Will Celebrity Apprentice Decide Most Embarassing Political State? ...
AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
- Blago might not be the most embarrassing (former) Governor in America. David Paterson took the reigns over the state of New York after Elliot Sptizer’s prostitution scandal forced him to retire in 2008. Paterson has already announced that he will not run for re-election as he is embroiled in his own scandals that include allegations of domestic violence, lying about World Series tickets, and a brutally funny series of “Saturday Night Live” sketches lampooning him (featuring former Chicagoan Fred Armisen as the Governor).
- New York Representative Charlie Rangel recently resigned his committee chairmanship amidst ethics investigations of corporate junkets to the Caribbean and rent-controlled apartments.
- Both state legislatures have been bogged down by rancorous party politics that have prevented business and allowed massive financially crippling deficits. In Illinois, it’s a record $13 billion. In New York its only close to $9 billion.
- The ticklish Congressman Massa affair.
- Three words: Scott Lee Cohen.
Normally, we’d give the tip of the hat to New York on this one, but as long as Blago refuses to go away and SNL keeps hammering Paterson, this might come down to the ratings. At least we aren’t alone in Illinois because, sadly, the world will be watching political junkies from both states squirm.
Post by: Josh Mogerman
Weekend Diversion ...
So apparently Lady Gaga has a new video out for her song "Telephone" and it features Beyonce, a women's prison straight off of a bad Skinemax movie with scantily clad women, product placement, and it's over 9 minutes long and it's weird. Whatever. As much as I love Beyonce, if want to watch two super-duper stars in an awful music video that will forever be burned into my corneas, I'll take Jagger and Bowie singing "Dancing in the Streets," thankyouverymuch.
Fashion Designer Pinto To Shut Store For Good ...
Many people may be aware that First Lady Michelle Obama wore a dress designed by Jason Wu for the Inaugural Ball, but few may be aware of Mrs. Obama's love for Chicago-based designer, Maria Pinto. Sadly, Pinto's store in the West Loop closed in mid-February, but the designer will open up her West Loop boutique for one last time. Starting next Tuesday, March 16th to Saturday, March 20th, Chicagoans will have one last chance to purchase Pinto's luxurious yet accessible clothes, ranging from casual jackets to glamorous evening dresses at bargain prices (marked down to 50% to 70% of their original prices). Pinto's boutique in the West Loop was fairly young, as it opened in the summer of 2008 and closed its doors in less than two years.
Although Pinto has been a part of the fashion industry for over 20 years, having her collections bought and sold in stores such as Barney's New York and Saks Fifth Avenue, she had a relatively new but growing fanbase in Chicago. Hard-hit by the economic recession, Pinto had to pull out of the unstable fashion market and make adjustments accordingly. Certainly, Pinto's absence in the Chicago fashion industry is disheartening, but hopefully she'll be able to bounce back and return to the fashion industry soon.
Post by: Soyoung Kwak
Death Penalty Opponents Renew Efforts to End Practice ...
Advocates to abolish the death penalty in Illinois ramped up their efforts to end capital punishment for good in the state on Thursday. The Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty held a rally in Springfield, urging lawmakers to move from a moratorium to a full ban on the practice. Illinois has had a moratorium on the death penalty since 2000. Some of this renewed interest in the issue is due to GOP Gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady. Brady is opposed to the moratorium and has said he would lift it if elected, provided that “adequate reforms” were put in place. Death penalty opponents however, have said the system is broken beyond repair.
The United States is one of the largest industrialized countries left in the world who still use capital punishment. The top five countries who still execute convicted criminals are China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United States and Pakistan. And yet, all five countries have been critical of each other regarding human rights.
Aside from the moral and ethical quandaries faced when confronting the death penalty, opponents have also pointed out the economic cost. Death penalty abolitionists have cited the state budget crisis as one more reason to put an end to capital punishment, as it costs millions of dollars to house and eventually execute death row inmates. Currently, there are both Senate and House bills to end capital punishment awaiting hearings, however neither have been scheduled for discussion.
Two Tons Of Marijuana Seized In McHenry County ...
A marijuana growing operation at two homes in McHenry County was raided this week by the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group, the McHenry County Sheriff, and federal authorities. Together, they collected 2,200 plants from a home in the 7900 block of Maple Street in Marengo and 2,100 plants from a home in the 17600 block of Kishwaukee Valley Road near Woodstock, or about $6.6 million in marijuana plants altogether. According to the Sun-Times:
Each plant yields about a pound of dried marijuana and has a street value of $1,500 per pound, said MEG Deputy Director Jeff Padilla. "These guys were professionals. This was their business," he said.The operations included grow lights, drip lines, ventilation, air purification units and illegal power lines run off the main line to hide the fact they were using a lot of electricity.
Charged with conspiracy to manufacture marijuana were Robert Cain, 47, of Cary; Charles Persico, 32, of Hoffman Estates; Jerry Romine, 30, of Woodstock; Jonathan Romine, 32, of Lake in the Hills; Loretta Cattani, 56, of Union; and Robert Stringini, 71, of Schaumburg. Padilla said that those arrested are family members and the continuing investigation could lead to more arrests. Police also found 4,400 pounds of marijuana growing and 500 pounds of dried marijuana ready for packaging. The two houses were owned by family members and not rented.
Around Town ...
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ELCA Moves Toward Acceptance of Openly Gay Ministers ...
Amidst news of financial support at an all-time low, executives of the Chicago-based Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are expected to vote next month on new liturgical rites that would allow openly gay and lesbian ministers to become official clergy. It is only the most recent of many examples of American denominations grappling with the contentious issue of increasingly visible gay and lesbian people of faith.
The ELCA reportedly approved a draft of the new rites on Monday. If passed, the rites will allow 17 pastors who have followed the normal ELCA procedures to be ordained.
The denomination's move comes on the heels of a vote last summer striking down a long-time policy which barred non-celibate gays and lesbian Lutherans in the church from attaining official clergy status. In addition to supporting gay and lesbian pastors and professional workers living in committed relationships, the ELCA also approved a resolution committing the church to work toward ways to "recognize, support and hold publicly accountable life-long, monogamous, same gender relationships."
The ELCA's progressive stance toward gay issues has caused a major rift in the church's ranks. To date, sixty-two congregations, of the ELCA's total of 10,230, taking the two required votes to leave the denomination, while nearly 200 others have passed one vote. Similar issues have been faced recently by the Episcopal and Presbyterian Churches, who've both also opened their doors to gay and lesbian people of faith. The Catholic Church has not suffered from such disagreements.
The Morning After: Illini Advnace, Bulls' Free-Fall Continues ...
Illini coach Bruce Weber is PUMPED!; AP Photo/Darron Cummings
may have managed to slip into the NCAA Tournament thanks to yesterday's 58-54 victory over No. 18 Wisconsin in the Big 10 tournament quarterfinals. Mike Tisdale led the Illini with 21 points as Illinois held off a Badger rally. With Illinois leading by 16 with less than seven minutes to go, Wisconsin managed to trim the lead to just two with 30 seconds left but Illinois hung on for the win. Next up for the Illini is No. 7 Ohio State in the semifinals (12:40 p.m., CBS).
Bulls Lose Seventh Straight
With their top three players - Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, and Joakim Noah - out of the lineup, last night's game figured to be a tough one to win. Sure enough, the Bulls lost for the seventh straight game, falling to Miami 108-95. There was even some of the bad blood between the two teams stirred up, topped off by Kirk Hinrich's ejection late in the fourth quarter. James Johnson and Jannero Pargo led the Bulls with 20 points each. The Bulls hung in the game for the first half, down just one at halftime, but the Heat pulled away in the third, extending their lead to double-digits. Things don't get any easier for the Bulls next week with match-ups against Dallas and Cleveland, but it all starts Tuesday at Memphis (7 p.m., CSN).
Spring Training
The Cubs and Sox both saw split-squad action. The first Sox squad topped the Angels 10-7 while the first Cubs was downed by the Brewers 12-3. But the other squads met up in Vegas to continue the preseason version of the Crosstown rivalry with the Cubs getting the better of the Sox this time 6-5.
[Sponsored] ...
Extra, Extra ...
- Chauvet Stiggers was charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault with a firearm and aggravated criminal sexual assault committed with a threat to life in connection to last week's Southwest Side rapes.
- As many as 50 people have been sickened this week by a Shigella outbreak traced back to a Subway in Lombard.
- Cook County Sheriffs have busted up another prostitution ring resulting in 14 arrests.
- Hey, anyone got $4.7 billion I can borrow? I'll pay you back, I swear. Here, I've got some Taco Bell bucks you can use...
- Now auctioning: the teenage drawings of Hugh Hefner.
- The City of Chicago has launched its newly redesigned website and it only cost $1.8 million, which is just a tad bit more than our 2009 redesign cost.
Feds: Mob Boss Rigged McCormick Bid, Water Still Wet ...
The Tribune reports that Federal authorities scooped up reputed mobster Rudy "The Chin" Fratto and business owner William Anthony Degironemo this morning, charging the pair with rigging the bid for a contract at McCormick Place. The Department of Justice press release about the case states that Fratto and Degironemo received inside information and help from an employee at trade show general contractor Greyhound Exposition Services in Las Vegas to secure a forklift contract at McCormick for Degironemo's business, MidStates Equipment Rentals and Sale.
The unknown GES insider dubbed "Individual A" began working with the feds back in 2004, after "purported members of a Cleveland organized crime family" began squeezing Individual A to repay money lost from a trade show company that had gone under. The two were both charged with mail fraud, and Degironemo received an additional charge of making false statements.
Fratto is already scheduled at the end of April to start a prison sentence of one year and one day (which conveniently makes him eligible for time off for good behavior) after being found guilty of tax evasion. Fratto was also "considered a major threat" to star witness Nicholas Calabrese in the landmark Family Secrets trial in 2007. Authorities had been hoping to nail Fratto for a long time -- it's been almost 7 years since the Trib's John Kass predicted that things were "heating up" for Fratto.
After appearing in court this morning, Fratto was released on a $200,000 bond and house arrest until he reports to prison next month.
Boston Blackie's Owners Accused of Bank Fraud ...
Two owners and a manager of the Boston Blackie's restaurant chain were arrested yesterday, accused of a check-kiting scheme that defrauded Charter One and Washington Mutual Banks of close to $2 million. Blackie's patriarch Nick Giannis; his son Chris; and Andy Bakopoulos, a Blackie's manager, are accused of implementing the bank fraud in an effort to keep from Boston Blackie's from filing bankruptcy. Blackie's eventually did file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December.
Nick Giannis was arrested at the Canadian border with a Greek passport, according to Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez. While Nick Giannis is awaiting extradition in Detroit, Chris Giannis is being held on $500,000 bond; Bakopoulos's bail is $250,000. He already sounds as though he may testify against the Giannises. The Sun-Times writes that Bakopoulos knew what he did was wrong but “needed the job and he had to do what Chris told him."
The arrests also create another headache for State Treasurer and Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias. The Giannises were customers of the Giannoulias family bank, Broadway Bank, which is thisclose to being taken over by the FDIC. Additionally, Giannoulias received $120,000 in campaign donations from Nick Giannis for his various campaigns; Alvarez also received $5,000 from Nick Giannis. Both Giannoulias and Alvarez will be donating those contributions to charity.
Surrendering To The Surrendered ...
The Surrendered by Chang-Rae Lee
The story is straightforward. American soldier Hector, Korean orphan June, and American missionary Sylvie are united by their time spent in an orphanage erected after the war. The plot focuses on what got them there and where they will head afterwards. The Surrendered jumps forwards and backwards in time and gives us extended snapshots of the characters' past and future lives and travels. Lee gives us locations and dates before each shift, so that's not hard to follow either.
The characters bring the complexity. Throughout the book, Lee challenges us to understand the relationships and motivations of these three people. How can Sylvie have slipped into addiction when she seems so filled with radiance and hope? Why is the adult June so determined to push beyond the limitations of her dying body? What does Hector intend to gain from accompanying June on her quest to find her son? Lee gives us hints, but we're entirely on our own to figure out what drives these characters in their separate but related journeys. Likewise, Hector, June and Sylvie seek separate but related gratification from their intertwined relationship. And while it's easy to understand why these characters would crave belonging, love, and redemption, it's tricky to understand how they go about fulfilling those desires. They oftentimes don't even understand themselves, as evidenced by a scene when June tosses a gift from Sylvie into the fire, then throws herself in a second later to retrieve it.
So it's difficult to wrap our minds around The Surrendered because the characters sometimes seem to act senselessly. Is yet another story about finding one's true identity worth a read? Yes. Lee leads us on to feel that somewhere, somehow, everything and everyone in The Surrendered makes sense. Each character has redeemable qualities. All we have to do keep turning the page until we finally land on one that describes the better versions of themselves we always knew existed. So we read on and learn more about the paths of each one — how June became an orphan, how Sylvie became a missionary, or how Hector became an alcoholic. And suddenly, when the book comes to a chronological end, we realize we might not have entirely figured these people out. So what's the point? Lee told us in the first sentence. The conclusion of a book is rarely what we remember. We remember the journey between pages one and 469.
Chang-Rae Lee will be at the International House at the University of Chicago, 1414 E. 59th Street tonight at 6 p.m. as part of his tour for The Surrendered.
Thanks to This Week's Advertisers ...
We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Chicagoist.
- Regus Office Solutions, where you can win one year of office space in one of their 28 Chicagoland locations!
- Palladium Boots, ready to help you explore your street, your city, or the world.
- American Apparel, with 4 stores in Chicago, you can look your best anywhere you go.
- GroupOn, using collective buying power to bring you one ridiculous coupon each day.
Searching For International Film Festival Delegates ...
Photo by Facets
Facets and the Chicago International Children's Film Festival (CICFF) are in search for several teens, ages 13-17, to serve as Facets Film Ambassadors and travel abroad as international film festival youth delegates.
Selected participants will be chosen to attend a film festival in Italy, Canada, India or Korea to jury films, attend filmmaking workshops, and produce a short film. The film festivals include the Giffoni International Film Festival in Giffoni, Italy, Seoul International Youth Filmmaking Camp in Seoul, Korea, Carrousel International Film Festival in Rimouski, Quebec, Canada, and the Golden Elephant Film Festival in Hyderabad, India.
To qualify participants must apply for an audition by April 23 and be currently enrolled or a graduate of Facets Kids Film Camp or Young Chicago Critics, or complete a special media education training session through Facets & the CICFF. Participants are responsible for the cost of air transportation to and from the host country.
To find out more information contact Kathleen Beckman at 773-281-9075 ext. 3037 or kidsfest@facets.org.
Weekend Dance Party: Claychella Hits Lincoln Hall ...
Ahem. Well, this is a bit of a landslide pick, now isn't it? Nothing, and we mean nothing competes with Claychella for our pick for this week's Weekend Dance Party. In fact, there really was no point of finding a worthy competitor -- Lincoln Hall will be housing just about every notable Chicago-area DJ for this year's fest, which will be a 14-hour aural bender of all sonic wavelengths. Founded and hosted by Clayton Hauck (known for his party photography at everyoneisfamous.com), this year's Claychella will be the best yet, featuring the likes of Flosstradamus, The Hood Internet, Million $ Mano, Nick Catchdubs, WIlly Joy, Kid Color, Team Bayside High, and our very own Arts & Events Editor, Tankboy!
Claychella 2010 is perhaps Clayton Hauck's vision fully realized: a complete showcase of the bevy of Chicago-area DJ talent, and a celebration of the culture that has nourished them. The fest is almost self-serving in a way, but that's not a knock. These are much of the same people that have played into the early mornings, week in, week out, and it's only obvious that much of the same people that have supported these guys will be there, too. It's just one of those few times where it all gets pooled together so that we can revel in it, so that we can truly appreciate the local DJ scene.
Claychella is Saturday, March 13, Lincoln Hall, 18+ NO COVER TIL 5p.m., ($10 after),
21+ NO COVER TIL 10p.m., ($5 after)
Friday Afternoon Diversion ...
The ADHD generation has finally harnessed it's talents and created something hilarious and entertaining. BEHOLD! Twenty 5-second films!
Date For Dems' Lt. Gov. Vote Set ...
State Democrats will try to put the Scott Lee Cohen affair behind them later this month when they officially convene to vote on their new Lt. Governor nominee. Party leader Michael Madigan announced today that hearings will be held in Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Bolingbrook and Springfield next Saturday, March 20th, and that the vote on Cohen's replacement will be March 27. Over 220 people have applied online for the job which may soon be a thing of the past if Madigan gets his way.
11 Arts Organizations To Collaborate In 'Soviet Experience' ...
"Communism means Soviets, plus the electrification ofthe whole country" by Mikhail Baljasnij (Image courtesy of the Block Museum)
The participating groups include music ensembles and programs (University of Chicago Presents, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Opera Theater, Harris Theater, Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, and the University of Chicago Symphony Orchestra), art museums (Art Institute, Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University, and the Smart Museum), the Court Theatre, and the Special Collections Research Center at the University of Chicago Library. More groups are expected be added this fall as the festival's planning continues.
There's no extra-artistic reason for the festival (next year's twentieth anniversary of the USSR's dissolution is just a coincidence). Instead, the catalyst was the decision by the Grammy Award-winning, Illinois-based Pacifica Quartet to perform all fifteen of Dmitri Shostakovich's string quartets. It's a monumental undertaking - it's actually Chicago's first time hosting the entire cycle - so Shauna Quill, Executive Director of University of Chicago Presents, the concert series in which Pacifica is an artist-in-residence, contacted U of C professors of Russian, Slavic studies, art history, and music to plan additional activities around the quartet's performances. The idea spread through the local arts community, and other groups signed on to participate with already-planned, relevant programming, as well as events developed specifically for the festival.
Forty-eight performances and exhibitions at twelve different venues have already been planned, with more on the way. We have some highlights after the jump.
Music
- As you'd expect, there'll be a heavy dose of Shostakovich. In addition to the string quartets, there will also be performances of the Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, Fifteenth, and Chamber Symphonies, First Violin Concerto, First Cello Concerto, the musical "Moscow, Cheryomushki", the suite from "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District," and various film scores and chamber music.
- As you'd also expect, there'll be plenty of Sergei Prokofiev's music, too, including his Fifth Symphony (which will also be presented as part of the CSO's Beyond the Score series, a full ballet presentation of "Romeo and Juliet," and the First Violin Concerto.
- The Art Institute's "Windows on the War" exhibit: six-foot-tall wartime posters given to the museum in the 1940s by our ally on the Eastern Front but placed in storage until discovered during renovations in 1997.
- Exhibitions at other museums of iconic Soviet propaganda imagery, book art, children’s books, posters, and cartoons. Theatre
- Court Theatre will present "The Dragon" by Evgeny Shvarts.
- Interdisciplinary symposium presented by U of C, the Smart Museum, and the Art Institute.
- With an NCAA tourney spot locked up, Notre Dame kept on rolling, upsetting No. 16 Pitt last night in the Big East tournament quarterfinals by a 50-45 final. It wasn't the prettiest game to watch, but Luke Harangody and Tory Jackson both scored 12 to lead the Irish. Next up is No. 7 West Virginia in tonight's semifinals (approx. 8 p.m., ESPN).
- Northwestern defeated Indiana 73-58 in the first round of the Big Ten tournament to advance to today's quarterfinal round. Michael Thompson led the Wildcats with 16 points and John Shurna added 14. Next up for Northwestern is tourney second-seed Purdue (5:30 p.m., Big 10 Net.)
- Lawyers for asshat/former governor Rod Blagojevich have requested that his trial be moved to at least November.
- Today in the Boender Bribery trial.
- The first full body scanner was installed today in the United terminal at O'Hare.
- In an effort to save some money, the University of Illinois is exploring plans that would have students graduate in three years instead of the traditional four.
- No matter what you think of President Obama being awarded last year's Nobel Peace Prize, you got to love this: he's split the cash part of the award - $1.4 million - among 10 charities.
- Congrats to Brigid Pasulka of Whitney Young who was awarded the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award - given to first-time novelists - for her book A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True.
Chicagoist Podcast 3/12 - CHIRP & EUFF ...
It's a festival of acronyms on this week's entry to the Chicagoist Podcast Series! First up, we spoke with Shawn Campbell, president and founder of the Chicago Independent Radio Project, aka CHIRP. Why did she want to start it? Where does it stand now? What's in the future - and does it include a low-power FM station? And what does Congress have to do to make that allowable by law? All of these questions and more are answered.
Following that, the European Union Film Festival is back in town at the Siskel Film Center. Like last year, we've checked in with Chicagoist's Very Own Rob Christopher to find out more about the films he's been writing about, some trends and themes in this years films, and about what else the festival has to offer.
As always, you can find us on Itunes here, or get RSS'ed here as well. Thanks for listening!
Chicagoist Interview: Black Market Caviar, Chicago's New Steeze ...
Black Market Caviar's Brian and Marco Lopez and the "tilo"
We sat down with the Lopez brothers to talk about what inspired Black Market Caviar as a store and a style, how the Chicago cultural scene is changing, what effect the recession has, how they’ve incorporated local talent, and gags like the “tilo,” their white logo tee packaged like a kilo of cocaine.
CHICAGOIST: Why, at this of all times, open up a store?
Marco: Because I’ve been screen printing for 12 years, Brian’s been a fashion designer for five years now, and we just decided to pool our talents and resources together, open up a shop, and do something new.
Brian: We always wanted to do something creative, to come together to collaborate on something. We always talked about maybe doing a label together and we just came up with this, with Black Market Caviar.
M: It’s been crazy: I moved back to Chicago in September, we got the lease in October, and we opened in December. We’ve just been running.
C: Why Chicago?
M: I was in Brooklyn since 2000, then New Jersey in 2006. But Chicago is home. We were debating it, we were thinking about Brooklyn or Manhattan or even LA. But it made sense to do it at home.
C: How does Black Market Caviar fit in the Chicago scene, if such a thing exists?
M: I don’t know if it really does fit, that’s the thing, that’s why we wanted to do it.
B: I think we fit into what’s new in Chicago. There’s a new movement, there’s been a sort of a renaissance in arts of all types in Chicago. Graffiti has really reemerged here in the past couple years. Fashion, music. The fashion scene we have now in Chicago was not around even five years ago. And the city’s pushing a little budget for it. They have fashion week now in summer time and the Fashion Incubator.
C: Speaking of budget and money, what about the recession? Did it play into the original business plan?
B: Well that’s what’s so interesting. I think it all ties into it. I feel like people get really creative when times get hard.
M: Designers in this country are a dime a dozen. And it’s the same when any over saturated market sees economic decline, people have to ramp it up, step up, and people get hungrier and more creative.
C: How did you twist it then?
M: We came up with a subversive name. Black Market Caviar denotes an attitude towards the economic trend like, “Eff the economy we’re going to live the way we want to live, design the life we want to live.”
And also, looking around, your things are affordable.
M: Things in here are really affordable so its like we’re pushing an aesthetic but not a crazy price. It’s just clothes, it’s stuff. It’s cool stuff, but there’s no need to empty your pockets.
B: And everything eventually ends up in a thrift store. No matter what label it is. No matter what. It will end up in a thrift store, trust me. I think what’s been sort of difficult for us has been finding a balance, and we’re getting there now. Doing so much, we got silk screen printing, where we work with labels and local artists, then we have the store, then the lifestyle approach.
C: How so?
B: We want Black Market Caviar to be a lifestyle brand.
M: It’s more than clothes. It’s an attitude. It’s, “This is how I wanna be.” It’s a subversive attitude towards trends or whatever’s popular.
C: How much focus have you put into branding that way?
M: We keep our branding low. We took an ad in CS, they’re a great Chicago publication, housing a lot of what’s chic in the city. That might be part of why culture in Chicago is reemerging with its own identity. People have a place to turn to. We have a Twitter and a Facebook, but we don’t do anything crazy.
B: We do no marketing for our printing. But we’ve been busy. Word of mouth has been crazy. That’s how Chicago is. I don’t know too many other cities, but in Chicago word of mouth spreads fast.
M: It’s a small town. I mean it’s a city, it’s got concrete and steel but it’s the Midwest and it’s got a small town mentality and attitude. People know their neighbors and say hi. And the scenes are tight-knit and exclusive. Navigating each little subculture you see how tight everything is. Sometimes it’s a little too insular, but people have been really welcoming.
B: People enjoy our approach. The term we hear from blogs and people is “down to earth” and it’s true. It sounds cliché but it is true. When people come in here we try to be as nice as possible, make them feel welcome, engage the customer. We’re interested in what people do, honestly, as opposed to some boutiques where you walk in and they act like they don’t want you to buy anything. That’s not us.
C: What stores do you look up to in Chicago?
M: One store I look up to, though they don’t do what we’re doing, is the Leaders store. They did a collaboration with Ends/Wealth Corp. that we printed and then we did a collaboration with Ends/Wealth that we produced here. That’s what I mean, it’s a small world. For Leaders we came up with "DLRS." Goes with our approach of making fun of the drug game.
C: Yeah like those shirts, the tilos. Where’d that come from?
M: (Laughing) I didn’t call ‘em that. I don’t know who started calling them that.
C: They were like, what, ten bucks?
M: Yeah I mean they’re just a white shirt. It’s our logo tee and we packaged them to resemble bricks of cocaine. And then we would go to parties with a duffel bag of these things and just hand em out. And people would be like, “What the eff is that?”
B: They didn’t know what it was.
M: When you take something that’s everyday and classic and timeless like a white t-shirt and you just add a little something to it, even something as gimmicky as that, it revitalizes how people interact with that product. You add another dimension to the experience of buying and putting on a t-shirt.
C: What about the brown paper 40 oz. Louie bags?
B: You know how it is, people trying to take themselves so serious. It happens all the time in fashion and in art. It’s our way of making fun of culture and trends.
M: I just think its funny.
B: And people do take themselves really serious so we’re here to lighten things up. Make fun of it. But at the same time we are taking a serious approach too because with the name Black Market, it’s something that’s here but it’s not talked about. You don’t hear about it, you don’t see it, there’s a lot of corrupt things going on, really unspeakable things going on all over the world that are part of that black market that you’ll never see in the news, in print, you just won’t see it. So with developing the tilo product—
M: Even with the bag because it goes back to people buying bootleg bags on Canal St. in New York.
B: We’re maybe shedding light on it in some way but at the same time trying to be funny—I don’t want to make too much light of it because it’s serious but still. I think what we’re trying to create here is more than your regular shopping store experience. People want something fun. Especially with the recession, things get really boring.
C: How much in the store is original and how much is bought and refurbished?
M: Right now it’s 30% bought or on consignment from other designers. A small percentage is refurbished objects. We have vintage leather jackets that people have been responding well too, mostly guys. Our own stuff, we probably produce about 50% of what’s here.
C: Down the road do you want the store to hold 100% your stuff?
B: No the mix has been working well for us. We have nationwide labels like Trash & Luxury, which is a bigger brand name, and then we have our local labels like Plastic Party Clothing.
M: We don’t want to close the door to young designers in Chicago. I want to be working with young designers. So many people have walked through with this design or this idea and there’s a small group of those people who are actually committed to their ideas and can actually see a project though. We have 10 smaller local designers in the shop right now and that’s awesome. Small runs of everything. We don’t want to be grandscale. We can’t. We have barely 800 sq feet. We want to be able to print for everyone. Keep it small. It creates a sense a pride in what you wear.
B: And now we’re working on some things with Chaz Jordan and Anna Hovet. We have a good mix with national and local labels and our vintage stuff.
M: And don’t be surprised if you see us selling goods out of the trunk of a car.
B: That was the original idea. Marco wanted to get a black van.
M: Crazy black market style. Sell from the van or a trunk of an old Caprice Classic.
C: What’s planned for the spring and beyond?
B: We have good things coming. It’s our first spring, lots of pressure.
M: We’re going to introduce a bunch of new designers. That’s what I’m most excited about. Again, it’s part of what’s so cool about having the production so close to home is that we don’t have to buy a season or two in advance. Our trend forecasting is like a two-week outlook. It’s like, “What’s gonna be hot next week? Let’s do that.”
B: Also we’re putting a lookbook together for spring. And we’re launching our online store on our website.
M: And duffel bags for new tilos, going back to the drug related theme. For one price, I don’t know, probably 50 bucks or something, you get a duffel bag with a few of our t-shirts packaged like tilos.
B: Another thing we’re doing is screen printing workshops.
M: Yeah we’ll do it with myself as instructor. Along with learning how to screen print or becoming more familiar with screen printing, when you’re done with the program you have 24 shirts with your design on them that we could carry in the store and help you market in some way. It’s going to be a lot of fun.
[Sponsored] ...
Last Minute Plans: Pretty Good Dance Moves Record Release Show ...
Electro-pop duo Pretty Good Dance Moves is now based in Brooklyn, but they started out here in Chicago, when members Jimmy Giannapoulous and Aaron Allieta met as co-bartenders and started making music together in 2007. Their new EP, PGDM, was scheduled for release March 9 through Township Records, though no digital copies are available for purchase yet and the CD is still only available for preorder. Even so, the duo will be celebrating with a record release show tonight at Schubas.
The new EP is full of sultry, synthy dance beats featuring a handful of guest vocalists. The first single off the album, “Leave Me Alone,” guest stars Bjorn Yttling of Peter Bjorn & John and Chicago’s own Angelina Lucero, adding vocal harmony to the track’s mellow rhythm. The opening track, “Sample Your Body,” is probably the album’s strongest, featuring Angelina Lucero’s seductive vocals backed up by sharp, glitchy synth and a steady dance beat.
The duo takes on the form of a four-piece for live performances, backed up by Lucero and Mike Holtz. For their record release show tonight at Schubas, they’ll be accompanied by openers Harper Blynn (formerly Pete and J) from New York and Chicago-based indie-pop group, California Wives. But if you can’t make it out Friday night, they’ll also be performing an afternoon show the following day at Schubas, presented by Kidrockers, before heading down to Texas for SXSW.
Pretty Good Dance Moves plays at Schubas, 3159 N Southport, Friday, March 12 at 10 p.m., $5, 18+ and Saturday, March 13 at 1 p.m., $12 or $14 at the Door, All Ages
Get to Know Your Local Wine Guy ...
Who to know:
Andrew Grossman
Wine Distributor, Lagniappe Beverage
What's in your glass?
Carmenere. I learned about wine via food while managing Spiaggia, so I champion the obscure. I often find wine from unpronounceable grapes or regions in my glass. I recently found Tamaya Carmenere in Limari Valley, Chile. Limari farmers have conditions ideal for sustainable farming and longer growing seasons, which help retain fruitiness to compliment Carmenere's infamous spice notes. You can find great values and unique experiences exploring odd varietals from obscure places.
Wine Rack Staple
I love having Boniface Apremont from Savoie around. "Only in Savoie does the grape Jacquere kick derrière." -Henry Bishop IIII. It costs $16 and it is so refreshingly crisp. I also like Gattinara (Barolo without the dollar signs), Nero d'Avola (inexpensive, spicy and juicy), Uva de Troia (ask an Italian to translate and you've started an interesting and delightfully vulgar conversation.) Petit Verdot and Torrontes from California are at my house, Cannonau from Sardegna...like I said, obscure.
Odd Pairing
That would have to be 2002 Nebbiolo from Santa Barbara by Mandolina and 1983 "This Must be the Place", from Speaking in Tongues by the Talking Heads. I was young to the industry traveling through Santa Barbara County with friends whose alcoholic vessel of choice was still a funnel. As I tried to focus on the wine, my friends drew angry looks from the proprietor as they attempted "wine shots." I felt very out of place, much like an Italian Nebbiolo grape planted in Santa Barbara. Then I heard steel drums and David Byrne come on over the speakers. I sent my friends to find food and began asking pointed questions like "why did you plant Italian grape varietals in Santa Barbara?" As the man warmed up to me I settled into my surroundings; much like his Nebbiolo.
Most Memorable/Enjoyable Wine and Food Experience
After working a wine dinner for Movia Winery, a cook and I smuggled out a bottle of '82 Movia Veliko Bianco and took it to Hot Dougs for lunch. Smoke and honey. We sat outside on park benches eating andouille, Italian and polish sausages. Accompanied by duck fat fries and hilarious conversation, it was an unforgettable Chicago summer day!
Favorite Chicago BYOB and What are you bringing?
I had a delicious Dutch inspired meal at Home Bistro. I would go back again and bring Forlorn Hope Verdehlo or an Austrian Blaufrankisch. Blaufrankisch would pair well with their gamier meats and it is fun to say.
DOWNLOAD AND SEE: Title Tracks ...
Title Tracks' It Was Easy isn't a forceful album at first. We didn't go scrolling through out tracklists seeing out its tunes. And every time we stumbled back across one of the group's tracks, we had to ask ourselves why we waited so long to give them another listen.
Part of the explanation probably lies within former Q And Not U drummer and now lead Track John Davis' ability to whip out energetic '60s-influenced tunes. On one hand they're all pretty great and, this is going to sound weird, that may be why we keep taking them for granted. You've heard this before, and you've probably heard this style aped so often you've stopped really paying attention to it, but Title Tracksis an example of why you shouldn't allow yourself to become numb to a genre.
After a few listens it becomes apparent It Was Easy is a forceful collection of music incorporating Motown soul, new wave cut and slice, punk drive, and more than a shot of Decca inspired rock and/or roll. Sometimes we get so used to something we forget to listen o we're glad we finally opened our ears to this.
MP3: Title Tracks "Every Little Bit Hurts"
Title Tracks opens for Ted leo and the Pharmacists tomorrow, March 13, at Bottom Lounge, 1375 W Lake, 7 p.m., $15, all ages
Working For Wal-Mart, Part Two ...
As part of our on-going coverage of Wal-Mart’s attempt to break into the Chicago retail market, we take a look today at the company’s employment practices in the Chicago metropolitan area. Chicagoist met up with three Wal-Mart employees to talk to them about their jobs, company policy, and why they work there. Check out part one of this series, posted March 10.
Cutting costs in Wal-Mart’s stores isn’t limited to reducing the workforce available on a shift and slashing hours to prevent overtime. Earlier this year the company announced that it would be outsourcing in-store product demonstrations at Sam’s Clubs to a third-party contractor, cutting about 10,000 jobs.
Rosetta Brown works in a Sam’s Club, and knew some of the product demonstrators that were terminated. “We lost ten ladies that all had 10 years, 15 years, 18 years. And now they got a new company that came in. They fired those ladies on Sunday, on Monday I met the new supervisor for demos, they bringing an outside company in to do their job. Eleven dollars an hour, six hours a day, for five days a week. Less hours, less money. And all them ladies was making 15, 18 dollars an hour. And they got rid of all of them. They was crying to me, so hard. They worked Saturday, told them to come in early Sunday, and they fired them.” Linda Haluska also told me about how Wal-Mart fires employees on a regular basis. “There’s a lot of workers at our store that have been with the company for more than a year. And I think they want to bring in new people, because a lot of people that have been there are getting paid pretty decent money. If you’ve been there for at least 10 or 15 years, you’re making more than 10 bucks an hours. By bringing somebody in that’s right off the street new,” they make less money.
Rosetta and Linda have been with Wal-Mart for years, earning pay raises and taking on challenging new experiences within their stores. But not all of Wal-Mart’s employees have that opportunity. That’s because, according to Linda and Rosetta, the stores will “clean house” with a round of terminations. Sometimes the firings appear to be a business decision, as in the case of the in-store product demonstrators. In other cases, Wal-Mart managers will begin an internal process to terminate an employee, based on productivity or scores on an annual performance review. Linda told me about a stocker in the frozen foods department that had been fired over productivity. “Now, to do freezer-cooler, that’s a pretty hard job, that’s three pallets of frozen food a night.” The job requires employees to work in commercial-grade freezers, unloading and organizing inventory. The store’s assistant manager accused the stocker of not being productive. “He was coached over it, he was accused of having no productivity. And he was fired,” Linda tells me. Why do you think he was fired? "I think he [the manager that fired the stocker] was convinced to do that by the assistant manager."
Terminating employees with some longevity saves the company money not just because it reduces wages, but also because Wal-Mart has found that bringing younger, healthier workers into the company can save money on benefits. In a memo leaked to the press in 2005, a strategy of eliminating veteran employees and bringing in younger, healthier employees that would use less health care was revealed. "It will be far easier to attract and retain a healthier work force than it will be to change behavior in an existing one," the memo reads. "These moves would also dissuade unhealthy people from coming to work at Wal-Mart."
Raises at Wal-Mart are tied to an employee’s performance appraisal - if an employee does well, they’re eligible for a raise; if not, the pay increase is reduced, if granted at all. “There’s employees there seven years, when I’d only been there two, still making $7.50,” Roslyn Landfair tells me. Linda adds, “They give it to who they want to. In fact, ever since I’ve worked there [four years],I’ve always gotten the full sixty-cent raise, every single time.”
But Linda experienced management's alleged fickle nature first-hand at her most recent review; she was told that she wouldn't get the full sixty-cent raise because of tardiness. “He [her manager] told me all my strengths and all my weaknesses, and that I exceeded his every goal, and said that I don’t need to be supervised because I’m a good worker, and he tells me what all my weaknesses are, and he says to me that he was going to give me the full review, but that I don’t know how to do inventory management. I told him ‘But I do know how to do inventory management’. He says, ‘Oh yeah, that’s right!’ He didn’t say anything. But then he says ‘Well, I want to talk to you about your absenteeism.’ I says ‘What are you talking about?’ He says ‘You have three absences and four tardies.’ I says ‘No I don’t, there’s no way I could have.’ He says, ‘Let’s look at the computer.’ And I says ‘Let’s do that.’”
Linda and her manager went to the computer that tracks employee clock punches. She explained to me Wal-Mart’s policy for clocking in: if you punch in within 15 minutes of your scheduled shift, you’re considered on time. Three lates is an absence. In order for the system to work right, however, the manager has to make sure that he codes the clock punches correctly when they’re uploaded into they system. Linda pointed out to the manager that the punches he was referring to as tardies were coded incorrectly. After she pointed that out to him, he told her that she had a no call-no show on September 2nd. “I knew that was a Tuesday or a Wednesday, and I’m always scheduled off on all Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I says ‘how can I have a no call-no show when I’m scheduled off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays?’ He stared at the computer. They were screwing with me.”
Low costs, both for suppliers and employees, aren’t the only way that Wal-Mart generates revenue. Rosetta and Linda told me about the large profits Wal-Mart has seen thanks to the Illinois Link Card. The Link program is Illinois’s Food Stamps program, and it works like a debit card: benefit recipients swipe the card at the register to pay for food purchases. Wal-Mart has recently begun accepting the Link card at its retail locations that sell groceries. Rosetta’s store in Cicero has had a successful run with the Link program: the store did a million dollars in business with the state’s food stamp program on the first day of March.
Shoppers that use their Link card at Wal-Mart include many Wal-Mart employees, which isn’t surprising, given that a large number of them are on public aid. The women claim the company purposely cut workers' hours (and therefore their pay) so workers can remain eligible for the Link card, creating a cycle for the store of less pay to employees and more profits thanks to the Link card usage - the logic being that the employees will buy groceries in their own store rather than go to a competing store. Rosetta told me, “There’s a lot of workers on Link. They [the company] cut their [workers'] hours, because they know when they cut their hours their check stubs is lower. And every time you take your check stubs in to the public aid office you get more food stamps if you got less hours. Then they turn around and spend the Link card in Sam’s Club.”
While there's admittedly only anecdotal evidence to support this alleged exploitation of Illinois's Link program and Wal-Mart is one of many large grocery chains that accepts the Link card, reports and research in other states demonstrates that the corporation does have a history of employing more workers dependent on state welfare programs than other chains. Reliable numbers on the company's profitability from it's employees using public assistance programs are hard to come by, but a look at data reports from other states indicates that public assistance to Wal-Mart employees isn't an uncommon phenomena.
A study by the University of California Berkley's Labor Center found that a disproportionate number of the mega-retailer's employees rely on the state's public health programs, compared to other retail workers. The previously mentioned internal company memo, (PDF here) reported by the New York Times, validated UC Berkley's findings (PDF here). More specifically, a recent study conducted by the state of Massachusetts found that Wal-Mart topped their list of companies with 50 or more employees using publicly subsidized care (PDF here) with a total of 40 percent of their employees in the state relying on state aid for health care. And the company topped a similar 2004 study in Washington state which found that nearly 20 percent of Wal-Mart employees received state-subsidized health coverage, either through Medicaid or the state's Basic Health Plan, more than twice that of competitor Safeway, who at the time employed roughly the same number of employees in the state as Wal-Mart.
I asked the women if they knew workers that are on Link. “Yeah!” both Rosetta and Linda replied. “Everybody got Link,” says Rosetta. “They sell it to each other in the store. They sell the Link card to the ones that don’t have it. All the workers got the Link card, mostly."
In part three on Monday, we’ll look at how Wal-Mart keeps their employees from unionizing, and why people stay.
Around Town ...
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You Can Dance if You Want To: An Interview With Billy Elliot’s Tommy Batchelor ...
Giuseppe Bausilio , Tommy Batchelor, John Peter Viernes and Cesar Corrales share the title role in the Chicago production of Billy Elliot
An original Broadway cast member when the show opened in November 2008, 14-year-old Tommy Batchelor was a former understudy for the show before joining the rotation several months later as the 4th full-fledged “Billy.” Occasionally eclipsed by the fame of the three original Broadway Billys, Batchelor—with his experience in the Broadway production—is now the anchor of the group in Chicago and has finally found his place in the spotlight.
Originally from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Batchelor began dance training at the age of four. “One of my instructors always told me I’d make it to Broadway,” says Batchelor. “But I think she thought I would be at least 20 before that happened,” he says with a noticeable grin.
The Chicago Billys did some fundamental training in New York at the end of last year, but rehearsals with the entire cast have been taking place at the Oriental Theater (and other locations in Chicago) since early January.
Chicagoist caught up with Batchelor during a recent break from rehearsals. Check out our full interview with him after the jump.
Tommy Batchelor rehearses for Billy Elliot
Tommy Batchelor: I actually didn’t go through as many auditions as most of the boys. I had one audition by myself, and then I had a call-back with six other boys—they told me right after that [that I got the part].
C: Were you a little nervous?
TB: Yeah, I was nervous! I had to pick out songs from the show to sing, and we did lots of improv in the audition, actually. I’d done improv on my own, but never in front of anyone else!
C: Did Elton John, whose music is featured in Billy Elliot give the Broadway Billys any words of advice?
TB: He’s really nice and sweet. He’s awesome! He said ‘don’t worry if you are nervous, it’s good to be nervous, because it adds to your energy level on stage.’
C: The Oriental Theatre is such an amazing facility. Are you excited to be performing here?
TB: I am amazed by it. The theater in New York [City] is so much smaller than this one. The Oriental Theater is a lot bigger, and the backstage is humongous!
C: So much of Billy Elliot is about how dancing makes “Billy” feel. Describe what it feels like when you’re dancing, Tommy.
TB: It’s hard to put into words. I always think of the song “Electricity” from the show, when Billy sings, ‘It’s like when you’ve been crying, and you’re empty and you’re full.’ There are a mix of emotions going through your body all at once.
C: I understand the finale consists of 16 grand pirouettes followed by a series of passé pirouettes—that sounds exhausting just saying that! How do you prepare for it?
TB: Yeah, the dance we do at the end is for “Electricity” and the whole show has built up to this part, this moment. You put all of your energy into it. We rehearse every day, and I always think about the notes and corrections the instructors have given me—and that helps me stay balanced and to stay focused.
C: Have you had a chance to explore the city yet?
TB: I went with a few kids in the show to the Shedd Aquarium, which was really cool, and we’ve been to the Field Museum, and I think we’re going to the Museum of Science and Industry soon—I’m really excited about that. I really liked Millennium Park and that big fountain. What’s it called? Buckingham Fountain? That was really amazing.
C: Do you ever get recognized in public?
TB: In New York, like sometimes after a show we go out to eat, and people will come up to me and say ‘I think I just saw you in Billy Elliot,’ and they’ll ask me to sign something for them or take picture. One time outside the stage door, somebody asked me to sign their shoes, because they didn’t have anything else to sign. That was pretty funny!
Preview performances for Billy Elliot begin March 18th.
Review: Kith & Kin ...
Often the food we eat as adults is informed by what we ate at home growing up. Coming from a family with deep Southern roots, this is a great time to be a Chicagoan who loves to dine out. Southern cooking and cocktails are everywhere. After many false heralds, this is the new bacon meme, really.
Spearheading the rise of the South is Lincoln Park's Kith & Kin. Located in the old La Canasta space on Webster, the dining room has the comfortable feel of family-style restaurants I love to frequent in Nashville, Memphis and the Carolinas, with a menu to match of simple dishes that are, for the most part, impeccably prepared. Ash Taleb of catering giant Zig Zag Kitchen partnered with chef David Carrier on kith & Kin and the forthcoming Table. Carrier's resume includes stints at Trio and French Laundry, and a lot of the early press on Kith & Kin centered on the degrees of separation between Grant Achatz and both Carrier and chef de cuisine Andrew Brochu (Alinea, Pops for Champagne). But the spiritual inspiration for Kith & Kin's menu, in flavor and presentation, is Thomas Keller, the highest regarded and most respected of American chefs.
Exhibit A in the Carrier-Keller connection is Kith & Kin's chicken thighs. Cooked first as a confit, then pan-seared to give the skin a wonderful crispness and color, three of them are set atop a bed of caramelized greens, gnocchi and brown butter, with a liberal garnish of crispy sage. The presentation of the dish is straight out of The French Laundry Cookbook; the flavors in perfect harmony. It's a fine art version of the meat-and-three. If mom cooked this, the sides would surround the thighs.
Any of the crocks on the menu are also works of art, as well as meals unto themselves. Kith & Kin's chicken liver pâté has a texture not unlike mousse, hiding under a solid cap of clarified butter, and served with cornichons, Dijon mustard and crostini. Creamed spinach, served with rich toasted shallots, will make you think twice about this abused dish. Kith & Kin's pimento cheese made me think twice about a dish I swore off as a ten-year-old, given my bad experiences with the spread. Desserts also score highly, like a banana pudding with homemade vanilla wafers.
The secret of Kith & Kin is its outstanding cocktails. The Sazerac, made with rye, cognac and given a rinse of Herbsaint, is the best in the city not made by the Violet Hour or myself. Kith & Kin's Moscow mule, made with North Shore vodka and garnished with a thick slice of cucumber, will make even the biggest cocktail snobs forget to bitch that it wasn't served in a copper mug. There are some misses, like seared rapini and pickled garlic. Loved the concept, but rapini is one of those greens that is better served steamed or broiled. their take on a Boston cream pie, as a brioche doughnut with a dusting of powdered sugar and chocolate syrup, turned out to be drier than Death valley. Overall, Kith & Kin's walks the walk and their early success only raises the expectations for Table, when it opens.
Kith & Kin, 1119 W Webster Ave, 773-472-7070. 5pm-midnight daily.
QUICK SPINS: Ted Leo + Pharmacists, Earl Greyhound ...
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists
The Brutalist Bricks
We have to admit that we were worried America's angriest D.C. punk might mellow with a Democrat in the White House but luckily for all of us Ted Leo is still raging on The Brutalist Bricks. To be fair his blistering torrents seem slightly diluted this time around, not as lyrically focused on particulars, instead allowing the heat to swirl around as in a convection oven. This provides an evening effect and allows Leo to concentrate on the album's sound a bit more than we're used to. Leo's usual torrent of tiny tinny tornados are finally roped in and grounded with a thudding bass fighting its way in and embedding itself into the mix. A lot of the songs still barrel through on Leo's speedy ska-influenced vocals and instruments that walk a fine line between punk and stripped down speed metal. This is all fine and good, if a bit wearying, but when Leo slows down and allows a bit of classic rock to slip into his songs the results are more satisfying. "Ativan Eyes" sports a sing-along chorus straight from the new wave, and "Woke Up Near Chelsea" is Pete Townshend if he had filtered Empty Glass through a scrim of methamphetamines. The Brutalist Bricks is a solid effort that shows Leo is in no danger of running out of steam any time soon.
Ted Leo plays Bottom Lounge March 13
Earl Greyhound
Suspicious Package
We loved Earl Greyhound's debut, headed by singers / guitarists Matt Whyte and Kamara Thomas and anchored by Chris Bear, who left the band to play in a little band named Grizzly Bear. We saw Earl Greyhound play Double Door shortly afterward with a new drummer that brought a furious approach to the band’s songs that made them even better. We were primed and eagerly expecting to see what the band's next record would sound like. Well, it took them a while, but four years later we're finally getting our wish fulfilled. Suspicious Package is an ambitious sophomore effort but it gets off to a wobbly start with the messy psych-prog of the two-part opener "The Eyes Of Cassandra." Luckily "Oye Vaya" swoops right in afterward and delivers some heavy boogie rock that reassures that the band hasn't lost its way. The band is still firmly rooted in a '70s blue rock aesthetic with a healthy dose of wailing soul. But with the addition of Ricc Sheridan's dexterous and lyrical drum chops the band has found a renewed energy and where other bands mid-song jams grow quickly tiresome, Earl Greyhound remains nimble in dangerous territory.
Suspicious Package is out April 13
Earl Greyhound opens for OK Go April 17 at Metro
Whatever Happened to Breaking up over the Phone? ...
We thought we’d seen every possible “best of” list out there: best hamburgers, best romantic restaurant, best light fixtures. You name it, someone has made a list of it - nothing could surprise us anymore. Humbly, we stand corrected. A couple of weeks back UrbanDaddy posted a list of the five best restaurants for breakups, or, as they put it “Five Spots to Let them Down Gently.” And by them, they mean the weeping, devoted people whose hearts you are about to crush and smother with soy sauce.
They suggest spots like Belly Shack (“the volume here is loud enough that the tears will be muffled”) and Tank Noodles (“the non-native English speaking clientele may not be familiar with some of the more choice words that will be thrown your way”) and threw in Sultan’s Market, Wang’s and Mercadito for good measure. Do we detect a subtle ethnic bias? Apparently breakups go better when fueled by noodles and tacos.
Far be it for us to dispute their expertise, but do people usually stage breakup dinners? Our biggest dating-related food problem is revisiting the sites of bad dates - if we start breaking up in restaurants, soon we won’t be able to go anywhere! Plus, this habit could get very expensive, depending on how much of a … romantic you are. Call us old fashioned, but we’ll stay home with a bottle of bourbon and a bad romance novel, and save Belly Shack for happier times.
Image by ArtsySF .
The Morning After: Bulls Roughed Up ...
AP Photo/John Raoux
Magic Rough Up Bulls
The Bulls' free-fall continues and now - adding injury to insult - they may be without star Derrick Rose for a spell. The Orlando Magic had little trouble handing the Bulls their sixth-straight loss 111-82. With Luol Deng and Joakim Noah already out with injuries, Derrick Rose hurt his left wrist late in the first quarter after a collision with Orlando's Dwight Howard; he'll have an MRI on the wrist today to determine how serious the injury is. With their top three players hurt, then, James Johnson led the Bulls with 13 points, though they didn't put up much of a fight, down 65-33 at the half. The Bulls try to regroup tonight in Miami (6:30 p.m., WGN).
College Basketball
Spring Training
The Sox and Indians played to a 5-5 tie while the Cubs saw a better second outing from Carlos Silva en route to an 8-7 win over San Diego. Both teams are in split-squad action today but they'll both send a squad to Las Vegas where the two will square off once more (9:05 p.m., CSN).
DOWNLOAD: High Places ...
The new album from High Places, High Places vs. Mankind isn't out until April 6, but the band is giving you a taste of what to expect with the free single "Can't Feel Nothing (Remix)." The track won't appear on the album, but it will be collected with a 12" of remixes called Can't Feel Born at some point.
"Can't Feel Nothing (Remix)" has the same trippy sped-up dubbed feeling that permeates the album proper's tunes. in fact High Places vs. Mankind really comes across as a crisp splash of atmosphere fed by bottomless depth and rain jungle streams. It feels rooted in steamy seclusion and the physical effect is denoted reasonably well by the band's chosen name.
Fancy a sample? This one's free...
MP3: High Places "Can't Feel Nothing (Remix)"
High Places plays April 3 at Schubas
[Sponsored] ...
Michaels, Feder Play The Feud ...
Feder
Michaels fired back at Feder, saying, “I feel sorry for Bob. If he thinks it’s wrong for the CEO of a content company to focus on content, that could help explain why he is no longer paid to be in media.” And now, Feder has responded to Michaels' response.
Setting aside the false familiarity (no one who knows me calls me “Bob”), Michaels’ response is irksome for two reasons: First, it falsely assumes that I think a CEO shouldn’t “focus on content.” No, I just believe the arrogant and heavy-handed way he went about it was wrong. And second, to say that I am “no longer paid to be in media” is completely and utterly false.
Feder then claims he turned down an offer to write for the Trib's Chicago Now blog network and chose Vocalo instead before launching into a brief defense that online journalism is the future and Michaels is stuck in the past ("old radio showman"). So what had the chance of becoming an interesting discussion about the way a large multi-media corporation is run has now been reduced to the stereotypical argument over "blogs" between someone who doesn't understand online media at all (Michaels) and someone who maybe understands it a little too well (Feder).
So a word to Feder (because you really need to take advice from someone like me, right?): we're fans and we don't want to see you go down this road. Don't let Michaels bait you into the "Blogs aren't the media-Blogs are the wave of the future" argument that the entire Chicago mediashpere has been arguing about (in circles) over the last two years. The chance at delving into the inner-workings of a ginormous multi-media corporation - a corporation that hasn't exactly had the best run the last few years - is a good opportunity that shouldn't be squandered by a pissing contest with someone too worried about his name appearing in a headline alongside "rubber penis." After all, you've been there, you've worked for a company that also saw some financial hardships and declining readerships, so who better than you to show us what does and doesn't work and why? On behalf of all the "hobbyists" on staff here at Chicagoist, you've got the ball Robert, now run with it.
Today's Weather: Tricky ...
Today is going to be the calm before the storm. Literally. Today will be be tranquil with scattered peeks of sun, some clouds, a slight chance of showers and highs in the mid-50s. But that all goes downhill tonight when gusty winds and heavy rain move in. And that monstrous weather will carry in to tomorrow. For now, though, enjoy the calm before the storm. And don't forget: daylight saving time starts Sunday at 2 a.m. so get ready to spring forward.
Extra, Extra ...
Another Mistrial For Hal Turner ...
CT State Police, via AP
In December, a mistrial was declared in the first go-around as the jury failed to reach a verdict. The same reason is being blamed for this mistrial: after three days of deliberations, the jury was unable to reach a verdict. One issue that played a larger role than expected at the trial was the revelation that Turner had previously worked as an informant for the FBI. April 12 has been scheduled as the start date for trial number three. Declaring that federal judges should be killed is dumb enough, but we're wondering if Turner regrets the tirade given that the SCOTUS is likely going to give him what he wanted in the first place.
Today In WTF: Crisco Twister, Nirvana, And The Smashing Pumpkins ...
We don't really have much to say about this other than uh... well, it's just too weird to NOT share. [via]
The Magnetic Fields Impress At Harris Theater ...
Artwork via The Magnetic Fields' MySpace
The Harris Theater at Millennium Park, in connection with the Old Town School of Folk Music, played host to two performances of The Magnetic Fields Sunday and Monday evening. The polished space is sprawling, but felt tiny at Sunday night's sold-out show. A stage built large enough to house dance and orchestra performances took on a special magic when flanked by only a few bodies. Opener Laura Barrett and her two accompanists led the audience through an entertaining mix of quirky, humorous and at one point, interactive, storybook songs made serious by way of Barrett's extremely capable and obviously classicly trained voice. Barrett's simplistic but charming song themes served as an excellent transition into the melodies of The Magnetic Fields.
Somehow Merritt's expected grumpy demeanor and unwillingness to make eye contact with the audience, only made for a more intimate performance. Claudia Gonson played off Merritt's eccentricities like only a longtime friend and collaborator could. Their dynamic was incredibly personal to watch firsthand and it was easy to see why they've been able to create such connective music together over the years. Where one lacked strength, the other shined, a dynamic that was not only visible in their interactions, but audible in the night's music.
There's a crisp and absolute beauty that soars from beneath the mumbling top layer of Merritt's voice live. We weren't expecting such passionate notes from the diminutive man known for his dislike of performance. Merritt's first notes of the show found their home nestled in The 6th's Lindy-Lou and kept us in equal wide-eyed amazement across a career spanning selection that included personal, long-time favorite I Don't Want To Get Over You and new favorite off Realism, You Must Be Out Of Your Mind. Gonson was the only person in the theater Merritt made eye contact with across a lengthy, two-part show, but it only made us feel all the more special, like we were watching something we weren't meant to be observing.
While Merritt never faltered, a master of his own intonation, Gonson's vocal contributions seemed far less studied. Merritt was almost too good, and in many ways Gonson's not quite on point voice added to, not took away from the show. Like their interactions with the audience, their personal strengths filled the small pockets of each other's weaknesses and left a very human imprint on an evening of powerful lyrics and beautiful melodies that made us wonder why we'd waited so damn long to seek out a Magnetic Fields performance.
Congrats, You've Paid Off Your Transportation For The Year (Maybe) ...
So far this year, while you've been fulfilling - or breaking - your New Year's resolutions and waiting for spring, you've also (hopefully) been working to pay off your transportation costs for the year. According to the Illinois Public Interest Research Group, it has taken the average Chicagoland resident until today, 70 days from the beginning of the new year, to make enough money to cover transit for the year.
Illinois PIRG estimates that Chicagolanders spend 19 percent of their annual income on transportation, which is more than they spend on food, clothing, entertainment, income taxes, and health care. While households in more walkable neighborhoods, like Roscoe Village, spend closer to $7,034, an average household in suburban West Dundee spends more like $11,783 on transportation for the year. A person living in the city of Chicago who doesn't own a car and rides only the CTA via 30-day unlimited passes (at $86 each) would spend a little less than $1,118 on transportation per year. But that doesn't include spouses or kids, taxi rides, bike repair, Metra fare, rental cars, or any other incidental transportation costs.
In order to cut down on these costs, Illinois PIRG calls for better public transportation and more funding. The figures were calculated by the Center for Neighborhood Technology and partners based on neighborhood and household variables, which predicted car ownership, car usage, and public transportation usage, and eventually, how much an average household would spend on transportation. Of course, given the current crisis the CTA (and all local transit agencies) finds itself embroiled in, the call for more funding will remain wishful thinking.
Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week:" Magic Hat Vinyl Amber Lager ...
Been doing "BotW" for so long we can't remember if we ever used a YouTube video to spotlight a selection. But this one was just too damn weird to pass up. Give credit to the folks at Magic Hat: they're persistent in coming up with creative ways to market their beer. thanks to the artwork, this week's selection also has a local bent.
Vinyl is the Vermont brewery's new spring seasonal selection and it's a wonderful transition beer for those of you who've spent the winter on stouts and porters. A Vienna lager brewed with Victory, Munich, Pale and Crystal malts with Northern Brewer hops, Vinyl has a rich sweetness that will have you pining for the promise of Spring. the hops are more prevalent on the nose, with a light spice reminiscent of dandelions. At 5.1 percent ABV, it's just above session beer status, but still worth having in pairs.
Now, for the local connection. you won't be able to miss Vinyl on liquor store shelves as the label artwork was created by local artist and designer Jim Pollock, who's best known around these parts for his rock band and concert posters. We own a couple of Pollock's designs on t-shorts and were pleased to recognize his handiwork on the label. Hackney's Printer's Row has Vinyl available on draft for $5.45.
Thursday Afternoon Diversion ...
Ever wonder how a book cover gets designed? Wonder no more, via Galleycat.