AltWeeklies Wire
Pianist Michiel Braam Drafts Chicagoans into His Long-Running 'Anti-Orchestra'new
On Friday his long-running large group, Bik Bent Braam will play music from its gloriously rambunctious new album, Extremen, but with one big twist: Braam will fill out the roster of 13 musicians with ten local improvisers -- the first time he's ever performed the band's repertoire with anyone but the musicians for whom he wrote it.
Chicago Reader |
Neil Tesser |
11-10-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Sonic Boom: Why Theater is Getting Loudernew
The basic problem with sound, engineer Nick Keenan maintains, is that everyone hears it differently, and no one really knows how to talk about it.
Chicago Reader |
Deanna Isaacs |
11-10-2008 |
Theater
When Chicago's Slush Fund Dries Upnew
The TIF kitty is still growing, per the county clerk's annual report -- but it may not be growing fast enough to cover the bets Chicago has made against it.
Chicago Reader |
Ben Joravsky |
11-10-2008 |
Policy Issues
Election '08: We Knew it Would End This Waynew
They said the 2008 presidential campaign would never end. On Tuesday night America proved them wrong.
Chicago Reader |
Michael Miner |
11-10-2008 |
Commentary
From the Archives: What Makes Obama Run?new
Lawyer, teacher, philanthropist, and author Barack Obama didn't need another career, the Chicago Reader noted in this 1995 profile. But he entered politics to get back to his true passion -- community organization.
Chicago Reader |
Hank De Zutter |
11-05-2008 |
Politics
Voters Think the Media Favors Obama -- Do Endorsements Prove Them Right?new
Obama has rolled up the press like jitterbuggers rolling up a rec room rug. Not only have the dailies that always endorse the Democrat endorsed another, but reliably Republican papers have taken an existential leap into contrariness.
Chicago Reader |
Michael Miner |
11-03-2008 |
Media
The Terkel Rules: Translating from Speech to Prosenew
Terkel's books consist of tape-recorded conversations with mostly common people; after a brief introduction from Terkel, each text unspools almost seamlessly, with only an occasional nudge from the questioner. But here's the thing: most people don't talk that way.
Chicago Reader |
Michael Lenehan |
11-03-2008 |
Books
A Former GM of Hoy Bets on New Mag for Next-Generation Chicago Latinosnew
Café bills itself as a "Latino lifestyle magazine," and the first issue came off the presses last week. It's a free bimonthly that the founders hope will go monthly next spring.
Chicago Reader |
Michael Miner |
10-27-2008 |
Media
Trevor and Ryan Oakes Have Invented a New Way to Drawnew
The easel the Oakeses invented to impose image on paper has forerunners that go back centuries. Their device is the first, however, that requires neither mirrors nor lenses.
Chicago Reader |
Damien James |
10-27-2008 |
Art
New Federal IP Act Will Criminalize Culturenew
The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008 promises to do for music what Homeland Security did for air travel.
Chicago Reader |
Miles Raymer |
10-27-2008 |
Music
How the Web is Changing Black Youth Culture, and Vice Versanew
Wayne Marshall, a writer, DJ, ethnomusicologist, and probably the only person on staff at Brandeis University who's been written up by the Fader talks Web 2.0 and black youth culture.
Chicago Reader |
Miles Raymer |
10-20-2008 |
Music
Is the Midway Airport Lease Really a Good Deal for Chicago Taxpayers?new
Midway Airport is arguably one of the city of Chicago's better-run operations -- it is profitable to the tune of about $100 million a year. So why would the city be in such a hurry to pawn it off, railroading the $2.5 billion transaction through the City Council with little scrutiny or debate?
Chicago Reader |
Ben Joravsky |
10-20-2008 |
Policy Issues
Nonprofits in a No-Profit Economynew
As the Dow takes a dive, Chicago contemporary arts group Renaissance Society works on its first endowment.
Chicago Reader |
Deanna Isaacs |
10-14-2008 |
Economy
The Chicago Cubs' True Accomplishmentnew
We're missing the point on the Cubs' latest, most spectacular crash and burn. Does anyone understand how difficult it is for a team to go 100 years without winning a championship?
Chicago Reader |
Mike Conklin |
10-14-2008 |
Sports
Catfish Haven Moves Past Indie Rock to 1978new
If their early material was like a sensitive country boy who'd moved to the city, Devastator is like that boy's older brother back home, with his Camaro parked proudly in front of his double-wide.
Chicago Reader |
Miles Raymer |
10-14-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Catfish Haven, Devastator
