Snow at the start of the week, then beautiful warm sunshine , now back to cool rainy days. The weather may be erratic but the events are just as great as they always are! Concerts and comics, records and readings, there is so much going on this holiday weekend! Including some special 4/20 educational events waiting to inform you on cannabis and more!
Let's get on with your curated weekend!
THURSDAY, APRIL 18th
Adler After Dark: Cosmic Caper @ The Adler Planetarium, 1300 S Lake Shore Dr, 6:00pm - 10:00pm, 21+
WHAT: Something is amiss at the planetarium!
SO WHAT: Take part in this great planetarium-wide event where you must solve a caper of cosmic proportions. Attend a gala at the museum and recover an artifact of great value hidden in the exhibits through a series of elaborate clues and solve cryptic puzzles. Uncover the mole and find the item before more sinister people do! Check out a special talk by Adler astronomer Mark Hammergren and curator Pedro Raposo on some of astronomy’s greatest mysteries, enjoy special performances by Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles, a musical organization committed to the education of the LGBTQ community through public musical performances, and more! All the while you’ll be able to partake in a special beer brewed just for the event in collaboration with Empirical Brewery.
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door!
Last Thoughts of Mary Stuart @ Celtic Knot Public House, 626 Church St., Evanston, 7:00pm - 10:00pm,
WHAT: The Phantom Collective will present an Equity staged reading with music of Last Thoughts of Mary Stuart, written by June Sawyers and directed by Karin McKie. Last Thoughts of Mary Stuart is a dramatic reading about the final hours before Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed in 1587 at age 44. The reading will be preceded by a concert of music associated with or about Mary. The event will run about 90 minutes without intermission.
SO WHAT: Mary Stuart has long been a topic of fascination, most recently in Mary, Queen of Scots, the 2018 biopic starring Saoirse Ronan as Mary and Margot Robbie as Elizabeth. Last Thoughts of Mary Stuart explores the final hours of Mary, Queen of Scots, before her execution at Fotheringay Castle, England, on February 8, 1587. After 19 years of imprisonment in various castles and manor houses throughout England for conspiring to assassinate the Protestant Elizabeth I, the Catholic Mary is suddenly told the night before she will face the chopping block the next morning. With her four loyal ladies in waiting––the famous Four Marys of legend who serve as a Greek chorus––and as the hours tick away, Mary looks back at her life as a monarch and as a woman living in a world dominated by powerful men. Was she a conniving villain, as some have portrayed her, or a victim of the sexist times in which she lived? Amy Montgomery will read as Mary, Queen of Scots, with Erica Bittner, Kathy Cowan, Justine Serino and Melissa Van Kersen as the Four Marys. Tim McDonald will play fiddle with vocals by Andrew Calhoun. Bittner also will sing “Fotheringay” about Mary’s last hours. Inspired by pub theater, the Phantom Collective is a grassroots group that sponsors theater and music programs around Chicagoland, mostly but not exclusively from the North American and Anglo-Celtic-Nordic traditions.
NOW WHAT: The event is free but a donation of $15 at the door is suggested.
FRIDAY, APRIL 19th
CAKE Art Auction 2019 @ 826CHI, 1276 N Milwaukee Ave, 7:00pm - 10:00pm
WHAT: Chance to support CAKE’s 2019 with an Art Auction!
SO WHAT: Bid on original art from luminaries in alternative comics—like Jim Woodring, Isabella Rotman, and Nick Drnaso. This year’s auctioneer is Beth Hetland, assisted ably by Kyle O’Connell! There will also be comic readings by Sage Coffey and Corinne Halbert!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $10 or $15 for admission with one drink and one raffle ticket. Proceeds to benefit the all-volunteer-run Chicago Alternative Comics Expo for 2019.
Steve Gunn & Gun Outfit @ Lincoln Hall, 2424 N Lincoln Ave, 9:00pm
WHAT: An amazing guitar-focused sing song writer to help make your evening worthwhile
SO WHAT: Steve Gunn is one of those musicians that can transfix you in an instant with his determined guitar playing. His masterful hands churn out some of the most emotive and complex sounds you’ll ever hear, underlined by a lush lyricism that’s hard to find these days. It’s easy to get lost in Gunn’s amazing work, especially his latest album The Unseen in Between, and this show will undoubtedly be a fantastic way to experience this guitar virtuoso. Joining him will be the country-twinged psych of Gun Outfit!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $18 for this great show!
SATURDAY, APRIL 20th
Waldos Forever Fest @ Dispensary33, 5001 N Clark St, 9:00 am - 8:00pm
WHAT: A little festival outside of a dispensary
SO WHAT: Do312 presents the second annual Waldos Forever Fest! The fest will take place in Andersonville, right outside Chicago’s Dispensary33, providing a full day of music, education and fun for cannabis lovers – and anyone who loves a good time. From morning ‘til night, they’ll curate a cast of vendors, musicians, educators and – of course – a munchie food truck court. Musical acts include Big Freedia, Tatiana Hazel, Air Credits, White Mystery and Akasha!
NOW WHAT: The festival is free!! Check out their event page for more details!
Chicago Record Label Fair @ Empty Bottle, 1035 N Western Ave, Noon - 4:00pm, 21+
WHAT: Local labels selling their wares!
SO WHAT: Some of Chicago’s finest labels will be coming to Empty Bottle to present a unique and gem-filled fair inside the historic venue. Come by the Bottle to pick up a few LPs, singles, tapes, CDs and more from some of the most passionate, dedicated and knowledgeable labels in Chicago and beyond. There will also be some jewelry vendors around this time to add some flair to the occasion!
NOW WHAT: It’s free! There’ll be another impeccable lineup of vendors, so save your dough to grab some cool new tunes for you and your friends.
Yes We Cann: 420 Edition Market @ Emporium Arcade Bar Logan Square, 2363 N Milwaukee Ave, Noon - 5:00pm, 21+
WHAT: Cannabis education and market!
SO WHAT: It's 4/20. You knew it was coming and of course Chicago is holding a big informational event inside one of our best arcade bars. Yes We Cann will feature medical cannabis education, cultivators, authors, glass, art, music, full CBD bar, Get a Card cannabis sign-ups, and more. Try some CBD food from Herbal Notes or some CBD cocktails at the bar! Check out the full list of vendors, educators, and more at their event page!
NOW WHAT: It's free!
Here’s to Feeling Good All The Time! The Art of Jason Rowland @ All Star Press, 2775 N Milwaukee Ave, 6:00pm - 10:00pm, All Ages
WHAT: All Star Press’ first show of the year takes off with the work of R6D4, Jason Rowland!
SO WHAT: Jason Rowland is an Indiana-based artist whose paintings explore the graphic imagery in pop culture, pop art, street art movements and most notably represented by spray paint on wood. This solo show “Here’s to Feeling Good All The Time!” will feature Rowland’s distortion on familiar and iconic symbols such as Peter Pan, the Simpsons, and comic book heroes in an open, new, and untold world.
NOW WHAT: It’s free! Head out and check out the amazing work! The exhibition runs through May 15th
Photo by Faith Crawford
HEALTH / Youth Code/ Replicant @ Bottom Lounge, 1375 W Lake St, 7:30pm, All Ages
WHAT: An evening of dark sounds for you Saturday night!
SO WHAT: LA's HEALTH, made up of Jacob Duzsik, John Famiglietti, and Benjamin Miller, will be stopping by the Bottom Lounge in support of their new album Vol. 4 :: Slaves of Fear. Produced by longtime collaborator Lars Stalfors (Lil Peep, St. Vincent, Bob Moses), HEALTH's lastest album is full of evocative songwriting that deals with themes of death, isolation and hopelessness with a vulnerable edge that is underlined by their experimental synths and dark soundscapes. Joining them will be fellow dark LA band and HEALTH collaborators Youth Code with their industrial sound; and local dark synths and crooning vocals of Replicant!
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $20 for this fantastic lineup!
SUNDAY, APRIL 21st
Deerhoof with Palm and Bleach Party @ Lincoln Hall, 2424 N Lincoln Ave, 8:00pm, 18+
WHAT: The kind of musical insanity you want to cap off your weekend!
SO WHAT: Deerhoof is made up of John Dieterich, Satomi Matsuzaki, Ed Rodriguez and Greg Saunier. For over 20 years, the group has been championing a sense of fearless inventiveness that has made them one of the most inspiring and important groups making music today. The last time they were at the Bottle they absolutely killed it and this show is destined to be just as great! Joining them will be Palm and Bleach Party
NOW WHAT: Tickets are $20!