Emerging Chicago rapper Christopher Horace charmed me a couple years ago with the first EP he released as F.A.B.L.E., (IX) The Hermit. His downy voice makes his playful raps sound more intimate than he can spell out with words, lending them the air of a confession shared between friends–and his gentle performances fit into his […]
Tag: Vol. 51 No. 21
Issue of July 21, 2022
The Food Issue
Something’s growing at Back of the Yards Algae Sciences
An unlikely team of bioprospectors is experimenting with the green stuff, psychedelic mushrooms, and toxic toads.
by Mike Sula
If you teach a girl to pickle
She might also learn to process love, grief, and hope through food.
by Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel
Plus: Candy Con | Sober Curious Chicago | Summer Food Memories
On the cover: Photo by Matthew Gilson. For more of Gilson’s work, go to matthewgilson.com.
Find a print copy of the Reader.
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Posted inAgenda
Fiestas, photographs, audio chaos, and comedy
Today kicks off the 50th year for Fiesta del Sol, which organizers call the “largest Latino festival of its kind in the country.” The festival is a dizzying combination of workshops, vendors, expos, family and wellness activities, and more taking over Cermak from Laflin to Morgan through Sunday. Music is a big part of the […]
Posted inAgenda
Sunset 1919, CUFF, Atomic Sketch, and more
Atomic Sketch, which bills itself “Chicago’s original drink and draw” event, celebrates its 14th birthday today in the best way it knows how: a special anniversary drinking and drawing session from 6-10:30 PM tonight at Green Eye Lounge (2403 W. Homer). Featured artists Cecilia Jane, Rebeca Soto, Vivian Jones, Mel Valentine, Morgan Hall, and Megan […]
Posted inColumns & Opinion
Your husband should meet your Daddy Dom
A series of hot threesomes might revive your sex life.
Posted inMusic
Black Magnet turns his devotion to 90s industrial metal into something even meaner and heavier
In 2020, Oklahoma City musician James Hammontree released his first full-length as Black Magnet. Hallucination Scene uses all the best parts of 90s industrial metal—even the radio-friendly sounds—to make something that hovers between synthetic and organic. Through their layers of synths, drum machines, and ugly noise, his songs remain as catchy as the best work […]
Posted inFeature
A hunt for Chicago treasures
For Jessica Mlinaric it all started in her grandma’s backyard. “My cousin and I spent hours drawing scavenger hunts and treasure maps to the patch of trees between her lawn and a neighboring grocery store parking lot,” writes Mlinaric in the introduction to her new book Chicago Scavenger: The Ultimate Search for Chicago’s Hidden Treasures. […]
Posted inBook Review
Mount Chicago tries hard, but fails
A novelist, writing professor, and covert comedian named Solomon Gladman wakes up one morning in Chicago, sometime in 2022. He and his French-born wife, Daphne Bourbon (would she be named Siobhan Single-Malt were she Scots-Irish?), plan to meet Gladman’s parents and sisters downtown for brunch. But Gladman begs off because of a hemorrhoid flare-up and […]
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 inMusic
Take a trip with Dissonant Dessert and dozens of talented friends on Absurd, Obscene!
Eric Novak is a prolific Chicago multi-instrumentalist who plays with jazz quartet Whtvr Frvr and jazz-fusion sextet Cordoba. They’ve also loaned their talents to a variety of local artists, including indie-rock band the Curls and folk singer Reno Cruz, and most recently they added warm woodwinds to Portrait, the new album from rapper Davis. Novak […]
Posted inAgenda
Disability pride, Asian stoner food, yoga, and the hip-hop and blues connection
Women and Children First bookstore and Access Living have teamed up to host a Disability Pride Pop-Up Shop at Access Living’s space (115 W. Chicago). From 1-6 PM, there will be a pop-up book shop as well as craft stations where people can make buttons, write stories, or contribute to the Re-Wired Project. There will […]
Posted inAgenda
Rootin’ and tootin’, psychics, and more
If you’re seeking a rootin’ tootin’ good time that’s really outta this world, look no further than the Cosmic Country Cookout at Judson & Moore (3057 N. Rockwell, Building 5). From 2-10 PM, the organizers behind the Cosmic Country Showcase, a campy quarterly revue that happens at the Hideout, host an expanded version of the […]
Posted inAgenda
Pilsen love, Art in These Times, R&B, and queer films
The Pilsen Love Fridge is hosting a Community Care Day at Harrison Park (1824 S. Wood) from 1-4 PM. Join them for free cold-pressed juices and camaraderie as they hold a community discussion on expanding food rescue, adding to their resource network, and serving the neighborhood through volunteering. They’ll be meeting at the spot on […]
Posted inMusic
Cat Power brings catalog cornerstones and reworked classics to Thalia Hall
Chan Marshall, who’s performed as Cat Power since the mid-90s (she adopted it from the name of her first band), refreshes even the most weathered motifs with her smokestack voice. While she’s amassed a formidable catalog of soulful originals, she’s most renowned for refracting other artists’ radio hits and obscure B sides through her singular […]
Posted inAgenda
Wicker Park, Queer as Folk, Treason to Whiteness
Wicker Park Fest provides yet another opportunity this summer to experience music, food, arts activities, and booths with local vendors, all while standing in the middle of the street. Music is spread out over three stages on festival grounds, and the lineup features several acts our writers have favorably covered in the past, including Nnämdi […]
Posted inMusic
Chicago’s Lilac headline a heavy triple bill with North Carolina’s Wailin Storms and local trio the Poison Arrows
Lilac are essentially a Chicago supergroup of musicians who’ve done time in underrated bands. They include former Cacaw and Coughs front woman Anya Davidson (also an underground comics artist and author and occasional Reader contributor) on guitar and vocals, Kenny Rasmussen (late of Anatomy of Habit) on drums, and two veterans of Baltimore outfit Witch […]