What’s New

The Chicago Humanities Festival (CHF) offers a full slate of conversations and programming exploring art and culture today at the Music Box Theatre (3733 N. Southport). Highlights include a (sold out) conversation with filmmaker Jim Jarmusch at 1 PM; a 35mm screening of Charlie Chaplin’s 1921 silent The Kid accompanied by a live performance from guitarist Marc Ribot (4 PM, tickets here); and “Whistleblower,” a conversation between activist Chelsea Manning and artist and activist Nadya Tolokonnikova of the group Pussy Riot. Manning will discuss her recent memoir README.txt and talk with Tolokonnikova about political activism, trans rights, and institutional transparency (7 PM, tickets here). A full schedule of upcoming CHF events is available at the festival’s website. (SCJ)

Facets presents the 39th annual Chicago International Children’s Film Festival through November 20, and today’s offerings include Afro-Futurism, a special family program geared toward those ages eight through ten (2 PM, Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th). It’s an hour-long presentation of six short films, including writer and director Ebony Blanding’s Jordan (2022), in which a tween mermaid enthusiast discovers an ailing water creature, and makes a magical wish. This is a non-ticketed event, but festival passes and information about online and in-person screenings is available at the CICFF website. (SCJ)

Here are some concert options for tonight with links to past coverage by our music writers:

Billy Corgan’s Smashing Pumpkins are scheduled at the United Center with Perry Farrell’s Jane’s Addiction (read a 1988 preview of their show that year at the then-named Cabaret Metro here), and the android pop of Poppy (6:30 PM, 1901 W. Madison, $79-$185, all-ages, tickets at Ticketmaster).
Will Sheff of Okkervil River appears at Old Town School of Folk Music’s Maurer Concert Hall tonight; Mmeadows opens (8 PM, 4544 N. Lincoln, $26-$28, all-ages, tickets at the venue’s website).
Elastic Arts executive director Adam Zanolini presents compositions inspired by Phil Cohran with a new ensemble including Zanolini on bass, piano, flute, and more; Fred Jackson on saxophone, flute, percussion, and voice; and Naydja Bruton on drums. Pianist and arranger Sharon Udoh will perform a solo set (3429 W. Diversey, second floor, $15, all-ages, tickets available at the door).
Local “trash-blues necromancers” Tijuana Hercules play Reggies Music Joint tonight. They open for blues-rock band Left Lane Cruiser, and the James Dean Joint is also on the bill (9 PM, 2105 S. State, $15, tickets at Ticketweb).
The indie-rock duo OK Cool perform at Burlington Bar tonight; space rockers Dreamjacket, the folk-rock of Joe Baughman & the Righteous Few, and Chicago’s Jacob on the Moon (aka artist and producer Jacob Dinneen) are also scheduled. (9 PM, 3425 W. Fullerton, 21+, $10 at the door). (SCJ)

Deeply Rooted Dance Theater takes the stage tonight at 7:30 PM at the Auditorium Theatre (50 E. Ida B. Wells) with a program of four pieces, including the world premiere of Q After Dark, a celebration of Quincy Jones created by four Deeply Rooted company members—artistic director Nicole Clarke-Springer, associate artistic director Gary Abbott, creative/executive director Kevin Iega Jeff, and Joshua L. Ishmon—with live music by a super ensemble of musicians led by Sam Thousand. The other pieces are Vespers by Ulysses Dove (accompanied by an electronic score by Mikel Rouse); an excerpt of Madonna Anno Domini by Clarke-Springer, featuring music by Culoe De Song and Aretha Franklin; and a revival of Aisatnaf, choreographed by Iega Jeff, in which “a woodland creature frolics to ‘Ballet Fantasy for Strings and Harp’ by Lee Holdridge.” Tickets are $25-$69 at auditoriumtheatre.org. (KR)

Siah Berlatsky’s gender-bending spoof of Shakespearean romances, Malapert Love, got an outing this past August with the Artistic Home as part of their developmental Summer on the Patio series. Now the playwright (who graduated this past spring from ChiArts) gets a full run of her comedy with the Artistic Home, opening in previews tonight at 8 PM at the Den Theatre (1331 N. Milwaukee.) As Berlatsky (who is trans) told the Reader this past summer, “I’ve interacted with Shakespeare for a long time, and I’ve always adored all of the tropes and the stock situations that are used in those plays to sort of advance the language and the poetry. And obviously the queerness and the homoeroticism has always really interested me. So really what the play started out as was that I wanted to make a response to a Shakespeare comedy specifically with all of those tropes that I love so much and make it a more explicitly modern piece.” Julian Hester directs. Malapert Love runs through 12/11, Thu-Fri 8 PM, Sun 3 PM (no show 11/24); tickets are $15 for previews through 11/9, $35 during the regular run 11/11-12/11 ($15 students/seniors). Information and reservations at theartistichome.org. (KR)

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Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by the Chicago Reader, the show is available by 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at chicagoreader.com/joravsky—or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t miss Oh, What a Week!–the Friday feature in which Ben & producer Dennis (aka, Dr. D.) review the week’s top stories. Also, bonus interviews drop on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. 

Chicago Reader podcasts are recorded on Shure microphones. Learn more at Shure.com.

Chicago Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky discusses the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty on The Ben Joravsky Show.

Read More

Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by the Chicago Reader, the show is available by 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at chicagoreader.com/joravsky—or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t miss Oh, What a Week!–the Friday feature in which Ben & producer Dennis (aka, Dr. D.) review the week’s top stories. Also, bonus interviews drop on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. 

Chicago Reader podcasts are recorded on Shure microphones. Learn more at Shure.com.

Chicago Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky discusses the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty on The Ben Joravsky Show.

Read More

The Chicago Bears are going into a game against an opponent with the opposite record this weekend, the the Miami Dolphins sitting at 5-3 versus Matt Eberflus and company being 3-5.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is leading the NFL in passer rating (112.7). Wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have broken a record for most receiving yards by a duo through eight games (1,688).

The Bears defense was gashed last week by the Dallas Cowboys, who put up 42 offensive points and scored a defensive touchdown, nearly laying a 50-burger on Chicago.

The Bears are a rebuilding team that was never supposed to be competitive this season, yet have been in most games this season aside from last week in Dallas. Going into Week 9 against Miami, everyone may be led to believe that the Bears are going to shellacked. But, wait. There’s hope.

Believe it or not, there is reason to believe the Chicago Bears can keep up with the high-flying Miami Dolphins offense.

Let’s focus solely on the two offenses going up against one another. Of course, the Dolphins have the most elite, offensive speed in the NFL between Hill and Waddle. They are going to get theirs, believe it.

But, so will Justin Fields and the Bears — just take a step back and think on a few of these things.

The Miami Dolphins was a group built on takeaways a couple of years ago. They were a sneaky, dangerous group — but not so much, anymore.

Through eight games, the Dolphins defense ranks as follows:

26th in yards given up

29th in passing yards given up

5th-most passing TDs allowed

4th-most yards-per-pass-attempt allowed

5th-most rushing touchdowns allowed

26th in points allowed

Over their last two games, the Bears have totaled over 380 yards of offense per game. For context, that number would rank 7th in the NFL if it had been over the course of the season. Also in those two games, the Bears have averaged 31.0 points per game — which would be good for 2nd in all of football if stretched over the season.

Over the past two games, we have seen Fields start to break out. Luke Getsy is using him on designed runs — finally — which is ensuring that the opposing defense has to either stay honest, or they will see Fields run all over them.

The Dolphins’ defensive unit is not good — the numbers prove it. We’re at the point in the season where it is safe to make season-long assumptions. We know which defenses are good and which are not. Miami’s defense is not their strength. Fortunately, they have a lot of firepower offensively.

But, for the Bears’ sake, their offense is improving at just the right time to run into a defense that is hurting. Getting Chase Claypool acclimated this week should allow him to be on the field for a few select packages, so we’ll see his first action in the navy and orange.

Do not be surprised if we see a career day from Fields in this one — and don’t be too shocked if the Bears somehow pull this one out.

Look for the Bears to put up 30 points in this one, and they should come fairly easily. The question is, can the defense get a couple of stops and make this interesting? We shall find out.

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It’s Bandcamp Friday, and Reader senior writer Leor Galil has regularly compiled lists for us of Reader-recommended music available for download on Bandcamp—check out one of the latest lists here. Bandcamp Fridays allow the artists and labels on the platform to receive a larger percentage of the money earned through sales, so it’s a great chance to support the musicians you like directly. And if downloading gets you in the mood to see it live, here’s some options for concerts tonight:

Pittsburgh punk band Anti-Flag host and perform at their ANTIfest tonight at Metro. The bill also includes Suicide Machines, We Are the Union, Gully Boys, and Blind Adam & the Federal League (3730 N. Clark, 6 PM, $36, all-ages, tickets at Etix).
Experimental musician, independent label head, and occasional Reader contributor Jordan Reyes brings his Ark of Teeth ensemble (including Travis, Will Ballantyne, Patrick Shiroishi, and Eli Winter) to the International Museum of Surgical Science tonight (1524 N. Lake Shore Dr., 7:30 PM, $25, 18+, tickets available at Eventbrite).
The Bridge, a network of artists creating collaborations between musicians in France and the Chicago area, hosts an ensemble program at Logan Center for the Arts featuring poet Marvin Tate, bagpiper Erwan Keravec, saxophonist Gerrit Hatcher, cellist Lia Kohl, and cellist Gasper Claus (915 E. 60th, 7:30 PM, free, all-ages, reservations requested at Eventbrite).
Carl Weathersby Blues Band and the Joanna Connor Band take the stage tonight at Kingston Mines (2548 N. Halsted, 7:30 PM, $20, all-ages, tickets at Ticketweb). (SCJ)

The 20th annual Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer happens this weekend at Credit Union 1 Arena, with two in-person tasting sessions scheduled to highlight new and innovative barrel-aged beers, locally-made ciders, meads, and perries across 12 style categories. There’s concession-style food available too, to assist you imbibers in pacing thyself. Get a ride to and from 525 S. Racine for tonight’s session (6-10 PM) or tomorrow (Sat 11/5, 1-5 PM), and pre-purchase tickets (and find more information about participating breweries) here. (SCJ)

Tonight at 8 PM is the official opening of Cat McKay’s Plaid as Hell, courtesy of Babes With Blades. McKay’s script, which won the company’s Joining Sword & Pen playwriting competition, was supposed to go up last January, but the COVID surge last winter delayed those plans. Four queer women go off for a weekend in the woods, and in the time-honored tradition of Evil Dead and, well, Cabin in the Woods, their interpersonal conflicts intensify when they realize there is Something Out There. As McKay told Reader contributor Bridgette M. Redman earlier this year, “Babes’ shows have to have fights and it’s built into many horror shows. It doesn’t have to be gory. What I like best about horror is the idea that the scariest thing is whatever we brought with us, not what is out there. It is the stuff we are already dealing with.” Christina Casano directs, with fight and intimacy choreography by Maureen Yasko. It runs through 11/19 at Factory Theater (1623 W. Howard), Wed-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 PM; tickets are $35 ($28 seniors and students) and proof of vax is required. Recommended for 18+. Information and reservations at babeswithblades.org. (KR)

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It’s Bandcamp Friday, and Reader senior writer Leor Galil has regularly compiled lists for us of Reader-recommended music available for download on Bandcamp—check out one of the latest lists here. Bandcamp Fridays allow the artists and labels on the platform to receive a larger percentage of the money earned through sales, so it’s a great chance to support the musicians you like directly. And if downloading gets you in the mood to see it live, here’s some options for concerts tonight:

Pittsburgh punk band Anti-Flag host and perform at their ANTIfest tonight at Metro. The bill also includes Suicide Machines, We Are the Union, Gully Boys, and Blind Adam & the Federal League (3730 N. Clark, 6 PM, $36, all-ages, tickets at Etix).
Experimental musician, independent label head, and occasional Reader contributor Jordan Reyes brings his Ark of Teeth ensemble (including Travis, Will Ballantyne, Patrick Shiroishi, and Eli Winter) to the International Museum of Surgical Science tonight (1524 N. Lake Shore Dr., 7:30 PM, $25, 18+, tickets available at Eventbrite).
The Bridge, a network of artists creating collaborations between musicians in France and the Chicago area, hosts an ensemble program at Logan Center for the Arts featuring poet Marvin Tate, bagpiper Erwan Keravec, saxophonist Gerrit Hatcher, cellist Lia Kohl, and cellist Gasper Claus (915 E. 60th, 7:30 PM, free, all-ages, reservations requested at Eventbrite).
Carl Weathersby Blues Band and the Joanna Connor Band take the stage tonight at Kingston Mines (2548 N. Halsted, 7:30 PM, $20, all-ages, tickets at Ticketweb). (SCJ)

The 20th annual Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer happens this weekend at Credit Union 1 Arena, with two in-person tasting sessions scheduled to highlight new and innovative barrel-aged beers, locally-made ciders, meads, and perries across 12 style categories. There’s concession-style food available too, to assist you imbibers in pacing thyself. Get a ride to and from 525 S. Racine for tonight’s session (6-10 PM) or tomorrow (Sat 11/5, 1-5 PM), and pre-purchase tickets (and find more information about participating breweries) here. (SCJ)

Tonight at 8 PM is the official opening of Cat McKay’s Plaid as Hell, courtesy of Babes With Blades. McKay’s script, which won the company’s Joining Sword & Pen playwriting competition, was supposed to go up last January, but the COVID surge last winter delayed those plans. Four queer women go off for a weekend in the woods, and in the time-honored tradition of Evil Dead and, well, Cabin in the Woods, their interpersonal conflicts intensify when they realize there is Something Out There. As McKay told Reader contributor Bridgette M. Redman earlier this year, “Babes’ shows have to have fights and it’s built into many horror shows. It doesn’t have to be gory. What I like best about horror is the idea that the scariest thing is whatever we brought with us, not what is out there. It is the stuff we are already dealing with.” Christina Casano directs, with fight and intimacy choreography by Maureen Yasko. It runs through 11/19 at Factory Theater (1623 W. Howard), Wed-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 PM; tickets are $35 ($28 seniors and students) and proof of vax is required. Recommended for 18+. Information and reservations at babeswithblades.org. (KR)

Read More

Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by the Chicago Reader, the show is available by 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at chicagoreader.com/joravsky—or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t miss Oh, What a Week!–the Friday feature in which Ben & producer Dennis (aka, Dr. D.) review the week’s top stories. Also, bonus interviews drop on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. 

Chicago Reader podcasts are recorded on Shure microphones. Learn more at Shure.com.

Chicago Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky discusses the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty on The Ben Joravsky Show.

Read More

Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by the Chicago Reader, the show is available by 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at chicagoreader.com/joravsky—or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t miss Oh, What a Week!–the Friday feature in which Ben & producer Dennis (aka, Dr. D.) review the week’s top stories. Also, bonus interviews drop on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. 

Chicago Reader podcasts are recorded on Shure microphones. Learn more at Shure.com.

Chicago Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky discusses the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty on The Ben Joravsky Show.

Read More