Endgrain opening today
Endgrain's Enoch Simpson is famous for his namesake doughnuts.
Endgrain, Enoch's Simpson's Roscoe Village enclave for doughnuts, fried chicken, biscuits and more, opens today! Check out our slide show.
Lollapalooza announces its official after-shows for 2013
Kendrick Lamar
Today Lollapalooza announced its list of official Lollapalooza Aftershows. No major headliners are playing club concerts, but as always there are big names in relatively cozy venues:
Lana Del Rey visits House of Blues on Thursday, August 1.
The Lumineers bring their pop-folk hits to Vic Theatre on Friday, August 2.
Kendrick Lamar hits Aragon with Baauer (of "Harlem Shake" one-hit-wonderdom) and BJ the Chicago Kid on Saturday, August 3.
Alt-J plays Lincoln Hall on Sunday, August 4.
Lincoln Hall will also play host to the Smith Westerns, Father John Misty, Jessie Ware and Haim.
Schubas, Empty Bottle, Metro, the Mid, Subterranean, Reggie's, City Winery, Bottom Lounge, Double Door and Park West house after-parties with names like Wavves, Matt & Kim, Two Door Cinema Club and Flux Pavilion. It's a magnanimous gesture toward local venues and bookers for Lollapalooza producer C3 Presents.
See the complete list of events here. Tickets go on sale on Friday at 10am. I don't need to remind you that they go very fast.
Jeff Awards: winners list and recap from the 2013 Non-Equity Jeffs
The 40th annual Joseph Jefferson Awards for non-Equity theater were presented tonight at Park West. Though the Den Theatre's City of Dreadful Night and Circle Theatre's Reefer Madness led the nominations with seven each, it's Circle's When the Rain Stops Falling that tied Dreadful Night for the most wins, with three. Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre's production of the Leiber & Stoller revue Smokey Joe's Café also earned three wins.
The atmosphere was as celebratory and egalitarian as ever, with many recipients paying verbal tribute to the sense of community and supportiveness in the city's non-Equity scene. In consideration of the big round number in front of this year's ceremony, much attention was paid to remembering the rich history of Chicago's non-Equity companies.
5 things to do today: Tuesday, June 4
Julia Thecla, Cave Entrance, 1955.
AROUND TOWN
“Jellies” Are you ready for these jellies? Inside brightly colored, bulbous display cases, groups of jellies bewitch with pulsating rhythms and odd assortments of appendages. Learn about the truly strange creatures and why recent spells of overpopulation, stemming from climate change, are harming the oceans. The popular show was recently extended through 2013. Shedd Aquarium. 9am–5pm.
ART & DESIGN
"Gertrude Abercrombie/Julia Thecla" Corbett vs. Dempsey showcases two masters of Midwestern surrealism: Abercrombie, who churned out small paintings—barren landscapes, self-portraits—from her home studio in Hyde Park (until her death in 1977), and Thecla (1896–1973), whose captivating magical realist paintings incorporate fairytale-like creatures and heavenly bodies. Corbett vs. Dempsey. 10am–5pm.
Mistresses | TV Review
Five years ago the Lifetime network passed on a pilot based on the British show Mistresses, but rather than take that as a warning sign, ABC decided they'd give it a go by airing their version as a summer soap. But this mopey melodrama about four women wrestling with infidelities in their relationships should have stayed on the shelf.
Don Share appointed editor of Poetry magazine
Movin' on up: Don Share, the current senior editor of Poetry, becomes editor in July.
Last September when I interviewed Don Share about the legacy of Poetry, then celebrating 100 years in print, the magazine's senior editor acknowledged its big-deal history: publishing T.S. Eliot's groundbreaking "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," being the oldest monthly devoted to poetry in the English-speaking world—that kinda thing.
"We’re aware of [the history] because we have to live up to it," he said, showing me framed poet portraits adorning the walls of his office and around the Poetry Foundation building. "That’s why I have Ezra Pound staring at me, giving me a funny look.”
The ghost of Pound will continue scrutinizing Share, as will readers and writers around the globe, as the 56-year-old steps into the role of Poetry's new editor, effective July 1. He's only the 12th person to helm the mag in 101 years and replaces outgoing editor Christian Wiman, who's leaving to join the faculty of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and the Yale Divinity School.
As I learned last fall, besides being a prolific tweeter, Share is a thoughtful, approachable guy with a goal of making Poetry more approachable. Winds of change are already sweeping through the Foundation: On July 8, Robert Polito replaces John Barr as president. It remains to be seen whether such changes will ruffle only pages, or readers too. (Sometimes readers of 101-year-old mags aren't the most adaptable.) I was encouraged by what Share told me last week about his plans going forward. Hint: "forward" is key to his vision.
10 best things to do this week
Take it off for the World Naked Bike Ride on June 8.
Bellwether This city can't get enough shopping-and-food-and-booze bashes, and the newest of the bunch seems poised to be a big hit. Produced by the same folks who put on Vintage Bazaar and Renegade Craft Fair, Bellwether promises furniture, home goods, artwork, vintage finds and records, along with beer from Revolution Brewing, wine from Oliver Winery, cocktails from Death's Door, and fare from food trucks and artisanal producers. Learn how to make a terrarium with Logan Square flower shop Fleur, and catch live performances from Tortoise’s Jeff Parker, the Paulina Hollers, Abraham Levitan, Ami Saraiya and the Outcome, Black Bear Combo and the Low Down Brass Band, plus DJ sets by Damon Locks, Tony Sarabia, Peter Margasak, Reckless Records and more. On Saturday, stick around for the after-hours party from 8–10pm featuring sketch-comedy show NED Talks. On Sunday, there's Adventure Sandwich for the kids and a "drunken spelling bee" for the adults. Tickets go on sale May 21 for Sunday's $50 Bellwether-hosted beer brunch at Ada St, with Revolution beer pairings. Hideout. Jun 8, noon–10pm; Jun 9, noon–8pm. Suggested donation $10, kids under 12 free; after-hours party $10.
Chicago Blues Festival 2013 Shemekia Copeland kicks off the 30th iteration of Blues Fest, expanded back to four days with a theme, "Rollin' Up the River." The body of water, of course, is the Mississippi, and the lineup traces the music migration from the delta to Chicago. Which is a roundabout way of saying "the blues." After Copeland's Thursday evening set in Millennium Park, the groove moves to its regular "joint," Grant Park. Scene regulars Bobby Rush (Friday); Otis Clay and the Bar-Kays (Saturday); and James Cotton (Sunday) headline in the Music Shell. Other locals like Big Time Sarah, Linsey Alexander, Eddie Shaw and John Primer fill up four other stages. Millennium Park, Pritzker Pavilion: Jun 6, 6:30pm; Grant Park: Jun 7–9, 11am–9:30pm.
!!! + Sinkane We know the complaint: Nobody dances at indie gigs. Warp Records' quirky funk band !!! gets bodies moving with syncopated cuts from its sweaty latest, Thr!!!er. Sinkane, the solo endeavor of Yeasayer multi-instrumentalist Ahmed Gallab, supports behind strong 2012 LP Mars, which melds his Sudanese heritage with funky grooves, soulful flourishes and vocals that range from minimal to Auto-Tuned robot. Bottom Lounge. Jun 8 at 7pm. $18.
10 classical concerts to see this June
Matmos
The Lincoln Trio, Bharat Chandra, Arianna Zukerman and the Chicago Children's Choir: Annelies The United States Holocaust Museum is commemorating its 20th anniversary with a Chicago performance of James Whitbourn's choral setting of the Anne Frank diaries, Annelies, and local chamber music exemplars the Lincoln Trio are on deck. We caught up with Whitbourn in the U.K. via e-mail, and he had this to say about the Chicago Children's Chorus, featured in the piece: "Some are as young as Anne Frank was when she started writing her diary, others the age when her life was taken from her. These young musicians are responding to the work with astonishing commitment and with an ability way beyond their years." Harris Theater. Jun 9 at 6pm. Free.
Frequency series presents: Experimental Minifest NY:Chicago Color us impressed with Peter Margasak's brand-new Frequency series at Constellation. In its brief existence, the weekly Sunday series has pulled in serious talent such as Ensemble Dal Niente, percussionist Doug Perkins, Coppice and bassoonist Katie Young. Things are about to go a little further afield for Experimental Minifest NY:Chicago. Clarinetist/composer Alejandro Acierto and composer Alex Temple are highly regarded Chicago new-music raconteurs, and matched on a bill with Nomi Epstein's a.pe.ri.od.ic series and NbN trio alongside composer collective thingNY, they're a must-see. Constellation. Jun 9 at 8:30pm. $10.
Do Division Street Fest: Faces in the crowd | Festival pictures
Festival season continued its slow crawl into summer over the weekend with the Do Division Street Fest. As with the prior weekend's Electric Daisy Carnival, it was rather chilly (thanks, weather). Ariel Pink, Gaslamp Killer, JEFF the Brotherhood and more headlined the music stages programmed by the Empty Bottle and House Call/Subterranean. But with street fests, it's not just about the music. There's grilled meat and, naturally, great people watching: Girls in trucker caps playing the trombone. Little kids with green mohawks breakdancing. See for yourself above.
5 best dance club events this week
Mount Kimbie
1. The Field Taking cues from Brian Eno and My Bloody Valentine, Swedish electronic artist Axel Willner pushed his hushed techno into new territories of computerized shoegaze. (Laptopgaze?) Currently in Berlin, his adopted home, crafting his fourth album, Willner takes a break in Chicago to play a solo set, leaving behind a live band that has expanded his sound in recent tours. But the ambience should still dazzle, with the aid of a visual component designed by photographer Sonia Alvarez. M83 may have carried this digital-daydream formula into the mainstream, but the Field has mastered it. Come to think of it, who better to score the next Joseph Kosinski sci-fi flick? Empty Bottle. Jun 5 at 9pm. $12.
2. NGUZUNGUZU L.A. duo NGUZUNGUZU turns digital equipment into tribal instruments, blending modern R&B, island rhythms and general eeriness. The two manned M.I.A.'s Vicki Leekx mixtape and are not afraid to drop a little Brandy into global bass explosions. Their latest for Hippos in Tanks, Warm Pulse, slows down the pace and mean mugs, but the low end is still unfathomable. Local footwork guru Chrissy Murderbot gets busy beforehand. Primary. Jun 7 at 10pm. $10–$12.
3. Mount Kimbie If you must, call it post-dubstep, but like fellow genre defiers Darkstar and James Blake, Mount Kimbie is on quite a divergent path from the brash club phenomenon. Introspective, spacey, glitchy and awash in atmospherics and ambience, the U.K. duo moved out of the bedroom and into a studio for its mesmerizing downtempo sophomore album, Cold Spring Fault Less Youth, out now on Warp. Lincoln Hall. Jun 8 at 8pm. $17.
4. Swindle London pop-dubstep craftsman Swindle melds R&B with rumbling, bubbly bass. His official debut, Long Live the Jazz, as the title suggests, aims to meld bop with grime. Has dubstep found its Guru or A Tribe Called Quest? Smart Bar. Jun 6 at 10pm. $10, advance $8, before 11pm with Facebook R.S.V.P. $5.
5. Keys N Krates Dance music has always been anchored in the studio. That is, until Keys n Krates came along. The Toronto-based trio mixes live drums, synths, and a DJ's cuts and scratches for a blend of hip-hop, electronic and jam. The Mid. Jun 7 at 10pm. $10.
RECOMMENDED: 5 concerts to see this week.
