The film presenter South Side Projections (founded in 2011 to bring movies to locations across Chicago’s south side in order to spur conversation about complex social and political issues) travels to the Lozano branch of the Chicago Public Library (1805 S. Loomis) this evening for a presentation of 1973’s Mi Raza: Portrait of a Family and 1981’s La Esperanza. Mi Raza (created by Susan Stechnij as part of her thesis for a master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Illinois) follows the daily activities of the multigenerational and working class Navarro family living in Pilsen, making it a unique 30-minute portrait of early 70s Chicago life. La Esperanza is a 17-minute film crated by students enrolled in a video teaching program hosted by Community TV Network at Latino Youth Alternative High School. A Q&A with artist and activist Nicole Marroquin follows the free screenings, which start at 5:30 PM. (SCJ)
Some music choices for tonight . . . Los Angeles punk rockers the Bronx headline a 17+ show at Concord Music Hall (2047 N. Milwaukee), with the Chats, Drug Church, and Scowl completing the bill. Doors open at 6 PM, and tickets are still available via Axs. At Golden Dagger (2447 N. Halsted), local indie artist Sarah Weddle continues a residency with the venue with an 8 PM show, which also features Flowurz, Husk, and Jessica Viscius. $12 tickets are available through Ticketweb, and you must be 21 to attend. Songwriter Butch Walker (who’s written for Katy Perry, Fall Out Boy, and Pink) brings his solo tour to House of Blues (329 N. Dearborn) tonight; indie folk singer-songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan opens at 8 PM. It’s a 17+ concert and advance tickets are available through the House of Blues website. And at the Jazz Showcase (806 S. Plymouth), pianist Steve Million joins forces with trombonist Andy Baker for their ensemble Bakerzmillion, which celebrates the release of a new CD with two shows, at 8 PM and 10 PM. The venue is open to all ages, and advance tickets are available at Eventbrite. (SCJ)
This video for the Chats song “Smoko” (Australian slang for taking a break) has enjoyed over 17 million views on YouTube.
The Detroit-born, Chicago-based, and Howard and University of Chicago alum Devin T. Mays works in an interdisciplinary artistic practice that he refers to as an “exercise in wandering,” which can lead to a variety of techniques to gain perspective and build his performances, sculpture, and art installations. Mays’s practice is perfect for the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s In Progress series, where artists receive time and space to discuss their work and present new and literally in-progress experiments. Tonight from 6-7:30 PM, Mays will perform “a ritual melding live music and found objects,” and the program notes that he’ll be joined by artists Veronica Anne Salinas, Bill Harris, and Jordan Knecht. See the MCA’s website for more details about this free event. (SCJ)
Wanna level up your recording? Ever been curious about multichannel music making? Experimental Sound Studio and the Chicago Laboratory for Electro-Acoustic Theater (CLEAT) are teaming up to host four workshops exploring spatial audio at Elastic Arts (3429 W. Diversey, second floor). Each workshop is hosted by a guest artist and includes an hour discussion and demonstration of approach followed by an hour of hands-on learning with the 16-channel CLEAT system. No previous experience is required, but a laptop is necessary for the hands-on portion. You’re also welcome to just observe! All workshops are free, but space is limited so show up early. Tonight’s workshop kicks off at 7:30 PM and is led by curator, filmmaker, and musician Jonathan Woods. Bill Parod will lead a workshop on October 25, Whitney Johnson on November 1, and Stephan Moore on November 8. More information is available on Elastic’s website. (MC)
