Around The Coyote to offer art from emerging artists in new location
[Above: Shawn Stucky's The Music Was Out of Tune, But We Moved Slowly with the Marching Band, mixed media]Around The Coyote's Fall Festival, Oct. 17-19, gives Chicagoans a first look at a mighty 132 visual artists working in a range of artistic disciplines, from visual art to literary readings, musical performances, theatrical productions and more.... read more
Wesley Willis's Joyrides shines light on dark life of Chicago icon
[Above: Still from Wesley Willis's Joyride]A riff on Daniel Bitton's 2003 documentary The Daddy Of Rock 'n' Roll, released a few months before Wesley Willis’s death from leukemia at age 40, Wesley Willis' Joyrides is a second look at the iconic Chicago artist and musician. Strung together from more than five years of footage by directors Chris Bagley and Kim Shively, the film will be featured at this week’s 44th Chicago International Film Festival. ... read more
44th Chicago International Film Festival features local director Joe Swanberg, a Wesley Willis documentary, and more
[Above: Still from Nights and Weekends, directed by Chicago's own Joe Swanberg]The promise of "appearances by Darren Aronofsky, Danny Boyle and Charlie Kaufman” is enough to make any film aficionado salivate, but you don’t have to be a cinema buff to enjoy this year's 44th Chicago International Film Festival. Featuring more than 170 films from 47 countries, this year's film festival, which runs Oct. 16-29, offers sneak peaks and inside looks with its screenings and panel discussions featuring directors and actors.... read more
Art Review: Point of Views @ Flat Iron Arts Building, 10/11/08
[Above: Zsófia Ötvös' "Which Hunt," in progress]Artists and galleries at Wicker Park's Flat Iron Arts Building put their bodies, puppets and artwork on display for this past weekend's Point of Views exhibit. Friday and Saturday, slide projections and performances of occupied the windows of the Flat Iron, to the delight of art lovers and drunken bar hoppers alike. ... read more
Local Grammy Chapter Celebrates With Steve Cole, Dan Wilson and Donald Lawrence
Wednesday night the Recording Academy Chicago Chapter, the organization internationally known for the Grammy awards, held its annual membership celebration at Hotel Sax. The event provided an opportunity to pass along updates from the national office on academy initiatives, including their fight for for performance royalties for terrestrial radio play, and brought together music industry professionals from every genre for one night. From burgeoning R&B artists to Grammy award winners, plus representatives from other areas of the music industry, more than 300 people attended the event.... read more
Debbie Harry, Lil Wayne, more guest on new Fall Out Boy
They say it's not what you know, but who you know. It seems Fall Out Boy has taken this rule to heart on its upcoming record, Folie à Deux. In an e-mail exchange with MTV News, fab FOB frontman Pete Wentz confirmed that the band has scored guest spots from Lil Wayne and Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry for its upcoming record, set for release in November. Wentz also confirmed that workhorse producer Pharrell contributes a track to the album. We'd like to say this is Debbie Harry's strangest collaboration, but if you'll recall, she did that track with Mobb Deep and Coolio in... read more
My Morning Jacket's Jim James injured at Iowa City show
Some somber news came last night from Iowa City, where My Morning Jacket's Jim James sustained some serious injuries after misjudging the stagefront, slipping and hitting his head. James collapsed into the crowd and was taken to University Hospital.... read more
Rachael Yamagata's favorite spots for dating, breaking up and navigating other matters of the heart in Chicago
It seems apropos that, on the way to meet Rachael Yamagata, I saw a man run through oncoming traffic to help an old woman in danger of getting hit while crossing the street. That type of singular, romantic gesture is the kind of moment captured in vivid relief in Yamagata's music, which aptly traverses the minutiae of modern love, from first blush to the messy complications, and many points between. Her style appears in fine form on Rachael Yamagata (A Record in 2 Parts): Elephants and Teeth Sinking Into Heart, released today.... read more
Jack Kerouac manuscript unrolled at Columbia College
“I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till I drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.” - Jack Kerouac, On the Road... read more
Live Review: Lindsey Buckingham @ House Of Blues 10/2
Gift Of Screws is Lindsey Buckingham's second solo album in two years following a nearly 15-year gap, and he didn't shy away from showcasing the new material at the House Of Blues on Thursday night, even if most of the attendees were likely expecting his Fleetwood Mac hits (and even if many minds were perhaps preoccupied by the concurrent Cubs playoff game and VP debates, no doubt to blame for the less-than-capacity crowd). ... read more
Listen to Ezra Furman & the Harpoons' "The Stakes Are High"
Ezra Furman & The Harpoons may have been an under-the-radar act in 2007 when they dropped their unexpectedly stellar full-length debut, Banging Down The Doors, but they won't be for much longer. On their forthcoming sophomore release, Inside The Human Body, the band has found a fuller, more cohesive sound, and the 22-year-old Furman’s imaginative songwriting and penchant for poetic, narrative lyrics have grown more assured.... read more
Chicago Artists Month tackles issues that matter
[Above: Detail from "Points Of Views" exhibit at Flat Iron Building]More than 200 galleries in some 40 neighborhoods throughout the city will hosts events and display works by local artists, breaking down the barrier between the creator and creation to give insight into the inspiration behind the work, during the 13th annual Chicago Artists Month, which kicked off yesterday.... read more
Live Review: Hot Chip @ Metro 9/29
There is an inherent, if not unspoken, risk in electronic-tinged outfits performing live. On one hand, they could turn out to be soulless programming presentations; on the other, studio wizardry can fail to produce any real electricity in concert halls, and could even fail to translate at all. Thankfully, such was not the case on the second evening of Hot Chip's two-night stand at the Metro, where the band took the stage to a comfortably full room of attendees in rapt attention.... read more
Avett Brothers headline Chicago's CBGB Festival
It's not quite the resuscitation of that famous Manhattan venue, but a different CBGB is coming this fall to satisfy musical needs.... read more
Live Review: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds @ Riviera 9/28
Each night, Nick Cave aims to knock you on your ass, wait for you to get up, and then knock you down again. For decades now, his trademark intensity has served him well, but it's only been in recent years that he's allowed his subtle sense of humor to sneak out from under all the fire and brimstone of his live oeuvre. Backed by the ever-reliable Bad Seeds (the untamed outback equivalent of the E Street Band), Cave relished the over-the-topness of his Old Testament rants and poetic excursions at Chicago's Riviera Theatre, the first of two sold out nights... read more
Live Review: My Bloody Valentine @ Aragon 9/27
The warnings began months ago, with breathless hyperbole: Bring a pair of earplugs. It'll be the loudest thing you’ve ever heard. It’ll be unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. They’re like a rocket taking off. It’s like a deep tissue massage, with no touching.... read more
Neighborhood Spotlight: Gold Coast more than just the Viagra Triangle
It will happen at least once in your lifetime: Whether you’re a bridesmaid in your sorority sister’s wedding or you’ve got that old college friend in town for business, you will have to do a night out on the Gold Coast. And while some might (rightfully) cringe at the thought of a night of beer pong at Shenannigans or dancing to Rascal Flatts remixes at the Hange Uppe, we’re here to tell you that you can survive the evening—and, with the right planning, even enjoy yourself.... read more
Smashing Pumpkins announce 20th Anniversary Tour, live DVD
Just when Chicagoans were beginning to think Billy Corgan doesn't love us anymore, the Smashing Pumpkins have announced their 20th Anniversary Tour with four dates in the Windy City-- one for each of the times they've shunned us on previous tours. (The closest the Pumpkins have come to playing in Chicago since announcing their reunion three years ago right here was this summer's appearance at Indiana's Horseshoe Casino, which isn't just kinda-not-Chicago; it's not even in Illinois.)... read more
Hideout Block Party, Day Two: The New Pornographers, Michael Jackson Tribute and more
[Above: The New Pornographers.] Ahhh, the CTA. Gotta love those delays and train station closings, right? The two-hour travel time to Hideout prevented the chance to see The Uglysuit and those that played before them, but nothing cools off an angry commuter like some free watermelon and a playful game of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes with Tim Fite on a lovely Sunday. His lively hip-hop performance was one of the weekend's many kid-friendly offerings, which also included crafts, a Wee Hairy Beasties performance and a puppet show whose theater was rigged to a bike.... read more
Hideout Block Party, Day One: Neko Case, Monotonix, Black Mountain, and more
For twelve years, Hideout Block Party has signaled the wind-down of the summer festival season in Chicago. This year's solid lineup was matched by great weather (we’re all happy it wasn’t last weekend!). Shortened by a day this year, neither Sunday nor Saturday appeared to hit capacity, but still brought out sizable crowds that gathered in vast parking lot adjacent to the cozy Hideout confines to indulge in the diverse performances.... read more
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