Chicago Reader: print issue of September 8, 2016 (Volume 45, Number 48)

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 | S E P T E M B E R 8 , 2 0 1 6

The essential guide to WORLD MUSIC FEST 36

The best of the cultural season’s bounty 15

ARE YOU MODERN?

MOHOLY-NAGY PHOTOGRAPHY PAINTING DESIGN FILM Opens October 2 This exhibition is organized by the Art Institute of Chicago, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Lead funding for the exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago is generously provided by Caryn and King Harris, The Harris Family Foundation. Major support is provided by Helen and Sam Zell, Zell Family Foundation, and the Terra Foundation for American Art. The exhibition catalogue is made possible by the Earl and Brenda Shapiro Foundation. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support for the exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago is provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art on behalf of board member Charles Harper, and by the Moholy-Nagy Foundation and Emily Rauh Pulitzer. Annual support for Art Institute exhibitions is provided by the Exhibitions Trust: Neil Bluhm and the Bluhm Family Charitable Foundation, Kenneth Griffin, Robert M. and Diane v.S. Levy, Thomas and Margot Pritzker, Anne and Chris Reyes, Betsy Bergman Rosenfield and Andrew M. Rosenfield, the Earl and Brenda Shapiro Foundation, and the Woman’s Board.

László Moholy-Nagy. A 19 (detail), 1927. Hattula Moholy-Nagy, Ann Arbor, Michigan. © 2016 Hattula Moholy-Nagy/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

2 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

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THIS WEEK

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EDITOR JAKE MALOOLEY CREATIVE DIRECTOR PAUL JOHN HIGGINS DEPUTY EDITOR, NEWS ROBIN AMER CULTURE EDITOR TAL ROSENBERG DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY DANIELLE A. SCRUGGS FILM EDITOR J.R. JONES MUSIC EDITOR PHILIP MONTORO ASSOCIATE EDITORS KATE SCHMIDT, KEVIN WARWICK, BRIANNA WELLEN SENIOR WRITERS STEVE BOGIRA, MICHAEL MINER, MIKE SULA SENIOR THEATER CRITIC TONY ADLER STAFF WRITERS LEOR GALIL, DEANNA ISAACS, BEN JORAVSKY, AIMEE LEVITT, PETER MARGASAK, JULIA THIEL SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR RYAN SMITH GRAPHIC DESIGNER SUE KWONG MUSIC LISTINGS COORDINATOR LUCA CIMARUSTI EDITORIAL ASSISTANT CASSIDY RYAN CONTRIBUTING WRITERS NOAH BERLATSKY, DERRICK CLIFTON, MATT DE LA PEÑA, 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, KATE SIERZPUTOWSKI, DAVID WHITEIS, ALBERT WILLIAMS INTERNS SARA COHEN, ANNA WATERS ---------------------------------------------------------------VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT NICKI HOLTZMANN 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

FALL PREVIEW THEATER

Hamilton: The latest case of tulip mania? Lin-Manuel

Miranda’s award-winning, boxoffice-breaking musical sells out the (smallish) house.

BY TONY ADLER 15

Onstage this fall: Race and violence The coming Chicago

theater season shows a new emphasis on social consciousness.

BY TONY ADLER 18 Best bets A satanic hand puppet, a live version of Cheers, and a Twelfth Night in Hindi are among this season’s highlights. 16

How a DePaul English professor became an arthistory sleuth Kathleen Rooney

30

Best bets Oliver Stone’s Snowden, Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women, and eight more films opening 32

SMALL SCREEN

wondered why she couldn’t find an English translation of Magritte’s writings, so she figured out how to release one on her own.

BY JANET POTTER 23

Best bets Joe Swanberg’s Chicago-shot Netflix series, and more shows from networks and streaming services 33

Best bets Expo Chicago, “Tattoo” at the Field Museum, and more exhibits and shows 25

MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE

LIT

Best bets Chance the Rapper’s Magnificent Coloring Day, Seu Jorge, and more concerts and music festivals 35

Best bets The Seldoms, the Joffrey’s Romeo and Juliet, and more 20

COMEDY

CHICAGO READER 350 N. ORLEANS, CHICAGO, IL 60654 312-222-6920, CHICAGOREADER.COM ----------------------------------------------------------------

Meet the new cast of the Lincoln Lodge In celebration

Best bets The Chicago Humanities Fest, Algren: A Life, and more lit events 29

of the show’s 17th season, get to know the members of the one of the city’s most venerated altcomedy groups.

BY BRIANNA WELLEN 21

MOVIES

Best bets Eric Andre, Throwing Shade, and more 22

will provides live accompaniment to two mid-1920s pictures.

BY J.R. JONES 30

Renée Baker on the challenges of scoring silent race films This fall the musician

ARTS & CULTURE

12 Theater What to see—and skip— during the Chicago Fringe Festival 13 Theater Dutchman/Transit is a double bill of rage.

14 Movies With Sully, Clint Eastwood recalls a story no one has forgotten yet.

MUSIC

year’s trove—and every show is free. BY PETER MARGASAK 36

Gary Younge’s quest to ensure that ten lives aren’t ten shooting deaths In a forthcoming book, the author and onetime Chicagoan explores American gun violence by telling victims’ life stories.

BY AIMEE LEVITT 26

7 Street View Members of the Congolese band Mbongwana Star camouflage themselves.

7 Crowdsourcing Cook County Jail’s Yelp page is criminally interesting.

8 Joravsky | Politics A CPS infomercial avoids any talk of strikes, layoffs, or budget cuts.

10 Policing Governor Rauner was right to reject calls for the National Guard in Chicago.

The best of the 2016 World Music Festival There are many bright gems in this

FOOD & DRINK

DANCE

DISTRIBUTION CONCERNS distributionissues@chicagoreader.com

ON THE COVER: ILLUSTRATION BY JOE MILLS. FOR MORE OF MILLS’S WORK, GO TO JOEMILLS.COM.

VISUAL ART

4 Agenda Jerre Dye’s new play Distance, Hannibal Buress, the exhibit “Maria Pinto: 25 Years,” the film Other People, and more recommendations

CITY LIFE

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IN THIS ISSUE

The Adventures of Fat Rice documents one of the world’s oldest fusion cuisines Macau

44 Shows of note Russian Circles, Hideout 20-Year Reunion, Blink-182, and more

CLASSIFIEDS

is just the beginning of the Logan Square restaurant’s new cookbook.

BY MIKE SULA 51

57 Jobs 58 Apartments & Spaces 59 Marketplace

The most-anticipated restaurant openings The return of Burt’s Place, Iliana Regan’s Kitsune, and more new spots 53

60 Straight Dope Why do Americans eat the muscles of food animals and not their organs?

61 Savage Love A hard-up single mom inquires about suckling for hire, and more.

62 Early Warnings Roy Ayers, Stevie Nicks, and more upcoming shows 62 Gossip Wolf TV Pow put some funk in their gestural minimalism, and other music news.

Five beer-centric spots coming soon Moody Tongue’s tasting room and much more brewing around Chicago 55

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b ALL AGES

F got stranded in theatrical doldrums for a bit, but subsequently had a grand time watching an audience member join the Capulets for an inexplicable tea ceremony. The actors struggle with Shakespeare’s text, so seek out the weird rituals. —JUSTIN HAYFORD Through 9/24: Thu-Fri 8 PM, Sat 4 and 8 PM, Sun 8 PM, Epworth United Methodist Church, 5253 N. Kenmore, rediscovertheatre.com, $25.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 8......... THE FLABBY HOFFMAN SHOW FT. NATALIE IN HER LAST SHOW THANK YOU! FRIDAY, SEPT. 9 .............. PETE BERWICK SAT AND SUN SEPT 10 AND 11 - PHYLLIS MUSICAL INN WELCOMES RENEGADE ART FESTIVAL SAT 1PM JIMI JON AMERICA 3PM SMILING BOBBY AND THE CLEMTONES 10PM JUNGLE CITIES 7:00 PM THE NELSON ALGREN DOCUMENTARY FILM PRESENTED BY MARK BLOTTNER THE END IS NOTHING THE ROAD IS ALL SUN - 3PM ANNALISE AND THE BACKSIDES 6PM - HEISENBERG UNCERTAINTY PLAYERS EVERY MONDAY AT 9PM CHRIS SHUTTLEWORTH QUINTET EVERY TUESDAY AT 8PM OPEN MIC HOSTED BY JIMI JON AMERICA

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4 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying o LIZ LAUREN

THEATER

More at chicagoreader.com/ theater Amour There’s something beguiling about this quirky 2002 musical, in which a nobody Parisian civil servant becomes a somebody when he suddenly gains the ability to pass through walls. Maybe it’s the offbeat score, by French composer Michel Legrand (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, among many others); maybe it’s the literate, playful, sung-through libretto, translated from the French by Jeremy Sams (who also wrote the English book). But in this production, a Chicago premiere from Black Button Eyes, the show’s charm is muted by a rough, uneven cast—some overplay the show’s comic moments, while others lack the pipes to bring out the best in Legrand’s ear-pleasing tunes.

Only Emily Goldberg, playing the object of the hero’s affection, sang with the power and confidence required to make the score soar. —JACK HELBIG Through 10/8: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2 PM (no shows 9/22-9/25); also Tue 9/20, 7:30 PM, Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport, 773-935-6860, amourchicago.com, $32, students $17.

The Black Slot Billed as a satire about racial politics in the American regional theater, Warren Hoffman’s world premiere is a story of inequities, from microaggressions to tokenism.

It’s a smart focus for the typical white, liberal theatergoer; there’s an attempt at metaexploration here, as the characters bemoan the predominance of white plays (which is pretty much what this is).

There is one black character, Tim (Justin Wade Wilson), a promising playwright who interned with August Wilson.

Unfortunately, Tim reveals himself as less honorable than the well-intentioned but ineffective white liberal dramaturg Beth (Brittany Stock). This later plot point seems distracting at best; at worst, Hoffman has written himself into the trap he’s endeavoring to expose. I applaud AstonRep for offering a new voice (another rejection of theater’s conservativism) and hope to see more from Hoffman, but this production wasn’t

ready—however much the characters dismiss the endless readings and workshops required to successfully stage new plays, The Black Slot needed more time in development. —SUZANNE SCANLON Through 10/2: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3:30 PM, Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark, 773-338-2177, astonrep.com, $25.

Distance There’s not much you R could call action in the new play

by Jerre Dye. And not much you won’t

have seen before, either. Under siege from Alzheimer’s disease, an aging Memphis lady named Irene (Janice O’Neill) recedes into her personal distance, her past overwhelming her present. A scraggly little community forms around her, populated by Luvie (Anita Deely), her miserable 45-year-old daughter; Dolly (Loretta Rezos), her obsequious care provider; Dolly’s aimless grown son, Dylan (the remarkable Caleb Fullen); and Leonard (Stephen Rader, also remarkable), a gay hair stylist stuck in sassy mode. We watch a birthday party, some wandering off, some bonding, a good bit of anomie—Dye leans a little too hard on his I-feel-invisible theme.

So how come I had a great time watching this Strawdog Theatre premiere?

Two reasons: (1) Dye’s witty, empathic scenes. (2) The actors, who under Erica Weiss’s direction balance considerable idiosyncrasy with a strong ensemble intimacy. Distance’s mortal charm puts it just a stone’s throw from Marvin’s Room.

—TONY ADLER Through 10/1: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 4 PM, the Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard, thefactorytheater.com, $30.

The Heidi Chronicles In Wendy Wasserstein’s 1988 episodic drama, a network of Ivy League baby boomers explore different professional and personal avenues while riding massive cultural shifts from the 60s on. At the center is an art historian who navigates an ambitious life among the upper crust as attitudes toward women with careers evolve, devolve, and evolve again. In a play built on incremental personality changes over time, there’s little character variation between the decades in this staging by the Cuckoo’s Theater Project. Director Sara Carranza makes a proactive effort to broaden the sisterhood themes with color-blind casting, but with so many speeches delivered park-and-blow style, most opportunities for keen revelations get lost. One exception is Rebecca Sparks, who makes a meal out of Heidi’s powerbroker friend, Susan. —DAN JAKES Through 10/8: Fri-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 PM; also Thu 10/6, 8 PM, Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston, 773-539-7838, thecuckoostheaterproject.com, $20.

How to Succeed in Business R Without Really Trying I don’t know if we can call it a roll yet, but

Marriott Theatre has definitely got some momentum when it comes to reviving 1960s-vintage Broadway musicals. Earlier this summer they staged a truly fierce Man of La Mancha. Now they’re back with a How to Succeed that’s not just fast and funny but brings out the musical’s wry satirical edge in unexpected ways. A hit of the 1961 Broadway season, How to Succeed has always been known for mocking corporate culture with the tale of J. Pierrepont Finch, a window washer who follows the instructions in a self-help manual all the way to the top of Worldwide Widgets. Here,

director Don Stephenson also makes sure we notice its caustic—you might even say feminist—take on a woman’s role in marriage. Ari Butler has that sly sweetness essential to Finch, the rest of the company is wonderfully sharp, Melissa Zaremba’s choreography for this very physical production is brilliant, and Catherine Zuber gives new meaning to the word “decolletage” with her costumes for Angela Ingersoll’s Hedy La Rue, the quintessential doxy. —TONY ADLER Through 10/16: Wed 1 and 8 PM, Thu-Fri 8 PM, Sat 4:30 and 8 PM, Sun 1 and 5 PM, Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, 10 Marriott, Lincolnshire, 847-6340200, marriotttheatre.com, $47-$52.

Irrational Tales Too many fake British accents and huffy turnings on the heel mar David Denman and Clock Theater’s macabre revue Irrational Tales. Denman barely revises three works of spooky American short fiction, rounded up to four with something of his own, “Reflections.” Most of the pieces could have used more actual adaptation, but there’s one exception: “The Gorgon” by Clark Ashton Smith, which first appeared as a short story in the April 1932 edition of the pulp magazine Weird Tales. That it does beautifully as a one-act, clearly edging out midcareer works by Nathaniel Hawthorne and F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a testament to the unbalanced calculus of theatrical adaptation. The only genuine fear I felt throughout Tales came in “Gorgon” while watching Jennifer Cheung play a witch—her vituperative cackles are excellent. —MAX MALLER Through 9/18: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 PM, the Broadway, 4139 N. Broadway, 800737-0984, clocktheater.com, $15.

1776 History—so hot right now.

R Chicago may be on the verge of Hamilton hysteria, but that doesn’t

mean Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway juggernaut is the only colonial game in town. Up on the north side, E.D.G.E. Theatre has revived Sherman Edwards’s perennially popular musical in honor of the election season. And it’s good. Real good. Mary’s Attic doubles as a musky, sweltering Independence Hall in the heart of Philadelphia, where America’s

Opus Cactus o CHARLES PAUL AZZOPARDI

Farewell My Friend: The Tragic R Tale of Star-Crossed Lovers (Re)discover Theatre’s original 2015 stab

at this immersive 80-minute adaptation of Romeo and Juliet was all about traffic control. Audience members were rechristened Montague or Capulet, then followed either Romeo or Juliet through various locations in Epworth United Methodist Church, creating a carefully controlled two-track evening. This time directors Janet Howe and Matt Wills play things significantly looser; we’re given leave to take any path we choose.

I followed Romeo until his propensity for swallowing his lines made me jump ship to Juliet and then Lady Capulet. I

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

est. 1967

Continental Congress laid out plans for the colonies’ declaration of independence. The best part: the setup allows you to feel like you’re a part of the process, and you’re welcome—nay, encouraged—to enjoy a pint or two while it’s all going down. The gender-neutral cast, led by a terrific Jonathan Crabtree as John Adams, channel the pomp and fanfare that makes this a favorite among history buffs and musical-theater geeks alike. —MATT DE LA PEÑA Through 9/17: Thu-Sat 7 PM, Mary’s Attic Theatre, 5400 N. Clark, 773-784-6969, theatre. edgeoforion.com, $22.

DANCE

R

Opus Cactus Dancer-illusionist troupe Momix puts on a multimedia production inspired by the American southwest. Sat 9/10, 7:30 PM, McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell, Glen Ellyn, 630-942-4000, atthemac.org, $42-$52.

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COMEDY

VISUAL ARTS Chicago Art Department “Mitigating Evidence,” this collaboration between participants in Free Write Arts and Literacy at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and the Prison Neighborhood Arts Project at Stateville Correctional Center features self portraits, a new anthology of writing, and other creative endeavors exploring stigma, stereotypes, and sociopolitical issues surrounding the criminal and juvenile justice systems.

Exhibition opening Fri 9/9, 6-10 PM. 9/910/4. 1932 S. Halsted, #100, 312-226-8601, freewritechicago.org.

Chicago Truborn “Can I Kick It?,” this mixed-media group show features more than 60 street artists and established creators who teamed up to celebrate Truborn’s three-year anniversary. Opening reception Sat 9/10, 6-10 PM. 9/1010/15. 1418 W. Division, 773-420-9764, chicagotruborn.com.

City Gallery “Maria Pinto: 25 Years,” a retrospective of work by the local fashion designer. Opening reception Sat 9/10, 4-6 PM. 9/10-1/8. Mon-Sat 10 AM-6:30 PM, Sun 10 AM-5 PM. 806 N. Michigan, 312-346-3278, cityofchicago. org.

Hannibal Buress The comic sensation brings his new stand-up R tour, “The Hannibal Montanabal Experi-

Efrain Lopez Gallery “Prooon,” Berlin-based contemporary artist Amalie Jakobsen’s Chicago debut. Opening reception Fri 9/9, 6-9 PM. 9/9-10/9. 1620 W. Chicago, 312-282-3266, efrainlopezgallery.com.

R

Gallery 400 “Our New System,” Christa Donner’s latest futuristic and anthropological project invites visitors to take a gallery tour of their own bodies. Opening reception Fri 9/9, 5-8 PM. 9/9-10/22.

Tue-Fri 10 AM-6 PM, Sat noon-6 PM. 400 S. Peoria, 312-996-6114, gallery400. uic.edu.

ence,” to Chicago. Wed 9/14, 8 PM, Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State, 312-462-6300, thechicagotheatre.com, $35-$55.

The Kates Elizabeth Gomez hosts this month’s female-forward comedy showcase at the Book Cellar, with Jayme Allen, Laura Hugg, Sarah Vulpio, and more. Fri 9/9, 7 PM, Book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln, 773-293-2665, bookcellarinc.com. F

Strip Joker This comedy showcase promotes body positivity R with stand-ups telling awkward stories about nudity while in varying degrees of undress. Fri 9/9, 9:30 PM, Uptown Underground, 4707 N. Broadway, 773867-1946, uptownunderground.net, $15.

You’re Being Ridiculous features performers—including Keith Ecker, Jeremy Owens, and Zoe Zolbrod—sharing tales inspired by the theme “skeletons” as part of Steppenwolf Theatre’s LookOut series. Thu 9/8-Sat 9/10: 8 PM, Steppenwolf Theatre, 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted, 312-335-1650, yourebeingridiculous.com, $20.

LIT R

Amy Krouse Rosenthal The multidisciplinary author presents her

newest publication, Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal, a collection of musings categorized conveniently into sections like social studies, math, and language arts. Wed 9/14, 7 PM, Book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln, 773-293-2665, bookcellarinc. com.

MOVIES

More at chicagoreader.com/movies NEW REVIEWS

o BROOKE HUMMER

itat at the Indian Boundary Park Nature Center, previously the site of a zoo. Fri 9/10-Sat 9/11: 2:15 PM, Indian Boundary Park, 2500 W. Lunt, 773-764-0338, jlindsaybrowndance.com. F

Jewelry

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

Christa Donner, Extraction and Storage Vehicle Prototype, 2013, part of “Our New System” at Gallery 400 o COURTESY THE ARTIST

Movement Zoo Company members from J. Lindsay Brown Dance R pirouette and plie amid the natural hab-

Accessories CLOTHING&

Jennifer Keishin Armstrong The author reads from her book R Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing

Changed Everything. Thu 9/8, 6 PM, Museum of Broadcast Communications, 360 N. State, 312-629-6000, citylitbooks. com.

Funny Ha Ha The comedic storytelling show features R Wendy McClure, J.W. Basilo, and Tyler

Snodgrass. Proceeds benefit Sit Stay Read. Fri 9/9, 6:30 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, 773-227-4433, hideoutchicago. com, $10 suggested donation.

Gary Mark Smith The street photographer presents a new R book of his work, Goma: The Poetry

of Everyday Life on the Streets of “the Most Miserable Place on Earth.” Sat 9/10, 6:30 PM, Book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln, 773-293-2665, bookcellarinc.com.

Working in America Author Alex Kotlowitz leads a panel to celeR brate the opening of the library’s new

exhibit about Studs Terkel’s Working.

Wed 9/14, 6-7:30 PM, Harold Washington Library Center, auditorium, 400 S. State, 312-747-4300, chipublib.bibliocommons. com.

R

You’re Being Ridiculous This version of the storytelling show

Akron Benny (Matthew Frias) and Christopher (Edmund Donovan) meet during a touch football game, and it’s love at first touch. But the two men later discover that Christopher’s mother was the person who ran over Benny’s older brother in a supermarket parking lot years earlier. Can the men’s love survive? This well-meaning but woefully undercooked romantic melodrama (2015) has all the hallmarks of an after-school special: attractive people come together to solve a seemingly intractable problem, then feel better about themselves afterward. Though the central couple are gay, this doesn’t matter much to anyone concerned; that may be a testament to how much times have changed, but it’s no reason to sit through the film. Sasha King and Brian O’Donnell directed. —DMITRY SAMAROV 88 min. O’Donnell attends the screening.

Fri 9/9, 8 PM; Sat 9/10, 8:15 PM; Sun 9/11, 5 PM; Mon 9/12, 7:45 PM; Tue 9/13, 8 PM; Wed 9/14, 6 PM; and Thu 9/15, 7:45 PM. Gene Siskel Film Center Complete Unknown Happy Birthday Tony reads the botched cake served by Tom and Ramina to their dinner guests, and in a moment of frustration Tom (Michael Shannon) chops off the end of the cursive lettering to leave his own name. The couple may soon be moving from New York to Los Angeles so that Ramina (Azita Ghanizada) can attend graduate school; this leaves Tom uncertain who he really is and vulnerable to the charms of his former lover, Alice (Rachel Weisz), when she turns up after 15 years to reveal she’s been roaming the country under a series of false identities.

Writer-director Joshua Marston (Maria Full of Grace) gives Shannon a chance to shine as a character more pedestrian than the ones he usually plays, though the story is a little too thesis driven to build any dramatic momentum. Kathy Bates and Danny Glover turn up for a brief sequence in which Alice persuades Tom to impersonate a doctor; after W

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 5

AGENDA

2016

living in New York (Jesse Plemons) returns home to Sacramento to care for his terminally ill mother (Molly Shannon) and clash with his homophobic father (Bradley Whitford). Cancer and coming out aren’t exactly fresh topics for an indie film, but here they have the authenticity of lived experience, and both Shannon and Plemons are exceptional. —J.R. JONES 97 min. Fri 9/9, 7:45 PM; Sat 9/10, 3:45, 5:45, and 7:45 PM; Sun 9/11, 5:45 and 7:45 PM; and Mon 9/12–Thu 9/15, 7:45 PM. Facets Cinematheque

Sept. 10+11

REVIVALS

LakeviewEast.com

The Searchers We may still R be waiting for the Great American Novel, but John Ford

Other People

150+ artists Local food • Live music Garden oasis • Family activities

B that the movie loses steam rapidly. —J.R. JONES R, 91 min.

Landmark’s Century Centre

Along Broadway, Belmont to Hawthorne Special concert and sneak peek, Sept. 9

Friday, Sept. 9

“Red Mask Carol” by Kenneth Kudulis

THIS WEEKEND

Main Stage 6:30 pm ..............Akasha 8:00 pm ..............Stache

Saturday, Sept. 10

Main Stage 11:00 am ............Brent Brown 12:00 pm ............Spare Parts 1:30 pm ..............Elk Walking 3:00 pm ..............Lowdown Brass Band 4:30 pm ..............Pearls Mahone 6:00 pm ..............Bailiff 8:00 pm .............Cathy Richardson Band Garden Stage 11:00 am ............Ana Munteanu 12:15 pm ............Mooner 1:30 pm ..............Las Guitarras de España: Andalusian Music 3:00 pm ..............The Red Plastic Buddha 4:15 pm ..............Valaska 5:30 pm ..............Fletcher Rockwell

Sunday, Sept. 11

Main Stage 11:30 am ............Cold Country 1:00 pm ..............Jake Mack Trio 2:30 pm ..............Ellen Miller Blues Project 4:00 pm ..............Rod Tuffcurls and The Bench Press Garden Stage 11:00 am ............Steve Hashimoto & Pat Fleming 12:20 pm ...........The Real Gone 1:30 pm .............Robert Rolfe Feddersen 3:00pm ..............Joel Paterson Trio featuring Jonathan Doyle and Beau Sample 4:30 pm ..............Corey Dennison Band

P R E S E N T E D B Y:

CO-SPONSORS

PA R T I C I PAT I N G S P O N S O R S

6 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

The Mechanic: Resurrection Professional assassin Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) just wants to enjoy retirement on his houseboat in Rio, but he’s too damn good at killing for the world to let him be. In this sequel to the 2011 thriller (itself a remake of a 1972 film starring Charles Bronson), Bishop is forced back into action when the world’s most nefarious arms dealer (Sam Hazeldine) holds hostage a damsel in distress (Jessica Alba) in hope of getting Bishop to do his bidding.

Between the slaughter set pieces there’s some beautiful aerial cinematography of Brazil, Bulgaria, Thailand, and Malaysia; in fact a nimble editor could probably recut this into a lush travelogue. Digital photography, with its limited ability to capture rapid movement, renders the close combat choppy and disorienting, and none of the kills is especially memorable. But director Dennis Gansel never bites off more than he can chew. With Tommy Lee Jones and Michelle Yeoh. —DMITRY SAMAROV R, 99 min. Arclight, River East 21 My Love, Don’t Cross That River This 2014 documentary, about a South Korean couple who have been married for 76 years, opens with a wide shot of a vast, snow-covered forest and a tiny figure perfectly positioned on the far-left side of the frame, sobbing into the wind. This scene and many others elicit some uncomfortable questions about the motives of director Moyoung Jin, who employs a cinema verite style in framing his subjects and allowing their conversations to flow in long, uninterrupted takes. Moyoung’s unfettered access to the pair is extraordinary, yet they often seem to be performing for his approval.

The husband struggles to breathe from the start, which signals immediately how the story will turn out

and gives one the distressing sense that the director is exploiting his pain to tug at the viewer’s heartstrings. In Korean with subtitles.

—LEAH PICKETT 86 min. Fri 9/9, 2 and 6 PM; Sat 9/10, 3 and 4:45 PM; Mon 9/12, 6 PM; Wed 9/14, 7:45 PM; and Thu 9/15, 6 PM. Gene Siskel Film Center Neither Heaven nor Earth As French troops prepare to withdraw from Afghanistan, an army platoon stationed near the Pakistani border is plagued by a series of mysterious disappearances: one by one, soldiers seem to vanish into thin air. Their commanding officer (Jérémie Renier) fears that the men have been kidnapped by the local Taliban, but the same phenonemon is occuring on the other side as well. Clément Cogitore, making his feature directorial debut, has constructed an elegant metaphysical fable, though it proves to be more compelling philosophically than dramatically. Separating the French and the Taliban is a desolate valley where the locals periodically leave sheep as sacrifices to Allah and never see them again; as Cogitore explains in press materials, the valley represents a no-man’s-land between the men’s differing belief systems. In French and Farsi with subtitles. —J.R. JONES 100 min.

Fri 9/9, 7 and 9 PM; Sat 9/10, 3, 5, 7, and 9 PM; Sun 9/11, 5 and 7 PM; and Mon 9/12–Thu 9/15, 7 and 9 PM. Facets Cinematheque Other People I hate the R term dramedy—it discounts the potential for humor in any

drama, and movies designated as dramedies typically follow the rigid Terms of Endearment template of laughs in the first half, tears in the second. But this debut feature by Saturday Night Live writer Chris Kelly gives dramedy a good name: the story is both painful and rudely funny all the way through, often because the situations are so dire that humor is the characters’ only escape. A gay comedy writer

gave us the Great American Film in 1956. The Searchers gathers the deepest concerns of American literature, distilling 200 years of tradition in a way available only to popular art, and with a beauty available only to a supreme visual poet like Ford. Through the central image of the frontier, the meeting point of wilderness and civilization, Ford explores the divisions of our national character, with its search for order and its need for violence, its spirit of community and its quest for independence. —DAVE KEHR 119 min. Cast member Lana Wood attends the evening screening. Thu 9/15, 2 and 7 PM. Pickwick

Shanghai Express More R action oriented than the other Dietrich-Sternberg films, this

1932 production is nevertheless one of the most elegantly styled.

The setting, a broken-down train commandeered by revolutionaries on its way to Shanghai, becomes a maze of soft shadows and shifting textures, through which the characters wander in a philosophical quest for something—anything— solid. The screenplay, by Jules Furthman and an uncredited Howard Hawks, has a quality of wisecracking wit unusual in Sternberg’s films: when someone asks Dietrich why she’s going to Shanghai, she retorts, “To buy a new hat.” With Clive Brook, Warner Oland, and Anna May Wong; photographed by Lee Garmes. —DAVE KEHR 80 min.

Sat 9/10, 3 PM, and Wed 9/14, 6 PM. Gene Siskel Film Center

SPECIAL EVENTS Dog Film Festival Short films by dog-loving filmmakers about the bond between people and dogs.

Proceeds benefit PAWS Chicago.

Sun 9/11, 11:30 AM and 2 PM. Music Box 48 Hour Film Project Short films by local filmmakers, all made in 48 hours as part of a competition. Sun 9/11, 4:30, 6:30, and 8:30 PM; Mon 9/12, 7 and 9 PM; and Thu 9/15, 7:30 PM. Music Box v

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CITY LIFE

Cook County Jail as depicted in the TV series Chicago P.D. o SUN-TIMES MEDIA

Crowdsourcing

Prison sentences

o ISA GIALLORENZO

Yelpers give Cook County Jail three stars.

Street View

Salvation army MBONGWANA STAR hail from chaotic Kinshasa, the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Two of the group’s members, Sage Matuzolele and Randy Makana Kalambayi, were photographed just before they stepped onstage at the Pritzker Pavilion during the Millennium Park Summer Music Series. The musicians’ camouflage-heavy regalia relates not just to the warravaged recent history of their home country, but also to Mbongwana Star’s insurgent mix of traditional African rhythms and contemporary European electronic production. It’s certainly no coincidence that in Lingala—one of the DRC’s four national languages and the band’s lingua franca—mbongwana means “change.”

—ISA GIALLORENZO See more Chicago street style on Giallorenzo’s blog chicagolooks.blogspot.com.

THE PUBLIC SERVICES & Government category is a littleappreciated corner of Yelp. Here is the place for angry rants and glowing reviews of city parks, libraries, the DMV—and, come to find out, Cook County Jail.

The correctional facility with an inmate population of some 9,000 men and women—spread among a 96-acre complex that spans the Little Village and South Lawndale neighborhoods—boasts an average three-star rating, stacking up better than its coastal counterparts: the Rikers Island Prison Complex in New York has two stars; the LA County jail system has a paltry star and a half.

“Coming here has taught me that I cannot receive but by giving,” writes Yelp reviewer Dan H., who identifies in his five-star review as a volunteer who comes to Cook County Jail weekly to lead Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. “My years of trying to gain for myself by tak-

ing always availed less and less until I was left with little more than too much stuff.”

On the other end of the spectrum is Chris S. “It’s JAIL! Don’t ever ever go here,” he writes in the one-star review. “Even if you’re picking someone up, make them walk 5 blocks away to meet you!”

A Yelper who had visited a friend being held at the prison complains in her two-star review of a lack of signage: “It’s easy to get lost or open the wrong door and sound the alarm!” She was also unhappy that employees couldn’t help her figure out how to put money into an inmate’s commissary account.

Another user describes being locked up for three days on a domestic assault charge.

Identifying as a University of Wisconsin grad (a business major with minors in film and marketing), Martin N. writes that he had a physical altercation trying to collect from a

“deadbeat tenant,” who allegedly “beat the tar” out of him. But he seems more upset about the indignities he faced at the jail, which he rates with a single star: “The real criminals are the Cook County Jail government employees sucking the Illinois budget dry with their fat cat salaries, benefits, and retirement packages. You should see the personal vehicles these jail guards are leaving work in.

UNBELIEVABLE!” Recounting an unhappy but relatively hassle-free visit to the jail to see a boyfriend who had been picked up on a drug charge, Angela P. concludes her three-star write-up on a rather amusing note of disappointment: “Visitation is nothing like the movies. I really just wanted to talk on one of those cool phones. Did I? No. There’s a big plexiglass window, and a metal speaker like in a currency exchange, to converse with each other. Boring!”

A n o t h e r w o m a n n o te s : “When u visit your treated as a criminal but the inmates hootin and hollering boosts your self esteem a bit. Parking sucks.

Expect to sit around forever to pick up the loved/hated one you posted bail for.”

Some reviewers who’ve had personal experiences of incarceration at the jail focus on the food.

“These meals were the most expensive meals i’ve ever eaten and they come to me WRAPPED IN CELOPHANE??? DROPPED THROUGH A SLIT IN A DOOR??

Where’s the humanity?” asks Italo C., who still decided to give the place a couple stars.

“Bottom line is this is the worst by far, it’s even worse than state prison,” concludes Frank G.’s two-star review of “the county hotel.” “Lesson learned,” he writes. “Keep the license clean, have insurance, drink out of sight of police, don’t start fights, or finish them.” — MAYA DUKMASOVA

¥ Keep up to date on the go at chicagoreader.com/agenda.

SURE THINGS THURSDAY 8

FRIDAY 9

SATURDAY 10

SUNDAY 11

MONDAY 12

TUESDAY 13

WEDNESDAY 14

· Ad ult Sw im Drive -In The cartoon lovers’ destination for shows like Rick and Morty, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and more goes to the big screen for a drive-in-style night of viewing, trivia, prizes, and food trucks. 6:15 PM, Soldier Field, 1410 S. Museum Campus, adultswimpresents. com. F

¸ Windy City Wi ne Festival Sample more than 300 varieties of vinous booze, meet the visiting wineries, or start a career as a sommelier after sitting in on expert-led seminars. 9/9-9/10: Fri 4:30-10 PM, Sat 2:30-8 PM, Buckingham Fountain, 500 S. Columbus, windycitywinefestival. com, $15-$50.

Black Sex Matters The sex-positive and social justice-oriented event series features a story slam, works from artists of color, body painting, and burlesque. 9:30 PM, Hairpin Arts Center, 2800 N. Milwaukee, blacksexmatters.com, $15.

9 Re negade Craf t Fair Browse through handmade pieces of art from more than 400 vendors. The craft fair also includes music from Reckless Records and CHIRP Radio, local food and drink, and a photo booth. Sat 9/10Sun 9/11: 11 AM-7 PM, Division between Damen and Ashland, renegadecraft.com. F

· Adam Green’s Al ad din Musician Adam Green put his spin on the Arabian folk tale in this independent film starring Macaulay Culkin, Zoe Kravitz, Alia Shawkat, Natasha Lyonne, and more. Green sings music from the score following the screening. 9 PM, Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont, beatkitchen.com, $15.

Ú Slurring Bee Ch icago To urnament of Champions Tipsy spelling champions return to defend their titles against “new-bees.” 7-10 PM, Quenchers Saloon, 2401 N. Western, quenchers.com, $5.

{ Fif th St ar Awards For the third year the city of Chicago honors local artists and art institutions; this time around the recipients are Buddy Guy, Victor Skrebneski, Jackie Taylor, Carlos Tortolero, and the Second City. 7 PM, Millennium Park, Michigan and Randolph, cityofchicago.org. F

SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 7

CITY LIFE

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

Forrest Claypool and Janice Jackson star in the new CPS infomercial.

POLITICS

Fantasy flick

A CPS infomercial avoids any talk of strikes, layoffs, or budget cuts.

By BEN JORAVSKY

A

s a new school year opened with talk of a teachers’ strike and system bankruptcy, the leaders of Chicago Public Schools had a choice: pressure Mayor Emanuel to give desperately needed money to the schools, or make a cheery video that pretends all is well.

I suppose it’ll come as no surprise that Forrest Claypool and Janice Jackson—the district’s CEO and chief educational officer—went with option number two.

Guess they were too chicken to face the wrath of the terribly tempered Mayor Rahm by going after his TIF slush fund.

I’ll get to the TIFs in a minute, but first, a few words about the district’s priceless new infomercial, “CPS: Success Starts Here,” released just in time for the start of the school year.

It’s the Emanuel administration’s first foray into filmmaking since the epic TIF flick of 2011.

That movie’s theme was “TIFs are complicated and you’re dumb, so leave the details to us.”

Not the soundest advice.

This five-minute video is a little like Rocky, with a swelling soundtrack and a feel-good story.

I guess that makes Jackson the up-andcoming contender and Claypool her crusty old ringman.

They even use that uplifting background

8 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

music to underscore the heartfelt testimonials of parents, students, and teachers—well, OK, one teacher. At the end, each person looks at the camera and declares: “I am CPS.” Like we’re all in this together. Like we’re CPS too!

To watch Claypool and Jackson, you’d never know they’d clawed their way to the top of the bureaucratic heap, with all the wheeling and dealing that entails. Instead, they come across as selfless do-gooders as they offer up such observations as: Claypool: “There’s really fundamentally nothing more important than education.”

Jackson: “I really do believe that public education is the most significant way to eradicate poverty.”

Claypool: “We are here in the central office to support our principals and teachers who do the actual work in the classrooms.”

“I’ll never forget you Apollo—you’re the best!”

Oh, wait, that was from Rocky IV. My bad.

Claypool utters my favorite line: “This year we’re going into the school year with stability.”

He makes that declaration with a straight face. Talk about great acting. You’d never know that he, Jackson, and the school board just laid off 1,000 employees, including 500

teachers. Or that they’ve cut special education. Or that the “balanced” budget they recently passed depends on state money they’ll probably never get.

So it’s really not balanced at all. Meaning, we can expect more cuts as the year rolls on.

Watching the video, you’d also never know that the parents and teachers who offer testimonials in the video come from schools like Talcott, Smyth, Steinmetz, Greely, and Ryder, which are facing anywhere between $150,000 and $1 million in cuts.

Or that there’s probably going to be a teachers’ strike in a matter of weeks. In fact, Mayor Emanuel and CTU president Karen Lewis, the two most important players in averting the strike, are curiously absent from the video.

I understand why CPS propagandists would ignore Lewis and the union. In general, the unofficial CPS line about CTU is: We love teachers, but hate the teachers’ union. (Conveniently overlooking that it’s a union of teachers, so you can’t very well hate one without hating the other.)

Not sure why the Big Kahuna’s name goes unmentioned. Maybe CPS head honchos want to pretend he doesn’t exist either.

If so, I can relate.

Finally, you wouldn’t know from the video that Claypool, Jackson, and Emanuel’s seven school board appointees have been quiet as church mice as the mayor continues to divert tens of millions of property tax dollars that would otherwise go to the schools into his pet projects, courtesy of the tax increment financing program.

Yes, I finally made it to the TIF part of the story.

At the moment there’s a TIF surplus ordinance in the City Council, proposed by Aldermen George Cardenas and Sue Sadlowski Garza. It would compel the mayor to itemize exactly how much unencumbered money he has in the TIF reserves—right now it could be more than $1 billion, according to activist Tom Tresser’s count.

The ordinance would force the mayor to turn over surplus TIF funds to CPS every year that the district remains “financially distressed.”

The mayor wants to keep that ordinance buried in the council’s finance committee, even as Cardenas and Garza try to round up enough aldermen to vote it out.

Despite his starry-eyed innocence in the video, Claypool surely knows all about TIFs.

He was Mayor Daley’s chief of staff back in the 1990s, when the former mayor first implemented the scam.

Certainly Claypool and Jackson know about the Cardenas/Garza TIF ordinance. Garza showed up at the August 24 school board meeting to ask for their support.

They reacted to her comments with stony silence, like they didn’t understand what language she was speaking.

Let me explain what’s really going on here: Money means power, and TIFs represent the largest source of discretionary money the mayor has.

So Rahm’s not about to voluntarily give up TIFs, no matter how many teachers get laid off in the process.

If they really want to show that there’s “nothing more important than education,” they’ll have to tell the boss to stop wasting property taxes on stupid stuff and start spending more of it on schools.

Look, I realize that the notion of central-office appointees standing up to Rahm is as fantastical as Star Wars. They’re rubber-stampers whose first loyalty is and will always be to the man who gave them the job.

But if they really want to show that there’s “nothing more important than education” or that “public education is the most significant way to eradicate poverty,” it’ll take more than a fantastical video. Instead, they’ll have to summon the courage to tell the boss what he doesn’t want to hear: Stop wasting property taxes on stupid stuff and start spending more of it on the schools.

If they do that, they can make the most inspirational movie since Adonis “Donnie” Johnson went the full 15 rounds with Pretty Ricky Conlan in Creed—speaking of great Rocky flicks.

Until then it’s just more of the same old BS. v

ß @joravben

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 9

CITY LIFE

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

POLICING

Caught off guard

Rauner was right to reject calls for the National Guard in Chicago.

By DERRICK CLIFTON

A Missouri governor Jay Nixon deployed National Guard troops to Ferguson in 2014 after Michael Brown was killed and protesters took to the streets. o JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

fter 90 homicides and more than 2,300 shootings made August the city’s most violent month in roughly 20 years, many Chicagoans are understandably shaken, saddened, and fearing for their safety.

At a protest last week outside of Saint Sabina Catholic Church—where imitation blood was poured out onto the streets in the form

of an SOS—Father Michael Pfleger called for Governor Bruce Rauner to issue a state of emergency in response to the city’s violence.

The move would free up federal resources to address the issue, including the deployment of the National Guard.

Rauner dismissed those calls. He noted that although it’s been considered before, deploying the National Guard in this case “wouldn’t make sense” and “may exacerbate other problems.”

He has a point.

National Guard deployments have historically occurred during natural disasters or other emergencies. For instance, Rauner called upon the state’s National Guard in January to respond to flooding in downstate Marion.

After one of Illinois’s biggest-ever blizzards, in 2011, then-governor Pat Quinn activated more than 500 members of the state’s guard to assist in response and recovery efforts. Various state national guards deployed to Louisiana to offer aid after Hurricane Katrina.

But some recent deployments of the National Guard have been more controversial, partic-

WE KNOW YOU HAVE AN OPINION. WE WANT TO HEAR IT. So let s have it Chicago. We want to hear what s important to you and your family so we can take on the issues affecting Chicagoans. Whether it s at a farmers market, music festival or a Social Security forum, we re listening to what you have to say so we can help make a difference in your life.

Tell us what matters to you and see the list of our neighborhood listening events at aarp.org/Chicago

/aarpillinois @aarpillinois #aarpillinois

10 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

Chicago

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CITY LIFE ularly those that occurred after police fatally shot black people.

After 23-year-old Sylville Smith was killed

by Milwaukee police in August, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker activated the state’s National Guard to support local law enforcement if needed. The decision caused a public rift between Milwaukee County sheriff David Clarke—a conservative figure who notably shouted “Blue Lives Matter” at the Republican National Convention—and Milwaukee police chief Edward Flynn, who openly acknowledged the city’s racial problems. Clarke asked the governor to deploy the guard, whereas Flynn worried that its presence would inflame tensions. After a few days on call, guard members were sent home without acting.

And when protesters took to the streets in Ferguson after Michael Brown was killed there two years ago, Missouri governor Jay Nixon called in the National Guard to “[restore] peace and order.” In addition to local police brandishing assault rifles and tanks and unleashing tear gas to disperse activists, CNN found that the Missouri National Guard referred to Ferguson protesters with militarized terms such as “enemy forces” and “adversaries” in documents related to the deployment.

Headlines from that August questioned why Ferguson was being treated more like a “war zone” than an American suburb—a question that was repeated that November when guard troops were again called in to deal with the fallout after police officer Darren Wilson wasn’t indicted for Brown’s death.

Chicago’s no stranger to war-zone comparisons; we’ve been dubbed Chi-Raq, after all. But within the context of urban violence, Rauner was right to dismiss the idea of a National Guard deployment in Chicago. (As was former mayor Richard M. Daley, who twice rebuffed offers and calls to bring in the guard to deal with Chicago violence.) Calling in the guard at this point would only inflame tensions between black communities and law enforcement already at a fever pitch.

Although the National Guard has been activated in the past to aid black communities—particularly during the civil rights movement—it was done to support specific actions, not as an attempt to resolve more ongoing, systemic issues. In 1957 President Dwight D. Eisenhower took federal control of the Arkansas National Guard to provide a safe entry for the Little Rock Nine to racially integrate Central High School. When Martin Luther King Jr. led a third successful march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965,

President Lyndon B. Johnson called in that state’s National Guard to help supervise.

But today I’m not sure Chicagoans in neighborhoods hardest hit by gun violence would feel any safer with guards posting up in helmets, holding rifles and dressed in camouflage. For residents in some of the city’s most underserved neighborhoods—those affected by the racial disparities that undergird crime statistics and still working to achieve the equality envisioned by the social movements of the past—a deployment in Chicago might feel more like a military occupation. It would undoubtedly further black and brown neighborhoods’ disproportionate exposure to policing and surveillance. And when young black males are 21 times more likely to be shot by police than their white counterparts, according to ProPublica’s analysis of federal data, reluctance to bring in the guard isn’t just about a temporary inconvenience. It’s also about the very real fear of law enforcement that persists in black communities, a fear rooted in potentially violent or deadly encounters with police.

I’m not sure Chicagoans in neighborhoods hardest hit by gun violence would feel any safer with guards posting up in helmets, holding rifles and dressed in camouflage.

Sometime this month, Mayor Rahm Emanuel will give a “major address” on gun violence that will outline a comprehensive plan. In an interview with WTTW’s Chicago Tonight, Emanuel noted that he wants to have a discussion “where the police are part of the solution in making changes.”

Perhaps we’d be better off seeing just where this next phase of the conversation could take us, and thinking things through before prompting an unnecessary escalation.

With activists launching policy platforms to address systemic racism, and community organizations working to reduce crime in their neighborhoods, there are many solutions waiting in the wings—solutions that don’t come in boots and camouflage. v

ß @DerrickClifton

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 11

ZURKO’S MIDWEST PROMOTIONS

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12 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

THEATER

The Chicago Fringe Fest returns

F

our Reader critics did triple—and, yes, even sextuple—duty last weekend, checking out entries in this year’s Chicago Fringe Festival so that you can see—or strategically avoid— them during the fest’s final days, Thursday, September 8, through Sunday, September 11.

For times, tickets, and other info, see chicagofringe.org. —TONY ADLER

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B IG BALLOON S HOW Exuberantly childlike clown-magician Smarty Pants delivers 35 minutes of silly, impressive balloon tricks while his unaccountably dour wife, Lovely Miss Dena, moves props about; Mr. Pants is refreshingly foolish throughout.

—JUSTIN HAYFORD THE BISCUITEATER In a thick drawl, Jim Loucks recounts pivotal moments from his southern upbringing and lessons from his grandfather. There’s some superb material, but folk-song interludes and the enactment of key family exchanges mire the piece in black-box-theater cliches. —DAN JAKES DEFINITELY NO GHOSTS HERE! In Shut Up Theatre’s inaugural production, the members of Miss Applebaum’s middle school drama club are afraid to perform their original musical when one thinks he’s spied a ghost. It’s a cute concept, but the muddled internal logic and challenging acoustics prevent the story from cohering. (JH) ELIEIDA Rhiannon Frazier and Kate Farmin are so close to a classical vaudeville duo at times, the electrical charge between them so nearly attuned, that Ellieida should be

required viewing for every self-respecting Marxist (Groucho, not Karl). —MAX MALLER EPIC TALES FROM THE LAND OF MELANIN A kid-friendly piece from femme artists of color, this is the feel-good story of three “girl warrior-explorers taking on the world.” It’s an uplifting hour. —MARISSA OBERLANDER FOR THE LOVE OF PIE Melissa Paulson is positively off her rocker as 80s cooking-show host Georgia Peach, who’s desperate to reclaim her former glory (MO)

about divinity into a movement-heavy adaptation. It mostly adds up to flailing about with flashlights while grunting and delivering elaborate and arcane fantasy exposition.

(DJ) PENNY In this wordless two-hander, DeKalb’s Nico Fernandez and Kearstyn Keller act out the beginning and middle of a young romance. But without distinct personalities, the characters aren’t especially engaging.

(JH) SONGS FROM MY CLOSET Larry Todd Cousineau and friends belt and harmonize their way through musical scraps from the lyricist and singer’s unfinished projects. (DJ) STALKING GRACE Barbara Selfridge, a former student of writer-activist Grace Paley, dissects a life spent in the service of her mentor in this solo show. There’s a little too much plot for serious self-reflection, but it’s a great story. (MO)

R

METROPOLIS TRIPTYCH Playwright Brian D. Foster aligns three seemingly unrelated two-person scenes for a phenomenological look at heroism, villainy, and fate. It’s a provocative 50 minutes, convincingly staged by Chicago’s Loft Productions.

(JH)

THREE DAUGHTERS WHO ARE NOT DAUGHTERS Sam Hurwitz is wrapped in a denim quilt her mother made her from jeans. The scene changes: we hear of Mexico, revolution, kidnappings, Aztec rights. Warring with history, Three Daughters makes evasion beautiful. (MM)

MUTINY On surveillance video we watch two runaways from a postapocalyptic dystopia read violent stories—acted out by four live actors—which may be historical annals. (JH)

WASHED AWAY In Alea Iacta Est’s one-act, Lisa wears a wire in hopes of clearing Dad, who’s got advanced brain cancer, from federal fraud charges. Also, she hates her Alzheimer’s-stricken mother. Packing all of this into 55 minutes is problematic. Staging it in a cavernous gymnasium is deadly. (JH)

M Y TH S U NTO LD Pro m et h e a n T h e at re Ensemble heavily reworks three stories

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Amanda Drinkall and Michael Pogue

ARTS & CULTURE

o MICHAEL BROSILOW

THEATER

A double bill of rage

By TONY ADLER

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n 1964, when his one-act Dutchman premiered off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre, Amiri Baraka was still LeRoi Jones—a 30-year-old black poet with a BA in English, a dishonorable discharge from the U.S. Air Force (for possessing Soviet propaganda), and a complicated interracial love life. You might also say he was full of rage, but that would be an awfully polite way of putting it. At least as he expressed himself in the play, he was an antiwhite, misogynist bigot. If James Baldwin was America’s

literary Martin Luther King, Jones was its Nation-of-Islam-period Malcolm X. And, like the early Malcolm, a talented provocateur. Now running in an American Blues Theater revival, on a double bill with Darren Canady’s new TRANsit, Dutchman takes one of the foundational myths of Western civilization and throws it back in Western civilization’s damn face.

That tale is the one about Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. Clay (get it?) is a black college student in a suit, reading a

glossy magazine under an Avis placard ad as he rides a pregraffiti-age New York subway train. He’s joined by Lula, a white stranger wearing a summer dress. She carries a bag full of fruit and insists on sitting next to him, though Chuck Smith’s staging makes it clear she has plenty of other options. Flirtatious to bawdy, bubbly to peremptory, flip to vicious (and—in Amanda Drinkall’s sharply modulated performance—seemingly condemned, like the Flying Dutchman alluded to by the title), Lula gives Clay a bite of her apple before pushing him so far off balance, stripping him so completely of his bourgeois aspirations that (as fearlessly embodied by Michael Pogue) he ends up doing gibbering plantation-slave imitations. Then she goes in for the kill.

Lula isn’t a nasty white woman. Or a crazy one, either. By giving her uncanny knowledge and a strange power over the other subway passengers, Jones makes it clear that she’s as much a principle as a character. Not just Eve, but also the snake, and not just the snake but evil itself. Ultimately, she’s nothing less than

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the figure familiar to us from the theology of Malcolm X’s mentor, Elijah Muhammad: a white devil.

TRANsit is Dutchman redux: a similar circumstance and dynamic brought into the present, with a different kind of gender fireworks added. The train riders this time include Ronald, a female-identifying black man who calls himself Veronica (a formidable, fragile Manny Buckley) and Veronica’s gay white clubbing friend Luke; the seducer role is filled by Lalo, a black-Latino kid who dances on the train for kicks and tips. The great and interesting difference between Canady’s piece and its inspiration is the lack of a clear enemy, despite plenty of sexual and racial tension. Without Jones’s unmitigated Evil One, all that’s left is the rage. v R DUTCHMAN/TRANSIT Through 9/25: Thu-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 3 and 7:30 PM, Sun 2:30 PM, Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln, 773-404-7336, americanbluestheater.com, $19-$49.

ß @taadler

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 13

Get showtimes at chicagoreader.com/movies.

ARTS & CULTURE

Tom Hanks in Sully

MOVIES

In the event of a water landing

By J.R. JONES

I

n January 2009, a US Airways flight that had just lifted off from LaGuardia collided with a flock of geese that took out both its engines, and the plane began losing altitude over the Bronx. The veteran pilot, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, decided that the plane would never reach an airport runway in time and instead staged a perfect water landing on the Hudson River, from which the passengers and crew were rescued. A crisis that might have ended with 155 people dead instead resulted in no loss of life, and was hailed worldwide as “the Miracle on the Hudson.” What incredible material for a movie!

But as Clint Eastwood’s Sully proves, the Miracle on the Hudson is actually lousy material for a movie. The event drew saturation coverage, so anyone older than 12 years of age probably remembers what happened that day; when the passengers are screaming and texting their loved ones, you know they’re all going to survive. Sullenberger became a national hero and now serves as an aviation consultant for CBS News; when the National Transportation Safety Board tries to nail him for bad judgment, arguing that he could have made it back to LaGuardia, you know he’ll be exonerated in the end. That leaves screenwriter Todd Komarnicki, who adapted Sullenberger’s memoir Highest Duty, without ssss EXCELLENT

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much dramatic tension available, aside from the flashes of noble self-doubt that cause Tom Hanks, as Sully, to frown and stare off in the distance.

That must be the reason Komarnicki revisits the hair-raising flight no fewer than four times—once when it’s actually happening; twice in Sully’s imagination, where the plane flies into a building and erupts into a giant fireball; and yet again when Sully and his copilot, Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart), are defending themselves at a heavily attended NTSB hearing. Like American Sniper, Eastwood’s previous feature, Sully is mainly an exercise in deification, mining our common cultural experience for the sort of stoic men of action the director plays so well onscreen. After the two pilots have cleared their names at the hearing, one of the investigators (Anna Gunn of Breaking Bad) asks them if they would have done anything differently. To the crowd’s warm delight, Skiles squeezes off a perfect make-my-day rejoinder—“I would have done it in July”—and Eastwood abruptly fades to black. At least he spares us a high five and a freeze-frame. v SULLY s Directed by Clint Eastwood. PG-13, 95 min. For showtimes visit chicagoreader.com/movies.

ß @JR_Jones

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FALL PREVIEW THEATER

Hamilton: The latest case of tulip mania?

By TONY ADLER

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es,” wrote Ben Brantley, “it really is that good.”

The New York Times theater critic was referring to Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical about the first U.S. treasury secretary, Alexander Hamilton. The Broadway production had only just opened, but Brantley felt obliged to address expectations swarming around it. In fact, he spent three paragraphs of his August 6, 2015, review expressing his weariness over the show’s “worshipful press” before going into detail on how utterly marvelous it is.

Hamilton had already been a phenomenon for seven months by then—ever since February, when the original staging opened at the Public Theater in lower Manhattan. And, as

you certainly know since you’re bothering to read this, the phenomenon went on to get even bigger. The stats are as impressive as they are well publicized. Hamilton received a record 16 Tony nominations, of which 11 were converted to wins. Miranda’s script won a Pulitzer and Miranda himself a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant. Speaking to a bunch of high school students at the White House, Michelle Obama called Hamilton the “best piece of art in any form that I have ever seen in my life.”

You read that right: the best ever.

Tracking the price of a seat became a pastime in itself. Noting that the average face value for a ticket to the Broadway Hamilton is $189, another Times story reported: “For most of May [2016], the median price of a

ticket on the secondary market was around $850. Between the Tonys and the July 9 performances, it pushed toward $1,600.

Before Mr. Miranda’s announcement of his departure [from the show’s title role], ticket holders were offering a seat for the July 9 performance at an average of $2,700. With the news of his exit, the average asking price quickly climbed to $10,900 a seat.” You read that right too: $10,900.

This sort of thing isn’t entirely unprecedented, of course. Something similar happened five years ago, when a tulip-mania-style frenzy blew up around The Book of Mormon.

The response to Hamilton is of a different order, though, and not merely because of the $11,000 scalping.

The Book of Mormon is gleefully vicious: an attack on the absurdities of evangelism with the Latter Day Saints as exhibit A. I haven’t seen Hamilton yet, but I’ve had endless opportunity to listen to online excerpts and study descriptions, and from all I’ve heard and read and been told Miranda’s show is only gleeful in its pure-hearted affirmation of national continuity. Black and Latino founding fathers and mothers use hip-hop idioms to draw a direct line from the revolutionary past to our diverse present. A signature anthem, “The World Turned Upside Down” (recounting the 1781 victory of the combined American and French armies at the Siege of Yorktown), famously starts with the Marquis de Lafayette and the Caribbean-born Hamilton agreeing that immigrants “get the job done.”

There’s a lot wrong with that line, starting with the fact that the leader of the American forces, George Washington, was a fourth-generation Virginia patrician and stretching through the likely objections of Native Americans. Still, it feeds sweetly into a cherished narrative—the same one that all but ensured that every combat unit in Hollywood World War II movies featured a country boy, an Italian, an Irishman, and a Jew from the Bronx.

In the face of wild uncertainties about the character, even the definition, of a nation where everybody seems to feel like an embattled minority—where candidates advance on promises of exclusion, “whiteness” is an increasingly desperate construct, and the proposition that black lives matter is somehow less than self-evident—Hamilton offers us the reassurance that what we’re going through isn’t new. Or catastrophic. Indeed, it’s as old as these states. Only the skin tones are darker this time around, and the beats are better.

As the box office numbers indicate, that’s a great consolation. We all get a role, both in the past and in the future, and what may look superficially like chaos is exposed as a movement toward freedom. A friend of mine—a gay white man from Arkansas—saw it and told me it made him “proud to be an American.”

But then there may be plain showbiz smarts involved too. Of the nine Nederlander theaters in New York, Hamilton is in residence at the third smallest, the 1,319-seat Richard Rodgers, making seats just that much scarcer. When Chicago’s resident production begins performances on September 27, it’ll be housed in PrivateBank Theatre—at 1,800 seats, by far the smallest of Broadway in Chicago’s four Loop properties. v

ß @taadler SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 15

FALL PREVIEW THEATER

Best bets

The Revenge of Prince Zi Dan (see

Mary Zimmerman returns to Leonard Bernstein with Wonderful Town at the Goodman September 10-October 16

) o XINHUA/ZOU ZHENG

16 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

Director Mary Zimmerman and musical director Doug Peck, who brought their adaptation of Leonard Bernstein’s 1956 operetta Candide to the Goodman Theatre in 2010, reteam for a new take on Bernstein’s jazzy 1953 hit Wonderful Town. Inspired by journalist Ruth McKenney’s 1938 memoir My Sister Eileen, the show chronicles the exploits of two Ohio sisters—a writer and an actress—as they forge a new life in bohemian Greenwich Village. Zimmerman has moved the action from the 1930s to the 1950s because, she says, “the music belongs to the 1950s, and the exhilaration of Greenwich Village as an enclave of artists, poets and composers and writers is equally as true in the early 1950s as it was in the 1930s.” Ruth will be played by Bri Sudia, with soprano Lauren Molina (a fine Cunegonde in Candide) as Eileen. —ALBERT WILLIAMS a 9/10-10/16: Wed-Thu 7:30 PM, Fri-Sat 8 PM, Sun 2 and 7:30 PM; also Tue 10/4, 7:30 PM, and Sat 10/1, 10/8, and 10/15, 2 PM, Goodman Theatre, 170

N. Dearborn, 312-443-3800, goodmantheatre. org, $18-$94.

The House of Atreus falls at Court Theatre November 10-December 11 Following the success of last season’s Agamemnon and Iphigenia in Aulis in 2014, Court Theatre brings the House of Atreus trilogy to completion with Sophocles’s Electra, newly translated for the stage by founding artistic director Nicholas Rudall, who was also behind the others. The eternal themes of vengeance and family betrayal that undergird Greek tragedy achieve new life in Rudall’s adaptation, which will be directed by Seret Scott, who last helmed Court’s Native Son. Sandra Marquez returns as Clytemnestra, Michael Pogue plays Aegisthus, and Kate Fry is Electra. —MAX MALLER a 11/10-12/11: Wed-Thu 7:30 PM, Fri-Sat 8 PM, Sun 2:30 and 7:30 PM; also Sat 11/2, 12/3, and 12/10, 3 PM, Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis, courttheatre.org, $48-$68.

Rarely performed plays by Amiri Baraka, Sam Shepard, and more

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It’s a pleasure to have so many seldom-seen plays on offer this season. Dutchman, a 1964 one-act by poet-playwright Amiri Baraka (who then still went by LeRoi Jones), will get a revival at American Blues (8/26-9/25), sharing the bill with a commissioned work, below).

Darren Canady’s TRANSit (see Shattered Globe takes on True West, a minor masterpiece by Sam Shepard (9/810/22). And Black Button Eyes Productions will bring renowned French composer Michel Legrand’s musical Amour to the Athenaeum (9/2-10/8; see review page 4).

—MAX MALLER Shakespeare 400 Chicago brings the world to town Chicago Shakespeare Theater, ground zero for Shakespeare 400 Chicago, the yearlong celebration of the Bard’s 400th birthday, plays host to a number of international companies this fall, among them the Shanghai Jingju Theatre with The Revenge of Prince Zi Dan, a Peking opera adaptation of Hamlet (9/28-9/29 at the Harris Theater); Company Theatre Mumbai with Piya Behrupiya, a Hindi version of Twelfth Night (9/27-9/29); and the Mexico City-based Foro Shakespeare, performing Chilean playwright Eduardo Pavez Goye’s meditation on Romeo and Juliet, Enamorarse de un Incendio (9/22-9/24). Also on the schedule, from the UK, is The Complete Deaths, a compilation of all 74 onstage deaths from Shakespeare’s complete works, performed one after the other by the antic four-member clown troupe Spymonkey (11/30-12/11). —JACK HELBIG

Harmonize at

New works by notable local playwrights Catching the latest work from Chicago’s notable playwrights should keep you busy this fall. Seems like each of them has something new to show us, including The Happiest Place on Earth (Sideshow Theatre Company, 9/17-10/23), an autobiographical solo show written and performed by Philip Dawkins; Scooby Don’t (Hell in a Handbag Productions, 9/29-11/4), David Cerda’s spoof of the animated mystery solvers; Andrew Hinderaker’s The Magic Play (Goodman Theatre, 10/21-11/20), about an illusionist in crisis; and Calamity West’s Give It All Back (Sideshow again, 11/2012/18), about an artist holed up in a French hotel room. How We Got On (Haven Theatre Company, 9/29-11/12), a hip-hop comingof-age tale by Idris Goodwin, and Octagon (Jackalope Theatre, 11/20-12/18), Kristiana Rae Colón’s behind-the-scenes look at a poetry slam, will be making their first local appearances as well. —ZAC THOMPSON

strangers, written by Darren Canady in response to Amiri Baraka’s Dutchman (8/269/25), with which it’s running on a double bill (see review page 13), and Nothing Without a Company’s [Trans]formation (11/17-12/17), a coproduction with the Living Canvas in which nude performers—trans, queer, intersex—celebrate the diversity of the human body. —ZAC THOMPSON Belly up to the bar at Cheers Live on Stage September 20-October 23 Fans of the iconic 1980s sitcom (or even

Trans lives onstage In November, Doug Wright’s I Am My Own Wife (11/4-12/10), based on the real-life experiences of a German trans woman who survived both the Nazis and the Communists, returns to About Face Theatre, where it was developed in 2002 before going on to Broadway and a raft of awards. This time around, transgender performer Delia Kropp will be playing the central role. The increased visibility of trans lives onstage will be further reflected in American Blues Theater’s TRANSit, about a subway encounter between

AUTUMN GREEN AT WRIGHT CAMPUS

those who just recognize its greatness— Amy Poehler has called it the best television show ever) will have the chance to experience Cheers Live on Stage this fall courtesy of Broadway in Chicago. Promising fidelity to the ensemble-based comedy, the live version uses scripts drawn from the first season. Register online for a lottery that allows a dozen audience members at each performance to take the stage at intermission and have a beer. —SUZANNE SCANLON a 9/2010/23: Wed-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2 and 8 PM, Sun 2 and 7:30 PM, Tue 7:30 PM, Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut, broadwayinchicago.

J com, $32-$69.

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 17

FALL PREVIEW THEATER Brittany Stock and Justin Wade Wilson in The Black Slot

continued from 17 Suburbia in the sights of a Jeff Award-winning playwright Now through October 16

o EMILY SCHWARTZ

Playwright Mat Smart is a champion of the much-maligned suburban life. His dramatic comedy Naperville, about a man who returns home after his mother suffers an accident that leaves her blind, is set in a Caribou Coffee shop that existed in the title town when Smart was growing up there. The New York Times found it “intricate and delightful.” Smart’s The Royal Society of Antarctica, staged by the Gift Theatre last year, won the Equity Jeff Award for Best New Work. —DEANNA ISAACS a Through 10/16: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 2 PM, Theater Wit, 1229 N. Belmont, 773-9758150, TheaterWit.org, $20-$70.

Romeo y Julieta en espagnol November 11-December 18 Othello in India. Hamlet in a biker bar. Macbeth on the moon. Relocating Shakespeare is all the rage. But to open its 26th season, Aguijón Theater—Chicago’s only company devotedly solely to Spanish-language works—bucks the trend. Adapter Gerardo Cárdenas sets his Romeo y Julieta nowhere but a spare stage, asking audiences to attend to the timeless tale rather than anachronistic scenery. Director Sándor Menéndez, one of Chicago’s best, helms the production.

—JUSTIN HAYFORD a 11/11-12/18: Fri-Sat 8 PM, Sun 6 PM, $25, $15 for seniors, students, and teachers.

Hand to God September 17-October 16 Filth and felt have had a winning relationship onstage in shows such as Avenue Q. The twist in Robert Askins’s 2011 dark comedy is that the raunchy puppet is attached to an unwilling, godly Christian body. A kid in rural Texas gets possessed and becomes a terrified ventriloquist to a googly-eyed satanic spirit. The casting of Chicago darling Alex Weisman in Victory Gardens’ production bodes well for this vulnerable, sardonic, bitingly funny play. Gary Griffin directs.

—DAN JAKES a 9/17-10/16: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM (no shows Fri 9/16 and 9/23), Sun 3 PM; also Wed 10/5, 2 PM; Tue 10/11, 7:30 PM; and Wed 10/12, 7:30 PM, Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln, 773-871-3000, victorygardens.org, $25-$45. v

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Onstage: race and gun violence Chicago’s fall theater season shows a new emphasis on social consciousness.

By TONY ADLER

I

’ve developed a theory, based on sorting through press releases for Chicago’s fall theater season. It’s this: That as more and more narrative entertainment and bigger and bigger audiences flow toward screens—from network and cable to Netflix—playwrights feel freer and freer to tackle social issues on live stages.

Why shouldn’t they? The circumstances certainly favor an unfashionable intensity.

Costs are lower, time frames quicker, ensembles tighter, profit motives—well—not as strong, and audiences tend to skew toward folks who actually get a thrill from adjectives like “disturbing” and “challenging.” What’s more, much of American theater is created at not-for-profits, and the funders that give not-for-profits grants tend to see a play as a platform for earnest

inquiry rather than pleasure. (The National Endowment for the Arts slogan isn’t “Art Delights”—it’s “Art Works.”) So writers with a cause can find refuge and a home in the theater. And then too, it paid off for Brecht.

Any way, that’s one explanation for the many socially conscious productions we’ll be seeing here from now through November.

Race and gun violence will be especially prom inent topics—appropriately, not only because this is Chicago, where the two touch everything, but also because the local theater community had its own quasi-racial incident this summer, when Porchlight Music Theatre announced that Jack DeCesare would be playing the Latino lead character in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s

musical IN THE HEIGHTS (9/9-10/16). Some said he didn’t belong in the role, inasmuch as he’s of Italian descent and therefore Latin only in the ancient sense. Many arguments but, thankfully, no violence ensued.

All that excitement may bode well for Aston Rep’s staging of THE BLACK SLOT (9/110/2; see review page 4), Warren Hoffman’s new theater-world satire about a regional company looking to fill the black programming niche in its upcoming season. Some other racially charged shows—all of them, interestingly, also world premieres—include Silk Road Rising’s ULTRA-AMERICAN: A PATRIOT ACT (9/6-9/25), a one-man evening with comedian Azhar Usman, in which he considers the “double-consciousness of American Muslims”; 16th Street Theater’s CARROLL GARDENS (9/8-10/15), A. Zell Williams’s look at the strain between Ronny and Davis, cross-racial friends, when Davis joins the hipeoisie; and Polarity Ensemble Theatre’s LEAVINGS (10/2111/20), Gail Parrish’s tale of a 111-year old lady attempting to reconcile the privileged white and persecuted black halves of her heritage.

Firearms get a going-over in three other world premieres. Beth Kander’s THE BOTTLE TREE (Stage Left Theatre, 10/15-11/20) and Caitlin Parrish’s THE BURIALS (Steppenwolf for Young Adults, 10/5-10/22) both concern the surviving sisters of high school shooters, while Alex Lubischer’s BOBBIE CLEARLY (Steep Theatre, 9/29-11/5) is a documentary-style depiction of a tiny Nebraska town revisiting a shooting.

Maybe just slightly refreshing after the gunplay is the nonlethal and thoroughly surreal kneecapping Nancy Kerrigan suffered at the instigation of her rival Tonya Harding during the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Not just one but two pieces will cover the crime. Underscore Theatre offers TONYA AND NANCY: THE ROCK OPERA (11/25-12/30) by Elizabeth Searle and Michael Teoli. Then there’s T., Dan Aibel’s black-comic exploration of the pursuit of fame, presented

by American Theater Company. You’ll have to wait till May 2017 for that one, though. v

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FALL PREVIEW DANCE

Best bets

By MATT DE LA PEñA Hubbard Street Dance o TODD ROSENBERG

Dorrance Dance: ETM: Double Down November 4-6

The Seldoms: The Fifth October 13-15 Longtime ensemble member Philip Elson becomes the first person to debut an evening-length work commissioned by the company, now on the cusp of its 15th anniversary. The premiere deals with the nebulous culture of hacktivism and the realm of cyberspace as the fifth domain of war. Think WikiLeaks mixed with a dash of Anonymous. On Saturday, October 15, there’s also a family dance workshop and matinee beginning at 2:15 PM; it’s $15. a Thu 10/13Sat 10/15, Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, 1306 S. Michigan, 312-3698300, colum.edu/dance-center/performances, $30, $24 seniors.

Joffrey Ballet: Romeo and Juliet October 13-23 Polish choreographer Krystoff Pastor’s ballet imagines Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers navigating three eras of Italian history, beginning with the rise of fascism in the 30s and continuing through

20 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

the tumultuous reign of Silvio Berlusconi in the 90s. It was first performed by the Joffrey in 2014; this remount is part of Shakespeare 400 Chicago, the citywide jamboree marking four centuries since the Bard’s death. a 10/13-10/23: Thu-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2 and 7:30 PM, Sun 2 PM, Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress, 312-341-2310, auditoriumtheatre.org, $34-$159.

Michelle Dorrance, founder of this tap-centered New York City troupe, has a reputation for stepping outside the box. The MacArthur fellow is doing just that in this copresentation with the Chicago Humanities Festival. In a subtle nod to EDM music, eight tap dancers perform on an electronic tap floor with the help of three musicians and the B–girl Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie. a 11/411/6: Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 3 and 7:30 PM, and Sun 11/6, 3 PM, Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago, 312-2802660, mcachicago.org, $30, $10 students.

Zephyr Dance: Valise 13 October 20-23 The title is an oblique reference to the small but consequential moments that people choose to carry with them along life’s journey. The existential theme is classic Zephyr, and it comes with a guarantee: you won’t be sitting on the sidelines.

Michelle Kranicke partners with Molly Strom and architect David Sundry for an interactive series of vignettes that asks audience members to participate as the sequence of events unfolds. a Thu 10/20-Sun 10/23, 7:30 PM, Defibrillator Gallery, 1463 W. Chicago, zephyrdance. com, $11.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: Fall Series November 17-20 This year’s fall series highlights the 15th original work from resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo and a world premiere from Brian Brooks, the Harris Theater’s newly named artist in residence. Two reprisals complete the program: Czech choreographerJiři Kylián’s allmale Sarabande and its companion piece, the all-female Falling Angels, set to music

by Steve Reich. a 11/17-11/20: Thu 7:30 PM, Fri-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 PM, Harris Theater, 205 W. Randolph, 312-334-7777, harristheaterchicago.org, $30-$189. v

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Kyle Scanlan, Alex Kumin, Kevin Lobkovich, Stephanie Weber, Sarah Sherman, Ricky Gonzalez, Derek Smith, and Deanna Ortiz o ELIZABETH MCQUERN

Meet the new cast of the Lincoln Lodge

By BRIANNA WELLEN

T

he Lincoln Lodge boasts a hallowed reputation as one of the first (and longest-running) alt-comedy showcases in town, the place where comics like Hannibal Buress, Cameron Esposito, T.J. Miller, and Kumail Nanjiani cut their teeth before hitting it big. There’s a consistent cast every week who aren’t just performing individual stand-up sets onstage but are also leaving the Subterranean (the show’s current home) to live stream man-on-the-street interviews or conducting weekly variety acts like sketches, game shows, and whatever else they can come up with.

This year the Lincoln Lodge has its own milestone to celebrate: when the new season starts on Friday, September 2, at 8 PM, it will be the first cast in the history of the program who are an even split of male and female performers, which the company hopes will be a precedent for stand-up shows across the city. We got to know the guys and gals who make up this historic lineup for the Lincoln Lodge’s 17th season.

RICKY GONZALEZ, 30

Seven years in comedy Six years with the Lincoln Lodge Gonzalez is one of the longest-standing Lincoln Lodge cast members, and refers to him-

self as “pretty much the one who’s in charge.”

He knows the ins and outs of the show, including the struggle to churn out new material for the same audience from week to week.

“If you’re a fan of a musician, you want to hear them do the hits,” Gonzalez says. “But with comedy if you repeat one joke they’ve heard before, they get mad about it.”

Lucky for him, his day job as a preschool teacher offers him a never-ending supply of crazy stories. His strategy for keeping things fresh onstage? Simply talk about his day.

ALEX KUMIN, 29

Three years in comedy Two years with the Lincoln Lodge Kumin is a product of the Lincoln Lodge’s Stand-Up Seminary, a five-week course on the basics of putting together a set and figuring out your point of view onstage. Her first time doing stand-up was three years ago during the graduation performance, and since then she’s been gigging across the city almost every single night.

All that time onstage has helped her find her voice as a comic. “I lean toward selfdeprecating humor as well as topics that raise social consciousness—rape culture, sexu- J

SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 21

FALL PREVIEW COMEDY

Best bets

By BRIANNA WELLEN Eric Andre Live!

September 12

On The Eric Andre Show, anything can and will happen. In a recent episode of the Adult Swim late-night talk show parody, for instance, Andre had musical guest Ariel Pink drenched in dirty toilet water, whereupon the comedian dubbed him “Ariel Stinks.”

That triggered a rapid-fire bit featuring more visual gags and new half-rhyming nicknames for the artist. If that’s the kind of thing that results under the constraints of FCC regulations, one can only imagine what absurdity is in store when the outre comedian takes his show on the road. a Mon 9/12, 9 PM, Thalia Hall, 1227 W. 18th, thaliahallchicago.com, $20-$25.

Throwing Shade September 22

Comics Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi are like two of your loudest, most opinionated best friends; they seem to have something interesting to say about everything. On their Throwing Shade podcast, they take the week’s biggest stories, from pop culture to politics, and dispense truths as if

they’re just chatting at a bar.

Sometimes the truth hurts— but with these two at least, it’s also always entertaining.

For this event, they’ll record an episode live. a Thu 9/22, Thalia Hall, 1227 W. 18th, throwingshade.com, $20-$25.

Aparna Nancherla September 27 On Just Putting It Out There, Nancherla’s debut stand-up album released in July, the charming comic does what the title promises. She starts each joke as if she accidentally walked in front of a microphone, then proceeds to drop dry, observational one-liners. “Apparently women’s magazines are written by spambots who want more from life,” she says, pausing to let the concept sink in, then moving on to the next thought she wants out in the world. a Tue 9/27, 8:30 PM, Hideout 1354 W. Wabansia, hideoutchicago.com, $12-$20.

My Favorite Murder November 17-19 Murder is no laughing matter.

But on the podcast My Favorite Murder, hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark manage to make the grim subject improbably funny.

The true-crime-obsessed pair of comedians discuss serial killers, unsolved myster-

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Eric Andre o GETTY IMAGES

ies, and listeners’ hometown homicides in such a casual way—they admit to doing little to no research—that what results is some pretty cheerful banter about some truly gruesome crimes. They’ll record a live episode as part of the Chicago Podcast Festival. a Thu 11/17-Sat 11/19: times TBD, various locations, chicagopodcastfestival.org, $20-$35.

Marc Maron December 3 Whether onstage, on his WTF podcast, or on his eponymous IFC show, Maron has a distinctive way of putting a profound comedic spin on his own neurosis, his personal and romantic failures, and the darkness of daily life as a recovering addict. In July it was announced that the fourth season of his TV show would be its last, so expect him to be ready to unload during this stop on his “Too Real” tour. a Sat 12/3, 7:30 PM, the Vic, 3154 N. Sheffield, jamusa.com, $41. v

continued from 21 al health, et cetera,” Kumin says. “You know, the light stuff.”

She’s now training the next group of performers as a teacher for Feminine Comique, a stand-up class for female performers. And she’s also an instructor for the very same program that gave her her start.

KEVIN LOBKOVICH, 22

Seven years in comedy Two years with the Lincoln Lodge When Lobkovich started doing his oneliners for crowds in the suburbs at the age of 15, he killed. He thought of himself at the time as “the king of Naperville comedy,” he says. But when he came to Chicago to pursue stand-up, things were a little different.

“I thought I would be the new king of Chicago, and I bombed for a month straight,” he says. “I thought, ‘I might not be funny.’”

After working some open mikes and honing his style—exploring weightier subjects like anxiety and depression, and talking more about his personal experiences—he became one of the Lincoln Lodge’s youngest cast members at age 20.

During his first man-on-the-street interview for the Lodge, he got on a stranger’s shoulders and talked about the view on Milwaukee Avenue from up there. It’s one of his favorite things he’s done on the show, and every week he tries to top it.

DEANNA ORTIZ, 23

Six years in comedy First year with the Lincoln Lodge Ortiz was just 17 years old when she performed her first stand-up set in front of a room of suburban adults. She quickly realized that her teenage observations on the similarities between dogs and babies weren’t going over well—she needed to get more personal. “The more life experiences

I get, the more it really helps my comedy,” she says.

Even one of her worst onstage experiences has helped her grow as a comic. “I was catcalled right before my hand even touched the microphone,” she says. “It was such a horrible way to start my set.”

Ortiz knew she couldn’t let that moment get her down and started perfecting her crowd work. Now she prides herself on being able to turn catcalling and heckling into something that makes everyone laugh.

KYLE SCANLAN, 30

Seven years in comedy Four years with the Lincoln Lodge The first time Scanlan’s parents saw him perform comedy also happened to be one of the worst shows of his life. He was opening for an 80s cover band at an outdoor gig near the interstate, and an already bad set was ruined when a semi drove by and honked its horn during the final punch line. But he stuck with it, and his parents have seen enough of his successes onstage to block out his highway set.

The experience taught Scanlan an important lesson: “Losing that fear of failure is really important I think, or at least learning how to cope with it,” he says. “Quitting isn’t an option.”

SARAH SHERMAN, 23

Six years in comedy First year with the Lincoln Lodge Sherman first tried her hand at comedy in New York at the age of 17. After her set, the host of the show made jokes about the bow tie she was wearing and her high-pitched voice; she was so discouraged she traded in stand-up for improv. Last November, however, Sherman performed solo once again, this time with thicker skin, more life experience, and a very distinct onstage voice.

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“All of my jokes are basically long, convoluted rants in the high-volume voice of a truly bizarre character who’s usually losing their damn mind,” Sherman says. “If I’m not obsessively talking about my dad or my pubes, I’m usually just a demented character who’s spiraling out of control.”

tion, essays, and poetry. However, she says, “All I’ve ever wanted to be is a detective.”

Although she has no formal background in art history or detective work, she began investigating the mystery of why Magritte’s writing wasn’t available in English.

The French publisher Flammarion had released Magritte’s Écrits Complet (Complete Writings) in 1979, but no English translation of the complete or selected writings seemed ever to have existed. The only thing Rooney could find was a listing in WorldCat—an online database of library collections—for an English translation of Magritte’s selected writing from 1987. But though the listing and ISBN (international standard book number) were there, Rooney couldn’t track down any physical copies, which led her to surmise, correctly, that the publication had been planned but fell through before it came out.

It was around this point that her search shifted from looking for a book she wanted to read to looking for a book she wanted to publish. “Once it occurred to me that it might exist but had not been available, I became extremely drawn to the idea of trying to be the person who made it available to the world.”

DEREK SMITH, 33

Ô CORNELIA LI

Ten years in comedy Six years with the Lincoln Lodge When Smith was 23 years old and studying to take the MCATs, he went to see his first comedy show with a friend. The next day he dropped out of school and decided to pursue a career as a comedian—he knew from that one night that it was what he wanted to do forever.

The first time Smith went onstage he simply talked about what was going on in his life.

Not much about his approach has changed since then except for his confidence level and a more focused perspective. “I want to share how I experience the world and try to break it down so that it’s something universal for everybody—I want to find those things that all connect people,” he says. “That sounds so high-minded for fart jokes.”

STEPHANIE WEBER, 27

Nine years in comedy First year with the Lincoln Lodge Weber started in Chicago as an improviser and member of the sketch team Warm Milk, and when she briefly lived in New York she started attending open mikes hoping to find someone to write sketches with her. What she discovered instead was a desire to break out of a group and try this comedy thing on her own. “I loved that I didn’t even need other people for this,” Weber says. “It really helped me be confident in my own ideas and realize that I know what’s funny.”

And it’s her experience with sketch comedy that sets her apart onstage. Weber often does character work, and when she tells personal stories she becomes an affected, satirical version of herself, whether it’s discussing her ex-boyfriend’s vampire novel or her thoughts on abortion.

The Lincoln Lodge Fridays at 8 PM, Subterranean, 2011 W. North, thelincolnlodge.com, pay what you can. The Lincoln Lodge Starts a Revolution fund-raiser featuring Aparna Nancherla, Colt Cabana, and Michelle L’Amour, Mon 9/26, 7 PM, Revolution Brewery, 2323 N. Milwaukee, 773-2272739, thelincolnlodge.com, $30-$50 v

ß @BriannaWellen

How a DePaul English professor became an a -history sleuth

By JANET POTTER

A

ll her life, DePaul professor Kathleen Rooney was a fan of Belgian painter René Magritte. A writer herself, Rooney describes Magritte as “a writer’s painter. His work is very literary and poetic.”

In July 2014, her friend and fellow faculty member Eric Plattner suggested they go see “Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926-1938,” an exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago. Little did she know that this trip to the museum was the beginning of a project that would consume the next two years of her life.

“I kept noticing that the wall texts were really, really good,” Rooney says. The exhibit used many excerpts from Magritte’s own let-

ters and essays to accompany the paintings, and she recalls that one in particular, taken from his autobiographical essay “Life Line,” made her decide to buy a book of his writing.

“I felt embarrassed—how have I not bought this book? How can I consider myself a fan and not have know Magritte was such a good writer?”

She didn’t find one to buy in the Art Institute gift shop, or anywhere else for that matter. As it turned out, none of his writings were available in translation.

Rooney holds an MFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College, teaches English and creative writing at DePaul, and has published eight books of fic-

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he existence of an ISBN was a promising clue that a manuscript might exist.

WorldCat listed Riverrun Press as the publisher, a British house run by publishing legend John Calder, who was a personal friend of Samuel Beckett and who introduced many 20th-century avant-garde writers, such as William Burroughs and Marguerite Duras, to the UK reading public. Rooney discovered that Riverrun had folded due to Calder’s poor health and a loss of funding, and Alma Books, another British publisher, had bought the rights to all of Riverrun’s projects. At that point, work on the book officially ended.

“It was sort of like the Vivian Maier thing,” Rooney says. “They scooped up all of Riverrun’s rights but had no idea what was in it nor the time to discover what was there.”

Rooney e-mailed Alma Books and heard back from Alessandro Gallenzi, the current publisher and managing director. Gallenzi had no knowledge of the title, but pointed Rooney to an abbey in Caen, France, that housed John Calder’s archives. André Derval, director of collections at Ardenne Abbey, e-mailed Rooney back on August 13, 2014, to let her know that he had a typed copy of the book.

“We don’t know—we may never know— why the manuscript ended up there,” Rooney says. “But it was superexciting when J

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Andre wrote back and said, ‘Yes, it’s here.’ ” The single typewritten copy of the book had been sitting in the French abbey, most likely since the late 1980s. Gallenzi arranged for Derval to scan the 391-page manuscript and forwarded it on to Rooney.

“I felt extremely lucky to have made the discovery, and extremely surprised that no one else had ever pursued it. I guess if you’re hard-core into Magritte or the French and Belgian surrealists you probably speak French, so you’d just read the Flammarion edition.”

Calder had commissioned Jo Levy, a Frenchto-English translator, for the Flammarion edition, and the duo worked together to select which pieces of Magritte’s writing to include.

Levy passed away in the mid-90s, and while Calder is still alive, he’s in very poor health, and Rooney has been unable to discuss his original project, or her revival of it, with him.

Additionally, Calder and Levy lived near each other, and they likely did all their selecting, translating, and editing together in person, so no correspondence survives that reveals their process or intent.

Despite the lack of concrete information about how the original manuscript came together, Rooney was thrilled with the results.

“After the initial fear of ‘Does this exist?’ was resolved, I wondered about the quality of the piece,” she says. “Anytime you’re dealing with someone from the past whom you admire, you want what they said to be intelligent and of merit and add to the conversation.”

Rooney found the quality of writing in the manuscript to be as good as the tidbits she’d read at the exhibit, but she was surprised by the range of Magritte’s intellect. Whether addressing his paintings, politics, life, or art, his prose reflects the perceptiveness and daring of his visual work.

“One of the cool things in the text is to see Magritte over the decades return to this idea

24 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

of mystery,” Rooney says. “He hated mystification, he hated bullshit, but he loved mystery.

The world is so full and so incapable of being taken in all at once or efficiently, we have to constantly approach the things we know and not take them as a given. I like the surrealists, but of all them I think Magritte is the one who has the most literary sensibility, the biggest heart, the biggest desire to convey meaning.”

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aving tracked down the manuscript and been given Alma’s blessing to continue the project, Rooney and Plattner—who accompanied her on that first visit to the Magritte exhibit, and who became her coeditor— began the work of preparing it for publication.

They retyped Levy’s manuscript, checked references and footnotes, and reviewed the translation. “I love Jo Levy,” Rooney says of the collaborator she’ll never meet, “but at times I want to wring her neck.” Rooney believes that the text she received was an early version of the translation—there were inconsistencies that needed to be resolved, and times when Levy would make a revision by typing directly on top of the original source, rendering it illegible. Presumably this rough draft would have been smoothed out by Levy or Calder had they seen Écrits Complet (Complete Writings) through to publication.

Rooney nonetheless admits she owes a great debt to the pair. “They seemed extremely savvy,” she says, and besides commissioning six additional pieces from the Flammarion edition to be translated into English, Rooney and Plattner otherwise adhered to Calder and Levy’s selections.

Although it’s her first foray into art-history scholarship, “the project was intellectually quite sound,” she says. “I do consider myself a scholar, but I also consider myself more into the humanities and the bigger sense of being human. For me it was very much a humanities project. I was excited to have found this con-

tribution to the Magritte scholarship, but also to contribute to the understanding of Magritte as a person.”

“I liken it to becoming friends with the person even though they’re dead,” Rooney says. “I wasn’t just sitting there typing up the manuscript or polishing the translation, I was trying to educate myself more about Magritte’s biography and process. I really got this full sense of him as a human person. I think that feeling for me ended up being really motivating.”

Although initially uninterested, Gallenzi decided that Alma would publish the book in the UK after seeing the manuscript as Rooney worked on it. That left Rooney to find a U.S. publisher. “So in addition to becoming Magritte’s coeditor, I’m also his agent,” she says.

“It was interesting, a lot of places were like, ‘Nah, definitely don’t want Magritte.’ It made me feel better as an author myself.” Having gone through the process of finding publishers for her own work, she’d had her fair share of rejections. “I was thinking now that I’m basically Magritte, no one will say no,” she says.

“People still said no.”

She eventually found the University of Minnesota Press, which was not only excited about the artistic and literary value of the book, but willing to navigate the complicated rights situation involving the Magritte estate, Flammarion, and Alma Books. On September 22, the press will publish René Magritte: Selected Writings, the result of two years of literary sleuthing, cajoling, and hard work that began in that gift shop.

Magritte was a prolific writer. He wrote detective novels when he was young, and throughout his life continued to be, as Rooney describes in her introduction to Selected Writings, “a genre-jumping author of essays, prose poems, manifestos, polemics, lectures, reviews, film scripts, memoirs, interviews, pamphlets, aphorisms and plays on words and images.”

The selections in the book include one- or

two-line musings such as “In Europe, on the vast plains where the ripe wheat makes the Sun shine, we are a handful of men and women living beside our food,” but there are also fulllength interviews and essays as well as plays, pamphlets, open letters to the Communist Party, thoughts on his fellow artists, and reflections on his own work.

Although Magritte’s painting complements his writing and vice versa, both stand on their own merits. A note of Magritte’s included in this book says: “The titles of pictures are not explanations and pictures are not illustrations of titles. The relationship between title and picture is poetic.”

For now, Rooney may be leaving art-history detective work behind. Her next novel, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, which she worked on concurrently with the Magritte manuscript, will be published by St. Martin’s Press in 2017.

But Magritte’s influence remains. Rooney just finished a book called The Listening Room, titled after Magritte’s painting of the same name (La Chambre d’Écoute), that is told from the perspective of Magritte’s wife, Georgette, and their many Pomeranians, all named Loulou.

“I wouldn’t rule it out,” Rooney says of another art history or research project. “I like all interesting ideas, so we’ll see. I don’t anticipate finding any more lost manuscripts by titans of 20th-century art history, but if I do, I will track them down.” vRENÉ MAGRITTE: SELECTED WRITINGS Edited by Eric Plattner and Kathleen Rooney (University of Minnesota Press). Plattner and Rooney will discuss the book on Wed 9/21 at 6 PM at 57th Street Books, 1301 E. 57th, 773-684-1300, semcoop.com. F Plattner and Rooney appear for a reading and book signing on Thu 9/22 at 7 PM at the Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan, 312-4433600, artic.edu, free for Illinois residents and DePaul University students and faculty.

ß@sojanetpotter

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Best bets “Blow Up: Inflatable Contemporary Art” and Birth Death Breath: An Inflatable Opera

by Diane Christiansen and Jeanne Dunning September 10-November 27 Inflatable objects aren’t just gaudy enclosures that sequester screaming toddlers at neighborhood block parties. For evidence, look no further than “Blow Up,” an exhibit at the Elmhurst Art Museum that presents the works of ten artists whose preferred medium is helium.

In Birth Death Breath, Diane Christiansen and Jeanne Dunning harness the inflation and deflation of garish Christmastime decorations into an original opera composition. Artist talk and reception for “Blow Up” Fri 9/9, 5 PM. Opening reception of Birth Death Breath Sat 10/1, 3 PM. Through 11/27, Elmhurst Art Museum, 150 Cottage Hill, Elmhurst, 630-834-0202, elmhurstartmuseum.org, $8.

“Ben Rivers: Urth” September 10-November 6

Lewis deSoto, Paranirvana (Gold), part of “Blow Up” at the Elmhust Art Museum o COURTESY ELMHURST ART MUSEUM

London-based artist Ben Rivers’s experimental films focus on natural environments and utopian communities and the unsettling ways they reflect mankind. Previous works are supplemented with a new project commissioned by the Renaissance Society that was filmed in Arizona’s Biosphere 2. a Opening reception Sat 9/10, 5-8 PM. Through 11/6, Renaissance Society, 5811 S. Ellis, 773-702-8670, renaissancesociety.org. F “Every Building in Baghdad: The Rifat Chadirji Archives at the Arab Image Foundation” September 15-December 31 Iraqi architect Rifat Chadirji designed nearly 100 buildings in Baghdad between the 1950s and 1970s. His unconventional style reflects Iraq’s burgeoning modernity, and his photography captures the growing unease during the time period leading up to Saddam Hussein’s rule. This exhibition provides an overview of his work

with photographs and building documents. a Opening reception Thu 9/15 , 6 PM. Through 12/31, Graham Foundation, 4 W. Burton, 312-7874071, grahamfoundation.org.

F “Tseng Kwong Chi: Performing for the Camera” September 17-December 11 Photographer Tseng Kwong Chi was born in Hong Kong a n d p a r ticip ate d in t h e downtown Manhattan art scene during the 1 9 8 0s .

This biographical information is reflected in his work, primarily photographs he took of himself in a Maoist uniform standing in front of such famous landmarks as the World Trade Center and the Statue of Liberty.

The first major solo exhibition of his output includes rare archival material. Opening reception Sat 10/1, 2 PM. Through 12/11, Northwestern University Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Dr., Evanston, 847-491-4000, blockmuseum.northwestern.edu.

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continued from 25 Gary Younge

Expo Chicago September 23-25

o COURTESY INTERNAZ

The fifth annual edition of this contemporary-art showcase displays artwork from 140 international galleries underneath Navy Pier’s roof.

But the highlight might be “Override,” for which artists (including Sanford Biggers, Vik Muniz, and Cheryl Pope) were commissioned to work on 28 billboards all across the city. Vernissage Thu 9/22, 6-9 PM. Fri 9/23-Sat 9/24, 11 AM-7 PM, and Sun 9/25, 11 AM-6 PM, Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand, expochicago.com. F “Dateline: Bronzeville” September 30-December 18 This collaboration between the Rebuild Foundation and Video Game Art Gallery spotlights the work of Bronzeville artist Philip Mallory Jones and the title video game, in which a newspaper columnist solves a mystery in the south-side neighborhood. The exhibit includes screenshots, historical material, and a playable vignette of the game. Artist talk and reception Fri 9/30, 6 PM. Through 12/18, Dorchester Art and Housing Collaborative Center, 1456 E. 70th, videogameartgallery.com. F “Heavy Sketches” September 30November 20 Theaster Gates has been widely praised for urban planning efforts such as Dorchester Projects and the Stony Island Arts Bank, as well as musical ventures like the Black Monks of Mississippi. That hype can make his fine-art practice seem relatively overlooked. Richard Gray Gallery hosts an exhibition of the artist’s new bronze

László Moholy-Nagy, Lis, 1922 o HATTULA MOHOLY-NAGY/VG BILD-KUNST, BONN/ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY

and mixed-material sculptural work. Through 11/20, Richard Gray Gallery, 875 N. Michigan, 38th floor, 312-642-8877, richardgraygallery.com. F “Moholy-Nagy: Future Present” October 2-January 3, 2017 Hungarian-born multimedia artist László Moholy-Nagy made his mark on the Chicago art scene in 1937 when he founded the New Bauhaus school, now the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Through a collection of works from the last 26 years of his life, the Art Institute reintroduces MoholyNagy to the city that bears his undeniable influence.

Through 1/3/17, Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan, 312443-3600, artic.edu, $20.

“Tattoo” October 21-April 30 Whether for purposes of body art, tribal distinctions, or religious rituals, mankind

26 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

has participated in tattooing practices for millennia. This special exhibition of more than 170 relevant objects and historical tattoo designs, produced and premiered by Paris’s Musée du Quai BranlyJa c q u e s C h i ra c , m a ke s its U.S. debut at the Field Museum alongside artifacts from the Field’s own archives.

Through 4/30, Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore, 312-9229410, fieldmuseum.org, $38.

“Diana Thater: The Sympathetic Imagination” October 29-January 8, 2017 Plenty of artists attempt t o ex a m i n e t h e h u m a n experience, but Diana Thater contemplates the perspectives of animals. Multiple projectors, monitors, and LED lights enhance her film and video work for a walk on the wildlife side. Artist talk Sat 10/29, 3 PM. Through 1/8/17, Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago, 312-280-2660, mcachicago. org, $12. —SARA COHEN AND TAL ROSENBERG

They’re ten lives, not ten shooting deaths

By AIMEE LEVITT

T

he premise of Gary Younge’s new book Another Day in the Death of America: A Chronicle of Ten Short Lives (which will be released on October 4

by Nation Books) is both very simple and very chilling: on any given day, on average, seven children age 19 and younger will be shot to death somewhere in this country.

Younge chose a random date, November 23, 2013, and set out to find all the kids who died from gunshots that day and document their lives.

The project has its roots in a lengthy article with a similar premise that Younge wrote in 2007 for the Guardian, where he was then the U.S. correspondent. One of the deaths particularly struck him. Brandon Martell Moore, a 16-year-old in Detroit, was shopping for video games with his friends when he was shot in the back by an off-duty cop moonlighting as a security guard. The cop, it turned out, had been suspended

from the force for a DUI but was reinstated and had subsequently shot his wife and a neighbor, also while off-duty; after Moore’s death, which was ruled justifiable homicide, the cop was reassigned to the traffic division. Neither of Detroit’s daily newspapers reported the story beyond reprinting the press release from the police department.

“That was enough for a bloody book in itself,” Younge says. In the article format, though, he had only 600 words for Moore’s story. A few years later he had the chance to expand the piece into a book and leaped at it, but he decided to start over with a different, more recent day.

November 23, 2013, was a Saturday.

Statistically, there are more gun deaths on weekends than on weekdays, but Younge points out that if he were really trying to game the numbers, he would have chosen a day in the summer. There’s no central database that tracks the number of gun-re-

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lated homicides; in 2013, in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre in December, 2012, both Slate and the New York Times kept tallies of gun deaths across the country, but they were by no means complete. Younge found the names of the ten young people in the book through Web searches, and then located their families through the White Pages and by traveling to their hometowns and visiting their neighborhood churches and funeral homes.

The deaths that day were, by and large, representative of what we’ve become accustomed to thinking is typical of gun-related child homicides. All ten were boys. They ranged in age from nine to 19. Seven were black, two were Latino, and one was white.

One was from the south side of Chicago.

Several were involved in gangs. At least two were probably involved in some sort of illegal activity when they were shot. All were killed by members of the same race as their own. Of the ten shooters, five were identified. Of those five, two were imprisoned.

There were a few variations from expectations. None was killed by a cop. None was a suicide. (Those, Younge says, are usually not

reported.) And though two of the deaths were the result of kids playing with guns, none involved a toddler. (On average, there is one toddler-related shooting every week.) “But part of the power of the concept,” Younge notes, “is that you kind of take what you get, and that it’s a day.”

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hough Younge is British—he grew up in London, the child of immigrants from Barbados—he’s married to an African-American woman, and they have two children, a three-year-old girl and a nineyear-old boy. During their last four years in America, they lived in Chicago, in Uptown, and Younge began to realize that there were particular challenges to being the parent of an African-American boy.

“The thing that surprised me most in writing the book was the degree to which the fear that a child, your child, might be shot dead had been baked into the African-American experience,” Younge says. “I had been in the country for 12 years. I was embedded. But I wasn’t quite prepared for that, the degree to which every family, when I said, ‘Did you think this could happen? Did you imagine

MAN RING WORLD PREMIERE

in the

this could happen?’ They would say, ‘Well, yeah.’ It’s a lot to be walking around with, to have that as a baseline possibility that your child might be shot. It wasn’t an epiphany, but after a while, I kept hearing these parents say, ‘Yeah, this was something that obviously was a surprise to us that our child on that day was shot dead, but the notion that our child on some day could be shot dead, that we knew.’ Well, that is like living in a state of terror. It’s slow-motion terror, and it’s horrible, and I hadn’t really figured that, and then of course I realized that this, too, was something I had baked in, that this was part of the fear that I had.”

If his son were shot to death, he realized, “It would be understood as being kind of collateral. I would have to prove why my kids shouldn’t have been killed.”

Younge is quick to say that if he wanted to avoid racism, he wouldn’t have moved back to England. “Every country has racism,” he says. “There’s mental health issues in every country. There’s poverty in every country.

What there isn’t in every country is all of those things and guns to the extent that there are in America.”

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he ten boys who were shot on November 23, 2013, lived in all regions of the country, from Newark to San Jose. The families of two of them, 19-year-old Kenneth Mills-Tucker and 18-year-old Pedro Dado Cortez, declined to speak to Younge, but the rest welcomed the chance to talk about their lost children.

“One of the things that’s striking about this was the extent to which most of them had never been spoken to,” Younge says.

“You have a child, you would like people to know that they were here, and you would like to correct the way in which the child’s been written about—or at least offer something more than is possible in a short news story. I would tell them—and it was true—anything you want to tell me about your child, I would like to hear.”

Through interviews with family and friends, and also through Facebook and Twitter, Younge tried to get a sense of what each boy had been like. For the most part, they were unremarkable. “He wasn’t an angel,” says one of 17-year-old Stanley Taylor’s former teachers, “but he wasn’t the worst, either. Not by a long way. He was just a typical teen.”

J

The true story of six-time World Champion Emile Griffith BY

MICHAEL CRISTOFER

DIRECTED BY CHARLES NEWELL

BEGINS SEPT 15

TICKETS (773) 753-4472 CourtTheatre.org 5535 S Ellis Ave | Free Parking

Man in the Ring is sponsored by Court Theatre's 2016/17 Season is sponsored by Barbara and Richard Franke.

Photo of Kamal Angelo Bolden by Joe Mazza.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 27

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continued from 27 He could have been speaking of any of the kids in the book. They argued with their parents about homework or girls or staying out too late with friends the parents didn’t trust.

They liked messing around with electronics, or playing video games, or recording raps they had written themselves. Their families described them as “goofy.” They drank and smoked pot. They had already lost friends to gun violence; their social media accounts were full of RIP posts and tributes. They were making plans, either on their own or with sympathetic teachers, to work harder in school or get a steady job: 18-year-old Gustin Hinnant was just a day away from leaving his home in Goldsboro, North Carolina, to look for work in Raleigh.

While nine-year-old Jaiden Dixon was shot in his own home by his mother’s ex-boyfriend while he was getting ready for school, some of the other boys could not be described as “innocent” or “angels.” As Younge writes of Tyshon Anderson, the 18-year-old Chicagoan who was already a powerful member of the Lakeside Gangster Disciples, “If I’d chosen another day, I could well have been reporting on one of Tyshon’s victims.” But Tyshon, like all the others, was also still a human being.

He had parents and friends who loved him and now miss him and mourn him. “It goes against the natural order of things,” Younge writes, “that a parent would ever have to bury her child.”

“I had in this book kids who I knew as much as I could about, and therefore could act almost as proxies for other kids that I didn’t know anything about,” Younge says. “What I hope is that the book enables some empathy, that these are kids like your kids. These aren’t some other species of child. There’s nothing defective about these children. There’s something defective about a society that makes them vulnerable to this kind of death.”

I STARTS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 28 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

n each of the stories, Younge teases out larger themes to create a picture of a culture where death by shooting seems less extraordinary than inevitable. He visits an NRA convention and the rural Michigan town where 11-year-old Tyler Dunn lived and died, where guns, especially during hunting season, are a standard piece of hardware. He looks at the ways gangs are so dominant in certain neighborhoods, like the part of Houston where 16-year-old Edwin Rajo lived, that almost everyone is a member by default. He describes how easy it is to fall from the mid-

dle class into poverty and those bad neighborhoods, as 16-year-old Samuel Brightmon’s family did, and the larger economic forces— like the decline of manufacturing in Newark, 18-year-old Gary Anderson’s hometown— that gut entire cities. He investigates the role of the media, which fails to report shootings in poor black neighborhoods, and the segregation that makes these stories easier for residents of wealthier areas to ignore.

“You get a sense that in the way [shootings are] reported and the way they’re understood, these deaths, to a significant portion of the population, they don’t matter,” Younge says. “It’s more white noise to another day in America, really. That’s what happens. It’s not surprising that a kid would be shot in that neighborhood. That if a kid gets shot in the south side of Chicago, somehow it’s not news—it’s what might happen to a child on the south side of Chicago.”

Younge was very careful to make sure that Another Day in the Death of America would be a reported testimony of ten lives cut short by gun violence, not a polemic on the necessity of gun control. But he does note that on the same day that Adam Lanza took his gun to Sandy Hook Elementary, Min Yongjun, a mentally ill man in China, brought a knife into a school in Henan province. Min stabbed 23 children and one woman; none died. “Whatever one makes of the NRA axiom that ‘guns don’t kill people, people kill people,’” Younge writes, “it couldn’t be clearer that people can kill people more efficiently with guns than with almost anything else that is commercially available in the United States.”

“There’s something really . . . troubling is too banal a word, but unsettling about the fact that on any given Saturday or Friday, you can wake up and know that seven or eight kids are going to be shot dead,” he says. “You don’t know who they are, you don’t know when their number’s going to come up. But the number’s out there. And you can do that with such certainty that a book like this can be written. This is a book about how kids die. This is a book about how people live in this complicated way. Life is complicated, and people’s lives are complicated.” v ANOTHER DAY IN THE DEATH OF AMERICA: A CHRONICLE OF TEN SHORT LIVES

By Gary Younge (Nation Books) Reading Sun 10/30, noon, Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th, 312-494-9505, tickets.chicagohumanities. org, $10-15.

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Best bets

By AIMEE LEVITT Out of the Wreck I Rise: A Literary Companion to Recovery by Neil Steinberg and Sara Bader September 8 Sun-Times columnist Steinberg will be conducting numerous readings and discussions of his latest book, a collection of advice, commentary, and helpful quotations to support readers on the journey to sobriety.

The tour begins on Thursday, September 8, at 7 PM at the Poetry Foundation, where he’ll be joined by coauthor Bader, Tony Fitzpatrick, Carol Marin, and Rick Kogan. a Publication date Mon 9/5.

Thu 9/8, 7 PM, Poetry Foundation, 61 W. Superior, 312787-7070, poetryfoundation. org. F The Virginity of Famous Men by Christine Sneed September 15 Local author Sneed will also be touring area bookstores, reading from her new collection of short stories. She’ll begin on Thursday, September 15, at 6:30 PM at Book-

## .- ) ; &-

ends & Beginnings. a Thu 9/15, 6:30 PM, Bookends & Beginnings, 1712 Sherman, Evanston, 224-999-7722, bookendsandbeginnings.com. F Gina Frangello in conversation with Rachel DeWoskin September 15 Reader contributor Frangello celebrates the release of her new novel, Every Kind of Wanting, the tale of three Chicago families who contribute to the creation of a baby, with a book party and discussion with novelist and memoirist DeWoskin. a Thu 9/15, 7:30 PM, Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark, 773769-9299, womenandchildrenfirst.com. F Mary Wisniewski, Bill Savage, and the ghost of Nelson Algren September 17 Tribune reporter Wisniewski has produced Algren: A Life, a new biography of the writer who once famously compared our city to a woman with a broken nose. She’ll be discussing the book and the man with Algren scholar Savage, followed by a trip to the Rainbo Club for a celebratory toast. a Sat 9/17, 6:30 PM, Volumes Bookcafe, 1474

FALL

N. Milwaukee, 773-697-8066, volumesbooks.com. F Sweet Sugar, Sultry Spice by Malika Ameen October 29 If you’ve been inspired by The Great British Baking Show’s Chetna, Nadiya, and Tamal to use more south Asian flavors in your baking, you could do worse than learn from Ameen, a past Top Chef: Just Desserts contestant and former pastry chef at Aigre Doux who has just published her first book. a Sat 10/29, Read It & Eat, 2142 N. Halsted, 773-661-6158, readitandeatstore.com, $30.

NaNoWriMo at Volumes Bookcafe November The bookstore plans to write a novel this November Exquisite Corpse-style: after collectively deciding on the theme and genre, 28 patrons will each have a day to hang out in the bookstore (with free coffee!) and write a chapter. The staff will post the work in progress on its website, and then, on December 1, print out the whole thing for all to see. a Volumes Bookcafe, 1474 N. Milwaukee, 773-697-8066, volumesbooks.com. v

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By J.R. JONES

L

ive music has helped keep the silent cinema alive, and Chicago is such a rich music town that revivals of silent features often rank among the more promising events on the fall arts calendar. On October 2 the University of Chicago Film Studies Center will welcome the inventive Alloy Orchestra to Logan Center for the Arts to premiere its score for Varieté (1925), a German melodrama starring Emil Jannings as a middle-aged carnival barker who falls for a beautiful young trapeze artist. The everreliable Silent Film Society of Chicago will present a series of Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton classics at city and suburban venues, accompanied by organist Jay Warren. And Renée Baker will conduct her adventurous Chicago Modern Orchestra Project ensemble as it performs two of her scores for “race films” of the silent era: the Oscar Micheaux classic Body and Soul (1925) at Music Box on September 18, and the aviation adventure The Flying Ace (1926) at Logan Center on October 22.

A founder of the Chicago Sinfonietta, Baker spent nearly 25 years focusing on a classical-music career as the group’s violist before she joined the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and began

to explore other musical avenues, first with her Mantra Blue Free Orchestra and then with the Modern Orchestra Project. “Once I became a member of the AACM, I discovered another vocabulary that I really wasn’t aware of,” she recalls. “It was a creative vocabulary that enabled me to access creative music, free improv, contemporary classical music—it just all came together.” Though she’s a longtime film buff, scoring silent movies is a relatively new experience for her. She credits New York composer and producer Don DiNicola with urging her to create a score for Body and Soul, which she premiered at the Museum of Contemporary Art last year and has since released on DVD. Race films occupy a strange place in our cinematic legacy: shot on the cheap and screened in segregated theaters, they nevertheless remain a source of racial pride and a window into the black culture of their time.

Micheaux was the most distinguished artist to emerge from this commercial ghetto, and Body and Soul, despite its old-fashioned plot contrivances, touches on complex family and religious feeling with its story of a mother who tries to derail her daughter’s engagement to a local loser (Paul Robeson in his

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Renée Baker o COURTESY RENÉE BAKER

screen debut) and instead marry her off to a golden-tongued minister (Robeson again).

“If I had to pick one character that I found convoluted and hard to understand at first, it was the mom,” Baker recalls. “Because even though this daughter had a suitor that she very much loved and wanted to marry, her mom—and this is very reminiscent of my family and my grandparents—wanted her to marry this man of God, regardless of what she was telling her mom about his character.”

Baker takes an eclectic approach to the story, shifting from classical sounds to jazz rhythms to free improvisation and back again. Her approach is more impressionistic than narrative. “In today’s films, the music leads you and provides accompaniment to the mood and dialogue,” she says. “I think much more abstractly. I approach these films as pieces of art, sometimes even without thinking about the plot.” When the preacher and the daughter are caught in a storm, a trombone mimics the accelerating fall of raindrops before it’s elbowed aside by a snare attack and frantic free-form clarinet.

When the mother slips into one of her spiritual funks, the instruments give way to the vocalizing of the CMOP women, all working around a sighing single note. “Dry Bones in

the Desert,” the hellfire sermon delivered by the preacher at the climax, opens with vigorous scat singing before a rock number begins to drive the vocal tumult.

The Flying Ace, whose score is still a work in progress, presents a different kind of challenge. Produced by the Norman Studios in Jacksonville, Florida, it’s a lightweight entertainment in which a decorated flying ace returns to his hometown and investigates the mysterious disappearance of a railroad paymaster. Despite the title, it contains no aerial footage, though director Richard E. Norman does stage an absurd barnstorming stunt for the climax: when a rival pilot kidnaps the heroine in his prop plane, the hero flies over them and drops a rope ladder so that she can climb to safety. “It will have to be very different than Body and Soul,” Baker says of her score, “because it’s not pulling the same emotional content out of me. It may be a little more on the contemporary-classical side, with a nod to some jazz.” The movie’s shortcomings aren’t something she wants to exploit, though. “One thing I don’t ever like to do is to use music to cheapen something,” she says. “That’s just not my way.”

Baker’s calendar for next year is already filling up: in winter 2017 she’ll conduct the CMOP for a trio of Micheaux films at Indiana University: Body and Soul, Within Our Gates, and The Symbol of the Unconquered. The last two films, released in 1920, both involve the Ku Klux Klan, which presents an emotionally freighted topic to any composer. “It’s kinda hard now, because of our political miasma that we have going on,” she says. “You want to think positively about history, because it is what was.” Baker points to the silent classics of D.W. Griffith, which can be racist as well as beautiful. “I had to look at those films in light of history and in light of what racial relations were or weren’t at that time, and then relate it to what race relations are or are not today. That’s the comparison I made when I first came to Body and Soul: How was this received, and how would it be received now?

It’s an artistic conundrum.” It is, and it lies at the heart of silent-film accompaniment, an art form in which the past is constantly being thrust into the present. v BODY AND SOUL Directed by Oscar Micheaux. 102 min. Sun 9/18, noon, Music Box Theatre, 773-871-6604, musicboxtheatre.com, $12. THE FLYING ACE Directed by Richard E. Norman. 65 min. Sat 10/22, 7 PM, Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., filmstudiescenter.uchicago.edu, 773-702-2787. F

ß @JR_Jones

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Best bets Oliver Stone returns with a whistle-blower biopic for the 21st century September 16 No one can accuse Oliver Stone of spinning conspiracy theories with Snowden, because it’s all a matter of (leaked) record.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt seems like an excellent choice to play the principled young security contractor Edward Snowden, who rocked the world with his revelation that the National Security Administration spies on millions of citizens in the U.S. and abroad. —J.R. JONES From Ugandan slum to the Chess Olympiad September 23 Q u e e n o f Ka t w e t e l l s t h e story of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi, who overcame an impoverished childhood to compete in the 39th Chess Olympiad. “I broke down and cried, because I was so inspired,” says actress Lupita Nyong’o of her first script reading. Direc tor Mira Nair (The Namesake), who has lived in Uganda for more than two decades, filmed on location there and discovered her star, Madina Nalwanga, near Katwe.

—LEAH PICKETT Not to be confused with D.W. Griffith’s October 7 The Birth of a Nation, dramatizing Nat Turner’s 1831 slave rebellion, is the first feature by writer-director Nate Parker, and what an entrance: after winning the Grand Jury Prize and the

Audience Award at Sundance, it was bought by Fox Searchlight for $17.5 million. Since then the film has been overshadowed by rape allegations made against Parker in 1999, so expect to be reading a lot about him. —TAL ROSENBERG Two mighty strokes of the Hammer October 13-14 Blaxploitation fans, take note: the Block Museum of Art will welcome venerable football great and movie badass Fred Williamson to talk about his screen career and introduce his 70s action flicks Bucktown and Three the Hard Way. —J.R. JONES Ewan McGregor makes his directorial debut with an American classic October 21 Any director might hesitate to adapt a novel as esteemed as Philip Roth’s American Pastoral.

Well, until now Ewan McGregor has been an actor, which might explain why he had the stones to tackle John Romano’s script.

—TAL ROSENBERG The director of Wendy and Lucy reunites with Michelle Williams October 21

In a series of small, quiet indie dramas—Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy, Me ek ’s Cutof f, Night Moves—writer- director Kelly Reichardt has combined an unerring sense of naturalism with an abiding empathy for the disenfranchised. Certain Women, adapted from short stories by Maile Meloy, reunites her with her frequent muse Michelle Williams, who’s joined by Kristen Stewart and Laura Dern. —J.R. JONES The work of playwright and Steppenwolf Ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney moves to the screen October 21 Moonlight, an indie drama about a gay black man in Miami, could have the most exquisite trailer of 2016. Writer-director Barry Jenkins (Medicine for Melancholy), adapting a play by Tarell Alvin McCraney of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, challenges homophobia in the black community with visceral imagery that promises high art. —LEAH PICKETT Paul Verhoeven directs . . .

Isabelle Huppert?

November 11 Always happy to offend, Danish filmmaker Paul Verhoeven has given us such pop provoca-

tions as RoboCop, Basic Instinct, Showgirls, Starship Troopers, and Black Book. Elle, his first U.S. release in a decade, stars Isabelle Huppert as a woman trying to track down the man who raped her; you can count on Verhoeven to treat this sensitive subject with a complete lack of taste. —J.R. JONES Early Oscar bait November 18 Tom Ford made his writing and directing debut with the astonishing gay drama A Single Man (2009) but hasn’t been heard from since. His second feature, Nocturnal Animals, is a psychological thriller shot by Seamus McGar vey (Atonement) and starring Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Laura Linney, and Michael Shannon . The “ For Your Consideration” ads can practically write themselves.

—LEAH PICKETT Is the elf back too?

November 23 For Bad Santa 2, Billy Bob Thornton returns as the foul-mouthed, booze-guzzling, sex-addicted Saint Nick. Unfortunately Terry Zwigof f (who direc ted B ad Santa) and Joel and Ethan Coen (who did uncredited rewrites) are absent this time around.

—TAL ROSENBERG v

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Best bets

By BRIANNA WELLEN High Maintenance September 16 on HBO After six seasons as a webseries, the comedy about a New York marijuana deliveryman finally arrives with six half-hour episodes on HBO. The show, created by husband-wife team Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair, is more about the clients getting the pot than the dealer (official character name: “The Guy”) played

by Sinclair. Weeds this is not, but that’s a good thing.

The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey September 18 on CBS Now that the trial of O.J.

Simpson has been thoroughly rehashed, the true-crime TV craze has moved on to another high-profile 90s cold case: the unsolved murder of six-year-old pageant queen JonBenét Ramsey.

Hot on the heels of the documentary The Killing of JonBenét: The Truth Uncovered, which debuted September 5 on A&E, comes a six-part miniseries on CBS. The Good Place September 19 on NBC Since House of Lies ended in June, there’s been a distinct dearth of Kristen Bell on our screens. Thankfully, Bell has found a new home in The Good Place, created by Parks and Recreation mastermind Michael Schur. The half-hour comedy, which also stars Ted Danson, is set in a

heavenly afterlife reserved only for those who were good on earth—but somehow Bell’s Eleanor, a terrible person, sneaks in.

Easy September 22 on Netflix Chicago-based filmmaker Joe Swanberg’s first foray into streaming television will give locals a chance to pick apart the differences between the city they occupy and the one portrayed on Netflix. The eight episodes of the sitcom—written, directed, and produced

by Swanberg (Drinking Buddies) —trace the personal stories of a wide-ranging cast of characters played by the likes of Orlando Bloom, Malin Akerman, Marc Maron, Gugu Mbatha-raw—and Hannibal Buress, who should

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life o SAEED ADYANI/NETFLIX

have no problem making like a local boy.

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has retaken the reins of the beloved mother-daughter dramedy she created. It’s hard to imagine how four 9 0 - minute episodes will begin to fill in the nine-year gap since the show went off

the air—but if anyone can do it, Sherman- Palladino can. The highly anticipated miniseries revival also offers fans a chance to forget the show’s dull, rushed final season. v

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34 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

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Seu Jorge o LIONEL BONAVENTURE/ AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Best bets The Handsome Family September 18 Brett and Rennie Sparks, the dynamic couple known as the Handsome Family, return to Chicago for the first time in four years to support of another dazzling new album, Unseen, the first released on their own Virtual Label imprint. It’s also the first time they’ve been back since Andrew Bird made an entire album of their songs called Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of . . . in 2014, and since the hit HBO show True Detective used their stunning 2003 tune “Far From Any Road” as a theme song. In addition to the two concerts, the Aron Packer Gallery will present a one-night exhibition of Rennie’s paintings called “Underwater Vines” on September 20. —PETER MARGASAK a 7 PM, Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln, sold out.

Cold Waves V September 23-24 When Wax Trax! ruled in the 8 0 s , Chic ago culti vated a special bond with industrial music, one strong enough to have since provided plenty of reason to occasionally get some of the gang back together. The Cold Waves festival began in July 2012 in memoriam of Acumen Nation guitarist Jamie Duffy, who was also a beloved stage manager and sound engineer. Performers have included Front 242, Fear Factory, Youth Code, Godflesh, and Front Line Assembly. This year the fest takes over the entire Metro compound, spilling over into Smart Bar for afterparties. Big names include Meat Beat Manifesto, Clock DVA, <Pig>, and the Cocks, a reunion of former members of the Revolting Cocks.

—KEVIN WARWICK a 6:30 PM, Metro, 3730 N. Clark, $46, $81 two-day pass. 18+

Chance the Rapper’s Magnificent Coloring Day September 24 Chicago is all over Chance the Rapper’s third mixtape, May’s gospel-inflected Coloring Book. Magnificent Coloring Day is the latest manifestation of Chance’s affection for his hometown, a one-day festival at the home of his beloved White Sox, the soonto-be Guaranteed Rate Field.

Alicia Keys, John Legend, Lil Wayne, Skrillex, and Young Thug are some of the stars on the bill, which puts many of the fests clogging this past summer’s concert calendar to shame. —LEOR GALIL a 1-8 PM, U.S. Cellular Field, 333 W. 35th, sold out.

the direction of Kate Dumbleton, the weekend affair has become a magnet for global talent. This year’s installment is the best yet, with a world-premiere collaboration between Puerto Rican reedist Miguel Zenon and Spektral Quartet and performances from Amir ElSaffar’s Two Rivers Ensemble, Matana Roberts, Randy Weston, and Trip with Tom Harrell and Mark Turner, along with the usual bounty of the city’s best working outfits as well as some new projects, including a tantalizing quartet with Joshua Abrams, Ari Brown, Jeff Parker, and Gerald Cleaver.

—PETER MARGASAK a Various times and venues. Suggested donation $5; festival pass $125. For the full lineup, go to hydeparkjazzfestival. org.

Das Rheingold October 1-22 Lyric Opera opens its season with a new production of Das Rheingold, the first work in Richard Wagner’s mighty four-opera Ring cycle. It will be followed over the next three seasons by new productions of each of the others, culminating, in the spring of 2020, in an orgiastic undertaking: the presentation of the full cycle three times in three weeks. —DEANNA ISAACS a 10/1, 6 PM; 10/5, 10/13, and 10/22, 7:30 PM; 10/9 and 10/16, 2 PM, Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker, $34-$299.

Hyde Park Jazz Festival September 24-25

Ear Taxi Festival October 5-10

From its start a decade ago, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival has offered a superb portrait of the Chicago jazz scene.

But in recent years, under

The six-day fest presents the most comprehensive portrait of Chicago’s deep contemporary classical music community.

It features the work of 88 com-

posers that live or have lived here, including 54 world premieres that will be performed by 25 ensembles at the Harris Theater, the Chicago Cultural Center, the University of Chicago, PianoForte, Curtiss Hall, and Constellation. (Full disclosure: I served as a volunteer on the festival’s curatorial board.) —PETER MARGASAK a Various times, venues, and prices. Festival passes $36$200. For the full lineup, go to eartaxifestival.com.

Meshuggah, High on Fire October 28 Re f i n e d o v e r d e c a d e s , Meshuggah’s slate-gray alien locomotion and High on Fire’s grandiose barbarian thunder are two of the most distinctive sounds in metal—often imitated, never equaled. And as if this tour weren’t enough of an event already, Meshuggah has a new album: Violent Sleep of Reason (Nuclear Blast), released October 7, is their first since Koloss in 2012.

—PHILIP MONTORO a 8 PM, House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn, $35, 17+ Freaky Deaky October 28-30 Music festival season isn’t over until React Presents says so. Last year the EDMfocused promotion company turned its Halloween gathering into a multiday outdoor spectacle at Toyota Park. This year’s festivities include LA rap wonder Schoolboy Q, hip-hop phenom DJ Khaled, and French electronic whiz DJ Snake. Say what you will about EDM, but the nadir of this bill is “comedic” rapper Lil Dicky, an adult whose stage name hints at his juvenile affectations.

—LEOR GALIL a Toyota Park, 7000 S. Harlem, Bridgeview, $76-$204.

Seu Jorge Presents— The Life Aquatic: A Tribute to David Bowie November 17

J o r g e ’s a c o u s t i c D av i d Bowie covers, sung in Portuguese, provided a touch of earnest realism to Wes A n d e r s o n ’s p h a n t a s m i c 2004 film The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. Jorge’s samba-inflected versions of “Changes” and “Rebel Rebel” likely won the Starman some new fans, and when Jorge released last year’s The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions, Bowie provided some loving words in the liner notes. His tour is as much in support of that album as it is a tribute to the deceased hero who inspired it. —LEOR GALIL a 6 PM and 9 PM, Thalia Hall, 1227 W. 18th, $35-$50. 17+ Text of Light December 1

The experimental ensemble formed in 2001 to create live accompaniment for the work of filmmaker Stan Brakhage—one of his films provided the group with its name—but over the years it’s expanded its reach. The current lineup of guitarists Alan Licht and Lee Ranaldo (ex-Sonic Youth) and drummer Tim Barnes gives a rare local performance to the daring films of Bauhaus school heavy László MoholyNagy—the brilliant artist, designer, and cofounder of the Institute of Design (now IIT ) —whose work is the subject of “Future Present,” an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago that opens October 2. —PETER MARGASAK a 6 PM, Rubloff Auditorium, Art Institute of Chicago, 230 S. Columbus, free with museum admission, registration required. v

SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 35

The best of the 2016 World Music Festival

The brightest gems in this year’s treasure trove include Ethio-jazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke, electro-rumba innovators Ìfé, and forward-looking Indian classicists Anjna and Rajna Swaminathan—and every show is free.

By PETER MARGASAK

WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL CHICAGO

Fri 9/9 through Sun 9/25, multiple venues and times, see worldmusic festivalchicago.org for more. F

Ìfé

I

n 2016 the World Music Festival runs longer than it has at any time in its 18-year history—it’s spread out across 17 days. But in terms of total number of artists and shows, it’s relatively modest, in keeping with the festival’s past few iterations. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. By midSeptember most music fans have endured an onslaught of overstuffed summer festivals, so the WMF’s approach—giving audiences a chance to sample a rich diversity of concerts at a more civilized pace—is a smart alternative.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 Nano Stern headlines. 10 PM, 1st Ward, 2033 W. North, 18+ The festival’s shows take place at venues all over the city, and has been the case in recent years, they’re all free. Once again the Chicago Cultural Center hosts the annual Ragamala concert, which begins the evening of Friday, September 9, and runs through the late morning of Saturday, September 10—this feast of Indian classical music features ragas performed at the traditional hour for which they were composed. The festival has booked a bounty of terrific music from Africa again this year, though I’m disappointed that great Ghanaian singer Pat Thomas canceled his

36 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

appearance (along with his entire tour).

On the other hand, I’m thrilled to get a rare chance to hear genuine taarab music from Zanzibar when Rajab Suleiman & Kithara make their U.S. debut.

I’ve previewed the nine artists I’m most excited about, though there are plenty more worth taking in—among them veteran klezmer revivalists the Klezmatics, Indian sarod master Partho Sarodi, polystylistic New York Afro-Caribbean dance band Ola Fresca, reliable New York Afrobeat brigade Antibalas, and Reunion Island singer Maya Kamaty.

Mulatu Astatke o ALEXIS MARYON

I wouldn’t usually recommend a group that’s released just two songs, but this new combo from Puerto Rico seem on their way to great things. Ìfé founder Mark Underwood, an African-American DJ and producer who grew up in Texas and Indiana, moved to the island in 1999 on a lark and fell in love with its ritual music— pa r ticu la rly trad itiona l r u mba, which uses only voice and percussion. He explored the music’s religious foundations and soon became a devotee of the Yoruban Ifá faith, J

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 37

WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL continued from 36

Nubatones front woman Alsarah o NOUSHA SALIMI

38 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

which is closely related to Santeria—in fact, he immersed himself so completely that he became a priest, in which context he’s known as Otura Mun. But he continues to make music, and to create Ìfé’s convincing blend of rumba and electronic styles (especially house and dancehall) he enlisted a handful of skilled singers and percussionists. Sashaying, belly-rumbling polyrhythms power the band’s first single, “3 Mujeres (Iború Iboya Ibosheshé),” while spooky synth stabs speckle an insinuating vocal melody delivered by powerhouse singer Kathy Cepeda. Ìfé’s second single, “House of Love (Ogbe Yekun),” rides the crawling rhythms of Cuban yambu (the oldest form of rumba), which are surrounded with moody electronic pulses, terse organ figures, and deliciously chill, conversational group vocals. The aesthetic distance between the two tracks is great enough that I’m already excited to hear the diversity of the group’s forthcoming debut album—I’m pretty sure we’ll all be hearing more from Ìfé down the road. This performance is their only stop in the U.S.

Anjna and Rajna Swaminathan SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 Part of Ragamala: A Celebration of Indian Classical Music. 1:30 AM, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington, all ages Ragamala, the World Music Festival’s marathon celebration of Indian classical music, provides a rare opportunity for Chicagoans to hear traditional ragas as they were intended to be heard—such pieces are sometimes composed for specific times of day, but around these parts they’re almost always performed in the afternoon or evening. This year’s installment is down to 15 hours (it debuted at 24 hours in 2013), but the bigger change is how many of the performers are American-bred practitioners of Indian classical music. Some are Anglos who’ve devoted themselves to learning an art from another culture—among them local flutist Lyon Leifer and Los Angeles sarod player David Trasoff—while others are

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WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL the children of Indian immigrants, such as stunning singer Aditya Prakash, who performs with Afghan percussionist Salar Nader (who’s lived in the U.S. since childhood) and California violinist Shiva Ramamurthi.

The most interesting of these American practitioners are sisters Anjna and Rajna Swaminathan, who represent a welcome wave of female instrumentalists. Violinist Anjna and percussionist Rajna grew up in suburban Maryland and studied rigorously under the tutelage of master Carnatic musicians in India, but since that early training they’ve blazed their own trails. Anjna is involved with Minneapolis-based dance company Ragamala (no relation), frequently composing and performing for its productions, and she’s spent more than a decade in theater—not just as a musician but also as a dramaturge and playwright. Rajna, a virtuoso on the southern Indian double-headed drum called the mridangam, works with Ragamala too, but she also leads a project called Rajas that brings together Indian classical musicians with open-eared jazz improvisers such as trumpeter Amir ElSaffar (who’s pioneered a fusion of jazz and Iraqi

maqam) and guitarist and bandleader Miles Okazaki (a key collaborator of saxophonist Steve Coleman). Tonight the sisters will stick to traditional music, but I expect to be seeing them in many different contexts in the future.

Alsarah & the Nubatones

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 J.A.S.S. Quartet open. 7 PM, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, University of Chicago, 915 E. 60th, all ages Terrific Brooklyn band Alsarah & the Nubatones incubated their forthcoming second album, Manara (due September 30 from Wonderwheel), during the period of mourning after the 2014 death of oudist and cofounder Haig Manoukian. Front woman Alsarah, a singer and ethnomusicologist born in Khartoum, Sudan, has devoted her life to preserving Nubian culture (largely wiped away to enable construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 60s), thus following in the footsteps of the likes of Hamza El Din and Ali Hassan Kuban.

Her family fled their increasingly violent

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homeland for Yemen in the early 90s, and in 1994 she moved to the States. The music she’s created in the U.S. borrows the scintillating polyrhythms and snaking melodies of Sudan, but she and her sharp band energize it with dashes of funk and hip-hop, finding clear pathways from Nubia to New York. Sudanese music has links to the irresistible pop of nearby Ethiopia, but Alsarah also reaches further south to incorporate East African styles such as taarab and benga.

Mulatu Astatke

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 Ìfé (see above) and DJ AfroQbano open. 10 PM, Concord Music Hall, 2047 N. Milwaukee, 18+ Mulatu Astatke was the most cosmopolitan musician of Ethiopian pop’s golden era. He got hooked on jazz while studying engineering in London in the 50s, and his growing obsession led him to Boston, where he became the first African to study at the Berklee College of Music. He began developing a hybrid style

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of his own—American jazz intertwined with Ethiopian music—but it took him decades to find collaborators fluent enough in both traditions to bring his ideas to full fruition.

The fourth volume of the indispensable Ethiopiques series, released in 1998, collects some of the most important milestones in Astatke’s process; he made its tracks between 1969 and 1974, a period during which he frequently returned to Ethiopia from the States. He made one trip as a special guest of Duke Ellington, and often worked as an arranger for some of his homeland’s greatest artists, including brilliant singer Mahmoud Ahmed, who played last year’s World Music Festival.

In 2013 Astatke released one of his strongest albums, Sketches of Ethiopia (Jazz Village), cut with some of London’s best improvisers— his Step Ahead Band (no relation to Michael Brecker’s fusion group Steps Ahead) includes bassist John Edwards, trumpeter Byron Wallen, and pianist Alexander Hawkins. The record opens with one of its most traditionalsounding songs, “Azmari,” written by Boston reedist Russ Gershon (of Either/Orchestra fame), a longtime colleague of Astatke’s. J

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WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL

Dona Onete o JULIA RODRIGUES

continued from 39

The knotty track is graced by the bandleader’s crystalline vibraphone and the brittle twang of Ethiopian stringed instruments—Messale Asmamow plays the krar and Idris Hassun the masinko. From there, the album stretches out stylistically, but it consistently employs jazz as more than just flavoring. Astatke has also achieved great artistic success in recent years collaborating with progressive British instrumental funk band the Heliocentrics. He’s not only one of the greatest living links to classic Ethiopian pop, but also one of the few who has

such a sure-handed, wide-ranging grasp of how that music has been embraced by artists all over the world.

A-Wa

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 Maya Kamaty opens. 7 PM, Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln, 21+ In the late 80s and early 90s, Israeli singer Ofra Haza achieved international success by bridging the politically impossible divide between

her homeland and the Arabic world with revamped versions of the Yemenite songs she’d grown up hearing. Nearly three decades later, southern Israeli group A-Wa seem poised to follow in her footsteps. Sisters Tair, Liron, and Tagel Haim grew up in a farming village not far from the Egyptian border. Their parents filled their home with an eclectic playlist of global sounds, and a U.S.-born teacher at their local high school introduced them to vintage American pop—particularly the fizzy harmony singing of the Andrews Sisters. In 2010 they began making no-budget YouTube clips of themselves tackling the repertoire of fellow Yemenite Shlomo Moga’a, who was popular in the 50s and 60s, and the videos soon attracted attention within Israel. On a lark they sent some to producer Tomer Yosef of Balkan Beat Box, an expert at reconfiguring traditional Israeli sounds for the current electronic-pop marketplace. He quickly signed on. Originally called the Haim Sisters, the group changed their name to A-Wa (Arabic for “yes”), and earlier this summer their debut album, Habib Galbi (Eighth Note), dropped worldwide. The catchy, Arabic-flavored melodies get a modernist lift from the production’s mix of hip-hop and reggae influences—it’s a kind of Israeli equivalent to the music of Manu Chao, with harmony singing that conjures the golden age of Hollywood.

Analog Africa Soundsystem (aka DJ Samy Ben Redjeb) THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 Antibalas headlines; Rocky Dawuni and Analog Africa Soundsystem open.

9 PM, Metro, 3730 N. Clark, 18+ For a decade or so now, reissue labels focus-

ing on vintage music from Africa have been coming and going, indulging in a long cratedigger’s feast as they hunt for sounds that never left the continent—and that’s a lot of music. None of these labels has eclipsed the consistent quality of the output of Analog Africa, which seems as strong and committed as ever—it recently released a fascinating album of Cape Verdean music that combines traditional rhythms with a literal boatload of synthesizers. (They were recovered from a shipwrecked cargo vessel that washed up on the island’s shores in 1968, but due to a lack of electricity, it took years for musicians to fully exploit them.) And later this month, the label will put out another collection from Cape Verde, this one of rarely heard funaná music

by Bitori, aka Victor Tavares.

Analog Africa remains the brainchild of Tunisian-born Samy Ben Redjeb, who got hooked on African music while working as a diving instructor in Senegal in 1994. Since then he’s become one of the reissue market’s most obsessive, knowledgeable, and ethical crate diggers—he goes the extra mile to find the artists and stories behind the records he licenses. He specializes in sounds from West Africa, including Benin, Ghana, Togo, and Senegal, but he’s also recovered gorgeous music from Angola, Burkina Faso, and the Congo—and his occasional forays into South America have resulted in killer reissues by Colombia’s Anibal Velasquez and Brazil’s Mestre Cupijó. Redjeb has keen ears and deep curiosity, and everything he does is smartly curated and presented. When he DJs, he digs into his stellar collection carefully, and even though I’ve only heard a few of his early mixes, I’m confident he’ll shake some plaster from Metro’s ceiling with a set of tunes that few of us have heard but none of us will forget.

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40 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

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WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL Rajab Suleiman & Kithara

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 Rocky Dawuni headlines; Herencia de Timbiquí and Rajab Suleiman & Kithara open. 2 PM, Humboldt Park Boathouse, 1301 N. Sacramento, all ages WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 8:30 PM, Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln, all ages

Regular readers already know I love taarab music—I made a particularly impassioned case for it on the occasion of a majestic Millennium Park performance by Zanzibar’s venerable Culture Musical Club during the 2006 World Music Festival. Taarab sets Swahili rhythms and poetry to elaborate orchestrations, and the music includes regional influences from as far afield as India and Cuba.

As I wrote in 2006, “A strong Arabic flavor pervades all of it, and thanks to the region’s role as a trade hub the music has strong Japanese influences as well.” In recent years the cost of maintaining a full taarab orchestra (CMC performances have sometimes featured more

than 60 musicians) has encouraged the replacement of live performers with synthesizers and drum machines, a change accelerated by demand for the music in the rest of the African and Arabic world—big groups make touring especially difficult. These processes have created interesting hybrids, but they’ve also made traditional taarab something of an endangered species.

Rajab Suleiman joined CMC in the mid-90s as an accordion player, but he was fascinated by the kanun, a 78-string Arabic zither. He learned the instrument on his own, then leaped into the chair vacated by the group’s main kanun player, Maulidi Haji Mkadam, when he had to take a leave of absence in 1999.

And as it turned out, Suleiman never relinquished the position. Because he felt Culture Musical Club couldn’t accommodate changing tastes, though, he also formed the smaller, nimbler group Kithara—a sextet with a raft of vocalists—to incorporate relatively modern, dance-oriented forms such as the popular wedding style kidumbak. Despite its contemporary spin, Kithara thankfully doesn’t rely on electronic instruments—its sound re- J

SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 41

WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL sticks to reissues). Both recordings mix hypnotizing grooves and melodic explication, and Kakraba plays with fluid grace and exquisite logic. As much as I like the buzz of the gyil, I’m more taken with the blunt overtones that Kakraba builds up as he goes. He borrows most of his melodies from the traditional accompaniment to ritual or social functions (weddings, funerals, parties), but they don’t require any translation.

Dona Onete

SK Kakraba o VIA FACEBOOK

continued from 41 mains gloriously and richly acoustic, with deft real-time interplay and magnificent singing.

SK Kakraba

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 Solo & Indre headline. 6 PM, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington, all ages FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 Solo & Indre headline. 10 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, 21+ SK Kakraba hails from northern Ghana, and early in life he devoted himself to keeping the local traditions of the Lobi people alive by learning the gyil, a tuned percussion instrument similar to the balafon, with 14 wooden keys laid over gourd resonators. What distinguishes the gyil is the brittle buzz that hangs over every resonant note, a sort of natural distortion produced by covering a hole bored in each gourd with a sheet of silk taken from the egg sacs of spiders. SK’s uncle Kakraba Lobi, widely considered the greatest practitioner of the instrument, taught at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana in Accra, and SK dutifully followed in his uncle’s footsteps and learned to play it. When he was 20, in 1997, he moved to Accra and began busking; eventually he joined Hewale Sounds, a group focused on preserving and popularizing traditional Ghanaian music. In 2012 he relocated to Los Angeles, and he’s built a flourishing solo career—last year he put out two dazzling albums, Yonye (on the Sun Ark label, run by experimental musician Sun Araw) and Songs of Paapieye (the first new material released

by Awesome Tapes From Africa, which usually

42 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 Bossa Tres open. 8 PM, the Promontory, 5311 S. Lake Park, 21+ FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 Silvia + Luciano + Neusa open. 8 PM, Maurer Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music, 4545 N. Lincoln, all ages Brazil’s Dona Onete has always loved music— she’d sing as she washed clothes as a girl on the banks of the Amazon—but she didn’t record her first album until five years ago, at the ripe old age of 73. As a young woman she used her powerful voice to entertain locals in the taverns of Igaparé Miri, where she grew up, but her interest in local culture and history shaped her career—she became a professor and was eventually elected the town’s Municipal Secretary of Culture. After hours, though, she wrote songs—more than 300 during her time as a civil servant—and she never stopped giving low-key performances, developing a hybrid style of her own called “carimbó chamegado” that was based on an Amazonian dance rhythm. After her retirement, she and her husband moved to Belém, the capital of the state of Pará, where a local band heard her singing in a bar and invited her to collaborate, launching an unlikely success story. Onete’s debut, Feitiço Caboclo, dropped in 2012, and she rolls into Chicago in support of her brandnew second album, Banzeiro. If nothing else her work reminds us that there’s much more to Brazilian music than samba and bossa nova. Onete has irresistible charisma and energy, which comes through onstage even though she performs seated. She stretches her husky voice over high-velocity polyrhythmic grooves, her phrasing and grit complementing the agility of her sharp band. With its strong African influence, the music has a much more propulsive, muscular drive than the styles we commonly associate with her homeland. v

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MUSIC

Recommended and notable shows, and critics’ insights for the week of September 8 b

ALL AGES

F

THURSDAY8 Chiara String Quartet 6 PM, BennettGordon Hall, Ravinia, Green Bay & Lake Cook, Highland Park, $10. b

PICK OF THE WEEK

Russian Circles make the triumphant sound severe on their new Guidance

Ditching reams of sheet music and playing a piece of classical music from memory requires intense practice and commitment, but that’s exactly the modus operandi to which the Chiara String Quartet has devoted itself. A couple of weeks ago the ensemble released the two-disc Bartók by Heart (Azica), which features performances of all six string quartets composed by the brilliant Hungarian Bela Bartók. A cynic might scoff at such an achievement and chide it as a show-off move—regardless of how passionately and precisely the group plays the works—but there’s no question that internalizing music this way presents an opportunity to transcend the notes-on-paper translation, reaching for something more profound and human. Chiara cellist Gregory Beaver notes in the album’s press materials that “many of the devilishly difficult passages in his music became natural when performed without printed music.” Indeed, the Bartók quartets are some of the most daunting pieces in 20th-century string repertoire, the composer famously recasting forgotten folk and dance melodies of Hungary and Romania to create some of the most harmonically exciting pieces ever written. And there’s a special resonance to playing them from memory: because the melodies Bartók and his colleague Zoltán Kodály collected and transcribed belonged to oral tradition, it’s as though Chiara is returning them back into the wild, sans sheet music. Tonight the group completes Bartók’s full cycle, playing Quartets nos. 2, 4, and 6; the other three are performed on Wednesday 9/7. —PETER MARGASAK

o CHRIS STRONG

RUSSIAN CIRCLES, CLOAKROOM, SWEET COBRA

Fri 9/9, 9 PM, Metro, 3730 N. Clark, $22, $20 in advance. 18+

THERE’S AN INDISPUTABLY cozy feeling associated with the impending release of a new Russian Circles record. The Chicago postrock all-stars have been at it for a good enough snap to make them downright venerable within a nebulous genre of poseurs, and while the scaling, layered metal-guitar screams from Mike Sullivan and the exploratory thrum spawned by bassist Brian Cook (also of Sumac) and drummer Dave Turncrantz coalesce and diverge in similar but still absorbing methods from album to album, the band’s songwriting continues to subtly mature. Their last two records, 2011’s Empros and 2013’s Memorial, read like novels rather than series of chapters, and the new Guidance (Sargent House) is probably their most realized thesis yet. The tug and pull of tracks like the almighty “Afrika”—with its cresting rhythms that mutate from frenetic, cyclical drum rolls to stripped-bare breakdowns and back again—is so organic and effortless that the lines separating the triumphant passages from the severe ones begin to blur. Similarly, the desolate closer, “Lisboa,” though plenty dark and blunt via its trudging accents and thunderous bass chords, takes on the spirit of a primordial beast heaving each last breath forward as the sky bleeds out and falls around it. —KEVIN WARWICK

44 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

Robert Glasper Trio See also Friday through Sunday. 8 and 10 PM, Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth, $30-$55.

“This Is Not Fear,” the opening track from the Robert Glasper Experiment’s new album ArtScience (out 9/16 on Blue Note), jumps out of the gate with some ultrabrisk postbop as the darting saxophone of Casey Benjamin conjures Ornette Coleman at his most elliptical. But then the pianist Glasper shifts to a series of melancholy chords as he talks about exploring the musical styles created by African-Americans. For the next hour and ten minutes the quartet engages in a variety of sounds, though it never returns to the swing feel that starts the record. The new album was designed to more directly involve each member of the group, which also includes bassist Derrick Hodge and drummer Mark Colenburg—every member wrote or cowrote material. Glasper himself sings on a number of songs, but Benjamin handles the lion’s share of the vocals on a set of tunes that’s unabashedly R&B-driven; imagine plenty of keyboard solos couched firmly within humid, afterhours grooves.

This week Glasper ducks into town for a stint with his trio, which has more or less become his jazz vehicle—though the lines blur more with each passing year. His acoustic band includes bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Damion Reid.

—PETER MARGASAK

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Neil Michael Hagerty & the Howling Hex Melkbelly and Health & Beauty open. 9 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, $12.

The usually prolific Neil Michael Hagerty has been relatively quiet in recent times, turning up just for some Royal Trux reunion gigs and taking part in the underground experimental supergroup Dan’l Boone, but earlier this year his long-running Howling Hex project dropped their first album since 2013 with Denver (Drag City), the city where he and his family have spent the last five years. Hagerty cultivated Howling Hex’s peculiar sound during a stint in New Mexico following the initial dissolution of Royal Trux in 2002. There he became obsessed with border music and decided to embrace Tex-Mex rhythms as the group’s foundation, an approach that’s become more pronounced than ever on the records he’s made in Denver. In a recent feature published in the Denver alt-weekly Westword, Hagerty describes the group’s take as “stonedout jams played over a norteño beat.” Drummer Eric Van Leuven locks in with that telltale groove, serving as a jacked-up waltz machine, while Hagerty cleaves to hooky, trashy rock ’n’ roll churned out with a high-velocity sneer, his slashing guitars and zigzagging melodies generating a tension with the drumming that can be numbing. He shows that his subversive tendencies won’t be quashed—the beat doesn’t even go away when the group covers the Cuff Links doo-wop classic “Guided Missiles.”

Bassist Brad Truax provides the connective tissue between the clashing musical cultures by laying down lines just as imperturbable as Van Leuven’s drumming. —PETER MARGASAK

Troller Samantha Glass, Brett Naucke, No Dreams, Johann Moon, and Sold open. 9 PM, Digital Art Demo Space, 2515 S. Archer, $7. b Austin’s Troller is a modern-day goth band that’s proud of its many influences, from early-aughts darkwave and electroclash to 70s New York City

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MUSIC no-wave to the witch house of just a few years ago. On its second album, Graphic (Holodeck), songs creep slowly like smoke over a hill, lingering thick in the air without dissipating until the last notes of the closer, “Torch.” Despite singer Amber Star-Goers’s urgency, Troller’s music feels heavy and pained, taking cues from witch house’s stoic ketamine-hole ambience—her soprano voice, coated in harmonic reverb, is like an ambulance siren piercing through foggy synthesizers, particularly on the aptly titled “Storm Maker.” The music is an exploration of sadness as an emotion but not as a permanent condition, giving the group freedom to revel in an atonality that might otherwise be constrained—after all, 2010 is over, it isn’t “cool” to be influenced by bands like Salem. But Troller gives you an earnest soundtrack to life’s darkness, in return asking only that you discard such goth pretension. —MEAGAN FREDETTE Rock, Pop, Etc Bloodline, Sky Machine, Hellshock 7:30 PM, Double Door, 18+ Boys Vs. Girls, Owl Tree 9 PM, Whistler F Close the Hatch, Varaha, Disrotted 9 PM, Empty Bottle Ghost Bath, Frosthelm, Numenorean, Vukari, Dethbeds 9 PM, Beat Kitchen 17+ Hero Jr., Blue Dream, Black Actress, Hobo & Boxcar, East Cameron Folkcore 7 PM, Reggie’s Music Joint Gabriel Kahane 8 PM, SPACE b Kamikazee Vigilante, Galaxxu, Il Soffito 9 PM, Burlington Jenny Lewis, Watson Twins 7:30 PM, Chicago Theatre b Magic Beans, Spiritual Rez, North 41 9 PM, Martyrs’ Protomen, Droids Attack, Ironfinger, Bitter Wigs, Johnny Vomit 7 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Velcro Lewis Group, Baby Magic, Garbage Friends 9 PM, Township Rocky Votolato, Chris Staples 8 PM, Schubas XXYYXX, Luminate, Edamame 6:30 PM, Bottom Lounge b Hip-Hop Banks & Steelz 9 PM, Lincoln Hall, 18+ Wifisfuneral, Xxxtentacion, $ki Mask the Slump God, Pollari, Danny Towers 7 PM, Subterranean 17+ Dance Gabriel Blu & James Moriarty, Goodsex, Nikho, Phil Rizzo, Richie Olivo, Tsunami, Tehj, Arvii Mala, Dangerwayne, Alex Kislov 11 PM, Primary Nightclub Helena Legend 10 PM, the Mid Michael Serafini, Sassmouth, Boy Alberto, B-Side 10 PM, Smart Bar F Folk & Country Devil in a Woodpile 6 PM, Hideout Haas Kowert Tice 8 PM, Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music b Blues, Gospel, and R&B Charlie Musselwhite, Marty Sammon 8 PM, City Winery b Jazz Fat Babies 9:30 PM, California Clipper Fred Lonberg-Holm’s Lightbox Orchestra 9 PM, Elastic b Experimental Jeff Albert, Helen Gillet, Maritza Mercada Narcisse 7 PM, Constellation, 18+ F

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FESTIVALS

The Hideout hits 20 years, Hip-Hop Summer Fest debuts World Music FestivaL Over its 18-year run, this sprawling festival has featured musicians from more than 80 countries. See page 36 for our guide. 9/99/25, various venues, worldmusicfestivalchicago. org. F

Hip-Hop Summer fest Celebrate hip-hop’s past, present, and future during this three-day party. Sicko Mobb and Yung Stakks rub elbows with Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, Do or Die, and Twista. See page 46 for more. 9/9-9/11, Addams/Medill Park, 1301 W. 14th, hiphopsummerfest.com, $25 per day, $55 three-day pass, free for children under nine.

Hideout 20-Year Reunion The Hideout brings together some of its favorite acts and throws itself a party in honor of its 20th anniversary. Performers include Mr. Rudy Day, Robbie Fulks, Eleventh Dream Day, White Mystery, JC Brooks, and more. 9/10, 2 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, hideoutchicago.com, $20.

White Mystery o DIANE ALEXANDER WHITE

SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 45

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

JUST ADDED • NEW SHOWS ON SALE FRIDAY! 11/26 Irish Christmas in America 11/27 Rabbi Joe Black and the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band: A Hanukkah Celebration 12/8, 12/9, 12/10, 12/11 Songs of Good Cheer

MUSIC Robert Glasper Trio o COURTESY THE ARTIST

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 8PM

Haas Kowert Tice In Szold Hall

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 7 & 10PM

Calexico SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 8PM

Iain Matthews and Plainsong featuring Andy Roberts

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 8PM

Sara Watkins

with special guest Mikaela Davis

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 7:30PM

Fifth House and Baladino present Nedudim THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 8PM

The Pines In Szold Hall

with special guests Jim White & Paul Fonfara

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 8PM

Mike Peters of the Alarm

The Soirit of '86 in 2016 • In Szold Hall

WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL 2016 9/10 Alsarah & the Nubatones / J.A.S.S. Quartet • at the Logan Center, 915 E 60th St 9/11 Nano Stern / Femina / Goran Ivanovic 9/21 Rajab Suleiman & Kithara On tour as part of Center Stage World Music Wednesday 9/23 Doña Onete / Silvia / Manrique & Neusa Sauer with Luciano Antonio

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

9/9 Global Dance Party: Jaerv 9/10 Erwin Helfer / Barrelhouse Chuck with Billy Flynn / Gospel Keyboard Masters: The Sirens Records CD release show for all 3 artists!

9/16 Global Dance Party: Chicago Cajun Aces

WORLD MUSIC WEDNESDAY SERIES FREE WEEKLY CONCERTS, LINCOLN SQUARE

9/14 Quique Sinesi 9/21 Rajab Suleiman & Kithara

46 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

continued from 45

FRIDAY9 Blink-182 A Day to Remember and AllAmerican Rejects open. 7 PM, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-80 & Harlem, $42-$121. b San Diego pop-punk heavies Blink-182 built a monolithic career with blunt, juvenile jokes—the title of 2001’s double-platinum Take Off Your Pants and Jacket is about as subtle as a fleet of bulldozers. Yet most of their back catalog doesn’t feel quite as gross as their seventh studio album, California (BMG). This has little to do with cofounding guitarist-vocalist Tom DeLonge’s replacement

by Alkaline Trio front man Matt Skiba, who wisely doesn’t try to mimic his predecessor’s Cali mewl.

And the fact that all three band members are comfortably in their 40s and still playing pop-punk isn’t terribly unattractive either—whatever sound helps an artist find a truth can be the “right” sound.

But on California Blink-182 seem confused about whether they want to exist within today’s amorphous indie-pop bubble or play to their fans’ nostalgia—hell, the solemn guitar melody on the single “Bored to Death” sounds like it was xeroxed from “Adam’s Song,” a straightforwardly earnest tune about depression off 1999’s Enema of the State. Sincerity ain’t dead, though, it’s just childish and confrontational. The record’s most memorable tune, “Built This Pool,” is a bouncing, melodic 16-second song with lyrics too delightfully idiotic to approach in any way other than to print them in full: “I wanna see some naked dudes / That’s why I built this pool.” —LEOR GALIL

Hip-Hop Summer fest Through Sunday.

3 PM, Addams/Medill Park, 1301 W. 14th, $25 per day, $55 three-day pass, free for children under nine. b The debut Hip-Hop Summer Fest confronts the theory that pop-music listeners anchor themselves to the artists who climbed the ranks during their formative years by brazenly boasting a lineup made up not just of old-school rap acts but also upstarts, some so young you’d be hard-pressed to find casual music fans aware of their existence. That said, the “New Wave Artists” offer a taste of what’s happening in Chicago outside of the ubiquitous “Chance

and friends” umbrella. All four of the MCs involved in the short-lived Women With Attitudes—Katie Got Bandz, Sasha Go Hard, Chella H, and Lucci Vee— perform solo sets, while some of the rappers and dancers who helped codify the bright and buoyant bop sound also get a turn, including Sicko Mobb, Stunt Taylor, Lil Kemo, and Dlow. And fresh off his bombastic full-length for Chine music, In My Own Lane, Yung Stakks grabs the mike too. With sets from Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, Chubb Rock, Kid N Play, Special Ed, and, crucially, locals Twista and Do or Die, the “Legendary Artists” could fill a card during a match of classic hip-hop bingo. But however stylistically scatterbrained, Hip-Hop Summer Fest boasts a fascinating collection of acts, and that’s not to mention its long list of great DJs, many of whom call Chicago home, be it Power 92 personality DJ Pharris (a member of the Heavy Hitters crew), ghetto house producer DJ Slugo, footwork mastermind DJ Roc, or mixtape hosts DJ Amaris and DJ Victoriouz. —LEOR GALIL

Robert Glasper Trio See Thursday. 8 and 10 PM, Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth, $30-$50.

Russian Circles See Pick of the Week on page 44. Cloakroom and Sweet Cobra open. 9 PM, Metro, 3730 N. Clark, $22, $20 in advance. 18+ Scuba Chrissy opens. 10 PM, Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark, $20, $15 in advance.

A cursory way of evaluating the career of British musician Paul Rose, aka Scuba, is by positioning his body of work alongside the trajectory of underground electronic music during the last ten to 15 years, from dubstep’s early stages to the dubstep-influenced, avant-house tracks that currently dominate indie releases and even some mainstream pop. But a more nuanced interpretation is that Scuba’s process is a constant experimentation with space, texture, and tone rather than with rudimentary and basic shifts in tempo; likewise, the label that he founded, Hotflush, has transformed from an imprint that issues cartoonish IDM to one that releases synth-pop-infused house. Scuba’s most recent LP, last year’s Claustrophobia, mirrors this progression—at times it sounds like cockeyed

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Find more music listings at chicagoreader.com/soundboard.

MUSIC instrumental interpretations of Depeche Mode or the Associates. I prefer 2012’s Personality, a punchier and catchier collection of hard-hitting, gelatinous house music. As a DJ, Scuba is easily one of the world’s best—he’s able to juggle dozens of disparate cuts into a single captivating, perpetually mutating set—which, when counted with his chops as a label boss and artist, make him something of a renaissance man in the world of underground electronic music. —TAL ROSENBERG Rock, Pop, Etc Daisyhead, Belle Noire, Only Sibling 10:30 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Dickie, Speedbumps, Dave Tamkin 9 PM, Schubas Hood Smoke, O.R. They?, Mama Magnolia 8 PM, Emporium Arcade Bar F

Muvves, Gold Web 10 PM, Cole’s F NRBQ, Los Straitjackets 8 PM, SPACE b Pool Holograph, Morthouse, Bike Cops 9 PM, Burlington Queen’s Teeth, Into Dust, Royal 8 PM, Reggie’s Music Joint Scout Ripley, Yomi, Mercedes Webb, Soft Ledges 8:30 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ Running, Pill, Job 9 PM, Empty Bottle Isaiah Sharkey, Alec Lehrman, Jared Rabin 9 PM, Subterranean Sheepdogs, Quaker City Night Hawks 9 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Shones, Swimsuit Addition, Oceans & Oceans 9 PM, Hideout Silver Abuse, Let the Animals Kill Us, Video Village 9 PM, Quenchers Saloon Matthew Sweet, Material Reissue 8 PM,

Park West, 18+ Yo La Tengo Early show sold out. 7 and 10 PM, Maurer Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music b Yonatan Gat, Avantist, Moses Gun, Miss Remember 8 PM, Martyrs’ Hip-Hop Astronautalis, Oxymorrons 9 PM, Lincoln Hall Dance Coone, Porn & Chicken, Bizerk, Olivia Outrage 8 PM, Concord Music Hall, 17+ Valentino Khan 10 PM, the Mid Matt Lange 10 PM, Sound-Bar Mystic Bill, Frankie Vega, DJ Hyperactive, Tim Biars 10 PM, Primary Nightclub Jon Rogers, Vapor Eyes, Hongry Bogart, Charles Mantis, Bounce Handler 9 PM, Double Door F Folk & Country Eli Young Band, Ryan Beaver 8:30 PM, Joe’s

Blues, Gospel, and R&B Linsey Alexander 9 PM, Buddy Guy’s Legends Mike Wheeler Band 9:30 PM, Rosa’s Lounge Jazz Jeff Albert, Helen Gillet, Aurora Nealand, James Singleton, and Paul Thibodeaux 8:30 PM, Heaven Gallery b BBF’s Open Spirits, Environmental Encroachment Part of Armitage Arts Festival. 9 PM, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center Chicago Yestet 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Kenya, Shana Tucker 8 PM, the Promontory 18+ International Jaerv 8:30 PM, Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music b Adonis Puentes & the Voice of Cuba Orchestra Part of World Music Festival. 7:30 PM, Spirit of Music Garden, Grant Park F b

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 47

Find more music listings at chicagoreader.com/soundboard.

MUSIC continued from 47

THE DUSTBOWL REVIVAL MILES NIELSEN & THE RUSTED HEARTS

10/14

93XRT WELCOMES...

SUNFLOWER BEAN 10/21 ROGER CLYNE 09/18 TOKYO POLICE CLUB 09/22 ALOHA 09/23 ASH 09/28

101WKQX QUEUED UP ARTIST SHOWCASE WELCOMES...

888 AND THE MOTH & THE FLAME

10/19

JOSEPH 10/27 BRONZE RADIO RETURN 09/29 TOBACCO 09/30 SKYLAR GREY 10/06 LEWIS DEL MAR 10/13

WWW.LH-ST.COM

JACUZZI BOYS

SALES

HYDROFOIL

DIMWAVES

ALL GET OUT

HOLY WAVE

10/16

GATES & YOUNG AND HEARTLESS

10/29 ANORAAK 09/18 CRX 09/19 ADIA VICTORIA 09/20 CALIFONE 09/22 & 09/23

48 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

10/19

GUESTS

11/08

CHRIS TRAPPER 09/24 BRADY TOOPS 09/24 SUUNS 09/25 KING CHARLES 10/02

Radio Free Honduras 10:30 PM, California Clipper Ragamala: A Celebration of Indian Classical Music Part of World Music Festival. 6 PM, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center F b Sizzla 8 PM, Portage Theater Solas 8 PM, City Winery b Nano Stern, Ife Part of World Music Festival. 10 PM, 1st Ward, 18+ F Tsukasa Taiko Part of World Music Festival. Noon, Daley Plaza F b Classical Ling-Ju Lai 7:30 PM, PianoForte Studios b Stars of Lyric Opera 7:30 PM, Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park

SATURDAY10 Robert Glasper Trio See Thursday. 8 and 10 PM, Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth, $30-$50.

Hip-Hop Summer fest See Friday. Noon, Addams/Medill Park, 1301 W. 14th, $25 per day, $15 students, $55 three-day pass, free for children under nine. b Rock, Pop, Etc Band of Skulls, Mothers 10 PM, Metro, 18+ Bibi Bourelly 9 PM, Beat Kitchen, 18+ California Honeydrops 9 PM, Lincoln Hall Explosions in the Sky 8 PM, Aragon Ballroom, 17+ Gallant, Kweku Collins 8 PM, Lincoln Hall 18+ Highasakite, Boycut 10 PM, Schubas Lala Lala, Bloom, Uglies 10 PM, Cole’s F Mystic Braves, Dream Ride, Soft Candy 9 PM, Empty Bottle Nothing, Nowhere.; Nice Things; Morimoto 6 PM, Township b Otto Mann, Regular Oatmeal, Pastaways, Space Blood, Mike Petruccelli 9 PM, Burlington Paper Bird, Littlebirds 7 PM, Subterranean Portland Cello Project 8 PM, SPACE b Tinkerbelles, Mr. Russia, Mr. Phylzzz, Columbines 9 PM, Quenchers Saloon Butch Walker, Suzanne Santo, Romes 8 PM, House of Blues 17+ Dance Arty 10 PM, the Mid Galcher Lustwerk, DJ Richard, Young Male 10 PM, Smart Bar Local Rituals, Bucky Fargo, Blu 9, No Sl33p 10 PM, Primary Nightclub Jason Ross, Maor Levi 10 PM, Sound-Bar Folk & Country Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin, Rebecca Jasso 8 PM, Maurer Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music, sold out b Brad Paisley, Tyler Farr 7:30 PM, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre Blues, Gospel, and R&B Corey Dennison Band Part of Armitage Arts Festival.

10 PM, Rosa’s Lounge Erwin Helfer, Barrelhouse Chuck & Billy Flynn, Gospel Keyboard Masters 6 and 8 PM, Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music b Guy King, Louisiana Al 9:30 PM, Buddy Guy’s Legends Jazz Instigation Orchestra with the Djasporas 8:30 PM,

Constellation, 18+ Participatory Music Coalition Part of Armitage Arts Festival. 7 PM, Weegee’s Lounge F International Alsarah & the Nubatones, J.A.S.S. Quartet Part of World Music Festival. 7:30 PM, Univ. of Chicago Logan Center for the Arts F b Mulatu Astake, Ife, DJ Afroqbabo Part of World Music Festival. 9 PM, Concord Music Hall, 18+ F Esso Afrojam Funkbeat Part of World Music Festival.

8 PM, Uptown Lounge F Ife Part of World Music Festival. 11 AM, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center F b Ola Fresca Part of World Music Festival. 7:30 PM, Spirit of Music Garden, Grant Park F b Ragamala: A Celebration of Indian Classical Music Part of World Music Festival. Sep. 9, 6 PM, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center F b Nano Stern, Femina Part of World Music Festival. 8 PM, Martyrs’ F Fairs & Festivals Hideout 20-Year Reunion: Mr. Rudy Day, Robbie Fulks, White Mystery, Eleventh Dream Day, Lawrence Peters Outfit, Jon Langford & Skull Orchard, and others 2 PM, Hideout

SUNDAY11 Robert Glasper Trio See Thursday. 4, 8, and 10 PM, Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth, $30-$50.

Hip-Hop Summer fest See Friday. Noon, Addams/Medill Park, 1301 W. 14th, $25 per day, $55 three-day pass, free for children under nine. b Marduk Rotting Christ, Carach Angren, and Necronomicon open. 7 PM, Reggie’ Rock Club, 2105 S. State, $28, $25 in advance. 18+ This quarter-century-old Swedish black-metal institution observe their 12th year with great front man Mortuus, who can also be heard in Funeral Mist and Triumphator under the name Arioch—because he’s got enough growl in his pipes for three bands.

You know that any Marduk album is going to be filthy and blasphemous; the only question is in what way. Their previous two full-lengths, 2009’s Wormwood and 2012’s Serpent Sermon, emphasize the satanic/occult angle they helped invent for the genre while blasting through spiritual horror so ugly it comes all the way around again to twisted beauty. Last year’s Frontschwein returns to a subject not visited quite so heavily since 1999’s pre-Mortuus album Panzer Division Marduk, and it’s one likely more upsetting to the secularly minded: the Wehrmacht. If Mortuus isn’t enthralled with this theme, however, you can’t tell from his or the band’s performance. Maybe the album doesn’t reach Marduk’s peak mayhem or maintain peak intensity, but “Rope of Regret” and “503” are dense, dark standouts, and “Doomsday Elite” has some jaw-dropping moments regardless of its eight-minute length. —MONICA KENDRICK

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4746 N. Racine • rivieratheatre.com

P.S. Eliot o NICOLE KIBERT

Rock, Pop, Etc Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin 7 PM, SPACE b Burst & Bloom, Homebrew, Castle of Lions, Horrible/Beaut 9 PM, Quenchers Saloon Caveman, Cheerleader 8 PM, Schubas, 18+ Mary Fahl, Anne Heaton 8 PM, City Winery b Fatkid, Bent Knee 8 PM, Emporium Arcade Bar F Half Gringa; Swojens; Yes, Mistress 9 PM, Empty Bottle Retox, He Whose Ox Is Gored, Silent, Phase Order 9 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ Vacation, Wilderness 6:30 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Vytyls, Christian Priebe, Meester Magpie 9 PM, Burlington Jazz Few; Jeff Albert Quartet; Aurora Nealand, Katie Young, and friends 9 PM, Hungry Brain J Kirshner 9 PM, the Owl F Quartet for the End of Time 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Rosetta, Horace Bray 9 PM, Whistler F Skyler Rowe Trio 2 PM, Empty Bottle F Alex Skolnick Trio 7 PM, Reggie’s Music Joint International Kalapriya presents Bhangra Blowout Part of World Music Festival. 4 PM, Spirit of Music Garden, Grant Park F b Nano Stern, Femina, Goran Ivanovic Part of World Music Festival. 7 PM, Szold Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music F b

MONDAY12 Rock, Pop, Etc Angelspit, Die Sektor 9 PM, Reggie’s Music Joint Ashell, Storm Clouds, Bully in the Hallway 9 PM, Empty Bottle F Adam Green 9 PM, Beat Kitchen Khruangbin, Parent 9 PM, Schubas Mac Sabbath, Hamburglars, Clownvis Presley 8 PM, House of Blues, 17+ John Moreland, Anthony da Costa 8 PM, SPACE b New Stew 8 PM, City Winery b Poison Rites, Criminal Kids, Party Downers 9 PM, Burlington Twist, Spaces of Disappearance, Impulsive Hearts 7 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Folk & Country Robbie Fulks & Jason Ringenberg 7 PM, Hideout Jazz Cecil 9 PM, Whistler F Christian Dillingham Quartet, Zac Nunnery Trio 9 PM, Elastic b Petra’s Recession Seven 9 PM, California Clipper

Experimental William Parker 7:30 PM, Experimental Sound Studio b International Balkan Rhapsody 8 PM, Martyrs’ In-Stores Manuel Troller & Aaron Zarzutzki 7:30 PM, Myopic Books F b

SEPTEMBER 13

ALL AGES TICKETS PURCHASED FOR THE ARAGON HONORED

TUESDAY13 P.S. Eliot Nectar and Proud Parents open.

8 PM, Subterranean, 2011 W. North, $12, $10 in advance. 17+ P.S. Eliot only split up five years ago, so it may seem a little soon for a reunion and retrospective. Actually, though, the two-CD compilation of the band’s discography, 2007-2011 (Don Giovanni), feels both inevitable and perfect. Alabama identical twins Katie (vocals and guitar) and Allison Crutchfield (drums) began P.S. Eliot in 2007, but even then the music felt straight out of the 90s: jangly, ragged indie pop that’s by turns vulnerable and ecstatic.

It’s no wonder, then, that opener “Tennessee,” from their 2009 debut full-length Introverted Romance in Our Troubled Minds, anticipates future nostalgia (“I’ve got a mental image of the way you used to look at me”). Katie’s gone on to continued success with her Waxahatchee project, while Allison put together the band Swearin’, but neither has drifted far from their roots. The P.S. Eliot compilation will include both Introverted Romance and their second 2011 full-length, Sadie, as well as EPs and demos. “I cross out these memories, it’s a funny thing,” Katie warbles on “Cross-Eyed” as Allison’s drums roll and stagger joyously. If you missed P.S. Eliot missing the 90s five years ago, this reunion is the perfect chance to pretend you were there all along.

—NOAH BERLATSKY

SPECIAL GUEST:

CHARLOTTE DAY WILSON

SEPTEMBER 26 8:00pm • 18 & Over

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9 7:00pm • All Ages

Rock, Pop, Etc Will Courtney, Tom Schraeder & His Ego, Glass Eyes 9 PM, Empty Bottle Felice Brothers 8 PM, Schubas Raul Midon 8 PM, City Winery b Lucy Wainwright Roche, Antje Duvekot 7:30 PM, SPACE b Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, Danava, Shrine 8 PM, Metro, 18+ Volbeat, Killswitch Engage 6:30 PM, Riviera Theatre b Hip-Hop Ishdarr 8 PM, Lincoln Hall, 18+

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KONGOS – Oct. 5 • GLASS ANIMALS – Oct. 6 • INGRID MICHAELSON –Oct. 11 CATFISH & THE BOTTLEMEN –Oct. 12 • RAE SREMMURD –Oct. 13 M83 –Oct. 20 • TEGAN & SARA –Oct. 21 • JON BELLION –Friday, Oct. 28 PURITY RING –Saturday, Oct. 29 • GOOD CHARLOTTE – Friday, Nov. 4 ELLE KING – Nov. 5 • THE NAKED AND FAMOUS – Nov. 6 • FOALS – Nov. 9 REBELUTION –Saturday, Nov. 12 • PATTI SMITH –Friday, Dec. 30 THE DEVIL MAKES THREE – Saturday, Jan. 21 • PASSENGER –Friday, Mar. 17 BUY TICKETS AT

SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 49

1800 W. DIVISION

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

(773) 486-9862 Come enjoy one of Chicago’s finest beer gardens!

THURSDAY, SEPT. 8......... THE FLABBY HOFFMAN SHOW FT. NATALIE IN HER LAST SHOW THANK YOU! FRIDAY, SEPT. 9 .............. PETE BERWICK SAT AND SUN SEPT 10 AND 11 - PHYLLIS MUSICAL INN WELCOMES RENEGADE ART FESTIVAL SAT 1PM JIMI JON AMERICA 3PM SMILING BOBBY AND THE CLEMTONES 10PM JUNGLE CITIES 7:00 PM THE NELSON ALGREN DOCUMENTARY FILM PRESENTED BY MARK BLOTTNER THE END IS NOTHING THE ROAD IS ALL SUN - 3PM ANNALISE AND THE BACKSIDES 6PM - HEISENBERG UNCERTAINTY PLAYERS EVERY MONDAY AT 9PM CHRIS SHUTTLEWORTH QUINTET EVERY TUESDAY AT 8PM OPEN MIC HOSTED BY JIMI JON AMERICA

Find more music listings at chicagoreader.com/soundboard.

3855 N. LINCOLN

martyrslive.com

THU, 9/8 - SILVER WRAPPER PRESENTS...

THE MAGIC BEANS, SPIRITUAL REZ, THE NORTH 41 FRI, 9/9 - 8PM

YONATAN GAT, THE AVANTIST, THE MOSES GUN, MISS REMEMBER

SAT, 9/10 WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL CHICAGO 2016 - NO COVER!

NANO STERN, FEMINA MON, 9/12

BALKAN RHAPSODY

TUE, 9/13

THE FLOOD, FRIENDS OF THE BOG, ERIK & JESSE WED, 9/14 & THU 9/15

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50 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

MUSIC continued from 49

Jazz Nick Mazzarella Quintet 9 PM, Whistler F Juli Wood Quartet 5:30 PM, Museum of Contemporary Art F b International Concrete Roots 9 PM, Whistler

WEDNESDAY14 Morgan Delt Mass Gothic and Heaven’s Gateway Drugs open. 9 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, $10.

On his terrific new album Phase Zero (Sub Pop) bedroom-psych merchant Morgan Delt counters his bleak vision of the planet with gorgeous melodies that billow forth from a patchwork of fuzzy and gauzy sounds, all of which he creates himself. He cut every track in his home studio in Topanga Canyon, and according to the opener, “I Don’t Wanna See What’s Happening Outside,” he seems perfectly content to remain holed up there—in fact, many of the songs imagine the world falling apart from the thoughtlessness of mankind. On “Sun Powers” the titular subject seems like a positive force at first but ends up “disintegrating everything that’s in its way,” while during “Escape Capsule” Delt apologizes to the inheritors of earth: “We will destroy all the life on the planet before we admit that our life is insane.” While there’s more than a touch of off-the-grid paranoia coursing through the record, it’s hard to argue with Delt’s vision of a world gone mad. His songs provide a soothing respite from the chaos, with layers of guitars, keyboards, and sweet vocals threaded together to create a rich, kaleidoscopic fabric, one in which no single ingredient dominates—even the drums are flattened to be on sonic par with every guitar note. Though the music isn’t as dark as the more acid-flavored eponymous album he dropped on local label Trouble in Mind in 2012, Phase Zero still seems inspired by any number of nightmarish psychedelic 70s film scores, and the disjunction between Delt’s words and melodies feels greater and more desperate— with that tension giving the music a hidden power.

—PETER MARGASAK

William Tyler Thomas Wincek opens.

8:30 PM, Constellation, 3111 N. Western, $15, $10 in advance. 18+ The seeds for Modern Country (Merge), the stunning new album by Nashville guitarist William Tyler, were planted as he toured in support of his previous album, 2013’s Impossible Truth. He set out on a road trip to Athens, Georgia, and was overcome with crushing anxiety. Tyler writes in the bio materials for the new record, “It felt akin to vertigo, and I had to pull over at a truck stop just 15 miles out of town and slowly make my way home using back roads.” To ameliorate his sudden fear of highways, he began touring using the back roads of the U.S., which allowed him to drink in a far more colorful if unsettling portrait of the country we rarely encounter on interstates. The music he composed during a solitary retreat to Oxford, Mississippi, continues to drift further from his acoustic fingerstyle foun-

William Tyler o ANGELINA CASTILLO

dations in favor of richly atmospheric and pastoral rock instrumentals that connect American roots to a kind of lyric musical translation of decay. The synthesizers that gild Modern Country’s opening track, “Highway Anxiety,” help it sound like a rural American response to Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn,” a travelogue taken at 30 mph rather than 100. Still, most of the pieces convey more bucolic visions.

“Kingdom of Jones” is a tender, loving portrait of Jones County—the outlier Mississippi region that revolted against the Confederacy during the Civil War—while the Steve Reich-flavored “Gone Clear” features a sense of movement from serene to paranoid that suggests the title might refer to Scientology’s state of salvation. Tyler’s touring band includes bassist Darin Gray, who also plays on the record, along with drummer Joe Westerlund and keyboardist Thomas Wincek, who plays an opening set. —PETER MARGASAK Rock, Pop, Etc Agent Orange, Counterpunch 8 PM, Cobra Lounge Boundless, Professor Kliq & Polynym, Avvenir 9 PM, Burlington Cold Cave, TR/ST 9 PM, Metro, 18+ Enhasa, Shakusky, Close Kept 7 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Grandkids, Curls, Burning Ponies, Dash Hounds 9 PM, Schubas F New Regime, Polarizer 7 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ TV Slime, Empty Markets, Super Sonic Space Rebels, Slopers 9 PM, Quenchers Saloon Barrence Whitfield & the Savages, Suitcase Junket 8 PM, SPACE b Matty Witney & Juan Pastor 9 PM, Whistler F Hip-Hop Mykele Deville, Lamon Manuel, Sally Marvel 9 PM, East Room Alex Wiley, Kembe X, Supa Bwe, Mike Gao 6 PM, Double Door b Dance Tourist 10 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Blues, Gospel, and R&B Smiley Tillmon Band 7 PM, Reggie’s Music Joint International Moshe Bonen & Hataklitim 8 PM, City Winery b Red Baraat 8 PM, the Promontory Quique Sinesi 8:30 PM, Maurer Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music F b Classical Ketevan Kartvelishvili Piano. 12:15 PM, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center F b v

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Galinha à Africana o KERRI PANG

Macau is just the beginning of The Adventures of Fat Rice

The Logan Square restaurant’s cookbook documents one of the world’s oldest fusion cuisines.

By MIKE SULA

I

t wasn’t so much confidence that motivated Fat Rice chef Abraham Conlon to write a Macanese cookbook after only two visits to the former Portuguese colony of Macau.

It was fear.

Next month Conlon, partner Adrienne Lo, and Hugh Amano, the Logan Square restaurant’s opening sous chef, will publish the highly anticipated The Adventures of Fat Rice: Recipes From the Chicago Restaurant Inspired

by Macau, based on Conlon’s years-long obsession with the elusive food of the little peninsula (and two islands), now in Chinese possession, that’s home to a glittering jungle of casinos and a dwindling population of Asians with Portuguese ancestry.

It’s this small, aging community of Macanese that Conlon and company connected with to research the book that he feels a responsibility to. “The people that we’re involved with are the most knowledgeable,” he says. “They

are essentially the people who are holding it together, and we give them credit. So just making sure that what we’re saying are the right things—that was the fear that pushed us to go, ‘I really need to understand this. I really need to dig deep on this because I don’t need anybody calling me out.’”

Conlon’s concern is not with the egg tarts, pork chop sandwiches, and African chicken that most tourists associate with Macanese cuisine (though there are recipes for the latter two in the book), nor with the Chinese food that predominates, but with the homey, traditional cozinha Macaista, prepared in homes, community centers, and a handful of restaurants. “I’m just trying to cook like grandma,” he says. “That’s it. That’s the whole goal.”

The problem with compiling a book based on such recipes is that the relative scarcity of Macanese cookbooks means that they’d never been widely codified. So Conlon’s worry that

his recipe for diabo, aka devil’s curry, might be spot-on for one family and all wrong for another isn’t without merit.

Conlon has said previously that his aim with the book, which includes some 86 recipes, was to write the most comprehensive document on Macanese cuisine in print. But he walked that back a bit when I spoke to him, saying The Adventures of Fat Rice still provides more information on the dishes than any other publication. “We really dig deep and try to explore every aspect and possibility, and origins of the dish and ingredients, and how they got there, who and how things developed the way they did,” he says. “Kind of from an outsider’s perspective.” It’s broken down into eight chapters covering pickles and preserves, appetizers, rice, noodles, vegetables, fish and seafood, birds, meats, sweets, and building blocks, everything from Fat Rice namesake arroz gordo to the Macanese meat loaf capela; from stir-fried greens with green papaya, mushroom, and mackerel pickle to papa seco, the Portuguese bread rolls used as the vehicle for the pork chop sandwiches on Fat Rice’s brunch and lunch menus. Beautiful photography by Dan Goldberg from a third trip shows the cooks that helped the authors on their journey, and illustrations by Sarah Becan spell out step-by-step recipe methods.

Conlon is attuned to the accusations of cultural appropriation that have been aimed at white chefs such as Rick Bayless and Andy Ricker who’ve had profitable careers cooking the food of cultures they weren’t born into.

“I do have a little bit of a connection,” Conlon says. “Even though I’m only half Portuguese, I’m still Portuguese. And we’ve been welcomed into the community. As far as they’re concerned, we’re Macanese. And we can have a conversation regarding those dishes with them, and they’ve willingly opened up and given these recipes and they’re appreciative to have somebody who can, on a mass scale, be able to kind of be an advocate. And I think for us we’ve become the advocate of the Macanese culture.

“If there was somebody in Macau doing what I’m doing, I don’t know if I’d be doing it,” he continues. “But nobody is.”

At least one Macanese scholar who’s seen the book has given it a thumbs-up. “They obviously are passionate about what they are doing,” Alex Mamak says via e-mail. The Los Angeles-based anthropologist has written about the scarce documentation of Macanese cuisine. “They put everything on the table— history belongs to everyone. I’m glad they took the time to chronicle the journey.”

Macanese cuisine is really a hybrid of Portuguese and Chinese food as well as the food of all the lands the Portuguese passed through in the name of conquest and commerce, including Brazil, Mozambique, India, and Malaysia, among others. During their second research trip, Conlon and Lo visited Portuguese settlements in Malacca and Singapore. It cemented the idea in Conlon’s mind that Macau was just a beginning. Fat Rice didn’t start out as a strictly Macanese restaurant in the first place—the Chinese characters on the front of the restaurant translate

to “Portuguese food.” But by researching the building blocks of this obscure cuisine, he’s realized there’s a wider world of food to explore.

“It doesn’t end in Macau,” he says. “Macau for the Portuguese was the ending point, but it’s also our starting point. So now it’s like you could have The Adventures of Fat Rice Volume II: Recipes From the Chicago Restaurant Inspired by Malacca. It gives the chance for the dialogue to continue, for the restaurant to grow, the quest for knowledge to continue, and frankly, to keep the customer excited. And keep our staff continually learning and looking at the restaurant as a center for study of global Portuguese cuisine.” v THE ADVENTURES OF FAT RICE: RECIPES FROM THE CHICAGO RESTAURANT INSPIRED BY MACAU (Ten Speed Press) is available October 25.

ß @MikeSula SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 51

52 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

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A UTH E NTI C PH I LLY C H E E S E STEA KS!

S P DR EC INK IA LS

T F A ER R C BE

PI

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A

4757 N TALMAN · 773.942.6012 · ILOVEMONTIS.COM ·

W

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@ILOVEMONTIS

Iliana Regan of Kitsune ! JEFFREY MARINI

Most-anticipated restaurants

By MIKE SULA Burt’s Place Mid-September When the great Burt Katz closed his eponymous pizzeria in July 2015 due to health issues, any defensible reason to eat deep-dish went with it. (Katz died last April at the age of 78.) But for longtime fans a glimmer of hope came in June, when two former futures traders bought the joint along with Katz’s intellectual property. Here’s hoping the new owners, who’re rookies in the pizza game, can duplicate that legendary caramelized crust. a 8541 Ferris Avenue, Morton Grove, 847-965-7997, facebook.com/ burtspizza Bad Hunter Early October The West Loop vegetablefocused—but not vegetarian—spot from Heisler Hospi-

tality (Pub Royale, Trenchermen), will feature yet another wood-fired oven, this one under the command of Dan Snowden (Nico Osteria, Publican). a 802 W. Randolph, badhunter.com Elske Early November Former Blackbird chef David Posey and his wife, former Publican pastry chef Anna Posey, will open their “New American” spot with an eight-course tasting and a short a la carte menu. a 1350 W. Randolph, elskerestaurant.com Kitsune Late November or early December The heartbreak occasioned by the demise of Elizabeth chef Iliana Regan’s Bunny, the Micro Bakery last April

is eased by anticipation for her forthcoming izakaya-style pub in North Center. A sample menu includes three ramen bowls, takoyaki, and Wagyu short rib with hondashi and soy. Named for a magical fox on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, Kitsune is likely to be every bit as kawaii as Bunny. a 4229 N. Lincoln, kitsunerestaurant. com Haisous “By the end of the year” Thai and Danielle Dang began working on their Vietnamese restaurant in Pilsen after Thai’s rancorous departure from the late Embeya.

Now $100,000 richer after a legal victory over his former partner, the chef is focusing on stewy clay-pot cooking and grilling over an open flame. a 1800 S. Carpenter, haisous.com v

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 53

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54 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

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Great Central Brewing Company taproom November

A selection of Moody Tongue beers o COURTESY MOODY TONGUE

New spots for beer-drinking

By JULIA THIEL Moody Tongue Brewing Company tasting room Early September Moody Tongue has been producing food-inspired beers in Pilsen for a couple years now, but the tasting room will be the public’s first chance to try them with food that brewer Jared Rouben has chosen specifically to pair with the beer: oysters and German chocolate cake. Nothing else. It’s not a gimmick, Rouben says; he thinks that having a savory option and a sweet one is the perfect way to showcase a dozen beers— which will include the brewery’s core line-up, plus some that will only be available at

the tasting room. Each will be served in hand-blown Austrian glassware over a white marble bar. a 2136 S. Peoria, 312-600-5111, moodytongue. com Old Irving Brewing Co. Mid-September Trevor Rose-Hamblin has been brewing beer to pair with food since his days as general manager at iNG, where he made beers like a pretzel-and-mustard wit to go with the equally unusual food. The brewer and partner at Old Irving brewpub says his current creations are a little tamer but still fun, like a pho-inspired Bel-

gian wit made with ginger and star anise. Six to seven of the 12 taps will be dedicated to house beers; the rest will be guest and collaboration beers and draft cocktails.

The food menu is a collaboration between chefs Matthias Merges (Yusho, A10) and Michael Sheerin (formerly of Blackbird and Trenchermen, among others). a 4419 W. Montrose, 773-916-6421, oldirvingbrewing.com On Tour Brewing Company October Four years in the making, On Tour will finally open in the West Loop with 75 seats, 12 taps, one hand-pumped cask beer engine, and a beer list that offers something for everyone. Or at least that’s the hope of owner Mark Legenza, a longtime homebrewer who has hired Mark Poffenberger, formerly of Sun King Brewing in Indiana, as head brewer. Legenza’s planning to offer a wide variety of beer styles, a barrelaging program, and eventually a sour program. a 1725 W. Hubbard, no phone yet, ontourbrewing.com

DON FRESCO FOR LUNCH

Lo Rez Brewing November

When it starts producing beer in late September, Chicago’s first contract brewery will serve as a facility for brewers who don’t have their own space or need more capacity. Great Central’s 4,000-square-foot taproom in the West Loop will serve only beer made onsite from the ever-changing variety of a dozen or more brewers. a 221 N. Wood, 855-464-4222, greatcentralbrewing.com

Cofounders Dave Dahl and Kevin Lilly are longtime homebrewers and drinking buddies who made the leap to professional brewing through stints at Metropolitan and Five Rabbit, respectively. Along the

Saturday & Sunday

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way they discovered a shared love for Belgian-style and malt-forward beers—saisons, golden ales, scotch ales, stouts—which will be the focus at their Pilsen brewery and 2,000-square-foot taproom when it opens in late fall. a 2101 S. Carpenter, lorezbrewing.com v

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Don Fresco has taken the West loop by storm in the ten months it has been open. Owners Peter W. Dremonas and Dimitri Eliopoulos have taken Mexican comfort food to the next level, making it one of the Chicago’s top Mexican restaurants. The small restaurant serves high quality, fresh, authentic Mexican food with a Chicago Mexi twis twist at a reasonable price point.

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$6 Firestone Walker Opal pints, $6 Finch Vanilla Stout 16 oz. cans, $7 house wines, $8 Few Spirits

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Happy Hour 5-6:30pm: half off appetizers, $5 pints of bud light, and $6 shots of Jameson

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Brunch 11am-2pm, Bottomless Bloody Mary’s & Mimosas $15 w/food purchase, 50% off appetizers & $3 Bud Light pints. Industry Night 10% off all items not discounted.

Happy Hour 5-6:30pm: half off appetizers, $5 pints of bud light, and $6 shots of Jameson

$6 Firestone Walker Opal pints, $6 Finch Vanilla Stout 16 oz. cans, $7 house wines, $8 Few Spirits

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$4 Half Acre brews, FREE POOL, “Hoppy Hour” 5-8pm = 1/2 price IPAs + pale ales

all beer 50% off, $5 burgers.

Happy Hour 5-6:30pm: half off appetizers, $5 pints of bud light, and $6 shots of Jameson

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STARBUCKS JOB FAIR, FIRST APPLY ON LINE AT

Starbucks.com/careers store #0217 On Wed. 9/14/16 @ beginning at 730 am till 3pm. we will be handing out numbers to have a on the spot interview & hiring, pending application.

First come first serve. Interviews held at 1001 W. North Ave. Chicago IL 60642

NUTS ON CLARK POPCORN

Full time accountant position available for property management company in downtown Chicago. Ideal candidate will have 3-5 years of real estate accounting and a BS in accounting.

Yardi experience a plus. If interested, please send cover letter and resume to kmcmanaman@ nfcompanies.com

CHICAGO AREA METAL Stamp-

ing Company is looking for a TS 16949 Coordinator: To implement, update and enforce the Quality Management System, procedures and policies to meet the TS16949 requirements.

To lead and support the company Quality initiatives to remain compliant to the current ISO/TS16949 standards. To maintain the QMS and Quality Manual. Lead and oversee the internal audit program.

In Depth working knowledge of the current TS16949 requirements.

Contact: 708.485.6130 / info@odmtool.com

NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE seeks Application

Analysts Sr. for Chicago, IL to lead the design & implementation of health IT sw solutions. Master’s in Comp. Sci. or Technology +2yrs exp. or Bachelor’s in Comp. Sci. or Technology +5yrs exp. req’d. Exp must incl. Peoplesoft (GL, ePro,INV, AP), EDI integration, People Tools (AP Package, IB, ExceltoCI), Oracle, BI Publisher, SQL Developer, PL/SQL, Web Services. Apply online: http:// jobseeker.nm.org/, Requisition ID: 0013221. EOE

Stores now hiring in Chicago for all locations...Earn $ while working with a team. Get paid while training.

Jobs Available Now Midway/O’Hare Airports. Apply in person @ corp. office: 3830 N. Clark St. Chicago.

9am-10am Mon-Fri. Must bring ID’s and Social Security Card to apply.

HC Operations, LLC (Chicago, IL) seeks Quantitative Analyst responsible for development of quantitative strategies to be implemented in foreign exchange market. Must be willing to occasionally travel within the U.S. Send resumes to: jobs@hctech. com.

FRONT DESK HELP 20-25 hrs /

week. Scheduling appointments, experience with QuickBooks or other financial software for payroll, billing, and paying bills, Microsoft Excel.

Please email resume to jeffgetzell@ sbcglobal.net.

SPRING MAKER - Elk Grove Co. is looking for exp. CNC Spring Coiler and or CNC Wire Former Set Up Person.

FT, 1st or 2nd shifts. Send resume to hr@jacksonspring. com.

SMARTLOGIX INC. SEEKS Pro-

grammers/Analysts, S/W Engineers.

Primary worksite is Northbrook,IL but relocation is possible.

Contact: hrd@smartlogix.us

GENERAL TRUCK AND trailer

mechanics needed. Full- and parttime. Uniforms provided. Opportunity for advancement. Chicago. Call 773-247-6962.

THE LATEST ON WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND TOWN READER RECOMMENDS

WEEKLY E-BLAST GET UP TO DATE. SIGN UP NOW. CHICAGOREADER.COM SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 57

REAL ESTATE

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

RENTALS

STUDIO $500-$599

CROSSROADS HOTEL SRO SINGLE RMS Private bath, PHONE,

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 ROGERS

PARK!

7455

N. Greenview. Studios starting at $625 including heat. It’s a newly remodeled vintage elevator building with on-site laundry, wood floors, new kitchens and baths, some units have balconies, etc. Application fee $40.

No security deposit! For a showing please contact Samir 773-627-4894 Hunter Properties 773-477-7070 www.hunterprop.com

EDGEWATER!

1061 W. Rosemont. Studios starting at $625 to $675, All Utilities included! Elevator building! Close to CTA red line train, restaurants, shopping, blocks to the lakefront, beaches and bike trails, laundry onsite, remodeled, etc. For a showing please contact Jay 773835-1864 Hunter Properties, Inc. 773-477-7070 www.hunterprop.com 9147 S. ASHLAND. Lrg Studio, dine -In Kit., hdwd flrs, laundry, closets. Clean & Secure. $650/mo.

No Pets.

Avail now! 312-914-8967.

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

STUDIO $700-$899 EAST LAKEVIEW STUDIO IN

CONDO ELEVATOR BLDG., SWIMMING POOL, SAUNA, SAME FLOOR LAUNDRY, HEAT INCLUDED. $795---AVAILABLE NOW! CALL 224639-2231

EDGEWATER: Dlx Studio: full kic, new appl, DR, oak flrs, lndy, cats ok. $795/incl ht, water, gas, 773-743-4141 urbanequities.com

STUDIO $900 AND OVER Hyde Park West Apts., 5325 S. Cottage Grove Ave., Renovated spacious apartments in landscaped gated community. Off street parking available. Studios $950, 1BR $1150 - Free Heat, 2BR $1400 - Free heat; 3BR Townhome $1775, 4BR Townhome, $2200 Call about our Special. Visit or call 773-324-0280, M-F: 9am-5pm or apply online- www.hydepark we st.com. Managed by Metroplex, Inc

JOBS

General

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

Ashland Hotel nice clean rms.

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

Low rates daily/weekly/monthly.

South Side. Call 773-376-5200

1 BR UNDER $700 QUALITY

APARTMENTS,

Great Prices! Studios-4BR, from $450. Newly rehabbed. Appliances included. Low Move-in Fees. Hardwood floors. Pangea - Chicago’s South, Southwest & West Neighborhoods. 312-985-0556

7022 S. SHORE DRIVE Impecca-

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

Laundry & Security on Premises.

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

79TH & WOODLAWN 2 B R Basement $750-$800; 76th & Phillips Studio $575-$600, 1BR

$650-$700 & 2BR $750-$800. Remodeled, Appliances avail.

Free Heat. Section 8 welcome. 312-2865678

SUMMER 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 312-446-3333

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

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

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 BRIDGEVIEW AREA- LG furn Room in a single home. No drugs/ alcohol. Dep Req. Mature working person pref.

708-458-8610 or 708-436-4043

EXCHANGE EAST APTS 1 Brdm

$575 w/Free Parking,Appl, AC,Free heat. Near trans. laundry rm. Elec.not incl. Kalabich Mgmt (708) 424-4216 6930 S. SOUTH SHORE DRIVE Studios & 1BR, INCL. Heat, Elec, Cking gas & PARKING, $585-$925, Country Club Apts 773-752-2200

CHICAGO - SOUTH SHORE Large 1BR, $660/mo. Free heat.

Near Transportation. Section 8 Welcome. Call 708-932-4582 HYDE PARK -SGL.FURN.RMS. With Refrig & Microwave, Utils. Inc. Close to Lake and Trans.$515-$550.

Ldry&24hr sec. 773-577-9361

û NO SEC DEP û 6829 S. PERRY. 1BR. $520/mo.

HEAT INCL 773-955-5106

1 BR $700-$799 QUIET BLDNG, FREE HEAT Chatham, 1BR, 1BA, heat & gar space incl in rent. Lndry on site. $790/mo. Avail Now 773-2337673 2207 E 87TH St: 1BR, new bldg, across from Chicago Voc H.S., laundry, hdwd flrs, $725 incls heat & prkg, 708-308-1509 or 773-4933500 CHATHAM LARGE 1BR Apt, wall to wall carpeting. Seperate dining room. Heat Incl. No Pets. $725/ mo + sec req. 708-323-8317 RIVERDALE - NEWLY decor,

2BR, appls, heated, A/C, lndry, prkng, no pets, near Metra. Sec 8 ok. $795.

630-480-0638 WEST HUMBOLDT PK 1 & 2BR Apts, spacious, oak wood flrs, huge closets. heat incl, rehab, $775 up to $875. 847-866-7234

PULLMAN - NR 108TH & Eberhart. Very Spacious 1BR. DR, Heated. Laundry Fac. Quiet Bldng. $720 + Sec. 773-568-7750 ALSIP: 1BR. $700/mo & 2BR, 1BA, $850/mo. Parking, appliances, laundry & storage.

Call 708-268-3762

1 BR $800-$899 ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT

Ave) Nice, lrg 1 & 2BR w/balcony.

1BR $550, 2BR $650. Security deposit $650. Sec 8 Welcome. 773-9956950

near Warren Park and Metra, 6802 N Wolcott. Hardwood floors. Heat included. Laundry in building. Cats OK. $825-$875/ month. Available 10/1.

Garden unit available 10/1 for $795/ month. And larger one bedroom available 10/1 for $900/ month. 773761-4318, www.lakefrontmgt.com

STUDIOS AND 2 BRS

LAKESIDE TOWER, 910 W

WEST PULLMAN (INDIANA

67th/ Jeffery & 56th/Wabash UPDATED UNITS! NO MOVE IN FEE! ONE MONTH FREE! Free Window AC. livenovo.com or Call 312-445-9694

FALL SPECIAL $500 Toward

Rent Beautiful Studios 1, 2, 3 & 4 BR Sect. 8 Welc. Westside Loc, Must qualify. 773-287-4500 www.wjmngmt.com

Lawrence. 1 bedrooms starting at $895-$925 include heat and gas, laundry in building. Great view! Close to CTA Red Line, bus, stores, restaurants, lake, etc. To schedule a showing please contact Celio 773-3961575, Hunter Properties 773-4777070, www.hunterprop.com

1 BR $900-$1099 LARGE ONE BEDROOM apart-

ment near Red Line. 6822 N Wayne.

Hardwood floors. Pets OK. Laundry in building. $900-$925/ month. Heat included. Available 10/1. 773-7614318, www.lakefrontmgt.com

Ravenswood 1BR: 850sf, great kit, DW, oak flrs, near Brown line, onsite lndy/stor., $925-$1095/heated 773-743-4141 www.urbanequities. com

Kildare (2400N) corner 1BR & 3BR, new kitchen and bath, oak flrs, on-site lndry/storage/prkg $900-$1100+util 773-743-4141 w ww.urbanequities.com HOMEWOOD- SUNNY 900SF

1BR Great Kitc, New Appls, Oak Flrs, A/C, Lndry & Storage, $950/mo Incls heat & prkg. 773.743.4141

1 BR $1100 AND OVER TIMBER LOFT/WEST LOOP,

1BR, 1BA, in unit washer/dryer, A/C, lots of closet space, professionally outfitted/nook, perfect for home office. Beautiful hardwood floors, industrial size windows bring in lots of light. Balcony, includes garage parking, cable & internet. Close to Pink line. No pets. Available immediately. $1950/mo. 773-484-7666.

1 BR OTHER APTS. FOR RENT PARK MANAGEMENT & Investment Ltd. SUMMER IS HERE BUT IT WON’T LAST! OUR UNITS INCLUDE HEAT, HW & CG Patio & Mini Blinds Plenty of parking on a 37 acre site 1Bdr From $750.00 2Bdr From $925.00 3 Bdr/2 Full Bath From $1200 **1-(773)-476-6000** CALL FOR DETAILS WAITLIST OPEN Anathoth Gardens/PACE APTS. Studio Apts. Available Qualified Seniors 62+ Affordable Senior buildings, rent based on 30% Of mthly income. A/C, laundry room, Cable ready, intercom entry system, Front desk security.

Applications Are being accepted between 11:00 a.m. And 3:00 p.m.

Monday thru Friday at Anathoth Gardens 34 N. Keeler Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60624 Please call 773-826-0214 For more Information ROUND LAKE BEACH, IL

incl. $650. $300 Move-In Fee. Call John 847-877-6502

ble October 1st. 1BR $895 plus heat.

Quiet, nonsmoking, pet friendly building. Good light. Close to transportation. Cable, internet included.

347-633-0005. (Calls only, no texts)

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 ∫

JOBS

JOBS

JOBS

CHATHAM 80TH/EVANS, 1BR, 3rd flr, hdwd flrs, heat and appl

General

VICINITY ADA/ OHIO. Availa-

General

APTS. FOR RENT PARK MANAGEMENT & Investment Ltd. SUMMER IS HERE BUT IT WILL SOON BE GONE!!

Most Include HEAT & HOT WTR Studios From $475.00 1Bdr From $550.00 2Bdr From $765.00 3 Bdr/2 Full Bath From $1200 **1-(773)-476-6000** CALL FOR DETAILS ROUND LAKE BEACH, IL Cedar Villas is accepting applications for subsidized 1BR apts. for seniors 62 years or older and the disabled.

Rent is based on 30% of annual income. For details, call us at 847-546-1899 ∫

BURNHAM, 2BR, APPLS INCL., A/C, no pets, trans out front, 2 parking spaces in rear, lndry on 1st flr, balcony. Sect 8 welc. $875/mo + 1 mo sec. Calll 773-660-0710 82/WOODLAWN, STUDIOS $525+, 1BR $625+. 773-577-0993.

68/Michigan, 1BR $625+, 2BR $775. 773-744-1641. Lrg units, heat, appls, ckng gas incl. New wndws, lndry. No dep/app fee.

CHICAGO, 7727 S. Colfax, ground flr Apt., ideal for senior citizens. Secure bldng. Modern 1BR $595. Lrg 2BR, $800. Free cooking & heating gas. Free parking. 312613-4427 CALUMET CITY 158TH & PAXTON SANDRIDGE APTS 1 & 2 BEDROOM UNITS MODELS OPEN M-F, 9AM-5:30PM *** 708-841-5450 *** CHICAGO - CLEAN, NEWLY remod, 1BR, 1st floor Apts, oak flooring. Ready Now! 722 E. 89th St. FREE HEAT. 708-951-2889 RIVERDALE, IVANHOE SECT, 1 & 2BR, newly remod, $740$840/mo. Lndry, priv pkig, sec cam. Wtr/heat incl. No crdt chk, Sect 8 ok. 708-308-8137 SPACIOUS-SAFE 773-4235727. BRONZEVILLE, 3BR, heat included. Englewood, 1,2 & 3BR, heat incl. Dolton, 2BR, Gated Parking.

NO SECURITY DEPOSIT No Move-in fee! No Dep! Sec 8 ok. 1, 2 & 3 Bdrms. Elev bldg, laundry, pkg. 6531 S. Lowe.

Call Gina. 773-874-0100

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

SOUTHSIDE RENOVATED 2

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

CHICAGO 7600 S Essex 2BR $599, 3BR $699, 4BR $799 w/apprvd credit, no sec dep. Sect 8 Ok! 773287-9999 /312-446-3333

CHICAGO, NEAR GARFIELD BLVD. 3BR Apartment & Rooms for Rent. $400 & $700/mo. Section 8 welcome. Call 773-218-2758

7202 S Michigan: 2 bedroom, 1 bath, $800. Rehab & Hardwood Flooring. Call 312.208.1771

CHICAGO SOUTH SIDE Beauti-

1043 E. 80TH St.: 2BR $775

71ST/HERMITAGE. 3BR. 77TH /LOWE. 1 & 2BR. 69th/Dante, 3BR.

East Chicago, IN, 2BR $675 Ht. Incl., 1 mo. free rent w/ lease. Call MIKE 773-577-9361

ful Studios, 1,2,3 & 4 BR’s, Sec 8 ok. $500 gift certificate for Sec 8 tenants. 773-287-9999/312-446-3333

71st/Bennett. 2 & 3BR. New renov.

Sec 8 ok. 708-503-1366

68TH INDIANA NICE, UPDATED 1-2BR apts, spacious w/ hdwd flrs, close to transportation. $600$700/mo. Heat Incl. 773-445-0329

SOUTH SHORE, 76 Saginaw.

Nice updated, 1-2BR apts, Spacious w / hdwd flrs & more. $630-$770/mo.

Heat Incl. 773-445-0329

MOVE IN SPECIAL B4 the N of this MO. & MOVE IN 4 $99.00 (773) 874-3400 ROYALTON HOTEL, Kitchenette $135 & up wk. Free WiFi. 1810 W. Jackson 312-226-4678

ACACIA SRO HOTEL Men Preferred! Rooms for Rent. Weekly & Monthly Rates. 312-421-4597

2 BR UNDER $900 CHICAGO- VICINITY 73RD/ Stony Island: Xtra lrg 2BR, 1st flr., newly remod, lndry fac. Clean/ quiet well maint bldg. Start at $825, heat included. Sec 8 ok 773510-9290 BEAUTIFUL 5 RM, 2 BR, encl. porch/pantry, appl. inc. tenant pays heat. nr trans. 71st/Fairfield.

No Smoking. $700/mo +sec.

773-238-5188 SOUTHSHORE, STOP LOOKING this is it! Newly decor Garden

2BR. 7830 S. Colfax. Start at $850/ mo, heat incl. Sect 8 ok. Pete, 312.770 .0589 7701 S. South Shore Dr. 2 BDs with 1.5 Baths, Large Combo Living-Dining Rm, FREE Heat & cking gas. Prkng extra. $785-$850, Kalabich Mgmt (708)424-4216

CHICAGO SOUTHSIDE BRAND new 2, 3 & 4BR apts. Excel-

lent neighborhood, nr trans & schools, Sect 8 Welc., Call 708-7742473

142 LOWE 3 & 1, fin bsmt, $1125.

144 Emerald 2 & 2 plus $1150.

Garages. Open House, Appt Avail.

2 BEDROOMS, LIV Rm, Dining Rm, Computer Rm,

773.619.4395 Charlie 818.679.1175

5400 block of Seeley. $760. Free heat. 773-504-0062.

ADULT SERVICES

ADULT SERVICES

In business 33 years and counting

RADIO TIME SALES TELEMARKETING We are looking for high energy closers to sell Radio Ads to business nationwide

Sales experience •• Sales experience aa plus, plus,but butwill willtrain train • Fair treatment in a relaxed atmosphere • Fair treatment in a relaxed atmosphere Easy access access transportation transportation at at Dempster Dempster and •• Easy and I-294 I-294 • Higher commission for radio time sales veterans

Call Steve Scott after 9am @ 847-298-6400 • WWW.ADVERTISERSBROADCAST.COM 58 CHICAGO READER | 09 8, 2016

Large apartment, stove, fridge, heat included. Call 773.916.0039

4300 BLOCK OF AUGUSTA, 2BR, 1st & 2nd floor, laundry facility on site, $1125/mo, utilities incl.

Sect 8 ok. No pets / no smoking.

773-418-0195 2-4BRS. NEW, great school and area, Sec.8 ok, $1150-$1400 Cal Heights & Chatham. Also have Rent to Own Prop. 312-501-0509 EVANSTON 2BR, 1100SF, great kit, new appls, DR, oak flrs, lndry, $1250/mo incls heat. 773743-4141 www.urbanequities.co Elmhurst: Sunny 1/BR, new appl, carpet, AC, Patio, $895/incl heat, parking. Call 773-743-4141 www.urbanequities.com

2 BR $1300-$1499

2 BR $900-$1099 SUNNY

SPACIOUS 5 Room, 2 Bedroom. Modern kitchen & bath, dishwasher & hardwood floors in 2-flat. Nice neighborhood. Approximately 5000N & 3700W. Near transportation. Rent includes heat, gas, electric & Direct TV. $1060/mo. + security deposit. Call 773-279-0466 W. HUMBOLDT PARK. 1302-08 N. KILDARE. DIVISION/ PULASKI. NEWLY REHABBED, 2BR, $785.

SEC 8 OK. 773-619-0280 OR 773286-8200

2 BR $1100-$1299 EAST ROGERS PARK, steps to the beach at 1240 West Jarvis, five rooms, two bedrooms, two baths, dishwasher, ac, heat and gas included. Carpeted, cable, laundry facility, elevator building, parking available, and no pets. Non-smoking. Price is $1200/mo. Call 773-764-9824.

ADULT SERVICES

LOGAN

SQUARE

STONE’S

throw from the 606 Trail. 2-bedroom, 1 bath - plus a bonus room that can be converted into an office or whatever suits your fancy! Huge back yard. Standard appliances & stackable washer/dryer in unit. Parking in detached garage available.

ADULT SERVICES

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

224-223-7787

General

ADVERTISERS BROADCAST SERVICES, INC.

High commissions •• High commissions vs. vs.$12 $12totostart startper perhour hour • WEEKLY PAY plus numerous bonuses • WEEKLY PAY plus numerous bonuses Renewals are •• Renewals are GUARANTEED GUARANTEEDtotobe bereturned returnedtotoyou you • No bad debt chargebacks • No bad debt chargebacks

BR, 6052 S. Marshfield. Tenant pays utils, $635/mo please text/call 773-307-5090

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

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WEST ROGERS PARK One of a

kind quieter vintage building 2 BR 1 Ba 1100 SF 1st floor condo on family friendly Indian Boundary Park Tiled ba and kit DW, cor. counters oak floors new paint throughout breathtaking indoor pool $1,424 heat incl.

Parking avail $55. Sorry, no dogs.

773-288-1944

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 10/1. $1775/ month. Parking available. $150/ month for single parking space. $200/ month for tandem parking space. 773-761-4318, w ww.lakefrontmgt.com

2 BR OTHER 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 ROUND LAKE BEACH, IL Cedar

Villas is accepting applications for Subsidized 2 and 3 bedroom apt waiting list. Rent is based on 30% of annual income for qualified applicants. Contact us at 847-546-1899 for details

ROUND LAKE BEACH, IL Cedar

CHICAGO, 1436 W. 77th St., Newly remodeled, 2BR Apartment, heat & appls incl, carpeting, ceiling fans, Section 8 welcome.

312-608-7622 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 312929-2167

SOUTH HOLLAND 3BR, 1.5BA, partial finished bsmt, 2 car detached 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, no appls Tenant pays utils. $1025/mo + sec. No garage, hdwd flrs, 1 Month Sec Dep. $1300/mo. 630-621-7142 Pets. (901) 634-0623 93RD / S. Marquette

SOUTH EASTSIDE 4 bedrooms,

2 bath, newly remodeled, appliances included. $1,000/month. 773-5441520

CHICAGO, 4019 W. Arlington,

3BR, 2nd flr, tenant pays all utiltiies, back porch,stove, $1170/mo. Price Neg. 773-966-4821

BROADVIEW: NEW REHAB 2BR, heat, appls & parking incl.

On site lndry. $895+sec. Avail now. Also, 1BR Avail. 312-4044577

ALSIP, IL 3 BR/1.5 BA 2 story

MATTESON, 2BR, $990$1050; 3BR, $1250-$1400.

Move In Special is 1 Month’s Rent & $99 Sec Dep. Sect 8 Welc. 708-748-4169

DIXMOOR - SINGLE family home, 1800 sq ft 4BR, 2BA, pristine condition, across from police station. $1100. 773-805-8181

AUSTIN AREA 1-2 BR apts, $650-1000, heat & appliances incld Section 8 OK, close to transportation 708-267-2875

3 BR OR MORE UNDER $1200 CHATHAM 95th/Cottage Grove, 3BR, 1BA, 2nd flr of 2 unit bldng, LR, dining area, office, kitchen w/ fridge & stove, C/A, carpet. $950 + $1000 dep. Sect 8 welc. 312-5220600

CHICAGO 8Oth & HERMITAGE, Large 3BR Apt. Hardwood Floors + Appliances. Laundry on premises. $1100/mo. Call 773-593-6444

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

80th/Phillips , Beautiful, lrg newly renovated 3BR, 1.5BA, hdwd flrs, appls included. $900 & up. Sec 8 Welcome 312-818-0236

ADULT SERVICES

ADULT SERVICES

townhouse for rent. $1150/mo without appliances. Call Verdell, 219888-8600 for more info.

û16880 S. ANTHONY-

3BR, wall to wall carpet. $1175/mo.

Section 8 Welcome. 773-285-3206

3 BR OR MORE $1200-$1499 HARVEY 15307 ASHLAND.

3BR, 1.5BA, 2 story, unfin bsmt, fenced yard, no pets, tenant pays utils. Sec 8 OK $1200/mo.

773-956-7254

SECT 8 OK, 2 story, 4br/2ba with bsmt. New decor, crpt & hdwds, ceiling fans, stove/fridge, $14 65. 12037 S. Parnell, 773-4435397

LYNWOOD, Rehab 3BR Condo, ten pays utils, 1 car gar., C/A, heat, hw, W/D. No pets. $1200/mo + sec & CC. Avail Now. 773-721-6086 SEC 8 OK. 90th/Dauphin (near

Cottage Grove). 5BR, 2BA, new remod, all wood flrs, all appls incl, no sec dep $1400. 847-533-2496

ADULT SERVICES

GLENWOOD, 3BR, 1BA, 2 car garage, rent neg. MATTESON 3BR, 2.5BA, newly rehabbed, rent to own. Text Pref, 708-362-1268

XL 2ND FLR APT., 78th & S. Sangamon St., 3BR, 1BA, $1000/ mo + sec. Heat incl. No pets, sec 8 OK. 773-874-0524, before 9pm.

South Shore: 3BR 1.5 bath & 2BR: newly remodeled. Hrdwd flrs, heat & hot water incl. No Sec Dep. Sec 8 welc.. Call 9am-5pm 773-731-8306

HUGE 4BR 2BA Westside, crpt.

CHICAGO HOUSES FOR rent.

($1300) & 1BR, 1BA Southside , hardwood, ($800), close to trans & schools, sec 8 welc, 773-988-5800

Section 8 Ok, w/app credit $500 gift certificate 3, 4 & 5 BR houses avail.

312-446-3333 or 708-752-3812

ALSIP: 128TH & Kenneth Dr, 3BR,

CHICAGO 8457 S Brandon, 4BR

LR, kitchen, Dining area, 1.5 bath, all appliances. a/c, $1350/mo. Call 773859-0607.

3 BR OR MORE

apartments, 1st & 2nd flr. 2 or 3BR voucher ok; 847-926-0625

FOR SALE

OTHER

RICHTON PK, 4BR 1.5BA full fin bsmt, 2 car att gar. 3BR TH, 1.5BA, full fin bsmt, pool & prkng. Must verify income. Bad Crdt OK. 708.

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legal notices STATE OF ILLINOIS County of

Cook In The Circuit Court For Cook County, Illinois In The Matter of the Petition of Barbara Jean Manders Case# 16M2003032 For Change of Name. Notice of Publication Public Notice is hereby given that on October 12, 2016 at 9:30 AM being one of the return days in the Circuit Court of the County of Cook, I will file my petition in said court praying for the change of my name from Barbara Jean Manders to that of Vavara Mandelaris, pursuant to the statute in such case made and provided. Dated at Skokie, Ilinois, August 19, 2016. Signature of Petitioner: Barbara Jean Manders. 9/1/16, 9/8/16, 9/15/16

NOTICE IS HEREBY given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County.

Registration Number: D16147797 on August 17, 2016 Under the Assumed Business Name of FATHER AND SONS LANDSCAPING with the business located at: 3136 W 40TH ST, CHICAGO, IL 60632. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner (s)/ partner(s) is: ARTURO GOMEZ, 3136 W 40TH ST, CHICAGO, IL 60632, USA

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SLUG SIGNORINO

STRAIGHT DOPE

By Cecil Adams Q : Why do so many people in the U.S.

only eat the muscles of food animals and not their organs? —DAN FROM TUCSON

A: It’s true: since the dawn of the republic, Americans have been strangely squeamish about dining on animal organs. Sure, regional cuisines do incorporate the likes of chitterlings (better known as chitlins) or mountain oysters (testicles, to nonranchers). But for all the recent talk of nose-to-tail dining among the foodie set, when it’s time to make dinner, organ meat remains as hard a sell in the U.S. as the metric system.

Margaret Mead herself confronted Dan’s question more than 70 years ago. The U.S. was preparing for war with the Axis powers, and those in uniform would have dibs on the steaks and chops—which were already in limited circulation from many Americans’ perspective, what with the Great Depression still peskily impoverishing millions. The government concluded that some substitute protein was needed pronto, and enlisted Mead, our preeminent cultural anthropologist, to chair the newly formed Committee on Food Habits.

As detailed in a 2002 paper by Brian Wansink, now an eating-behavior expert at Cornell, Mead’s committee was convinced you couldn’t change longstanding dietary norms just by barking “Eat more calf’s liver or the Nazis have already won!” Instead you had to figure out why the eating public was so offal avoidant to begin with.

Ensuing research showed that, for one, lots of people simply thought of organ meat as scraps and had no idea how to cook it—the average American didn’t eat offal, in other words, because the average American never had. Familiarizing homemakers with offal’s nutritional value and disseminating recipes through the press, the committee believed, would quickly remedy these matters.

The socioeconomic stigma attached to offal was a whole other problem. Many Americans, it appeared, thought organ meats were what poor country folks ate, and with good reason—organ meats were what poor country folks ate. This being the U.S., said stigma likely had a racial component too. Chitlins, for example, made from pork intestines, first became a staple of African-American diets in colonial times, when prosperous whites dined on the choice hog meat and left their slaves to make do with the guts.

60 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

Mead’s team had to finesse all this. Rather than pushing to upgrade unfamiliar meats to everyday status, they encouraged homemakers to incorporate them into meal planning as a source of variety; offal was accordingly rebranded as “variety meats,” a durable euphemism still employed by the U.S. meat industry. The big rollout came in the January 1943 issue of Life magazine, which introduced readers to these arcane sources of protein and explained how to prepare them.

When the war ended sooner than expected, though, victory extinguished the dream of an offal-rich American diet. In a wealthy nation with plenty of room to raise edible critters, if the inhabitants don’t want to eat the livers, no one’s gonna make them. With state and federal agencies ponying up billions each year in subsidies, meat stays cheap, as does food generally: Americans spend about 5 percent of their disposable income on what they eat, while Europeans spend more like 10 to 15 percent. Unwanted animal organs are a significant U.S. export, with 150,000 metric tons of cow offal finding its way overseas in the first half of 2016 alone.

Since today’s offal partisans can no longer rally their fellows around the flag, many focus on nutritional value. Paleo-diet supporters stress offal’s high protein content, but it’s an uphill battle. It doesn’t help that organs resemble, well, body parts: any steak slapped on a plate looks like dinner, while a lovingly presented calf heart may suggest an autopsy.

And exposure to offal on a travelogue show called (e.g.) Bizarre Foods may not expand viewers’ horizons so much as reinforce their sense of organ meat as a culinary eccentricity.

On the other hand, Americans are just fine with sausages, those seasoned grab bags of animal miscellany, and particularly fond of hot dogs—which can, if labeled per USDA regulations, contain as much as 85 percent organ meat. So maybe the trick of getting us to eat offal has already been managed: grind those guts into a paste, squeeze it into an edible tube, and serve it on a bun. v Send questions to Cecil via straightdope.com or write him c/o Chicago Reader, 350 N. Orleans, Chicago 60654.

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SAVAGE LOVE

By Dan Savage

Milking it for all it’s worth

A hard-up single mom inquires about suckling for hire, and more.

Q : My husband left the

picture recently, and I’m now a single mom supporting an infant in Toronto. I work a retail job and am drowning financially. I hooked up with a guy I met on Tinder, and I didn’t warn him that I’m still nursing because I didn’t even think of it. Luckily, he really got off on it—so I was spared the awkwardness of “Eww, what is coming out of your tits?!” Afterward, he joked about there being a market for lactating women in the kink world. My questions: If I find someone who will pay me to suckle my milk, is that prostitution?

And if I advertise that I’m willing to be paid, can I get into trouble for that?

—TRULY IN TROUBLE

A : “Allowing clients to

suckle her breasts is, of course, sex work,” said Angela Chaisson, a partner at Toronto’s Paradigm Law Group. “But sex work is legal for everyone in Canada, new moms included.” That said, “The new sex work laws here—the 2014 ‘Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act,’ an Orwellian title for a draconian piece of legislation—prohibit sex work close to where minors might be. So if she’s engaging in sex work close to kids, she is risking criminal charges.”

Moreover, while it’s legal to sell sex in Canada, it’s illegal to buy it, aka the bogus “end demand” approach to stamping out sex work, which all too often hurts sex workers themselves.

Chaisson, who helped change the Canadian law, doesn’t think selling suckling will get you in trouble, TIT. “But Children’s Aid Society (CAS) would investigate if they felt there was a child in need of protection,” said Chaisson. “So the safest thing would be for her to stick to

out calls only and to keep the work away from kids.”

To avoid having to worry about CAS—or your client(s)—while still making some money off your current superpower, TIT, you could look into the emerging online market for human breast milk.

There are more ads from breast-milk fetishists (204) at OnlyTheBreast.com (“Buy, sell, or donate breast milk”) than there are from new parents seeking breast milk for their infants (159).

Q : My husband and I have

a pretty good sex life considering we are raising three kids and both work full-time. We have sex four to five times a week, sometimes daily. But based on what he’s googled, I know he looks at porn online, and assume he masturbates along with it. How can I let this go and believe that he still wants me? He says it’s not personal, it’s when I’m not available, and it’s a good way to take a nap. —SEES PROBLEMS ON UNDERSTANDING SPOUSE’S ELECTRONICS

A : You don’t have a good

sex life, SPOUSE, you have a great sex life. You two are raising three kids, you’re getting sex on an almost daily basis, and at least one of you is getting naps? You’re the envy of all parents everywhere, and the evidence that your husband still wants you is running down your leg four to five times per week. Now please pass the paper/tablet/phone to your husband, SPOUSE, I have something to say to him.

Hey, Mr. SPOUSE, here’s a handy life hack for you: CLEAR YOUR FUCKING BROWSER HISTORY. Use the “private browsing” or “incognito” setting in your Web browser, and spare your wife—and yourself—future

scrutiny and smut shaming.

Q : Via text I asked my (gay)

husband of ten years if he had any sexual fantasies he hadn’t shared with me. He replied, “I want to cheat on you.” I was out of town, and he wrote the next morning to apologize. He said he’d been tipsy and didn’t mean what he said. I explained that I wasn’t upset but turned on—if he wanted to sleep with other people, he could, provided it was someone safe and not someone in our social circle. The idea of being cheated on, frankly, appeals to me. (That makes me a gay cuckold, correct?)

I even told him I jerked off about it already. He did not react the way I expected.

He got upset and said he thinks about cheating on me only when he’s drunk and he would never want to do it in real life and he’s angry that I would want him to. Advice?

★★ #$!%#"! ★★

—CHUMP UNDER CLOUD KEEPING SILENT

A : Years ago, my then-

boyfriend cheated on me while I was out of town. He didn’t like my reaction when he confessed (“Was he cute?

Can we have a three-way?”) and got angry at me for not being angry with him.

We wound up having a fun threesome with the other guy shortly before we broke up for other reasons, CUCKS, and I suspect the day will come when your husband fucks someone else—with your permission, which means it’ll be cuckolding, not cheating. Just apologize for now, roll your eyes when he’s not looking, and bide your time. v Send letters to mail@ savagelove.net. Download the Savage Lovecast every Tuesday at thestranger.com. ß @fakedansavage

3940 W LAWRENCE • CHICAGO

OPEN 7PM TO 6A M ADMIRALX.COM ( 773 ) 478-8111

SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 61

Aurora o BENT RENÈ SYNNEVÅG

NEW

Aurora 11/11, 9 PM, Thalia Hall, on sale Fri 9/9, 10 AM, 17+ Roy Ayers 11/21-22, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Fri 9/9, noon b Belanova 11/2, 8 PM, House of Blues, on sale Fri 9/9, 10 AM, 17+ Blue Rodeo 11/16, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Fri 9/9, noon b Larry Carlton Quartet 10/3, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Fri 9/9, noon b Chad & Jeremy 10/20, 7:30 PM, SPACE, Evanston b Classixx, Neon Indian 10/27, 8 PM, Concord Music Hall, 18+ Enanitos Verdes 9/16, 10 PM, Concord Music Hall, 17+ Mikey Erg 9/16, 9 PM, Quenchers Saloon Sully Erna 11/18, 8 PM, Park West, on sale Fri 9/9, 10 AM, 18+ Fire! 12/2, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Green Day 9/21, 7 PM, Aragon Ballroom, on sale Fri 9/9, 10 AM Hayden 12/1, 8 PM, Schubas, on sale Fri 9/9, noon Tommy Keene 10/19, 9 PM, Hideout Eric Lindell 10/27, 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston b Lupe Fiasco 10/30, 7 PM, House of Blues, on sale Fri 9/9, 10 AM b Magic Dick & Shun Ng 10/30, 7 PM, SPACE, Evanston b Michael McDermott 12/21-23, 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Fri 9/9, noon b Natural Child 11/4, 9 PM, Empty Bottle, on sale Fri 9/9, 10 AM Stevie Nicks, Pretenders 12/3, 7 PM, United Center, on sale Mon 9/12, 10 AM

Amanda Palmer 11/13, 7:30 PM, Thalia Hall, on sale Fri 9/9, 10 AM b Papadosio 10/14-15, 9 PM, Concord Music Hall, 18+ Cathy Richardson Band 11/25, 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston b Ricky Eat Acid 11/3, 9 PM, Empty Bottle, on sale Fri 9/9, 10 AM Screaming Females 11/2, 9 PM, Subterranean Sorority Noise 11/10, 7 PM, Beat Kitchen b 10,000 Maniacs 2/10, 7 and 10 PM and 2/11, 5 and 8 PM, City Winery, on sale Fri 9/9, noon b 12th Planet 12/10, 8 PM, Concord Music Hall, 18+ Uniform 11/12, 9 PM, Empty Bottle, on sale Fri 9/9, 10 AM Waco Brothers 10/8, 9 PM, FitzGerald’s, Berwyn, on sale Fri 9/9, 11 AM Bob Weir 10/20, 8 PM, Chicago Theatre, on sale Fri 9/9, 10 AM b A Wilhelm Scream 12/2, 7 PM, Cobra Lounge, 17+ Lucinda Williams 12/29-31, 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston, on sale Fri 9/9, 10 AM b Xeno & Oaklander 1/28, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Jenny Owen Youngs 10/21, 9 PM, Beat Kitchen, on sale Fri 9/9, 10 AM, 17+

UPDATED Cavalera Roots 10/5-6, 6 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, second show added, 17+

UPCOMING Aahh! Fest with J. Cole, Common, Bilal, the Roots, Tink, and more 9/24-25, Union Park

62 CHICAGO READER - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

All Get Out 10/29, 10 PM, Schubas, 18+ American Football 10/29, 7:30 PM, the Vic b Anderson Wakeman Rabin 11/5, 8 PM, Chicago Theatre Anthrax 9/21, 8 PM, Concord Music Hall, 17+ Dave Barnes 11/4, 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston b Basement 9/16, 9:30 PM, Double Door Belly 9/17, 8 PM, the Vic, 18+ James Blake 10/9, 7:30 PM, Cadillac Palace Theatre Blood Orange 9/23, 8 PM, the Vic, 18+ Terry Bozzio 10/10, 8 PM, City Winery b Billy Bragg, Joe Henry 10/18, 7:30 PM, Thalia Hall b Caspian, Appleseed Cast 11/13, 8 PM, Lincoln Hall, 18+ Clutch, Zakk Sabbath 10/25, 8 PM, House of Blues, 17+ Crowbar, Pale Horseman 9/16, 10 PM, Reggie’s Music Joint Allison Crutchfield & the Fizz 10/3, 8 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ Dear Hunter 9/21, 7:30 PM, Metro, 18+ Dickies, Queers 11/17, 8 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ D.R.I. 9/17, 10 PM, Reggie’s Rock Club, 17+ Earthless, Ruby the Hatchet 12/2, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Ace Enders, Aaron Gillespie 9/28, 9 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ Melissa Etheridge 10/25, 8 PM, Park West, 18+ The Faint, Gang of Four 9/30, 9 PM, Metro, 18+ FIDLAR 11/17, 7 PM, Metro, 18+ Florida Georgia Line, Cole Swindell 9/17, 7 PM, Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Tinley Park Gucci Mane 9/23, 8 PM, UIC Pavilion Beth Hart 9/21-22, 8 PM, Park West, 18+

b Helado Negro 10/20, 9 PM, Hideout Hiss Golden Messenger, Tift Merritt 11/6, 7 PM, Maurer Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music b How to Dress Well, Ex Reyes 9/23, 8 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Itasca 10/26, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Jose James 9/25, 8 PM, the Promontory b Jesu, Sun Kil Moon 11/13, 8 PM, Park West, 18+ K Theory 11/25, 9 PM, Lincoln Hall, 18+ K.Flay 11/8, 7 PM, Lincoln Hall, 18+ King Khan & BBQ Show 12/3, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Kishi Bashi 10/10, 7:30 PM, the Vic b Michael Kiwanuka 12/3, 8 PM, Park West b Krewella 10/8, 8 PM, Lincoln Hall b Kris Kristofferson 1/16-18, 8 PM, City Winery b Kshmr 12/16, 9 PM, Concord Music Hall, 18+ Lake Street Dive 9/23, 8 PM, Chicago Theatre Lordi 2/14, 7 PM, Double Door Los Lobos 12/11-14, 8 PM, City Winery b Machine Gun Kelly 11/16, 7 PM, House of Blues b Magic Sword 10/5, 9 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Megon McDonough, Eddie Holstein 9/23, 7 PM, SPACE, Evanston John Mellencamp 10/25, 7:30 PM, Chicago Theatre Merchandise 9/30, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Meshuggah, High on Fire 10/28, 8 PM, House of Blues, 17+ Nots 10/20, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Palm, And the Kids 10/13, 7 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Pamela Z 9/24, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Projecto Arcomusical 10/23, 8:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Projeto Arcomusical 10/23, 8:30 PM, Constellation Protomartyr, Gotobeds 11/2, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Caroline Smith 10/8, 10 PM, SPACE, Evanston Patti Smith 12/30, 8 PM, Riviera Theatre, 18+ Smithereens 9/25, 8 PM, City Winery b Snakehips 11/12, 9 PM, Concord Music Hall, 18+ Todd Snider, Rorey Carroll 10/11, 8 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Speak Low if You Speak Love, Homesafe, Let It Happen 10/7, 5:30 PM, Beat Kitchen b Sunflower Bean, Lemon Twigs 10/21, 8 PM, Lincoln Hall b Avery Sunshine 10/12, 8 PM, Thalia Hall b Survive 11/6, 9 PM, Empty Bottle

ALL AGES

WOLF BY KEITH HERZIK

EARLY WARNINGS

CHICAGO SHOWS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IN THE WEEKS TO COME

F

Never miss a show again.

Sign up for the newsletter at chicagoreader. com/early

Vektor, Black Fast 11/5, 9 PM, Beat Kitchen Villalobos Brothers 9/16, 8 PM, SPACE, Evanston b Vinyl Thief 9/18, 9 PM, Empty Bottle Angel Vivaldi 9/24, 7:30 PM, Wire, Berwyn, 18+ VNV Nation 10/23, 8 PM, Metro, 18+ Warpaint 9/30, 8:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 17+ Nick Waterhouse 10/4, 8 PM, Bottom Lounge, 17+ Sara Watkins 9/21, 8 PM, Maurer Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music b Chris Webby 9/29, 7:30 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Weekend Nachos 1/13-14, 7 PM, Subterranean b Weepies 11/2, 8 PM, Thalia Hall b Allison Weiss 9/17, 8 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ Brian Wilson 10/1, 8 PM, Chicago Theatre ZZ Top, Gov’t Mule 9/17, 7 PM, Rosemont Theater, Rosemont

SOLD OUT Bear vs. Shark 10/29, 8 PM, Subterranean, 17+ Bear’s Den 9/23, 8 PM, Beat Kitchen, 17+ Bill Callahan 9/25-26, 7:30 and 9:30 PM, Constellation, 18+ Dillinger Escape Plan 9/16, 11 PM, Cobra Lounge Echo & the Bunnymen 9/17, 8 PM, Metro, 18+ Failure 10/21, 9 PM, Double Door, 17+ Lukas Graham 1/17, 7 PM, House of Blues b Jason Isbell 11/18, 7:30 PM, Thalia Hall and 11/19, 7 PM, FitzGerald’s, Berwyn Lush 9/18, 8 PM, the Vic, 18+ Marshmello 11/25-27, 8 PM, Concord Music Hall, 18+ Mekons 9/19-20, 8 PM, Hideout Motion City Soundtrack, Black Foxxes, Lifted Bells 9/18, 10 PM, Metro Stabbing Westward 9/22, 8 PM, Double Door Swingin’ Utters, Off With Their Heads 9/18, 11 PM, Cobra Lounge Taking Back Sunday 9/16, 11 PM, Metro, 18+ Tegan & Sara 10/21, 7:30 PM, Riviera Theatre b Timeflies 11/4, 7 PM, Bottom Lounge b Tricky 10/30, 7 PM, Double Door v

GOSSIP WOLF A furry ear to the ground of the local music scene LONGTIME READERS know that Gossip Wolf is a big supporter of power-rock unit High Spirits, fronted by local hesher Chris Black (who also leads Superchrist and Dawnbringer). The band take inspiration from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and Reader critic Luca Cimarusti has described their music as “Halfordesque vocals over sharp, harmonized guitar shredding.” On the new LP Motivator, which German label High Roller Records releases on Friday, September 16, High Spirits stick to the playbook they’ve perfected: massively exuberant, diamondhard jammers such as “Flying High” and “Reach for the Glory” are beers-in-the-air classics in the making. In October, Professor Black and company head out for a west-coast tour that includes four dates with Christian Mistress.

Chicago five-piece Angry Gods play a brutal brand of punishing punk that touches on just about every genre that makes this wolf bang his snout—filthy, tumbling D-beat, sludgy doom metal, and lots more. Their new nine-song LP, The Clearing (released on local imprints Hip Kid Records and Kid Sister Everything), is a wall-to-wall blast of furious aggression. On Friday, September 9, Angry Gods kick off an east-coast tour (and celebrate their record release) with a local DIY show alongside Moral Void, Rash, and Stay Asleep; e-mail the band at angrygodschicago@gmail.com for venue and details.

Long-running Chicago-based experimental trio TV Pow just dropped a selftitled 12-inch through Berlin label Shameless Records (founded by reedist Boris Hauf, a friend and collaborator of the band). TV Pow steers the group’s lithe minimalism through some funky turns when the core members hand a microphone to a rotating cast of vocalists: guests on the record include soul singer Tina M. Howell, R&B-influenced rapper Precise, and idiosyncratic MC Sharkula.

Copies are 20 euros at shamelessrecords. rocks. —J.R. NELSON AND LEOR GALIL Got a tip? Tweet @Gossip_Wolf or e-mail gossipwolf@chicagoreader.com.

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SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 - CHICAGO READER 63

©2016 Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL | Enjoy responsibly.

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