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It took Chicago artist Myron Laban six months to create his new collection, “Sitting With My Thoughts,” a collection he says is some of the best art he’s ever made. But when it came time to showcase his work this November, there wasn’t the usual fanfare that comes with celebrating that hard work. Chicago museums and galleries have faced tough decisions about how to operate since COVID-19 caused the area’s first mandated closing in March 2020....

It’s hard to calculate the number of woeful musicians who count Radiohead as a direct influence, but the ones who are actually able to capture the unnerving quality of the UK group’s alt-rock in their own voice are few and far between. Chicago’s Longface get that ricocheting melodies and roller-coaster falsetto can only go so far; that it takes a sense of direction, a little bit of guts, and a lot of individual personality to be anything more than a derivative of their influences....

In October 2016, Dumpster Tapes co-owner Alex Fryer debuted Demolición, an annual showcase of Latinx Chicago musicians that’s named after a 1965 single by Peruvian protopunks Los Saicos. On Friday, December 8, this year’s Demolición comes to the Auxiliary Art Center. “We wanted to showcase a whole new set of artists from across the city and the Latinx diaspora,” Fryer says. “Each of these groups are so talented.” The bill consists of neosoul crooner Lester Rey, power-pop band Laverne, dynamic DJ duo the Ponderers, garage-psych outfit Cafe Racer, and smoky desert-rock act Los Gold Fires....

Almost a year ago, on a crisp autumn night in Berlin, the glazed-over windows of Kwadrant gallery greeted me on my way to see Elana Katz’s performance piece entitled V. People outside were standing on the window ledges on tiptoes, craning to get a glimpse inside. When I drew open the door, a flood of blue light poured into my eyes—phones on camera mode became beacons of arrival, small screens zooming in on a stark white cube anchored to a jet-black-colored floor....

Al Podgorski/Sun-Times Mayor Rahm Emanuel just wants you to know the facts, with maybe a few near and almost facts thrown in. Minutes after the mayoral debate on WTTW ended last night, Rahm Emanuel’s campaign sent out an e-mail to “fact check” things said by his opponents. If Fioretti is mayoral material, he’d admit that, along with 39 of his City Council colleagues, he simply failed to ask the right questions—or to make sure he’d actually read and understood the agreement—before voting to sell off control of the city streets....

Vlad the Impaler no longer presides over the dining room at 3661 N. Elston. I know this because I’ve seen the photos—not because I’m ready to sit down inside Mis Moles. That’s the new restaurant from Chicago’s most tenacious chef, Geno Bahena, who opened its dining room to the public on Friday—the day the mayor said it was OK to serve food indoors at 25 percent capacity, 50 guests max....

We didn’t need the death of architect Helmut Jahn to bring the plight of the James R. Thompson Center to our attention. The state’s May 3 request for proposals to buy the iconic structure—minus any stipulation that it not be torn down—had already drawn widespread notice. The building was controversial before it opened in May, 1985 (as the State of Illinois Center), and more so afterward. From the outside, it resembled nothing so much as a spaceship improbably plunked down (at 100 West Randolph) across the street from the classical City/County Building....

It’s been a damn cold winter in Chicago. And even without a polar vortex, ice storms, and weeks of slush and gray, this time of year can make you just want to huddle somewhere it’s heated. “It’s totally crucial that even when it’s cold and shitty outside, you still do what you can to put some energy into the scene and care about it,” says Emily Rose of art-pop duo Zigtebra....

It looks like a postapocalyptic landscape. The people in this part of Harrisburg have disappeared, leaving their quaint, once-tidy homes behind only to be reclaimed by prairie grass and field mice. The cozy gazebos, children’s playground equipment, spacious porches, and basketball backstops that remain are cracked and peeling. Residents once enjoyed these amenities while gazing out at the rolling hills and lush forests of southern Illinois. But that landscape has been replaced by huge gashes in the earth that reveal tumbled gray rocks, reddish soil, and the all-important seams of glistening black coal....

“Being lesbian, gay, or bisexual is not a disease, disorder, illness, deficiency, or shortcoming.” More than two dozen national medical and mental health organizations—including the American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical Association, and the National Association of Social Workers—have taken positions against the practice of conversion therapy. Such efforts, they note, “have serious potential to harm young people because they present the view that the sexual orientation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth is a mental illness or disorder, and they often frame the inability to change one’s sexual orientation as a personal or moral failure....

The year 2021 has already been a whirlwind for Kyra Jones. In the span of just a few months, the 28-year-old Chicagoan has landed her first full-time position as a staff writer for Hulu’s Woke, made plans to move to Los Angeles, and released the proof-of-concept trailer for her upcoming feature film, Go to the Body. Go to the Body is Jones’s directorial debut. The project is a shorter version of what will eventually be Jones’s feature-length film, which she’s currently raising money for....

Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Monday, October 3, 2016. The Wall Street Journal reports that J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Chicago-based Nuveen Asset Management have made profits exceeding $110 million on purchases of $763 million in Chicago Public Schools bonds, which currently have a below-investment-grade, or junk, credit rating on nearly $7 billion issued. CPS has said it needs the money to replenish its dwindling coffers before the new school year and to build and repair facilities....

Japanese musicians have a long history of fascination with Western kitsch—perhaps they perceive aggressive artificiality as America’s most authentic form of expression. In the 70s, Haruomi Hosono released a number of exotica albums, and two decades later, the Pizzicato Five became famous for their irony-poisoned Bacharach sophisti-twee. Iconic Tokyo singer-songwriter and producer Shintaro Sakamoto advanced that winking tradition for decades as the front man for underground psych-rock legends Yura Yura Teikoku, a three-piece that was very influential in Japan but rarely performed internationally....

Chicago singer-songwriter Gia Margaret makes what she calls “sleep rock.” Its mellow vibes make it well-suited for early-morning or late-night listening, while its catchy melodies and driving beats can get heads nodding—albeit gently. Margaret’s 2018 debut full-length, There’s Always Glimmer, creates inviting atmospheres with crisp production and varied instrumentation: Margaret’s double-tracked vocals glow amid a calming mix of electronic drums, piano, and guitar. She builds upon that foundation on her new second album, Mia Gargaret (Orindal), though unlike its predecessor, it’s largely an instrumental record—she sings only on the closing track, “Lesson,” and occasionally samples voices, including a lecture by British philosopher Alan Watts....

I haven’t poured a drink, chosen a song to play, washed a glass, or greeted a regular at the Skylark since March 15, 2020. It was a Sunday that had an end-of-the-world feel. Nobody knew when we’d gather again. I made stupid-good tips. The next day, all Chicago restaurants and bars were ordered closed and everyone was told to stay home. Within a day or two, a regular e-mailed me an invite to join SkypeLark—the kind of video group chat that is now the primary mode of communication for many millions....

It’s been more than a week since the shelter-in-place order was given. But even before the order was given, art galleries and museums had been connecting virtually with viewers for upwards of two weeks. Most went on hiatus and began canceling events in order to protect those tempted to gather in large crowds (and as we have learned, Chicagoans are very tempted). This unfortunately includes a large number of students who were planning to present their thesis work in student exhibitions....

Those familiar with talk shows know what to expect. Bright lights, a small stage, a comfy couch, a few guests, and a charming host. The audience applauds when instructed, and the production formula is almost always the same. But Super Tasty isn’t your typical talk-show rodeo. In place of current events, famous guests, and network-friendly games, it’s got anatomical lessons, queer voices, and salacious advice. That’s right, it’s all about sex, baby....

The Crowd Theater opened in a Lakeview storefront in November 2015, jokingly branding itself as “Chicago’s only improv comedy theater.” Of course, that’s not true, but the owners have tried to be creative in order to get recognized in an oversaturated community. In October 2016, just before the theater’s one-year anniversary, Crowd adopted a new financial model: monthly subscriptions. Through the crowd-funding platform Patreon guests can pay one monthly fee for access to every performance on that month’s schedule, giving those who frequent the theater a good deal while providing the Crowd with a guaranteed monthly income to fulfill its mission of “diversity, inclusivity, and affordability....

Dear Heron, Are you one or several? You stand still as a statue or stride through the water, limbs sliding through liquid with scarce a ripple. You stalk through the limpid pond, aloof as a reptile, then strike with switchblade speed to emerge, beak snapping and eyes impassive, a living lump wriggling down your throat. I have stood breathless in the thrall of your strut, marveled at your shadowy reflection, observed you stirring less than the blades of grass ruffling in the breeze....

The Dam Keeper This year’s Oscar nominees for the Best Animated Short Film come to about 50 minutes in total, so the touring program of nominees (opening today at the Landmark Century Centre) features an additional four shorts that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences deems “highly commended.” I wasn’t overly impressed with any of the official nominees, nor was I especially disappointed by the others. The program is consistently, modestly enjoyable—which makes for a better overall time at the movies than a program with one or two standouts amid a field of junk....