What’s New

Today is the second day of Pilsen Open Studios, happening in the neighborhood from noon-8 PM along 18th Street and elsewhere in the area from Halsted to Western. Yesterday we mentioned where to catch some of our favorite highlights, but you can see a more complete list of vendors and activities on the Pilsen Open Studio’s Vendor/Event Map. (MC)

Tonight the Chicago Humanities Festival (CHF) brings singer-songwriter Margo Price to the Old Town School of Folk Music’s Maurer Concert Hall (4544 N. Lincoln). The Grammy-nominated country superstar will be in conversation with Jes Skolnik, Bandcamp Daily senior editor and past Reader contributor. Price will discuss her new memoir, Maybe We’ll Make It, and her approach to carving a path in an industry famously hostile to women. Then she’ll perform an intimate solo set and sign books. Tickets are $20-$35 (free for CHF members), and books are available as a $23 add-on (that’s 20 percent off the cover price. (MC)

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

If you’re curious about Chicago’s Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir after reading contributor Robert Marovich’s review of their new album Legacy, you can catch members of the gospel ensemble online as they perform during the Christian Tabernacle Church service. It’s livestreamed to the church’s Facebook page every Sunday at 1:30 PM. Baltimore hardcore and rock band Turnstile headline the Aragon Ballroom tonight (6 PM; 1106 W. Lawrence, all-ages), where they’ll be joined by fellow Baltimorians: rapper JPEGmafia and indie rocker Snail Mail. Advance tickets are still available through Live Nation. The Flying Luttenbachers, described in Gossip Wolf last week as a “brutal prog squad,” bring their sonic assault to Liar’s Club this evening (1665 W. Fullerton), where they’ll be joined by Pittsburgh noise-rock band Microwaves and the grimy rock of Chicago band Something is Waiting. It’s a $10 show open to those 21+, and tickets are available at the door. My Agenda colleague and fellow Reader staff member Micco Caporale told us about rising art-punk band Automatic last week. They’re performing tonight at Empty Bottle (1035 N. Western) in a 21+ show with Chicago pop-punk band Clickbait opening. DJs from the Chicago label Beloved will start the show with a set at 8:30 PM. Advance tickets ($15) are available at Eventbrite. (SCJ)  

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Pilsen Open Studios is happening from noon-8 PM today and tomorrow along 18th Street and elsewhere in the neighborhood from Halsted to Western. Galleries, artists, and vendors invite visitors and neighbors to experience the hyperlocal arts community. This 20-year-old event celebrates aesthetic traditions and innovations within hip-hop, muralism, screenprinting, self-publishing, graffiti, and more. Appreciators, admirers, and artists can learn about the work and intention that goes into maintaining and advancing these art forms. Today and tomorrow, Colectivo Pop Up takes over Breathing Space Chicago (2105 W. 18th St.); ZINEmercado will be selling zines from the neighborhood, PRINTmercado will sell original prints by local artists, and DISCOmercado will be selling vinyl from local musicians and labels. Activities include a live t-shirt printing demonstration from Instituto Gráfico de Chicago. For a complete list of locations and activities, consult the Pilsen Open Studios Vendor/Event Map. (MC)

Well, since you’re already in Pilsen, might as well check out Sounds of Solidarity (1855 S. Blue Island). From noon-5 PM, the Pilsen Love Fridge is teaming up with mutual aid project Chi Resists to host a celebration of local BIPOC creativity. Throughout the afternoon, there will be art, music, and poetry, as well as a donation spot for winter survival gear to be locally repurposed. Free children’s books are available. (MC)

And as long as you’re there, stop by La Esquina (1942 S. Carpenter) too. They’ll be open noon-7 PM both days of Open Studios to celebrate the launch of Beyond Heaven: Chicago House Party Flyers Volume III, 1983-1992. Publisher Almighty & Insane Books will be selling copies as well as other titles about local culture and ephemera, and author Mario “Live It Up” Luna will be displaying his collection of house ephemera while signing books. At 6 PM, UPC founder Luis Gabriel Aguilera and musical polymath Jesse de la Peña will be joined by friends from local party crews for a round-table on the house scene of 1980s Chicago, followed by live DJ sets inspired by the era. (MC)

Cap off your day in the neighborhood with Healthy Hood Chicago’s Panther Party at HHC’s headquarters (2242 S. Damen). Original members of the Black Panther Party will share their personal experiences and lessons from that time while discussing the party’s local legacy. In addition to a slate of vendors selling local wares, hip-hop artist Jiggy Bars will perform. This 7 PM event is free, but donations are encouraged. (MC)

There are a ton of spooky seasonal shows happening right now, and we’ll have a special guide to some of them closer to Halloween. But one to add right now is Rough House Theater’s House of the Exquisite Corpse, returning to the Chopin Theatre (1543 W. Division) through 11/5. The piece takes audiences through seven different installations, loosely inspired by parts of the body and featuring puppetry, music, soundscapes, and other elements that collectively create what Reader critic Kimzyn Campbell calls “a peep show, where the audience is the voyeur of an interior world, with puppeteers, physical theater artists, and designers (dozens of collaborators in all) combining forces to make a haunted house that defies expectations.” There are rolling admissions Thu-Sat beginning at 7 PM (the number of entries available vary), and tickets are $15-$45. For information and reservations, visit roughhousetheater.com. (KR)

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Pilsen Open Studios is happening from noon-8 PM today and tomorrow along 18th Street and elsewhere in the neighborhood from Halsted to Western. Galleries, artists, and vendors invite visitors and neighbors to experience the hyperlocal arts community. This 20-year-old event celebrates aesthetic traditions and innovations within hip-hop, muralism, screenprinting, self-publishing, graffiti, and more. Appreciators, admirers, and artists can learn about the work and intention that goes into maintaining and advancing these art forms. Today and tomorrow, Colectivo Pop Up takes over Breathing Space Chicago (2105 W. 18th St.); ZINEmercado will be selling zines from the neighborhood, PRINTmercado will sell original prints by local artists, and DISCOmercado will be selling vinyl from local musicians and labels. Activities include a live t-shirt printing demonstration from Instituto Gráfico de Chicago. For a complete list of locations and activities, consult the Pilsen Open Studios Vendor/Event Map. (MC)

Well, since you’re already in Pilsen, might as well check out Sounds of Solidarity (1855 S. Blue Island). From noon-5 PM, the Pilsen Love Fridge is teaming up with mutual aid project Chi Resists to host a celebration of local BIPOC creativity. Throughout the afternoon, there will be art, music, and poetry, as well as a donation spot for winter survival gear to be locally repurposed. Free children’s books are available. (MC)

And as long as you’re there, stop by La Esquina (1942 S. Carpenter) too. They’ll be open noon-7 PM both days of Open Studios to celebrate the launch of Beyond Heaven: Chicago House Party Flyers Volume III, 1983-1992. Publisher Almighty & Insane Books will be selling copies as well as other titles about local culture and ephemera, and author Mario “Live It Up” Luna will be displaying his collection of house ephemera while signing books. At 6 PM, UPC founder Luis Gabriel Aguilera and musical polymath Jesse de la Peña will be joined by friends from local party crews for a round-table on the house scene of 1980s Chicago, followed by live DJ sets inspired by the era. (MC)

Cap off your day in the neighborhood with Healthy Hood Chicago’s Panther Party at HHC’s headquarters (2242 S. Damen). Original members of the Black Panther Party will share their personal experiences and lessons from that time while discussing the party’s local legacy. In addition to a slate of vendors selling local wares, hip-hop artist Jiggy Bars will perform. This 7 PM event is free, but donations are encouraged. (MC)

There are a ton of spooky seasonal shows happening right now, and we’ll have a special guide to some of them closer to Halloween. But one to add right now is Rough House Theater’s House of the Exquisite Corpse, returning to the Chopin Theatre (1543 W. Division) through 11/5. The piece takes audiences through seven different installations, loosely inspired by parts of the body and featuring puppetry, music, soundscapes, and other elements that collectively create what Reader critic Kimzyn Campbell calls “a peep show, where the audience is the voyeur of an interior world, with puppeteers, physical theater artists, and designers (dozens of collaborators in all) combining forces to make a haunted house that defies expectations.” There are rolling admissions Thu-Sat beginning at 7 PM (the number of entries available vary), and tickets are $15-$45. For information and reservations, visit roughhousetheater.com. (KR)

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The Chicago Bulls are a team that needs to get as many wins as possible as they are dealing with a bit more adversity to start this season than they did last season. Last year, their impressive start allowed them to tread through some tough months to end the season and still make the playoffs.

It is a team that might not be afforded the opportunity this year because it is going to be much harder this year because of a few key injuries. They are going to be without Lonzo Ball for a while and Zach LaVine is missing from these first couple of games.

Earlier in their week, they stunned the Miami Heat on the road to sneak away with their first victory of the season. That was a great win without LaVine to begin the year and start hot. That made a game against a much weaker Washington Wizards feel so much more important.

These might be the types of games that the Bulls need to take in order to be a playoff team this year. That is why this one felt so heartbreaking even though it was the second game of the year. It is the fact that they had the chance to take it and they missed it.

Although they were down 15 at one point, they came all the way back. Guys like DeMar DeRozan, Ayo Dosunmu, and Nikola Vucevic had strong games down the stretch but it wasn’t enough to outlast the Wizards who took a 102-100 victory on their home court.

The Chicago Bulls came so close to pulling off a major comeback victory.

DeRozan made a great play to finally get it tied at 100. The Wizards scored a two to make it 102 to 100 with enough time for the Bulls. DeMar took a game-winning three-point shot but it missed as time expired. As mentioned before, it was a heartbreaker that they could have had but didn’t.

Even a stud like DeRozan misses a big shot every now and again. Making it close without LaVine is huge but it would have been nice to start 2-0.

However, they have a chance to bounce back big with their home opener on Saturday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. This should be a lot of fun.

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The Chicago Blackhawks are 2-2-0 and most fans are not thinking about the 2023 NHL Draft at this point of the season. However, looking at the roster and the potential transactions that might be made this season would lead anyone to believe that the Hawks will be near the top of the draft.

If they are, there are a few good players that will be of consideration. Connor Bedard is the number one guy on most people’s big boards right now. Anything could happen but he has been the consensus number-one prospect in this draft for a long time now.

However, being the worst team in the league guarantees you nothing considering the lottery system. That is why it is important to look at other prospects. This draft is a little bit different though because it has a player that could push for number one but be a very good number two.

That player is Adam Fantilli. He is a centerman that plays for the University of Michigan. He has some elite already drafted NHL prospects on his team already helping him develop his game which is nice to know too.

The Chicago Blackhawks could certainly use a prospect like Adam Fantilli.

On Friday, he had the game of his life as he scored his first career NCAA hat trick against Lake Superior State University. That came in a 5-2 victory for the blue.

It should be a very good season for Fantilli as he has a lot of talent on that team to work with. By the end of the year, their number five ranking might be a number one ranking but that remains to be seen. If this freshman continues to score like this, it could happen.

There is no guarantee that Fantilli ends up with the Hawks but they could certainly be in the mix for him. There will be people that try to say he should go ahead of Bedard as the number one pick but that feels out of touch.

However, landing a player like this would be amazing for the future. Fantilli joining the young group of prospects that the Hawks have put together would really help them. For now, we will just have to keep watching him dominate as a freshman at Michigan and see what happens.

It should be noted that college hockey is amazing right now. Fantilli is there and so are other already drafted prospects like Luke Hughes (New Jersey Devils), Logan Cooley (Arizona Coyotes), and Isaac Howard (Tampa Bay Lightning) to name a few.

This league is becoming a great place for developmental hockey and it is also incredibly entertaining. More and more NHL teams will be impacted by it as the years go along. The Blackhawks could really take advantage.

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The Chicago Blackhawks front office secretly wants them to lose way more than they want them to win. There are some very good players at the top of the 2023 NHL Draft that they would like to have the opportunity to look at.

However, the players on the current roster trying to make a living aren’t thinking about that. That is especially true for the home opener. After a long summer of big moves being made using the word “rebuild”, it was nice to just see some hockey back at the United Center.

It wasn’t an easy game for the Blackhawks at all against the Detroit Red Wings. They found themselves down 3-1 at one point. Two former Blackhawks in Pius Suter and Dominik Kubalik scored in addition to Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin.

The one goal scored there was a penalty shot goal for Andreas Athanasiou. It was a very pretty goal for him as he went for it on the most exciting play in hockey. You don’t see penalty shots every day and he didn’t miss his chance.

The Chicago Blackhawks needed a comeback effort to try and win on Friday.

When down 3-1, they started to turn the tide when Alex Stalock came in to replace an injured Petr Mrazek who has had better games as an NHL goalie. Stalock went the rest of the game without allowing a goal to Detroit.

Philipp Kurashev scored at 3:46 of the third period to bring them within one. Just over six minutes later, Connor Murphy scored a short-handed goal to tie the game when it was least expected. It was starting to feel like one of those special home games.

Max Domi made sure of it when he found himself with a point-blank shot in overtime and he did not miss. He scored his second of the season to give the Hawks the 4-3 comeback victory in overtime. It was a fantastic way to break into the home schedule.

There are going to be a lot of people supporting the tank method throughout this season but it was nice to see the Hawks get a big home win in their first game of the year at the United Center. The crowd certainly went home happy.

You never know if this was the last-ever home opener for Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in Blackhawks sweaters so it was nice to see it end like that. The Hawks are back in action on Sunday afternoon when they take on the Seattle Kraken in a matinee. That should be fun.

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