Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 5/12-15
- Chicago Cubs (25-7)
- Chicago White Sox (23-12)
The dominant feature was the ocean of reverb in which the vocals were drowning, which lent a pleasant psychedelic, strung-out feel to Divino Niño’s music that was emphasized in the Floyd-esque jam that began the set and the hypnotic drums and thudding bass that underlaid the noodling guitars. Uma Thurman’s character in Pulp Fiction would have had a field day getting stoned to these songs.And the band has started to garner some attention outside of Chicago. Catch them now, before they blow up. NOW WHAT: Tickets are $8; get ’em here. FRIDAY, MAY 13TH Ben Folds @ Riviera Theatre, 4746 N. Racine Ave., 8:00 PM WHAT: One of the greatest everyman singer-songwriters of the past two decades comes to the Riv for a show that will leave you not the same afterward. SO WHAT: If you’ve never seen Ben Folds live, it’s very much worth the experience. The man knows how to entertain, whether he’s solo on a piano or performing with a band, and he’s especially adept at engendering fan participation in his music. Check out this amazing video of him teaching the crowd the horn parts for “Army.”
NOW WHAT: Tickets are still available for $35: get them here.
SATURDAY, MAY 14TH
BookCon @ McCormick Place, 10:00 AM
WHAT: For the first time, BookCon comes to Chicago—it’s been in New York each of the past two years. Come for a day of panels, signings, and the rest of the stuff people do at conventions.
SO WHAT: The guest list is pretty impressive—Veronica Roth, author of the Divergent series; Michael DiMartino, the co-creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender; Kate DiCamillo, who wrote Because of Winn-Dixie; and actor Chris O’Dowd, among others. We’re usually pretty indie with our literature around 3CR, but there’s a lot of nostalgia factor for us here. Avatar and Because of Winn-Dixie are timeless classics.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are still on sale for $30. Get ’em here.
Al Scorch's Record Store Bicycle Tour @ Permanent Records, 1914 W. Chicago Ave., 12:00 PM
WHAT: Chicago’s favorite DIY banjoist is celebrating the release of his new album “Circle Round the Signs” by playing at five record stores in five neighborhoods in one day.
SO WHAT: Al Scorch builds bridges. The folksier sound of his music isn’t one that’s common to Chicago’s underground scene, but he’s built a strong local and even international following. His new release on Bloodshot Records promises to be a milestone, and this creative idea for a release show is perfect for the ideas behind Scorch and company’s music.
Zach Blumenfeld
Zach graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2015 and, seeking to put off law school, began writing about music and pop culture. Now he's hooked on concert reviews and the Chicago music scene and thinks he could be doing this for a while. Follow his random thoughts on Twitter @zachblumy