Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 10/6 -10/9

It's the scariest month of the year, where everything seems a little more sinister. The ghouls are coming out and doing everything they can to take you away. Why yes, it's the month right before Election Day and we here at Third Coast Review are going to try to make it a little more livable with some fun weekend events to distract you from the impending voting. While I won't officially recommend the second presidential debate on Sunday, I do implore you at least be somewhat informed and take a look at it. This is an important election year and we need to be fully informed before we make our final decision. But enough of this dour (but important) talk, let's get on with your curated weekend! THE WHOLE WEEKEND (AND BEYOND), OCTOBER 6th - 9th Ear Taxi Festival @ Various venues throughout Chicago WHAT: Classical music for the modern Chicagoan SO WHAT: The Ear Taxi Festival is the first-ever, multi-day festival devoted to contemporary classical art music. The works of 88 Chicago-based composers will be played by 25 ensembles made up of over 350 local musicians. 54 new pieces will receive world premiere performances. There will also be five sound installations around the city, two music marathons, numerous panel discussions, and several opportunities to meet the artists. NOW WHAT: Read Louis Harrs' preview of the event to get a better idea of the scope of this festival. We have daily schedules of the fest over on our calendar for every day of the fest or you can check out their website for more info. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6th The Beyond: A Composer's Cut - Live Score by Fabio Frizzi @ Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport Ave., 8:00PM - 10:00PM WHAT: A live scoring by the composer himself, Fabio Frizzi SO WHAT: Maestro Fabio Frizzi will be taking a look back at his past to realize one of the boldest projects of his life: a Composer’s Cut. This cut of the film The Beyond will be cut in such a way that it follows the musician's point of view, detailing Fabio Frizzi's musical intent. He will be in attendance and leading musicians in a new score for the cult classic, molded in a more modern aural aesthetic. There will be with very few moments of silence, instead focusing on how the music weaves with the imagery on screen, but will still hold a great respect for the film's original identity. NOW WHAT: Tickets are $25 for general admission and VIP tickets are $50. VIP event starts at 6:30 and includes a meet and great with Fabio Frizzi and a signed poster! Go to this unique and interesting event. PBR & The Empty Bottle Present Tacos VS Pizza @ Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave., 9:00PM WHAT: I think the title says it best. SO WHAT: PBR and Empty Bottle present Taco Vs. Pizza, an evening that pits the two tasty treats in a Highlander-esque battle to decide which is the ultimate food worthy of entering your body. There will be tons of FREE tacos and pizza to help you decide the victor! Each flavorful feast will have a musical champion in their corner. Team Pizza's ShowYouSuck will drop the verses while Team Tacos' Vamos will bring the jams. At the end of the show, there will be a totally formal and scientific vote by way of the loudest sonic tremors made through hands clapping to see who truly comes out on top. NOW WHAT: Grab some beer money (maybe some merch cash too) because the food and show are free. Get you butt to the Empty Bottle and make some room for tacos, pizza, music, pizza, and tacos. FRIDAY - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7th - 9th Rocktober Beerfest @ West Loop, W Randolph St & N Ogden Ave, Friday 5:00PM - 11:00, Saturday and Sunday Noon - 10:00PM WHAT: An embrace of a traditional German Oktoberfest but with some rock thrown in SO WHAT: This is a chance for beer lovers to unite and celebrate! The event features the Samuel Adams Hops Slide, corn hole, a costume contest judging the best Oktoberfest outfit, and much more. Those with a competitive nature will also have the chance to become America’s “Stein Hoister of the Year” by holding a one-liter stein of beer without bending your elbow or spilling longer than the other competitors. The winner will get a trip to the Samuel Adams Brewery in Boston.  There will also be a fair share of live music including Die Musikmeisters (performing German classics all three days), Chicago festival staple bands like 7th Heaven, The Boy Band, and Too White Crew, and many more. NOW WHAT: Get out your finest lederhosen and dirndl and head to this beer fest. Entry to the event is $10 dollars and there are plenty of packages that include beer, pretzels, brats, and even a 250z stein. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7th DJ Shadow and Noer the Boy @ Metro, 3730 N Clark St., 8:00PM WHAT: A legendary producer and DJ making his way to Chicago SO WHAT: DJ Shadow has been rocking turntables since the early nineties, becoming synonymous with eclectic DJ culture since his near perfect debut album Endtroducing. Averaging about one album every five years, DJ Shadow has reinvented himself with every passing album. His latest, The Mountain Will Fall, reaches a new height in his career as he collaborates with the likes of hip-hop supergroup Run the Jewels and ethereal German composer Nils Frahm. DJ Shadow will be joined by Noer the Boy for a night of experimental DJing wonders NOW WHAT: Pick up these $29 tickets quickly because it's unbelievable that they're still available. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8th DRAW! DRAW! DRAW! @ Galerie F, 2381 N Milwaukee Ave., 6:00PM - 10:00PM WHAT: A live art event in Logan Square SO WHAT: Galerie F, your place for posters, prints and street art in Chicago, will be hosting a panel of pre-selected artists who will be creating works in the gallery that you can take home with you. Artists that will be participationg in this month's event include Alex Kostiw, Brian Fabry Dorsam, Christian Pena, Cranky Pickle, FACE, FEDZ, Joshua Daniels, Kevin Scannell, Luca, Kiki, Maribel Pena, and Michael Ramos. For those of you who may want to create some artwork to sell, there will be seven first come first serve "drop-in" seats for artists who were not previously selected for the show. Artists keep 100% of their proceeds from this event and get to share their craft with the amazing patrons of Galerie F. The event will also be holding a raffle to win some awesome prizes, so just bring in some winter clothes to donate such as gloves, hats, or scarves. One item of clothing = one raffle ticket. It's set to be a great night of live art creation where you can socialize with like-minded art enthusiasts. NOW WHAT: The event is free, open to the public, and BYOB. So get yourself some art and party with the funnest art gallery in Chicago! Owen and Victor Villareal @ Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, 12 S Michigan Ave., 8:30PM WHAT: Wonders of the Chicago music scene together again SO WHAT: Owen is the solo project of Mike Kinsella, who has graced the music scene through various other bands including Cap'n Jazz, the recently reformed American Football, T/T/T, Owls, and Joan of Arc just to name a few. Kinsella has made Owen the ideal project for his intricate and beautiful music that often delves into his personal life with raw and emotional lyrics. Opening this evening is another Chicago music scene legend Victor Villareal who has joined Kinsella in many of the same bands (Cap'n Jazz, Owls, and Joan of Arc) and has been creating some amazing solo music with the same attention to detail as Kinsella. NOW WHAT: Tickets for this 21+ show are $20 and such a great way to experience these members of local music royalty. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9th Bank of America Chicago Marathon @ This 26.2 mile trail WHAT: 45,000 runners tackling 26.2 miles of Chicago neighborhoods SO WHAT: The Chicago Marathon, now in its 39th anniversary, brings together everyday runners with the elite athletes from around the world in a test of endurance. This is one of the major marathons in the country and a worthwhile spectacle of athleticism.  Many runners (including some at Third Coast Review) participate in the marathon on the behalf of one of the many charities that are included in the marathon's Charity Program. NOW WHAT: Check out the marathon website for all the cheer zones and recommended spectator locations to support these amazing runners. And if you're not a marathon viewer, check out the route for streets to avoid on your Sunday morning activities.