Noname’s Book Club has become a national phenomenon since it launched in July. Each month the Chicago rapper selects two books by authors of color and encourages readers to pick them up from indie booksellers or local libraries. Since August, the club has helped organize monthly meet-ups across the country (five in November, including the first in Chicago), and Noname launched a Patreon in December to help send the club’s selections to prisons in various cities. Noname’s Book Club has also declared Saturday, January 11, the first National Fuck Amazon Day, encouraging readers to cut ties with the biggest bookstore in the world—and the one that evades the most in taxes!—by applying for library cards.
Since Led Zeppelin 2 came hopping down from the Misty Mountains in 2008, Gossip Wolf has often marveled at this Chicago cover band—especially their ability to stay out of copyright-related legal trouble! Joking aside, vocalist Bruce Lamont (Yakuza, Bloodiest), drummer Greg Fundis, bassist Matthew Longbons, and guitarist Paul Kamp (Busker Soundcheck) sell out venues from here to Mordor by playing with disarming historical accuracy, punishing rhythmic power, and (natch) a whole lotta love. At House of Blues on Friday and Saturday, January 10 and 11, they kick off a six-week tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin III.
Local guitarist and composer Kevin and Hell makes idiosyncratic music that mashes up small-combo jazz and zonked-out postpunk—like Wes Montgomery jamming with the Cleaners From Venus, speckled with Sun Ra’s eeriest synth tones. On Friday, January 10, he drops Sounds of an Electric Fantasy (Midwest Action), which features his strongest support cast yet, including Angel Bat Dawid on clarinet, Natalie Lande on saxophone, and Tommaso Moretti on drums. They celebrate the release with a show that night—also Kevin’s birthday!—at Bernice’s in Bridgeport. v
Got a tip? Tweet @Gossip_Wolf or e-mail gossipwolf@chicagoreader.com.
