In the past year or so, whenever a friend has asked me to recommend music, I've pointed them at Chicago multi-instrumentalist Jonn Wallen, who creates omnidirectional experimental electronic…
Maintaining mental health in prison was already challenging before COVID-19 hit. The post A very dark place appeared first on Chicago Reader.
Here's the TL;DR version of what to expect from Ain't Too Proud, the new jukebox musical about soul/blues/disco/rock hitmakers The Temptations, whose catalog of songs spans the 1960s and the…
In July 2019, Chicago indie-rock trio Horsegirl played the eighth annual Square Roots Festival. At the time, live shows were the only way to hear the group's taut but disarming dream pop, wi…
Chicago native Paul Natkin is a prolific concert and portrait photographer who's shot more than 4,300 musicians and celebrities since he started his career in 1975. He's also worked as road …
Unfortunately, what Juergens presents onscreen comes across more like a loose scrapbook or vlog than a film. The post Sunken Roads: Three Generations After D-Day appeared first on Chicago Re…
Being the son of the great Iranian dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi and the protege of the late master director Abbas Kiarostami can't help but cast a shadow, but if this digressive and slyl…
Prison is a massive, racist source of violence and harm. A film about incarcerated people, especially one purporting to advocate for them, needs to engage with that fact. The post Chicken ap…
The cinematic debut for the long-running animated series about a misfit family of restaurant owners brings all the quirks and quips of the original Bob's Burgers. The post The Bob's Burgers …
The post Poppy Petal Kisses appeared first on Chicago Reader.
The 2022 Illinois primary elections will soon be underway. Here's everything you need to know. The post Primary primer appeared first on Chicago Reader.
In 1997, Wilco's double album Being There became a fundamental pivot for the Chicago band in a decade filled with triumphs. Twenty-five years later, those songs live on in the band's live sh…
Cabrini-Green's displaced residents aren't being included in Chicago's casino plans. The post Who's left out of the casino? appeared first on Chicago Reader.
At the end of April, The Curio and the Chicago Fashion Coalition joined forces to promote a networking event for the local fashion crowd at Chop Shop in Wicker Park. The turnout was truly im…
This is an impeccable production of a play whose weaknesses outweigh its considerable strengths. It's the 1960s episode of August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle, tracing a century of life in the …
Margaret Knapp directs the world premiere of Martha Hansen's first play (presented by Light and Sound Productions) about five women on an Alaskan cruise"each hoping to sight something other …
Steve Scott directs a storefront production of Shakespeare's wallow into the nature of unadorned power-lust and demagoguery. With a minimal set"a couple benches, steps with a recess to indic…
Instead, we need to address the root cause of violence: inequality. The post <strong>Chicago doesn't need more curfews and criminalization</strong> appeared first on Chicago Read…
Six years ago, Brian Quijada and Teatro Vista teamed up to present Quijada's solo show, Where Did We Sit on the Bus?, an endearing and poignant portrait of growing up in the Chicago suburbs …
Last week, amid the usual tsunami of grim news about inflation, mass shootings, pandemic, and war, came word that the New York Court of Appeals is considering whether the Bronx Zoo is violat…
A look at Cook County's property tax appeals board The post Cook County Uncovered: the Board of Review appeared first on Chicago Reader.
Nobody gets rich writing cookbooks, but I've always assumed that Hugh Amano wrote his way off the dole. Amano is best known as the opening sous chef at Fat Rice who, after leaving the restau…
Drummer Makaya McCraven has always been a bit of a rabble-rouser. He mixes audio from his live gigs with studio overdubs in intricately layered tracks that feel like jazz approached with a D…
So there I am at my kitchen table, drinking my morning coffee and reading the latest column in the New York Times by Tom Friedman, who I disagree with more often than not. I read pretty much…
In October 1982, members of seven LGBTQ+ concert and marching bands from across the U.S. met in Chicago and formed the Lesbian and Gay Band Association. Though the LGBA changed its name to t…