Vol. 50 No. 10 Archives - Chicago Reader

City Life

A fashion show, a paczki, and thou

by Salem Collo-Julin February 12, 2021August 18, 2021

Upcoming events and recommendations from our listings coordinator

Arts & Culture

Parvesh Cheena invites you into his home

by Vignesh Ramachandran February 12, 2021August 18, 2021

From a call center in India to the socially distant confines of video chat, he’s starred in television shows that have defined an era.

Arts & Culture

Making social distancing sexy

by Tim Frisbie February 12, 2021August 18, 2021

Boudoir photographers get creative during COVID.

Bryce Rogers and Charlie Kolodziej met at 19-hour sit-in at the University of Chicago Police Department in June and have been together ever since.

City Life

Coupled up in quarantine

by Emma Oxnevad February 12, 2021August 18, 2021

Despite the ongoing pandemic, partners are finding—and maintaining—love.

Arts & Culture

Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell takes charge at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

by Irene Hsiao February 11, 2021August 18, 2021

She’s the first company alum to head the 43-year-old ensemble.

Columns & Opinion

My 16-year-old is stealing our sex toys

by Dan Savage February 11, 2021August 18, 2021

Maybe you should buy your son his own collection.

Music

Mukqs documents pandemic living on My Most Personal Album to Date

by Leor Galil February 11, 2021August 18, 2021

The multifarious outlets of Chicago experimental musician Maxwell Allison include the solo project Mukqs and the improvisational ambient trio Good Willsmith, whose Twitter account he uses to opine about music. His incisive comments on the granular details of his daily listening make it clear he’s had the experience of loving a song while hating how […]

Music

Johnny Shines belongs in the pantheon alongside Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf

by Steve Krakow February 11, 2021August 18, 2021

Bluesman Johnny Shines spent the late 30s on the road with the great Robert Johnson, then lived long enough to win a W.C. Handy Award in the 90s.

Arts & Culture

Weaving tangled webs with Constellations and Missed Connections

by Kerry Reid February 10, 2021August 18, 2021

Theatre Above the Law and A Red Orchid Theatre dive into the physics and magic of being alive together.

"Art is what I'm meant to do," KeiyaA says. "But I also want this to be a way for me to build a strong foundation and legacy that doesn't have to be attached to me working for somebody else."

Music

KeiyaA levels up even with live music shut down

by Teresa Xie February 10, 2021August 18, 2021

Chicago-born singer-songwriter KeiyaA beat the odds by turning her debut album, Forever, Ya Girl, into a multidimensional artwork.

She was the worst fears of the powers that be—a powerful Black leader who wasn’t afraid to tell it like it is.

Columns & Opinion

Now they love her

by Ben Joravsky February 10, 2021August 18, 2021

Karen Lewis knew you don’t make a lot of friends in high places when you stand up for teachers and poor kids.

Music

That first step’s a doozy on the gig poster of the week

by Salem Collo-Julin February 10, 2021August 18, 2021

This week’s featured gig poster was designed by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mobley for his upcoming online tour.

Music

Rotterdam’s Rats on Rafts show off some global swagger on their new album

by Salem Collo-Julin February 10, 2021August 18, 2021

In their 15 years together, Rotterdam postpunk band Rats on Rafts have built a comfortable existence and a decent hometown following, but their new album, Excerpts From Chapter 3: The Mind Runs a Net of Rabbit Paths, is a declaration that they’re no longer satisfied with mere comfort. On their 2008 EP, So Long, and […]