The last time I checked in with Evanston’s youth-oriented Mudlark Theater in April 2020, they were in the midst of pivoting to online workshops and creating digital shows. The company has returned to live classes and performances since then. And now, with the help of two grants, they’re poised to further expand their focus on […]
Tag: Evanston
Posted inAgenda
Izzy’s Looks, Elevated Films, cat videos, and music
Today is the final day to catch Izzy’s Looks, a clothing pop-up at the Gard3n event space (688 N. Milwaukee, Suite 204). Izzy (mononymous like Cher) is a stylist and personal shopper with a penchant for thrifting funky, fresh vintage and modern duds in sizes small to 3X. But buying clothes from her isn’t just […]
Posted inFilm
In defense of dirtbags: Jake Johnson on why he loves a checkered past
A north-side native who spent his youth frequenting Wrigley Field and following the gospel according to Del Close, Jake Johnson is Chicago to the core.
Posted inOn Politics
The long haul
I’ve been writing for the Reader for so long that lots of you may think I’ve always been writing for the Reader. Like, you know, I hopped out of my mother’s womb with a pencil in my hand and a question or two for the doctor about TIFs. Not true—I didn’t have a pencil in […]
Posted inMusic
Chuck Prophet’s songwriting keeps getting better
Update 8/10: Chuck Prophet’s SPACE concert in August has been postponed till March 17, 2022. The FitzGerald’s show in October is still scheduled to proceed. If the best parts of your classic British Invasion, 50s country, 60s pop, and pure rock ’n’ roll records could be transformed into a person, they might look and sound […]
Posted inMusic
Evanston’s Jason Narducy wields a lifetime of rock power on Split Single’s new Amplificado
Split Single front man Jason Narducy can mold a bit of guitar distortion and a sweet melody into a lifeline. On “Bitten by the Sound,” a standout on Split Single’s new third album, Amplificado (Inside Outside), Narducy’s sheer but ironclad guitar embodies the white-hot energy of rock, which has mystified him since childhood. As a […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Nina Barrett vs. Amazon
The owner of Evanston’s Bookends & Beginnings is taking on the retail giant in an effort to save independent bookstores.
Posted inMusic
A new record store somehow opens in Evanston
A new record store somehow opens in Evanston, Spektral Quartet host an online Q&A with composer Du Yun, and more.
Posted inMusic
A transatlantic livestream on the gig poster of the week
This week’s featured gig poster was created by musician and artist Misisipi Mike.
Posted inCity Life
I’ll just drink this tea, thanks
What our listings coordinator is musing about this week
Posted inMusic
Indie children’s musician Justin Roberts reflects on his newfound fatherhood on Wild Life
Since 1997, Evanston indie rocker Justin Roberts has built a deep discography of children’s music that treats listeners of all ages with respect. He first got an inkling that he wanted to make originals for kids while teaching at Step by Step Montessori in Minneapolis in the early 90s, and he’s since become an unusual […]
Posted inMusic
Out of SPACE returns in June with George Clinton, Neko Case, Big Boi, and Drive-By Truckers
Summer outdoor concert series Out of SPACE announces its June shows, with the August dates coming later this month.
Posted inArts & Culture
Elaine Kahn’s words cut like a knife
The Evanston native’s new book of poetry explores love, loss, and pain.
Posted inMusic
What turns kids punk?
The new musical Verböten uses the story of Jason Narducy’s forgotten early-80s band to talk about the power of subculture.
Posted inMusic
Freddie Roulette is one of the few lap steel guitarists in the blues
In a career more than 50 years long, Roulette has lent his slide stylings to the likes of Earl Hooker, Charlie Musselwhite, and John Lee Hooker.