for go-live; SAP APO interfaces w/ BW syst & writing funct specif for BW reports; data convers loads interfaces for SAP APO & PP modules; develp trng mater for end-users; develp funct/ tech specif, & test plans & ASAP/ RunSAP method. Domes & Intl trvl reqd up to 25% . Apply online at: http://www.tateandlyle. com/careers/Pages/Careers.aspx

Northwestern University seeks Assistant Professor for Evanston, IL location to actively conduct research to enhance our understanding of the performance of firms, markets, organizations, and economies. Ph.D. in Economics or related field req’d. Must have research that addresses real-world phenomena w/ rigorous microeconomic theory a nd/or empirical methods in industrial organization, public finance, organizational economics, international, the economics of innovation, or related fields, excellent recommendations, superior teaching capabilities, & outstanding research potential. Must submit curriculum Vitae, graduate transcripts, 3 letters of reference, & copies of publications or work in progress. Send resume to: Mathew Lake, REF: STRT, 2001 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208 ACCOUNTING Manager, Risk Assurance – Advanced Risk & Compliance Analytics (MULT. POS.), PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Chicago, IL. Advise clnts in Fin’l, Healthcare Provider & Payer indus on how to incr use of anlytics. Req Bach in Acctng, MIS, Engg, Bus Admin or rel + 5 yrs post-bach prog rel work exp in cnsltin, data anlys, compliance, intrnl audit or risk; OR Master in Acctng, MIS, Engg, Bus Admin or rel + 3 yrs rel work exp in cnsltin, data anlys, compliance, intrnl audit or risk. Travel up to 60% req. Apply by mail, referencing Job Code IL1071, Attn: HR SSC/Talent Management, 4040 W. Boy Scout Blvd, Tampa, FL 33607.

CHICAGO ELECTRICIAN: ELECTRICAL Contractor is currently seeking Electrician for residential, commercial and new construction. OSHA-10 preferred. If you are interested in becoming part of a successful, fast paced company with competitive hourly wage, competitive benefits inclusive of holiday pay, vacation pay, pension plan, short term disability, long term disability, health benefits for employee and family, weekly paycheck! Please send your resume via email to resumes. electric01@gmail.com. Looking to hire ASAP. An Equal Opportunity Employer

CAPITAL ONE SEEKS a Senior Software Engineer in Chicago Metro Area (multiple positions available) to be responsible for the overall technical design, development, modification, and implementation of computer applications using existing and emerging technology platforms. Requires a master’s + 2 yrs. or bach. + 5 yrs. of exp. Must pass company’s assessment. See full req’s & apply online: https://www. capitalonecareers.com/ Req # R15112.

CAPITAL ONE seeks a Software Engineer in Chicago Metro Area(multiple positions available) to perform technical design, development, modification, and implementation of computer applications using existing and emerging technology platforms. Requires a bach. + 3 yrs. of exp. Must pass company’s assessment. See full req’s & apply online: ht tps://www.capitalonecareers.com/ Req # R15229 CAPITAL ONE SEEKS a Software Engineer in Chicago Metro Area (multiple positions available) to perform technical design, development, modification, and implementation of computer applications using existing and emerging technology platforms. Requires a bach. + 3 yrs. of exp. Must pass company’s assessment. See full req’s & apply online: https://www. capitalonecareers.com/ Req # R15181.

REAL ESTATE RENTALS

Dexter Dental LLC is seeking General Dentists to diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums and related oral structures, and provide preventative and corrective services. Work Location: Elgin, IL. Req. DDS/DMD and state dental license. Multiple openings. To apply, send Resume to Familia Development LLC – ATTN: Vito Losuriello, 2050 East Algonquin Rd., Ste. 601, Schaumburg, IL 60173.

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WINTER SPECIAL $500 Toward Rent Beautiful Studios 1, 2, 3 & 4 BR Sect. 8 Welc. Westside Loc, Must qualify. 773-287-4500 www.wjmngmt.com NEWLY REMOD 1BR & Studios starting at $500. No sec dep, move in fee or app fee. Free heat/ hot water. 1155 W. 83rd St., 773619-0204 CLEAN ROOM W/FRIDGE & micro, Near Oak Park, Food -4Less, Walmart, Walgreens, Buses & Metra, Laundry. $115/wk & up. 773-637-5957 MARQUETTE PARK: 7142 S Richmond, beaut rehab 3BR/2BA house, granite ctrs, SS appls, fin bsmt, 2 car gar. $1600/mo. 708288-4510

1 BR OTHER APTS. FOR RENT PARK MGMT & INV. LTD. OLD MAN WINTER IS HERE!!! MOST UNITS INCLUDE.. HEAT & HOT WTR STUDIOS FROM $475.00 1BDR FROM $495.00 2BDR FROM $745.00 3 BDR/2 FULL BATH FROM $1200 **1-(773)-476-6000** APTS. FOR RENT PARK MGMT & INV. LTD. THE HAWK HAS ARRIVED!!! OUR UNITS INCLUDE HEAT, HW & CG PLENTY OF PARKING 1BDR FROM $750.00 2BDR FROM $895.00 3 BDR/2 FULL BATH FROM $1200 **1-(773)-476-6000***

Chicago, Beverly/Cal Park/Blue Island Studio $575 & up, 1BR $665 & up, 2BR $885 & up. Heat, Appls, Balcony, Carpet, Laundry, Prkg. 708-388-0170

STUDIO $600-$699

LARGE, LOVELY, HEATED rooms available: Far South. $375, $400 & $425/mo + Security. Call John 773-703-8400

STUDIO $500-$599

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

7500 SOUTH SHORE Dr. Brand New Rehabbed Studio & 1BR Apts from $650. Call 773-374-7777 for details.

STUDIO OTHER LARGE SUNNY ROOM w/fridge & microwave. Near Oak Park, Green Line & Buses. 24 hr Desk, Parking Lot $101/week & Up. (773)378-8888 CHICAGO - HYDE PARK 5401 S. Ellis. 1BR. $535-$600/mo.

û NO SEC DEP û 6829 S. Perry. 1BR. $520/mo. 1431 W. 78th St. 2BR. $605/mo. HEAT INCL 773-955-5106

Newly updated, clean furnished rooms, located near buses & Metra, elevator, utilities included, $91/wk. $ 395/mo. 815-722-1212

NICE ROOM w/stove, fridge & bath Near Aldi, Walgreens, Beach, Red Line & Buses. Elevator & Laundry. $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

Call 773-955-5106

CROSSROADS HOTEL SRO SINGLE RMS Private bath, PHONE, CABLE & MAIDS. 1 Block to Orange Line 5300 S. Pulaski 773-581-1188

Ashland Hotel nice clean rms. 24 hr desk/maid/TV/laundry/air. Low rates daily/weekly/monthly. South Side. Call 773-376-5200

2BR APTS 78TH & Calumet, $875; 82nd & King Dr. $950. Tenant pays own heat. Credit check fee $50. Call/text 773-203-9399 or 773-4849250

1 BR $900-$1099

WINTER SPECIAL: STUDIOS starting at $499 incls utilities. 1BR $550, 2BR $599, 3BR $699. With approved credit. No Security Deposit for Sec 8 Tenants. South Shore & Southside. Call 312-4463333

1000SF

1BR;

new kit, sunny FDR, oak flrs, Onsite lndy; PKG Avail., $1050/incl heat. 773-743-4141 www. urbanequities.com

1 BR $1100 AND OVER

7022 S. SHORE DRIVE Impecca-

modern oak floors, appliances, Security system, on site maint. clean & quiet, Nr. transp. From $445. 773582-1985 (espanol)

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 ∫

ONE OF THE BEST M & N MGMT, 1BR, 7727 Colfax ** 2 Lrg BR, 6754 Crandon ** 2 & 3BR, 2BA, 6216 Eberhart ** Completely rehabbed. You deserve the best ** 773-9478572 or 312-613-4427

newly decorated, carpeted, stove, fridge, free heat & hot water, free credit check & no application fee, laundry facilities ,1-773-550-9426 or 1-312-802-7301 7241-55 S. CONSTANCE Ave., Studio & 1BR, Brand New! Heat, water & appliances included. Section 8 ok. Call Miro, 312-8891102 CHICAGO SOUTH SIDE Beautiful Studios, 1,2,3 & 4 BR’s, Sec 8 ok. $500 gift certificate for Sec 8 tenants. 773-287-9999/312-446-3333

SEC 8 WELC, newly rehab, huge SFH 3BR/2BA, full bsmt w/ extra BRs & bthrm. Appls incl, fully fncd yrd, no pets, 773-744-7411

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

APARTMENTS,

MIDWAY AREA/63RD KEDZIE Deluxe Studio 1 & 2 BRs. All

ROUND LAKE BEACH, IL

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

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

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

CHICAGO, CHATHAM NO SECURITY DEPOSIT Spacious updated 1BR from $600 with great closet space. Incl: stove/fridge, hdwd flrs, blinds, heat & more!!! LIMITED INVENTORY ** Call (773) 271-7100 **

NEAR MIDWAY AIRPORT 1BR $775

1 BR $700-$799

EDGEWATER

1 BR UNDER $700

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

38 CHICAGO READER | DECEMBER 22, 2016

Ave) RENT SPECIAL 1/2 Off 1 month rent + Sec dep. Nice,lrg 1BR $575; 2BR $650 & 1 3BR $850, balcony, Sec 8 Welc. 773-995-6950

7100 SOUTH JEFFERY Large 1 BEDROOM, $725 Large Studio, $625 Nr Metra & shops, Sec 8 OK. CALUMET CITY: Newly decora- Newly decor, dining room, ted 2BR house, 1BA hardwood carpeted, appls, FREE heat & flrs, stove, garage, $1050/Mo. cooking gas. Elevator & launRent + Sec dep req’d. Call 773dry room, free credit check, 507-8475 no application fee, 1-773-9197102 or 1-312-802-7301

QUALITY

CHICAGOREADER.COM

WEST PULLMAN (INDIANA

$400 OFF 1ST MONTHS RENT

“WINTER SPECIAL” RENT IS $1100 APT AVAIL JAN 1ST 2017 1bd 1bath apt. 2nd floor apartments its modern. it has a fridge and gas grill stove with unit. jet tub, wood floors through the whole apt. wet bar ,it has a porch that can be used as a storage. no photos due to someone living there now and don’t have any. ******no pets no smokers****Please make an appointment and come and see it.

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

2 BR UNDER $900 CHICAGO 5246 S. HERMITAGE: 2BR bsmt $400. 2BR 1st floor, $525. 3BR, 2nd floor, $625. 1.5 mo sec req’d. 708-574-4085.

Elmhurst: Sunny 1/BR, new

ROUND LAKE BEACH, IL Cedar

appl, carpet, AC, Patio, $875/incl heat, parking. Call 773-743-4141 www.urbanequities.com

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

73RD & DORCHESTER, 2BR, refrig, $1150/mo, gas incl; 119th & Calumet, 3BR, 2BA, $1250/mo. No Sec Dep. Sec 8 ok. 773-684-1166

2 BR $1300-$1499

SOUTH SHORE - 7129 SE End, 2br, 1st flr, heat, stove, refrigerator incl, hrdwd flrs, DR, section 8 welcome. 773-206-4737 84TH/PAULINA 2BR, updated kitchen & bath. 77th/Emerald, newly remod 3BR, all appls incl. Sec 8 Welc. 312-282-6555

3 BR OR MORE $1200-$1499

Crete-982 Patricia Ln,2BR, 1.5BA impeccable 1500 sq ft, 2fl TH remodeled, large bkyd, ss appls. hdwd flrs, new kit 630-6741940

GENERAL

SOUTHWEST - FORD City Area, Holiday Special on sec. dep. 3BR, 2BA, hdwd flrs, all appls. Near shopping, mall, restaurants, movies, transp. $1200. 773-259-7574

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

AS IS PULLMAN PROPERTY 106TH & Langley, 2 Bedroom, $30,000 as is. 219-791-0897

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

FOR A HEALTHY mind and body.

non-residential ROBBINS, 14044 Wayman Lane, newly rehabbed, 3BR, 2BA, hdwd flrs, appliances, beautiful neighborhood, $135 0/mo. 773-590-0101

European trained and certified therapists specializing in deep tissue, Swedish, and relaxation massage. Incalls. 773-552-7525. Lic. #227008861.

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.

UKRAINIAN MASSAGE. CALLS in/ out. Chicago and sub-

LIQUIDATION - ACE Hardware

3 BR OR MORE UNDER $1200 WIN SPECIAL! 1/2 off 1st Month’s Rent, 80th/Phillips, 3 lrg BR, 1.5BA, new reno hdwd flrs & appls incl. $950&up 312818-0236

OLD TOWN AREA

AFFORDABLE HOUSING 2 & 3 BED 1 BATH Starting @ $839 Inc Restrictions NO SEC DEPOSIT 312-784-8740

2 ($800) & 3 ($1000) bed apts in 3-unit bldg near Metra station, bus, park & stores. Tenant pays elec & heat. Laundry on site. Sect 8 ok. 708650-7142, CHICAGO SOUTHSIDE BRAND new 2 & 3BR apts. Excellent neighborhood, near trans & schools, Sect 8 Welc., Call 708-7742473

CHATHAM

80TH/EVANS,

2BR, 1st flr, hdwd flrs, heat and appl incl. $840. $300 Move-In Fee. Call John 847-877-6502 CHICAGO 7600 S Essex 2BR $599, 3BR $699, 4BR $799 w/apprvd credit, no sec dep. Sect 8 Ok! 773287-9999 /312-446-3333

AUSTIN SPRINGFIELD. 2 bedrooms, $750 per month plus security, tenant pays heat. Call 312-401-3799

2 BR $900-$1099 4321 W CORTEZ ST. Very nice 2BR apt, spacious BRs & bath, lots of closet space, dining room, $850/mo + 1.5 mo sec. 773-620-1241

Bronzeville - 42nd & Indiana. Gut rehabbed 2BR, hardwood floors, new kit cabinets & washer in unit $980. Sect 8 Welc. 773447-2122

2 BR $1100-$1299 BRONZEVILLE, 35TH/KING Dr, 2BR Condo, 1st flr, W/D in unit, maple cabinets, hdwd flrs, granite, $1195. handicap accessible. 773447-2122

BEDROOM

APARTMENT

Available-Oak Park Vintage BuildingModern Amenities-Hardwood FloorsConvenient to downtown-two blocks from the Eisenhower expressway 290 and Blue Line. 2 bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen w/ dishwasher and updated bathroom. Plus enclosed back porch and a bonus room with a balcony $1420 with no balcony $1380. Utilities-central heat/ air included-you pay electric. Free onsite laundry-large yard and a parking space included! Cats ok! Phone 773 550-5193

2 BR $1500 AND OVER LARGE TWO BEDROOM, two bathroom apartment, 3820 N Fremont. Near Wrigley Field. Hardwood floors. Cats OK. Laundry in building. Available 1/1. $1595/ month. New Year special: Move in by February 1st, get March rent Free. Parking available. $150/ month for single parking space. $250/ month for tandem parking space. 773-761-4318, w ww.lakefrontmgt.com

CHATHAM-3BR 1.5BA, STOVE /HEAT incl, laundry in bsmt, 7900 block of Langley, Sec 8 Ok. $1140/Mo. Mr. Johnson, 630-424-1403

3 BR OR MORE OTHER 84th & Peoria; 4BR, $1300 97th & Oglesby; 3BR, $1200, 97th & Jeffrey. Section 8 Welcome 312-8043638

SECTION 8 WELCOME 3BR, hdwd flrs, appliances included, 5434 S Marshfield, $900/month plus 1 month security 773-457-8440

RIVERDALE 3/4BR, 1.5BA Townhome, hdwd flrs, 1 car garage, near Metra & PACE, starts at $900/mo + sec. 708-539-0522

HELP!

fireplace and basement, 1 car garage, Section 8 Welcome

8457 S BRANDON, 2nd flr, 4BR, lndy, 3 or 2 BR voucher ok. Sec 8 ok. 8322 S Baker, 1st flr, 3BR, 2BR voucher ok. 847-926-0625.

CHICAGO, 4010 S. King Dr. 3BR, heat incl, $1025. 1535 W. 79th St. 4BR, 1.5BA. $925, utils not incl. Call 708-421-7630 or 773-899-9529

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

ADULT SERVICES

MOVED

SERVICES

OLD TOWN AREA

AFFORDABLE SENIOR HOUSING 1 Bed 1 Bath Starting @ $785 Inc Limits NO SECURITY DEPOSITS 312-787-8740

TAX VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

MARKETPLACE GOODS MASSAGE TABLES, NEW and

FOR SALE CHICAGO, RENT/OPTION TO Purchase, 3BR home, 1.5BA, vicinity of 77th & King Drive Call 773-407-3143

ROOMMATE

in with his girlfriend! Immed occup available in newly-rehabbed, fully furnished 2 br/ 1bath apt. in E. Rogers Park. 3 blocks from Loyola Red Line, ample shopping, quiet neighborhood. $650/mo + 1/2 util, wifi. Must like dog. Prefer older gentleman.

12946 S Carpenter, 3BR, 1.5 BA, 773-995-9370 OR 773-718-1142

5545 S. LASALLE. & 6227 S. JUSTINE. BOTH 3BR, 1BA, CRPT & APPLS. $1100. $200 CASH MOVE-IN BONUS. NO DEP. 312-683-5174

roommates

NEWLY REHAB 5BR $1500,

LARGE UPDATED 1BED/1BATH co-op for sale. Move in ready 708-207-5752.

708-822-1163 or

BEVERLY AREA SHARP Brk 5 unit Apts 2BR,Updtd Kitch & baths. Indv. Heat & C/A, Newer Roof, Porches, $329,000 Brown R.E 773-239-9400

ADULT SERVICES

on Clark is Closing! - All Merchandise and Fixtures Must Go! 33% to 70% off all merchandise 3011 North Clark (Clark and Wellington) CLASSICS WANTED ANY CLASSIC CARS IN ANY CONDITION. ’20S, ’30S, ’40S, ’50S, ’60S & ’70S. HOTRODS & EXOTICS! TOP DOLLAR PAID! COLLECTOR. CALL JAMES, 630-201-8122

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.

FREON R12 WANTED: 609 certified, will pickup and pay CASH for cylinders of R12. 312-291-9169

ADULT SERVICES

Center for Economic Progress (CEP) provides free tax prep and financial services for working families in and around Chicagoland. We need volunteer Tax Preparers, Site Specialists and Savings Coaches No experience is necessary! All training is provided; online training is available now and classroom training takes place in January. Volunteers are asked to commit to just one shift per week between January and April. Register to volunteer at www.economicprogress. org/volunteer to view training dates, volunteer locations, and schedules. Contact Volunteer Engagement at (312) 630-0288 or volunteer@economicprogress.org

ADULT SERVICES

urbs. Hotels. 1250 S Michigan Avenue. Appointments. 773-616-6969.

MUSIC & ARTS SEEKING FUN PEOPLE TO PARTY IN BOISE TREEFORT MUSIC FEST MARCH 22-26, 2017 TMF-888-2017 www.treefortmusicfest.com

NOTICES THE RED PILL, see the Cassie Jaye film for free! Showing Tuesday December 27th, 6:45pm, at the Chicago Men’s Center: 1900 W. Fulton, Chicago, IL 60612. Free admission! One night only.

ADULT SERVICES

2 BR OTHER BEAUTIFUL NEW APT! 7203 S. Evans. 3 BDRM 6155 S. King. 2BDRM 8129 S. Ingleside 2BDRM 6150 S. Vernon. 4BDRM 7651 S. Phillips Ave 1, 2 & 4BDRM Stainless Steel!! Appliances!! Hdwd flrs!! Marble bath!! Laundry on site!! FREE 42IN TV Sec 8 OK. 773- 404- 8926

CHICAGO, PRINCETON PARK HOMES. Spacious 2-3 BR Townhomes, Inclu: Prvt entry, full bsmt, lndry hook-ups. Ample prkg. Close to trans & schls. Starts at $844/ mo. w w w . p p k h o m e s . com;773-264-3005

EVANSTON 2BR, 1100SF, great kit, new appls, DR, oak flrs, lndry, $1250/mo incls heat. 773743-4141 www.urbanequities.co

ENGLEWOOD 2-4BR unit apts in 2 unit gated bldgs, hdwd flrs, pets OK, no sec dep, W/D & appls incl, tenant pays own utils 872-3153900

ADULT SERVICES

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

224-223-7787

DECEMBER 22, 2016 | CHICAGO READER 39

SLUG SIGNORINO

STRAIGHT DOPE By Cecil Adams

Q : Did Martin Luther, founder of the

Protestant Reformation, instigate the Holocaust with his anti-Jewish writings, including his infamous On the Jews and Their Lies? —CURIOUS IN COLORADO

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A : Did Martin Luther instigate the Holo-

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40 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

orthoinfo.org

caust? Call me a traditionalist, but I figure that accomplishment can stay on Hitler’s rap sheet. What we can safely say, though, is that (a) yes, the father of the Reformation did express starkly anti-Semitic sentiments in print and at great length—in the treatise you name, he explicitly advocates the persecution of German Jews, saying at one point, “We are at fault in not slaying them”—and (b) the Nazis couldn’t get enough of it. Luther hardly invented anti-Semitism, but as a towering presence in German culture, he proved very useful in legitimizing the aims of the Third Reich. Always opposed to the practice of Judaism—he couldn’t understand why anyone would take a pass on the Christian promise of salvation—Luther initially adopted a honey-not-vinegar approach toward its adherents. His 1523 treatise That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew condemned the Catholic Church for its mistreatment of Jews—not for humanitarian reasons, mind you, but because he felt it made Jews less likely to convert. On the basis of this position, a Jewish advocate solicited Luther’s aid in 1537 after Jews had been banned from the state of Saxony; Luther, by this time seemingly enraged at the failure of his conversion eﬀorts, vehemently refused to intercede. Luther’s anti-Semitism reached full boil with the 1543 publication of On the Jews and Their Lies—basically a 65,000-word blast of what nowadays we’d call hate speech. After roundly condemning Jews as prideful, deceitful, indolent blasphemers, “possessed by all devils,” Luther sets forth a program of action: he calls for the burning of synagogues; forbidding rabbis from teaching; banning Jews from owning homes; denying them legal protection; confiscating their texts and money; and setting them to manual labor. This diatribe wasn’t a one-oﬀ, as Luther followed it up with further, equally combative treatises and a later series of anti-Semitic sermons before his death in 1546. And its arguments weren’t ineffective—a reprint helped stir up a Frankfurt pogrom in 1614. In his classic The Rise and Fall of the Third

Reich (1960), William Shirer argues that here Luther had basically drafted the blueprints for the Holocaust, concluding that his “advice was literally followed.” But we have no proof the young Hitler was aware of Luther’s antiSemitic writings, or that they had a formative eﬀect on his thinking; thus we can’t draw a direct line from Luther to Hitler to the Holocaust. However, it’s broadly true that Luther contributed to the culture of anti-Semitism that was especially virulent in Germany (although hardly unknown elsewhere—for example in Russia, where Luther had no comparable inﬂuence). And by the 1930s at least, the Nazis were well aware of Luther’s anti-Semitic work and used it to justify their actions. On the Jews and Their Lies was displayed prominently in a glass case during the Nuremberg rallies, and Nazi bigwigs regularly cited Luther as a kindred spirit. “No judgment could be sharper,” Heinrich Himmler said of Luther’s writings against the Jews. Luther’s defenders emphasize that his prejudice against Jews was theological, rooted in their refusal to embrace Christianity. But the relentless vigor with which he hammers away at “these base children of the devil, this brood of vipers,” suggests more than a purely doctrinal bone to pick. In Luther’s example, Shirer suggests, Hitler found a traditional justification for not just anti-Jewish policy, but also for authoritarian rule; he contends that Luther’s own “passion for political autocracy ensured a mindless and provincial political absolutism” in German society. The Nazis organized Luther Day celebrations, calling Luther “the first German spiritual Führer,” and enlisted his teachings to support the idea that German exceptionalism and anti-Semitism were inseparable. We don’t know whether Luther would have approved of the Holocaust. But—and this is always the danger with rabble-rousers—he set his followers on the path. v Send questions to Cecil via straightdope.com or write him c/o Chicago Reader, 350 N. Orleans, Chicago 60654.

SAVAGE LOVE

By Dan Savage

Righteous anger or ‘freak-out’?

A jealous girlfriend feels her trust has been betrayed. Plus: more on honesty Q : My boyfriend and I have

been together for more than a year and a half. We had troubles early on because he has a low sex drive. It made me very insecure, and I think that’s why, at the time, I became extremely jealous of his friendship with his very attractive intern. She eventually stopped working with him, and as far as I know they haven’t been in contact for more than six months. Fast-forward to the present. On Monday night, I asked my boyfriend what his plans were for Tuesday. (I am studying for law school exams, so I knew I wouldn’t have time to spend with him.) Around 8:30 on Tuesday, he texted me and asked how studying was going, and I asked him again what his plans were. He told me he was going to meet an “old coworker” at a bar for birthday drinks. I didn’t think twice about it. Then, around 11:30 when I got in bed to relax, I saw on my Instagram feed that his old intern posted a photo of her birthday party at the bar. I confronted him when he got home, and he admitted to being ambiguous to avoid a “freak-out.” He insisted it was a lastminute invite and he didn’t want to cause any drama. We went to sleep, and I woke up feeling pretty much over it. But when he got into the shower, I looked at his phone and saw that she had actually invited him on Monday afternoon. So he lied to me when I asked him what his plans were on Tuesday, and he lied to me again when he said it was a last-minute invite. I am not upset with him for getting drinks with her—most of his friends are female and I NEVER feel jealous about them. I have a weird tic about this girl, though, and I’ve owned up to it. I don’t want to control

him, but I feel like I can’t trust him now. —AM I CRAZY?

A : Want to prove to your

boyfriend that he didn’t need to lie to you about spending time with his ex-intern, AIC? Retroactively bestow your blessing on Tuesday night’s birthday drinks and stop raking him over the fucking coals. Yes, he lied to you. But unless you’re made of marshmallow fluff and unicorn farts, AIC, you’ve lied to him once or twice over the last year and a half. If you want your relationship to last, AIC, you roll your eyes at the odd basically harmless, self-serving white lie once in a while and move on. If you want your relationship to end, you do exactly what you’re doing. I would also advise you to apologize to your boyfriend for having “looked at his phone” while he was in the shower, which is both an asshole move and, yes, a sign that you might be the crazy, controlling one in this relationship. And for the sake of your relationship—for the sake of fuck—stop following the ex-intern on Instagram.

Q : I’m a 35-year-old man

in a serious relationship— the best I’ve ever been in— with a girl I’ll likely marry. I’m happy with monogamy, aside from one aspect: I have a foot fetish that’s getting stronger with age, and I can’t bear the thought of never sucking another girl’s toes again. I should note that my girlfriend is more than happy to shove her feet in my mouth, but I fantasize almost constantly about other women’s feet. I’m tempted to ﬁnd paid foot girls, something I’ve done in the past, though never while in a relationship. But that would be cheating, right? I don’t think I can bring myself

to ask for my girlfriend’s blessing, and I’d be shocked if she oﬀered it. What do I do? —FEAR OF MISSING OUT ON FEET

A : You bring yourself to ask,

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DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 41

Sigur Ros o JANUS BAHS JACQUET

NEW

Alcest, the Body 1/25, 7:30 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Joey Alexander Trio 3/24, 7 and 9:30 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 12/22, noon b Daniel Bachman 2/3, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Big Boi (DJ set) 2/25, 10 PM, the Mid Blue October 3/16, 8 PM, House of Blues, on sale Fri 12/23, 10 AM, 17+ Born of Osiris, Volumes, Oceans Ate Alaska 3/19, 6 PM, House of Blues, on sale Fri 12/23, 10 AM b Carpenter Brut 3/25, 9 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Max & Iggor Cavalera 2/23, 6:30 PM, Portage Theater, 17+ C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band 2/24, 9 PM, FitzGerald’s, on sale Fri 12/23, 11 AM Cherish the Ladies 3/10, 7 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 12/22, noon b Howie Day 3/16-17, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 12/22, noon b Enter Shikari 3/17, 5:30 PM, Bottom Lounge b Gnash 4/29, 6:30 PM, House of Blues b Tom Jones 9/14-15, 8 PM, House of Blues Koﬃn Kats 1/27, 7:30 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Mae 3/7, 9 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Marduk, Incantation 2/10, 7 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Mykki Blanco, Cakes Da Killa 2/18, 9 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Naked Raygun 1/6, 7 PM, Concord Music Hall, 17+ Johnny O 2/18, 8 PM, Portage Theater, 18+

Ty Segall 5/13, 9 PM, Metro, 18+ Sigur Ros 6/3, 8 PM, Auditorium Theatre State Champs, Against the Current 4/9, 5 PM, Concord Music Hall b Subdudes 3/8-9, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Thu 12/22, noon b Tauk 3/11, 10 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ That 1 Guy 1/28, 8 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Soﬁ Tukker 3/12, 7:30 PM, Schubas, 18+ Voodoo Glow Skulls, Pilfers 3/30, 8 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+

UPCOMING AFI, Chain Gang of 1974 1/31, 7 PM, Riviera Theatre b Dan Andriano, Matt Pryor 3/25, 8 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Anglagard 5/9, 8 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Anvil, Night Demon 4/8, 7 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Peter Asher 1/15, 8 PM, Maurer Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music b ATB, Orjan Nilsen 2/24, 9 PM, Concord Music Hall, 18+ Robb Banks 2/17, 6 PM, Bottom Lounge b Bash & Pop 1/14, 8 PM, Cobra Lounge, 17+ Black Marble 1/27, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Olivia Block, Quince 2/18, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Bonobo 5/18, 8 PM, Concord Music Hall, 17+ Doyle Bramhall II 2/15, 8 PM, City Winery b Bring Me the Horizon, Underoath, Beartooth 3/13, 7 PM, Aragon Ballroom b Greg Brown 2/18, 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston b

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds 6/16, 8 PM, Auditorium Theatre Ceremony, Negative Scanner 1/14, 9 PM, Schubas, part of Tomorrow Never Knows, 18+ City of Caterpillar, Planes Mistaken for Stars 1/21, 9 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Clap Your Hands Say Yeah 3/10, 8 PM, Lincoln Hall Cloud Nothings 2/10, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 18+ Rose Cousins 3/5, 7 PM, SPACE, Evanston b Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven 1/7, 9 PM, Lincoln Hall Dawes 3/1, 8 PM, Riviera Theatre, 18+ Daya 3/26, 7:30 PM, House of Blues b Dead & Co. 6/30-7/1, 7 PM, Wrigley Field Delicate Steve 4/9, 8 PM, Lincoln Hall Devildriver, Deathangel 2/14, 6 PM, Portage Theater b Neil Diamond 5/28, 8 PM, United Center Electric Guest 3/1, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Felly 1/7, 6 PM, Portage Theater b Lee Fields & the Expressions 2/28, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Flaming Lips 4/17, 8 PM, Riviera Theatre, 18+ Foxygen 3/31, 8 PM, the Vic, 18+ Galactic 3/25, 8:30 PM, House of Blues, 17+ Ganja White Night 2/25, 11:15 PM, Concord Music Hall, 18+ Brantley Gilbert, Tucker Beathard 3/2, 7 PM, Allstate Arena, Rosemont King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard 4/8, 9 PM, Metro, 18+ Godheadsilo 1/9, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Laura Jane Grace 2/5, 8 PM, City Winery b

42 CHICAGO READER - DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017

b Here Come the Mummies 2/18, 8:30 PM, House of Blues, 17+ High Kings 3/19, 8 PM, City Winery b Infamous Stringdusters 3/17, 8 PM, Park West, 18+ Jack Ingram 2/26, 8 PM, City Winery b Into It. Over It. 1/13, 7 PM, Metro b Japanese House 2/25, 7:30 PM, Bottom Lounge b Jeﬀ the Brotherhood, Pile, Chastity 1/14, 9 PM, Lincoln Hall, Part of Tomorrow Never Knows, 18+ Jojo 3/12, 6 PM, Concord Music Hall b Stephen Kellogg, Humming House 2/17, 8 PM, Park West, 18+ Kreator, Obituary, Midnight 4/7, 7:30 PM, House of Blues, 17+ Nikki Lane, Brent Cobb 3/11, 9 PM, Lincoln Hall, 18+ Leftover Salmon, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades 2/4, 8 PM, Park West, 18+ Hamilton Leithauser 2/15, 8 PM, Lincoln Hall Lemon Twigs 1/26, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Lemuria, Mikey Erg 2/7, 8:30 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Less Than Jake, Pepper 2/8, 7 PM, Concord Music Hall, 17+ Mayhem, Inquisition, Black Anvil 1/23, 8 PM, Metro, 18+ Meat Wave 2/25, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Menzingers, Jeﬀ Rosenstock 3/3, 8 PM, Metro, 18+ Mogwai 1/24, 9:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Moon Duo 4/21, 9 PM, Empty Bottle The Necks 3/1-2, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Old Wounds 1/5, 6 PM, Cobra Lounge b Overkill, Nile 2/17, 7 PM, Concord Music Hall, 17+ Tom Paxton 3/4, 8 PM, City Winery b Periphery, Contortionist, Norma Jean 4/9, 5:15 PM, House of Blues b Powers, Brigit Mendler 3/31, 7:30 PM, Lincoln Hall b Priests 2/9, 7 PM, Beat Kitchen b Red Hot Chili Peppers 6/307/1, 7 PM, United Center River Whyless 2/17, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Safetysuit 2/7, 7 PM, Lincoln Hall b Ty Segall 5/14, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 18+ Sinkane 2/23, 8 PM, Lincoln Hall, 18+ Slapshot 4/2, 7:30 PM, Reggie’s Music Joint Sleaford Mods 4/3, 8 PM, Double Door, 18+ Sleigh Bells, Tunde Olaniran 3/21, 8 PM, Metro b Regina Spektor 3/24, 7:30 PM, Chicago Theatre

ALL AGES

WOLF BY KEITH HERZIK

EARLY WARNINGS

CHICAGO SHOWS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IN THE WEEKS TO COME

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Tennis 3/9, 7:30 PM, Thalia Hall b Testament, Sepultura, Prong 5/2, 6 PM, Concord Music Hall, 17+ Tortoise, Monobody 1/11, 9 PM, Lincoln Hall, Part of Tomorrow Never Knows, 18+ Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls, Masked Intruder 1/23, 6:30 PM, House of Blues, 17+ TV Girl 1/28, 9 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ Ryley Walker 2/1, 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston b Wand, Acid Dad 1/12, 9 PM, Schubas, Part of Tomorrow Never Knows, 18+ Roger Waters 7/22, 8 PM, United Center Wedding Present, Colleen Green 4/21, 9 PM, Lincoln Hall The Weeknd 5/23, 7:30 PM, Allstate Arena, Rosemont White Lies 2/6, 8 PM, Lincoln Hall Whitechapel, Cattle Decapitation, Goatwhore 3/4, 6 PM, House of Blues b Why? 3/17, 9 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Webb Wilder & the Beatnecks 1/21, 9 PM, FitzGerald’s, Berwyn Zach Williams 1/26, 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston b Xeno & Oaklander 1/28, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Xiu Xiu 3/31, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Zombies 4/13, 8 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+

SOLD OUT Adam Ant 1/31, 8 PM, the Vic, 18+ Alkaline Trio 1/18-20, 9 PM, Metro, 18+ Blackbear 1/5, 6:30 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club b Dashboard Confessional 1/28, 7:15 PM, House of Blues b Lukas Graham 1/17, 7 PM, House of Blues b Tove Lo 2/16, 8 PM, House of Blues, 17+ Mayday Parade 4/22, 7 PM, House of Blues b Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Atlas Genius 3/24, 7:30 PM, House of Blues, 17+ New Found Glory 4/11-13, 8 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Poi Dog Pondering 12/26-30, 8 PM, City Winery b Umphrey’s McGee 12/29, 9 PM, Riviera Theatre, 18+ Weekend Nachos 1/13-14, 7 PM, Subterranean b v

GOSSIP WOLF A furry ear to the ground of the local music scene THE DISASTROUS Trump transition and ridiculous weather have sapped this wolf’s holiday spirit. Luckily, on Thursday, December 22, at the Hideout, local guitarists Ryley Walker and Bill MacKay headline what they’re calling a “Holiday Feel Good Real Good Night of Live Music & Cheer,” which also features a reading from playwright Gabriel Wallace, a set from pianist Charles Joseph Smith, and new full-band jams from singer-songwriter Azita. This time last year, Chicago’s hip-hop community was mourning turntablist and WGCI on-air personality Timothy Jones, aka DJ Timbuck2—he was 34 when he died of renal cancer on December 19. Among the many things Jones did for the local scene was host Beauty Bar’s weekly Timbuck2uesdays, and in his memory Metro hosted a massive version called Timbuck2Forever. Mano, Just Blaze, Nonstop, Boi Jeanius, and Rude One were among the DJs spinning, and the likes of Twista, Juice, and De La Soul made surprise cameos. Timbuck2Forever has become an annual gathering, and it returns to Metro on Tuesday, December 27—whoever ends up performing, you won’t want to miss it! On Friday, December 23, Chicago “murder metal” veterans Macabre host their 19th annual Holiday of Horror in both venues at Reggie’s; also on the bill are northwest-Indiana death metallers Dysphoria (reuniting for their ﬁrst show in 20 years) and apparently unkillable local “trio” Maggot Twat, described in 2009 by the Reader’s Monica Kendrick as “ridiculously catchy gross-out metal.” She says MT’s two human band members treat dummy drummer Dick Pancakes as an “all-purpose punch line and abuse receptacle”—at least he doesn’t have feelings to hurt! In May, this wolf mentioned an upcoming seven-inch by Chicago darkwave act Staring Problem on local label Modern Tapes, and this month it ﬁnally dropped! The Ghost EP features the band’s signature ringing guitars and gloomy vocals. —J.R. NELSON AND LEOR GALIL Got a tip? Tweet @Gossip_Wolf or e-mail gossipwolf@chicagoreader.com.

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DECEMBER 22, 2016 TO JANUARY 4, 2017 - CHICAGO READER 43

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