Revisiting “Slow Dog” By Belly Some Twenty Years Lateron July 23, 2020 at 10:59 pm

Cut Out Kid

Revisiting “Slow Dog” By Belly Some Twenty Years Later

ChicagoNOW

Revisiting “Slow Dog” By Belly Some Twenty Years Lateron July 23, 2020 at 10:59 pm Read More »

How to wear what the Cubs and White Sox will be wearing with MLB’s gameday face coveringson July 24, 2020 at 12:45 am

ChicagoNow Staff Blog

How to wear what the Cubs and White Sox will be wearing with MLB’s gameday face coverings

ChicagoNOW

How to wear what the Cubs and White Sox will be wearing with MLB’s gameday face coveringson July 24, 2020 at 12:45 am Read More »

Buckingham Fountain is closed, but Buck’s Four Star Grill is servingon July 24, 2020 at 1:47 am

Chicago’s Art and Beer Scene

Buckingham Fountain is closed, but Buck’s Four Star Grill is serving

Buckingham Fountain is closed, but Buck’s Four Star Grill is servingon July 24, 2020 at 1:47 am Read More »

A techno panopticon on the gig poster of the weekon July 23, 2020 at 5:00 pm

Hybrid events are becoming de rigueur in 2020, and this week’s gig poster presents an option for fans of techno and dance music. DJ M. Sylvia designed this poster in two color schemes, integrating a version of the Eye of Providence created by Andrew Panahon with other visual elements by DJ Tima Fei of NORdjs. It promotes an in-store set that she’ll play at Lakeview’s legendary Gramaphone Records this weekend. She’ll be spinning in the DJ booth for socially distanced shoppers, and the store will livestream the afternoon via its Twitch channel for those who need to be elsewhere.

We’re still happy to take your suggestions for posters to feature each week–and given how thin on the ground actual concerts continue to be, fantasy gig posters remain fair game. E-mail [email protected] with your contact information and poster submission. Even though a few venues are back in business in a limited way, please continue to support staffers who’ve lost work and tips in recent months or who still can’t return to their jobs–here’s our list of fundraisers. And don’t forget record stores! The Reader published a list of local stores that will let you shop remotely.

ARTIST: M. Sylvia with Andrew Panahon and Tima Fei
GIG: Sight & Sound featuring M. Sylvia at Gramaphone Records and online on Sat 7/25
ARTIST INFO: facebook.com/msylviamusic
FUNDRAISER: A GoFundMe to support Gramaphone Records operations and staff

A techno panopticon on the gig poster of the weekon July 23, 2020 at 5:00 pm Read More »

Kyle Kinane’s barroom storytellingon July 23, 2020 at 3:45 pm

click to enlarge

It’s not restaurants, music, or even comedy that Kyle Kinane misses most: it’s the chatter of a crowded bar. “Eavesdropping is my entertainment,” the comedian says. “When I’d get off the road and be back in LA, I would go to whatever bar by myself just to eavesdrop and listen to somebody else tell a story to their friend. If somebody’s telling a funny story, they don’t care if someone is eavesdropping and laughing, that gives them more fuel to tell the story even more flamboyantly.”

Kinane’s newest stand-up special, Trampoline in a Ditch, out on July 24, is more than 90 minutes long, compiled from six hours of shows at Madison on State in Madison, Wisconsin. Kinane includes several routines with double-digit runtimes, like his story of being kicked out of Canada that stretches past 23 minutes of laughter. These jokes have ballooned through years onstage, the way a good story gets refined with each telling. “The more you tell a story, the longer it gets, the fish gets bigger, the thunder gets louder,” he says.

Kinane describes his mistakes, like a barbecue-dominant diet that led to a gout diagnosis, in detail onstage, but always with an undercurrent of hope that he’ll be slightly wiser in the future. Paired with his distinctive crackling voice, Kinane’s comedy feels like hearing a friend tell a story after several drinks. “You’ve been in enough bars in Chicago that you’ve heard one guy being boisterous and all the friends laughing. That’s all it is. There’s no magic to comedy,” he says. “Every bar in Chicago probably has three people in it better than 95 percent of the working comedians today.”

Kinane grew up in the western suburb of Addison, Illinois, and he starts his latest special with a joke about the midwest: “The part of the country that likes to remind you that there’s no shortcuts in life, and then in the same breath tell you how much the Powerball’s up to.”

Within a few years, Kinane started his comedy career using the open mike listings in the Chicago Reader. “Finding out who wouldn’t update their own listing,” he reminisces. “Driving from Addison to the city on a Monday night to find out that open mike hadn’t gone on for four years.” He performed his first stand-up set at age 22 at Lincoln Park’s Red Lion Pub in 1999 and continued going up at north-side venues like Monkey Bar, Lion’s Den, and Cherry Red.

Since moving to Los Angeles in 2003, Kinane has launched a podcast called Boogie Monster, described Chicago’s Haymarket Riots on Drunk History, appeared on Bob’s Burgers and Paradise PD, and narrated Comedy Central’s ads and interstitials. But he’s been most successful as a stand-up, releasing four hour-long specials along with a 30-minute segment on Netflix’s The Standups. Like a veteran band, he’s been consistently recording and touring new material for more than a decade.

And like many punk songs, Kinane’s material is not always easy to find again after the first time you hear it. The track names on his albums are never named after the jokes themselves, but they follow a wholly separate logic. For his first three albums, the track titles match Cheap Trick’s Dream Police, KISS’s Destroyer, and N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton, respectively, so you have to click play on “Detroit Rock City” to hear Kinane ask, “Anybody in here get so drunk last month you had to call a cab to take you to Wendy’s?”

The track titles began as a joke, but the comic has embraced them as a sign of a dedicated audience. “If these tracks all have real stupid names and people still find them, that means people are really looking for them,” he says.

Trampoline in a Ditch captures a Kinane who has changed for the better in his early 40s, even as his storytelling style has stayed consistent. He earnestly talks about finding stability in his relationship and drinking in moderation. “My earlier material was like, ‘Yeah, my life is not put together,’ and that resonated with people,” he explains, “and that’s the catch-22 of complaining about your life being in pieces: you get success because of how successfully you complained, and then you wanna keep your life together.”

“Everything’s going pretty good,” Kinane continues, “and I don’t want to be like, ‘Oh, I’m such a loser’ when I don’t feel that way about myself anymore.”

That honest self-examination also allows him to joke about current events as a cis white man without sounding like he’s stepped up on a soapbox or centering himself in someone else’s struggle. “That’s how I know I have white privilege, because I believe in ghosts,” he says on the track “Defender.” “That’s what you get to believe in when you don’t have any other problems to worry about.”

Despite increased scrutiny on comedians’ material, Kinane doesn’t consider any topic inherently off-limits for jokes, but he doesn’t revel in shock value or taboo for its own sake either. He writes with empathy from his own perspective as a guy trying to be better, personally and politically. “I don’t wanna be that guy, ‘Well you just can’t say anything on stage anymore,'” he says. “Yes you can! You just have to be good at how you say it. You can’t be a lazy comedian. I don’t respect lazy comedians.”

Still, it’s difficult to put the work in performing when the pandemic has shut down venues worldwide. Kinane has been working on new material while self-isolating with his girlfriend, alternating between their home in LA and housesitting in Oregon, “sitting around a fire pit drinking beer.” He has tried a few virtual performances, “but they do lack a little urgency when it’s just sitting in the garage looking at a computer,” he says. He misses the risk inherent in telling stories to the instant feedback of a crowded room. “A better wordsmith could probably come up with some analogy,” he says, “like some sort of tightrope walk over marshmallows.” v

Kyle Kinane’s barroom storytellingon July 23, 2020 at 3:45 pm Read More »

Top 10 Tequila Bars In Chicagoon July 23, 2020 at 8:52 pm

Table of Contents

When people think about drinking tequila, they often think about the fruity, tropical mixed drinks they can make with it, like a margarita or tequila sunrise. But, people miss out on a big opportunity by not taking the time to enjoy tequila on its own. There are many bars throughout Chicago that pride themselves on their tequila choices and the various mixed drinks they create with it as its base. The next time you decide to attend a happy hour with friends, celebrate a big promotion, or just need to let off some steam from the workweek, you might want to check out one of these locations and try something new with tequila.

Photo Credit: D.S. Tequila Compay Facebook

D.S. Tequila Company

3352 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60657

With tequila included in the name, how can they not specialize in it? D.S. Tequila Company’s delicious margaritas are made using 100% agave tequila. Their menu also includes a selection of delicious frozen drinks and other cocktails, all from D.S. Tequila Company’s premium line of tequila.

Del Toro

2133 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60608

Del Toro offers delicious modern Mexican cuisine, but what they are best known for is their tequila selection. Their menu has over 50 different tequilas, including special reserves. Not to mention they have a wide range of margaritas, many featuring their famous habanero syrup.

Photo Credit: The Blue Agave Facebook Page

Blue Agave Tequila Bar & Restaurant

1050 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610

If you thought a bar featuring over 50 tequilas was a wide selection, how about one that houses over 150! This casual restaurant helps to highlight the differences between the types of tequila.

Takito Kitchen

2013 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622

Located in Wicker Park, Takito Kitchen contains over 40 different types of tequila. Next time you visit, we suggested you order Montezuma’s Chalice cocktail, a staple of Takito Kitchen.

Arbella

112 W Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60654

Arbella knows how to make a tequila cocktail. All diners at Arbella have the opportunity to indulge in one of their 25 tequila inspired cocktails. Their cocktails are often served in cute little bear glass that is perfect for showing off on Instagram.

Estero

2450 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

While Estero might provide an enjoyable brunch experience in the morning, the real fun begins in the evening. That’s when you can explore their wide selection of tequila and tequila-based cocktails guilt-free. While drinking, you can play your favorite song on the vintage jukebox.

Havana Grill

412 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Havana Grill is home to many different delicious tequilas. The Cuban and Pan-Latin fused menu features blanco, reposado, and anejo tequilas from some of the industry’s top tequila distillers.

Bokeh

4716 N Kedzie Ave., Chicago, IL 60625

Bokeh is considered one of Chicago’s top tequila bars in the city. This is primarily due to their seasonal inspired tequila cocktails, which you can grab within their refined and classy late-night lounge.

Mercadito

108 W Kinzie St, Chicago, IL 60654

Mercadito has tequila for every type of drinker and within any price range you’re looking for. Stop by on Tuesday’s, where you can enjoy your favorite tequila while chowing down on the bar restaurant’s taco special.

View the Best Pizza Restaurants in Chicago, Ranked

Are you trying to find the best pizza places in Chicago to visit? View our list of the top 50 pizza restaurants in the city.

View the Best Pizza Places in Chicago

La Cantina Grill

1911 S Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60616

This bar may be small in stature, but its tequila selection hangs with the best. The authenticity La Cantina Grill provides goes perfect with their freshly made classic or fruit-flavored margaritas.

At UrbanMatter, U Matter. And we think this matters.

Tell us what you think matters in your neighborhood and what we should write about next in the comments below!

Featured Image Credit: Bokeh Facebook Page

Chicago Blackhawks: Artemi Panarin’s MVP nomination hurtson July 23, 2020 at 1:00 pm

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 03: Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers skates down the ice during their game against the Winnipeg Jets at Madison Square Garden on October 03, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) — NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 03: Artemi Panarin #10 of the New York Rangers skates down the ice during their game against the Winnipeg Jets at Madison Square Garden on October 03, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

The Chicago Blackhawks trading Artemi Panarin looks even worse today than when it first happened.

The Chicago Blackhawks made as boneheaded of a move as they can make on June 23rd, 2017 when they traded Artemi Panarin to the Columbus Blue Jackets to re-acquire Brandon Saad. This trade is going down as one of the single worst trades in the history of Chicago sports. There are so many layers to why it is a bad look for Stan Bowman and his staff but the fact that he is one of the ten best players in the National Hockey League is the biggest reason it looks bad.

Panarin signed a major seven-year contract with the New York Rangers that has an average annual value of 11.6 million dollars last summer. He proved that he is worth every penny in 2019-20 as he had 32 goals and 63 assists for 95 points in 69 games played before the COVID-19 pause. That is a 112 point pace over 82 games. All of that production has earned him a nomination for the Hart Trophy as the MVP of the league.

Panarin was nominated with Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche and Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers. He has a decent chance to win but you can make a very compelling case for all three of those players. It was an incredible year for Panarin in his first year with the Rangers.

Panarin might have left the Chicago Blackhawks in free agency because they probably wouldn’t have been able to pay him north of 11 million per year but you also never know if they would have done whatever it took to make it work. Either way, not having him for 2017-18 and 2018-19 really helped deliver an early end to their extended playoff streak. One little playoff loss to Nashville wasn’t enough to make a move like that at all.

It is also a look for Stan Bowman because it really shows how much he has mismanaged things. Maybe he would have been able to keep Panarin if Brent Seabrook didn’t have such a bad contract. He also traded away plenty of other great players along with Panarin like Teuvo Teravainen and Niklas Hjalmarsson. They have been bad ever since and these bad trades are a large reason why.

Panarin was so good with the Hawks so it’s not like there was ever a time that this trade looked good. It was a bad deal from day one because Panarin’s Calder Trophy-winning rookie season was better than any year Saad has had. The argument in favor of the trade back in 2017 from truthers was that Saad was better in the playoffs but they forgot you need to make the playoffs first. That narrative is also wrong because as Panarin proved with Columbus, he is better than Saad in the regular season, playoffs, or any type of game you want.

Panarin being nominated for the Hart Trophy should hurt all Blackhawks fans. This is a guy they traded away for pennies on the dollar and their team has been suffering ever since. Panarin was so good that he made their best player, Patrick Kane, look even better. You can even make an argument that Panarin has been better than Kane since the start of 2019-20. This is a bad look and someone should honestly be fired for letting it happen.

Load Comments

Chicago Blackhawks: Artemi Panarin’s MVP nomination hurtson July 23, 2020 at 1:00 pm Read More »