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SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY The South Side Weekly is an independent nonprofit newsprint magazine written for and about neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago. We publish in-depth coverage of the arts and issues of public interest alongside oral histories, poetry, fiction, interviews, and artwork from local photographers and illustrators. The South Side Weekly is dedicated to supporting cultural and civic engagement on the South Side and to providing educational opportunities for developing journalists, writers, and artists. Editor-in-Chief Jake Bittle Managing Editors Maha Ahmed, Christian Belanger Deputy Editor Olivia Stovicek Senior Editor Emeline Posner Education Editor Lit Editor Music Editor Stage & Screen Editor Visual Arts Editor
Hafsa Razi Sarah Claypoole Austin Brown Julia Aizuss Corinne Butta
Contributing Editors Joe Andrews, Eleonora Edreva, Andrew Koski, Lewis Page, Sammie Spector, Carrie Smith Editors-at-Large Mari Cohen, Ellie Mejia Video Editor Lucia Ahrensdorf Radio Producer Maira Khwaja Social Media Editors Sierra Cheatham, Emily Lipstein, Sam Stecklow Visuals Editor Ellen Hao Layout Editor Baci Weiler Staff Writers: Olivia Adams, Maddie Anderson, Sara Cohen, Christopher Good, Anne Li, Emiliano Burr di Mauro, Kristin Lin, Zoe Makoul, Sonia Schlesinger, Darren Wan Staff Photographers: Juliet Eldred, Finn Jubak, Alexander Pizzirani, Julie Wu Staff Illustrators: Javier Suarez, Addie Barron, Jean Cochrane, Lexi Drexelius, Wei Yi Ow, Amber Sollenberger, Teddy Watler, Julie Wu, Zelda Galewsky, Seonhyung Kim Editorial Interns
Gozie Nwachukwu, Kezie Nwachukwu, Bilal Othman
Webmasters Alex Mueller, Sofia Wyetzner Publisher Harry Backlund The paper is produced by an all-volunteer editorial staff and seeks contributions from across the city. We distribute each Wednesday in the fall, winter, and spring, with breaks during April and December. Over the summer we publish monthly. Send submissions, story ideas, comments, or questions to editor@southsideweekly.com or mail to: South Side Weekly 6100 S. Blackstone Ave. Chicago, IL 60637 For advertising inquiries, contact: (773) 234-5388 or advertising@southsideweekly.com
Cover art by Mike Centeno
THE COMICS ISSUE Welcome to the South Side Weekly’s second annual Comics Issue. In the past, the Weekly has published profiles of South Side artists, musicians, and activists, stories about political events and community gatherings, and even recipes from local food institutions—all in comic form. This issue, chock-full of words and pictures about life on the South Side and in Chicago, is our ode to nonfiction comics and their ability to talk about place in ways words alone can’t. These aren’t comics to be skimmed over, as you might do with the comic strips in the back pages of the Tribune—these are labors of love, meant to be sat down with, reread, returned to. In the following pages, you’ll find works from some of the Weekly’s illustrators about biking down Lakeshore Trail and about acclimating to Bridgeport, a fictional vignette about a man who plays guitar in front of Paco's Tacos in Brighton Park, reprinted pages from For the People Artists Collective’s radical coloring book Color Me Rising, and an illustrated essay about what it’s like to navigate the mental healthcare system on the South Side. Alongside these works by experienced cartoonists and writers is a comic about Mexican-American identity by Cassandra Michel, a high school student at Goode Academy in Ashburn. Michel’s first foray into the medium is published here as part of the Weekly’s commitment to giving young storytellers a platform for their work. At the Weekly, we’ve always believed that comics are an engaging and effective way to tell stories. After reading through the stories that follow—stories of fact and fiction, of historical and current events, by professionals and newcomers—we hope you’ll come to agree.
little coffee shop of horrors
courtney kendrick...4 moving day
dani knight...5
not the right identity
“I don’t want to hurt myself but I need help.” kristin brown...18
kedzie avenue
for the people artists collective...22
color me rising
The metamorphosis of a city illustrated press...14
untitled
turtel onli...6 welcome to bridgeport
"Look, you kids rock, but it's 10:30!" sean mac...7
the call you might regret
Even my dog is American...and he's not even human. casandra michel...10
untitled
lakeshore ride
The spectre of failure clung especially close that first summer. dani knight...16
turtel onli...26 la bamba
raziel puma...27
OUR WEBSITE S ON SOUTHSIDEWEEKLY.COM notes from the white rhino
he was ali
What do I say to my son about Chicago's gun violence? ray salazar
Remembering "the Champ" with Hermene Hartman bridget gamble
SSW Radio soundcloud.com/south-side-weekly-radio
Email Edition southsideweekly.com/email
bit.ly/29czCAk
bit.ly/29hJDtX
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Little Coffee Shop of Horrors COURTNEY KENDRICK
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Moving Day DANI KNIGHT
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(Untitled)
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TURTEL ONLI
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BRIDGEPORT
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BRIDGEPORT
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“N
ot the Right Identity,” written and drawn by Casandra Michel, was one of the comics produced after a workshop held by Illustrated Press artist Jamie Hibdon at Sarah E. Goode Academy on the Southwest Side of Chicago. At the workshop, "students were encouraged to create their own comics, covering a range of personal themes and experiences familiar to people of all ages, including issues of race and ethnicity, self-identity, and gender." Here, Casandra explores her own struggle with what it means to be perceived as an American. For more information and other comics by students, see bit.ly/29dvxHX.
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IDENTITY
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IDENTITY
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ILLUSTRATED PRESS
Kedzie Avenue
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his comic is taken from the forthcoming book Kedzie Avenue by Illustrated Press, which will be published in late 2016. Kedzie Avenue is an examination of a north-south street that runs through the entire city of Chicago. The result of “years’ worth of reporting and interviews, the book will weave personal narrative, journalistic reporting, and frame-by-frame illustration into a portrait of the city at large.” This excerpt depicts some of the early history of Kedzie Avenue and Chicago. For more information, see kck.st/1wsLhxj
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BIKING
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The Call You Might Regret WORDS BY KRISTIN BROWN ART BY JAVIER SUÁREZ
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n March 26, 2016 at 2:31pm, a distress call was made to Chicago’s 911 center. Through loud sobs the caller identified herself as a twenty-oneyear-old African-American female in the midst of a mental breakdown. “I don’t want to hurt myself but I need help” was the last thing she said before dispatchers hung up. Six minutes later, two EMTs and seven CPD officers showed up to her South Side residence. The caller was me; I wiped my face on the sleeve of my jacket as I opened my door to the paramedics waiting in the hall. The taller one said, “Come with me,” while the other held a folded-up stretcher in
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MENTAL HEALTH
his hand. Though I was glad to not be alone anymore, I was still distraught—and I froze once I saw the slew of male officers, who seemed unhappy to be there and showed no sign of concern about my situation. So I stepped behind the EMT as I tried not to noticeably cry or make any sudden movements to ensure my safety. At the top of my mind was Quintonio LeGrier, an allegedly mentally ill nineteenyear-old who was shot and killed by police responding to 911 calls the day after Christmas last year. But that’s just one example; according to the Treatment Advocacy Center, one in four people killed by police has a severe mental illness. Only fifteen percent of Chicago police officers have gone through specialized training (known as Crisis Intervention Team or CIT) to handle mental health cases, says Amy Watson, a sociologist and expert on the subject. Chicago Police data show only forty-two officers in the 3rd District (including parts of Hyde Park, Kenwood, Woodlawn, South Shore, Auburn Gresham, Englewood, Washington Park, Avalon Park and Chatham) have been CIT certified in the past three years. That means even when people call into 911 specifically asking for mental health help, it is difficult to ensure that a CIT-trained officer is dispatched.
Once I was safely in the ambulance, I was taken to the University of Chicago emergency room. I changed into a thick green hospital gown while all of my other belongings were taken and locked away. There was a bed in the room, a yellow overhead light, and a tray to the left of the bed. I sat there for eight hours as a man sitting in the corner with a computer silently typed notes about my every move. Finally, a young, female resident with medium-length brown hair entered the room and gave me a psychiatric evaluation. I was as honest as I could be about my previous diagnosis of major depressive disorder, my PTSD, and the emotional turmoil I was facing in the moments that led to me seeking help: at the time, I was 300 miles away from any family, eight weeks pregnant, and my mother was losing her battle with terminal cancer. I was scared and alone and wanted help—not isolation. As alarming as that sounds, long wait times for psychiatric help aren’t uncommon. According to the CDC, average wait times in emergency rooms are at least two hours—even longer for those in psychiatric emergencies. The American Psychological Association task force on emergency psychiatric services released a report stating that psychiatrists should see patients within two hours of initial presentation and every eight
hours during their stay. At the University of Chicago, where I was first admitted, there is no psychiatric ward, and all psychiatrists are on call rather than staffed regularly. The medical center declined my requests to speak to them regarding my experience. Lack of reliable emergency treatment is especially problematic in Chicago; WBEZ reported last year that emergency room visits for mental health had skyrocketed since 2009, with an extra bump in 2012, when the city closed half its mental health clinics. Meanwhile, as a 2009 report by the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law pointed out, inadequate education and training has left ER physicians “ill-prepared” to deal with an increasing number of mentally ill people seeking emergency care. The resident at the UofC eventually returned to my room and offered me the choice of intensive outpatient treatment or inpatient treatment at a psychiatric hospital. When I opted for outpatient, she said she needed my parents to confirm. Unfortunately, my mother was in hospice and my stepfather was at work and missed the call by two minutes. The resident did not leave a message, so he didn’t think to call back. Despite my objections, I was admitted into an inpatient facility. Feeling hopeless and as if I was being punished for asking for help, I cried and
flipped my food tray, empty dishes clattering to the ground, as police officers from the University of Chicago’s private force surrounded my bed and the resident walked out of the room. I spent a total of two days in that room with little human interaction; I was ignored as I begged for an ultrasound to make sure that my baby was safe. I wasn’t allowed to take a shower or even go to the bathroom; hospital workers brought in a portable toilet for me. I kept thinking, this isn’t why I wanted to go to the hospital, to be treated cruelly like this. On March 29 at about 9pm, a private medic service arrived to transport me to the University of Illinois Chicago, the only hospital in the city willing to take my low-acuity case. Upon arrival I was given a physical exam, a list of the rules (prohibited items, visiting hours, etc.) and a set of fresh clothes. Shortly after 7am the next morning, a tall, light-skinned man with a five o’clock shadow and a long face introduced himself to me as Dr. Timothy Yovankin. I spoke with him, another psychiatrist, and four medical students, answering all their questions and reiterating that I felt as if I was being punished for being honest and seeking help. I told them I was exhausted and had regretted calling 911 almost as soon as I’d arrived at the first hospital. After a few hours, Dr. Yovankin said he had gotten in touch with the
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MENTAL HEALTH
father of my child and my stepfather, who both said I’d benefit most from outpatient therapy, and he agreed. He also told me a social worker was looking for treatment options for me, and that I’d be discharged soon. That afternoon, I was released. The hospital gave me a bus card to get home, a doctor’s note in case I needed it for work, and two prescriptions for prenatal vitamins. What I did not receive was a discharge plan, which the APA task force report recommends. Weeks later, while researching this story, I returned to the hospital to collect my medical records and saw that I had been diagnosed with another illness, despite never having been informed of this. UIC Medical Center also declined my requests to ask questions about my stay there. It’s been more than three months since I made that 911 call, and I’ve decided to leave the city of Chicago so that I have more options in my future treatment. I’m feeling stable and more motivated than ever, which could be because of my desire to be healthy for my unborn child. My mother has since passed away and I have been seeing the therapist recommended by the UIC social worker twice a week. For those in situations like mine who feel there are little to no options, Watson, the sociologist, offers alternatives to calling 911. She speaks highly of NAMI’s (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Living Room, which offers free services in non-clinical settings with licensed therapists, nurses, and peer counselors in Deerfield and Skokie. Those who have suicidal thoughts can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
This essay was published in collaboration with City Bureau, a Chicago-based journalism lab.
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Color Me Rising FOR THE PEOPLE ARTISTS COLLECTIVE
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or the People Artists Collective (FTPC) is a group of radical artists of color based in Chicago. FTPC consists of artists who also organize who aim to create work that “uplifts…struggle, resistance, liberation, and survival within and for our marginalized communities and movements in our city and our world.” Color Me Rising is a collaboration between For the People and Chicago Childcare Collective. Originally published in 2015 and currently sold out, Color Me Rising is a radical children’s coloring book that tells stories of liberation and resistance in Chicago. In anticipation of the book’s first republishing later this summer, the Weekly has reprinted some of its pages for you and your children to color in and learn from. forthepeoplecollective.org
¿Cómo MONICA TRINIDAD 22 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY
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RADICAL COLORING
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RUBY PINTO 24 SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY
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RADICAL COLORING
ยกHolgamos VICKO ALVAREZ VEGA JULY 6, 2016 ยฌ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 25
(Untitled)
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TURTEL ONLI
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La Bamba
RAZIEL PUMA
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ARTISTS
Meet the Artists Mike Centeno created the cover for this year's Weekly Comics Issue. He is a Chicago-based illustrator and the creator of a series of comic books called Futile Comics, which can also be found online. mikecenteno.com
in Chicago Public Schools and at Harold Washington College, and worked for a number of magazines, including Playboy and Chicago magazine. His Onli Studios is located at the Bridgeport Arts Center. onlistudios.com
Courtney Kendrick is a Chicagoland artist and illustrator. She has lived on the South Side of Chicago her entire life, and enjoys illustrating environments and important issues in the city of Chicago. courtneykendrickillustration.com
Sean Mac is a Chicago-based illustrator. He has studied at Columbia College and published a comic book, Hail Kelly, about a demon who returns to the world from a century-long banishment. Hail Kelly was published through Yeti Press.
Dani Knight was born in New Jersey, raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but feels most at home in Chicago where she has lived the past ten years. She has a BA in creative writing from DePaul and studied Illustration at Columbia College Chicago. She was drawn to making comics as a way to bring her art and storytelling together, and as a means of exploring memory and place through fiction. daniknightillustration.com
Illustrated Press is a multimedia production collective specializing in illustrated journalism and other storytelling endeavors. The Chicago-based group of professional journalists and illustrators fuses narrative non-fiction with shoe-leather reportage, all set to finely tuned sequential art. It is composed of Darryl Holliday, Jamie Hibdon, and E.N. Rodriguez. illuspress.com
Turtel Onli is an artist and the founder of the Black Age of Comics, a movement focused on bringing attention to the work of Black artists. He has taught
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Kristin Brown is a Columbia College Chicago alumna hailing from St. Louis, MO. She considers herself a mental health advocate, having studied extensively about the country's mental health system. She reports
with City Bureau and hopes to become a full-time investigative reporter in the near future. Javier Suárez is a Chicago-based illustrator and artist, and a frequent contributor to the Weekly. He attended Columbia College Chicago, where he graduated with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts in illustration and a minor in Latin American Studies. He identifies himself as a Mexican/Chicano illustrator. His strong emotional attachment to his parents' motherland is the biggest influence to his work. México–and the rest of Latin America–serve as the backdrop and inspiration to most of his playful and colorful aesthetic. Raziel Puma was born in Chicago and spent his childhood in Gage Park. He graduated from Columbia College with a BFA in illustration and currently lives in Humboldt Park. Though he lives in the upper West Side, he passes through and visits the Brighton Park and Garfield Ridge areas a good deal and always appreciates the atmosphere and people he sees. They make him nostalgic for his early childhood on the South Side. razielpuma.com
EVENTS
BULLETIN LGBTQ+ Justice in Faith-Based Communities Grace Episcopal Church, 637 S. Dearborn St. Friday, July 8, 8:30am–noon. $20 suggested donation. Email maryellen@8thdaycenter.org to register. (312) 641-5151. 8thdaycenter.org How can individual Catholic congregations produce an inclusive environment for queer people despite the church’s conservative and sometimes hostile hierarchy? Eighth Day Center, a Catholic group oriented towards social justice, will consider the issue together with a panel of speakers. (Adam Thorp)
Illinois DCFS Town Hall Kennedy-King College, 740 W. 63rd St., room U-131. Tuesday, July 12, 2pm–4:30pm. Email antwan.turpeau@illinois.gov to register. (217) 524-2029. illinois.gov/dcfs The Illinois Department of Child and Family Services has laid out plans for a major transformation, including reforms to the agency’s culture designed to prevent mistreatment of wards of the state. Come to this town hall to learn about and discuss the many changes. (Christian Belanger)
Presentations on the Politics of Black History Institute of Politics, 5707 S. Woodlawn Ave. Wednesday, July 13, 4pm–6pm. Free. (773) 702-2388. bmrc.lib.uchicago.edu The Black Metropolis Research Consortium is a leading institution in the examination of Chicago’s black history. At this event, three of the Consortium’s fellows will present their research on mid-century art, intentional integration in Chicago’s suburbs, and Cook County Jail. (Adam Thorp)
How to Effectively Mentor a Student Henry Legler Library, 115 S. Pulaski Rd. Thursday, July 14, 1pm–4pm. Check-in begins
12:30pm. Free. (312) 516-5559. Examine and discuss the newly revised fourth edition of Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring at this session hosted by the Illinois Mentoring Partnership. The materials will focus on six key elements of effective youth mentorship programs. (Anne Li)
Soulful Chicago Book Fair 61st St. from Cottage Grove Ave. to King Dr. Saturday, July 16, 10am–8pm. Free. (646) 359-6605. soulfulchicagobookfair.com Celebrate black literature and the authors who write it at this outdoor book festival. Each block along 61st Street will host a different genre of literature, and new authors will be recognized for their work. ( Joshua Maymir)
Book Release: Chicago Is Not Broke Alhambra Palace Restaurant, 1240 W. Randolph St. Saturday, July 16, 6:30pm–9pm. $30 (includes free book). (312) 857-6485. civiclab.us Chicago politicians often warn that the city is in a fiscal crisis—a crisis that, a cynic might note, tends to require urgent adoption of the policies they favored regardless. Chicago Is Not Broke suggests that this crisis is more than a little concocted and looks for new ways the city can find money. (Adam Thorp)
Little Scribe Oriental Institute Museum, 1155 E. 58th St. Tuesday, July 19, 10:30am–12:30pm. Free. Registration recommended. (773) 702-9507. oi.uchicago.edu Bring your little scholars to learn about when writing was young. Children ages five to eight will participate in a story about how the alphabet came into being, and children ages nine to twelve will explore how a writing system changes over time. (Anne Li)
STAGE & SCREEN The Cursed Ones Studio Movie Grill Chatham, 210 W. 87th St. Thursday, July 7, 7pm. $6. (773) 322-1450. blackworldcinema.net In this 2015 Ghanaian film, a journalist, a pastor, a village, and a young girl find their way through a devastated community and dark realities of belief and rhetoric. The screening will be followed by a discussion. (CJ Fraley)
Staged Reading: The Poetry of Marilyn Cavicchia Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn Ave. Friday, July 8, 8pm. $5. hydeparkcommunityplayers.org Hyde Park Players’s monthly staged readings can provide a venue not just for classic works of literature, but also for the work of Hyde Park writers. This set of poems, in the voices of different speakers traveling down an Ohio highway, will be directed by their author. (Adam Thorp)
Gordon Parks in Cinema: Early Films Black Cinema House, 7200 S. Kimbark Ave. Sunday, July 10, 4pm–6pm. Free. (312) 8575561. rebuild-foundation.org Gordon Parks, the director of the blaxploitation hit Shaft, also produced a series of shorter films. This screening will show three of his films especially concerned with establishing a sense of place (Diary of a Harlem Family; Flavio; World of Piri Thomas). Kamilah Rashied, of the Art Institute, will lead a discussion after the screening. (Adam Thorp)
Holá Cuba: ¡Salud! Pop Up Just Art Gallery, 729 W. Maxwell St. Wednesday, July 13, 6pm. Free. RSVP at bit. ly/29r5EK9
Part of the UIC Social Justice Initiative’s summer film series on Cuba, this installment focuses, as its title might suggest, on health: although Cuba is a relatively poor country, it manages to have one of the best healthcare systems in the world. (Tanya Murphy)
The Sea: Tales of Lapham High Concept Labs at Mana Contemporary, 2233 S. Throop St. Wednesday, July 13, 7:30pm–9pm. $15. (312) 850-0555. highconceptlaboratories.org This workshop performance is a must-see for anyone with an affinity for marine matters, music, and manuscripts. Through an orchestral cycle performed with Opera Cabal, the “half band, half book club” Oracle Hysterical will guide its audience through rough waters in the stories of Homer, Shakespeare, and the Bible, with a “musical descent” down to the ocean floor as a finale. Sirens and squalls await. (Emeline Posner)
Kartemquin Shorts Program Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St. Thursday, July 14, 7pm. $5. (773) 702-8574. docfilms. uchicago.edu Stand up, march your way over to UofC’s Doc Films, and occupy a seat: this program features four short films that focus on the South Side’s history of activism. From doctors’ strikes to student occupations, you’ll be taken through Chicago’s streets and historic buildings and back to the sixties and seventies in celebration of the city’s rich past of grassroots organizing. (Corinne Butta)
Music Motion Black Cinema House, 7200 S. Kimbark Ave. Friday, July 15, 8pm–10pm. Free. (312) 8575561. rebuild-foundation.org Drop by the Black Cinema House on a Friday evening to catch the premiere of six musical film works by Chicago-based musicians Koku Gonza, Cam Be, Coultrain, and Sam Trump––and stick around to hear each perform live. (Emeline Posner)
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VISUAL ARTS DISCO Art Exhibit Pilsen Outpost, 1958 W. 21st St. Through July 31. Wednesday–Friday, 10am–8pm; Saturday, 10am–7pm; Sunday, 10am–5pm. Free. (773) 492-2412. pilsenoutpost.com Ricardo “Naco” Gonzalez is a Chicago-based painter, cartoonist, and muralist. However, in this exhibit, his work is painted not on canvas or walls, but on vinyl records. The choice of medium, and of subject— Gonzalez’s portraits honor both contemporary local musicians and virtuosos of years gone by—intertwines music and visual art to stunning effect. (Olivia Stovicek)
Jeff Kolar: Wind Chimes Antena, 1755 S. Laflin St. Through Friday,
July 29. Free. antenapilsen.com Hanging from the trees on the 1700 block of South Laflin, copper wind chimes and custom electronics will produce sound artist Jeff Kolar’s newest composition, powered by Chicago’s wind. If you didn’t join Antena for the opening, visit this outdoor installation at any time until the end of its run. (Carrie Smith)
LEXICON Artist Talks and Demos Zhou B Art Center, 1029 W. 35th St., 2nd floor. Opening Wednesday, July 6, 6pm–8pm. Through July 9. Monday–Saturday, 10am– 5pm. Free. (773) 523-0200. bit.ly/29i5rYi Etch your heart out with artist Lisa Goesling, and while you work, watch painter Angie Redmond do the same. Goesling’s take-home etching class, brought to Zhou B in conjunction with the ongoing exhibi-
The Lit Issue
tion LEXICON, is sure to carve a space for artistic practice in your Wednesday night. Be sure to BYO X-Acto knife. (Corinne Butta)
engaging event. (Sara Cohen)
Play and Response
The Archer Beach Haus, 3012 S. Archer Ave. Wednesday, July 13, 7pm. $10 suggested donation. facebook.com/archerbeachhaus
Digital Art Demo Space, 2515 S. Archer Ave., Ste. 2. Friday, July 8, 7pm. Free. (312) 4512962. dadschicago.com This is not your dad’s D.A.D.S. (short for digital art demo space). Come prepared to enter the strange visual and auditory landscapes created by five auteurs of the interactive art world, where Ultra Street Fighter 4 will become a musical instrument. (Lewis Page)
Uri-Eichen Gallery, 2101 S. Halsted St. Friday, July 8, 6pm–10pm. Open by appointment through Friday, August 5. Free. (312) 8527717. uri-eichen.com
MUSIC Luna Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St. Thursday, July 7, doors 7:30pm, show 8:30pm. $20. 17+. (312) 526-3851. thaliahallchicago.com
An exploration of world inequality by dozens of artists, this exhibition aspires to provide perspective and context, with written commentary by Nobel-Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and National Book Critics Circle Award-winning writer Geoff Dyer. The show is the third in a five-month series at Uri-Eichen examining income inequality. The opening reception will also feature a discussion with Chicago Fight for $15 at 7pm. (Carrie Smith)
After playing their farewell show in February 2005, New York-based quartet Luna is coming to Chicago on the US-leg of their reunion tour. Previously described by Rolling Stone as "the best band you've never heard of," Luna will transport listeners back to the indie rock scene of the nineties with their emotive guitar, soft-spoken lyrics, and dreamy vibes. (Emily Lipstein)
Annual Arts and Crafts Festival
Promontory Chicago, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Friday, July 8, doors 7pm, show 8pm. $35–75. 21+. (312) 801-2100. promontorychicago.com
The DuSable Museum’s forty-second annual Arts and Crafts Festival encourages participants to commemorate African American history and culture through an artistic lens. With free admission, dozens of handmade productions, and accompanying entertainment, plan to spend a weekend at this
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Sure, Friday the thirteenth might make you quake just a little, but there’s more to the number than that—enough to power a sixmonth series of performance art investigating its mysterious pull. This month’s theme, “eternal return,” might not clear up the mystery, but all the more reason to return to the last installment in August. ( Julia Aizuss)
1% Privilege in a Time of Global Inequality
The DuSable Museum, 740 E. 56th Pl. Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10. Free. (773) 947-0600. dusablemuseum.org
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Eternal Return Performances
KING at Promontory
At a benefit for the Betty Shabazz International Charter School, one of a few South Side schools that has recently been recommended for shuttering by CPS, the twin-sisters-plus-one dream-soul trio KING (their "sound is relatable yet not simply defined") will do a show in support of their first EP, The Story. They'll demonstrate their roots in the Twin Cities and Los Angeles, plus their
variety of musical influences. ( Jake Bittle)
Fraley)
Vino Louden at Buddy Guy's Legends
Donovan Mixon Hybrid Project Chicago
Buddy Guy's Legends, 700 S. Wabash Ave. Sunday, July 10, 9:30pm. $10. 21+ (312) 427–1190. buddyguy.com
Mo Better Jazz, 2423 E. 75th St. Friday, July 15. Doors 7pm, show 8pm. Free. (773) 7416254. jazzologyexperience.com
Calvin “Vino” Louden is a Mississippi-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist who's played supporting guitar for the likes of Bobby Rush and done a number of rounds on Chicago's blues circuit. He regularly flies to Mexico and Argentina for shows (follow his Twitter @SmoothVino for frequent updates), so catch him while he's in town for a solo show on Buddy Guy's home turf in the South Loop. ( Jake Bittle)
Jazz guitarist Donovan Mixon is bringing a history of performance that’s taken him around the world, as well as talented bandmates Willie Pickens, James Perkins, Cory Biggerstaff, and Jeremy Cunningham, to the Jazzology Experience. (CJ Fraley)
The Executives and the Young Masters Fred Andersen Dog Park, 1629 S. Wabash Ave. Saturday, July 9, 4pm. Free. (312) 834-3390. facebook.com/aacmchicago Veterans of the Chicago jazz scene take up their instruments with young talents in this ensemble performance in the South Loop. Presented by the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and Birdhouse, Inc., musicians including Ernest Dawkins, Taalib din Ziyad, and Alexis Lombre will bring some cool jazz to a hot summer afternoon. This is the first in a three-part summer pop up series from the AACM. (Emily Lipstein)
Erzulie Reggies, 2105 S. State St. Friday, July 8, 7:30pm. $7. 21+. (312) 949-0120. reggieslive. com Erzulie, a Chicago-born and -bred outfit blending metalcore, indie rock and an effort to accurately portray African spirituality, will be bringing their pounding sound to Reggies this Friday. GoldGrrl, Crosafix, MoonStar and Ty all contribute to a show that promises to rock your socks off. (CJ
Disco: Music, Culture, and Community Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island Ave. Friday, July 15, 5:30pm–7:30pm. (312) 857-5561. rebuild-foundation.org Join the Rebuild Foundation for a discussion of photographer Bill Bernstein’s latest book, Disco, a look into New York City’s seventies disco scene. Bernstein will also participate in a panel on the history of and connections between disco and dance clubs in New York and Chicago, with special reference to late, great Chicago house DJ Frankie Knuckles. (Christian Belanger)
Silver Room Sound System Block Party Main stage at 53rd Street and Harper Avenue; other stages at Harper Court, 5235 S. Harper Ct. and The Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park Ave. Saturday, July 16, noon–10pm. Free. silverroomblockparty.com The Silver Room, a Hyde Park-based boutique store, will be hosting its thirteenth annual block party in mid-June. This year’s incarnation, “Freedom Love Joy Peace,” will include performances by everyone from house DJ Ron Trent to the Hyde Park School of Dance. There’ll be an after-party at The Promontory. (Christian Belanger)
JULY 6, 2016 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 31