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21 May ' 00:25
1358 total resultsHaiku Hootenany
Mon., May 21, 7 p.m.
Like moths to a flame, or supposedly hip liberal arts undergrads to a Bukowski collection, artists and celebrities flock to Theater Wit this Monday for an evening of poetry, music, and general chaos. Though celebrity guests' identities will not be revealed until curtain, Haiku Hootenanny promises big names reading original work. Poems will be paired with items like massages, gift certificates, and sports tickets, and auctioned off to benefit the illustrious storefront theater.
$75
Theater Wit 1229 W. BelmontLakeview 773-975-8150Dark Dark Dark, Julie Byrne
Mon., May 21, 8 p.m.
SPACE 1245 Chicago Ave. 847-492-8860The Flag and Seal Revisited
Through 5/21:Galleries
Etching, engraving, and screenprinting related to the Chicago flag and seal. Group show. Reception Fri 3/2, 5:30-7:30 PM.
Expo 72 Gallery 72 E. Randolph 312-744-6630NATO!
Through May 21Parties
If this is the first you're hearing of the NATO summit in Chicago, you almost deserve to have your weekend plans ruined. Almost. This weekend's world-leader bonding sesh brings closures to parts of I-55, I-90, and LSD, as well as dozens of smaller surface streets through Monday. Bus routes will be rerouted accordingly. If you go downtown in a suit you'll be beaten, some say; without one, you'll definitely be arrested. Jamie Keiles
$Your Very Soul
Fluids
Mon., May 21, 1 p.m.Special EventsOver 300 ice cubes are stacked, then left to melt in this reenactment of a 1967 "Happening."
Northwestern University Block Museum of Art 40 Arts Circle Dr. 847-491-4000Essay Fiesta
Mon., May 21, 7 p.m.Literary EventsFeatured readers at this nonfiction first-person essay event include Jen EllisonArlene Malinowski, Chris Bower, Nico Lang, and Chris Terry
Book Cellar 4736 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-293-2665Robbie Fulks, Pussycat Trio
Mon., May 21, 7 p.m.Folk & CountryHideout 1354 W. Wabansia Ave.Wicker Park/Bucktown 773-227-4433100 Years of Studs Terkel
Mon., May 21, 7 p.m.Literary Events
A staged reading adapted from Terkel's book Will the Circle Be Unbroken? Reflections on Death, Rebirth, and Hunger for a Faith.
Steppenwolf Theatre 1650 N. Halsted St.Old Town 312-335-1650Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Death, Rebirth, and Hunger for a Faith
Mon., May 21, 7 p.m.Spoken Word/Poetry Slams/Open MikesA Steppenwolf staged reading of the Studs Terkel book.
Steppenwolf Theatre 1650 N. Halsted St.Old Town 312-335-1650Dances to Songs I Hate
Mon., May 21, 7:30 p.m.DanceTen short performances to music the performers hate. $10
Links Hall 3435 N. SheffieldLakeview 773-281-0824James Falzone, Nick Mazzarella, and Steve Marquette
Mon., May 21, 7:30 p.m.In-StoresMyopic Books 1564 N. Milwaukee Ave.Wicker Park/Bucktown 773-862-48821358 total results -
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20 May ' 02:58
1399 total resultsKids and Kites Festival
Sun., May 20, 10 a.m.Other Stuff
Treat the kids to a day of serene kite flying and fresh air courtesy of one of the world's most powerful intergovernmental military alliances. In a blatant grab for good PR, the NATO Chicago Summit partners with the City of Chicago to present the 14th annual Kids and Kites Festival. Free kite-making supplies are provided for junior war hawks, and there will be an entirely unironic workshop on the history and tradition of Afghan fighter kites. Afternoon festivities feature an aerial assault of sweets known as the Big Kite Candy Drop. The event is sponsored in part by Boeing. I swear I did not make this up. Lincoln Park, Cricket Hill Montrose and Lake ShoreUptownLocal food and drink tasting
Sun., May 20, 12-5 p.m.Drink EventsLocal products are displayed for your perusal and consumption.
Co-Prosperity Sphere 3219 S. Morgan St.Bridgeport 773-862-1232Fifth Wednesday Journal
Sun., May 20, 3-5:30 p.m.
Contributors David Hernandez, Christine Sneed (Portraits of a Few of the People I've Made Cry), Achy Obejas, and Richard Jones read from the latest issue of the Lisle-based literary magazine.
Open Books 213 W. Institute Pl.River North 312-475-8243HoZac Blackout with Roky Erickson, Human Eye, Estrogen Highs, Bare Mutants, Medication
Sun., May 20, 7 p.m.
Roky Erickson's performance at the Intonation Music Festival six years ago felt pretty miraculous. The former 13th Floor Elevators singer had been sidelined for most of the preceding quarter century by mental illness, but he looked engaged, he was in good voice, and he could play solid rhythm guitar on bluesy versions of his songs. Sadly, the only album he's made since his return, the 2010 Okkervil River collaboration True Love Cast Out All Evil (Anti-), imposes flabby production upon songs he's done better elsewhere. But Erickson's Intonation set was no fluke. In the intervening years he's played shows around the world, and videos from his recent Australian tour prove that he still owns "You're Gonna Miss Me." —Bill MeyerErickson headlines the final night of the HoZac Blackout; Human Eye, Estrogen Highs, Bare Mutants, and Medication open.Kurt Vile & the Violators, Black Bananas, True Widow
Sun., May 20, 8 p.m.
Lincoln Hall 2424 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-525-2501Mike Reed's People, Places, & Things
Sun., May 20, 10 p.m.Jazz
From the outset, this quartet has aimed to connect the overlooked postbop created in Chicago in the late 50s to the jazz of the present, and that's precisely what it did on its first recordings. On the group's debut, it interpreted late-50s material; on its second album, it focused on new tunes in the same vein by its members and a few peers; on its third, it collaborated with veterans who'd been active in the late 50s (trumpeter Art Hoyle, trombonist Julian Priester, and reedist Ira Sullivan) to play a mixture of old and new songs. Clean on the Corner (482 Music), the group's new record, contains originals by drummer and group leader Mike Reed, a 50s number by John Jenkins ("Sharon"), and a bluesy postbop treatment of Roscoe Mitchell's early free-jazz classic "Old." Superb New York pianist Craig Taborn guests on two pieces, and local cornetist Josh Berman sits in for two others. The band hasn't quite outlasted its conceptual framework, though this album does seem to exist outside the self-contained trilogy of the first three—but at any rate, what's always most distinguished People, Places & Things is the members' high-level rapport, not their choice of material. Saxophonists Greg Ward and Tim Haldeman both have an easy mastery of the stylistic languages of the past and present, and they can egg each other on, finish each other's phrases, and improvise simultaneously without ever getting in each other's way. Reed and bassist Jason Roebke embody Chicago's scrappy, unfussy blue-collar aesthetic in the best ways, giving the music a full-bodied thrust and emotional lift. Because Ward lives in New York and Haldeman in Ann Arbor, the band doesn't play often in Chicago—this release party is its first Chicago gig in four months—but I've yet to hear a long stretch of time away affect its energy or empathy. —Peter Margasak
$10 suggested donation
Hungry Brain 2319 W. Belmont Ave. 773-935-2118Deliver Us From Nowhere: Tales From Nebraska
Through 5/20: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 7 PMBruce Springsteen's stark, mournful 1982 album Nebraska inspired this collection of ten short plays produced by Tympanic Theatre Company. The tone ranges from blue-collar Jacobean (Bob Fisher's Winning Ugly, based on Springsteen's "Johnny 99," in which a murderer requests the death penalty rather than prison) to the mystical/allegorical (Ted Brengle's Daughters of Necessity, a cunning take on "Open All Night" that turns a trio of diner waitresses into a prairie version of the Fates). A shifting lineup of live musicians adds gritty aural texture to these sometimes precious but generally well-honed snapshots depicting the terror, grief, despair, and moments of near-redemption that run through the original. Kerry Reid $15
Right Brain Project 4001 N. Ravenswood Ave.Ravenswood 773-750-2033Encores: After the Theatre and Other Stories
Through 5/20: Thu-Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 2:30 and 7:30 PM, Sun 2:30 PM,Director Joyce Piven and a fine ensemble bring beguiling theatricality to this intimate, minimalist staging of three probing stories by Anton Chekhov: "After the Theatre," "The Trick," and the brilliant "Lady With a Dog." Using the story-theater form, in which characters narrate their actions as well as deliver dialogue, the actors combine refinement with breathless emotional intensity in clearly spoken, physically graceful, idiosyncratic performances. Though the whole cast shines, Daniel Smith is particularly captivating in the last story (adapted by Sarah Ruhl), playing a womanizing banker who unexpectedly falls in love with one of his conquests. Albert Williams $25
Piven Theatre Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St.Evanston 847-866-8049The Improv Play
Through 5/20: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 PMFew of the eager young hopefuls who take improv and sketch-comedy classes at the Second City and iO will be able to make a living as performers, let alone wind up on SNL. That hard truth lies at the core of Randall Colburn's latest, a backstage dramedy, directed by Mitch Golob for InFusion Theatre Company, about a bunch of Chicago improviserssuch a large bunch, in fact, that it's hard to keep their stories straight. Colburn doesn't gloat or mope over their thwarted ambitions. Instead, he paints a funny, poignant group portrait of people beginning to realize that their dreams won't come true. There's also a slew of fun Chicago theater referencesDel Close to Gorilla Tangoand a hugely appealing, 14-member ensemble cast. Zac Thompson $12.50-$25
Storefront Theater Gallery 37 Center for the Arts, 66 E. Randolph St.Loop 312-742-8497"Don't Know Much About the War of 1812"
Sun., May 20, 2 p.m.LecturesPresentation by scholars Frances L. Hagemann and Barbara Johnson. free with museum admission of $5
Mitchell Museum of the American Indian 3001 Central St.Evanston 847-475-1030Sharon Lewis & Texas Fire
Sun., May 20, 6:30 p.m.Blues, Gospel, and R&BOld Town School of Folk Music, Szold Hall 4545 N LincolnRavenswood 773-728-6000Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra with David Perry
Sun., May 20, 7 p.m.ClassicalLarry Rachleff, conductor.
Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern University 50 Arts Circle Dr.Evanston 847-467-40001399 total results -
19 May ' 15:55
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19 May ' 05:33
1454 total resultsHeadsucker's Ball
Sat., May 19, 10 a.m.Food Events
Hide your white shirts and ready your adult bib—McGee's Tavern presents its annual all-you-can-eat crawfish boil, the Headsucker's Ball, back for its 23rd year. Gorge yourself on succulent wee crustaceans sourced directly from the Louisiana bayou, as well as heaping sides of jambalaya, gumbo, and red beans and rice. Live zydeco music will be provided courtesy of the Hurricane Gumbo band.
$25, $20 advance
McGee's Tavern 950 W. Webster Ave.Lincoln Park 773-549-8200Tragedy, Wartorn, Black September, La Armada, Descardos
Sat., May 19, 2 p.m.
It's been six years since Tragedy released Nerve Damage, which took crust punk—a genre known for its claustrophobia-inducing arrangements—and blew up its sound to an expansive, epic scale, in the process guaranteeing a place for the Portland-based group's back patches on battle jackets worldwide. So the anticipation for their long-awaited follow-up, Darker Days Ahead (released last week on the group's own Tragedy Records), was stratospheric—and the record actually lives up to the hype. Even more ambitious than its predecessor, Darker Days Ahead is a bleak masterpiece that synthesizes crust, doom metal, and a few other obscure subgenres united mainly by grim ugliness. Tragedy's ambitious multipart arrangements border on prog rock in their intricacy, and their texturally complex sonics make the group the true heir to Neurosis's legacy of world-altering heaviness. If you were waiting for crust to produce its Dark Side of the Moon, you can stop now. Just out of curiosity, I'm going to sync the record up to The Road and see what happens. —Miles RaymerWartorn, Black September, La Armada, and Descardos open.
$12, $10 in advance
HoZac Blackout with Redd Kross, Gentleman Jesse & His Men, Homostupids, Fungi Girls, Teledrome, Pleasure Leftists, and others
Sat., May 19, 5 p.m.
When I was new to punk rock I'd see Redd Kross next to Black Flag and the Circle Jerks on reproductions of old LA punk flyers, so I figured they also played hardcore steeped in Cold War nihilism—and that's what I thought I was bringing home when I finally located a copy of their 1982 debut LP, Born Innocent. So I was surprised when what emerged from my speakers was, while snotty enough to read as punk, more similar in sound and attitude to bubblegum bands and The Brady Bunch than to Redd Kross's Hermosa Beach peers. Brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald, the core of Redd Kross's constantly shifting lineup, kept the band active through the 90s (if you ever find a copy of their 1993 EP 2500 Redd Kross Fans Can't Be Wrong, buy it), but even the alt-rock boom failed to bring them mainstream recognition, and they disbanded following the death of guitarist Eddie Kurdziel in 1999. They've been playing together sporadically since the mid-aughts, and are touring again for Born Innocent's 30th birthday, playing songs from that LP and from their 1980 self-titled debut EP—though the current version of Redd Kross is the version from 1987's Neurotica, with the brothers joined by drummer Roy McDonald (no relation) and lead guitarist Robert Hecker. A new album, Researching the Blues (their first since 1997), is due on Merge in August. —Miles RaymerThis show is part of the HoZac Blackout. Gentleman Jesse & His Men, Homostupids, Fungi Girls, Teledrome, Pleasure Leftists, Far-Out Fangtooth, Ketamines, the Barreracudas, and White Mystery open.
$25
Miles RaymerBil Vermette, Chandeliers, Mr. 666
Sat., May 19, 9 p.m.
The Receptionist
Through 5/19: Thu-Sat 8 PMTheater & PerformanceMaria Irene Fornes's plays find malevolence in the everyday. So do Franz Kafka's stories. But they do it by giving the everyday an aura of the surreal. In Adam Bock's brief 2007 play, the everyday is mighty damn everyday. We spend nearly the whole 75 minutes in the nondescript reception area of the "northeast office." What sort of business is done there we don't know at first, but it's not presented as a mysteryand given the amount of time receptionist Beverly spends taking personal calls and gossiping about men with her emotionally fragile colleague Lorraine, it doesn't seem to matter much. Then we arrive at that what-did-he-just-say moment when we realize where we are and what's really been going on. As directed by Joanie Schultz and well acted by Cheryl Roy, Caroline Neff, Peter Moore, and Peter Esposito, The Receptionist is an amusing office comedy, until it's not. Tony Adler $20-$22
Steep Theatre 1115 W. Berwyn Ave.Edgewater 312-458-0722Xtreme BUGS
Through 9/7:MuseumsThe Brookfield Zoo presents giant bugs on this tour through insect habitats featuring an interactive entomologist dig box, live roach races, a spider web jungle gym, a bug petting zoo, and an 8'x4' ant farm. $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors, in addition to zoo admission
Brookfield Zoo 3300 Golf Rd.Other Suburbs West 708-485-0263Wiccans, Sandwitches, Video, Brain Idea, the Man
Sat., May 19, 12 p.m.University of Chicago Quad 58th St. & S. University Ave.Hyde ParkThe Screwtape Letters
Sat., May 19, 4 & 8 p.m.Theater & PerformanceA demon schools his nephew in all things damnation. $29-$59
Paramount Theatre 23 E. Galena Blvd.Suburbs Southwest 630-896-6666A Midsummer Night's Dream
Sat., May 19, 5 p.m.Theater & PerformanceThe members of GiGi's Play House, an outreach program for people with Down syndrome, perform Shakespeare's comedy. $10
Neo-Futurarium 5153 N. Ashland Ave.Andersonville 773-275-5255Sidewalk Chalk, Jip Jop
Sat., May 19, 6 p.m.In-StoresSaki 3716 W. Fullerton 773-486-3997Blisters, Sons of the West, Bellows
Sat., May 19, 6:30 p.m.Beat Kitchen 2100 W. Belmont Ave.Roscoe Village 773-281-4444Myopic Poetry Series
Sat., May 19, 7 p.m.Debrah Morkun and Don Share are the featured readers.
Myopic Books 1564 N. Milwaukee Ave.Wicker Park/Bucktown 773-862-48821454 total results -
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Viaduct Theater 3111 N. Western Ave.Roscoe Village 773-296-6024 -
17 May ' 23:02
>1488 total resultsNasum, Brutal Truth, Parasytic, Eunuchs, and Sick/Tired
Fri., May 18, 7 p.m.
This isn't your standard reunion jaunt—Swedish grindcore band Nasum are "celebrating" what would've been their 20th anniversary almost eight years after Polish-born front man Mieszko Talarczyk went on vacation to Thailand in December 2004 and became one of the quarter-million people killed in that winter's tsunami. Nasum were at or near the peak of their powers at the time, and would probably still be active today if Talarczyk hadn't died—but when the bad news was confirmed in 2005, they split up immediately. Three years later, they released Doombringer, a live set recorded in Osaka in early 2004—savage and relentless, they tear through 16 songs in less than half an hour, never pausing to grant the listener so much as "A Welcome Breeze of Stinking Air" (though they do play that cut, which originally appeared on 2000's Human 2.0). For this farewell tour, Finnish vocalist Keijo Niinimaa of Rotten Sound will take the mike. —Monica KendrickBrutal Truth, Eunuchs, Sick/Tired, and Parasytic open.
$17
Reggie's Rock Club 2109 S. State St.Near South Side 312-949-0121Outernational, Graham Czach, Los Vicios de Papa, Employees
Fri., May 18, 9 p.m.
Join NYC's revolutionary "future rockers" Outernational, along with midwestern acts including Graham Czach, Los Vicios de Papa, and the Employees, as they present a night of music against NATO. The weekend's picket lines will be unified, but the lines of genre will be blurred as radical messaging and good vibes are brought to the stage in a variety of styles. An ideal place to grab an end-of-protest drink. You'll need it.
$10, $7 advance
Abbey Pub 3420 W. Grace St.Irving Park 773-463-5808Yamantaka//Sonic Titan, Eight Bit Tiger, Supreme Cuts
Fri., May 18, 10 p.m.
Toronto's Yamantaka//Sonic Titan calls its style "Noh-wave," a term they use to mean a fusion between classical Japanese theater, or Noh, and an amalgamation of musical genres that includes psychedelia, metal, prog, punk, and noise. The seven-piece's core duo, Alaska B and Ruby Kato Attwood, launched Yamantaka//Sonic Titan in spring 2008 with a mini opera of the same name, and their 2011 self-titled debut gracefully transitions from, say, spaced-out ambient folk on one track to hazy, riff-heavy psych on the next. The disparate sounds hang together thanks to the album's narrative arc—it's always clear that the music is part of a larger, theatrical whole. A quick peek at videos of the band's stage show—caked in makeup that references traditional Noh costumes, they perform in front of intricately designed, cartoonish set pieces—confirms that Yamantaka//Sonic Titan is probably best experienced live. —Leor GalilEight Bit Tiger and Supreme Cuts open.
$10, $8 in advance
Schubas 3159 N. Southport Ave. 773-525-2508Ensemble Bulgare
Fri 5/18, 6:30 and 9 PMDanceThe Bulgarian folk troupe performs this history of its country. $25-$55
Copernicus Center 5216 W. Lawrence Ave.Jefferson Park 773-777-8898Peter Dallos
Fri., May 18Galleries: Openings & ReceptionsSculpture by Peter Dallos. Reception Fri 5/18, 7-10 PM.
Gallery Swarm 2902 N. Clark St.Lakeview 708-583-1255HoZac Blackout with Davila 666, Spider Fever, Video, Plateaus, Cozy, Screaming Yellow Zonkers, and others
Fri., May 18, 5 p.m.Fairs & Festivals, Rock, Pop, Etc
Empty Bottle 1035 N. Western Ave.Ukrainian Village/East Village 773-276-3600Enrique Iglesias, Gym Class Heroes, the Wanted, B.O.B., Cobra Starship, and others
Fri., May 18, 5:30 p.m.Allstate Arena 6920 Mannheim Rd.Suburbs Northwest 847-635-6601Geoff Farina
Fri., May 18, 6 p.m.Rock, Pop, EtcThe Whistler 2421 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-227-3530Bill MacKay
Fri., May 18, 6 p.m.Rock, Pop, EtcAmrita, Model Stranger, Polarizer, Glendenning
Fri., May 18, 7 p.m.Rock, Pop, EtcM. Molly Backes
Fri., May 18, 7-10 p.m.Backes presents her debut YA novel, The Princesses of Iowa, at a release party.
StoryStudio Chicago 4043 N. Ravenswood Ave., #222Ravenswood 773-477-7710Diana Falanga
Fri., May 18, 7 p.m.FalangaP.S. I Hate It Here!) signs her follow-up collection of missives, P.S. I Still Hate It Here: More Kids' Letters From Camp
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17 May ' 03:26
1417 total resultsThrough 6/17: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 3 and 6 PM,
Unable to make ends meet, a young undocumented worker goes to extraordinary and ethically questionable lengths to build a life in the U.S.possibly at the expense of someone who knows her situation better than she thinks. Diane Rodriguez's immigration parable juxtaposes those who crave the ambiguous American Dream with those who've already achieved it, toting up the costs in crushing debt, self-doubt, and the constant need to keep up appearances. Rodriguez uses dance, a sense of quirk, and a fanciful candy-colored set by Brian Sidney Bembridge to turn a polarizing, exhausting national debate into something digestible and even a little fun. Dan Jakes $12-$40
Francoise Mouly and Nadja Spiegelman
Thu., May 17, 6:30 p.m.Literary Events
New Yorker art editor Francoise Mouly (Blown Covers: New Yorker Covers You Were Never Meant to See)and her daughter, Nadja Spiegelman, talk about TOON Books, their imprint of hardcover comics for emerging readers.
57th Street Books 1301 E. 57th St.Hyde Park 773-684-1300Blackout Fest Kick-off Party
Thu., May 17, 7 p.m.Special Events
HoZac Records distills underground rock into two days of back-to-back-to-back-to-back performances with Blackout Fest. It kicks off Thursday with an art show at the Bottom Lounge and continues through the weekend at the Empty Bottle with performances by Redd Kross, Pleasure Leftists, and Davila 666, to name a few. If our preview in this week's B-Side is any indication, a five-year hiatus has done nothing to diminish the festival's luster.
$5
Bottom Lounge 1375 W. Lake St.West Loop 312-666-6775Daniel Clowes
Thu., May 17, 7 p.m.Literary Events
Clowes signs The Art of Daniel Clowes: Modern Cartoonist.
Quimby's Bookstore 1854 W. North Ave.Wicker Park/Bucktown 773-342-0910Zombie Drive-In
Thu., May 17, 8 p.m.
WBEZ presents a double feature drive-in of Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead.
Cascade Drive-In 1100 E. North Ave.Other Suburbs WestHollows, Radar Eyes, Coffin Pricks, Summer Girlfriends
Thu., May 17, 8:30 p.m.
I have little doubt that Hollows are tired of getting compared to the Shangri-Las, the Ronettes, and other classic girl groups. Singer and organist Maria Jenkins has stated the obvious: "I mean we have four girls singing and we do harmonies and we write pop songs." But with its cutesy title and breezy sha-na-na melody, "Bobby Blueheart" (from Hollows' new Trouble in Mind LP Vulture) could easily have come from a 60s shake-shop jukebox. The band's vintage organ-driven sound is still at the heart of their music, though the girls (and guy) go a bit easier on the bubblegum this time out, summoning some darker moods. You can hear that right away on "V Is for Vulture": It opens with a hooky but glum organ line, and at first Jenkins's singing is reserved and forlorn as the song creeps along. Only toward the end, after the tune has slowly built to a peak, adorned with horns and strings, does the vocal melody tread on Go-Go's territory. It's mature garage pop (and the best Hollows song I've heard), with more orchestral flourishes than hand claps; you're more likely to gently sway than bob your head. But those loyal to the band's old-school two-minute romps, fear not: "Oh Why" has moments crying out for you to bust into the swim and/or the watusi. —Kevin WarwickRadar Eyes, Coffin Pricks, and Summer Girlfriends open.Subterranean 2011 W. North Ave.Wicker Park/Bucktown 773-278-6600Mark Lanegan Band, Sean Wheeler & Zander Schloss, Apteka
Thu., May 17, 9 p.m.
When I describe the Mark Lanegan Band's newest album, Blues Funeral (4AD), as one of the the breeziest and most upbeat additions to the singer's extensive oeuvre, you need to keep in mind that I'm talking about one of the most thoroughly bummed-out catalogs in rock history. Lanegan has recently begun infusing his solo work with sounds and structures borrowed from electronic dance music, so while Blues Funeral delivers the themes fans have come to expect from a Lanegan release—depression, drinking as a tactic for managing depression, suicidal ideation—the accompanying arrangements are punchier and sexier than they've ever been. In Lanegan terms, the sprightly midtempo beat of "Gray Goes Black" is downright hyperactive; you wouldn't be out of line to call its postpunk-inflected bass line "funky." And "St. Louis Elegy" (representative lyric: "If tears were liquor / I'd have drunk myself sick") is a good argument that Geoff Barrow of Portishead should think about Lanegan the next time he puts together a side project, which he's been doing a lot of recently.Sean Wheeler & Zander Schloss and Apteka open.
$21, $19 in advance
Metro 3730 N. Clark St.Wrigleyville 773-549-0203The Wandering, Luther Dickinson
Thu., May 17, 9 p.m.Rock, Pop, Etc
Last week Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars released three new albums by three different acoustic projects, and he appears with two of them tonight—first under his own name, then with a band called the Wandering. (The third project is the South Memphis String Band, which is surprisingly tepid considering that it involves Alvin Youngblood Hart and Jimbo Mathus.) Dickinson opens the show with a set of instrumental acoustic guitar similar to the material on Hambone's Meditation (Songs of the South), with a bit of Delta blues slide playing and some John Fahey-style fingerpicking. In the Wandering, Dickinson has the support of four strong singers and instrumentalists—bassist Amy LaVere, guitarist Shannon McNally, banjoist and guitarist Valerie June, and drummer and fife player Sharde Thomas (granddaughter of the great Otha Turner). On Go On Now, You Can't Stay Here (Songs of the South) they cover a diverse mixture of traditional country, blues, and folk songs (as well as a few rock-era classics like "Mr. Spaceman" by the Byrds and "The Outlaw" by Sid Selvidge). The performances are appealingly loose, jumping playfully from one tradition to the next—rather than fret about maintaining perfect fidelity to any of them, the band sounds happy just to enliven them all with the same energy. —Peter Margasak
$15
Hideout 1354 W. Wabansia Ave.Wicker Park/Bucktown 773-227-4433Leapfest Nine
Through 6/3: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2 and 7:30 PM, also 6/2, 2 PM, no 7:30 PM show 6/3Theater & PerformanceFive plays get their Chicago premieres with Stage Left Theatre.
Theater Wit 1229 W. Belmont 773-975-8150Preservation Snapshots
Thu., May 17, 12:15 p.m. 312-922-1742LecturesPreservationist Larry Shure's topic is "Typography of Courtyard Apartments: Rogers Park 1907-1933."
Claudia Cassidy Theater, Chicago Cultural Center 78 E. Washington St.
312-744-6630Michael Staudenmaier
Thu., May 17, 6 p.m.Literary EventsStaudenmaier presents Truth and Revolution: A History of the Sojourner Truth Organization, 1969-1986; he'll be joined by former STO member Kingsley Clarke.
Uncharted Books 2630 N. Milwaukee Ave.Mary Fahl
Thu., May 17, 7 p.m.Fear Factory, Shadows Fall, Devastated, Browning, Legacy Disorder
Thu., May 17, 7 p.m.Rock, Pop, Etc1417 total results
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