Marina Herlop’s primary interest is aesthetics. She’ll say her songs aren’t autobiographical, and the pianist’s penchant for dropping made-up language into digitally manipulated audio environments can make it difficult for listeners to ground her work in something familiar. But with enough scrutiny, you can follow clues that situate her evolving output within a number of […]
Author Archives: Micco Caporale
Posted inThe To-Do
Galleries, glitch, and more
“Violets and Daisies”At M. LeBlanc through 10/29: Wed-Sat noon-6 PM, 3514 W. Fullerton, 773-360-7178, mleblancchicago.com Fall is prime gallery season, and I’m looking forward to “Violets and Daisies,” the second solo show by artist Cameron Spratley at M. LeBlanc (3514 W. Fullerton). Spratley is a rising figure in Chicago’s contemporary Black painting community and was […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Fall in love with Chicago’s visual arts scene
With shorter days and a slight chill in the air comes the fall art season, and 2023 has a bounty of cultural offerings. Launching this season is the first-ever Chicago Exhibition Weekend, presented by Expo Chicago and cultural agency Gertie, taking place September 29 through October 1. The event is aimed at getting more visitors […]
Posted inThe To-Do
Hecho En Arts & Craft Fair, Mothers of Murdered Transpeople annual picnic, and more
Bounce the CitySat-Sun through 9/3 (individual timed entry from 10 AM-5:30 PM depending on day), 5 Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, $24, all-ages, bouncethecity.com As someone without a car, I do not make a habit of leaving the city, but Bounce the City at Schaumburg’s Woodfield Mall has me reviewing my transit options. Through Sunday, September 3, […]
Posted inMusic
Juggalo family values
The first time she hit me, all 118 pounds of me flew across the ring and onto the hard wet ground. It was just past 3 AM on the third night of my first Gathering of the Juggalos, and I was boxing blindfolded in a makeshift ring with a woman who outweighed me by maybe […]
Posted inMusic
Cindy Lee brings her haunted glamour to Constellation
On most of her records, Cindy Lee provides every note of her songs. Her self-released fifth album, 2020’s What’s Tonight to Eternity? (my favorite so far), includes her brother Andrew Flegel on drums, but her presence remains front and center: She’s the frazzled, anguished guitar wails that fade to a whimper at the end of […]
Posted inThe To-Do
‘A Dreamhouse,’ streetwear, justice for ‘comfort women,’ and more
You can’t beat Chicago’s heat right now, but here’s some more hot stuff for you to enjoy! “A Dreamhouse of Our Own: an Examination of Dolls, Play, and Queer Identity”Ongoing: Wed-Thu 6-9 PM, Fri noon-4 PM, Sat 10 AM-4 PM, Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, 6500 N. Clark, second floor, gerberhart.org Exhibit opening cocktail reception and […]
Posted inChicagoans of Note
Emma McKee, aka hip-hop cross-stitch firebrand Stitch Gawd
In 2012, Emma McKee taught herself to cross-stitch to make a Christmas present for her mother. Shortly after taking her talent public, she began making elaborate cross-stitched jackets for local hip-hop artists. Her first commission was for Chance the Rapper in 2014, but since then she’s worked with the likes of Lil Yachty and Saba. […]
Posted inThe To-Do
Disco for abortion access, soul yoga, and more
Summertime in Chicago really reveals the city’s range. When there’s so much to choose from, how to pick any one thing? Well . . . The Gospel of the Hold Steady: How a Resurrection Really Feels by Michael Hann and the Hold SteadyAkashic Books, hardcover, $40, 208 pp., akashicbooks.com Do you eat, sleep, and read […]
Posted inMusic
LustSickPuppy will sever you from the everyday with their feral, alien party music
LustSickPuppy is a filthy cyber dog. A swaggering slut beast. A party howler. The Brooklyn artist’s sound combines elements of hip-hop, breakcore, and nu metal, capturing something animalistic about moving through a mechanical world. Onstage, they use prosthetics, contact lenses, face paint, studs, and spikes to create a strange, sexy interruption of everyday life—like if […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Remembering JoJo Baby
JoJo Baby made a life as a living doll. After nearly four decades in nightlife, the artist and performer died this spring from a long battle with cancer. They were 51. Before becoming JoJo, they were born Joseph Arguellas—the oldest of four children raised by a Greek father and a Lakota mother. From the modest […]
Posted inMusic
Ugli’s Girldick is a gay summer bop
The dream of the 90s is alive in Ugli. The Philly four-piece’s latest EP, Girldick., throbs with filthy bass lines, fuzzy guitars, and shimmers of distortion that borrow generously from Bleach-era Nirvana and their musical contemporaries. In five quick hits, Ugli take advantage of all the space that rock music can provide for contradiction and […]
Posted inThe To-Do
Microcinema, rock ’n’ roll photography, and more
Warming temperatures mean it’s time to get out there and strut. From book signings to variety shows, there’s something coming up for everyone’s walking speed. Sweet Void Cinema screeningssweetvoidcinema.com The Humboldt Park-based production company and microcinema Sweet Void Cinema (3036 W. Chicago, Suite 1W) collects shorts from local filmmakers and screens them monthly as a […]
Posted inNews & Politics
Worth the risk?
Fallout from a queer erotica screening at Sleeping Village exhibits how far cultural institutions still have to go to support the entire LGBTQ+ community.
Posted inChicagoans of Note
Gray Schiller, ambient musician and founder of StretchMetal
Gray Schiller didn’t expect to be running a nonprofit at 26. From middle school through college, they were relentlessly focused on becoming a folk singer. After growing up in the North Shore area, they moved to New York to attend the Pratt Institute. “I wanted just to make music, but my parents wanted me to […]