It's the final days of the first month of 2018! Hopefully it's been a successful January, where you've kept to your resolutions and enjoyed the great city we live in. To help with the latter, the beginnng of this week looks like a fantastic time with great events waiting for you including performance art, comedy, music, and let's not forget
Chicago Restaurant Week! Speaking of which, if you need a few recommendations,
check out Sherry Zhong's preview of the food lovers' favorite two weeks.
So let's give your week a fresh start!
MONDAY, JANUARY 29th
Salonathon: One More Time Before We Go @ Beauty Bar, 1444 W. Chicago Ave., 8:30PM, 21+
WHAT: One of the final shows of this weekly series showcasing experimental work featuring an inclusive creative community throwing a great party!
SO WHAT: The theme of this week's
Salonathon is something completely different. It's going to be an unexpected evening, looking outside the box for something wonderful. Feel the love with this lineup of fantastic Chicago artists performing some underground, emerging, and genre-defying art and stick around for a fun community with jams provided by DJ Danny Leeroy.
You can check out the lineup of artists at their event page
NOW WHAT: You can RSVP here for the 8-9pm hosted bar!
Free Monday: Bully / Melkbelly / Juice Cleanse @ Empty Bottle, 1035 N Western Ave., 8:30PM, 21+
WHAT: An unbelievable free show at the Bottle
SO WHAT: Bully has been making waves with their enthralling grungy tunes.
Feels Like started things off with a fantastic burst and last year's
Losing (which was recorded in Chicago) kept the the angry and boisterous sound going for another great album. So what better place to put such an explosive sound than in the middle of the Bottle! Bully's wonderful sound will be joined by local noise rockers
Melkbelly and the jangly rock of
Juice Cleanse.
NOW WHAT: It's free! Get there early and rock out!
TUESDAY, JANUARY 30th
Jurassic Redacted @ Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport Ave., 8:00PM - 10:00PM, All Ages
WHAT: Life, uh... finds a way.
SO WHAT: is a series where funny people tear into a movie that they (and you) love with a hilarious staged reading. This time round the movie is the fantastic
Jurassic Park! So hold on to your butts as Steven Spielberg's classic gets eviscerated.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $10 or pay what you can for this cool event.
Sun Storm: Bill MacKay & Tim Kinsella Residency @ Hideout, 1354 W Wabansia Ave., 9:00PM, 21+
WHAT: A January residency of local musical geniuses
SO WHAT: Two local musical mainstays,
Bill MacKay and
Tim Kinsella, are teaming for Sun Storm: a month-long residency at the Hideout! Every Tuesday the pair will come together for two sets featuring some special guests to help fill out the band. This evening will include Lia Kohl & Michael Zerang!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $10 for this great musical adventure.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31st
A People's History of Chicago @ The Driehaus Museum, 40 E Erie St., 6:00PM, All Ages
WHAT: Poet
Kevin Coval reads from his book,
A People's History of Chicago, at the
Driehaus Museum, that archetype of 19th century luxury.
SO WHAT: Coval will read from and discuss his 2017 work, a tribute to the radical spirit of Howard Zinn's
A People's History of America. Coval's 77 poems tell stories of Chicago's neighborhoods. He doesn't skip our city's brutal and violent past and present but he also recognizes its beauty. There's a lovely irony in hosting this event at the Driehaus Museum, "one of the grandest residential buildings of 19th-century Chicago, the Gilded Age home of banker Samuel Mayo Nickerson and his wife, Mathilda Pinkham Crosby Nickerson."
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $25; or $20 for members. Doors open at 5:30pm.
A People's History of Chicago is published by Chicago's
Haymarket Books. Buy it now for $12-17 online or at your local bookstore.
You And Only You @ Bourbon on Division, 2050 W Division St., 8:30PM, 21+
WHAT: Some wonderful music for your Wednesday evening
SO WHAT: You and Only You showcases solo performances by four Chicago musicians. These solo performances let artists experiment with their process, creating work that stands alone as they perform alone. This month the show is curated by
Half Gringa and will feature
Micha, Michael Albert,
Jessie Winslow, and P. King!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door for this musical night
Slide Show @ The Hideout, 1474 N Milwaukee Ave., 9:00PM, 21+,
WHAT: Great performers crafting their art with the most entertaining of the Microsoft Office suite: PowerPoint
SO WHAT: Alt-comedians and performance artists have taken the boring old program and its colorful graphs to new heights. No longer just under the purview of businessfolk, PowerPoint has become a launching point for some interesting work that look nothing like your high school presentations.
Check out their event page for the full lineup of performers.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $7 for this great night of comedy!
Silly Goose @ Goose Island Taproom, 1800 W Fulton St., 7:00PM - 8:00PM, 21+
WHAT: Comedy and beer under one great pun
SO WHAT: Since the Goose Island Taproom is now open on Wednesdays, they are celebrating by holding the inaugural Silly Goose Comedy Hour. Hosted by Tyler Thirnbeck and Chris Mcintyre, this hour will be full of great performances featuring local Chicago comedians and $3 Old Man Grumpy's.
NOW WHAT: Stop by, have a few laughs and enjoy an OMG!