Senator Ted Cruz just made a surprising swerve to the left in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Cruz not only drew a sharp distinction between science and religion but he strongly intimated that science is more accurate and reliable. This concession puts him at odds with such a large segment of the Republican base that it’s unlikely any other candidate will follow his example.
What’s long made this Elmhurst-bred fivesome so kinetic is that hidden within plain sight of their arena-ready garage-loyal melodies and Mario Cuomo’s cheeky, apathetic sneer is the capability or, well, desire to drunkenly toe the blurry line between proper, showman-focused rock band and degenerate, fuck-shit-up rock band. In short, the Orwells always seem to be considering whether or not to upper-deck the house party’s only working toilet. Their new Terrible Human Beings (Atlantic) plays to that tendency both in title and song, as tracks like “They Put the Body in the Bayou”—complete with that sweet undercurrent of shoegaze sustain—and “M....
Despite its profound and ongoing influence across a wide spectrum of musicians, the work of composer Morton Feldman is rarely performed in Chicago. That dearth can be explained in part by the durational intensity of many of his greatest works—which often clock in at more than an hour, and demand intense concentration and focus from its players. Pianists Christopher Narloch and Jonathan Hannau have been making their presence increasingly felt in Chicago’s new-music community: the former is a successful instructor with a strong grasp of 20th-century repertoire, while the latter splits his time between composing and performing, and both have an abiding love for Feldman....
The Royal Tenenbaums The Grand Budapest Hotel, the newest film by the divisive Wes Anderson, is now playing citywide after premiering in New York and LA last week. J.R. Jones has a review of the film in this week’s paper, in which he writes “over the years Anderson’s cult following has built steadily, though his filmography has had its ups and downs . . . with each new feature his eccentric visual style becomes more pronounced even as his characters seem flatter and more cartoonish....
In 1774, 12 years after he composed a tradition-busting Italian opera version of the mythical tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, Christoph Willibald Gluck revised it for presentation in Paris. With an eye to French mores and taste, he changed his original casting for the hero who braves hell to reclaim his dead wife from a castrato to a high tenor. He also greatly expanded the dance sequences, which make Orphée et Eurydice an apt selection for a much-anticipated first collaboration between Lyric Opera and the Joffrey Ballet....
Courtesy Poetry Foundation Renée Fleming 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.
GETTY IMAGES Young Dro 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.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t count the times I’ve been working through a Kewpie-drenched spider roll when I’m interrupted by a hankering for fine French charcuterie—because it’s never happened before. And yet there I was at Ravenswood’s newish Nami Sushi Bar, standing at the edge of the abyss wondering if the sky would implode if I augmented my negi hama and salmon skin maki with an order of duck rillette with dijon, frisee, dried cherries, cornichons, and....
“Mary Purnell prophesied that the ingathering would occur when people drove by the House of David and said, ‘Look, that’s where it used to be.’ With its rubble-strewn grounds and dilapidated buildings, that time would appear to be now. The hard work in which the Israelites have engaged since the beginning of this century is nearing its final goal.” —Adam Langer in “The Last Days of the House of David,” Chicago Reader, June 30, 1994...
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast Fans outside Wrigley Field yesterday before the inevitable As they say at Wrigley Field, you lose some, you lose some. But yesterday’s collapse really took the cake. But with yesterday’s failure the Cubs are 7-13, which keeps them on pace to sink to the occasion. The loss reduced their magic number to 87. Any combination of blown leads, walk-off losses, nail-biters, cliff-hangers, heartbreakers, and garden-variety defeats totalling 100 will make this a real “Party of the Century”, as the Cubs owners call it....
Rod Stewart is a buffoon and a lech who’s spent nearly 40 years proudly embarrassing himself onstage and on numerous musical projects (the cover of his Christmas album, Merry Christmas, Baby, conveys about as much yuletide cheer as a holiday sweater sprayed with Drakkar Noir). But I still hold out hope that the Stewart of the 1960s and ’70s—the guy who fronted the Jeff Beck Group and the Faces and who cut an incredible run of Stonesy folk-blues LPs, the apex of which is 1971’s Every Picture Tells a Story—might return to his earthy, gently rambunctious roots....
Slothrust would be a great doomy sludge-metal band name: with each utterance of it you can practically hear slow-grinding feedback and monster power chords being crushed beneath toppling rhythms. That doesn’t quite describe the actual Slothrust, though. The trio does have a heavy grunge snarl a la Mudhoney or Soundgarden, but it’s leavened by Leah Wellbaum’s winsome vocals and the indie-rock song structures lurking under the murk. Their second album, Everyone Else (Dangerbird), released last October, is a fuzzed-out slab of classic and alternative rock—half swagger, half stagger....
Anyone aware of Kathleen Rooney’s controversial exit in 2010 from Senator Dick Durbin’s Chicago office might be disappointed that her new political book isn’t a tell-all. An accomplished writer with several books under her belt—including poetry and a memoir, Live Nude Girl, about being an artist’s model—Rooney published her first work, the autobiographical essay collection For You, for You, I Am Trilling These Songs, while working as a Durbin aide. When word of the book got back to the senator’s D....
Ah, yes, the twinkling lights, the tinkling bells, the emails and the phone calls: ’tis the season to be hit up for donations. And hit up again. And again. But let’s say you’re a little more stingy—er, discriminating—than that. One simple way to turn your despicable Scroogyness into rational and therefore acceptable behavior is to apply the handy-dandy executive pay test. And in this brave new shame-free Trumpian world, it seems no one’s embarrassed about taking a one-percenter salary out of donations wangled from the less fortunate....
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images North America The Thunder’s Reggie Jackson and the Clippers’ Matt Barnes Is justice procedural, or is it defined strictly by the results? If an innocent man is mistakenly convicted of murder after a fair trial, has justice been done? Many an appellate judge will say it has. Form was followed, and what more can be asked of any fallible institution? The announcers were saying, so what? They made sure we understood the rules: the out-of-bounds calls could be reviewed and reversed; the foul noncalls could not....
Instead, Kyles made a shandy with the liquid from the sauerkraut jar, hoping that the beer would tame the sauerkraut. “It’s somewhat German-inspired—there’s a little bit of Jägermeister in there, Sam Adams Oktoberfest, sauerkraut.” Other elements of the drink included Grand Marnier, simple syrup, lemon juice, an Amaro Montenegro foam—and a sauerkraut garnish. *Foam: 1 egg white 1 ounce Amaro Montegro .5 oz simple syrup .5 oz lemon Shake with a single ice cube, strain, then dry shake....
Was I imagining things, or did the WBEZ announcers sound cheerier than usual during the membership drive that ended last week? Maybe it was the fact this spring’s drive was reduced to just five days on the air—after days of hints to listeners to go online to make their pledges. Maybe it was the campaign’s success: the revenues it raised—$1 million—soared 33 percent above the 2016 spring total, and that drive was considered a good one....
After losing an hour this weekend, we have to fit even more into the precious few free moments available. We’re here with recommendations to make sure all your time is spent wisely: Tue 3/14: This iteration of the storytelling event the Moth StorySlam at the Promontory (5311 S. Lake Park West) is based on the theme “wonders.” 7 PM 3/16-3/17: Loyola University Chicago’s Institute of Environmental Sustainability (1032 W. Sheridan) hosts its fourth annual Climate Change Conference, examining the ways in which climate change interferes with human rights....
Revisit a classic film, hear customer-service horror stories, and get out of the house for this week’s events. Here’s some of what we recommend: 9/12: In “Howling” at Shane Campbell Gallery (2021 S. Wabash), Tony Lewis presents new graphite and colored-pencil drawings, plus sculptures pulled from his designs on the page. Opening reception: 4-7 PM, free
