- Issue of
- Apr 26 - May 2, 2018
- Vol. 47, No. 29
Home Land, Promised Land, Candy Land
Yvette Mayorga’s art depicts Mexican immigrants’ vision of the American dream
By Kerry Cardoza
Memorial to fascist Balbo stays put
MLK mural mystery in Bronzeville
Music
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- Gossip Wolf
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Thirty years is a long time to live with a Thrill Kill Kult
Plus: White Mystery keep on celebrating their first decade, the All Smiles hip-hop showcase reaches its sixth birthday, and more.
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- Music Feature
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The protest songs that drove the Wobblies a century ago are still lighting fires
More than a century ago, Joe Hill wrote some of the most enduring anthems in the radical union’s Little Red Songbook—and today’s activists carry on that legacy of struggle through music.
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- Music Feature
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Entertainment lawyer Jay B. Ross fought for the people who made the music he loved
An expert negotiator, he went to bat for stars as big as James Brown and Muddy Waters, but he also clawed back royalties for countless forgotten artists who’d never gotten their due.
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- The Secret History of Chicago Music
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Deacon Jones cofounded the legendary Baby Huey & the Babysitters—and that was just for starters
Trumpeter and organist Deacon Jones played for Curtis Mayfield, Freddie King, and Carlos Santana, and spent 18 years with John Lee Hooker.
News & Politics
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- Feature
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Peek inside these local bookstores—then visit in person on Indie Bookstore Day
Saturday is the perfect time to scour the shelves of Chicago's bevy of local book nooks.
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- Savage Love
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A serial adulterer makes a case for himself, and gets reamed
Plus: What’s good for the gander is good for the gander.
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- Transportation
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Monument to fascist Balbo likely to remain, but aldermen could still rename street
A plaque explaining the controversial Italian aviator's legacy could be added to the lakefront memorial, officials said.
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- The Straight Dope
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Are Zika and toxoplasmosis related?
Should we fear microcephaly causing diseases equally?
Arts & Culture
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- Art Feature
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The American dream, in frosting: the art of Yvette Mayorga
Do immigrants really find a better life in the U.S., or is it just a fantasia of prosperity full of barely concealed threats?
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- Art Feature
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What ever happened to the King Memorial Mural at 43rd and Langley?
The artist, Eugene "Eda" Wade, wants to know, but nobody seems to have any answers.
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- Dance
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At Lucky Plush's 'Tab Show,' anything can happen
The dance troupe recreates the spirit of an old roller rink and a traveling road show.
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- Theater Review
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Ashes of Light is a family drama as moody, moving, and graceful as a plume of cigarette smoke
Its Spanish title, La Luz de un Cigarrillo, is more fitting.
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- Theater Review
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In A Blue Island in the Red Sea, the best intentions go badly awry
An honest conversation gets buried in too many layers of contrivance.
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- Theater Review
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The plot is ripped from the headlines, but The Cake lets in a whiff of ambiguity
Bekah Brunstetter's play takes its characters to exquisitely complicated places.
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- Theater Review
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Frost/Nixon depicts the thoughtfulness and grace of . . . Richard Nixon?
Oh, the good old days when a former president admitted to criminal complicity on prime-time television!
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- Theater Review
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Ghosts of War narrates more than it represents
This adaptation of an Iraq war memoir by a "GI Joe Schmoe" is strangely lifeless.
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- Theater Review
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Check into this five-star Grand Hotel
Like the original production, Kokandy Productions' revival weaves serviceable material into a compelling story.
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- Theater Review
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Oklahoma! throws a bright, golden haze over history
But it’s sweet, sweet nostalgia porn.
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- Theater Review
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The inchoate new MPAACT show Blood Mural misses what’s right in front of it
There’s plenty of drama in the story of Chicago’s street murals—but not here.
Movies
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- Movie Review
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With The Green Fog, Guy Maddin delivers an experimental feature that’s pure entertainment
Clips from movies shot in San Francisco are edited into a reimagining of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo.
Food & Drink
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- Restaurant Review
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Old Habits is bar food reborn
The kitchen at Avondale’s Ludlow Liquors is so good it gets its own name.
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- Restaurant Review
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Astoria Café is home to some heroic buns
Irving Park's Serbian bakery has savory pastries of epic proportions, and much more.
Reader
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- Faces of 53rd Street (sponsored advertising)
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Sophie Phillips of Sprocket & Stone
Faces of 53rd Street
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- Digital Editions
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Print Issue of April 26, 2018
Volume 47, Number 29
Blogs
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- Bleader
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Facility Theatre transforms The Little Match Girl Passion from a vocal piece into a meticulously pitched spectacle
This new theatrical adaptation of David Lang's Pulitzer-winning choral piece is a lot to take in, but it's worth it.
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- Bleader
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Weapon H smashes together two of Marvel's most beloved heroes into a brilliant new series
What happens when you combine a Hulk and a Wolverine?
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- Bleader
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Chairwoman Preckwinkle's Machine takeover a far cry from days of Fast Eddie
To beat the Machine, you gotta be the Machine and other lessons for Toni Preckwinkle and the next generation of Democratic Party leaders.
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- Bleader
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Public outcry kills proposed FOIA law tweak that would’ve hidden police misconduct records
"If Laquan McDonald hadn't been killed and they'd elected to charge him with a crime, we would still be waiting to see that video."
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- Bleader
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Here’s how to make BellyQ chef Bill Kim’s excellent Korean pesto
A recipe from Korean BBQ: Master Your Grill in Seven Sauces, by chef Bill Kim of Randolph Row's BellyQ, shows that his notion of barbecue stretches far beyond the borders of Korea.
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- Bleader
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The Music Box kicks off a season of Michael Curtiz revivals with the silent melodrama A Million Bid
Let us now praise the great auteur whose career ranged from silent movies to Elvis.
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- Bleader
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Whatever happened to the ‘cannabis candidate’?
In the future I’ll think twice before cozying up to a candidate just because he or she smokes weed on camera.
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- Bleader
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A new food website aims to help give minority women a seat at the table
Cookbook author Julia Turshen has created Equity at the Table, a database for food industry professionals that includes only women and gender-nonconforming individuals.
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- Bleader
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Chicago students plan another walkout Friday despite suspension threat
Students across the city plan to leave class and gather in Grant Park Friday to protest gun violence.
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- Bleader
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Dispensary block parties, THC dinners, and more 4/20-friendly events
Here are all the green goings-on Friday 4/20.
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- Bleader
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How we got all those pot leaves for our #420Day issue
Yes, they were fake.
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- Bleader
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Natural Affection at the Athenaeum Theatre and more of the best things to do in Chicago this week
The film Beirut and more goings-on the week of 4/23-4/26.
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- Bleader
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Trump’s war on medical marijuana putting Illinois dispensaries at 'risk'
The president has added more red tape for pot dispensaries and has scared banks from taking their deposits.
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- Bleader
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FilmStruck’s ‘Early Hitchcock’ shows the master of suspense mastering suspense
The streaming-video channel FilmStruck collects early films by the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock.
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- Bleader
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Is this the final chapter for the great Evanston Public Library used book sale?
The North Shore may have to find another depository for its used books.
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- Bleader
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When a reporter sees right through her subject
Sarah Nardi's 2013 profile of the chef Brandon Baltzley is both sympathetic and sharp.
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- Bleader
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Dorothy Brown will make history as first black woman elected mayor, supporters say
Despite being under federal investigation, the Cook County circuit court clerk announced her candidacy for Chicago mayor Sunday.
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![Dog Day brings the best (in show) to Guaranteed Rate Field [PHOTOS]](https://media1.fdncms.com/chicago/imager/u/square/46324743/white_sox-dog_day-1-teaser.jpg)
- Bleader
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Dog Day brings the best (in show) to Guaranteed Rate Field [PHOTOS]
Do not play fetch here.
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- Bleader
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Lathrop launches lottery for affordable housing at revamped CHA complex
One of Chicago's oldest public housing developments is getting ready to reopen starting this summer on the north side.
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- Bleader
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The film shorts program ‘I’m Not Sure What You Mean?’ spotlights queer coming-of-age experiences
Curated by guest programmers Rebecca Ladida and Jess Lee, the free program at Comfort Station features work from Canada, Iran, and the U.S.
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- Bleader
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Oakland’s Once & Future Band stage a battle between obnoxious prog and massive hooks
Virtuosic trio Once & Future Band play Thalia Hall on Tuesday, opening for As the Crow Flies.
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- Bleader
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Jeff Rosenstock talks about his notorious Pitchfork set and how he’s sticking to his DIY punk principles
This Thursday, April 26, Jeff Rosenstock plays at Logan Square Auditorium—it's all ages, of course, and tickets cost $15.
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- Bleader
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Joe Rode wasn’t a great artist, but he lived a great Chicago life
A 2000 profile tells the story of an artist who sold exactly two pieces of art in 40 years.
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- Bleader
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When your third eye is your only eye on the gig poster of the week
This week's featured gig poster was created by artist, musician, and Reader contributor Steve Krakow, aka Plastic Crimewave.
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- Bleader
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Life inside a supermax prison
Tamms Correctional Center was Illinois's only supermax prison. The Reader may have played a part in shutting it down.
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- Bleader
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Black Pegasus just dropped two unreleased early Common cuts—and you can only hear them on vinyl
Black Pegasus owner Marc Davis talks about how his microlabel managed to release two tracks from the sessions for Common's 1992 debut, Can I Borrow a Dollar?
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- Bleader
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Theaster Gates is reopening a slicker Arts Bank this weekend
The refurbished bank will include a 19th-century bar, an improved library, and a brand-new multiartist show.
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- Bleader
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Hardcore throwdown the Rumble returns after five years, picking up the change where it left off
The Rumble comes to Cobra Lounge on April 27 and 28, with sets by Incendiary, Wisdom in Chains, Strife, Racetraitor, Nine Eyes, Spine, and many more.
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- Bleader
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Investing in peace: I Grow Chicago celebrates four years of helping residents heal in Englewood
The Peace House, at 64th and Honore, is "something good to see in our community instead of violence,” one resident said.
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- Bleader
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The life and death of Laverne Williams
Steve Bogira reminds us that a statistic is also a human being.
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- Bleader
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A Scene at the Sea is an early masterpiece from Takeshi Kitano
The Chicago Film Society presents a rare 35-millimeter screening of the Japanese director's 1991 drama, a simple, tender story of love, friendship, and surfing.
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- Bleader
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How to meet and greet little green men
In 1989, a group of scientists united to establish protocol should aliens come a'knocking.
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- Bleader
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The Sugar and Spice Summit is one college student’s attempt to empower her generation of women
Lauren Goldstein created the Sugar and Spice Summit to connect women in the food industry with female college students and other young professionals; the second annual conference is this Saturday.
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- Bleader
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Jenny Hval collaborator Håvard Volden digs deeper into abstract sound in his own projects
Guitarist Håvard Volden explores his obsession with microscopic sonic detail in a series of exploratory recordings, including a new duo with Jenny Hval.
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- Bleader
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American Pleasure Club at the Beat Kitchen and more of the best things to do in Chicago this weekend
Post Animal at Lincoln Hall and more goings-on 4/27-4/29.