Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Gig Posters Music Visual Art Carousing with a Kool Katerpillar on the gig poster of the week
Posted By Luca Cimarusti today at 06.00 AM
ARTIST: Josh Davis
SHOW: Kool Keith and Bushwick Bill at Logan Arcade on Fri 12/21
MORE INFO: deadmeatdesign.bigcartel.com
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Music The Secret History of Chicago Music The forgotten story of the self-described ‘butt-ugliest band in Chicago’
Posted By Steve Krakow on 12.18.18 at 06:00 AM
Since 2004 Plastic Crimewave (aka Steve Krakow) has used the Secret History of Chicago Music to shine a light on worthy artists with Chicago ties who've been forgotten, underrated, or never noticed in the first place. Older strips are archived here.
Film Flopcorn In praise of Neil Breen, an auteur who finds new and exciting ways to be bad with every movie he makes
Posted By Leor Galil on 12.18.18 at 06:00 AM
Welcome to Flopcorn, where Reader writers and contributors pay tribute to our very favorite bad movies. In this installment, staff writer Leor Galil tries to fathom the works of Neil Breen.
Anyone who says they understand Twisted Pair is a liar. I'm skeptical Neil Breen could fully explain it, and he practically made the movie single-handedly; he's the writer, director, star, producer, editor, casting director, and head of craft services. And it's not even his first movie! After a one-night-only screening of Twisted Pair at the Music Box last month, I left wondering which of Breen’s choices (if any) were intended to be illuminating or coherent.
Breen made four films before Twisted Pair. I’ve now seen all but one, his second, I Am Here . . . . Now (2009). (Yes, the title’s ellipsis has four periods. If this is alarming, you might not want to watch Breen's movies.) Breen recycles a few core themes and narrative elements in all of his movies, or at least the ones I've seen. The world is usually threatened by a hidden evil; those responsible are generally millionaire CEOs or people who hold high positions of power in government. Breen, always the star, is often the only one who holds the key to the truth and the salvation of the world.
Style A teenager sports high fashion on a low budget
Posted By Isa Giallorenzo on 12.18.18 at 06:00 AM
Street View is a fashion series in which Isa Giallorenzo spotlights some of the coolest styles seen in Chicago.
"I feel like if I'm not disgusted with what I wore a year ago, then I'm not doing my job," says high school senior Zoe Axelrod, who tries to err on the side of boldness. "If it isn't going to make a statement, then it's not worth wearing. Not every look I put together is 'good,' but it'll certainly get your attention."
She wasn't always such a fashion enthusiast, though; up until around her freshman year, Axelrod favored basic items such as low-rise leggings and graphic tees. Her sartorial turning point came when she started following fashion bloggers on Instagram and YouTube. "My current favorites are Beth Jones of B. Jones Style, Tara Chandra, and Allison of Titi Alli. They all give me ideas of outfits to put together, but ultimately, my clothes are what inspire me," says the avid thrifter, whose personal style has been developed through "a lot of trial and error."On the day she was photographed, she ended up missing her school bus because she couldn't figure out what to layer under her olive button-down—an XL pajama top she found at a thrift store in Arlington Heights, her hometown. "The fabric was so beautiful I couldn't pass it by," she says.
The 17-year-old ended up pairing her esteemed shirt with a turtleneck she got on sale at Target a couple of years ago, vintage frames that used to belong to her mom, earrings handed down from her grandma, a belt that used to be a Gryffindor tie from a Hermione costume, and a pair of ASOS platforms, her "pride and glory," thrifted at the Savers in Schaumburg for eight bucks. Axelrod highly recommends that store.
"They have the biggest and most organized kids section, which is where I get most of my funky pieces," she enthuses. The precocious and frugal style savant has another shopping tip: "If you want to save time, skim the aisles for the colors you think your closet needs more of."
Monday, December 17, 2018
Archive Dive History Year in Review Archive dive: the year 1971 in review
Posted By Brianna Wellen on 12.17.18 at 01:17 PM
The Reader's archive is vast and varied, going back to 1971. Every week in Archive Dive, we'll dig through and bring up some finds.
There are plenty of "best of 2018" lists popping up this time of year (including a few to come here at the Reader), but do you ever wonder what were the most memorable movies, meals, and moments of 1971? If so, boy do we have the list for you!
Dance Food & Drink Neighborhoods News Healthy Hood wants to make sure people on the south and west sides start living better and longer
Posted By Marykate O'Meara on 12.17.18 at 06:00 AM
In the city of Chicago, there is a 20-year life expectancy gap between communities of color and predominantly white communities. If you live in a neighborhood like Pilsen, statistically speaking, you’re likely to not live as long as someone who lives in Oak Park. Pilsen native Tanya Lozano has set out to combat this gap through her nonprofit, Youth Service Corps, and her fitness and dance studio, Healthy Hood.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Gig Posters Music Visual Art A guitar transfigured into liquid cheese on the gig poster of the week
Posted By Luca Cimarusti on 12.12.18 at 06:00 AM
ARTIST: Ryan Duggan
SHOW: Ryley Walker, Ohmme, and Ben LaMar Gay at the Empty Bottle on Fri 12/28
MORE INFO: ryanduggan.com
Blotto Gross Music RIP Chicago rockers share their Mutiny memories, foggy and otherwise
Posted By Luca Cimarusti on 12.12.18 at 06:00 AM
"Once one of my door guys said, 'The greatest thing about the Mutiny is that anyone can play here,'" says Mutiny owner Ed Mroz. "'The worst thing about the Mutiny is that anyone can play here.'"
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Music RIP Buzzcocks front man Pete Shelley grappled with metaphysical questions as eloquently as he wrote about physical desire
Posted By J.R. Jones on 12.11.18 at 11:20 AM
I thought Pete Shelley was going to die the night Buzzcocks played the Double Door in May 2010. The temperature hadn't dropped much from its afternoon high of 90 degrees, and the club felt like a steam bath. Shelley's hair had thinned and he'd put on a ton of weight since I'd last seen the British punk legends seven years earlier. He seemed to be suffering badly under the lights, and as he sweated through the band's early punk-pop classics—"I Don't Mind," "Love You More," "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)"—I wondered how many times he'd sung them since they first hit stores in 1978, and where his mind went while his body was tearing through them at breakneck speed.
Style Agriculture offers a crop of style in the heart of Bronzeville
Posted By Isa Giallorenzo on 12.11.18 at 08:00 AM
I watched my mom make clothes for the guys in the neighborhood and I could see the confidence it gave to them. I saw the way they acted when they dressed well," says Milton Latrell, 38, about the transformative power of a great outfit.
More than a decade ago, along with childhood friend Christopher Brackenridge, 39, he founded Agriculture, a shop nestled in a once bustling stretch of 43rd Street in Bronzeville. "Right here there used to be a series of black-owned businesses up and down the street," says Latrell, who grew up in one of the neighborhood projects—and like Brackenridge, learned how to sew at home. Inspired by Bronzeville's golden age in the 1920s, they try to evoke the style from the era with "classic and timeless" pieces: "There were real clean gentlemen who layered well and piled up on accessories like scarves, hats, and pocket squares. And they were creative—everybody had a sense of style. Even the milkman wore bow ties, suspenders, long socks, and capri shorts."
Latrell affirms this aesthetic is "coming back tremendously" nowadays—and he strives to offer a wide array of quality products for the dapper chaps out there. "We don't make everything in the store, but we sell everything," he says. Besides bespoke suits made of wool, silk, or cashmere (starting at $750), they also produce button-down shirts (starting at $120), ties (starting at $35), pocket squares ($20), Italian leather shoes (starting at $350), and even a fragrance. Mulberry Silk ($55) gives off citrus, fresh jasmine, patchouli, and vanilla notes, with a floral, spicy heart. "It is fresh yet masculine," Latrell says. "Like the fabric it is named after, it is meant to be worn every season. We launched it two months ago and already sold over 150 bottles."
Agriculture also carries other brands, such as footwear by Mezlan and Bacco Bucci and sturdy cardigans made of twined rope imported from Turkey ($90). For those in need of some guidance, Latrell prides himself in offering personalized service, in which he caters to his clients' unique needs: "We listen to what each person really wants and try to adapt our selection to their lifestyle—not the other way 'round." Besides custom tailoring, he and Brackenridge also do personal in-store styling sessions ($50) and wardrobe assessments ($185). "The main reason so many people support us is because we style them according to who they are," Latrell says. Celebrating 11 years in the business and cultivating famous customers like actor Mel Jackson and NBA players Luol Deng and Andrew Harrison, the Bronzeville natives really seem to be reaping what they sew. v
