Music 45
Who rocks Chicago’s music world
We know a few things. This year will be huge for Chicago hip-hop (what else is new), with the highly anticipated releases from The Cool Kids and Kid Sister, plus another record from Rhymefest. Andrew Bird’s proven to be, once again, more than ever, a local treasure. R. Kelly could kill your parents and you’d still buy his albums. Wilco ages like wine, and the music world changed during the absence of Smashing Pumpkins
(2008-05-06)
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Heavy Meta
Smiling through "Iron Man"
Studios seem to have a harder and harder time to make movies in familiar forms that don't seem… familiar. Yet even with well-worn elements, there's much to enjoy in "Iron Man"
(2008-05-06)
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Ultramusic
The mad DeVotchKa remains faithful
Denver quartet DeVotchKa, which takes its name from Burgess’ Nasdat term, meaning "young girl," began its career as a backing band at burlesque shows (they even toured with Dita von Teese), and after a performance at the 2006 Bonnaroo festival were seemingly plucked from nowhere by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris to write the score for their hit yellow-van road flick, "Little Miss Sunshine"
(2008-05-06)
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Eye Exam
Back in Black
Is there a safe place to say the N-word? A new thematic group exhibition at the Renaissance Society pretends that the term can be used without consequence if uttered at a critical remove, or if it is a scholarly concern. That which otherwise has no place in print, on air, or on lips finds refuge when examined under the microscope of the art exhibition
(2008-05-06)
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Partners in Crime
Going Down Under for the Beverly-Bi
Most people are familiar with the Taylor Street Twosome, but how many know about the Beverly-Bi? The Taylor Street Twosome is the tradition of sucking down a nutmeg-spiced Italian beef, with your knuckles slathered in gravy and flecked with stray giardiniera, at the original Al’s, followed by a saunter across the street for an icy sweet-plastic-spoon dip into a wax-lined paper cup of Mario’s Italian Lemonade. The Beverly-Bi isn’t quite so easy
(2008-05-06)
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Playing Around
Lip Service
"People need theater, they just don’t know it yet." David Perez is a staunch believer that Pavement Group, the budding company for which he serves as artistic director, has the play to turn the minds of the masses. Their second full-scale production, "Lipstick Traces" is a punk-rock extravaganza that flips history on its side and has been known to make theatrical believers
(2008-05-06)
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Spin Control
On the Offensive
One of the most head-scratching band names to come along in a while is Reading quartet Does It Offend You, Yeah? As the story goes, bassist James Rushent and keyboardist Dan Coop decided to put some of their homemade songs on MySpace. They needed a name for the project, so they turned on the TV to a scene from the British "Office" in which David Brent goes, "Does it offend you, yeah? My drinking?" Seconds later, the band was born
(2008-05-06)
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By Design
A Fashionable Cause
The roster for the Make a Statement: Design for the Cure runway show reads like a who’s who of Chicago design: Lara Miller, Melissa Serpico, Kate Boggiano, Kristin Rosynek Hassan of organiK Revolution and Lydia Wachowska of Evil Kitty are just a few of the designers contributing time and designs to the fashionable fundraiser
(2008-05-06)
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Soundcheck
Treehuggers
Local rock outfit Sybris’ self-titled Flameshovel debut, from 2005, raised many an eyebrow for both its musical complexity—heavily reverbed guitar and open-space arrangements hadn’t so sounded this good in a while—and singer Angela Mullenhour’s wicked, piercing vocals. ("The Best Day in History Ever," the song that got everyone’s attention, was one of the top local cuts of that year.) After a long break that involved some touring and a patient writing period, the band’s back with "Into the Trees"
(2008-05-06)
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