Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 3/1 – 3/4

New month, new curated weekend! It always feels so oddly refreshing when one of these posts starts off a month. So having it occur twice in a row this soon in 2018 is pretty great! Good thing that it's looking like a packed weekend with wonderful galleries, concerts, and readings just waiting for you to attend! Let's get on with your curated weekend! THURSDAY, MARCH 1st Old 97's / Cody Canada & The Departed / Matthew Ryan @ Thalia Hall, 1807 S Allport St., 7:00PM, 17+ WHAT: Some unique takes on rock and roll SO WHAT: Rhett Miller’s Old 97’s are the height of rootsy, country-influenced songwriting that is perfectly melded with punk rock energy. The four core members including guitarist Ken Bethea, bassist Murry Hammond, and drummer Philip Peeples are making rock music at its most refined and fun. Joining them will be  Cody Canada & the Departed and Mathew Ryan. NOW WHAT: Tickets for this show are $25 High Up / Whispertown / Robbie Skye @ Empty Bottle, 1035 N Western Ave., 8:30PM, 21+ WHAT: Eclectic sounds for you evening SO WHAT: High Up, fronted by Christine Fink,  is a wonderful mix of modern indie rock aesthetics dripping old school soul. I dare you not to feel like dancing listening to their intense grooves. Join them will be hauntingly beautiful voice of Morgan Nagler’s Whispertown and some local synth soaked power pop from Robbie Skye. NOW WHAT: Tickets are $10 FRIDAY, MARCH 2nd Urbs in Horto II @ Galerie F, 2415 N Milwaukee Ave., 6:00pm - 11:00pm, All Ages WHAT: Join Galerie F as they feature artwork celebrating our fine city. SO WHAT: ​On March 4, 1837, Chicago was officially incorporated as a city and its government adopted the Latin phrase “Urbs in Horto” as the new city’s motto. Chicago doesn’t quite live up to its original slogan, which translates to “City in a Garden,” but still offers people plenty of reasons to love it. This sequel to the original Urbs in Horto exhibition will continue celebrating Chicago an everything it has to offer! NOW WHAT: This opening reception is free as always! Patton Oswalt and Gillian Flynn @ Community Christian Church, 1635 Emerson Lane, Naperville, 7:00pm, All Ages WHAT: An excellent event for fans of true crime SO WHAT: Author and actor Patton Oswalt will be in conversation with New York Times bestselling author  Gillian Flynn. They will be  discussing the book written by Patton’s late wife, Michelle McNamara, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. McNamara dug obsessively into the Golden State Killer case, resulting in a book full of layers of suspicion and relentless pursuit. NOW WHAT: Tickets are $33 and include a copy of the book. You can also get two tickets and one book for $43. SATURDAY, MARCH 3rd Anca L. Szilágyi & Gint Aras @ Book Cellar, 4736 N Lincoln Ave., 6:00pm - 7:00pm, All Ages WHAT: Two amazing authors sharing their work SO WHAT: Anca L. Szilágyi, author of Daughters of the Air, and Gint Aras, author of The Fugue, will be reading from their novels, which deal with exile, traumatic history, memory, and imagination in endlessly beautiful ways. NOW WHAT: This event is free and perfect for anyone wanting to experience great literary works! Happy Thoughts @ All Star Press, 2775 N Milwaukee Ave., 6:00pm - 10:00pm, All Ages WHAT: A nice pop up show at All Star Press! SO WHAT: Artists will be invited to create/design 8″X10″ size work, surrounding the theme of happiness, positivity, and good vibes. Percentage of proceeds will be donated to artist, Erik Lundquist’s Treatment Fund & the Cancer Support Center Charity. There will be beer from Hopewell Brewing for you to enjoy while you peruse the happy vibes emanating from the art work!. You can see the full lineup at their event page! NOW WHAT: The opening reception is completely free! Locals Only: Chicago Artist Group Exhibit Opening @ Rotofugi Designer Toy Store & Gallery, 2780 N Lincoln Ave., 7:00pm - 10:00PM, All Ages WHAT: Chicago artists displaying their work at Rotofugi Gallery SO WHAT: Rotofugi is bringing it back home with this fantastic exhibit by eleven Chicago-based artists! A mix of old favorites and a cast of new arrivals will adorn the gallery’s walls for what should be a great showcase of home town talent. Featured artists include Jeff Pak, Shawnimals, Junkyard, Michelle Wanhala, Elloo, Joey D, JC Rivera, Jonathan Jardin, Kawaii Suga, Vivian Le and Blake Jones. There will be snacks and sodas available (BYOB if you want to have alcohol) and music by the continually entertaining DJ Sean Doe.The exhibit continues through April 8, 2018. NOW WHAT: Free, as always! Go out there and enjoy some amazing art! Sammus / Phoelix / Yaya Bey @ The Hideout, 1354 W Wabansia Ave., 9:00pm, 21+ WHAT: Smooth and soulful tunes to expand your mind SO WHAT: Sammus‘ way with eclectic beats and powerful lyricism is electrifying. Her songs have garnered a wide audience including activists, hip hop heads, punks and nerds all grooving out to her jams. Joining her will be the soulful voice of Phoelix and wonderful R&B vocalist Yaya Bey. NOW WHAT: Tickets are $12 for this great night at the Hideout SUNDAY, MARCH 4th Story Jam @ City Winery, 1200 W Randolph St., 11:00am - 2:00pm, 17+ (Please contact the venue or Stephanie Rogers (info@hipchick.com) if you have questions about bringing kids under 17.) WHAT: A little bit of storytelling to cap off your weekend SO WHAT: Story Jam, hosted by Chicago-based singer-songwriter-producer Stephanie Rogers, is an energetic live music/live lit performance series featuring riveting stories of Chicago area writers and performers, accompanied by original songs written for the stories, played by the 10-piece band! You’ll laugh, you might cry, but it’ll definitely be a great time as the band soundtracks these amazing storytellers, many of whom are Moth Slam winners and recognized Chicagoland storytellers. You can check out the wonderful lineup on their website! NOW WHAT: Tickets are $18 for show and if you’re feeling a little hungry, there is a buffet brunch available for an extra $20 China Rise @ Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S Michigan Ave., 2:00pm, All Ages WHAT: A afternoon of Chinese composers connecting the past to the contemporary with beautiful music using ancient instruments and musical traditions SO WHAT: Civ­i­tas is a cham­ber music ensem­ble with a three­fold mis­sion: to present engag­ing live per­for­mances of new and tra­di­tional works; to inspire a young gen­er­a­tion of clas­si­cal musi­cians; and to bring the heal­ing power of music to those with lim­ited access to live performances. This concert will feature music by Chinese composers including “Emanations of Tara” by Yao Chen, “Five Elements” by Zhou Long, “Tibetan Dance” by Bright Sheng, and “Chun Jiang Hua Yue Ye” (A Moonlit Night on the Spring River). Three guest artists will be joining the ensemble this concert: Chen Yihan, Cynthia Yeh, and Emma Gerstein. NOW WHAT: Tickets are $33 for this wonderful event. The performance is part of the museum’s Chamber Music series, and concert tickets include admission to the museum. Al Scorch's Winter Slumber to Benefit Intonation Music Workshop @ Empty Bottle, 1035 N Western Ave., 2:00pm, 21+ WHAT: The third installment of Empty Bottle's annual Winter Slumber featuring Chicago singer-songwriter, guitarist and banjoist Al Scorch SO WHAT: Chicago singer-songwriter, guitarist, and banjoist Al Scorch has been delighting the Bottle with his special Sunday residency for six years! Each shows features Scorch and a variety of guests stretching their musical legs with new tunes and arrangements. NOW WHAT: It's free! This year, Winter Slumber will be accepting donations for various charities. For this show, donations will be given to Intonation Music Workshop. WHY? / Florist / Air Credits @ Lincoln Hall, 2424 N Lincoln Ave., 6:00pm, All Ages WHAT: Why? (the band) SO WHAT: Yoni Wolf has been making great music for over a decade under the Why? band (which includes Doug McDiarmid, Matt Meldon and Josiah Wolf). Their latest release Mohlean continues the genre bending sound but add an even more beautiful outlook that they previously had.  Joining him will be the soft synth of folk project Florist and the vibes of hip hop artist Air Credits. NOW WHAT: Tickets are $22 for this fantastic lineup 100% Off Bands: Pyzow / Liz and the Lovelies / Half Gringa @ Schubas, 3159 N Southport Ave., 7:30pm, 21+ WHAT: Only the best local music for your Sunday night! SO WHAT: Do you have your ear to the ground hoping to hear some new tunes? Well, first off that won’t work. Second, you should be going to 100% Bands and discovering (or re-enjoying) some great musicians like the multi-talented Pyzow, the tender folk of Liz and the Lovelies, and Half Gringa‘s evocative lyrics and unwavering voice. NOW WHAT: Tickets are free because it’s 100% Off Bands  
Julian Ramirez