Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 11/11 and Beyond

While everything seems to be open like the old days, there is still that looming presence of the Delta variant in the background threatening all we've done to get back to normal. So much so that we're back to wearing masks indoors. Now if you're like me, that means not much has changed since you've been wearing your mask indoors the whole time anyway.  But now we have to be doubly careful to keep COVID numbers down and be diligent of the new recommendations and rules. So if you do plan to go out this weekend make sure you check out the venue's policies and quite honestly, take initiative. Wear a mask, social distance, and get your vaccination shots even if the venue/event is lax. Protect yourself and those around you. Now, let's get on with your Chicago Curated Weekend!

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11th

Fulton Street Collective Jazz Series @ ​Fulton Street Collective & Their YouTube channel, 1821 W. Hubbard St, Suite 307, or the coziest spot in your home, 8:00pm WHAT: Some excellent jazz for your evening SO WHAT: Fulton Street Collective are back with in-person events, but they are still determined to give Chicago its much needed dose of jazz at home! Most of their shows are also streaming so you can see and hear the beautiful music on their YouTube channel! Below are just some of the upcoming shows from the collective. NOW WHAT: The shows are free online, but in person there is a $15 suggested donation unless noted! Also you should definitely support Fulton Street Collective by becoming a member! Fall Mixer Tour with Hamilton Leithauser & Kevin Morby w/ Jess Williamson @ The Vic, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave., 7:30pm, 18+ WHAT: Three fantastic musicians under one roof SO WHAT: Prepare yourself for an evening of incredible musicians as Hamilton Leithauser (of The Walkmen fame) and Kevin Morby's Fall Mixer tour makes its stop in Chicago. Both of these indeminable crooners released albums last year and this tour is a perfect time to catch your favorites from Morby's Sundowner and Leiothauser's The Loves of Your Life live! They will be joined by the angelic vocie of Jess Williamson! NOW WHAT: Tickets are $29 for this fantastic evening!

THURSDAY & SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11th & 13th

New Talks and Video Archives @ Various Locations & Chicago Humanities Festival YouTube channel, your favorite browser or YouTube app, any time you want some inspiration, All Ages WHAT: Interesting conversations with interesting people! SO WHAT: Chicago Humanities Festival is back with some  in-person events! They always bring some of the best ideas to the surface with entertaining programming that captures your imagination. Their website is constantly updated with new talks, so check out the wealth of upcoming and previous events in their archives! Below is just a taste of what is coming in the next few weeks NOW WHAT: Head over to take a look at their past events here! You should also sign up for their email list to get updates on upcoming talks in 2021.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12th

The Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers @ Credit Union 1 Arena & Your Place, 525 S. Racine Ave. or the spot where you can best appreciate a good barrel-aged brew awards show, Friday 6:00pm - 10:00pm, Saturday 1:00pm - 5:00pm, 21+ WHAT: The Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers goes digital! SO WHAT: FoBAB‘s incredible popular festival has breweries send in their rarest and best barrel-aged drinks to be judged! This year 125 breweries from across the country submitted over 200 beers, ciders, meads and perrys, so there will be plenty to taste. The award ceremony will be hosted during Session 2 as well as livestreamed. NOW WHAT: You can watch the livestreamed ceremony for free but if you're up for the in-person tastings tickets are $85! Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test administered within 72 hours of the festival will be required upon entry for all staff, volunteers, and attendees.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13th

The Galvin Cello Quartet @ Charles Gates Dawes House, 225 Greenwood St., Evanston, 4:00pm, All ages WHAT: A fantastic show for your Saturday afternoon SO WHAT: The Evanston Chamber Music Society and FilAmMusic Foundation are presenting this incredible show featuring a group of young, phenomenal cellists: The Galvin Cello Quartet. Formed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the quartet quickly gained recognition by winning the silver prize at the 2021 Fischoff Competition.  The Galvin Cello Quartet features SiHao He, a Queen Elisabeth and ARD laureate; Luiz Fernando Venturelli, a top prize winner of the Sphinx Competition; Curtis Institute graduate and top prize winner in the Lennox International Young Artists Competition Sydney Lee; and Illinois native Haddon Kay, who is the winner of the 2016 Walgreens, and 2014 DePaul Concerto Competitions! NOW WHAT: Tickets are $40 for this wonderful afternoon show! Small Pools & morgxn @ Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake St., 7:00pm, All ages WHAT: A fun night at Bottom Lounge SO WHAT: Spend the night dancing your worries away at Bottom Lounge with Small Pools, who just released "Life in Simulation" last month! Joining them will be Nashville-based morgxn who just released a new EP of incredible joyous pop jams. NOW WHAT: Tickets are $20 for this show! Tasha: 2 Nights @ Sleeping Village, , 8:00pm, 21+ WHAT: Two nights with Tasha and a special guest SO WHAT: Tasha, a born-and-raised Chicagoan, will be performing at Sleeping Village for two Saturdays in a row to share songs from her new album Tell Me What You Miss the Most. Whether you've had the opportunity to see her live or this is your first time, I guarantee you'll be mesmerized by her breathtaking voice. Joining her on night one will be Christelle Bofale while night two (11/20) will feature Fran! NOW WHAT: Tickets are $15!

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13th & 14th

The Neo-Futurists' The Infinite Wrench @ The Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N Ashland, Saturday 10:30pm, Sunday 7:00pm WHAT: Quick plays live and online! SO WHAT: The Neo-Futurists are back! Their Infinite Wrench is an  ongoing, ever-changing attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes for a live audience. Now it's actually a live audience that will be enjoying the performance in person! With plenty of COVID precautions in place, you'll be able to enjoy the funny, disgusting, profound, terrifying, irreverent, and downright entertaining show with friends! NOW WHAT: Join the Neo-Futurists this weekend for $10! Head over to their website to see all they have planned now that in-person audiences are a thing again! If you're still a little anxious about going out, The Infinite Wrench Goes Viral will be continuing til February (and possibly beyond) over at their Patreon!

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14th

Pilsen Vendor Market @ Pilsen Art House, 1756 W 19th St, Noon - 5:00pm WHAT: A socially distanced mini handmade market! SO WHAT: This is a weekly market for artists and makers to come together, make new friends and sell their wonderful wares. NOW WHAT: Entry is free, just be sure to wear your mask as they are required! Squid & Sharkula x Mukqs @ Empty Bottle, 1035 N Western Ave, 8:30pm, 21+ WHAT: More energy than you know what to do with SO WHAT: Get yourself to Empty Bottle for this can't miss show featuring UK Band Squid who are renowned for their insanely entertaining live shows. Their sound is a woozy mix of post-punk madness and jazzy influences that result in quite an explosive experience. Joining them will be local legends Sharkula and Mukqs! NOW WHAT: Tickets are $15 for this great night!

THE WHOLE SELF-DISTANCING WEEKEND & BEYOND

Tony Fitzpatrick: Jesus of Western Avenue @ Cleve Carney Museum of Art, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn,  Various times Wednesday - Sunday, All Ages WHAT: Prints, drawings, and collages from a local legend SO WHAT: Cleve Carney Museum of Art will be housing Jesus of Western Avenue, a collection of 60 recent works from Tony Fitzpatrick's great artistic mind! Fitzpatrick's art is so intrinsically tied to Chicago and the Midwest, delivering stories and visuals that could only be birthed by our formidable city. You can read our review of The Secret Birds here! NOW WHAT: The exhibit is free! You can RSVP and select times over at their website! 

Back on the Big Screen and Virtual Cinema @ Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport Ave and at your home, any time you want to watch a movie WHAT: A great way to support a great local theater SO WHAT: The Music Box Theatre is currently open to the public, so if you feel comfortable you can go out and have a theater experience this weekend with Last Night in Soho, The Beta Test, Possession, The Chicago Critics Film Festival, and more! But if you want to watch some first run movies at home, you can still watch great moves and support them online! They are currently screening films via their The Music Box Direct series! There also tons of select titles available on their new platform! NOW WHAT: Digital tickets are $12, in person screenings vary, so sit back and enjoy! Remember that a physical/digital vaccination card or a negative PCR Covid test within 72 hours is required for entrance!
Film Center from Your Sofa @ The Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute, your couch or preferred movie watching spot in your place, pretty much any time WHAT: The Film Center at Home SO WHAT:The Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute is open again and they are continuing their excellent series Film Center from Your Sofa. This is a fun way to stay in digital touch with the Film Center and watch some great films from the comfort of home! Head over to their listings and start watching--in person or from your sofa! NOW WHAT: Digital tickets are $12, so sit back and enjoy! If you feel comfortable head out to the film center and enjoy the ambiance of in person screenings again! Lyric Opera Streaming On Demand @ Your favorite streaming device, the most lavish spot in your home WHAT: The Lyric Opera at home SO WHAT: Revisit some of your favorite Lyric moments, or experience for the first time performances you've missed.Check out their website for schedule of upcoming shows. Currently streaming is Luisa Miller (2019), The Queen of Spades (2020), and Die Walküre (2017). NOW WHAT: It's free!!
Concerts Live-streams and Local Shows Archives @ Your House, Any time you please, All Ages WHAT: There's tons of concerts from Chicago's yesteryear available online for your enjoyment! SO WHAT: Oh My Rockness and Do312 has done a fantastic job of cataloging some of the upcoming live-streams from the awesome musical acts out there! Check out Oh My Rockness' listings here, Do312's roundup of shows here, and tune in to these great shows from the comfort of home! Do312 have also shared some past Chicago shows that are certainly worth a watch. There are also so many great local concerts recorded for posterity and what better time to check them all out than during this self isolation period. Audiotree has a fantastic and huge list of sessions with links to band's websites and merch to help support them even more. In addition to our previous recommendations like Fran, Tasha, KAINA, Divino Nino, and The Ophelias, we also recommend ROOKIE, Emily Blue, Sen Morimoto, Beach Bunny, Tennis, and Gia Margaret! Then head over to their record concerts from Lincoln Hall, Schubas, and beyond to check out Orville Peck, of Montreal, and so many more! JBTV is also a fantastic resource for sessions from bands that have come through Chicago! Just take a look at this playlist of Blind Melon's '95 set at Metro! NOW WHAT: Stay home, watch some live music, and be sure to check out your favorite artists' social media, you never know who might be live streaming next! Video Games @ Your home PC or Console, As long as it takes, Just check the game rating WHAT: Video-games for all! SO WHAT: Check out our games page for some recommendations of what games to download (and avoid) while we're stuck at home. If you're a PC user, head over to the Epic Games store as they will be releasing a few new FREE games for you to download ! There are also tons of free games on Twitch Prime waiting for you to download! NOW WHAT: Wash your hands and dive head first into some fun games! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K42ZUUBeHSY
Masque of the Red Coronavirus! @ Black Button Eyes Productions, Any time on your computer or mobile device. For 18+. WHAT: Written by Black Button Eyes Productions producing artistic director Ed Rutherford, this short satirical piece is available online free as a combined script-and-video experience. SO WHAT: In addition to reading the play, you will see various Chicago artists act out portions of the script on video, recorded remotely. The event includes puppets, burlesque, original music, fire dancing and more in a brief, darkly comedic confection. With the Red Coronavirus running rampant across the countryside and a vaccine still months away, what's a Prince to do? Lock himself in a secure bunker in an undisclosed location along with a cohort of his top donors, of course. To prevent him and his rich supporters from becoming bored, the Prince has also brought a few artists into the bunker to entertain the crowd. But as the hour grows later and the night grows weirder, it's clear that something else has also invaded the party. NOW WHAT: Settle down for an evening of magical weirdness. Click here and begin reading and watching the videos.
Julian Ramirez