Hi there 🤖 👋

I Sell the Circus Guided by Voices officially called it quits one month ago, so naturally the group’s always-busy and ultraprolific front man Robert Pollard has a new record with a new band on the way. That didn’t take long. This time around he’s fronting a project called Ricked Wicky, a collaboration with a few other Dayton staples, some of whom have spent time in GBV themselves. A tune from Ricked Wicky’s debut LP, I Sell the Circus has surfaced—today’s 12 O’Clock Track, “Mobility”—and it’s really great, as expected....

Freelance photographer Paul Boucher went to Mamby on the Beach this past weekend to capture the vibrant, youthful energy of several great local acts on the bill. (Ravyn Lenae, pictured above, just finished high school.) Photos of Lenae, Saba, Oddcouple, Green Velvet, and Sir the Baptist continue below.

PAUL KOLNIK Four Corners Looking for something to do today? Agenda‘s got you covered. For more on these events and others, check out the Reader‘s Agenda page.

Dan Monick Kendrick Lamar Looking for something to do today? Agenda‘s got you covered. For more on these events and others, check out the Reader‘s daily Agenda page.

JOHN STURDY Outer Minds Looking for something to do today? Agenda‘s got you covered. For more on these events and others, check out the Reader‘s daily Agenda page.

Courtesy of On The Grind Management YP The final track on YP’s brand-new BackWood Jones mixtape begins with a blunt, somber line: “Hopefully I don’t die.” It sounds like a child is singing the hook, and the gentle voice makes YP’s stark look at drug dealing on “Hopefully” even more unsettling than it otherwise would have been. YP burrows into the world of a street hustler pushing a pharmacy of illegal drugs, and his frank, evenhanded bars shine light on a protagonist headed towards darkness....

Since the 90s, Chicago’s rockabilly scene has been getting bypassed in favor of its older alt-country sibling. In contrast to the likes of Robbie Fulks and Jeff Tweedy, who are well-known across the city, the rockabilly set has remained strangely insular. There’s a good chance other roots-rock communities might know about, say, former Chicagoan Jimmy Sutton, who’s played his doghouse bass with the Moondogs, Mighty Blue Kings, Jimmy Sutton’s Four Charms, and J....

This year the festival celebrates its 50th edition with revivals of: Alexander and Natural Born Killers, introduced by director Oliver Stone; Roger and Me, introduced by director Michael Moore; four features starring French actress Isabelle Huppert; and numerous features that have played in past years. Unless otherwise noted, screenings are at River East 21 and tickets are $14. A half century of CIFF milestones, from Scorsese’s debut to Lee Daniels’s achievement award Read our reviews of films screening during the first and second weeks of CIFF....

Most of the well-known headliners at this weekend’s 31st annual Chicago Blues Festival are older artists with mainstream appeal—that is, they play some combination of vintage blues, soul, and R&B. This is more or less standard operating procedure for the fest, but the 2014 lineup distinguishes itself in other ways: further down the bill you’ll find an array of talent more diverse than in many recent years, covering soul-blues, roots rock, old-time string-band music, and more....

I feel pretty silly for missing the boat on X_X (pronounced “ex blank ex”), a short-lived Cleveland punk band led by guitarist John Morton of the Electric Eels—an equally warped prepunk combo that injected serious sonic damage into art-rock in the early 70s. But in my defense, X_X existed for a mere six months in 1978 and released just two singles, both for the Clevo underground imprint Drome, which also released some great early material by the Pagans....

Continuing their excellent programming of underground-rock acts, tonight the Owl will host a show of all-female solo sets, headlined by singer Cassie Ramone (of the now-defunct Vivian Girls). The program’s aim is to take these ladies away from the loud punk bands they front and let them play mellow, acoustic, and stripped-down music—Ramone’s solo material is soft and pretty, with the focus on her awkward vocal melodies and simplistic guitar strums....

From comedy shows to festivals to literary readings, there’s tons to do in Chicago this week. Here are just a few recommendations: Wed 5/31: The breakout RuPaul’s Drag Race star presents her one-woman show Trixie Mattel: Ages 3 and up. Located at the Laugh Factory (3175 N. Broadway), Mattel’s show is full of humor, heart, and plenty of drag. 5/31-6/4: The A.V. Club welcomes headliners Patton Oswalt, Christopher Guest, and Mike Judge to town for the Fourth Annual 26th Annual Comedy Festival taking place at venues all across the city....

Following, in alphabetical order, are reviews of selected films screening at this year’s festival. Scroll to the bottom of the page for information about venue, admission, and advance sales. Chronic Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco is attracted to perverse relationships: his haunting Daniel & Ana, which screened at the 2009 festival, concerned a brother and sister in Mexico City who are kidnapped and forced to mate for a sex video, and this eerie drama stars Tim Roth as a private nurse in LA who’s incapable of setting boundaries with his patients....

Pull up your chairs, kiddies, and let me tell you of a time long ago when you could make your name by starting a food blog. Daniel Shumski, who was also for part of this time a digital editor at the Tribune, did that twice—first by starting a thoughtful blog called Fruit Slinger, chronicling his experiences working for a certain farmer/vendor at the Green City Market (let’s just say he grew the blog from a seedling), which for a time occupied space here at the Reader....

According to data obtained from the sheriff’s office, no Cook County zip code has seen more evictions than South Shore, 60649, since the office began tracking these numbers in 2011. Last year the sheriff’s office conducted 382 evictions in the area bounded by Stony Island Avenue, the lakefront, Jackson Park, and 79th Street—eight times more than the average. Between 2014 and 2016 the neighborhood saw about 20 percent more evictions than the second-busiest zip code, 60619, which includes parts of Chatham, Avalon Park, and Greater Grand Crossing....

Sunday, August 6, 2017 11 AM – 5 PM Plumbers Hall 1340 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, IL 60607 The Made in Chicago Market is back! It’s a fun celebration of all things DIY—showcasing some of the best apparel, housewares, and food and drink that Chicago has to offer! Shop local and support your neighborhood makers. Free admission! Free parking! You should come! #MICM #MadeinChicago Food & Drink menu Beers: Guten Tag and Scentinel from Old Irving Brewing...

ARTIST: Dave Sagan SHOW: Chris Dertz & the River, Arizona Landmine, Retirement Party, Vaya, and Coaster at Beat Kitchen on Thu 3/30 MORE INFO: ratboys.bandcamp.com

When the devil comes a-knockin’ on the door of village pariah Elizabeth (Audrey Francis) to offer a Faustian bargain for her soul, he tries out a unique sales pitch: Everyone in town already believes her to be a witch and treats her accordingly. So why not lean into it and actually reap some perks? Lyons’s cast is compelling from top to bottom (Francis, as a deadpan, strong-willed Elizabeth, is a consistent scene stealer), and without spoiling anything, a shocking sequence fight-choreographed by Matt Hawkins is undoubtedly one of the richest, most visceral scenes to play out on a Chicago stage all year....

Street View is a fashion series in which Isa Giallorenzo spotlights some of the coolest styles seen in Chicago.

Ted Cox “Just steps from the lake . . . “ For several years this spot on Pratt Boulevard “just steps from the lake,” as the rental ads would tout it, was home to Cafe Suron, a decent BYO Middle Eastern restaurant that closed only when the owners retired. The neighborhood hasn’t had much luck with the space in the five years or so since. RoPa, Cafe Suron’s first replacement, was a wine bar with a list full of ludicrously marked-up grocery-store critter labels; Aqua, its short-lived second, always seemed to be closed....