For most Americans, Andean folk music begins and ends with the sound of flutes played in harmony and the strumming of the tiple, the Colombian 12-string guitar–i.e., the sound of Simon & Garfunkel’s “El Condor Pasa (If I Could).” There’s plenty of that distinctive flavor in the music of Inti-Illimani, but those who’ve dipped into […]
Tag: Vol. 33 No. 40
Issue of Jul. 1 – 7, 2004
Posted inNews & Politics
Pedal Pushers
The city’s bike-rental king and an upstart tour operator have themselves a turf war.
Posted inArts & Culture
Iron & Wine
A striking piece of lo-fi folk in a southern Gothic vein, Iron & Wine’s 2002 debut album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, became an indie success on its own merits, though its charming backstory didn’t hurt. Originally the “band” was little more than the four-track hobby of Sam Beam, a Miami film professor, but an […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Taste of Chicago
In addition to all that food, the Taste of Chicago offers free musical performances on several stages in Grant Park: the Taste Stage (Columbus & Jackson), the Fun Time Stage (Balbo & Michigan), the Fox Bandstand (Jackson & Lake Shore Drive), and the Petrillo Music Shell (Columbus & Jackson). For information call 312-744-3370. THURSDAY, JULY […]
Posted inFilm
Spur of the Moment
“The years shall run like rabbits, For in my arms I hold The Flower of the Ages, And the first love of the world.” But all the clocks in the city Began to whirr and chime: “O let not Time deceive you, You cannot conquer Time…. “O plunge your hands in water, Plunge them in […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Leslie Carlson
If it weren’t for the slab of meat replacing the figure’s knee, Leslie Carlson’s Self-Portrait With Rib Steak would be a well-made nude to nod at and walk away from. But the choice cuts in this and a half dozen other slightly skeletal self-portraits at Gescheidle open the works up. Appropriating the dripped, muted earth […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jaga Jazzist
You have every reason to be skeptical of a jazz-electronica fusion, particularly one from the Ninja Tune label, which seems to specialize in goofy, frustratingly bland trip-hop. But Jaga Jazzist, a ten-piece Norwegian band led by composer Lars Horntveth, pulls it off: its music doesn’t feel engineered or synthesized so much as happened upon. On […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Second City Unhinged
Second City Unhinged, Second City E.T.C. Everyone in the two shows on the Wednesday-night bill of “Second City Unhinged” is a veteran of the sketch-comedy stage. Not surprisingly, the energy was high and the sketch work challenging, based in rich characterizations and cutting observations on contemporary culture and politics. Mind Games, up first, is definitely […]
Posted inNews & Politics
The Rest of the Story
Chicago Tribune: “For the second time in less than a month, Chicago-area high school students became ill Tuesday during realistic and graphic presentations on the dangers of drunken driving. Three students at Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove Village were taken to Alexian Brothers Medical Center after saying they felt faint. . . . […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Suspicious Clowns; The Resistance
SUSPICIOUS CLOWNS and THE RESISTANCE, Second City Training Center. Among the Suspicious Clowns sketches in this two-troupe late-night showcase are a medley of movie-ad buzz phrases, a scene featuring a glossolalic farmwife, and another about verbally incompatible lovers, one of whom speaks in recipe instructions, the other in third-person narratives. A househusband confesses to having […]
Posted inNews & Politics
Whose Fest is It Anyway?
I loved your article in this week’s paper about the lack of gay performers at your local pride fest [“Fighting Homolessness,” June 25]. I understand that the pride committee needs to have a big audience to bring in the dough, but certainly they could afford a higher mix of gay performers? How weird would it […]
Posted inNews & Politics
City File
Maybe there aren’t any Catholic senators. That’s one lesson an objective observer might draw from Senator Dick Durbin’s 14-page June 2 press release, which lists the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ positions on legislation and compares them to the votes of the 14 Democratic and 10 Republican senators who are Catholics. Votes are divided into […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Paul Burch
Paul Burch has an average but likable voice that’s a perfect fit for his homey, lived-in songs and his warm, nimble arrangements of pedal steel, acoustic, and tremolo guitars. He sounds as good as ever on his most recent album, Fool for Love (Bloodshot, 2003), nonchalantly imparting fresh new life to the hoariest of honky-tonk […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Woe, Pioneers; A Brit Booster; Teeter Trots
Discontent erupts at the development the city’s touting as a model for affordable artists’ housing.
Posted inNews & Politics
Prejudice ‘Em While They’re Young
Dear Sir or Madam: Interesting article about the Tony Kushner/Hedy Weiss battle [Hot Type, June 4]. We’re going through the same exact thing with our own “brethren”–that is, the Italian-American actors involved with the upcoming children’s cartoon Shark Tale, scheduled for an October 1 release. As your readers may or may not know, Shark Tale […]